Flowers in the Sand

I had been informed by... certain people... that I was not allowed to write lemons or love scenes in my fanfictions anymore, so when I originally wrote this story, there was no explicit love scene. However, I have attempted to add one to this chapter and I hope that you will approve. I am somewhat rusty, so please bear with me. Thank you!

Chapter 29

The night was quiet. Not deafeningly so- crickets chirped cheerfully in the darkness and wind whispered through the empty streets of Konoha, but no other sound could be heard.

It was beautiful.

Safaia smiled softly, basking in the knowledge that Gaara was hers now, and she his. Well, in every way except one…

I apologize, pup, Gobi murmured. My experience in this situation is almost nil. You are on your own.

That is okay, old friend, Safaia replied silently, fighting a mischievous grin. I am sure that I will survive.

Undoubtedly.

Safaia paused. There was something… weird… about Gobi’s last word. Almost like she was… amused?

“You are not cold, are you?” Gaara asked from his spot next to her on the roof of the Hokage’s building. He was still dressed in his Kazekage robes, as Safaia was still in her sapphire blue gown and wedding over-robe, not having yet retired for the evening.

She shook her head with a little smile. “No, not at all. But you are kind to inquire.”

Gaara leaned forward and rested his arms on his upraised knees. “Not many have ever called me ‘kind,’” he murmured, staring out over Konoha.

Safaia blinked in confusion, glancing over at him. “Surely you are joking…”

One word explained it all. “Shukaku.”

She nodded slowly, understanding. “Ah. Of course.” Reaching up, she stifled a yawn.

Keen eyes caught the gesture. “You are tired. Perhaps you should get some sleep.”

A faint tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks. “Wha… what about… you?”

The tiniest of smiles appeared on his lips. “Insomnia. Remember?”

She turned toward him fully now, her face full of sympathy. “I apologize… I did not mean…”

“Do not concern yourself. I am used to it.”

Without thinking, she reached up and brushed her palm against his cheek. “I am your wife now- shouldn’t I concern myself with your well-being?”

His heart swelled and beat so loudly he was certain all of Konoha could hear it. Just her touch caused his blood to race through him- much stronger than it had during his years of merciless blood-lust. This was that delightful feeling he had sought all those years ago but didn’t know existed.

“Just do what comes naturally. You do have instincts, right?”

Taking Naruto’s words to heart, Gaara gave into his previously unused impulses. He cupped the sides of Safaia’s head with his hands, burying his long fingers in the brown and gold strands.

She managed to blink once in surprise just before Gaara pressed his lips firmly against hers in an awkward sort of kiss.

Just as quickly as he had grabbed her, he released her, pulling back and gazing at her with a shocked sort of expression. Immediately it turned to worry. “Was… was that… acceptable?”

Safaia regarded him oddly. “How would I know? I have only been kissed once- and that was without warning or even affection.”

Gaara let out a breath he hadn’t even known he’d been holding. “Coincidently, such is the case with me as well.” He looked relieved but caught her slightly anxious air. “Does something bother you?”

She shifted uncomfortably- a definite sign of something wrong. “I just know… that we are to… tonight… and…”

Ah. That explains it. She is as nervous as I am. What am I supposed to do now? I know nothing beyond kissing- and even that I failed at. Do I dare…?

He fought a grimace and recalled as much of Kiba’s bizarre explanation as possible. He knew it involved kissing and touching- and no clothes. Good God… I have never been naked in front of anyone in my life. Surely there must be another way…

Ehhh… no. No such luck. If Kiba’s overly-explicit descriptions were correct, he was going to have to… yeah. Well, hell. What if she ran away screaming? He narrowed his eyes at that thought. In truth, it wasn’t like he hadn’t had that happen all throughout his life- and that without doing anything but existing. But if the woman he loved did that…

Safaia stood up, brushing off her garments. “I understand,” she murmured, apparently taking his silence for rejection. “I will retire as you requested. Good night.”

For a moment he stared after her. What did I…? Then something dawned on him. This would be an excellent opportunity… yes. He stood up and followed her, remaining a fair distance behind her all the way back to the quarters inside the Hokage’s main building reserved for honored visitors to Konoha. Normally Naruto and Sakura were in residence, in their private chambers in one wing of the building, but tonight they claimed they wanted to take Kohaku to visit Sakura’s parents. So the newlyweds were, in fact, alone with each other.

With no idea of what to do next.

Safaia had closed the door behind her, and Gaara now stood outside their room and stared at the plank of wood as if it would reveal the secrets of romance to him. If only…

After several long moments, and deciding to make a “grand” entrance, he lifted his hand in front of his chest, his middle and forefinger raised together while the others were folded down. A swirl of sand spun around him and obscured him as he vanished-

-and appeared inside the bedroom, just inside the door.

Safaia jumped nearly a foot in the air. “Are you unable to use the door like normal people?” she gasped, fighting for the oxygen that had been startled out of her.

“I am not normal,” was his slightly amused reply.

Which got him a sly smile in return. “And since neither am I, we make a perfect pair.”

“Indeed.” Gaara’s aquamarine eyes traveled over her slowly, his gaze caressing her as he wished he had the courage to do with his hands. He was struck by the fact that her over-robe had finally been removed and hung on a hanger in the open wardrobe.

Her sapphire gown clung to her body like a second skin, emphasizing her curves more than her normal tunic-dress allowed. The back, which had been hidden, was cut extremely low, exposing nearly half of the black seal on her lower back. Thin straps hung across the expanse but did nothing to take away from the sultry appearance. Her hair was still up in its elegant but simple style, but several long strands brushed against the nape of her neck.

She noticed him looking her over and she felt herself grow warm- not just in the cheeks. Prodded by Gobi’s insistence, she walked slowly over to him, her eyes locked on his. “I... um... made... this dress,” she whispered. “With Sakura and Hinata. I wanted... to wear it for you for when you came back for me.” She shook her head. “But you didn’t.”

Gaara looked slightly surprised. “Then… why wear it to…?”

“Marry Neji?” She shrugged one shoulder. “So I could think of you one last time before losing you forever.”

He lifted his eyes a fraction to her hair. He reached up and pulled the ornamental sticks out, causing the long tresses to cascade down her back and curl around her shoulders. She gave him a questioning look.

“I prefer your hair loose,” he murmured, locking gazes with her again. “Your hair should be free, like the wind.”

The smile she gave him melted his uncertainty and prodded a previously unknown part of his mind to awaken with a jolt.

Forgetting all the illicit things Kiba and the other Konoha Jounins tried to explain to him, he simply let his heart take over- a heart he had thought long since turned to dust- and proceeded to kiss his wife again. This time, he did it slowly, gently, lovingly- the way she deserved. The way he wanted to give her. He pulled back ever so slightly, gauging her reaction.

Safaia pressed her body against his, hesitantly, and his hands were on her slender waist in an instant. He lowered his mouth again to hers and together, they explored, experimented, and discovered delight in this newfound experience.

And she seemed to enjoy it- indeed, she lifted her hands to his shoulders and moved her body closer to his, giving into the need to be as close to him as possible. After a while- or a moment… time seemed to have vanished- she slid her hands to cowl of his white robe. She broke the kiss to remove the garment, making Gaara feel… colder, somehow. Her touch, her presence, her skin- it warmed him, heated him more than Suna at noontime. He had to get closer to her- and her removal of his robe seemed to be an obvious solution. In fact, he was feeling overheated even in his blue Kazekage robe. Perhaps that, too, should be removed?

He felt her delicate hands on his face, bringing him down once more to join her lips to his. He felt feverish, something he had only experienced once when he was ill as a child. And judging from the warmth coming from his wife, she was feeling something similar.

She released his lips but not her hold on his head, keeping his face a mere hair-breadth from hers. “Do you feel strange?” she whispered, her breath warm and sultry on his mouth. “Why does it feel like this?”

“I do not want to question it,” he murmured back, sliding his hands around to her back. “I only want to show you how I feel about you. To make you mine, now and forever.”

“I am yours, Gaara. Always.”

He kissed her again, putting a bit more feeling into it. The sensation of her body pressed against his was causing a strange reaction- one he felt an intense need to satisfy. All these emotions running through his body… now he knew why his brother-in-law acted the way he did. Love did strange things to a man’s mind.

Safaia reached over and managed to find the zipper on one side of her dress, all while Gaara was occupied with kissing her senseless. And he was doing a fairly good job of it, too. Gobi remained quietly in the background of her mind, knowing that this was a private matter, only prodding slightly when Safaia seemed uncertain. No words were exchanged any longer- only hints of what the girl should do next. Such as now, with unzipping her dress- there was very little chance that the man would figure out how to get the confounded thing off without destroying it. So why not let the woman take it off and gain even more of her mate’s interest? It was a delightfully devious plan.

A soft whoooosh caught Gaara’s ears and he paused, pulling away from Safaia. His eyes grew wide as he noticed she was now undressed- except for a delicate pair of white…

Gaara spouted a nosebleed. His hands flew up to staunch the flow, his eyes still as wide as saucers.

Safaia hadn’t noticed. Instead, she was in the process of removing that last remnant of clothing. Now she stood up straight, her brown and gold hair partially obscuring her nudity, her sapphire eyes large and dark with some unfamiliar emotion, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

Gaara lasted all of five seconds. He had his blue Kazekage robe off in record time (tossed in a corner somewhere) and Safaia wrapped in his arms half an eyeblink later.

“I do not understand what you have done to me,” he murmured in her ear as carried her by the waist over to the sleeping mats on the floor, “but I beg of you- do not stop.”

As he gently laid her down on the blankets she smiled, looking more like a neko host than an inu host. “You are the one in charge, oh great Kazekage… I am yours to command.”

Well. With an offer like that… “I was told this might hurt you,” he managed to whisper. “Are you sure…?”

“Have we not lived our lives full of pain?” she answered him, looking him right in the eye. “Will we not experience more pain before our lives are through? What is one minor discomfort of the body compared to the bliss that will come after?”

“Bliss?” he repeated. “Who told you that?”

She blushed. “Ino and Sakura. They were quite intent on convincing me that this is a delightful endeavor.”

That caused the serious mask of Gaara’s to drop completely. He grinned at her, completely out of character and breathtakingly handsome. “Then far be it from me to disillusion you. We will learn together… how to live a life full of love.”

He kissed her again, pressing his body against hers, feeling the somewhat alien sensation of skin on skin. He'd worn his sand armor for so long that he'd forgotten how sensitive the human body was. His heart raced, pulsing blood to the needy part of him that was quickly growing rather demanding.

Safaia gasped against his mouth and managed to glance down at what was adamantly pressing against her bare thigh. "Gaara...?" she breathed, eyes dark with unfamiliar desire.

In response, his hand slid down her shoulder and brushed against her breast, eliciting another quick intake of breath from the lovely Jinchuuriki. Gaara paused, turning his gaze to the firm mound under his palm.

"...Do you... like that?" he whispered, uncertain as to if he had caused her pain.

Safaia could only nod as he carefully caressed her again. Something warm was pooling low in her body, making her feel rather... moist between her legs. Her new husband shifted and she allowed him to settle at that spot- and was rewarded with a sharp stab of the same sensation she had when he had touched her breast. But this was different. This was... more intense.

Gaara sat back a little and gazed with curiosity and quite a bit of embarrassment at his body. It had never done this before, but from what he remembered of the vulgar discussion earlier, this was what was supposed to occur. He moved his hand from Safaia's soft breast and slowly, lightly, touched the moist pink skin between her thighs, mildly surprised at how slick it felt. That, too, was normal, right?

Safaia let out a small cry as he touched her in that most private of spots. He jerked up, worried that he had done something wrong, only to stare in marvel at the blatant flush of arousal that seemed to cover most of her body. She opened her eyes, their lids heavy, and her breath slow but ragged.

He touched her again, this time with more confidence.

His body shivered with masculine pride as his bride moaned his name. His questing fingers grew damp from her increasing desire and his inexperienced body surged with the need to consumate this joining.

The Kazekage leaned forward, clumsily guiding himself to the warm, wet entrance of his beloved before shakily pushing himself inside.

Safaia let out a soft grunt as her body was abruptly invaded by something other than Gaara's fingers. There was pain, yes, but it was insignificant in comparison to the sudden feeling of fullness, of completion. Looking up into her husband's face, Safaia noticed he was wincing.

"Did I... do something wrong?" she asked nervously. "Does it not feel like it should?"

Gaara let out a held-in breath. "I do not know what it should feel like," he replied, his voice wavering like she had never heard before, "but being inside you... is indescribable. I have never experienced anything like this."

"You are in pain?"

"...Quite the opposite, actually."

"Oh." She wriggled, trying to accustom her body to his invasion. Gaara let out a choked sound and she froze. "What is wrong?"

In reply, he pulled out of her partway and carefully pushed back in, earning a delightful gasp of surprise from them both. Safaia met Gaara's gaze and he was vaguely aware of the intensity in her eyes.

"Do that again."

So he did. Again and again, slowly increasing the tempo as they grew more confident in their actions and the need for more of the incredible sensations multiplied.

Suddenly Gaara couldn't take any more. The overwhelming emotions and physical stimulation combined to trigger something within himself and he seemed to explode, filling his mate with his essence over and over until he collapsed, more exhausted than he had ever been in his entire life.

Safaia's gentle hands came up and threaded into his crimson hair. "Now I know why Sakura and Ino were so excited when they spoke of this," she murmured as Gaara lay his head on her chest.

Gaara turned his head enough to look at her, radiant in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "...Are you sore...?"

"Indeed not. As you said before: quite the opposite."

The smile he gave her was oddly reminiscent of a mischievous raccoon. "How fortunate for me then..." he replied softly, moving his body to give his tongue better access to her rosy nipple.

Safaia's cries of delight continued well on into the night.

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A long time later, Safaia lay curled up by Gaara’s side, a blanket covering their nudity and his arm wrapped around her, her hand idly running along the smooth skin of his chest. She was utterly fascinated with his body- and he found he just couldn’t object.

“It is curious…” she murmured.

He lifted his head slightly and looked at her. “What is?”

“Your sand. Why has it not prevented me from touching you?”

Gaara laid his head back down and stared at the ceiling. “That has confused me as well. Remember when we first met? How when you transformed to Gobi and she cracked my sand armor with her jaws?”

“Yes?”

“I have noticed that over the years, my skill with sand has decreased- it has become harder for me to control it. Perhaps that is the reason behind it, but I am not satisfied with that answer.”

Safaia was quiet for a moment, her hand continuing its perusal of his bare skin. “That is possible. Gobi also suspects that your sand knew what she knew- that I was your mate, and therefore protected me as it did you. It knew that I would never harm you- ever.”

Gaara’s arm tightened around her slightly. “I… used to believe the sand was the spirit of my mother… that she was protecting me in the sand. I stopped believing in that after I met Naruto, though.”

Safaia lifted herself up and looked him right in the eye. “There is no reason to disbelieve that,” she told him sternly. “Gobi, too, suspected that part of her spirit remains with you- whether in the form of the sand or otherwise. There is nothing wrong with thinking that the sand protects you because of your mother’s spirit.”

He stared at her for a moment. Then he wrapped his arms around her, marveling at the still-new sensation of embracing and loving another person. “And she knew you were my match,” he whispered into her hair. “Although I was too blind to see it.”

She chuckled. “We were both blind, my love,” she smiled at him, “literally and figuratively- but now, we have found the light in each other.”