A shaft of moonlight fell through the window, gleaming off her soft pink hair and making her skin seem even paler than usual. Her emerald green eyes were hidden in sleep, and her chest rose and fell softly with calm, even breaths.

He looked down at her and a soft smile graced his lips. She was so beautiful and peaceful in her slumber and, though he couldn't sleep, he was perfectly content to lay by her side all night and keep her safe.

Thinking back, he never would have imagined finding himself in this position. He was Gaara of the Sand, he had attempted to destroy her village and people she had held dear, and he held no opinion of her other than she was a non-threatening Leaf Shinobi.

Then, when they had both been on missions, they had crossed paths in a forest with knives drawn. There was fear in her eyes when he saw them through the leaves, but he recognized her and lowered his weapon. As he turned to leave he heard her call out to stay, and he never figured out why he returned to her. The night was cold and the rain meant that a fire was out of the question, but they holed up under the roots of a tree and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Soon she fell asleep and he was surprised when she pulled herself closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and felt her warmth against his side. He looked out at the rain and sat all night under the roots of the tree with this delicate flower beside him. When she woke in the morning, she smiled at him like no one ever had before, and it touched something new and unfamiliar inside him.

The feeling frightened him and he said a stoic goodbye to her before leaping up into the tree branches and leaving. The confused look he saw in her eyes pained him and he didn't know why. It took many more meetings for him to realize that, for the first time in his life, he was loved. And that to love another was not the weakness he always thought it was, it gave him strength and a reason to fight.

Sakura shifted and sighed softly in her sleep. He pressed his lips lightly to her cheek and pulled her closer to him before he laid his head down, looking up at the moon. He closed his eyes for a brief second and basked in the moment. His gourd of sand lay forgotten in the corner as he clung to the most important thing in his world.

Even the sand spirit inside him was quiet. After a lifetime of chaos, he finally knew peace.