It was very easy to tell nothing had changed. She ate out with them, yes, but her uneasiness wasn't difficult to detect. Naruto talked the entire time, trying desperately to fill the silence which enveloped the three. Gaara had always been a quiet person, making it easy for him to get away with saying nothing. However, she used to speak. He remembered the old Sakura, though he'd only known her for a few months pre-breakup. In those days, she'd usually been accompanied by that lazy boyfriend of hers, who let her do the talking while he brooded in the background.

Looking back, he did seem like the cheater type. Imagining him settling down with the brilliant pink-haired girl always seemed comical to Gaara. Sasuke was constantly instructing Sakura to be quieter, be more well-mannered, or pay attention better. He was always telling her what to do- a reversal of the bossiness of her grade school years, Naruto informed him. Even so, she relished in Sasuke's attention, doing everything she could to keep it. Her eyes brightened when he'd come out with them, and she'd laugh more than usual.

He never heard that laugh anymore. After the break-up, Sakura had dropped off the map for quite some time. It seemed like Naruto was the only one she spoke to for months. Even then it was sparingly, which is why her eating disorder came as such a shock to Naruto. He thought he knew everything about her, so missing such an important detail had absolutely rocked his world.

Gaara wondered if he himself had really missed it. She had seemed to be getting better a few months earlier, going out with them like normal- until it stopped. Naruto never stopped calling, but she stopped answering. Gaara had become curious, but not enough to act. He had personal experience with pain; his entire existence was pain. He knew she was hurting, because even when she did leave her house, she wasn't truly there with them. Her eyes were empty, and she always seemed to be waiting for it to end. But he never said a word.

It was true that he cared for her well-being. He cared for most people's well-being, though he rarely showed it. Something about Sakura was different than he was used to; she was unexpected, unfamiliar territory. He didn't know how to put his feelings into words, so he said nothing. The closest he could come to it was "curious". She inspired a feeling of curiosity in the redhead, something he was rather unacquainted with.

Curiosity had been punished in his early days. Asking questions about things ranging from his birth to his mother to his siblings had been completely ignored or returned with violence. His father was a cruel man, who cared little for weaklings. He was made stronger by this, his father would tell him. Wimps would never succeed in the business world, which Gaara was certain to go into. Even though his father hated him, he was pained at the idea of his legacy not being continued. Kankuro and Temari had his respect; he would never force the task onto them.

So Gaara, hated by his father since his birth, was trained in the art of business as well as the art of taking a hit. It used to terrify him, the volatile mood swings of the man who "raised" him. However, he'd grown apathetic by his late teens, incapable of feeling fear. He found that most emotions were lost on him- he'd been isolated in his youth, not understanding most humans. Those in his father's company who desired his position loathed him. Parents warned their children to steer clear of him; his father could destroy them if they got too close. Gaara knew loneliness better than anyone he knew. This loneliness, he was convinced, gave him the desire to help Sakura. But instead, he had sat back in silence, like he always did.

Perhaps it was this exact feeling of not doing nearly enough that drove him to say what he did to her. It was Saturday night, one day after her release from the hospital. Gaara wondered if she'd even come, knowing how flaky she'd become as of late. Naruto was extremely overjoyed- he'd washed his car and picked up Gaara far too early in order to chat. The blond-haired boy was sure Sakura had simply been overworked, and asked Gaara to cut back on her hours. In response, Gaara had simply given him a bemused look- he was almost certain showing up at her office to speak with her manager would cause her rather unnecessary stress.

And Gaara knew cutting back on her hours wouldn't help her. She never admitted it, not to Naruto or any of the nurses, knowing they wouldn't have released her so quickly if they found out she had an eating disorder. But Gaara just knew. She hid it well, disguising herself in baggy clothes which hung off her malnourished frame like she was a clothes hanger. But when Gaara had seen those arms the day before in the hospital, his mere assumptions had been solidified. One does not simply forget to eat for several days. There was no way overworking was her problem.

"Cut the bull shit praise, Naruto," he'd spoken icily, glaring at the cheerful boy. "We both know she's not going to keep it down. If you congratulate her on one more bite it'll just encourage her. Give it up." Surprisingly, Sakura was the first to act. Naruto's mouth hung agape as she slammed her hands down on the table. Looking directly at Gaara, she bit her lip furiously.

"Oh… shut the fuck up, you snob!" she shouted before bolting out the door. Gaara and Naruto stared at each other, both unsure of what to say. As it were, they were the only two in the ramen stand. The couple who owned the place looked up from a book they were examining together. They looked at the only two chairs being used, then at the door, then back down to their book. Clearly, they did not want to get into whatever was going on. Though she'd been docile the past few months, Sakura had a reputation for being a spitfire.

"That was the first time I've seen her get angry in a while," Naruto said quietly. "She never reacts to things I say like that."

"I'm sorry," was all Gaara could muster. "I just can't stand watching it. She sits there and picks at her food, and every time she takes a bite you get jittery."

"It's okay. I knew she was faking. Of course I knew she was faking," Naruto repeated, trying to convince himself as much as Gaara. "But I can't help it. I feel like what she needs right now is for us to encourage her."

"She doesn't need that kind of encouragement, Naruto." Gaara replied, standing up from his seat. "But I should apologize." The redhead flinched as Naruto grabbed his arm and gestured for him to sit back down.

"No way, man. Give her time to cool off- otherwise we might have to call someone out to fix the wall as well as the door. She gets really scary!" the blond shouted, his face scrunching up at memories of previous things he'd been "scolded" by Sakura for.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

When Gaara finally got home, night had fallen rather abruptly. It wasn't quite wintertime yet, but the days had grown noticeably shorter and he had yet to adjust. As he turned the key in the lock, he remembered Sakura. It helped that he wasn't exactly dying to return to an empty home, but Gaara found himself rushing to find his keys and leave. He owned a place by himself, which was lovingly financed by his father, who asked him to stay the fuck away until he needed something. His car was embarrassingly nice- everything he owned was. He often found himself ashamed of the status symbols his father forced upon him.

If the Sabaku name meant anything, it was image. It was imperative that Gaara never slip up in public or do anything to humiliate his father. He owned only the latest things, for all the "commoners" to gaze upon in wonder. Sabakus were better than everyone else, or, as his father succinctly put it, Sabakus were built to rule. Gaara was expected to have the same mentality, though he often wished for a Honda like Naruto's instead of his own E-class Mercedes.

Pondering this, Gaara entered his car and began to drive to Sakura's. He'd been there many times before with Naruto, but this was his first time without the bubbly man-child. It was more difficult in the dark, but night had been his domain since he was a child. He felt more awake and alive as night fell, only to wish he'd slept as day broke. Sakura's house appeared vacant, except for a single dim light on the first floor. As he parked, he noticed her door remained slightly off the hinges. They'd called someone in to fix it, but they were completely booked until Monday. So Naruto and Gaara had tried, with much swearing and sweating, to fix it themselves. They'd managed to do it- sort of. The result was a door which one might notice something looked off about only upon close inspection.

He slowly walked up to the door, wondering how he could reconcile himself in Sakura's eyes. Gaara had always been bad with people, but he could tell when he had screwed up more than usual. Inhaling deeply, he knocked on the door once. Waiting for a moment, and receiving no answer, he knocked again. She's probably not home, he convinced himself nervously, and turned around to escape.

"What dyou want?" came a voice from behind him. Gaara turned back around quickly, uncharacteristic shock evident upon his usually calm features. Sakura was holding onto the door frame, her shoulders slumped. She was definitely drunk.

Sorry! This chapter is pretty short, but I really wanted to update! I've been swamped with schoolwork as well as my job. I actually work part time and am taking several AP classes, too. AND I play piano and SOMETIMES even hang out with friends. So it's hard for me to find time to write. But I'm constantly brainstorming, so don't you worry! Since I originally planned ch 5 and ch 4 to be one chapter, I think I'll have the next chapter be from Gaara's POV as well, if that's okay with you all! Once again, sorry this chapter is so short! Thanks so much for all the favorites and reviews. :)