Note: The song they are dancing to is indeed "Seishun Kyousoukyoku" or "Youth's Rhapsody" by Sambomaster, otherwise known as Naruto opening no. 4.

"Festival"

"I don't like it here."

"Oh, come on, Gaara! It's a festival, held in honor of spring and the peace between our villages!"

"I still don't like it."

Gaara kept himself slightly hunched over, arms folded over his chest. He looked sullenly at the ground, ignoring all the lights and noises around him.

Temari huffed. "Well, it's not like you can leave! You're the guest of honor!"

Gaara scowled at her. "Yet no one's paying any attention to me."

"Because they're all out there, having fun!" Temari motioned to the variety of food and game stands lining the streets, with a huge crowd of people, shinobi and civilian alike, right in the middle of it all. "Why don't you do the same?"

Gaara grunted, the scowl on his pale face growing deeper, and he left his siblings to go sit at a group of empty chairs. At the front of all of the folding chairs, beneath a colorful tent, was a stage. On it was a band, playing up-beat, festive music. That just soured Gaara's mood even more. He didn't want to be at a festival in Konoha. He didn't really want to be in Konoha, period. It was too happy, too cold, and too foreign.

And he didn't like festivals. Festivals meant he had to leave his office. Festivals meant he had to... socialize.

But, at least he was alone here. There were a few other people listening to the band, but they paid him no attention, much to his relief. That meant he was left to his own devices. He couldn't leave, that would cause too much trouble. Oh Kami, everyone would panic if he went missing for the rest of the festival.

But could he possibly sneak away and grab some food? He hated festival food... Not that he ever tried it. But he was certain that if he did try it, he would hate it.

He closed his eyes. He was all alone in his own little peaceful, anti-social world. Perfect peace and qui-

"So, what is the esteemed guest of honor doing all alone?"

He lifted his head, prepared to tell off whoever it was, but he paused.

Haruno Sakura?

His non-existent eyebrows raised in confusion. What did she want? "What do you want?"

Gaara always knew that he had trouble wording things the right way, and he often tripped over his statements and spoke without considering the bluntness of his words. The hurt look on her face told him quickly that this was one of those moments.

"Nothing... I'm sorry." She turned to leave.

He stood. "That didn't come out the way I intended."

She looked back at him with a turn of her head. "Oh."

"... I didn't mean that in a rude way."

She turned back around to face him. "I understand, Kazekage-sama."

He nodded quietly, not in the mood for conversation.

But, obviously, she didn't take the hint. She cocked her head to the side, blinking. "Why are you alone? You're the guest of honor, you know."

Don't remind me. He reached a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I'm.. not a very sociable person."

She blinked a few times, before her face seemed to brighten. "Well, let's teach you, then!"

Oh, no. This will not do.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'd prefer to just sit here until this... thing is over with."

She frowned, seeming to be disappointed. "That's no way to think about a festival. Festivals are fun! Come on, I'll show you."

"No, I'm fine-"

"- No no! I insist." she took hold of his arm, gently tugging him along beside her. He didn't feel like doing anything but sitting by himself, but her shamelessness and seeming disregard of his title as Kazekage interested him. It was actually... refreshing.

"Have you ever tried the Chi Chi Dango?"

"No."

"What about cotton candy?"

"No."

"Candied apples?"

"No."

Instead of feeling deflated like Gaara hoped she'd be, Sakura only tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hm." Then, he felt a tug on his arm. "Come on, I'm gonna get you some cotton candy."

He grunted in protest, but she didn't seem to hear it.

Great. Festival food.

"I don't like cotton candy," he protested as she dragged him along.

"But you said you've never tried it."

"Oh."

He sighed, defeated. There was no way of getting out of this... Unless he killed her. Could he do it and get away with it? He glanced around. No, impossible. Too many people around.

Suddenly he was dragged up to a stand. A variety of smells filled his nose. And, despite his hate of festivals (and festival foods), it smelled... rather good. "What can I get you?" The man behind the counter asked cheerfully.

"One cotton candy, please!" Sakura gave him a big smile. The man called for a cotton candy to the workers in the back, and Sakura gave him the proper amount of money, saying, "It must be depressing to have to work at a stand when there's a festival going on."

"It's not so bad," was the man's reply. "It's rather entertaining to watch everyone. The variety of people here is quite interesting."

Gaara watched her make conversation with the stand owner, even after he gave her the cotton candy (which was not a little piece of candy like he thought; it was actually a huge fluffy ball of edible cotton).

She made it look so easy. It was obvious that she'd made the older man's day. Was it so simple, to talk to someone...?

"Why does 'cotton candy' look like..."

"... Cotton?" Sakura grinned. "You thought it might be a hard candy?"

The old man chuckled. "I thought it was when I was younger! That was before I finally saw it for the first time."

"Me too!" Sakura giggled.

And so he'd made it into the conversation. Might as well continue it, right...? "How is it made?" he asked quietly.

"Why, we have a machine right back there!" The man happily replied. "The machine uses a circular air flow to..."

Gaara looked at Sakura. She listened intently to the man, genuinely interested in what he had to say. Gaara wasn't; he was too busy staring... at her.

She was... pretty. Really pretty. She smelled pretty too.

Gaara was never one to notice how pretty a girl was. He'd never looked.

But this time he was looking, and by Kami, she was pretty.

Prettier than Matsuri ever tried to be. Oh Kami, Matsuri... If there was one person who truly annoyed him as much as his advisors did, it was girl tried much too hard. Couldn't she ever stop yipping like a miniature dog and just calm down? And what was her friend's name? His other fangirl? Ah, he couldn't remember.

"Open up, Kazekage-sama!"

"Eh?" He snapped out of his daze just in time to get a mouthful of sweet cotton. Then his eyes widened in shock. "It disappeared," he murmured. "Where did it go?"

Sakura giggled. "Cotton candy's essentially just sugar. So it melts in your mouth! Isn't it good?"

Gaara didn't respond. He only pinched another piece off, devouring it. Indeed, this 'cotton candy' was more than good; it was scrumptious. Gaara was never one to enjoy candy, but this was on an entirely different level. Nothing could compare to the goodness-

"I guess I made a believer out of ya," Sakura responded with another giggle.

"Hn'."

"Hey; let's dance!"

"Hn'?!"

Before he could even begin to protest, he was being dragged by the arm down the street towards his doom: AKA, the street dance. There were already many people filling the designated area, crowding around a stage on which a live band played. It was a different band than the one that played under the tent on the other side of the festival. Was it really necessary to have two different groups playing music? Sakura's grip on his wrist was like iron as she dragged him in that direction. One word was on replay inside Gaara's mind: 'Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.'

"I really, really don't want to dance—"

"Sure you do!" Sakura insisted, laughing as she dragged him into the masses. There were moving bodies around him on every side, and it was truly intimidating. Gaara did not move, he did not dance; he stood there stiffly as Sakura began jumping with the crowd, waving her arms along to the music. Her laughter was contagious. She was indeed having fun. But how could she have fun doing this? This was terrible.

He looked around at the people on all sides, jumping, laughing, waving their arms and moving their legs and swinging their hips; it didn't appear difficult, but they all looked like fools. But then again, he thought, he probably looked like an idiot to all of them, just standing there doing nothing. But they weren't even paying any attention to him, he realized; they were simply too busy having fun with each other.

"Come on!" Sakura beckoned, grabbing one of his hands. Gaara felt almost trapped. Why was he letting this obnoxious pink-haired beauty drag him around? But instead of tugging him away from the group of writhing people, she pulled him in close, too close, to where he could feel the heat of her body and smell the sugar on her warm breath. She held the cotton candy cone in one hand and his hand in the other, and his arm moved along with her as she continued to dance.

"Do I have to?" he mumbled, still standing still; the only still figure amongst the crowd.

"Just try it!" Sakura encouraged, her green eyes bright with joy. "You might like it!"

Gaara turned his head and looked up at the band that was jamming on stage. The tune they played sounded vaguely familiar. The guitarist wailed on his guitar and the drummer banged on the drums as the lead singer dipped into what sounded like the chorus: Konomama nani mo nokorazu ni, anatato wakachi audake! Yagate bokurawaaaa.. sorega subetedato… kigatsuite! Kanashimi ga hoho wo tsutatte,

namida no kawa ni narudake! Yureru omoiwaaaaaa, tsuyoi uzu ni natte… Tokeaunoyo! Baby!"

He looked back at Sakura. She was still jumping, still moving her hips, waving the cotton candy around carelessly in time to the groovy music. Her eyes were sparkling, and she kept them on him, which unnerved him a bit, but also made him feel rather… at home.

She had a very welcoming smile.

Despite his reluctance to attend this festival, he felt his waist moving a bit; his feet itching to move. "Yes! Keep it up!" Sakura cheered, squeezing his hand. And as he learned to dance, beginning to jump in time to the beat of the drums, finally meshing in with all of the bodies around him, Sakura laughed joyously and guided him the whole way. Eventually, Gaara let his instincts take over, and he gave Sakura an awkward but happy smile as he twirled her under his arm, bouncing around and not caring whether he looked idiotic.

For the first time since they'd arrived at the festival, possibly for the first time in his life, he didn't care at all what anyone thought of him, and he smiled, a genuine, happy smile, and danced with the pinkette who'd introduced him to cotton candy.

The blond folded her arms over her chest and watched the proceedings, a pleased smirk on her face. "Look at him, Kankuro," she said softly. "I've never seen him look so… happy."

The brunette next to her was busy stuffing his face with fried noodles, but he did take a moment to look at the dancing crowd, a part of which was his younger brother, the Kazekage of Suna. Kankuro's eyebrows raised. "He does look happy," he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Temari nudged him irritably. "Can't you at least swallow your food before you talk? Ugh." She rolled her eyes. Returning her gaze to her younger brother, who was dancing with the pink-haired kunoichi from Konoha, Sakura Haruno, Temari's smile returned to her face.

"Looks like he ended up enjoying the festival after all."