My Love

It was late at night when Gaara was walking back towards home, with blood on his clothes. A few hours ago, he just lost someone he loved. His mind kept replaying that horrible moment, as if telling him to never forget it and he knows he never will. His face was covered with dirt and some dried blood. Most of the blood came from his love. When he reached his home, he went straight to the bathroom to examine himself. He looked in the mirror and touched his face tentatively with his fingers. He took a rag from the sink and wet it underneath the cold water from the faucet. After it was damped enough, he lightly cleaned his face with it. When he was done, he put the rag back on the sink. He stepped back and took off his shirt. He looked at his body. He had some scratches, which were slightly bleeding. He guessed he got it from the debris that flew everywhere from the explosion. He moved away from the mirror.

Gaara went over to the shower and turned it on. The only way he could get rid of them is by taking a shower and maybe clear his mind at the same time. After he stepped in, he grabbed a bar of soap and started to wash himself. Even when he was done, he still stayed in the shower with his forehead pressed against the cool tile, re-living what he just encountered a while ago.

Gaara never felt happy in his life more than right now, mostly because he was holding hands with his girlfriend. Yes, girlfriend. Never in a million years would Gaara think he would be in a relationship, let alone with the most beautiful girl, at least in his eyes. He always thought he would never experience what it's like to love and care for another person or to be loved by another person, as a matter of fact. Her name was Sakura Haruno and she was an angel sent from Heaven. She was a kind, hearted soul. She saw past his mistakes and loved him for who he is. It didn't matter if he was Kazekage of his village, if she had to live with getting dirty looks from other girls who were jealous of her, or if he has a monster inside of him, all that matters is that she loved him and always will. And the same went for Gaara.

Still holding hands, they walked across a deserted field. They came to a stop and sat down on the grass. Gaara pulled Sakura closed to him. He nuzzled his face into her neck, whispering, "I love you." He lifted his face and looked into her emerald eyes. She took his chin and placed a kiss on his lips, "I love you too." He cupped her face and pulled Sakura into a passionate kiss. They spent about a few minutes making out, before they stopped for air. Sakura snuggled close to his chest. He buried his face on top of her head. He couldn't help but smell her hair, which smelled like sweet strawberries. Gaara wished this moment would last forever.

But it didn't.

In the sky, what looked like a white bird made from clay, was coming at them fast. Just as it was inches away from hitting them, Gaara's sand formed a protective barrier over them. Gaara's eyes shot up and Sakura quickly lifted her head up, as well. As the sand deteriorated, there stood a person.

A person both of them knew very well.

The person was Deidara. He stood there, looking a hot mess. Looking at him closely, Gaara noticed that his eye was puffy and very red (the other eye was mechanical), as if he was crying for a week. Deidara stared at him for a minute before he saw Sakura behind Gaara and then his face changed into a twist of anger. Before he knew it, another bird was being thrown at them, this time heading for Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened as she say the bird heading for her. She did the only thing she could think of, she tried protecting herself with her arms in front of her. She was waiting for the bomb to make contact with her, but it never happened. She let her arms fall, when she noticed why she wasn't hit. Gaara protected her with his sand.

After seeing Sakura okay, Gaara turned his face towards Deidara, who was now on this giant clay owl. He looked angrier for missing her. "What do you want from us?" He growled. "Revenge," he pointed a finger towards Sakura. Gaara looked from Deidara to Sakura, who looked just as confused as he did. "What does Sakura have to with your revenge?" "Everything." Then, the bird Deidara was riding, swooped down, heading for Sakura. Before he could react, Deidara grabbed Sakura. She screamed out, "Gaara!"

Immediately, he went after them, riding on top of his sand. They went from the open field to another. Sakura kept calling his name, telling him to help her. It got on Deidara's nerve, "Why don't you be quiet?" He hit one of her pressure point, knocking her out unconscious. Gaara saw her body fall and all it did was make him even angrier than before. 'Don't. Touch. Her.' All of a sudden,he stopped chasing after them. Deidara looked back and saw him on the ground. 'Given up, huh?' he thought. But before a victorious smile could spread on his lips, a giant hand made out of entirely of sand grabbed them. He didn't make it squeeze too tight because he didn't want to hurt Sakura, but just enough to make the clay owl explode.

He brought the gigantic hand gently to the ground. The hand disappeared when Gaara ran over to Sakura's side. "Sakura, are you okay?" He asked her. Her eyes slowly opened. She saw Gaara, who had a worried look on his face, she whispered, "I think I am." He helped her stand up, and then pulled her into a tight hug. 'I almost lost you.' He thought. But their short reunion was cut short. Deidara, who was slowly standing up and covered in dirt from the landing had his mouth spread into a wicked smile, "How touching. The almighty, Sabaku no Gaara has found someone he truly loves. Too bad this is the last time you'll ever see each other." Both of them looked stunned after he spoke that last sentence. "What do you mean you have to kill her?" Gaara demanded, with a hint of fear in his voice.

The blonde Akatsuki said it as if it were the obvious thing in the world, "Vengeance. I want revenge on her…. for killing Sasori." He looked at Sakura, who had a horrified look on her face. She clearly remembered that day, that day she and Granny Chiyo defeated the Puppet Master. She didn't think anything like this was going to happen. Deidara continued on, "He wasn't just any S-ranked criminal; he was the love of my life. And she killed him." Tears started to form in his eyes, thinking how empty his life was since Sasori's death. Sakura almost felt bad, almost. She remembered the reason why she hated the Akatsuki. They were a threat to her friends and village, but mostly, she could never forgive them what they've done to Gaara. And that's enough for her.

When she looked up at him again, she saw he was crying. The blonde Akatsuki quickly wiped his tears. "I'm tired of crying over him. I told myself one day, I was going to do something to avenge his death and what better than to kill his assassin, one who's still alive?" Gaara took a defensive stand in front of Sakura. "If you want to kill her, you have to get through me first." "It'll be my pleasure, then." In the blink of an eye, he threw a kunai with a paper bomb stuck to it. Gaara saw it coming at them fast; he quickly pushed Sakura and himself out of the way. But before he was an inch away from dodging the kunai completely, he felt a stinging pain in his forehead. They fell onto the ground, while hearing an explosion somewhere nearby. He looked at Sakura to make sure she was alright, but the look on her face said she wasn't. "Gaara, you're bleeding!" "I'm what?" She pointed at his forehead. Then he felt the warm liquid run down his face. He felt a pain where his tattoo is at. He touched his tattoo with his fingertips, and then quickly removed it after a second. He looked at his bloodied fingertips. 'I am bleeding.' He was surprised his sand didn't cover him. He reassured her, "Don't worry, it's nothing. I've dealt with worse." She looked horrified. That didn't help. He thought it was sweet of her to worry about him, even if it was a tiny scratch on his forehead (or at least in his opinion). It shows she truly cared about him. She ignored what he said and raised her glowing hand against his tattooed forehead and began to heal it.

Frustrated, Deidara thought this had to end, like now. It was getting dark. The sun was going down and any minute the moon will show up. He had to do something. He thought about it for a minute. Then it came to him. What if he distracted Gaara from Sakura? He would have his chance, by then. He came up with a plan. He went over the plan again in his head and nodded to himself, confirming it, but he's going to have to be quick about it. He knew he wasn't going to live any longer, since Gaara would surely kill him for killing his love. But it wouldn't be so bad. He would be with Sasori once again and plus, he took the most important woman in Gaara's life. It also might be the one thing that'll actually destroy him from the inside out for the rest of his life, being alone again. He felt this plan was actually going to work.

After his scar was completely healed, he nodded as his way of saying "thank you". He got up and helped Sakura stand up. He looked at Deidara who suddenly disappeared. He looked around, while holding his stance. He didn't see him, only he and Sakura were the only ones in the clearing. 'Where are you?' he thought to himself. "Sakura, be careful. Deidara could be anywhere." he said. She nodded and took out a kunai, just in case.

Just as Gaara thought the coast was clear, one of Deidara's mutated birds came out flying towards them. Then it exploded. Gaara found himself on the ground again. He quickly got up realized he was separated from Sakura. "Sakura!" he called out. 'Sakura, please answer me!' Hearing nothing, he started to panic. Then he saw a shadow. He looked at it closely and made it out to be the outline of a feminine figure. "Sakura?" he asked himself. His chest started to fill with hope, as he walked in the direction of the shadow. He thought about holding her, telling her she's safe again, how he would kill Deidara and end this nightmare. But, the hope that filled his chest soon left, when another figure came behind her. 'Deidara.' He saw the shadows dance in front of him. Sakura looked behind her and tried to get away, but Deidara took hold of her arm and gripped it behind her back. She struggled, trying to free herself and with each struggle came a shot of pain. She let out a small gasp. Then his worst fear came. He saw Deidara's shadow pull out a kunai and stabbed Sakura on her side, repeatedly. She screamed with each stab. He was just getting started. He brought his kunai to her back and stabbed her again, forcing it in deeper, while twisting the kunai inside her body. She kept screaming, as if telling him to please stop. He pulled it out and let go of Sakura. She fell to the floor, covered in blood. The smoke cleared by now. What happened next broke him in half. Seeing that Gaara was looking straight at him, Deidara crouched down next to Sakura's limp body. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck. With a smirk on his lips, he dragged the bloody kunai against her porcelain skin, tearing her flesh apart. Blood flowed from the wound and more came as he dragged it in deeper. He didn't bother taking the kunai out; instead he left it inside and dropped her head back on the ground. Sakura was dead.

Gaara stared at her dead body with wide eyes. He looked at Deidara, who still had that smirk on his face, then back at Sakura. 'She's dead. Sakura, my love my angel, my cherry blossom, she's not alive anymore. She... she's been taken away from me. And now I'm alone again. No.… no... NO!' A furious Gaara came to his senses and did the only noble thing. Deidara's smirk faded away as he saw his face changed expressions. Now, he was going to die. It was only minutes before he'll see Sasori and Sakura on the other side.

All of a sudden sand appeared around his feet. Gaara stretched his arm out in Deidara's direction; the sand immediately followed his command and wrapped his body in sand, trapping him in a coffin like barrier. Deidara quietly stood there as he felt the sand creeping up on him. He started to count, in his head, how long Death will come. One… A tear fell from Gaara's face. Two... He reached up to wipe it away, but soon more came. Three… Tears started to fall and soon he was quietly crying. Four... He looked at Sakura, then the sand coffin in front of him. Five... He kept his hand from turning into a fist. He desperately wanted to kill Deidara, but part of him didn't want to. 'No, not yet.' Six… He thought about all his happy memories with Sakura. How she was his first love, his first kiss, his first relationship, the first girl who didn't fear him, his first everything. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He thought about all his dreams together with Sakura. He even hoped that one day they would be married. But now, all of that was ruined. And there's only one to blame. Seven… He stood there, watching her die. He just stood there. He heard her cries for help, hoping he would save her, but he didn't. Eight… He had that smirk on his face the whole time. Not once did he let it fall from his lips. It was as if he took pleasure in taking her life away. The kunai in his hand went swiftly through, ripping her life apart. He had his vengeance and now it was his turn. Nine… He snapped out of his thoughts. His hand turned into a tight fist. Without mercy, he yelled out, "SAND COFFIN!" Ten… Instantly, the sand coffin Deidara was in crushed him, killing him. The sand disappeared and returned back into Gaara's gourd. He looked at the spot Deidara was once standing in. There was nothing left of him now. He turned away. 'He deserved it.'

He headed to Sakura's body. When he got there, he fell to his knees. He picked her lifeless body in his arms. Her eyes were closed. He started to trace her face with his finger, outlining her eyes, nose and mouth. He dropped his hand. He looked at her neck to see the kunai still there, embedded. He pulled it out. At first he was going to throw it away, but instead he raised it against his tattoo. Earlier, he was hit in the same area with another kunai, though Sakura healed him, being the caring person she is. 'Sakura…' He sliced his tattoo in the middle, just like it was before. His tattoo meant "Love" and it used to have purpose in his life, but not anymore. His loved one was killed. So what was the point? Like Sakura's blood, his blood quickly flowed from his forehead and onto Sakura's face, forming red spots. He couldn't take it anymore. He held her tight and broke down crying. He sobbed into her shoulder. In between sobs, he said "I'm sorry" over and over again. Even though it was too late to apologize, he regretted not being there in her time of need. Several minutes passed before he stopped crying. He wiped his tears away with his sleeve. He looked at Sakura's peaceful face. He pressed his lips against her cold ones and whispered, "I love you" one last time before, he gently set her body on the ground. He stood up and realized he was covered in her blood. He started to walk home. He left her there in the opening, waiting for someone to discover she was missing.

Gaara came out of the shower, dried himself, and changed into a black t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. He went into his room, getting ready for bed. He really needed to sleep after today. He lied down on his bed and rested his head on his pillow. Gaara closed his eyes for a minute, when he did, he would see Sakura's face. His eyes shot open and he looked around his room. It was just he and the darkness alone. He put his head back on his pillow, ignoring what he saw. 'She's in a much better place now.' He turned his head the other side to get a more comfortable position, only to see the picture frame on top of his nightstand, of him and Sakura holding each other, smiling. Gaara picked up the frame and looked at it closely. He saw the happy expressions they both were on their faces, happy they had each other.

Now it was gone, all of it.

Gaara's hands started to tremble. Anger and sadness came over them. 'Why did she have to die? Sakura didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve any of it!' He threw the frame on the floor. Glass shattered everywhere. He broke down crying again. He couldn't stop from making loud sobering noises or from shaking. He didn't care anymore.

An hour passed, before he calmed down a little. The glass was still on the floor in front of him. Gaara got up from his bed and picked up the biggest piece of glass there was. Of course, when he picked it up, it cut through his skin and fresh blood flow from it. Like before, he wondered how his sand wasn't protecting him from being hurt. But he was glad nothing was standing in the way of what he was going to do next. He held the glass up for a minute, admiring it. Without hesitation, he sliced the middle of his tattoo on his forehead, just like it was before Sakura healed it. Since his tattoo meant "love", he hoped one day it'll actually serve its purpose and it had. He only wished it lasted a while longer. Now… there was no point in it.

And he didn't stop there.

He still had the glass in his hand. He felt empty inside. He felt hollow, emotionless, lonely, and scared. The thought of killing himself was always in the back of his mind. He told himself he would no longer live if there was nothing to live for. With Sakura on his mind, he started to cut his wrists, his arms, stomach, legs, ankles, and then eventually his neck. He grabbed more shards of glass and kept going. 'Just a few more and I'll see you again, my lovely cherry blossom.'

Determination replaced his depression. He stopped a while later, feeling lightheaded. Gaara took one look at himself. His clothes were covered with his blood. Every inch of him was bleeding. And he smiled, clearly satisfied. He started to feel weak, so he lied on the floor next to the picture. He picked it up and ran his bloody fingers across her smiling face. 'Within minutes, I'll see you again. Then we can be happy and be with each other forever because now I know we won't be separate,' he thought.

He held the picture close to his chest with a smile on his face, until it was his time to go and be reunited with his love once again, in the afterlife.

And there you have it. My first Gaara/Sakura fanfic ever. I edit it some more and I think I'm happy with it now. (Though I think I could have done better with the title.) Since I had different versions on the ending, it took me a little longer than I thought it would. If there are some parts that don't make sense or some other mistake, please tell me. I'm the only who edit this entire story.

Criticisms are welcome. Like I said, I was the only to edit this story and thought it was okay. Plus, I'm thinking of writing another story and I'll need all the help I can get. I'll be lucky to get at least one review. :s Hopefully this story was worth your time. (: If not, oh well.

Gaara/Sakura H. (c) M.K.