Clarity
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Sakura pulled her pure white coat closer to her as she hurried down the icy, wet path. She sighed and made a mental note to find a new shortcut to campus. With winter almost upon them, it was getting dark earlier and this clearing was definitely way too isolated for her to be passing through alone. In fact, the only reason that she was using it right now was that she had an important meeting with the Dean that she really couldn't afford to be late for.
She glanced around, then picked up her pace a little as she noted the fog that was beginning to descend on the clearing. The opaque fog coupled with the wet ground and bare trees gave the entire area an eerie, ethereal look.
Sakura sighed - she really needed to get a new shortcut.
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the clearing. Sakura jumped and dropped her books, her hand flying to her chest in a characteristic gesture of surprise. She let out a slow, deep breath to steady her nerves - it had sounded like a gunshot but in the stillness of this place, anything would. It was probably just a branch falling or a twig snapping.
All the same, she turned and looked behind her, just to reassure herself that there was nothing to be concerned about. The place was entirely still, deathly silent. Sighing in relief, she turned around, then stepped back and let out a startled gasp.
A man was standing in front of her, just a few feet away. Her hand went up to her chest again - how had he walked up to her so quietly? She hadn't heard a thing!
He looked like a shadow almost, for he was dressed all in black, with a black hat and a black bag at his side.
He held something out to her. She looked down apprehensively and saw her books - he must have picked them up while she was looking away. She reached out and took them from him, saying in her soft, melodious voice, "Thank you. I'm sorry for my reaction. It's just...you startled me."
He nodded, his expression impossible to read. "It's fine." His voice was quiet and low but there was a richness in it that Sakura picked up instantly. She nodded, fixated on his eyes - they were green like hers (albeit a darker hue) but much more beautiful...and distant.
He nodded again, dismissively, then passed by her, headed in the direction in which she came. Sakura turned and watched him until his figure melted into the fog. She stood there, staring at the place where she'd last seen him long after he'd gone, pondering the strange encounter.
Finally, she sighed and turned around, shaking her head slightly to focus. Having regained her senses, she looked down at her watch in panic. She let out a frustrated cry - she was already five minutes late. Clutching her books to her chest, Sakura set off at a run down the path, watching out for the particularly icy patches. For the moment, thoughts of the stranger in black were the last thing on her mind.
A/N: So I've been wanting to write a Gaara/Sakura for awhile. This one will be multi-chapter but I'm not sure how often I'll be updating it. How does it seem so far though? Are you interested?