A/N: This is a very old one shot that I've had in a folder on my comp for over a year now. I figured now was a good time to share .. Enjoy! I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

She groaned and opened her eyes, the dim lighting throwing her off. She had a splitting headache and she cursed lightly. She tried to turn onto her back, but she found she couldn't move her arms. Growling slightly, she pulled at each and hissed when she felt pain surge through her. She looked at her wrists and noticed large silver manacles. Great…she'd been abducted and handcuffed…perfect. With a sigh, she tried to discern her location from her surroundings. She knew there was a soft pillow under her head, she was covered but- she shifted and found herself to be covered in nothing but a thin silky sheet.

Closing her eyes again she took a deep breath and focused all her energy on the manacles. Suddenly, she felt the chains snap from her left wrist and she sighed, turning onto her back. Big mistake. With a screech, she rolled off the bed, landing on her back. She hissed in pain as her neck and shoulders protested her actions. She ripped her right hand violently from the bedpost, leaving nearly four links of the chain attached. With a glare at the post, she got up and glared at the sight that was obviously designed to scare her.

Mere inches above where her face had been was a gnarled corpse. It looked like what used to be her roommate. Even down to the sickly green polo shirt he was so fond of. Ironically, she'd never liked him. Perhaps this was his way of getting back at her? Perhaps throwing all his things out of the apartment when he'd skipped out on rent hadn't been the smartest thing to do…

She heard scraping and looked up just in time to see someone walk into the room. He was tall and thin, and there was something about him that screamed danger. She watched him closely as he made his way over to her and just stared blankly down at her. She felt her pulse leap when his eyes roamed her naked form and she turned bright red from embarrassment. She reached out and yanked the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself, leaving her shoulders bare, but the majority of her body covered.

She noticed he watched her with a sort of morbid fascination and when he took a step towards her, she froze. She felt him run his fingers over her bare shoulders and she just watched him like a caged bird watches its captor. She noticed his eyes dilate as he stared at her and then he reached for the sheet. She shied away from his hands then and he watched her. She thought he was going to respect her need for modesty, but after only a few moments hesitation, he followed after her and grabbed for the sheet again. This time, he snagged it and managed to pull her to him. It was either that, or she lost the only thing in the room to cover her nudity.

He pulled her up tight against him and stared down at her. She saw his blue-green eyes and she gasped. She'd seen those eyes before! She thought about where she'd seen those eyes and gasped when she realized she'd seen him in a dream when she was younger. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry, and it came out a squeak. She watched him stare down at her and then he suddenly picked her up. She clutched the sheet to her, the chains of the manacles clinking against one another. She stared up at him apprehensively, but he didn't seem like he was going to hurt her.

He carried her out of the room and she noticed it was dark everywhere. She wondered where she was. He seemed to know where he was going, because he started down what appeared to be a staircase and she clutched at her sheet. What if he was the one that brought her here? That question was answered for her when she saw several bodies lying on the floor as they entered another room. She noticed his hands tighten on her and she looked at them. They were frat boys that much she could tell. Two were passed out and one was barely clinging to consciousness. Her savior was about to kick him when she clutched him. He stopped and looked at her. She touched her throat and he nodded.

He took her into the kitchen and put her down. He walked over to the cabinet and took out a clean glass, rinsed it off, and then filled it with water. He handed it to her and she smiled at him. She took a few sips and cleared her throat. She took a few more sips and then looked up at him, a blush on her face. "Thank you…" she whispered and then took a few more sips. She noticed him perk at the sound of her voice and then stare at her, almost unblinkingly. This unnerved her, but he'd been nothing but gentle with her thus far, so she smiled shyly and turned back to where the man was.

Her savior followed her, never letting her too far from him. She walked over to the man, who had now turned on his back. She recognized him…he was in her Biophysics class. But…why was she here? And why with these guys? And why the hell was she naked? Her eyes narrowed on the man lying on his back, breathing heavily. She cleared her throat and she noticed the man's eyes open. They were just as black as she remembered them.

"Why am I here?" she asked in a scratchy voice. The man groaned and closed his eyes again, pain flashing over his face.

"We were…told to…bring you here." he said simply and then rolled over, retching. He emptied his stomach and she shook her head. This was a truly sad sight. She looked back up at her savior, who still had an unblinking gaze on her. She shivered and stood, with his help, and went to the person just to the left of the other. She shook his shoulder and he groaned, opening his eyes. This time, they were golden.

"Hey, do you know why I'm here?" she asked softly, her voice becoming stronger the longer she used it. The man shook his head and turned onto his stomach and closed his eyes again. Again, she stood and walked over to the last person. This one was a man with lots of piercings. She arched a brow. This guy was with the technology department at the school. She'd seen him fixing the routers and running some of the equipment. She knelt by him and his eyes suddenly popped open, staring straight up at her.

He got a wicked grin on his face and pulled her down to him, their faces only a breath apart. She screamed and struggled, trying to get away from the man, but in the process, the sheet around her ripped and when she fell back, she was bare once more. The man stood, his copper colored hair sticking straight up. His eyes were oddly dilated, his pupils huge despite the abundance of light. She scrambled back to the man who'd originally saved her and she clutched at his leg, hiding her face. Her savior stepped between the pierced man and herself and growled menacingly at the other male.

She noticed the two staring heatedly at one another and then the pierced man attacked. Her savior was thrown back and she huddled there, watching. Her savior grabbed the pierced man by the neck and threw him against the wall closest to them. There was a loud thwack and the pierced man didn't get up. Sakura watched as her savior gripped his arm and then went to her, kneeling in front of her. He reached out and touched her face before pulling on the sleeve of his shirt and pulling it off. He handed it to her and she looked at him. He was left with nothing but his pants, but he was very attractive. She blushed and put the shirt on. It was long enough to hide most of her and as long as she didn't fall, no one would see anything.

She noticed that he had blood on his arm and realized that when the pierced man had attacked him, he'd been injured. He'd been defending her and he'd gotten hurt. She looked up at him with sad eyes, but he just stared down at her and then he reached out and brushed his fingers over her collar bone, which was visible despite his shirt on her. She felt a shiver go through her and she looked down again. She reached out and wiped the blood away from his wound with the sleeve of his shirt. She gasped when she noticed that there was no wound any longer.

She looked up at him quickly and then noticed him staring at her very intently. She nearly jumped when he finally spoke. It was a low, deep rumble of a noise that rolled over her like warm ocean waves. "You know who I am." she cocked her head, thinking he was asking a question…but that sure as hell didn't sound like a question to her. She licked her lips and noticed his eyes immediately dart there. She cleared her throat nervously.

"I…I saw you once…in a dream. I was a teenager." she watched him close his eyes and nod. When he opened his eyes again, they were glowing slightly.

"Yes. When you turned sixteen. It was your coming of age that allowed you to see me." he said and took a step towards her. She gasped and put her hand to her chest in a defensive manner. However, all he did was stand before her. She mustered all her courage and looked up at him.

"How…how did you find me? Who are you?" she blushed when he chuckled and then smiled at her. She gasped when she saw a fang hanging over his lip. "V-vampire?" she put her hand to her throat. He shook his head and reached out, brushing her cheek with his hand. It was warm…very warm.

"Vampires are cold, my dear, the walking dead. I am very much alive." he said in a gentle voice. She looked up at him, her innocent eyes filled with confusion and fear. He leaned down and kissed her right under her left eye. "Do not fear. I will never harm you." she gulped and reached a tentative hand out to touch him.

"You d-didn't answer m-my questions." She noticed him nod and then close his eyes. Suddenly, they were no longer in the house, but in a very dark place. She could only feel him and that frightened her. She clung to him, her breathing ragged. "I don't like this…I don't like the dark." she had tears in her voice and suddenly there was a soft glow. She noticed that there was fire in one of his hands and she gasped, looking up at him.

"I am called Gaara. You are Haruno Sakura…the one who called me." she stared in wide eyed shock at him. She couldn't even think.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't call anyone. I just woke up in that house." she was trembling now. She stared up at him as he shook his head.

"When you turned sixteen, you saw me in your dreams. That's because your magic linked us together. Ever since, I have been guarding you from the unseen realm." she stared up at him, terrified.

"Magic? Link? What 'unseen realm'?" she was near frantic now as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. When his lips touched her skin, she calmed. It shocked her.

"You are one of the rare humans that can see into the realm of darkness. For this, you are hunted by the creatures there. Those men in the house were low level demons. The charred body above you was a vampire. He was going to feed on you until I used your eyes to channel my power and destroy him." Sakura whimpered and clung even tighter to him. He blew on the flame in his hand and suddenly the room was lit with little fires that seem to stick to the wall.

"I don't understand…I didn't…why would…how did…" her mind was racing, but when he embraced her she felt safe. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. He rubbed her back and whispered something softly in an oddly soothing language.

"I found you because your soul cried out to me. I am your demon protector. In this realm, I am known as Shukaku. In the human realm, I am called Gaara. Your magic linked us when you reached your sixteenth year because your instincts knew you'd need my protection. I am one of the strongest demons in the realm. Do not feel frightened. There are others like you. And like them, we are chained together by soul magic." he kissed the top of her head while she cried against him.

When she felt too tired to cry anymore, she just leaned against him while he held her. "If the vampire was going to eat me, why'd he strip me naked?" she felt so distant from the situation right now that it was almost frightening. She felt a rumble as he growled.

"He was going to use you while he fed from you. His pride was damaged by your treatment of him. He thought very little of humans. He became your room mate because he planned to feed from you. However, your aura protects you from him while you are in the sunlight. In the dark, you are vulnerable. That is why the room you were in was dark." She felt her gut twist and she closed her eyes, fighting nausea.

"So what happens now? My roommate is dead, I have demons for classmates and school staff, and I'm soul bound to a demon. What do I do?" she heard him chuckle and she looked up at him. He shook his head and looked down at her, his face still mostly blank but she could feel his amusement.

"I will continue to protect you. You are my only reason for existing. When your life ends, so does mine." she gasped and stared.

"WHAT, WHY? Why do you have to die when I do? That's not fair!" he shook his head and cupped her face in his hands. His long, sharp nails scraped gently against her skin.

"I would not wish to go on living without you. I have watched over you since you were sixteen. You are the center of my world…my only treasure." she gasped and stared at him as he lowered his head to hers and kissed her. He pulled away slightly and looked at her through hooded eyes. "Not just a treasure…my obsession." he then kissed her again and she moaned into his mouth. He ran his hands along her arms and she reached up and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

She felt her body heat up and one question popped into her mind. She pulled away from him and regarded him seriously. "Question…can I get pregnant if we…you know…" she blushed when he arched a brow and smirked at her.

"We are bound to one another, my dear. The invisible chains of our souls bind us. Physical form changes nothing between us. Should you choose to mate with me, you would bear my offspring." she made a face at him then.

"Mate? Offspring? I'm going to have to teach you to talk like a human." she noticed him chuckle and she shook her head. "Whatever." she then threw herself at him, both laughing as they fell over and kissed.

Sometime Later:

"Stupid sci-fi crap! Why can't these people get the details right?" a young woman with bright pink hair and emerald eyes glared at the television. She had a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream sitting on her swollen belly. She looked over at her lover and glared.

"I thought demon babies had shorter gestation periods." the demon by her side shrugged and reached over, wiping some of the ice cream from her lips with his finger before licking it.

"I never said that. You shouldn't believe everything you see on television." he heard her growl and he rested a hand on her knee gently. He knew she was just irritated she still had to go through all nine months of the pregnancy instead of the more commonly assumed three month demon gestation period. She was currently at seven and a half months.

She snorted and turned the channel to the food network. It had become a favorite as of lately. She often wrote down recipes to cook for when she had a craving. At the moment, they were making some kind of sushi using bamboo shoots and water crest. He saw her eyes go wide and he smiled. She grabbed her notebook and started writing the recipe down. With a smile, he leaned over and kissed her temple.

Since the day he'd rescued her, they'd been inseparable. He went everywhere with her, including her classes, and protected her from everyone he felt was a threat. Where he'd been stoic and apathetic about life before, he was now relaxed and comfortable in life and his relationship with her. That had also been something they'd had to hurtle in order to get where they were. They weren't just 'bound together' now; they were in a loving relationship.

He noticed that her writing had stopped and she was now leaning up against his shoulder sleeping. He smiled and took her notebook and the bowl of half melted ice cream and put them on the coffee table. Gently, he picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. As they walked in, he held up his hand and gentle light flowed through the room. One thing that had not changed since their forced union was her fear of the dark. And another was his use of magic power to make her comfortable. With a gentle kiss, he laid her down and put his hand on her stomach. Very soon, he would have a child that would be half demon, half human. He smiled as he felt the child shift. He heard her mumble in her sleep and he smiled, putting his finger to his lips and shushing the child in her womb.

"Quiet little one. Mommy is sleeping now. We can play tomorrow when she's not tired." he noticed the child still and he chuckled. He laid down by his love and snuggled up to her, putting his hand on her stomach. Before he closed his eyes, he murmured gently to her in that same odd yet soothing language he had used on that day he'd saved her. He heard her whisper his name and he closed his eyes, falling asleep beside her.