The Flower Shop [A Gaara Love Story]

32: Differences

They collected the flowers from the Yamanaka's, the family loaning them a second wagon for all of the beautiful blooms. Ino was sad to see her go, as she always was, but glad that she had come at all. They stayed a little while, helping load supplies and talking to the family as they did so. After the wagons had been loaded, the couple finally said their goodbyes and then made their way to the gates where Sakura and Naruto stood.

"Good morning!" Sakura chirped up and Momoko offered her a bright smile, "Took you two long enough!"

She didn't comment on the way both of their hair was still a little wet, or the glow that they had, but she didn't need to. Sakura gave Momoko a knowing smile, and the girl could only blush with a little grin of her own.

"Next time, you two are gonna stay longer!" Naruto said, putting a hand on Gaara's shoulder as the redhead offered him a small smile.

"It's been nearly two weeks," Gaara commented, and Naruto just grinned.

"A month, then!" He replied, and Momoko couldn't help but giggle.

"I hate to say it, but I agree!" Sakura added beside him, "Two weeks isn't nearly enough!"

"No time will ever be enough for you two!" Momoko laughed, "It's been a lot of fun, but I think we're both ready to go home."

Beside her Gaara nodded and she turned her smile to him. The wagons were loaded and their bags were over their shoulders, all that they really needed now was to say goodbye. Sakura stepped forward and hugged her just as tightly as she always did when they parted, and Momoko didn't hesitate to do the same.

"Please be safe out there," Sakura said into her shoulder, "And send us a message as soon as you've gotten home."

A little startled by the suddenly serious words, Momoko pulled away to give her a quizzical look. Just before she could ask, Naruto spoke up.

"There's been some trouble on the road between here and Suna," He said with a frown.

"What kind of trouble?" Gaara asked, and Momoko could tell from the slight shift of his tone how he tensed.

"Just a couple of rogue shinobi," Naurto replied, "They never hurt anyone, but they've been spotted by travelers these past couple days. It's nothing you can't handle, though. Those guys will probably take one look at you and go running!"

Despite how confident Naruto was in his ability, Gaara didn't relax in the slightest. He knew he could handle whatever was out there, it was exposing Momoko to battle that he didn't care for. If anything went wrong, if anything happened to her, Gaara wasn't sure what he would do.

"Still, it's important that you stay safe, both of you." Sakura added, and  Momoko nodded in return.

"Don't worry, we will." Momoko reassured her, despite the nervousness this news brought. She had never really seen combat before, just glimpses of training and a couple hand signs.

"You better!" She replied, before turning her attention to Gaara, "If anything happens to her, I'm coming after you, mister!"

Momoko giggled as Gaara nodded mutely, a little wide-eyed from the sudden scolding. Beside her, Naruto nodded in agreement. It made her smile; even after all this time and the distance between them, Team 7 was as protective of her now as they always were. It almost made her wish they could stay a little longer, but she knew Suna needed him and the flowers needed her.

"We should probably get going," She said, and peeked back into the wagons, "The wedding is in four days and it takes three to get there; the sooner we can get home, the better."