Sakura stared at the candle as it flickered from the wind. She looked at the open window of her apartment and sighed; Everyone in this village is worried about Sasuke and Madara starting the next great ninja war. Naruto, being the new Hokage, has been working with the Gaara, the Kazekage, about making alliances with the other villages to be able to defeat Madara and Sasuke. It has been a year since Naruto, Kakashi, and herself have found the decaying body of Itachi Uchiha. Sakura looked back down at the handle and blew it out. She got up and headed outside for some fresh air. But instead of just staying outside, she headed toward the village gates. She already knew who would be there at this time of night, Sabaku No Gaara. Her best friend, other then Naruto and Ino.

Sakura walked behind Gaara and placed her hand on his shoulder, he jumped slightly and looked at her, "You scared me." Sakura smiled, apologetically. He nodded to her and then turned back to the village gates. "Gaara, come rest. You are going to need it to fight." Sakura looked down at his arm, his hands clenching and unclenching. She took her hand in his and rested her head on the side of his shoulder. "Hn." Sakura rolled her eyes and turned Gaara's head toward her, she kissed his nose and smiled, "For me…please?" As he looked at her, he smiled a little. He loved looking into her eyes, the soft shade of green, mixed with emotions of happiness, betrayal, loyalty, love. He sighed, "Come with me for a second…please?" He took her hand as she nodded and they headed out of the gates. "Gaara, are you positive we shou-" Gaara smiled at her, "I'll protect you, Sakura. I promise." Sakura only shut her mouth and nodded as Gaara lead them into the forest.

Gaara let go of her hand as they entered a clearing, the moon shining bright and the small lake reflecting the moon and themselves as they walked closer. Sakura gasped, "Gaara, where did you find this place?" Gaara looked down at himself and the water and shrugged, "I made it…just for you." Sakura looked at Gaara and smiled at him. She hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you." Gaara sat down and played with the water with his finger. Sakura sat down, her legs to the side. She looked at herself in the water and sighed. "So…this is it." Gaara didn't look at her, but nodded silently. Sakura looked at him then at her hands, she looked at the countless scars she has on them from battles of any kind. She would probably be getting more of them tomorrow. "We can beat them, I hope you know that." She said to him.

Gaara looked at her and reached for her, hands tugging at the hem of her top, his eyes burning with a need. Placing feather light kisses against the side of her neck, his hands stole underneath her top to caress her back and work their way up to her shoulders, taking the soft cotton fabric with them.

Sakura threw her head back with a gasp as he pulled off her top, allowing him better access to her neck, which he continued to pepper with open mouthed kisses. She didn't know why she was going along with this... perhaps because of the sense of urgency Gaara instilled in her with every touch of his lips. They had barely started kissing, and he was already removing her clothes. This was wrong, she should stop this, they were not ready for this.

She did not protest when she felt his hands slowly unravel the fabric that bound her breasts, nor did she cry out when she felt his trembling fingers gently explore what he had uncovered.

"Sakura..."

His voice carried a breathy, vulnerable tone; thick with desire. She wondered if he really knew what it was that he was seeking from her, or if he was just going on instinct. His lips sought hers again, his tongue slipping into her mouth as he fumbled with her skirt.

"Gaara…"

She mumbled his name between kisses, reaching for his shirt and pulling it off. She dragged her fingers over the lean expanse of stomach.

His hand skimmed her thigh and rested against her hip as he gently pushed her back onto the soft, moss covered ground. There was a large pebble just underneath her shoulder blade, but she hardly noticed it as he leaned his head against one of her breasts, exhaling a heated breath over the other.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, nuzzling her chest as a calloused fingertip lightly brushed over one of her nipples. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to touch you."

Sakura couldn't breathe, let alone reply. Her whole world had contracted, and now consisted only of his hands and lips as they alternately paid homage to her breasts. A low groan escaped her, drawing Gaara's attention to her face, her eyes lidded with passion.

"Sakura," As he spoke, Gaara placed his lips against hers in a soft, barely there kiss. "I was yours since the first time I saw you at the chuunin exams." His words were punctuated by soft kisses against her jawbone while one of his hands sought out the heat between her legs. "I love you, Sakura," He probed her sex through the wet cotton of her undergarments. She shuddered as he massaged her through the sodden cloth, sending an electric current straight to her brain. Did he even know what he was doing to her? He had to, and yet...

The sand nin pulled back for a moment, and she whimpered, keenly feeling the loss of his hands and lips.

"I need you," Gaara whispered in near desperation, his eyes locked on hers as he waited for her response.

She was more than halfway naked and was breathing hard, her hair loose and messy and framing her face like a dark halo. Tenderly, she ran a hand through Gaara's blood red locks.

Sakura was so caught up in her thoughts, she neglected to respond to Gaara's breathless request. He groaned, low and even, and buried his head into the hollow between her neck and shoulder. The sound sent a jolt of desire all the way down to her toes.

"Sakura," he began again, softly caressing her side. "Please."

She nodded her head slightly, idly wondering when this situation became unreal. Hungrily, he caught her lips with his again. The clumsiness and hesitation he had shown earlier was now gone as he drank from her lips eagerly while his hands worked to strip them both of the last few articles of clothing that separated them.

She found herself gloriously naked under the light of the full moon, Gaara trembling by her side and looking at her shyly. She felt his arousal pressed against her leg and she blushed, suddenly very aware of the position they were in. A jolt of reality caught her and she grabbed Gaara's shirt in desperation and tried to cover herself with it.

Gaara frowned and looked at her in confusion.

"We're much too young for this," Sakura said under her breath. She wasn't even going to ask him how he knew as much as he appeared to anyway. He was always closed off to the world.

Gaara's eyes darkened briefly and he sighed, pulling her flush against him. She could feel the heat coming off of him in waves as every inch of her was covered by some part of him.

"We're too young for this, but old enough to go to war," Gaara responded with a hint of sarcasm, unknowingly echoing her own thoughts. "Sakura, we are seventeen."

Gaara just looked at her with eyes that were far too mature as he continued to gently caress her thigh. She felt a warm flash of heat between her legs as his lips brushed against her collarbone, and she let out a small whine.

"No, Gaara... you're right... there's no time," Sakura whimpered urgently, as Gaara dark shirt fell from her hand, leaving her completely bare to him. She knew she was contradicting herself, but at the moment she could care less.

He pulled back and drank her nakedness with his jade eyes, his lips parted and his face flush with desire. His eyes seemed to follow a trail as he looked at her appreciatively, never lingering in one particular spot for too long. It was intoxicating and naughty and infinitely arousing.

"You really are beautiful..."

He really needed to stop talking, Sakura decided, because she couldn't think when he talked to her like that. And she really needed to think.

"I can show you," he said as he kissed her again, leaving her breathless and cutting through her restraint with an inaudible snap. The heat of his body was nearly scalding her as his arms surrounded her. His lips trailed over her own, hot and plush and wanton. "I can show you how much I love you."

Perhaps thinking was overrated. Trembling, she explored his body with her own hands, a strange wash of emotions passing through her as she caressed the sinuous muscles. Gingerly, her hand made contact with his arousal. It was surprisingly warm and silky and solid, and she gave it an experimental rub, drawing a shuddering breath from Gaara.

"Show me, then," Sakura demanded. If they were going to have this moment, then dammit, it was going to be special.

Gaara groaned as he caressed her, dragging his nails through the sparse, wispy hair that surrounded her sex before allowing a finger to gently slip inside of her. She made a sound like a mew that skipped his ears, and traveled straight to his groin. Her hot breath was scalding his ear as she pulled the lobe between her teeth and gently bit down. One of her hands was wrapped around him intimately, alternately stroking and squeezing, the other grasping at his bottom in an attempt to pull him closer. He couldn't get much closer to her than he already was; not without being inside of her. The thought tore the air right from his lungs.

Sakura felt a second finger enter her, the pressure strange yet arousing as he pressed them inside of her. Every soft stroke of his fingers brought with them a pleasurable spike that grew in intensity each time. His other hand cupped her breast, rolling the hard nipple against his palm. She wanted more, but if she moved she would dislodge his hands and nothing, nothing at all would make her risk that. He seemed to know, however, because he pulled back and met her eyes with his own.

This wasn't how she envisioned her first time – deep in the woods by the side of a lake – but now that she thought about it, it couldn't be more perfect.

Gently, he withdrew his fingers from inside of her and she frowned, mourning their loss. Gaara grabbed her hands, lifted them both over her head and held them there. In that brief moment between them, a silent conversation took place, worded with eyes and lips and intent.

'Are you sure?' Gaara's eyes seemed to say, alternating with 'please' and 'hurry'. Sakura answered with a nod and a kiss so passionate, it nearly dislodged Gaara from his position on top of her. 'Now' her kisses said to him, languid and wet, and their foreheads met. His eyes were lidded heavily, the jade almost eclipsed by deep pools of black, his long, soft lashes brushing against her own. His face was so close, she could feel every soft exhale of breath against her skin. It seemed as if their hearts were beating in sync as she held him, her arms wrapped around his waist, his chest pressing against hers. She could feel him at the threshold to her body, seeking entrance, waiting for her. She parted her legs to give him better access, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath she took.

There was no resistance from her body when he entered her, as if she was made especially for him. His eyes did not break contact from hers as they slowly came together, a slight burning the only discomfort she felt. His skin was hot and salty as she placed open mouth kisses all over his face, breathing in his unique scent of charged air right before a thunderstorm. She shuddered when he sunk as far inside of her as he could go and their lower bodies met; his so hot he could have been on fire.

"Are you okay?" He asked, the words sounding strangled as they fell from his lips. His face was taut with an expression of pain or passion or perhaps both, and his hands fevered as they released hers; one supporting him so that he could look at her, the other trembling as he caressed the side of her face.

Her body was throbbing with arousal as she nodded, pulling his face back down to hers for a heated kiss. He pulled back slightly and then pushed forward again, this time deeper than before. He groaned and then plunged into her again and again, into the narrow wet heat of her body, each time deeper and faster than the one before.

She felt full; a hollowness that she did not even know existed left her heart with a shuddering sigh, and she welcomed him inside of her, each stroke bringing with it a burning wave of pleasure that stole her breath away.

"Sakura..."

He whimpered her name, clutching her tightly against him, wondering how it could be this good. He felt raw and uninhibited and completely free for perhaps the first time in his life. Her nails dug into his side and she moaned loudly as the narrow passage of her body suddenly clamped around him, forcing his eyes open wide. He watched in fascination as she came apart underneath him, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth in an attempt to keep from screaming. He could feel her toes curling against the side of his legs as she clung to him, her plush red lips parted in passion.

"I love you," she whimpered, the unexpected words enough to send him over the edge. A shudder rocked through him and he held her tight, pulling her hips hard against him as he came, sobbing her name over and over again; "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura..."

A sob rose in her throat and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him as the shudders of his orgasm slowly died. Her own body continued to throb and tingle and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, feeling raw. He raised his face to look at her, disheveled beneath him, and was sure that he had never seen a sight so beautiful in either this life or any other. He kissed her gently, exhausted and happy, and collapsed into her arms, unwilling to move from his position on top of her.

Eventually, however, she nudged him and he pulled back reluctantly, wanting to stay in the moment forever but knowing it wasn't possible. He smiled at her softly and pushed her sweat sodden hair away from her face before kissing her passionately. "Sakura," Gaara started, "Can you promise me something?" Sakura looked at him, "Yes, Gaara?" He held her tight and kissed her neck, "No matter what happens tomorrow. Please. Stay happy." Sakura let a tear fall as she hugged Gaara back, "The same goes to you." Gaara pulled back and kissed Sakura, "I love you." Sakura kissed him back, "I love you too."