Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto; Maroon 5 owns "She Will Be Loved"
So this is the re-edited, re-vamped version of the fic! Good God I screwed up so much in this! Lol it was cute but there was a lot to fix. I felt like I was editing someone else's fic... It gets a little choppy in some places, but. Hey. It is what it is.
Perhaps a bit OOC, especially with Gaara, but whatever. I wrote this a couple years ago. I tried :P
Anyway, enjoy! By the way, I Beta, just saying :)
Enjoy!
x~Snow~Storm~x
Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
A young woman strode quickly down a sidewalk. The hood of her red jacket was pulled tightly around her head, hiding all but a few gossamer strands of pink hair. It was raining. Her black combat boots sloshed in the puddles, splashing pale bare legs. She threw her purse into her red Acura NSX, and her body immediately followed. She broke down against the steering wheel.
She couldn't go back. Not like this.
Her mind numb, she focused her energy into blindly chipping off her black nail polish until the obnoxious vibrations in her purse became a bit too much to bear. She sighed as she pulled out her phone.
Sasuke.
Please come back, Sakura. It's raining. You'll get sick, and you know you're no good to me sick. Use your head. I don't think I know anyone who would put you up, so you don't really have anywhere else to go, right?
Sakura gasped and looked around, suddenly afraid that he would try to come and look for her like he did the last time. She roughly shoved the key into the ignition and started out to her sanctuary—the only place other than the Hyuuga compound where there was a little peace in the world.
.X.x.X.x.X.
Gaara heard the car speeding down the road before he saw it. It was always on a rainy day like this. Always. The red head strolled outside in his boxers and wife beater even as the wind clawed at his face and hair, and freezing rain pounded hard upon him.
As usual, she shouldn't have been driving.
Through the pouring rain, he could make out her tear-stained cheeks and all of that smeared makeup. Gaara glowered inwardly. He grabbed the driver's side door as soon as it opened, yanked Sakura out and dragged her inside.
She gave him a half hearted whack on the arm, mumbling, "Lemme go," She looked up at him pitifully. "You're all wet… It's my fault… Again… I'm sorry." She looked like she might start crying again and Gaara was quick to comfort her in his Gaara-like way. He frowned, shaking his head vigorously, and went over to her to wrap her in a tight hug.
She wasn't sobbing—Sakrua never "sobbed", but he could feel fresh tears on his bare shoulders. He knew how she hated people seeing her cry. He knew how weak she felt. He knew everything. Everything. Gaara noticed as he looked past the make-up smears that there were bruises on her face… it made him growl unconsciously when he thought about how his Sakura may have gotten them. Sakura must have noticed the sudden change in Gaara's mood, because her body stiffened suddenly.
"…You saw them, didn't you?" She asked him timidly.
Gaara, scowling still, grabbed Sakura's hand and jerked her into the living room. She fell onto the couch, slumping lifelessly onto his shoulder, but he didn't appreciate her close contact. He wanted to jerk away, because he so desperately wanted to hold her. But he composed himself. It was something Gaara was practiced at. I could be a fucking actor.
"Why haven't you left him yet?" Gaara's inquiry was quiet, yet demanding of an answer. She was looking at the floor. Gaara sighed. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and it pained him when he saw her like this. "What is stopping you from leaving?"
Sakura stayed quiet for a moment, wearing a thoughtful expression. She opened her mouth as if to answer him when her phone began to vibrate off the hook.
This time it was Naruto. Sakura's eyes lit up when she saw that. When she answered it, Gaara got up so that she wouldn't see any weak emotions from him; any possible emotions of hurt or annoyance. He got up, patting her head as he left to get a can of beer from the refrigerator. But he listened.
"Hi Naruto-kun!"
…
"Yeah, it was awful this time…"
…
"Yeah."
…
"No, he's taking very good care of me."
…
"Sure, that would be good. I don't really want to go back right now…"
…
"Alright! Sounds good. I'll see you then."
Gaara walked out of the kitchen and asked her even though he knew the answer. "So what was that about?"
"Oh, since I can't really go back to Sasuke's place, Naruto is going to pick up a bunch of my things, and then he's going to come and pick me up. I'll probably stay at his place for a while."
Gaara nodded, even though he hated the idea. Naruto was his friend, but... he had a bad feeling. Dammit. Another anxiety-ridden night... I can't even say sleepless night. I almost never sleep.
I drove for miles and miles
And wound up at your door
I've had you so many times
But somehow I want more.
Gaara stretched and yawned. What time is it? The digital clock by his bed read 7:45 am. Woah. Lucky me. I got to sleep for a bit. Stretching again as he pulled his heavy body from bed, he glanced at his phone like he did every morning before taking a shower. There were 7 new messages on it: five from Sakura, one from Naruto and one from Lee.
The first one, from Sakura read:
Sasuke and I aren't going to be seeing any more of each other. I wanted to let you know that, and also that I'm fine, because I know you've been worried about me. I succeeded in getting a restraining order against him, so it's fine. Jiraiya is a good lawyer. :) Goodnight, panda-chan
Gaara blushed. The first and only time she had called him that in public, a friend had asked if they were dating. He shook his head and sighed. Only in his dreams…
But on second thought, he actually might have a chance at her now. She seemed free enough... His lips curved up slightly at the thought, and he decided he would give her a call after his shower.
The second, third and fourth messages were again from Sakura, out of sheer boredom and rather late at night. They were sent to Gaara, naturally, because he suffered horribly from chronic insomnia. Too bad he was actually able to fall asleep last night. But the fifth message… the fifth message he was extremely alarmed at. It was from Lee…
Who is Sakura's new boyfriend?
Gaara felt his heart plunge into his stomach. No… The next message… from Sakura…
Hey Gaara-kun! I know it's early, so sorry if I wake you up or something! If you're sleeping I mean... But I just wanted to let you know that Naruto and I are dating now… I'm not sure how long this will last since he kind of picked me up on the rebound, but we'll see!
Gaara almost dropped the phone. But numbly, he went onto the last message, from Naruto:
GAARA! Me and Sakura-chan are goin out now! Isn't that awesome?
Tch…Figures.
Slowly, he put in a response to Sakura's message:
That's great, Sakura-chan. I'm so happy for you. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest with my best wishes.
He looked at it, thinking the last part a bit formal, even forced, but at this point, he didn't care. He went back to sleep.
Another month later
An ear splittingly loud slam was heard as the pinkette stormed into the house. Gaara sighed, and, with a slight reluctance, glided slowly down the stairs to the living room. What did that bastard fox do now?
Heated tears of rage wetted her cheeks. This was probably the third time since she had started dating Naruto. It was about 11 pm, and she had come over in her fuzzy black pj pants and her baggy Ozzy Ozbourne t-shirt. Gaara, on the other hand, didn't have a shirt on, as Sakura was too angry to remember to call to say she would be over.
Gaara plopped unceremoniously onto the couch next to her. "Temari and Kankuro are here, if you want to say hi to them and get your mind off the fox."
Sakura shook her head viciously, glaring daggers at the floor.
"Sakura-chan…" Gaara stroked her hair once and dragged her body closer to his. "What is he doing to you? You never tell us anything… At least with Sasuke you talked to us…"
Sakura leaned into Gaara's embrace and sighed, breathing in his familiar scent. But then she reluctantly sat up and looked at Gaara.
"You know what? Naruto doesn't deserve to be talked about behind his back. He's a wonderful man and I'm probably just overreacting. It's no big deal." The little pink fireball huffed.
"Well he's obviously doing something that you don't like, and that's a big deal." Gaara said pointedly.
"I'm sure he's worried sick by now. I shouldn't have even come here. I need to go back and work things out." With that, she picked up her bag and left.
"Gaara…" Temari murmured from the kitchen. "Will she be ok?"
Gaara was still looking at where Sakura had been sitting. He shrugged. I don't know…
Suddenly, he shot up from his seat on the couch and threw on some baggy red sweat pants and a black sweat shirt. He ran outside and revved up his Ducati Streetfighter. He ended up at Naruto's house, and what he saw almost made him tear the house down and kidnap Sakura.
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
And she will be loved
She will be loved
Sakura's eyes never seemed to be dry anymore. She sat on Gaara's bed, hugging the pillow tightly and crying silently into it. The door to Gaara's room was slightly ajar and Gaara himself stood quietly in the hallway, watching.
She's been through hell… first Sasuke, now Naruto…
—Flashback—
Gaara watched Sakura's reaction to the black Cadillac XTS parked on the side of the road. Her eyes grew wide and panicked, and she rushed into the house, fumbling with her keys until she found that the door was unlocked.
Naruto looked up from his position on the couch, and gasped in astonishment and panic. "Sakura!" He exclaimed, the apprehension evident in his eyes. "I thought you were going to spend the night at Gaara's house!"
Gaara heard his name, and moved to get a better view of the entire situation.
Naruto was on top of Hinata, shirtless, and Hinata was shirtless as well but for her bra. She was blushing madly into Naruto's chest.
To think that such a sweet, innocent girl would do something like this…
—End Flashback—
"Sakura, I've got your favorite movie." Gaara stood outside of his guest room, trying to coax Sakura out of it. They had gotten a lot closer over the past few weeks, and although Sakura was still fragile and hurting, Gaara was growing in confidence.
"Sakura?"
He debated whether or not he should go into what they now sort of considered her room now. Finally, he gave in and opened the door. The room was empty. Of everything. her things were gone. She had left. Gaara's heart seized in his chest, and his lungs nearly closed up. On the pillow there was a note:
Panda~chan-
Thank you so much for taking care of me in these past few weeks. I appreciate it so much. But I can no longer allow myself to take advantage of your kindness. I have to leave. To where, I'm not really sure; maybe to Ino's or Lee's. I'm working on getting a place of my own, actually. I've been saving up for a while. It's difficult because... well, I'd always just though Sasuke and I would... But, well, that's in the past. For now, see you around.
Love,
Sakura
"Yeah?" Ino answered the phone on the second ring.
"Is Sakura there?" A low, husky, and very male voice spoke on the other end.
"Umm... no?" Ino replied uncertainly, unaware of the caller's identity as of yet.
"Watch for her. She may or may not come to your house."
"But it's pouring-!" The blonde began to object, when she heard the dial tone on the other end.
Gaara pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt closer around him. He watched as Sakura wept quietly in her car. He wanted to know why she was crying this time. He wanted to be the one to make her smile. But he was unsure; he was uneasy. He never knew how to respond when Sakura grabbed hold of him and sobbed all over him. So he would do the only thing he knew how: be quiet. He would be quiet and hold her.
Gaara pulled out his phone.
"Yes?" Lee's boisterously buoyant voice answered.
"Sakura needs you. She is outside." Click.
Lee wasted no time in wondering what had just happened. He hurried outside, heedless of the rain and pulled Sakura out of her car and into his arms. Sakura quickly escaped, bonking him on the head and probably thanking the Gods that it was raining.
Gaara landed on the floor with a loud thud and he bolted upright almost comically, his clumsy movements still wrapped in the tight blanket of sleep. He looked around, bleary-eyed, and realized as he used the couch to help himself up that he must have fallen asleep in the living room with the TV on. He sighed in exasperation and turned it off, then padded bare-footed into his dark kitchen. He shivered a little, realizing that he had taken his shirt off and he was only wearing thin plaid lounge pants. He stubbornly brushed off the cold and began rummaging in his cabinets for his Oreos.
Suddenly, a loud noise right next to Gaara made him jump out of his skin. The pounding in his chest wouldn't stop even when he realized it was just his ringtone, "She Will Be Loved". The redhead sighed irritably, trying to shake off his startled and tired state, and he vaguely wondered what time it was when he answered to phone.
Gaara grunted out something he hoped sounded like a greeting as he poured himself some chocolate milk.
"Gaara?" Sakura. "What is wrong with me?"
"... What are you talking about?" There's nothing wrong with you... You're perfect...
She sniffed. She had been crying again. "Never mind. I probably woke you up, I'm sorry." He could almost see her smiling sheepishly through her tears on the other end of the line.
"No. I was up..." Gaara hesitated.
"...Do you have something to say? You sound like you have something on your mind...?"
You called and you're asking me this? Gaara thought incredulously. Even though Sakura was right.
"Well... first of all, the fact that you just left like that." He allowed a bit of his irritably to creep into his voice. But just a bit. He didn't want Sakura to think he was angry at her.
"Oh... yeah... sorry..." Gaara knew Sakura was pouting and although he didn't like it, he also wasn't quite sure what to do about it.
"Well, you really worried me. I wouldn't have let you leave had I known you were thinking like that..." He paused uncertainly. "I enjoy your presence here... It makes this big empty house feel less big and less empty. You make it... brighter, warmer."
For a while all he could hear on the other end was her breathing. It was the kind of phone silence where you didn't have to say anything to know along what lines the other party was thinking.
"So... you really wouldn't mind my staying?" Sakura timidly spoke up.
It's interesting. Gaara mused, She only shows this weak, vulnerable side of herself to me... and sometimes to Temari and Kankuro. He paused, relishing the thought. This one part of her, at least, is mine and mine alone.
"Stupid woman. I'm here eating Oreos and chocolate milk all alone. You're supposed to be here telling me how bad this is for me and how-"
"But it is bad for you! Do you know what eating before you sleep does to your brain? No wonder you're such an insomniac! And you fix it by getting up and eating more food!"
A few hours later, Gaara heard a car pull into his driveway. It was about 6 am. He was exhausted, but he couldn't have slept even if he wanted to. He opened the door for her and was mildly surprised to find her fully dressed in leopard print skinny jeans and a baggy red tee shirt that said in black letters, 'a good punch is the best medicine'. The only thing she was missing was her makeup, and Gaara thought she looked just fine if not better without all that crap on her face.
Gaara hugged the pink haired girl, surprising the latter, and proceeded to take as many of her things as he could carry up to her room. Gaara was in and out of her room like a flash, though. When Sakura came downstairs to the kitchen with her emerald eyes shining bright, he knew she had seen the note he'd put on her pillow for her to see:
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want
She boldly went up to him and threw her arms around his neck. Gaara stiffened, but only for a moment. Then, he slowly wrapped his arms around the pinkette's waist.
"I'm sorry." Gaara whispered, as if he were afraid he would scare her away. "I just can't seem to leave you alone."
His head dropped down to nuzzle her neck, and she shivered a bit, his breath tickling her. Sakura pushed him away without relinquishing her hold on him, and for a split second her determined emerald eyes met uncertain aquamarine. She drew him in again, but stopped when their noses were but a hair's breadth away.
"What exactly are your intentions towards me?" She asked, every bit the blunt and bold Sakura that Gaara knew. He hated this sad, flighty little cherry blossom that went around the house weeping, looking so downtrodden and dejected.
"Hmm..." Gaara pushed a lock of cotton candy hair behind Sakura's ear, his fingers deliberately brushing her cheek. "You know I want to make you mine. I've wanted you since before that idiot Sauce-gay decided to wander drunkenly back into Konohagakure and claim you as his own. I still don't understand how you still managed to love that brute, after he cheated on you the first time, then left town with that other woman-ow!" Sakura interrupted Gaara's grumbling by flicking his forehead, the recoil giving him mild whiplash.
"Let's not talk about the past right now, hm?" She smiled sweetly, but Gaara could sense the menace under that smile. "I asked you what your intentions were."
Gaara let his eyes wander away from Sakura. Would they have to start dating now? Was this too soon? Does Sakura even like him like that or is she just willing to try him out? What would Naruto and more importantly Sasuke think of this? Screw the fox, he can do Hinata all day and all night. He'd had his chance with Gaara's cherry blossom. But would Sasuke become possessive? Violent? Try to get her back?
Gaara couldn't stop the rampant flow of thoughts in his mind. He didn't realize he still had not answered Sakura. So lost was he in his thoughts, that he hardly realized that Sakura was kissing him. But he almost jumped away when he did realize it. She became hesitant when she felt him tense up, but she seemed determined to get Gaara to respond to her. Eventually, Gaara's muscles relaxed a bit. It wasn't his first time kissing a girl, but it was his first time kissing a girl he loved. He pulled Sakura in closer. It wasn't hungry, it was gentle and comforting. While he tenderly stroked her hair, he coaxed her lips open and breathed her in. It nearly knocked Sakura down, the intimate feeling of his breath and hers mingling together.
When they broke up for air, Gaara tightened his arms around Sakura protectively. He laid his head on her shoulder and sighed contentedly. Sakura her fingers through his shaggy hair. It was hard for him to admit to himself, but he had to... If I could purr, I would be purring right now... She buried her face into the blood red and inhaled deeply. Gaara became a bit nervous. I hope I smell okay, he thought uneasily.
"Please," she murmured into his hair. "Don't you leave me too."
He looked her in the eye. "I will never abandon you." Gaara kissed her then, fleetingly and lightly, but sweetly and lovingly. Gaara cupped her face in his hands and looked at her seriously. He was searching for something in the deep pools of Sakura's eyes, but even he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Whatever it was, though, Gaara apparently found it, because he said, "I love you."
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :D I can't get enough of 'em! Also, in oneshots like these, I personally reply via PM to each review, just because it means that much to me and I like to thank you for taking the time out to write a review. :)