Courting the flame [GaaSaku]
Title: Courting the flame
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #04 - Decent 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3452
Summary: "The pink haired kunoichi was on the verge of losing her patience. She reminded herself it would do no good to topple the tent around him and leave him there."
Authors Notes: Continuation of Walk right into it; fourth installment in the Partners-in-shadow series. I've got two or three more of these to go. Long drabble is long. 8D
~~xxx~~
04. Decent
Sakura breathed deeply. There really was nothing to do. She’d just have to go on with it and accept it, just like any other mission. Sure, her life would be in grave danger and the probabilities of survival were few given who she would be working with. But if it was for the good of Konoha, she was willing to go all out.
Of course, this didn’t mean she had to like it.
Her eyebrow twitched in irritation when she remembered the coy words of her Shishou.
“Since you’re in such good terms with him, then it’s your call to inform him what we’re planning,” Konoha’s Shogun had said, her smile sly and treacherous. “Temari already agreed but it’s up to you to recruit him.”
As Sakura made her way towards Suna’s side of the encampment, she began daydreaming of ways she could pay back Tsunade-shishou when all of this was done. Revenge would be so sweet, she was sure of it. If she survived, that is. The plan she’d come up with to infiltrate Iwagakure bordered on suicidal even without the element of a sand demon involved. But desperate times called for desperate measures and they needed to bring down their enemy as fast as possible.
This was the sole reason why she found herself, two nights after the council, walking up towards Suna no Akaoni’s tent with the purpose of handing him her life on a silver platter. The metaphor was apt, she realized. If the egocentric man didn’t fulfil his part of the mission, Sakura would be left at the mercy of Iwagakure’s forces; something everyone knew was basically non-existent. Especially due to their Shogun’s war mongering tendencies. Getting their hands on a Konoha spy of her calibre would be the highlight of their war campaign.
In other words, she would be tortured, maimed and then executed. Hung upon the battlements as an example of what would happen to anyone who didn’t bow down to Iwagakure.
And to think that avoiding this fate rested on the whims of an unpredictable redheaded nin with a propensity kill everyone in front of him first and ask questions later.
Sakura felt hysterical laughter bubbling up her throat. But she managed to push it down. She’d been through worse, right? This wasn’t anything she couldn’t overcome.
She shook her head at her vain attempt to reassure herself.
After asking a couple of Suna nin where the tent of the Shogun’s youngest brother could be located, she was pointed in the right direction and graced with commiserate looks. Sakura simply smiled and gave no outward appearance of wanting to run the hell out of there in an attempt to preserve her life.
But playing coward had never been in her repertoire; she wasn’t about to start now. Besides, when dealing with an opponent of Suna no Akaoni’s nature, it was in her best interest to take the offensive.
“Gaara?” she called out once she was outside the closed tent opening.
Overlooking the canvas structure, Sakura had to admit Suna’s camping equipment was a tad better quality than Konoha’s. The material was thicker and looked like it could withstand some pretty tough winds. Of course, with the desert and the ruthless conditions it presented, it couldn’t be otherwise. The redhead’s tent was bigger than everyone else’s, tall enough to stand inside and spacious enough to include something more than a bedroll.
‘Being the Shogun’s brother really does have its perks,’ Sakura thought dryly as she heard some rustling inside the tent.
“Sakura?” asked a familiar voice from within. It conveyed a certain amount of surprise and amusement.
“Yes, it’s me,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. Naturally, for him this whole thing would be akin to a walk in the park. He wouldn’t be the one putting his life on the line, after all. “I need to talk to you.”
“So I assumed with you coming all this way,” he replied condescendingly.
Sakura ground her teeth. She promised she would be patient. She would not clobber him before the start of their mission.
Clearing her throat, she tried for a calm tone. “It’s in the interest of both our nations that you listen to what I have to say.”
He snorted in disgust. “You’re here on official business?” his tone conveying his incredulity, “how remarkably boring of you.”
Sakura’s mouth fell open. Her emerald eyes glared at him through the material of the tent. “Why else would you expect me to be here?”
“You can’t be so dull-witted as to ask me that,” Gaara replied in amused disdain, “I credited you with more imagination.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. The nerve of this man!
“I see you’re still adhering to your delusions,” she snapped. It was necessary to count to ten to get her temper back under control.
He was silent for almost as long. “Ah, so that’s what my sister meant,” he commented thoughtfully, “she informed me there was a joint mission with Konoha she wanted me take part in; said it would definitely catch my interest.”
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and refused to think too much on the implications behind the words of Suna’s Shogun. That he would be interested in this mission solely because she would be his partner wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now. Sakura refused to feel mortified. She was doing this for the greater good, to avoid unnecessary deaths and to topple a raging tyrant. Keeping that in mind would help her cling to her sanity.
“Well then, are you interested or not?” she asked, not able to hide her annoyance.
Gaara chuckled darkly. “Will it be just you and me?”
“Yes,” she replied with a sigh. He really did have the maturity of a toddler. “There’s a high degree of danger involved so the less people who take part, the better.
“You do realize the danger part never applies when it comes to me,” he remarked arrogantly.
“It’s the only reason why I have any interest in you,” Sakura countered sweetly. “Besides, it’s me who’ll be exposed to almost all the danger. You’ll only be taking part in the finale.”
Only silence answered her. She didn’t know why but she felt as if a dark shadow abruptly descended over the tent. A prickly sensation crawled up her spine only to be attributed to the nightly chill. She had been standing outside his tent without any cover.
“Well?” she prodded impatiently after his lack of response finally got to her.
“You’d better tell me all you’re planning,” he finally said, his voice suddenly deprived of its dry amusement.
Sakura blinked at his change of demeanour but didn’t allow it to deter her. “I refuse to talk to your tent flap about it,” she remarked in annoyance.
“It’s not like it’s a locked door.” His tone had regained some of its deviousness but still lacked bite.
“You haven’t invited me to step in,” she retorted.
“I never would have labelled you as a prude.”
“I’m not just going to walk in there!” Sakura exclaimed, unable to fight back her irritation. “I don’t even know if you’re decent or not.”
“I guess it depends on your definition of the word,” he stated in a sinful voice.
The pink haired kunoichi was on the verge of losing her patience. She reminded herself it would do no good to topple the tent around him and leave him there. “Do you have pants on?” she asked brusquely.
She heard him rummage around for a bit before answering. “Yes.”
“Good!”
Without further ado, she opened the tent flap and walked right in.
Gaara was sitting crossed legged in the middle of a pallet to the left side of the tent. There was a backpack on the floor, a few kunai and scrolls scattered next to it. A small table with a lamp on it stood next to the pallet and there was a single chair covered with discarded clothing. As her emerald eyes surveyed the redhead with a scrutinizing glance, Sakura was relieved to realize he was telling the truth: he was wearing pants.
But not much else. His feet were bare as was his chest and as he sat there giving her an arrogant look, she was happy she hadn’t walked into the tent before making sure about his clothing.
Making a point of ignoring the impressive breadth of his shoulders and the muscles of his upper arms, Sakura proceeded to get to the point.
“Alright, the mission consists in obtaining Iwagakure’s tactical information,” she told him, crossing her arms in front of her. “As you already know, they are using Kurogane Fortress as the main headquarters for their army.”
Gaara nodded. He’d spend the last couple of days surveying the activities of said stronghold with his team of ninja. They’d made their way back to the alliance camp earlier in the day to report on what they’d seen and heard but it wasn’t much. The fortress was famous for being impenetrable.
“It’s where the Shogun and his Generals meet for strategic meetings,” Sakura continued. “The point of this infiltration mission is to obtain the intel on their tactical plans so we can then thwart them and bring them down.”
“Sounds all good in theory,” the redhead remarked, “but as you well know, obtaining said information won’t be your standard amateur mission. What do you have in mind?”
“I plan to get kidnapped,” she replied with no hesitation, “by the Shogun’s very men.”
His eyes turned to hardened jade when she said this. But he remained silent and allowed her to continue.
“I’ll pretend to be on a reconnaissance mission, trying to obtain information on one of his Generals. I’ll let myself get caught by the man. After he recognizes me as the right hand of Konoha’s Shogun, he’ll have no choice but to take me into the fortress to his leader.”
“And you think he’ll leave you unharmed while he does that?” Gaara asked, his voice icy.
“I’m sure he won’t,” Sakura replied with a grim smile, “but that’s also part of the plan. The more beat up I am, the less they’ll suspect of me when I’m inside.”
“They could just kill you straight out.”
“No, they won’t,” she countered. “They’ll start a hostage negotiation process with Tsunade-shishou. They’ll use me to try to get her to bow to their whims. They now very well I’m her prized pupil.”
The hardened look in his eyes hadn’t lessened. “So, once you’re beat up and most likely incapacitated inside the fortress, what do you plan to do?”
“That’s exactly the reason why it has to be me going in there,” she told him, “I have the techniques to heal myself. Considering who I am, the Shogun won’t want me far. He’ll keep me captive in his own lodgings, were security is tight. Meaning I won’t have to deal with it since I’ll already be inside. It’s also where his meetings take place. All I’ll have to do is go on a little eavesdropping campaign.”
“Your reasoning seems sound,” Gaara admitted, “although a bit too passive for my tastes. If it were up to me, I’d just kill the man once I’m inside.”
“And throw the whole mission out the window, yes,” Sakura replied wryly. “Iwagakure’s Shogun has the most formidable defensive jutsus imaginable put in place around his own person. Not to mention he’s always accompanied by his elite guards, whose main concern is to prevent such assassination attempts.”
“Are you implying I wouldn’t be able to get through them?” he asked haughtily.
“No, you wouldn’t even be able to get near them,” she answered him with a condescending chuckle. “If it were you getting captured, you’d be placed in a high security cell in the lower dungeons where you’d be locked away using the most advanced restraining techniques.”
The redhead grumbled in response at her accurate assessment.
“So leave the dealings with the Shogun to me,” Sakura said, “you can concentrate on your own part.”
“I was wondering when you were going to get to that,” Gaara commented dryly. “What exactly is my role in this scheme of yours?”
Letting out a deep breath, she plunged right into it. “You’re in charge of getting me out.”
The redhead’s eyes widened for a moment as he regarded her, the expression in their jade depths suddenly unfathomable. He was well aware of the implications of what she was telling him. If he didn't fulfill his obligation, she would meet a dreadful end within the confines of Kurogane Fortress. Sakura knew very well her Shogun would never pay for her ransom; Iwagakure wouldn't ask for money: they would demand Konoha's surrender. It was too high a price to pay for a single life. The pink haired kunoichi was willing to take this great risk for the sake of her people as well as to end this ridiculous war. And when all was said and done, she was leaving it to him, to the unstable Suna no Akaoni, to bail her out.
It was unheard of.
Gaara was immersed in silent contemplation for a few moments before he spoke again.
“You’re going to trust me with your life?” he asked, his disbelief evident.
“As things stand, yes,” she replied. “You’re the only one who’d be able to manage it. Getting me out of the Shogun’s quarters isn’t an easy feat. We need someone who’s insane enough and skilled enough to pull it off. So yes, I’m being forced to put my life in your hands.”
He cocked his head to the side, thoughtful. “That’s a rather novel concept for me,” he confessed. “It’s my first time doing something like this. Are you sure you want me to do it?”
“No, I’m not,” Sakura admitted impatiently, “but I don’t have much of a choice. I can only hope you don’t decide to tear apart the entire building with me still in it.”
He grinned devilishly at her disgruntlement. “I can’t give you any guarantees.”
The pink haired kunoichi seemed to deflate where she was standing. “I somehow knew you’d say that.”
Gaara chuckled in response. “C’mon, have some faith in me. I didn’t get you killed the last time, why should I do so now?”
She groaned in reply, closing her eyes and massaging her temples with her fingertips. If she answered his question honestly, she would definitely fall into depression. He seemed to be unaware he was a borderline psychotic sand demon.
“Besides,” he continued, his tone turning dark and causing her to look up at him, “the idea of you being held captive doesn’t exactly sit well with me.”
Emerald eyes regarded him considerately, not sure what to make of that statement. She thought she should ask but decided not to, uncertain if she wanted to hear the answer. The memory of Tsunade-shishou saying she’d managed to sweeten Suna no Akaoni up tumbled into her mind only to be instantly repressed. It was simply too ludicrous a concept.
“My Shishou is going to try to prolong the hostage negotiation as long as possible but it’ll likely not last that long. Iwagakure’s Shogun isn’t known for his patience,” she informed him. “So you need to give me four days before going in to get me out.”
“Three days,” he corrected, his voice leaving no room for argument. “No longer than that. There's no need to increase the already high risks even more. I’ll be stationed near the fortress just in case anything in your carefully planned scheming goes wrong.”
She narrowed her eyes at him but acceded. “So you agree to do this?”
“Yes I do,” he told her. “You wanted the Red Demon in your plan, now you’ve got him.”
Sakura swallowed, not sure if she should be happy or terrified at the prospect. “There’s a meeting tomorrow morning so we can go over all the details. Your sister and Tsunade-shishou want to make sure nothing is left out.”
“I have to agree with them there,” Gaara admitted, standing up from the pallet. “This whole stratagem of yours has the potential to turn very ugly, not to mention lethal.”
The light from the lamp fell on him then, illuminating his features and the contours of his bare skin. Sakura couldn’t help but take it all in and admit it was quite an alluring sight. At the thought, her previous interactions with him came to mind and she chuckled inwardly despite herself. Now that the stress of getting the mission going had been overcome and having finally accepted he would be take part in the whole thing, she suddenly felt lighter.
“Well, you did say there was something I got out of my profession,” she countered.
“True, but I never would’ve thought you the suicidal type.”
“Only when I have to deal with you,” Sakura replied with a sweet smile.
The redhead chuckled. “Admit it,” he told her, “working with me isn’t so bad.”
“When my life will be hanging entirely on your whims?” she retorted. “It’s more than enough to give me nightmares.”
“My whims have perfectly acceptable inclinations,” Gaara told her, taking a step closer.
She graced him with a stuck-up look at his proximity but didn’t back away. “I thought we’d already concluded that your whims function under the worst possible delusions.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s in your best interest to cater to them,” he told her, coming to stand a hairsbreadth away.
“Is that so?” she asked, her eyes level with the hollow at his throat. Now that he was close, she realized his skin smelled of spicy soap; the appealing scent provoked a queer sensation in the pit of her stomach.
“You said so yourself,” he told her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. “If your life depends on my whims, then you’re better off keeping them fed.”
“Ah!” she exclaimed, seemingly unfazed with being held up against his lean frame. “There go your groping tendencies again.”
“I’m afraid it’s a reflex action when it comes to you,” he confessed.
She opened her mouth to reply but he didn’t let her. His lips descended on hers and before she was aware of what was happening, his tongue was luring hers out to play. For a moment, Sakura thought she should charge her fist and punch him in the gut for his sheer brazenness. But then her senses caught up with her and the feel of his lips mixed with the heady scent of his skin made her return his attentions with enthusiasm.
Besides, she would only be kidding herself if she didn’t admit she’d been ogling his magnificent torso since she first stepped into his tent. Lifting her arms to his shoulders, she settled herself more firmly against him, eliciting a dark rumble of pleased amusement from him.
Gaara’s kiss was just like him: impatient, impulsive and wild. He kissed her hard, without any trace of softness or gentleness. His lips worked with the sole purpose of taking pleasure from her and giving it in return. Exploring her mouth thoroughly, he pressed one hand against lower back while he buried the other in her roseate hair to pull her head back, deepening the angle of their kiss.
He tasted of wind and heat and flame. Sakura found herself floating in a daze where nothing existed but the delicious friction of his lips against hers and the feel of his bare skin under her fingertips. Who would’ve thought this was how Suna no Akaoni kissed? It was a revelation! Never in her life would she have imagined making such a discovery and finding it so magnificent.
It was only after a long exchange that the redhead finally pulled back, releasing her mouth. They were both breathing heavily by then, each caught up in the pleasurable discovery of the other. He looked down at her but instead of the mischievous glint in his eyes he’d had when he initiated the kiss, they conveyed an altogether different expression. His jade orbs were darker and serious, reflecting unnamed thoughts.
Sakura didn’t know if she approved of it and definitely didn’t want to think about what his expression might mean. So she decided to rid him of it.
“I’m afraid this reaches a whole new level of harassment on your part,” she commented primly.
His customary grin came to his lips. “It’s only harassment if you don’t like it,” he quipped in reply.
She chuckled at him. “Let’s just consider it a life-insurance down payment on my part.”
“A wise move,” he admitted. “Will I get further remuneration if I bring you back alive?”
“It’ll all depend on how you behave during our mission,” she told him, stepping back and forcing him to release her.
“My tutors always said I performed better with a reward system,” Gaara remarked, his voice laced with sin.
Sakura couldn’t help laughing at his shamelessness. “I’ll consider it,” she said turnning to step towards the tent opening.
“You do that,” the redhead replied. “Like I said before, you might find it worth your while.”
She smiled, considering his half-naked form in the light of the lamp for a moment. “Sweet dreams,” she said in farewell.
Gaara simply stood there, his devious smirk on his features and an intense look in his jade eyes. He looked like a big hunting cat, ready to go in pursuit of his prey. “Sleep well,” was his sole reply.
As she walked back towards her own quarters, Sakura smiled in self-deprecation. It seemed Suna no Akaoni’s assessment of her choice in profession had been right.
She really did get her thrills by getting herself in into hazardous situations and courting danger.
~~xxx~~
Fandom: Naruto
Prompt: #04 - Decent 100_prompts
Character/Pairing: Sabaku no Gaara/Haruno Sakura
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3452
Summary: "The pink haired kunoichi was on the verge of losing her patience. She reminded herself it would do no good to topple the tent around him and leave him there."
Authors Notes: Continuation of Walk right into it; fourth installment in the Partners-in-shadow series. I've got two or three more of these to go. Long drabble is long. 8D
~~xxx~~
04. Decent
Sakura breathed deeply. There really was nothing to do. She’d just have to go on with it and accept it, just like any other mission. Sure, her life would be in grave danger and the probabilities of survival were few given who she would be working with. But if it was for the good of Konoha, she was willing to go all out.
Of course, this didn’t mean she had to like it.
Her eyebrow twitched in irritation when she remembered the coy words of her Shishou.
“Since you’re in such good terms with him, then it’s your call to inform him what we’re planning,” Konoha’s Shogun had said, her smile sly and treacherous. “Temari already agreed but it’s up to you to recruit him.”
As Sakura made her way towards Suna’s side of the encampment, she began daydreaming of ways she could pay back Tsunade-shishou when all of this was done. Revenge would be so sweet, she was sure of it. If she survived, that is. The plan she’d come up with to infiltrate Iwagakure bordered on suicidal even without the element of a sand demon involved. But desperate times called for desperate measures and they needed to bring down their enemy as fast as possible.
This was the sole reason why she found herself, two nights after the council, walking up towards Suna no Akaoni’s tent with the purpose of handing him her life on a silver platter. The metaphor was apt, she realized. If the egocentric man didn’t fulfil his part of the mission, Sakura would be left at the mercy of Iwagakure’s forces; something everyone knew was basically non-existent. Especially due to their Shogun’s war mongering tendencies. Getting their hands on a Konoha spy of her calibre would be the highlight of their war campaign.
In other words, she would be tortured, maimed and then executed. Hung upon the battlements as an example of what would happen to anyone who didn’t bow down to Iwagakure.
And to think that avoiding this fate rested on the whims of an unpredictable redheaded nin with a propensity kill everyone in front of him first and ask questions later.
Sakura felt hysterical laughter bubbling up her throat. But she managed to push it down. She’d been through worse, right? This wasn’t anything she couldn’t overcome.
She shook her head at her vain attempt to reassure herself.
After asking a couple of Suna nin where the tent of the Shogun’s youngest brother could be located, she was pointed in the right direction and graced with commiserate looks. Sakura simply smiled and gave no outward appearance of wanting to run the hell out of there in an attempt to preserve her life.
But playing coward had never been in her repertoire; she wasn’t about to start now. Besides, when dealing with an opponent of Suna no Akaoni’s nature, it was in her best interest to take the offensive.
“Gaara?” she called out once she was outside the closed tent opening.
Overlooking the canvas structure, Sakura had to admit Suna’s camping equipment was a tad better quality than Konoha’s. The material was thicker and looked like it could withstand some pretty tough winds. Of course, with the desert and the ruthless conditions it presented, it couldn’t be otherwise. The redhead’s tent was bigger than everyone else’s, tall enough to stand inside and spacious enough to include something more than a bedroll.
‘Being the Shogun’s brother really does have its perks,’ Sakura thought dryly as she heard some rustling inside the tent.
“Sakura?” asked a familiar voice from within. It conveyed a certain amount of surprise and amusement.
“Yes, it’s me,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. Naturally, for him this whole thing would be akin to a walk in the park. He wouldn’t be the one putting his life on the line, after all. “I need to talk to you.”
“So I assumed with you coming all this way,” he replied condescendingly.
Sakura ground her teeth. She promised she would be patient. She would not clobber him before the start of their mission.
Clearing her throat, she tried for a calm tone. “It’s in the interest of both our nations that you listen to what I have to say.”
He snorted in disgust. “You’re here on official business?” his tone conveying his incredulity, “how remarkably boring of you.”
Sakura’s mouth fell open. Her emerald eyes glared at him through the material of the tent. “Why else would you expect me to be here?”
“You can’t be so dull-witted as to ask me that,” Gaara replied in amused disdain, “I credited you with more imagination.”
Her hands fisted at her sides. The nerve of this man!
“I see you’re still adhering to your delusions,” she snapped. It was necessary to count to ten to get her temper back under control.
He was silent for almost as long. “Ah, so that’s what my sister meant,” he commented thoughtfully, “she informed me there was a joint mission with Konoha she wanted me take part in; said it would definitely catch my interest.”
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and refused to think too much on the implications behind the words of Suna’s Shogun. That he would be interested in this mission solely because she would be his partner wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now. Sakura refused to feel mortified. She was doing this for the greater good, to avoid unnecessary deaths and to topple a raging tyrant. Keeping that in mind would help her cling to her sanity.
“Well then, are you interested or not?” she asked, not able to hide her annoyance.
Gaara chuckled darkly. “Will it be just you and me?”
“Yes,” she replied with a sigh. He really did have the maturity of a toddler. “There’s a high degree of danger involved so the less people who take part, the better.
“You do realize the danger part never applies when it comes to me,” he remarked arrogantly.
“It’s the only reason why I have any interest in you,” Sakura countered sweetly. “Besides, it’s me who’ll be exposed to almost all the danger. You’ll only be taking part in the finale.”
Only silence answered her. She didn’t know why but she felt as if a dark shadow abruptly descended over the tent. A prickly sensation crawled up her spine only to be attributed to the nightly chill. She had been standing outside his tent without any cover.
“Well?” she prodded impatiently after his lack of response finally got to her.
“You’d better tell me all you’re planning,” he finally said, his voice suddenly deprived of its dry amusement.
Sakura blinked at his change of demeanour but didn’t allow it to deter her. “I refuse to talk to your tent flap about it,” she remarked in annoyance.
“It’s not like it’s a locked door.” His tone had regained some of its deviousness but still lacked bite.
“You haven’t invited me to step in,” she retorted.
“I never would have labelled you as a prude.”
“I’m not just going to walk in there!” Sakura exclaimed, unable to fight back her irritation. “I don’t even know if you’re decent or not.”
“I guess it depends on your definition of the word,” he stated in a sinful voice.
The pink haired kunoichi was on the verge of losing her patience. She reminded herself it would do no good to topple the tent around him and leave him there. “Do you have pants on?” she asked brusquely.
She heard him rummage around for a bit before answering. “Yes.”
“Good!”
Without further ado, she opened the tent flap and walked right in.
Gaara was sitting crossed legged in the middle of a pallet to the left side of the tent. There was a backpack on the floor, a few kunai and scrolls scattered next to it. A small table with a lamp on it stood next to the pallet and there was a single chair covered with discarded clothing. As her emerald eyes surveyed the redhead with a scrutinizing glance, Sakura was relieved to realize he was telling the truth: he was wearing pants.
But not much else. His feet were bare as was his chest and as he sat there giving her an arrogant look, she was happy she hadn’t walked into the tent before making sure about his clothing.
Making a point of ignoring the impressive breadth of his shoulders and the muscles of his upper arms, Sakura proceeded to get to the point.
“Alright, the mission consists in obtaining Iwagakure’s tactical information,” she told him, crossing her arms in front of her. “As you already know, they are using Kurogane Fortress as the main headquarters for their army.”
Gaara nodded. He’d spend the last couple of days surveying the activities of said stronghold with his team of ninja. They’d made their way back to the alliance camp earlier in the day to report on what they’d seen and heard but it wasn’t much. The fortress was famous for being impenetrable.
“It’s where the Shogun and his Generals meet for strategic meetings,” Sakura continued. “The point of this infiltration mission is to obtain the intel on their tactical plans so we can then thwart them and bring them down.”
“Sounds all good in theory,” the redhead remarked, “but as you well know, obtaining said information won’t be your standard amateur mission. What do you have in mind?”
“I plan to get kidnapped,” she replied with no hesitation, “by the Shogun’s very men.”
His eyes turned to hardened jade when she said this. But he remained silent and allowed her to continue.
“I’ll pretend to be on a reconnaissance mission, trying to obtain information on one of his Generals. I’ll let myself get caught by the man. After he recognizes me as the right hand of Konoha’s Shogun, he’ll have no choice but to take me into the fortress to his leader.”
“And you think he’ll leave you unharmed while he does that?” Gaara asked, his voice icy.
“I’m sure he won’t,” Sakura replied with a grim smile, “but that’s also part of the plan. The more beat up I am, the less they’ll suspect of me when I’m inside.”
“They could just kill you straight out.”
“No, they won’t,” she countered. “They’ll start a hostage negotiation process with Tsunade-shishou. They’ll use me to try to get her to bow to their whims. They now very well I’m her prized pupil.”
The hardened look in his eyes hadn’t lessened. “So, once you’re beat up and most likely incapacitated inside the fortress, what do you plan to do?”
“That’s exactly the reason why it has to be me going in there,” she told him, “I have the techniques to heal myself. Considering who I am, the Shogun won’t want me far. He’ll keep me captive in his own lodgings, were security is tight. Meaning I won’t have to deal with it since I’ll already be inside. It’s also where his meetings take place. All I’ll have to do is go on a little eavesdropping campaign.”
“Your reasoning seems sound,” Gaara admitted, “although a bit too passive for my tastes. If it were up to me, I’d just kill the man once I’m inside.”
“And throw the whole mission out the window, yes,” Sakura replied wryly. “Iwagakure’s Shogun has the most formidable defensive jutsus imaginable put in place around his own person. Not to mention he’s always accompanied by his elite guards, whose main concern is to prevent such assassination attempts.”
“Are you implying I wouldn’t be able to get through them?” he asked haughtily.
“No, you wouldn’t even be able to get near them,” she answered him with a condescending chuckle. “If it were you getting captured, you’d be placed in a high security cell in the lower dungeons where you’d be locked away using the most advanced restraining techniques.”
The redhead grumbled in response at her accurate assessment.
“So leave the dealings with the Shogun to me,” Sakura said, “you can concentrate on your own part.”
“I was wondering when you were going to get to that,” Gaara commented dryly. “What exactly is my role in this scheme of yours?”
Letting out a deep breath, she plunged right into it. “You’re in charge of getting me out.”
The redhead’s eyes widened for a moment as he regarded her, the expression in their jade depths suddenly unfathomable. He was well aware of the implications of what she was telling him. If he didn't fulfill his obligation, she would meet a dreadful end within the confines of Kurogane Fortress. Sakura knew very well her Shogun would never pay for her ransom; Iwagakure wouldn't ask for money: they would demand Konoha's surrender. It was too high a price to pay for a single life. The pink haired kunoichi was willing to take this great risk for the sake of her people as well as to end this ridiculous war. And when all was said and done, she was leaving it to him, to the unstable Suna no Akaoni, to bail her out.
It was unheard of.
Gaara was immersed in silent contemplation for a few moments before he spoke again.
“You’re going to trust me with your life?” he asked, his disbelief evident.
“As things stand, yes,” she replied. “You’re the only one who’d be able to manage it. Getting me out of the Shogun’s quarters isn’t an easy feat. We need someone who’s insane enough and skilled enough to pull it off. So yes, I’m being forced to put my life in your hands.”
He cocked his head to the side, thoughtful. “That’s a rather novel concept for me,” he confessed. “It’s my first time doing something like this. Are you sure you want me to do it?”
“No, I’m not,” Sakura admitted impatiently, “but I don’t have much of a choice. I can only hope you don’t decide to tear apart the entire building with me still in it.”
He grinned devilishly at her disgruntlement. “I can’t give you any guarantees.”
The pink haired kunoichi seemed to deflate where she was standing. “I somehow knew you’d say that.”
Gaara chuckled in response. “C’mon, have some faith in me. I didn’t get you killed the last time, why should I do so now?”
She groaned in reply, closing her eyes and massaging her temples with her fingertips. If she answered his question honestly, she would definitely fall into depression. He seemed to be unaware he was a borderline psychotic sand demon.
“Besides,” he continued, his tone turning dark and causing her to look up at him, “the idea of you being held captive doesn’t exactly sit well with me.”
Emerald eyes regarded him considerately, not sure what to make of that statement. She thought she should ask but decided not to, uncertain if she wanted to hear the answer. The memory of Tsunade-shishou saying she’d managed to sweeten Suna no Akaoni up tumbled into her mind only to be instantly repressed. It was simply too ludicrous a concept.
“My Shishou is going to try to prolong the hostage negotiation as long as possible but it’ll likely not last that long. Iwagakure’s Shogun isn’t known for his patience,” she informed him. “So you need to give me four days before going in to get me out.”
“Three days,” he corrected, his voice leaving no room for argument. “No longer than that. There's no need to increase the already high risks even more. I’ll be stationed near the fortress just in case anything in your carefully planned scheming goes wrong.”
She narrowed her eyes at him but acceded. “So you agree to do this?”
“Yes I do,” he told her. “You wanted the Red Demon in your plan, now you’ve got him.”
Sakura swallowed, not sure if she should be happy or terrified at the prospect. “There’s a meeting tomorrow morning so we can go over all the details. Your sister and Tsunade-shishou want to make sure nothing is left out.”
“I have to agree with them there,” Gaara admitted, standing up from the pallet. “This whole stratagem of yours has the potential to turn very ugly, not to mention lethal.”
The light from the lamp fell on him then, illuminating his features and the contours of his bare skin. Sakura couldn’t help but take it all in and admit it was quite an alluring sight. At the thought, her previous interactions with him came to mind and she chuckled inwardly despite herself. Now that the stress of getting the mission going had been overcome and having finally accepted he would be take part in the whole thing, she suddenly felt lighter.
“Well, you did say there was something I got out of my profession,” she countered.
“True, but I never would’ve thought you the suicidal type.”
“Only when I have to deal with you,” Sakura replied with a sweet smile.
The redhead chuckled. “Admit it,” he told her, “working with me isn’t so bad.”
“When my life will be hanging entirely on your whims?” she retorted. “It’s more than enough to give me nightmares.”
“My whims have perfectly acceptable inclinations,” Gaara told her, taking a step closer.
She graced him with a stuck-up look at his proximity but didn’t back away. “I thought we’d already concluded that your whims function under the worst possible delusions.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s in your best interest to cater to them,” he told her, coming to stand a hairsbreadth away.
“Is that so?” she asked, her eyes level with the hollow at his throat. Now that he was close, she realized his skin smelled of spicy soap; the appealing scent provoked a queer sensation in the pit of her stomach.
“You said so yourself,” he told her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. “If your life depends on my whims, then you’re better off keeping them fed.”
“Ah!” she exclaimed, seemingly unfazed with being held up against his lean frame. “There go your groping tendencies again.”
“I’m afraid it’s a reflex action when it comes to you,” he confessed.
She opened her mouth to reply but he didn’t let her. His lips descended on hers and before she was aware of what was happening, his tongue was luring hers out to play. For a moment, Sakura thought she should charge her fist and punch him in the gut for his sheer brazenness. But then her senses caught up with her and the feel of his lips mixed with the heady scent of his skin made her return his attentions with enthusiasm.
Besides, she would only be kidding herself if she didn’t admit she’d been ogling his magnificent torso since she first stepped into his tent. Lifting her arms to his shoulders, she settled herself more firmly against him, eliciting a dark rumble of pleased amusement from him.
Gaara’s kiss was just like him: impatient, impulsive and wild. He kissed her hard, without any trace of softness or gentleness. His lips worked with the sole purpose of taking pleasure from her and giving it in return. Exploring her mouth thoroughly, he pressed one hand against lower back while he buried the other in her roseate hair to pull her head back, deepening the angle of their kiss.
He tasted of wind and heat and flame. Sakura found herself floating in a daze where nothing existed but the delicious friction of his lips against hers and the feel of his bare skin under her fingertips. Who would’ve thought this was how Suna no Akaoni kissed? It was a revelation! Never in her life would she have imagined making such a discovery and finding it so magnificent.
It was only after a long exchange that the redhead finally pulled back, releasing her mouth. They were both breathing heavily by then, each caught up in the pleasurable discovery of the other. He looked down at her but instead of the mischievous glint in his eyes he’d had when he initiated the kiss, they conveyed an altogether different expression. His jade orbs were darker and serious, reflecting unnamed thoughts.
Sakura didn’t know if she approved of it and definitely didn’t want to think about what his expression might mean. So she decided to rid him of it.
“I’m afraid this reaches a whole new level of harassment on your part,” she commented primly.
His customary grin came to his lips. “It’s only harassment if you don’t like it,” he quipped in reply.
She chuckled at him. “Let’s just consider it a life-insurance down payment on my part.”
“A wise move,” he admitted. “Will I get further remuneration if I bring you back alive?”
“It’ll all depend on how you behave during our mission,” she told him, stepping back and forcing him to release her.
“My tutors always said I performed better with a reward system,” Gaara remarked, his voice laced with sin.
Sakura couldn’t help laughing at his shamelessness. “I’ll consider it,” she said turnning to step towards the tent opening.
“You do that,” the redhead replied. “Like I said before, you might find it worth your while.”
She smiled, considering his half-naked form in the light of the lamp for a moment. “Sweet dreams,” she said in farewell.
Gaara simply stood there, his devious smirk on his features and an intense look in his jade eyes. He looked like a big hunting cat, ready to go in pursuit of his prey. “Sleep well,” was his sole reply.
As she walked back towards her own quarters, Sakura smiled in self-deprecation. It seemed Suna no Akaoni’s assessment of her choice in profession had been right.
She really did get her thrills by getting herself in into hazardous situations and courting danger.
~~xxx~~