It was a Saturday. The sky was a gray color, clouds covering up the bright rays of the sun. The sidewalk of this area was covered in litter and cigarette buds, and the wall was colorfully decorated with graffiti.

Gaara's walk was something that was unique. He was careless over his posture, his shoulders slumped over and knees slightly bent, as his shoes dragged against the cement with each step. His steps were slow, as if they were careful. His head was always tilted down, his hazy eyes always staring at the ground as it moved forward. On his back was a large, black case, shaped like a guitar. He carried it everywhere. He wore a mud-colored hoodie and dark jeans, with beat-up sneakers. He couldn't afford new ones, so he's had them for a while.

He stopped in his tracks, lifting his head to stare at the old coffee shop he came to every weekend. It looked all scuffed-up on the outside, but Gaara thought of it as a better home than his real house. He walked in, having no friends, not even the employee's knew his name, but they made sure to have his table all empty. He trudged in, glancing from his left, to his right, then walking to the back of the shop, to a small booth. He spent hours sitting there, ordering cup after cup of coffee, while just listening to the soft drumbeat in the song playing above. He'd tap his feet softly to the music, sometimes even take out the guitar and play along softly with it.

That day, he ordered a tall cup of black coffee and stared ahead, seeing the place look.. empty. Usually he saw other people, high school kids or young adults, sitting and talking to friends. Some were bands, who sat and worked on songs in the place. The redhead enjoyed watching that. But today, strangely, not a single person was there yet. When the cup was set down, Gaara didn't wait. He picked it up and toke a sip, the heat burning his tongue, but he accepted that calmly. He put the coffee down, swallowing the burning liquid and kept staring ahead with the cold eyes of his.

Sakura sat outside her own apartment on the top floor of a complex. Number 10. An un-lit cigarette lay lazily between her lips, her eyes on the clouds. Beautiful. Before see knew it, she was looking at a beautiful light show of lighting, with a beautiful orchestra of thunder.

Her green eyes flashed with abit of joy. Her hip length pink hair fluttered lightly in a gentle breeze. She picked up her red phone. She dialed a number, ended the call and put it away. No way in hell she was going to lose her shit over that prick. She needed coffee and quickly. She brought herself off of her blue chair and headed down stairs.

The time it took to reach the shop was minimal and she made it just in time for her stomach to growel at her. Fuck that's embarrassing. She looked around the practicly empty shop with joy and alittle dismay. Her plan to scout out a new guitarist after the old asshole left. It was cut down to one red haired kid with a guitar. Oh well.

She took a seat at his table and stared at him. "Hey kid..." she eyed his guitar before her eyes lingered on the red tattoo on his forehead. Such an odd place for a tattoo. Eh but its better than them being everywhere. "You know how to use that guitar?" She motioned the waitress over.

Gaara had set the guitar up on the other side of the booth seat, his shoulders still slouched over as he stared ahead, really focusing on the music. It was more soothing than the sounds he heard at his supposed to be home. He left the small, crippled house to hear his older brother yelling at their outraged father, and hearing the cries of his older sister on the couch. Fighting started early in the morning, and didn't go out until after midnight.

He blinked his sea-foam eyes a few times when a girl sat down, right across from him. He stared at her wide, jade-colored eyes with a bit of curiousity, but his face didn't twitch, keeping a statue-like form. She tried to refrain from looking at his pale forehead, and Gaara knew it was his tattoo.. "A mistake you made at a young age." His brother would say, but Gaara loved it. It represented a lot for him. Another thing they picked on him for was his dark eyes. They looked sleep deprived, since they used to be a normal blue, but were now drained and dark circles were etched around them. His father didn't bother about them.

"Yes." He answered the simple question that came from her lips. At least, he thought he knew. He never got feedback from how he taught himself alone in his room. However, the people at the shop never seemed to mind when he played.

"Well why don't you pull it out and show me?" The waitress stopped at the table a small blush tinted her cheeks only getting half of the small conversation. "W-what can I getcha?" She had a bit o a southern twang that was obviously a forced accent. "Can I get a Carmel frappachino?" The waitress nodded and scurried off back to the counter and Sakura turned her head back to the somewhat attractive red head.

She laid her chin on her hand smiled at the boy. Probably 18 or 19. Her past was almost exactly like his. Her exception was that she lacked any syblings to share the pain with. Her father was an abusive alcoholic and her mother sat back and let it happen. She was a strong willed kid and ran away at age 14. Her voice took her places, but none to far from the ground.

The waitress came back a few moments later carrying her drink. She set it on the table and held out her hand for the money. Sakura placed a 5 in her hand and shooed her off in a rude gesture.

"..." He silently stared at her, obviously not one for talking. He was barely used to even seeing people this close to him that weren't related. Isn't she scared..? Weirded out..?

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, the pale lips pressing together. He remembered some people came by, as if they were going to ask him something, but then they brushed him off and went to get something else, like a sugar pack for their coffee. The employee's took a while to get used to him. They were hesitant to take his order first, but slowly learned he was just a silent boy. His dark eyes and straight face scared most people off.

He was amazed this girl didn't mind.

Gaara looked over, his guitar case sitting in the chair as if it were his friend. He laid the case down and opened it, a sand-colored guitar there. He liked the colors of things like sand, mud, dirty grass. He just did. He lifted up the guitar and looked at her, letting her see it before just putting it back in the case, not bothering to close it.

Feeling a bit weird with the girl sitting there, he avoided eye contact by lifting the hot coffee and sipping it. He needed to finish all of it quickly anyway. Cold coffee bothered him. The sleep-deprived boy liked the burning sensation of the liquid, going through his throat and giving him the satisfaction of knowing he'd stay awake another day.

She laughed slightly and smiled at him. "I Ment play, but whatever." She giggled and looked him over again, letting her eyes roam over every inch of him. "I must admit you look good with that guitar." She took her coffee cup in hand and took a gulp of the molten liquid. She coughed abit, not expecting it to be so hot.

Her mind flashed back to a certain someone and she shoved the cup back to he mouth, pouring more of it down her throat. The heat numbed her throat making it bareable. "You fit what I'm looking for, dark, handsome. Abit on the anti-social side. The absolute perfect Guy to fill the whole." She grabbed his had quickly yet tenderly. "Now if you wouldn't mind giving me your number or some way of reaching you?"

The way she was wording things almost made it sond as though she was trying to pick him up. She released his had and pulled out a small green booklet and a black and gold pen, sliding it across the table to him. "I'd like to hear you play sometime..." her bubbly smile turned soft and caring.

"Oh..." Gaara's voice trailed. He frowned slightly, feeling as if he messed up, but heard her laugh. His eyes widened slightly, as if his face were lighting up. He almost gave a smile. And his pale cheeks showed a bit of color. He wasn't used to this.

"Be careful." He muttered out, seeing her cough at the coffee. "It's.. really hot.." He saw her drink it again and shut his mouth, silencing himself. He flinched slightly, seeing her hand go forward, looking as if he expected her to hurt him, but felt his hand grabbed instead.

He looked back up at her. Feeling her let go, he didn't answer. He watched the book and pen slide across the table to him. He stared at it. Tapping his foot softly, he tried to think of a phone number. He didn't have a cell phone. His father did, his sister did, his brother did - He didn't.

He slowly wrote down his name "Gaara" and slowly wrote down his brother's phone number, then slid it back. "Like... A band?" He asked, speaking once again, feeling a bit more comfortable while staring at her smile. "Then.. what do you play?"

She smiled back at him and nodded with confidence. "Yup, we dont exactly have a name yet...and we lost our lead guitarist a few days ago. We have been looking for one for awhile." She brushed a strand of her short bubblegum locks behinde her ear. "I sing~" she said slyly. i "With a guitar in hand a band on the run, our voices will make us number 1"

She smiled and looked back to him. Her green eyes gazed into his blue. "Maybe I should give you my address. Yah, here." She pulled out another piece of paper out and wrote down her address. "Why don't you come over sometime? Ill invite the other members and you can play for us~" she gave him a friendly wink and grabbed her coffee, chugging the rest. Her cellphone buzzed.

Something about the girl's voice forced Gaara to feel even more... strange. He didn't want to seem attracted to her. How could he? I've only sat next.. no, across from her.. for a few minutes. He didn't know how he felt. He didn't usually get positive interaction from other people. "Number one..?" He repeated quietly, shocked at her confidence. There could only be so much in one body...

"Oh." He whispered, looking at a pieces of paper slid his way. He folded it carefully and set it on top of the guitar, closing the case and latching it. He wouldn't loose it.

"Maybe.." He nodded. "What time...?" His family didn't even know he left. Unless the red head was mistaken, his family was oblivious to him leaving the house. They probably suspected him still in bed. If he was missing all day, his brother could get angry and go looking for him. "I have nothing to do... anytime.." He murmured. Hearing a buzz, he actually flinched a bit again, then relaxed himself. It's a cellphone.. not a gun. Looking down in slight shame, he just took another sip of his coffee.

Sakura picked up the bright green device, almost matching her vivid eye color. The caller I'd showed a very unfriendly face at the moment and she nearly slammed it down but calmed herself down answerd. "Hello..." her voice was filled with anger, despise, and alittle pity that was only noticeable if you where really paying attention. "I don't have any money to give you... maybe if you d stop drinking and gambling, you'd have money."

After her short conversation, the phone had been turned off and had disappeared into her pocket. Her eyes where abit darker after and she looked back up. "Sorry about that, that was my...father" the word father rolled out of her mouth like it was something that left a bad taste on her tounge. "Anyways, if your free later tonight, you should come by and play."

Gaara watched her answer the cell phone color, a green color like her eyes. He stared at her eyes, watching them narrow slightly, obviously angry at this person on the other end. Her jade eyes were bright, full of the confidence he's seen in her. He wondered how his eyes looked right now. The last time he looked in a mirror, they were discolored. Orbs that barely had color, didn't have pupils.

"Father..." He nodded, "Oh." He then wondered about her father. What he may be like. From the sound of her over the phone with this man, they must not have the best relationship. He drinks... He gambles..

He remembered his own father when younger, who drank, who gambled. His drinking had gotten worse, but his older brother stopped him from gambling so much. He remembered hearing his older brother talking about their father to his other sibling, Temari. They were talking about running away. That was a year ago. Gaara feared of them leaving him alone with their father.

He nodded to Sakura, "Later tonight..." He thought over his day, thinking quietly to himself, "I'll just spend the morning here... Go back home, check in, come back here until tonight.. then go to your house..." He looked down at the slip of paper with an adress on it. He planned to spend most of his day sitting here at a booth alone. He had no one else to be with, nothing to do.

"Or you could come over now, if you don't have any plans that is." She smiled at him, taking notice of his blue eyes. They seemed alittle sad at that point. "I guess..." Gaara nodded, "I just have to check in with my family first.." She herd the bell at the door ring as another person stepped in. One that was far to familiar to her. He blinked, looking back immediately as the door opened. Another male stepped in and Gaara glanced back at Sakura with no interest, until the girl hid herself. He slowly lowered his head too, trying to assume things, but he really couldn' black cockatoo hair stood out all to well and his pale, pastel colored skin made her cringe to look at him. She ducked her head down suddenly and tried so despertly not to be spotted. Obviously, she had caught his eye, because he made his way over to the table. Then again how could he not have seen her, with her lovely pink hair making her stand out like a beacon.

The black haired fellow pulled up a seat next to the pinket and plopped down staring first at the read head then the girl. "Is he your new boyfriend." All confidence was lost in her voice and it almost sounded unsteady like she was extremely uncomfortable with him sitting there. "What business is it of yours?" She turned her head to look at the raven haired man. Her eyes couldn't stay on him for very long before she turned her head to look back at the smooth black table beneath her finger tips. She quickly took her coffee and gulped it down. "Why where you trying to hide from me?" She didn't respond.

Until the boy sat down and they started talking. Gaara slowly lifted his head back up, silently staring at the two. Sakura began losing confidence. The boy talked to her as if he was way more surperior than the two. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"... Uh." Was all he responded at first, "... You.." His voice trailed off at first. He wasn't used to this. If he talked back to his father, he was backhanded across the face. "You.. uh. Should leave." He finally sputtered out, a frown across his face. "And.. not talk to her like that... who.. who are you anyway..?"

TBC