Disclaimer: I own nothing but if I could own Naruto I totally would
Gaara X Sakura one shot
Summary: I shouldn't care this much, but she broke into my heart, and stole it away.
I shouldn't care this much, but she broke into my heart, and stole it away. When she first came to Suna, I couldn't stand her. She was annoying. I couldn't stand her, or to be around her for longer than a few minutes.
Though I had to admit, she was accomplishing her job faster then I thought the bubbly pink-haired kunoichi (spelling?) could do. She had come to teach our medics what they needed to know, to be true medics, and she was doing an amazing job.
Once I stood in the doorway of her class, and watched her teach. She commanded them with such authority, that they didn't dare to ignore her, or let their eyes or mind wander from what they were learning.
One student obviously lost in a daydream, didn't notice her stalk up to his desk and with one finger, throw him across the room. Let's just say that they both feared and adored her. One student adored her too much. But watching her teach, I began to start to respect her.
Hiding myself in the shadows of the classroom, (no one had noticed me walk in) I watched as all the students but one left. Some brown haired oaf, which most girls would have considered handsome.
He walked up to her, where she was busy gathering papers from the class, and began what seemed like a casual conversation. Though for reasons unknown to me, I didn't like the idea. "May I call you Sakura?" he asked touching her arm.
This made me angry too.
"I don't think that's a good idea," she said staring straight past him, and to where I was hiding, locking her eyes with mine. Making mine widen in surprise, how had she known I was there. "Not a good idea at all."
"Please… Sakura, let's go eat dinner together." The way he said it was not a question.
"No means no, now leave before I get angry." She turned away from the foolish man.
"Don't turn away from me!" he hissed angrily at her, retreating back, as she walked towards the door. Grabbing her arm he turned her around to face him once more. "No one rejects me." He brought his face closer to hers. "Not even one of the greatest medics in the world."
This was enough, somehow he had cast a jutsu on her, without either of us knowing it, because even with her deadly strength, she could get free. I was angry though, I wanted him to stop touching my Sakura. I called her that even back then. At the moment I remember having some brief inner turmoil at the prospect of calling her mine.
Standing from the shadows, I made my way towards the front of the classroom, sand dangling from my hands. "Who do you think you are?" I hissed at him. "Grabbing a girl against her will? You fucking bastard, I should kill you right now. So let her go." My eyes darkened dangerously, and sand started rattling in my gourd.
He stepped away, obviously frightened, but also obviously stupid, as he took Sakura with him, though his stupidity reached a higher level at what he said next. "Who do you think you are insomnia eyes the Kazekage? Don't make my laugh. Ha, ha, ha."
"Um" Sakura spoke up. "You do know you just called the Kazekage insomnia eyes don't you?"
That shut the bastard up. "WHAT?" he shouted immediately letting Sakura go, shoving her at me with great force, almost as if knowing she wouldn't harm me, my sand shield actually let her through causing her to run into my chest.
"Go." I whispered menacingly to him. Feeling utterly satisfied when a pure look of terror passed over his face.
A struggling feeling made me look down. Obviously I had wrapped my arms around Sakura. And know she wanted me to let go. Quickly unwinding my arms she stepped back and smiled brightly at me.
"Thanks Panda-chan!" She stepped back knowing exactly where my sand was going to try to burry her halfheartedly. Sakura liked to call me that ridiculous pet name for no good reason. And somehow I let her live when she did.
Turning away, I walked out of the door and heard the click of her high heels as she walked behind me. Once we were outside "Are you hungry." I asked stuffing my hands into my pockets.
"Yes!" she smiled brightly at me once again, and a strange feeling bubbled up inside of me.
"Let's go." We walked to a… ramen stand where she could eat. Sitting down beside her, I heard her order pork ramen.
Turning to me she asked if I wanted anything, to which I declined.
Returning her gaze back to the old woman who ran the stand she made polite conversation. Asking about mundane things like did she have a grandchild: yes, did she like cooking ramen: yes, and other such things.
I watched her as she spoke, and the way her face shone with interest, as if she actually wanted to know about this woman, about her life. It drew me to her, I couldn't help it. Like moths to light, bee's to honey… okay enough bug analogies.
Accepting the dish gratefully, a muttered, "Itadakimasu," passed through her lips. In two minutes flat she downed her bowl of ramen, holding it up she announced, "another!"
I knew enough about Naruto to know that he loved ramen more then anything, and the only things he held up higher, were becoming Hokage, and his friends; especially Sakura.
"I see you've taken to Naruto's eating habits."
Blushing slightly, Sakura replied, "True but in much neater form," as an after thought, "teaching classes… it makes me hungry."
"Speaking of Naruto, how is he these days," I was shocking myself, why the hell was I igniting conversation, it was true that Naruto threatened me in a letter beforehand that if I was rude or mean to his, 'Sakura-chan,' he would come and beat me within an inch of my life.
"Naruto…" Sakura smiled at the name with fondness, I found myself, wishing that she would smile as such when she or someone said my name. "Rightfully, I don't know, I haven't seen in, in months." Frowning in worry she added, "I hope he's doing alright, he's leading another search unit for… Sasuke-ku… the Uchiha."
'How did Naruto know Sakura was going to be here then?" I questioned myself. "That's strange that you haven't seen Naruto then… because I got a letter from him a couple weeks ago, telling me to look out for you." Not the truth, but not a lie.
"Really!" her eyes lit up eagerly, "Then he's okay?"
"He's fine." I was really scaring myself now, I was talking too much, but she made it so easy to open up to, so easy to talk to. I wanted to tell her about myself, my life. How life was now, without Shukaku inside of me, controlling my every move.
"It's getting late, we should go," throwing the lady some money I stood and waited for Sakura to do the same. "Come I'll take you home."
We were quiet as we walked, me looking straight ahead, Sakura staring at the stars. "It's hard to see the stars in, Konoha," Sakura remarked quietly after awhile. "It's been so long since I've last had a mission, I've forgotten what they look like.
The streets around us were abandoned, taking advantage of our peace, Sakura spun in a circle, dancing gracefully, breathing in a deep breath of the fresh clean air. "The air is so much cleaner at night, don't you agree?"
She stopped spinning to face me, curious to my answer, "Yes… cleaner, freer, more satisfying to the senses."
Looking at me incredulously she said in complete honesty, "That's how I've always felt, I thrive on the night, people always say it's scarier and creepier then daylight, but it's more peaceful. The night can take you away, your mind awakens in the dead of night, and has more ideas, is more creative." She walked up to me, "Do… do you agree?"
I was stunned, she said everything I have ever felt about night, in a few sentences. "Every lingering thought, hangs in front of you at night, but now it's in your grasp, unlike in the sun, when burdens are heavy. I do agree with you."
Smiling broadly she stepped close to me, our bodies radiating one another's heat. Closing the distance between us she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Frozen and confused I stood for a second, before relaxing, and tentatively placing my arms around her seemingly small frame.
"You understand," her voice was shaking. "You're the only one who has ever understood." She began to cry silently. "You know what it's like to be alone."
Pulling away from me she looked me straight into the eye, there I saw loneliness that rivaled my own, pain that I had felt. I had been wrong about the Uchiha, we didn't have the same eyes, Sakura had eyes that rivaled my own.
Tenderness filled me for this girl, wrapping my arms tightly around her I lead her to a stone bench. She had hugged me, and not been scared, she had pain that she kept inside, she loved the night, she was like me, I had to know, I had to know more and more about her.
"Tell me," my voice was rough from emotion and disuse. "Tell me about your pain, and I shall tell you mine."
Tears began to quell and in a shaky voice she began.
Flashback
A five year old girl walked slowly home from school, she had no friends, they all made fun of her. They said she had a big forehead, she didn't. There was one girl Ino, who tried to make friends with her, but it wasn't real. It was pity, something Sakura didn't want.
"I'd rather be alone then be pitied," little Sakura mumbled scuffing her sandals on the sidewalk. "Everyone will think I'm weak, I don't want that. I'm strong."
She new it wasn't true. At home it was worse the school, daddy was mean and scary, he hit mommy, then when mommy fainted, he turned to Sakura. That was the reason Sakura always wore long sleeved clothes and pants, to hide the bruises and scars the covered her entire 5-year old body.
Cautiously opening the door Sakura poked her head in to a fearful sight. Daddy had mommy by the throat, pinned to the wall with one hand, a knife in the other.
"Bitch, I know what you've been doing behind my back!" he screamed angrily. "And I know that little bitchy daughter isn't mine either."
Pleading innocence mommy swore it wasn't true, but daddy didn't listen, plunging the knife into mommy's body he let it drop to the floor.
"Noo!" Sakura cried in anguish watching her mother's dead body laying in the white carpet, staining it with wine colored blood.
"Look whose home," daddy taunted, "Your mother was mine, mine alone." Laughing in a deranged manner daddy pulled the kunai as Sakura could now see it, out of mommy's body.
Plunging it into his own heart daddy fell beside mommy, dead, and bleeding. Screaming in fear Sakura ran over to mommy, crying. Blood covered Sakura, a blood red cherry blossom of the spring.
Sakura didn't know how long she sat there clutching mommy's body, but soon a man wearing an ANBU mask popped into the room. Quickly assessing the situation, he then realized whose bodies were lying on the floor.
Pushing up his fox mask, the man revealed to have only one eye showing, the other covered by a dark blue cloth mask. "Saiuya," his one eye closed and a tear dripped down his face.
Slowly walking over to the little girl, he dropped down beside her, hugging Sakura, a girl with pink hair, like her mothers, and emerald eyes, so like his mothers.
"W-who are you?" the little girl choked out. "And how do you know my mothers name?"
"I loved your mother, more than your father did, she loved me too. You are my child, I am your true father." Silver hair made Sakura think he was old, but looking closely only about the age of her mother.
"You know pain, like me," Sakura said quietly. This was true, it showed on his face, pain and suffrage. Turning to the strange man she hugged him. "Don't send me away."
Ruffling her hair with affection, "I won't, I promise." Both of them soaked in blood popped away, tears in their hearts, but not in their eyes.
Over the next few years Sakura learned things, the first thing she wasn't supposed to tell is that she lived with Kakashi, as she learned his name. When she had asked why it was because too many people would try to kidnap her to hurt Kakashi.
More things happened, Sakura had great talent as a shinobi, her aim was perfect, and so was her chakra control. She had talent as a medic nin, and at the young age of 7.
One night Kakashi came home after a particularly brutal ANBU mission and was severely wounded, blood was gushing and if nothing happened soon he would die of blood loss.
Sakura rushed in to hug him, but stopped dead in her tracks, he was too weak to move. In a moment she was at his side, hands on the wound, pressuring it. "Stop bleeding, stop bleeding!" she chanted under her breath.
Focusing the chakra into her hands, Sakura pushed it into the wound forcing it to heal. Rushing the chakra into the would to heal it took a few hours, but Sakura didn't care, she had to save him, he was the only one left!
Eventually the wound closed and was healed without a scar. Completely drained of chakra Sakura fainted onto the floor next the Kakashi.
Sakura awoke groggily the next morning, in her bed. Kakashi came in with a tray of breakfast, for once he didn't have his mask on. "This is for you Sakura." Kakashi said placing the tray on her bedside. If you hadn't saved me last night, I would have died."
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly. He smiled at her, and that was the end of that. Somehow Kakashi had convinced Tsunade to come once a month to Konoha and teach Sakura medic skills. It took some convincing, and showing her Sakura's skills, but Sakura became a student under Tsunade's wing.
Probably the most significant thing happened when Sakura was 6 though, she made her first real friend. Summer had just ended, and now it was time for her to start at the academy, Kakashi had told her to remain average, and to not attract attention to herself.
Walking with her head down, she bumped into a young boy with black hair, "Oh," Sakura said in a small voice. "Gomen," bowing slightly she turned and walked past him. Ino said hello, in pity still, and Sakura returned it in likewise, but didn't stop.
There was a swing under the shade of a large oak tree, right outside of the academy that Sakura liked to sit on. And there on her swing sat a young boy with blond hair and a orange jumpsuit.
Walking up to him, ever the polite little girl Sakura said, "Hello, I'm Sakura what's your name?"
"Me?" the boy looked around him to see if she was talking to anyone else.
Giggling slightly, "Yes you."
Jumping up and pointing his thumb at himself he proclaimed loudly, "I'm Uzamaki Naruto, and the future Hokage, and don't you forget it!"
"Your funny," Sakura said with a smile, "I like you."
Blushing slightly Naruto rubbed his thumb across his nose. "I like you too, want to be friends," he added this bit hopefully.
"Friends… yeah I would like that." Smiling softly she hugged him. "You're my first friend!" she proclaimed.
"Mine too." Sticking both hands behind his head, they walked into the academy ignoring the strange looks.
When Sakura told Kakashi about Naruto he looked surprised. "Sakura, I don't have a problem with you being Naruto's friend, but others will, stay away from him in public, but be his friend in secret."
And this was how it was, she talked it over with Naruto, and he agreed. She began hanging out with Ino in school, and pretending to like Sasuke when she didn't. Often she would glance at Naruto who was hanging back, and smile, letting him know that she was his friend.
More years passed and soon it was time to be genin, Kakashi asked to retire from ANBU, and be Sakura's jounin leader. Sakura was ecstatic when she found that Naruto was on her team. They could be friends in public now, but they'd have to pretend that they weren't and build up to it.
Sakura didn't love Sasuke, she liked him, but it wasn't real, though she denied that to herself, pretending to like Sasuke had made her actually begin to like him for real, but she didn't know what to do.
Another year passed, and the chunin exam took place, then Sasuke left, then Naruto to go with Jiraiya. Tsunade became Hokage, and Sakura asked her formally to be her apprentice.
Pain lingered, still no one knew that she was related to Kakashi, or even knew him outside of him being her team leader. She loved the mission that she Naruto and Sasuke gave themselves to see Kakashi's face, even though she herself had already seen it. It had been extremely fun.
Then the mission to Suna popped up, after a few retrieval missions to find Sasuke, Sakura couldn't cope with it anymore, and left Konoha for Suna.
END FLASHBACK
"And here I am," Sakura said slightly tired after telling a brief description of her life. I hugged her closer, she did know pain, a lot of pain. Opening up I told her of my life, the assassination attempts by my own father and uncle. About Yashamaru and her fake love, and how the children would run from me, afraid.
With each passing trial of my life, Sakura held me tighter, wanting to make my pain go away. We talked tell the sun began to rise, looking like lovers, what we were not yet.
I took her home, and told her to take the day off of work.
Because of her, I began to believe in love again.
We started seeing each other a few weeks later, it just happened. We were sitting side-by-side on the same bench, and I asked if she would like to go to dinner, and she agreed. And that's how it was for the next few months. The happiest months of my life.
I don't know when the first waves of enemy Shinobi came, they were from the village hidden in the rocks, immensely strong, and armed with poisons that even the Nara family couldn't cure.
We fought them off, we lost many, but they all died, but one lone solider had poison, he threw a poisoned needle at Sakura who was checking and healing our injured. She never saw it coming.
The poison was injected right into a vein, I killed the man instantly. I didn't know it was poisoned until too late. It spread, and not even the combined forces of all the Suna and Konoha medics could cure the poison.
Not even Tsunade herself could save her apprentice.
I remember Kakashi coming and hugging her, whispering to her. His daughter he would lose another precious person to him. Naruto was shocked when he found that Kakashi and Sakura were related, but sadness took over.
Luckily he controlled the Kyuubi in his pain, his best friend, the woman he loved, was going to die.
I was inconsolable, by her side at all times, my insomnia came back, I had started sleeping when she was by my side. Sitting by her bedside while she slept, moonlight bathing her body, giving her an ethereal look.
Sakura wasn't afraid of death, she accepted it, she held my hand when I cried the tears that she wouldn't. I was going to lose the one precious thing I held in my heart.
My love.
It happened to suddenly, she kissed me lightly on the lips and laid back. Lazily tracing the kanji on my forehead.
"Remember what this means now love," she whispered. "It shows now not that you love only yourself, but that you love others."
"Yes I love you," I whispered back grabbing her hand in mine, kissing her fingertips.
"I love you as well, never forget." Then she closed her emerald eyes, never to open them again.
I knew she was gone, and I couldn't find it in myself to cry, it was numb, and I couldn't believe that it was possible, that she wouldn't open her eyes.
It rained on her funeral, and the entirety of Suna and Konoha showed, dressed in black, pink bracelets on their wrists. I stood and told of her, of her pain. I shared it with the world, not in words, but in tears.
The End
Omg, I can't believe I just wrote that… it was so sad. Anyways REVIEW PLEASE!!!