1Demon In My View;


Summary: Why him? Why him of all people, does my heart beat to stay alive? He was a demon, and I was a human. He was from Suna, and I was from Konoha. It was simply impossible, and yet, completely inevitable.


Okay, I know this chapter is short, but I'm just starting, and trying to get use to everything. If you're going to review, which I doubt, please no flames. My name is Mia, by the way. ;

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


Chapter 1: Leaving.


" Sakura, please just listen to me. I understand this is difficult for you to undertake, but he needs your help!" The Hokage started.

" Mine? Mine? You're my mentor, don't you think he would want someone better? "

" The Kazekage's sister requested you, Sakura, and I can't object. We are in a tight situation with the Village of the Sand, and I don't need you to make it worse . . . Now, as my apprentice, I would like for you to go, and treat Gaara-sama as if your life depended on it."

" Which it might, considering he might kill me anyway!"

" Be reasonable, Sakura! Just because he tried killing you in the past, doesn't make him the same person. Remember what I'm about to tell you,"

I shifted under her stern gaze, my emerald green eyes flickering out the window. No. I didn't want to look at her! She was making me leave my home, my family, my friends . . .

All so I could heal someone who tried to kill me in the past? I guess you could say I'm a little bitter, and yes, some may say that's an understatement . . . But you couldn't blame me, right? Everyone cared for their life, no matter how miserable or pitiful it may be.

Sasuke did . . . Sasuke does . . . Sasuke . . .


I pushed the traitor thought away, focusing my attention back on Tsunade-san, if you haven't guessed who it was yet.

" Just because a person does bad things, or did bad things, does not make them a bad person."
Does not make them a bad person?

The man used to crave blood, for crying out loud! BLOOD!


I felt my head nod, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at her. " All right. I'll give you a bit of time to pack. Naruto and Kakashi will be at your house to escort you, soon. If you need any help, you know what to do."

I felt my eyes travel to her face, and I felt my insides convulse around my heart.

I'll miss her.

That's what my body was trying to tell me, but right now I didn't care.

She was sending me off on a psycho mission, because Gaara-sama's sister picked me!

ME!


But no matter how bitter I was feeling right now . . . Tsunade was still like a mother toward me, and I had to, at least, say good-bye in some way.

The next thing I knew, I found myself in her arms, and my face buried in her shoulder.

I would miss her.

--

" Sakura-chan! Are you ready yet?"

Ugh, Naruto! My little obnoxious, arrogant, impatient blonde friend.


" Coming Naruto!"

I pushed myself through the tiny door I called my 'entrance', only to come face to face with my Sensei; Hatake Kakashi.

" You're late, Sakura."

" Really? I haven't noticed." Maybe I was overdoing the sarcasm . . . But what bothered me most, was that I actually was late! Usually, it would be Kakashi-sensei.

" Who pissed in your cereal this morning?" Naruto asked.

" That was so funny that I forgot to laugh! And no one, all right?" My nose wrinkled, and I stifled the growl in the back of my throat.

Wow.

I smelt bitch lingering in the air.

Was it I?

Hell yeah!

" Well, come on!"

I followed my gray-haired Sensei down the streets of Konoha, and past the gates.

My home . . .

I will miss it here, too.

--

" It's so hot!" The blonde complained. The boy had his shoulders slumped, and his eyes appeared to be blood shot. Yeah, he seemed like he was about to pass out any minute.

" Quiet now, Naruto. Have some respect for Suna, and Sakura. She is going to be living her for the next four months, you know."

" Thanks . . . Sensei."

I didn't have enough energy to let sarcasm drip off my words like before. The merciless rays of the sun seemed to shine down on my back, almost as if it was smiling at my torture.

Stupid sand. Stupid sun. STUPID KAZEKAGE, AND HIS SICKNESS!

How could he get sick any way? Wasn't he supposed to be the untouchable person that everyone feared?

Supposedly, the nurses at Suna had to strap the Kazekage down because he continues to thrash around. Sometimes he stops, and it looks as if he is dead . . . He's completely still until his muscles go rigged, and he starts shouting again and again, in pain, until the nurses couldn't take it anymore. Tamari must be going through a tough time. After all, her brother is the Kazekage.

What will she do if I fail?
I didn't like the idea of failing . . . What If I did lose Gaara?

Something in my heart stirred, and it caused me to blink in confusion. Was that pity I felt?
No! I didn't want that! I frowned upon emotions like that . . . Ever since Sasuke.

Never mind about that. I can tell you about it later, which, might I add, I will probably forget, so, sorry.
It was just . . . This was my first mission alone, and yes, I know I'm sulking in my self pity, but give me a break-

" We're here."

Wow. I failed to notice that it was already night, and we were at the Suna gates.

Time to say goodbye.

Before I even turned to look at my fellow companions . . . I looked up at the sky. I stifled a gasp in my throat, staring up at the stars, mesmerized. It wasn't like this back home. Yeah, I could get use to this. Just not anything else.

" Bye Sakura . . ."

" Bye Naruto . . ."

Ninjas do not show emotion, Sakura. Get a hold of yourself.


But I couldn't help it. I was leaving everything behind for one person! And staring at Naruto now, as he struggled, himself, to keep from tackling me to the ground, and crying - crying with me! - was even harder than I expected. I threw my arms around him, giving him a soft hug, before moving on, and hugging my Sensei.

I hate being emotional . . .


" Good bye, Cherry Blossom!" Kakashi chuckled, now turning off and dashing back out, and into the desert, Naruto hot on his heals.

" Good-bye . . ." I whispered, my eyes watching every movement they made.
Soon, they disappeared from the rays of the moon, making it hard to see, and now, I knew that it was time to leave.

It was time to face what I had come here for . . .

Who knows? Maybe starting a new journey won't be so hard.



. . . How wrong I was.

--

It turned out that I was to sleep in Tamari's house, or was it Gaara's house? If it was, then I was afraid.

What would he do if he found out that I was sleeping with him? I mean, with him in his house . . . In his house, not with him. Yeah.

I didn't get to see Gaara yet, and I asked Tamari why.

She told me that it wouldn't be right. I didn't understand at the time, and so, I asked her 'why' once more.

" It wouldn't be right for you, Sakura. I haven't got any sleep, and I want you to wake up bright, and early, tomorrow morning. Just make sure you're ready."

Just how bad was Gaara, anyway?

--

" Hey, Tamari?" I called, glancing up at the blonde haired girl, my head tilted to the side. " What is it, Sakura?" She asked. Her gaze flickered up to my face, before she let out an irritated sigh, knowing exactly what I wanted to know, since I've been asking it since last night.

Tamari decided to cook breakfast, which, by the way, wasn't exactly the most delicious thing in the world, so I cooked instead.

" Why did you pick me?" I asked, folding my legs crossed, and snuggled down into the chair I was currently sitting on.

Tamari closed her eyes, before opening, and giving me a blank stare.

She had grown taller, since the last time I saw her, and her hair had grown, too. Her attitude, that didn't seem to disappear, just popped from out of the blue, without warning, and it bothered me.

" Because you saved my brothers."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and I gave her an odd look. I saved her brothers once before?

" I did?" I muttered, staring at my hands that were locked within each other.

" You do not remember when Gaara was captured by the Akatsuki?"

Oh. Now I remember. But I didn't save Gaara, I saved Konkuro.

" You saved my brother, Kankuro, and Gaara, too."

" No. I only helped Konkuro, not Gaara. That was Elder Chiyo, and Naruto." I frowned, but she continued to stare at me seriously.

" If you didn't save Chiyo from Sasori, Sakura . . . Chiyo would have died, and Gaara would have never made it."

I paused, staring at my hands that tremble on the table top. That is why she had picked me.

" Now, Sakura, if you don't mind, I must go find Kankuro. You must go, and head out to the Hospital."

" Wait, aren't you coming with me?" I asked, my voice laced with nervousness.

She shook that head, and gave a soft, sad smile. Tamari, a girl who always looked strong, and determined, looked sad. Depressed. And I wanted to know why . . . But too many question would be too much for her.

" No. I already saw what I had to see."

I frowned, but didn't ask any more.

When I arrived at the hospital, which I was surprised to see it was actually there, since, almost, all the buildings here seemed broken, and beaten down.

Inside, as well, looked very good. Just plan. I don't think I'm going to enjoy this very much . . .

" Sakura-san?" I looked up to see a girl with black hair, very fragile, and slender looking, standing behind a counter. Her hair seemed to shine, almost blue, in the sun, and there were bags under her eyes. This must be one of the nurses taking care of Gaara. Tamari said most of the nurses seemed to look sick, and, literally, tired after taking care of Gaara.

" Yes, that's me." I gave her a soft smile, and she returned it with a small crooked pull at the corner of her lips. " Well, hello. My name is Kina, and I'll be helping you take care of Kazekage-sama."

Oh. Well, at least I'll get an apprentice. Well, sort of.

" Alright, show me to the room."

She nodded, and then, we were off. The walls were white, and completely bare. It was depressing. I tried to hold in that miserable sigh, before letting my gaze flicker over to the girl beside me. She seemed to be the same age as me, except the bags made a difference to that. She looked a bit older because of it. She was also the same size, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I hated standing next to someone who was the same size.

We turned a corner, and another, and soon, I heard loud, high-pitched, and pained screams bouncing off the walls, and hitting my eardrums. I stopped, instantly.

" W-was that him?" I asked.

The girl stopped, too, and she turned to look at me. That smile that was on her lips disappeared, and now, a frown was placed there.

" Yes. You get use to it after a while."

The screams made me curl my hands into fists at my sides, and soon, my breathing came out in short breaths.

Gaara seemed terribly tortured.

" He's really in pain."

We started walking again, and soon we came upon the room with the source of the screaming.

Some of the screams seem to stop short, and break out into small whimpers, and pants.

Even though I couldn't see him, my heart went out to him.

" Here we are."

And then, the girl named Kina had opened the door.

I stepped in, staring at the man on the bed, who, by the way, looked like an animal trying to be released from the cage, screaming in pain, trashing around violently, and begging to be free from it. He almost looked . . . possessed, like something was trying to break free from him.

I could have handled this if it was Naruto, but Gaara?

Gaara of the sand? The boy who would kill anyone, just with the flick of his hand, because they got in his way? The one who was tough enough to defeat Sasuke, the one I use to . . . love?

This was heartbreaking.

If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have never came.

Because, right now, Gaara seemed to be begging for death.

Something he usually took from others. Not from himself.