Sakura walked into her small bathroom, it like the rest of her apartment was small, but that didn't matter, as long as she had a place to call home, she didn't care. Especially since she was only twelve, her parents died when she was four, so she was making it on her own, she had left the people taking care of her when she was five, (I know, but she was training to be a ninja, if someone is going to be a ninja someday, they can watch themselves) her parents had left all the money they had to her, but she deiced to save it, only using enough to buy a small apartment very cheap. She had a small bathroom that when you put in the toilet, missing a compartment into the top, a sink, which leaked regally, and a small shower, that barley spurts out water. There was barley room to move. The floor was made of cracked, missing tiles that probably started sterile white and are now a dull yellow, lilac wall paper that is dwindling a cracked mirror, and one light directly above the middle space.

In the kitchen was a small fridge that kept all the food Sakura can scrounge up, two counter tops one on each side of a oven and above that oven a microwave, and a small place for eating, off the kitchen is a small box room that is used for a living room, Sakura keeps a small couch she found, and a little table.

And the bedroom is simply a closet, Sakura's bed is small but it barly fit, and her clothes go into tiny drawers that Sakura made with some spare wood, lumbers were throwing away.

Sakura knew better then to waste any time, she got a quick shower using

minimal water to wash her body, and quickly changed into blue shorts and a red dress, zipping it all the way to the top, she used her ninja head band to hold up her hair and headed to the bridge to meet her team. Sakura not only risked her life as a ninja, but she also worked nights at a restaurant. When she arrived, Sauske, and Naruto, her teammates were all ready there and, unsurprisingly, their teacher, Kakashi wasn't.

"Hi Sakura-Chan!" Naruto waved at her, Sakura waved back, Naruto was nice, a little loud, but nice. She had gotten him to see a shy girl had liked him, Hinata was her name, and Sakura had played matchmaker and had matched them up. The loud blonde, and the shy dark head.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura greeted. She went to were the loud blonde and sulking raven haired boy were and waited for there silver haired teacher. When Kakashi did finally arrive hours later Sakura and Naruto of course yelled at him.

"Chunin Exams!" Kakashi spoke after the chewing out. "You each can enter to take the test to rise from Genin to Chunin." Kakashi said handing the three ninjas a paper. "You do not have to if you are not ready, simply do not come next week." Kakashi spoke disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sauske looked down at his paper, Yes, one step closer to getting Itachi. Then he looked over at his teammates, Naruto was looking at his paper with a big grin on his face, and Sakura was looking at it with determination.

Naruto smiled hugely, one step closer to being Hokage! Believe it!

Sakura looked at it with determination, this was something she could work for.

"Hey Naruto-Chan," Sakura spoke.

"Yeah?" Naruto answered.

"Says here that there will be a written part of the test to, so why don't you, Hinata-Chan, and I all study together tonight?" Sakura asked. "I'll ask Hinata-Chan, thanks Sakura-Chan!" Naruto waved goodbye heading for Hinata's house. Sakura smiled and turned to leave, and Sauske was right in front of her.

"Weren't you going to invite me to the study date?" Sauske asked trying to be cool, most girls liked him, Sakura didn't see why. Sure he's good looking, in his own way, but everyone's beautiful in there own way. And he always seemed…too arrogant, too self assured for her taste. But maybe if she wasn't so helplessly in love with a boy she meet when she was five, Gaara, she might of liked him.

"Hmm…I never thought you would want to come, the study parties get pretty loud. If you want to, you can come, it's open invitation to anyone who wants to come, it's at Naruto's house." Sakura said waving goodbye. As she headed down she saw some three foreign ninjas a girl with sand blonde hair in four pigtails, and a white dress. A guy with purple face paint and cat like ears on his hoodie. And a red headed guy she couldn't see well because he was facing the other way. And in the middle of the circle they made was a little boy, Kohnahamru, and he was crying.

"Kohnahamru, what's wrong?" Sakura asked walking up to them.

"He got a look at my brother's face." The blonde joked. Sakura could see better and when she looked at the red head she saw a familiar face.

"Gaara?" Sakura asked not being able to believe it.

"How do you know my name?" Gaara asked glaring at her, she reminded him of his one and only friend, but he squashed that thought. The strange pink haired girl looked hurt for a moment, but quickly her shook her head.

"Guess you wouldn't remember me, we were only five when we met." She shrugged, it couldn't be Sakura could it, his sweet Cherryblossam.

"Cherryblossam? Is it really you, Sakura?" Gaara asked looking at her like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.

"Yep it's me Panda-Kun." Sakura smiled at her long lost friend, her first, and-so far-only love. (She's twelve people! She might fall in love again, obviously not in this story, since it's a Gaasaku story.) Gaara and Sakura looked at each other for a moment remembering the time they first met.

A pale red haired boy walked along the streets of Kohnahna, his uncle Yashamaru brought him with him for his mission, and Gaara was staying in a small house. He walked up to a play ground, there was a lot of kids playing soccer, Gaara started to go towards them but saw a bit farther down a kid about his age in the sandbox, the child had pink hair. Gaara slowly got to the sandbox and climbed in, the child looked up at him, it was a girl, she had pink hair, porcine skin, and green eyes that looked like emeralds, she was very pretty, the tears rolling down her face along with her hair over her forehead made her look petite, and fragile.

"Hi…" Gaara tried, he had no experience with making friends, not from a lack of trying, but everyone at his village thought he was a monster, maybe they were right.

"Are you going to make fun of me too?" The pink haired girl asked sniffling.

"No! Why would I?" Gaara asked looking at her, he had been made fun of all his life, but he had never been in the situation of him being the one teasing, he would never do it. The strange pink headed girl mumbled something. "What?" Gaara asked.

"Because of my forehead!" The girl shouted louder. Gaara looked at her and gently, hesitantly he moved her hair off of her forehead, it looked normal.

"Is there something wrong with your forehead?" Gaara asked unsure, it looked like any regular forehead to him.

"My forehead is too big, and I have pink hair." She mumbled, "they say I'm a freak, the weird pink headed girl, with a huge forehead who always knows the answer to questions."

"I don't think that's weird," Gaara finally mumbled, "people in my village make fun of me too." He mumbled, and he and she looked at each other with understanding eyes, there was a bond between them now, and Gaara didn't even know her name.

"Why?" She asked with wide emerald eyes.

"Because I'm a monster." Gaara mumbled, waiting for the pink haired girl's face to contract in horror for her to scream and run, just like everyone else, like everyone else.

"Then I like monsters!" She said with such conviction. "You're the nicest person I've ever met, and if you're a monster, then monsters are very nice." She said matter of factory. Gaara looked at her with wide eyes, she had seriously just said she liked monsters.

This is good boy, you found a mate, a cute one at that. Gaara's demon, Shukka spoke for the first time since heading to the playground.

Not you again, why cant you just leave me alone? And what's a mate? Gaara asked.

No I cant leave you alone your body is my body too boy. And as for what mate means…I'll explain everything when your older. And do not ask anyone the meaning of the word, trust me.

Gaara looked at the emerald eyed girl,

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Sakura," she smiled, "What's yours?"

"Gaara,"

"That's a cool name." Sakura smiled brightly to Gaara. "Can I tell you a secret?" Sakura smiled and Gaara nodded. "I hear a person in my head, she talks to me." Sakura smiled telling her first secret but her smile faltered when she saw Gaara's face. "Told you I was a freak," Sakura looked down.

"No, it's just I hear a voice in my head too, he talks to me." Gaara reassured her.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Do you think," Sakura theorized, "that everyone hears a voice in there head, and it's just no one wants anyone to think their weird?" Sakura asked

"Yeah! And were the first people to ever tell." Gaara smiled hugely. Suddenly Sakura hugged him.

"You're my best friend Gaara!" Sakura laughed, Gaara smiled hugely, he had never had a friend before, and now he had a best friend.

Gaara slowly steeped closer to Sakura and enveloped her in a hug. Sakura returned the hug smiling hugely. Tamari, Kankuro, and Sauske, who had followed Sakura, gasped.

"Gaara-you-she-and-you never-and-your-hug?" The blonde spluttered.

"Tamari, Kankuro, this is my friend, Sakura." Gaara stated as if someone being with him was nothing unusual, yet still sounding almost childlike proud, like a kid who had just brought there report card filled with A's home to his parents.

"Who are you, Suna-freaks!" Sauske snarled.

"Sauske?" Sakura turned to her raven haired teammate.

"Who is this, Cheeryblossam?" Gaara asked slightly possessive, Sakura was his mate, Shukka had explain what mate meant to him a little. Sakura was his love, the one soul his soul was destined to be with, yes soul mates.

"That's my teammate, Gaara this is Sauske, Sauske Gaara, Gaara Sauske." Sakura introduced the two boys. Both stared at each other with masculine pride, in that moment Sauske wanted Sakura. He had been grateful that at least one girl wasn't all over him 24/7, now he wanted her, because she was unavailable. Gaara gripped Sakura's hand and started to move her towed the direction opposite Sauske.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked as he led her father and father.

"You'll see," he smiled. Soon they arrived at the park where they first met. Gently Gaara wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist. "This is were I fell in love with you Sakura, my sweet Cheeryblossam."

"Gaara-are you saying?…"

"Yes Cheeryblossam, I love you"

"Oh, Panda-kun I love you to!" Sakura smiled the biggest smile she had ever and her face lit up with love as her and Gaara shared a passionate kiss together.