Magnetism

Chapter Three

-Day 3: Boredom-

Sakura frowned as her mind slowly made its way back to the real world. She didn't want to wake up, this was the best she had slept since her arrival in this prison. She buried her face deeper into the warmth that she was resting on, gripping the pillow to her body more tightly. Her eyes shot open at that thought. She didn't have a pillow in this cell. Looking down, she saw black cloth, and her eyes widened. The blanket on top of the pallet was green, not black.

She lifter her head slightly and looked up, face growing red at the sight of Gaara's slumbering form leaning against the wall. Slowly, she unwound her arms from around his legs, thoroughly embarrassed that she had snuggled up to him in her sleep. She only hoped he didn't know or notice.

She sat up and stretched, raising her arms in the air and wincing as her sore muscles and skin protested. If only she had her chakra, then her bruises would have been gone in a matter of seconds. She looked from Gaara to the door of the cell, noticing that someone had brought them their food for the day. She crawled over to the tray and brought it back to the cot, setting it next to herself. The she leaned over him and tapped his cheek lightly.

"Gaara, the food is here." She said.

His eyes opened immediately and he focused on her and then the food. "You can have it, you need it more than I do." He mumbled, shutting his eyes once more. He found it ironic, now that he could sleep, it was the only safe haven at the moment.

She frowned, sitting back down on the cot. "We'll split it. You need more nourishment than I do because your wound bled. Which, by the way, I need to check later." She said, dividing the food on the plate.

He sighed and sat up, taking the portion she gave him. "You know if you wish to sleep on me you can, you do not have to be frightened. I will not hurt you." He said, taking a bite of the stale bread. He made a face of disgust and set it down. "I never really felt pampered until I came here." He attempted a laugh, trying to make a joke.

She smiled at his comment, but her face was still slightly red in embarrassment. So he did know that she had slept on him. "It wasn't that, I was just embarrassed is all…" she trailed off, picking up some bread and dipping it in the oily soupy substance. "It tastes better if you dip it in the soup by the way." She told him, taking a bite.

He glanced down at the odd looking substance and grimaced. "You know sometimes I wonder if being dead would be a nice relief from this. I've only been in here for three days. I commend you for being so strong." He said, doing as she had and dipping it into the soup. He started eating once more and sighed, it was still awful, but it did taste better.

She smiled as she took a drink of the water. "It would be nicer I suppose, but at least we have each other for company. You have no idea how boring it was before you got here."

"I can imagine." He said sadly, now remaining quiet and only focusing on his 'meal'.

They ate in silence then, and when she finished her portion she sighed. Spotting a small rock, she picked it up and began to doodle in the dirt floor, already bored. Getting an idea, she looked over at the redhead and raised a brow. "So…you wanna play tic-tac-toe?"

"What?" he asked, looking more confused than she had ever seen.

"You know, I'm X's and you're O's." she elaborated, drawing out the boxes.

He's confusion only increased. "I don't know what you're talking about. What's tic-tac-toe?"

She gave him a shocked look, but then it faded as she remembered about his past and his childhood. It actually wasn't a surprise that he didn't know. "Well, it's a type of game. See the board? The goal is to get three of your symbol in a row. We each take turns putting our symbols in a square. If you get close to having three in a row, then I can block you. Once you get three in a row you draw a line through them, signaling that you won. You can go vertically, horizontally, or diagonally." She explained, showing him examples of what she meant.

He studied the drawn set up and nodded. "I guess. I'll try." It did get boring just sitting there. He got to his knees and then took the rock from her, drawing a pretty odd looking 'O' in one of the squares. "Like that?"

"Yes." She said, smiling at him. Then she took the rock and drew an 'X' in another square, already planning out how she would win. Just because it was his first time playing didn't mean she had to go easy on him after all.

He followed her example and thought methodically about where to place his next circle. He would win this silly game. He didn't even realize he had a smile on his face from the fact he was actually playing a game.

Watching his movements, she placed an 'X' down and blocked him, at the same time making it possible for her to get three in a row. She too was smiling, glad that she had caused him some sort of joy from their game.

His smile turned into a dark smirk as he placed another 'O' down, successfully assuring his win. He had an 'O' in three of the corners of the board. "That means I win, correct?" he asked, noticing no matter what move she did he had a way to win.

She stared at the board, flabbergasted. She was sure that she would have won. "Let's play again." She said instead of answering his question, determined to win at least once.

He looked up, pleased with his victory. "If you wish." He said with a small smirk. They played for the next hour, but every time Gaara won. "I really like this game." He laughed drawing yet another line through his 'O's.

She tossed down the rock and crossed her arms in a huff. "This game is boring anyways." She pouted.

"You're just saying that because I won every time." He pointed out with a smug look.

She glared at him. "No, I'm saying it because it's true." She lied.

"Sakura I may be devoid of all these games you learn as a child, but I can tell when you're lying. Your nose flares a bit and your eyes darken for a second, but it's obvious." He snickered, seeing her growing anger.

"Oh really? I didn't realize, thank you for pointing that out to me. I'll be sure to work on that so people can't tell." She said, slightly sarcastic. She didn't know why she was being rude, she was just annoyed. She was extremely competitive, and hated to lose. On top of that, it had always bothered her that she was so easy for people to read sometimes. Her brow crinkled slightly. "I'm sorry, that was rude." She apologized, lowering her arms.

He shrugged, "It's fine. I've been treated worse." He said simply, leaning back against the wall and wincing when he hit his sore spot.

Her head whipped in his direction. "Here, let me check your wound." She said, rising to her knees and moving towards him.

He held his hand up and halted her advance. "It's ok, I'm fine. I just hit it."

"I need to check it anyways. It's been three days, and I need to make sure it's healing properly." She told him, continuing her advance.

He gave her a reluctant look but allowed her closer. She reached up and untied his sleeves, slowly unwinding them from his head. "I'm sorry about your shirt by the way, but I didn't have anything else to use." She said, placing the first sleeve on the floor next to him.

"I don't care, it's fine. If I had been mad about it, you would have known." He looked off, giving her better access to the back of his head. "It's just weird being taken care of."

She smiled. "Get used to it, according to Naruto I'm a natural caretaker." She said, her eyes filling with fondness at the mention of the energetic blonde. She missed him dearly, and wondered if he was already demanding to search for her. He probably was. Then she took off the other sleeve and tilted his head a bit more so she could examine his wound. She nodded, seeing that it was healing faster than she thought it would. She reached down and ripped part of her skirt off, dipping it in their leftover water. Then she carefully began to wipe away some of the extra blood, trying to clean the wound once more. "Let me know if I hurt you."

He kept his gaze focused on the ground, it felt soothing to be treated. "It doesn't hurt." He said softly.

She finished cleaning it and nodded in approval at her work. "I'm going to let it get some air for a while. Just be careful, and before you go to sleep I'll re-wrap it." She said, sitting next to him and tossing the piece of her skirt on top of his sleeves.

"So…" he began a bit awkwardly, rubbing his palms together. "How's Konoha these days?"

She smiled. "Good I guess. The Elders still drive Shishou crazy, Naruto never stops eating ramen…I mean, other than more dangerous missions and the occasional all out fights we have, not many things have changed. It's a little bothersome though, the way everyone tries to pretend like the war isn't going on, how people aren't dying every day." She said, clenching her fist. It was hard for her, especially as a medic, to deal with death every day.

"I see…unfortunately…I only see things getting worse. Before I was taken, the Council was planning an attack on Konoha…I can usually prevent the more large scale ones but since I am gone…I don't know what will happen." He said sadly, avoiding her gaze. The war between their countries was fierce and Suna and Konoha were especially heated.

She sighed. "Yeah, the Elders are planning something as well. I don't know any of the details, since I was sent away before I could be told by Tsunade-shishou." She looked over at him. "How is Temari?" she asked. She hadn't seen her friend in a long time, and wondered how the blonde was doing.

"Fine." He rubbed his head, pulling at his hair a bit. "She does what she needs to do, but you know that she and Shikamaru had something before the war started…" he stopped then, not wanting to get into a debate with her on the sparks of the fire.

She nodded. "He still thinks about her, I can tell. When it gets windy he will look up to the sky for a moment, and then continue with his business as if it never happened. He doesn't know that I know, but still. It makes me sad for them. Everyone deserves happiness, at least, that's what I believe." She said softly, wondering if she would ever find the happiness she dreamt of.

"What about you?" he asked, hoping he wasn't stepping over any lines. "Did you and Sasuke ever get married or something?"

Pain flashed across her face for a moment, but she covered it quickly. "No. All he cares about is being strong and beating people. Besides, I gave up on him a long time ago. The Elders are trying to get me to marry him, since apparently I'm the only woman he can stand, and adding my chakra control to the Uchiha line will strengthen it. But in reality they just want me to be a baby factory, and so does Sasuke. He and I don't really speak." She said, her gaze hardening.

He didn't really know what to say, he wasn't really an expert in this field, but he knew he needed to say something so she wouldn't feel foolish. He tapped his fingers together idly, "They were going to try and make me marry some girl from Suna so that we could produce an heir and have more powerful ninja with my abilities. So…I somewhat understand how you feel."

The hate left her eyes, and she got a wistful expression on her face. "When I have kids, it will be with someone I love. And it won't be just so I can create a perfect weapon."

"I wish you luck in finding someone that will love you the way you deserve to be." he nodded. He didn't say anything more. He didn't really want to talk about this any longer. He would like to think of marrying someone he loved. But he didn't love anyone, nor could he even tolerate any of the women from his village.

"What about you? Do you want to have kids some day?" she asked, wanting to quench her sudden curiosity.

He gave her a small shrug. "I'd like to. I mean I don't really like kids, since they don't take well to me. But I always thought…well that I would like my own." He sighed, feeling a bit foolish for revealing such an emasculating dream. "Then again I also can't really imagine having any with anyone so…"

"I'm sure you'll find someone someday Gaara. After all, once you get past the initial rough exterior, you're really sweet." She said, giving him a genuine smile.

He scoffed and faced away from her, crossing his arms. "I am not sweet. I am cold and very tactical, maybe a little nice. But I am not sweet."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You're nice." She said, leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling. "It's pretty much the same thing." She muttered.

"I said maybe, and only a little." He pointed out, looking back at her with amused jade eyes.

She looked over at him, slightly annoyed. "Will you just take the compliment for what it was? I wasn't trying to diminish your manliness or anything."

"I didn't say you were, I was just trying to antagonize you." He smirked, seeing her irritation spark further. "Besides, it's kind of cute when you're angry." He leaned back against the wall, resting his head against the cool rock and shutting his eyes.

She stared at him, mouth open and face red from his comment. She wasn't sure whether or not she should be angry or embarrassed. He thought she was cute? Not really knowing what to say, she settled far laying down on the floor and tossing the rock into the air idly, catching it in her hand each time it came back down. Then she began to hum softly to herself, not wanting silence just yet.

"Well. I'm going to attempt to get some sleep." He said simply, situating himself more comfortably on 'their bed'. After all they were sharing. "Good night, or morning. I don't really know which it is anymore." He lay down then and faced away from her, shutting his eyes. It would do best to keep what little energy he had up.

"You can use my legs as a pillow if you wish." She offered, catching the rock and looking over at him.

"That's alright, I prefer your lap. It's much softer." He laughed, feeling a small smile play on his face. He didn't really know why he was acting so oddly from himself. He supposed their incarceration was slowly setting in and he may never see anyone else ever again. And if anyone deserved his kind side it was Sakura. She had saved him from the Akatsuki so many years ago with Naruto, despite their terrible past. He pushed the thoughts aside, for whatever reason it was he didn't mind. If they did get out of here alive no one would believe her if she told anyone.

She sat up, turning her body towards him. "Then you can use my lap." She didn't want to upset his head injury any more than it normally would be. And that way she would get to run her fingers through his soft hair once more.

He didn't answer her, the only sound coming from his was the sound of his breathing. He was glad she wasn't facing him though, because the huge smirk on his face would have given his act away.

She frowned. There was just no way he could have fallen asleep that easily. She crawled over to him until she was leaning over his face. Then she poked his cheek harshly. "Hey! I was talking to you!" she said, brow crinkled with slight anger.

He continued his charade, his face remaining calm and peaceful as if he really were asleep. Then he decided to mess with her and began to mumble something incoherently.

She leaned closer to him, bringing her ear closer to his mouth in order to decipher what he was saying. He didn't strike her as someone who talked in their sleep. Sure, she did it occasionally when she was stressed or worried about something, but she just didn't figure him to have the same problem as her.

He moved, as if asleep, and lay on his back, successfully knocking her off balance and making her fall onto his chest, being face to face with his 'slumbering façade'. Feeling bold now, he let his hand lazily fall on her behind, keeping her in place and using all his years of stoic practice to make sure nothing played on his face.

She stared, shocked, into his sleeping face, her own red as a cherry at where his hand was. She placed her hands on his chest and elevated herself slightly, his hand still resting on her rear. She reached behind her and grabbed it, attempting to move it off of her. When it didn't budge and she felt the tensing muscles her eye twitched. "You jerk!" she yelled, red with rage. Then she hit his chest with her free hand. Not as hard as she normally would have, since she wasn't at her full strength and was without chakra, but as forcefully as she could.

He just started to laugh and finally opened his eyes giving her a devious look. "I'm sorry Miss. I guess I just couldn't help myself." He smirked, still not removing his hand from her behind. She yelped loudly when it moved down a bit and his grip tightened. "Whoops." He finally held his hands up as if he were accused of something. "Guess I just had a nervous twitch."

Her eye began to twitch as she glared at him. "I'll show you a nervous twitch." She said, raising her fist to punch him in the face. She stopped then, remembering his head injury. Letting out a sigh, she pushed off of him and sat up. She didn't understand how it was he could make her go from embarrassed to angry to normal so quickly without even having to try. It just didn't make sense.

He sat up, still unable to control his laughter, which was a first. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really don't know what came over me. I promise I'll behave." He smirked, then patting the spot beside him. "Now come on darling, let's not fight tonight when we can snuggle together all cozy like."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Snuggle? With you? Why should I?" she asked, giving him a once over.

He lay back, propping himself up with only one arm. "Well you didn't mind it last night…or the night before. I'm just saying, you always seem to latch onto me in some sort of way."

She crossed her arms. "I was unconscious, that doesn't count." She said defensively. "And the first night, it was you who buried your face in my stomach, so don't go trying to say that I seek you out only." She said, waving a hand at him.

"I never said that, you must have a pretty short memory if you don't remember what happened five minutes ago." He taunted smugly.

Her mouth dropped open. She was utterly flabbergasted, and had no idea what to say. She shut her mouth and gave him a considering look. She was tired, and he just happened to be more comfortable than the wall or the floor…so it wouldn't really mean anything if they snuggled, right? They were just two friends, stuck in a cell together and were growing closer. Yeah, she could live with that for now. Deciding to be selfish instead of proper for once, she scooted closer to him, stopping when she was next to him on the pallet. "Fine. But if you so much as think of touching me inappropriately, you are dead, head wound or not." She threatened with a warning glare before lying down next to him and placing her head on his chest.

"Sure, sure." He said, resting back and shutting his eyes. She formed right against him, just like she had for the past couple of nights. He rested one of his hands on her back and the other on his stomach. "Goodnight Sakura."

"Night Gaara." She mumbled, snuggling into him. She ignored the small voice in the back of her head saying that she didn't really mind his advances. That part of her was just crazy.