Author's note: The awaited finale has arrived. I won't say too much. This chapter is shorter than the others but I feel that it wraps up everything nicely. In any case I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Gaara let out a long labored sigh. The house was quiet as he stepped in from the chill of the desert night. The temperature was rising and morning would be upon them soon enough. He slipped his shoes off and placed them near the door when it clicked shut behind him. His afternoon meeting with the council had drifted through the night. He had expected no less. What they had to discuss was monumental both for Suna and Gaara. On the best of days the council really drained the energy out of him and this meeting had been particularly brutal, as he had been in contact with his own council and Konohas as well.

He fought hard for what he wanted. It was not often he went head to head with his council, refusing to back down at all on any point, but there was no room for argument. He was getting his way even if he had to bypass them to do it.

Thankfully all had eventually been agreed upon and to the predetermined requirements. Sadly by the time he had a chance to even look at the clock dinner had come and gone. When he trudged out of the conference room they should have all been long since asleep. It was worth it though. He squeezed the scroll that he had been clutching in his hand like a life line. It might as well have been one.

He knew rest should have been the first thing on his mind. He was tired; he had to be after such a long day but he did not feel it. It was late, or early, which ever was most appropriate under the current circumstances. Regardless, sleep would not be forthcoming even if he did wish to rest. His nerves simply would not allow it.

The smell of dinner was faint but it drew him into the kitchen. Little plastic containers of food sat on the table waiting for him to reheat them. It looked like it had taken time and effort to prepare and was undoubtedly delicious. As much as he wanted a full meal he did not have time to reheat anything or actually sit down. The meeting had gone on for far too long and had threatened to intrude on his carefully laid plans.

He quickly downed the cold miso soup before making his way towards the stairs. As he walked he dropped his kage robes in their allocated places. His keys were placed in the tray on the hall table next to his prized photographs and a beautiful orchid. The flower reminded him of what today was and exactly how quickly he needed to move. He only had a very short window of time now and his plan would have to be adjusted ever so slightly.

With the utmost care he quietly padded his way over to the bedroom down the expertly decorated hall. Light peaked out from under the door a sign that he had become blissfully familiar with. He was sure to avoid the creaks in the floor and turned the door knob, allowing the soft light of a bedside table lamp that had been left on to illuminate his way. His steps brought him over to the side of the bed and he was glad he had taken steps to improving his home, particularly this room. He had splurged a little bit, something he rarely did for his own comfort, but he had excellent reason to do so.

The bed looked so inviting, particularly as it was now, messed and slept in. The silken sheets were crumpled under her weight, though only on her side of the mattress, an invitation for him to make both sides match. It had been a challenge to learn to meditate whilst laying down with her light breathing next to him but it had been worth it to hold her properly as she slumbered. As much as he wanted to get under the covers, pulling her with him as he settled in, they had an appointment they could not miss.

Gaara knelt down next to the bed, sinking into the plush carpet as his hands rose to brush her cheek affectionately. She had fallen asleep on top of the sheets and the side lamp was still blazing. The book she had been reading had fallen to the side. Her pink hair splayed across the light colored sheets as she nuzzled into his touch. The impulse to crawl into bed behind her and wrap an arm around her tummy had to be suppressed once more. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Sakura," he called quietly. He knew she would slowly float into wakefulness. She was not a terribly deep sleeper and his voice would get through to her without much effort. Her lashes fluttered before green orbs squinted at him in a sleepy haze. His touch moved to the bare skin of her upper arm as she roused. A small sleep addled smile lifted the corners of her lips as she registered his form. Blearily she sat up, her silk pyjamas rumpled and bunched where she had curled her hand into the fabric.

"What time is it?" she asked as she stretched rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes. The fresh scent of her shampoo suggested that she had not drifted off too long ago. She had attempted to stay up for him, as she was in the habit of doing.

"Early," he said noting that the sun would be rising in the next few minutes, and they would need to go before that. "There is something I want to show you."

She was not yet fully alert when she rolled out of bed in her night clothes. He stood waiting for her leaving a space for her to fit into. She recognised the invitation. "Ok," she mumbled with a pleased expression. She snuggled into his open arms, pressing her face into his collar bone. He chuckled and held her close to his chest as he transported them out of the house.

Sakura looked down at the sand between her toes. The chill of the night air prickled her skin and she tucked herself closer to the warmth he produced. Her eyes adjusted to the incoming light of the sunrise, though she did not need to see the environment to know where they were. This was a spot in the desert that he had come to for many years to get away from it all. It had been a few years prior when he had taken her here for the first time. It was their place now, somewhere they went when they truly wished to be alone. No one else knew about their little corner of the world and they could remain undisturbed there.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the distinct scent of the oasis, which was more fragrant on this morning then she recalled in the past. She took a good look around and gasped. They had been there many times before but never had she seen flowers. Silently and with wide emerald eyes, she stepped forward knowing that Gaara was following. Together they sat down at the edge of the water.

The cacti blossoms were at their peak just as the sun burst over the horizon. For a few moments the entire oasis was alight with golden rays and the beautiful light pinks, purples, and reds of the cacti blossoms stretched their petals, holding onto the last vestibules of the night. For a time neither said anything and Sakura felt as if they were both holding their breath. She knew she was, almost afraid that if she did anything the spell might be broken or that she might miss something. Soon enough the dawn light became to much. One by one the flowers began to close and Sakura tucked herself into the crook of Gaara's arm.

"That was beautiful," she said, taking a deep breath of the heavenly fragrance that surrounded them. She rested her head on his firm shoulder, content to be near him. It was a pleasure she did not always get to enjoy, for though she was a regular visitor to Suna, Konoha would only let her remain on a mission or on leave for so long. Eventually she had to go back to her village. The ache in her chest from missing him was her constant companion until one of them found their way to the other. It never took very long. "Thank you for making sure I saw it." She dared not take her gaze from the closing flowers yet but she could feel him shift next to her.

"If you like we can come back every year." In moments like these the gravel in his voice smoothed to a purr and it often reverberated through his body in the most exhilarating way. She instinctively brushed her fingers along the inside of his wrist in appreciation.

"Every year?" She echoed, already trying to sear the date in her mind so that she could be sure to be in Suna for the same time the next year.

His fist clenched next to him before he released it. The whisper that followed hit her like a tidal wave, for while Gaara was very open in his physical affections for her, words proved far more difficult for him to manoeuvre. "I do not wish to ever be without you Sakura."

The seriousness of his tone made her stop. Eyes wide she turned to make sure it was not a mistake. Rimmed eyes were focused solely on her in that way that always made her heart melt with the intensity. No she had not misheard him. He was, as always, quite serious. They had discussed it before in a vague 'what if' sort of manner. The first thing that sprung to mind was the political legalities of such a decision. There would be a number of hurdles they would need to cross, namely the villages respective councils. They had agreed; they would cross that bridge when they were ready.

That had been almost a year ago and she had wondered when they would revisit the topic for it had been on her mind. It must have been on his too. They loved each other and nothing would keep them apart. That much had become painfully apparent. It was only a matter of time before one of them made the move towards living with the other. She had been contemplating bringing it up herself, the idea of moving to Suna, for as Kazekage he would not be moving to Konoha. She was willing to make the desert city her home to be with him, and had decided to tell him just that before she left again. With a positive response from him she had planned to start negotiations. He had beaten her to it in the most spectacular fashion and she had not suspected a thing. "The councils... You spoke to them," she said with a secret smile growing on her cheeks that lifted her face.

He nodded to confirm her suspicion. "It is why I was late. We came to an accord." And it had taken a great deal of manoeuvring on his part to make sure both sides agreed. Thankfully he had Shikamaru sitting in on the conversation to fight for their cause. For once the tactician was using all of his mental capacity, as his own happiness was on the line as well. Not once had the words 'what a drag' left his mouth. With the help of the master tactician they had made the best deal possible.

It also helped that Naruto was on their side. Of course the loveable blonde man had kicked up and fuss and pouted for a while. He viewed Sakura as a sister and he was loath, both as a surrogate brother and Hokage, to see her go to another village but he had known it was coming. Over the crackle of a fuzzy connection the Hokage had listened to his proposal and then fired back one of his own. Scratching at the back of his head the jinchuriki suggested that they could work out something where Sakura remained in Konoha and Gaara joined her. The idea was thrown out half heartedly and was met by rolled eyes and in some cases outrage. With a chuckle and a wide grin the Hokage had shrugged and let out a casual 'it was worth a try' before buckling down to hear the remaining details. Naruto had given his hearty consent to the request causing quiet a bit of ruckus with in Konoha's council. Regardless each member of both councils eventually bent to their respective kage's will. The rest of the evening had been spent ironing out the semantics.

"And? What did they say?" she asked hopefully, the suspense getting the better of her.

Gaara shifted to his knees, turning so that he faced her fully. "Assuming you agree, there will be an exchange. Temari would go to Konoha and you would come here. You will both have free reign to travel between the villages as you see fit, though as Kazehime there will be duties that will require your attention regularly here in Suna."

It took Sakura a moment to realise what he said through her elation at the news. A councils decision was a hard thing to overrule and she had been concerned that when the time came they would have to contest one or both of their village council's edicts. The relief at hearing that he had somehow managed to convince Konoha to let go of their top medic in exchange for Suna royalty was a relief. While neither wanted to see Temari leave her siblings, they all knew where she truly wished to be. And she would be traveling back regularly. Suna and Konoha's relationship had developed into one of thriving friendship and they two villages benefited from that. The road that connected the two hidden villages was safe and well guarded so much so that even Sakura was able to travel mostly unaccompanied.

It was his anxious stare that made her think back over the words and then one in particular stood out. Sakura took in his stance and the way he appeared to be nervous. Kazehime. The word he had spoken echoed in her mind. Her heart beat jumping in her veins. Slightly out of breath Sakura into account every nuance of the man that she loved inside and out. He was nervous and excited. His steely expression was so earnest that she could not look away, nor did she wish to. "Is this..." her voice trailed off in question as captured her smaller hands in his larger ones.

The yearning touch of his hands halted her words. He kneeled before her studying her face in the early morning light. All she could do was stare at him in slight shock as he began to speak, for while they had talked about her moving to Suna, marriage had yet to be brought up. She had thought that they would discuss it after living in the same city for a time, but it seemed Gaara had other plans. It was surprising. Gaara was usually the more cautious of the two, but not in this. He knew what he wanted. "I am of the understanding that important requests such as this one are to accompanied by surroundings of equal measure."

Part of her wanted to cry. Such a gesture from Gaara meant a great deal, for while he was a man of action, his affections usually came in the form of a more intimate variety. He struggled to express himself sometimes and she understood that. Love was not his most fluent language. He had been learning with her help, and for all that he did not think himself to be eloquent his verbalisations could be heart stopping. For a moment all she could do was gape at him in astonishment. If she was honest she was still bowled over by his first announcement. Slowly the brightest smile she could have sworn had ever graced her own face lit up his eyes. "You heard correctly." Sakura reached forward grazing his lips with hers.

His eyes closed. She did not seem to realise how anxious he was. She had not answered him, not really and he discovered upon quick reflection that inspite of his plans he had failed to ask her anything at all. The question he had repeated over and over in his mind had not formed on his lips. Now he was panicking, or as close to panicking as he could get. He had brought things with him for this moment. He reached down to trap the item that hung from his belt but found her hand already resting on the shiny new Sunagakure hi-ate. She was beaming at him, and while he could not say he was thrilled to have diverged from his script, it seemed that she had not minded in the slightest. She always seemed to have an idea of what he meant without him having to say it fully. This time he did feel the need to clarify though. It was of the utmost importance. "I know that you will always be a Kunoichi of Konoha at heart, but it is my wish that the place you return to be my side." He never wavered but Sakura could tell he was getting anxious. It was showing and if she could see it in his eyes then it had been brewing for a few minutes already.

"It already is." She felt the familiar granules of sand wrap around her finger. She had not noticed it before but a ring of sparkling diamond granules had already found its way into his finger, and one was forming on hers.

It was not the tradition here in Suna to wear such a symbol. Nor was it in Konoha until recently. More western ideals had made their way into the ninja world and it seemed that Gaara appreciated the meaning behind the wearing of rings. Behind his impassive nature laid a mostly dormant romantic, but when they were alone it managed to sneak out. Yes, she would be wearing the robes of the Kazehime but he wanted to world to know they were linked even when she was wearing civilian clothes. She was more than happy with that.

Once the ring had fully materialised she launched herself forward plunging them both into the sand. His arms instinctively secured her in place. This was his favorite place to be, fully cocooned by his lover as she showered him in kiss after searing kiss. He relished in the press of her lips against his as he felt the thin strap of her pyjama top fall from her shoulder. Nibble fingers twisted into his unruly hair in a way that had become so familiar to him it was akin to breathing. Slowly her kisses became lighter as the sun continued to rise around them. Her thumb came down to rest over the soft skin of his neck.

"You should rest," she said smiling so wide it almost hurt. She did not really want him to, but she also knew how long he had been awake. If he had been with the council since he had left her after lunch the day before then he would have been fighting for them, the life they wanted, this whole time.

He reached up to twine their fingers together before changing their positions with ease. Her legs rested on his and he could not deny that this was one of his favorite ways to view her, dishevelled and scantily clad, her limbs straddling his hips as he hovered over her. And in this golden light he could honestly say she looked purely divine. With a yank on their still connected hands she pulled him in close, and invitation that he never turned down. "That is the last thing on my mind koi," he said with a smile, loving the way her precious laugh filled the desert air.

End comments: Ah, so it is finally finished. For those of you reasong my fic Consider All Options, I will be focusing no that for the time being and I will also be wrapping up any old fics that I failed to complete before my hiatus. after that I have a few more to upload so keep you eyes peeled. as for The Rescue I have always wanted to give these two a happy ending where Gaara gets married and so forth. I didnt want to delve too deep in the semantics of what that might entail nor did I want to focus on how Sakura was probably still having to be escorted back and forth between the villages because of Sasuke. Suffice it to say I just wanted to tie this up with a bow and I feel that this does that. So for all my GaaraSaku fans I hope this gave you all the warm and fuzzy feels. As always I have no beta reader so please forgive any mistakes you may find. Reviews are always very much appreciated but please, no flames. Until next time!