A?N: Aren't I such a nice authoress? I'm updating early, and giving you two chapters! :3

"C'mon Ino, we're gonna be late for Naruto's party!" Sakura called, tapping her foot while waiting for her blonde housemate. She just pulled on her black trench coat and beige scarf over her red off-shoulder, half-sleeve mini dress. To add extra warmth, she had a black tank top under it. With leggings and her favorite black suede boots under her dress, a black studded belt, black leather gloves, and her hair in a ponytail, she was ready to go.

If only Ino shared that same philosophy.

She glanced at her black studded watch (which matches her belt). She's been waiting for Ino for ten minutes. For Kami's sake, why the hell did she take forever to get ready? She gave a relieved sigh, thanking the lords that they didn't share a bathroom with that woman.

"I'm ready Forehead!" The blonde announced, rushing down the stairs. "Geez, you don't need to be so uptight." She said, throwing a purple parka over her skinny jeans, tight yellow shirt and killer heels combo.

"I'm gonna hail a cab." The pinkette exited through the doorway, disappearing into the cold night as she pushed her keys into her purse. She stood by the edge of the street and extended her arm. Luckily, a cab stopped just when Ino was closing the door and walking down their pathway, cutting through the front lawn.

They just slid inside the cab when Ino commented. "Saki, you have a huge house and a high paying job. Can you at least get a car?" The blue-eyed girl played with her bangs when her housemate shot her a glare.

"You know I wouldn't." She backfired, fixing the strap of her boot. The young doctor redirected her gaze and started counting the snowflakes on the windowpane. After a few moments of silence, the driver announced they were at their location. She threw a few bills over the seat and muttered a 'keep the change' (which wasn't much, in reality) before following Ino out of the car.

The duo waved at the receptionist, who recognized them as the Uzumaki-Hyuuga couple's usual visitors. They traveled the 27 floors to their friends' penthouse unit and knocked on the door.

"Sakura-chan!" Her other loud, obnoxious blonde friend greeted her with a large bear hug and started swinging her around. "I missed you so much!"

As she shoved him away, she cocked an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you ever answer my phone calls?" She asked, crossing her arms across her chest. As he rubbed his neck guiltily, she shed her coat and purse and hung it on her usual coat hook (seriously, it had her name engraved on top of it).

"Anyways…" He started. The drummer then grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away from the doorway. "I need to tell you something Sakura-chan."

"Well hurry. I still haven't greeted your girlfriend." She retorted.

"That's what I have to talk to you about!" He hauled her over to the end of the bar and cupped his hand over her ear. His other hand was working its way to his back pocket. "Look," He snapped it open and revealed a diamond sitting on a silver band.

"No. Way." Sakura squealed. "You're gonna pop the ques—"

His large hand slapped itself on her mouth, cutting her sentence. "Shh! She's here! I'm gonna announce it after a song or two."

Sakura clapped her hands in delight. "Naruto, you're growing up!" She cried, tears welling in her eyes in an anime-ish way. "But now, I've got to say hi to Tennie and Hina," She waved and skipped to the other end of the bar and walked the bartender.

The brunette was fancily flipping bottles of vodka and cherry juice, catching the attention of some patrons. She started juggling the said bottles and poured the contents of the two into a metal cup. She covered it and started shaking it, then poured it into a martini glass.

After a round of applause, she tapped the shoulder of the other bartender and wiped her hands on a towel. She walked around the bar, only to tackle a certain pinkette.

"Saku!!" She cried, attacking the young doctor.

"Geez," Sakura started, patting Tenten's Chinese twin buns like a cat. "Can some people greet me with a simple 'hi'?" She asked as the Chinese hybrid let go.

"Sorry, I haven't seen you in a while, you know?" She said. "Ooh, I love the outfit."

"Yours too!" She returned the compliment, seeing that Tenten's black dress coming down to her mid thigh with a golden dragon snaking up the side hugged her body perfectly. A white crop vest was put on top, fishnet stockings and ankle boots under.

"Well, I'm on break." Tenten announced, throwing her hands in the air. "Let's go find Hinata!" She linked arms with the pinkette and they walked to the lounge.

They found the white-eyed girl sitting on one of their black leather couches with Naruto's orange clad arm around her waist, Hanabi on the other side, and her cousin Neji sitting beside her. She wore a white blouse with puffed up shoulders over black long sleeves and turtleneck. She wore a black skirt and ballet flats, and her long bluish-black hair was matted against her fiancé-to-be.

"Ten, Sakura!" She waved to her two friends to come sit over with them. The two obliged, and Tenten sat down with the Hyuugas, and Sakura sat in between Sasuke, her old band mate and ex, and Sai, her close friend and replacement for when she left Seventh Heaven.

Other people on the couch were Kiba and Shino, Hinata's other 'brothers', Lee, Neji and Tenten's other posse mate since preschool and Tenten's housemate, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino's 'brother', (We all have our group of brothers, am I right?) Yamato, Seventh Heaven's agent and Kakashi, their manager.

"So guys," Sakura propped her legs on Sai's lap in a clear motion to annoy him. She then leaned back onto the Uchiha, receiving a glare from him. "How was the tour?"

"Hn,"

"Busu,"

"Bastards, I wasn't asking you. I was asking Kakashi and Naruto." She jerked her thumb towards Seventh Heaven's band manager, then shot a glance at the blonde drummer. "They would answer me properly."

"Who could answer properly when you're leaning against someone?" Sasuke asked, still wondering how Sakura can draw a whole sentence from him.

"Why?" The pinkette shrugged. "You used to find it cute." She poked his black clad chest, causing an angry growl to escape his lips.

His cold black eyes twitched to the side, meeting with Sai's similar ones. They nodded together and threw the pinkette off their laps. She fell unceremoniously on the floor with an audible thud, and the two raven haired band mates smirked, proud of themselves for causing her pain.

"You guys are meanies." She stuck her tongue out at the two with her hands at her waist. "Well, none of you will answer me anyways, so what's the point?" She felt degraded and started walking away. "I'm going to find Ino before she…well, you know."

Everyone just nodded, knowing what she meant. For people who are completely different, they somehow got along well and were a tightly knit group. Everyone threw glances at their group, not because Seventh Heaven was sitting there, but because most of them were unbelievably attractive as well.

She searched through the room, cutting through the crowd. She was looking for a tall blonde-and-blue-eyed girl with killer heels and a tight top and her hair in a high ponytail. How hard could that be?

Apparently, very hard, considering the circumstances.

Everywhere she turned, there was some bleached blond girl courted by a handsome mysterious man. 'Too cliché,' Sakura thought as she continued to scan the room for her blond friend. 'If I were Ino, where would I…' Suddenly, a thought hit her. 'The bar!'

She made it towards said location and found her housemate sitting on a stool, laughing with a brown-haired stranger. His arm was thrown around hers and she held up a shot glass. "More Mr. Bartender!" She said in her high-pitched voice called. Sakura immediately rushed to the bar table and stuck an arm out in front of her.

"Whoa there Ino, that's enough." She glanced at the bartender on duty and shooed him away before he could approach the blond with a bottle of whiskey. She then turned to her hooded suitor. "I'm sorry sir, but my friend needs to be somewhere right now." Without getting a word out of him, she hauled Ino's limp arm over her shoulder and walked towards the lounge.

"Saku…Sakura…" Ino would mumble in between her scolding until she got to her destination.

She tapped the shoulder of her other blonde friend to call his attention. "Hey Naruto, can I stick Ino in the guest room?" She asked.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, Hanabi's using the guest room, and we can't have it smelling like alcohol." Naruto explained.

"You can put her in our room." Hinata suggested. "We can just air it out after the party." The Hyuuga said with a smile.

"Thanks guys." Sakura started dragging Ino beside her as she walked to the stairs, up them and into the first door on the left. She opened it with ease, then dropped the blond on the queen sized bed. "Stay here; don't leave this room until I come back for you." The doctor commanded in her 'doctor voice', as everyone would say. She then left the room, closing the door as quietly as possible.

--

Kankuro ran a hand through his dark brown hair. He took another shot of whiskey when he heard two people sitting on either side of him.

"It's not proper to take advantage of a woman when she's intoxicated." His redhead brother spoke as he asked for something to drink.

The blonde woman at his side wagged her head in a subtle motion. "You'll never change, will you Kankuro?" She sighed. "Well, there's always an extra room in my place for when you grow old and broke spending your money on whores."

"That depends, Tema," He started. "But she wasn't a whore. She seems…different."

"Different in a way that instead of you getting her in bed, a doctor had to haul her off?" Gaara retorted, sipping from the newly materialized glass in front of him.

"How did you know that she was a doctor?" His sister asked.

The redhead just smirked at this. "She threatened me with a syringe, while she was wearing a white lab coat. As far as I'm concerned, she's a doctor." He joked until he saw his siblings' faces. "She was the doctor that treated me when you had to pick me up from the hospital."

"Gaara, you never change either." Temari chuckled. "Barely two weeks here, and you already get into an accident."

"THERE YOU ARE GAARA!!!"

--

Sakura made her way down the staircase and walked through the hordes of people until she landed safely in between Sasuke and Sai once again. She beamed at them when she saw their aggravated and annoyed faces. The two looked at each other then at her, evilly, might I add.

"Fine," She got up and walked to the other side of the couch mumbling 'evil black eyes' with a shiver. "I'll just sit with Shikamaru. He won't push me off the couch." 'Because he's asleep.' She thought, and sat on the slumbering genius' left, her legs hanging over the arm rest of the sofa.

Shikamaru doesn't actually sleep. He pretends to sleep so as not to be disturbed by random conversation. But he just had to strike one up with the medical prodigy of Konoha. The University math scholar lifted his eyelid to look at bright pink hair. "Yo Sak,"

She turned halfly to him, a small smile gracing her features. "What's up Shika?"

"Is she alright?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

The smile disappeared as she turned away. "I'm never sure about that anymore." She said gloomily, and he closed his eye.

'Whatever happened to you Ino?' They asked themselves.

"Yo guys!" Naruto suddenly appeared, and Sakura just realized he was actually gone. His appearance was returned with a bunch of 'hey's and 'waddup's. "I'd like you to meet the Subakus, the guys from Suna I told you all about! They all just decided to move her a month ago and—"

He was cut off by Sakura's sudden squeal when he presented the three siblings. "You're that patient that didn't want his heartbeat checked!" She cried, pointing a finger accusingly at the redhead in the middle, jumping up and down while she was at it.

"Eh??!! You know Gaara?" Naruto cried.

"I told you she was a doctor."

A/N: I could end here, but I've been so mean for making you all panic, so SPECIAL TREAT! 2-in-1!

"He was a patient last week." Sakura explained, rubbing her temples.

Gaara chuckled to himself, glad he could make someone so aggravated. "Well Doctor Haruno, I am honored that you still remember me." He joked.

"Well Subaku-san, who wouldn't remember a patient you need to threaten with anesthesia to check their heartbeat?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She slumped back onto her seat beside the Nara with a scowl.

Temari hit her brother's rib with her elbow. "Threatened you with anesthesia? Seriously Gaara," She complained, rubbing her temples.

Naruto offered the three siblings the empty spaces on the couch and the stools on the other side of the coffee table. Temari sat in the space between Shikamaru and Chouji. Kankuro sat beside Yamato on the cushioned stool opposite of the couch. Gaara settled for the arm rest beside Sakura.

As the group continued their chatter, the DJ's voice came on the mic. "And now, the band who set this all, Seventh Heaven!" He announced, and the band stood up from their seats. The spotlight was set on them as they waved to the crowd.

Suddenly, Naruto was in front of Sakura. "One set, please?" He pleadingly looked at the pinkette with bright cerulean eyes. "Please Sakura-chan?"

'Oh no…the puppy-dog face…' "Um…well, just a few songs." She shrugged and took Naruto's hand and they followed the two raven-haired men up the stage. Sasuke, the band's usual singer, picked up his black and blue streaked guitar and stood at the back. As Sakura and Sai argued over the bass, Naruto walked up to the microphone stand.

"Hey guys, tonight we have a special guest. Our original singer and bass and keyboard player, and the genius who still writes our songs, Haruno Sakura!" He announced, then walked to the orange drum set at the back.

After Sakura and Sai settled who played bass (Sakura) and who would play the extra guitar (Sai), Sakura walked up the mic stand, inhaling deeply. It's been forever since she performed in front of an audience, and that was just at Ichiraku's Open Mic Night five years ago. She composed herself and smiled.

"Kay everybody, I'm Haruno Sakura." She spoke into the mic, and cheers from all over the room, but mostly the lounge, boomed. "We're going to play a song we wrote about five years ago called 'When It Rains'. I hope you like it."

Sasuke strummed once, then again. Naruto joined in with the drums and the whole band started playing on their instruments. Sakura then opened her mouth to sing;

And when it rains

On this side of town it touches

Everything, just say again and mean it

You don't miss a thing

You made yourself look bad at the bottom of the blackest hole

And convinced yourself that it's not the reason you don't wanna see the sun anymore

Sakura started swinging the red and orange electric guitar in a dance, feeling the synergy of the music. It was like she could remember the reason why she wrote in the first place: the downfall of her life.

And oh, oh, how could you do it

And oh, I, I never saw it coming

Oh, oh, I need an ending so why can't you stay

Just long enough to explain

Her high school life was never perfect. When she turned fifteen, her father, Dan, died. Her father was her best friend and guide, much more than her mother was. She became depressed and started drinking and cutting, and when she got her driver's license, she started street racing with Naruto and Sasuke.

And when it rains

You always find an escape

Just running away

From all of the ones who love you

From everything

Somehow, she could keep her grades up and still keep those vices. She would wear black eyeliner and clothes to school, a dark aura surrounding her all the time. Only some chosen people really knew her. Her inner circle would consist of Naruto, Sasuke (her boyfriend at that time) Ino, Tenten, Hinata and their circles merged, adding Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Kiba, Neji and Lee.

'Ino…' She asked herself as she strummed the bass strings. 'Is that how you feel? Shut out?'

You made yourself look bad at the bottom of the blackest hole

And you speak to me and you say you don't wanna see the sun anymore

Everyone knew about her problem. Everyone helped try to stop her, and her drinking and cutting ceased just as senior year was ending. There was one thing she couldn't let go though—her need for speed.

Since her family was incredibly rich, she had an arsenal of sports cars to her disposal, ranging from her father's '58 Cadillacs to the new Mercedes models. She continued with her racing, her only vice at that time.

Sadly, as she was climbing up from rock bottom, her hand slipped. On one icy night right before graduation, her car skidded to the bottom of a ditch, and she was badly hurt. Her car was smashed into pieces, she broke both her legs, several ribs and had a piece of glass lodged into her chest.

And oh, oh, how could you do it

And oh, I, I never saw it coming

Oh, oh, I need an ending so why can't you stay

Just long enough to explain

As she recovered in the hospital, she continued with her schoolwork, thanks to all her friends. Aside from that, she studied basic medicine under her mother, the director of the hospital. She suddenly got interested in health, and after she graduated in a full torso cast, she immediately entered the Medical Institute of Konoha University.

Take your time

Take my time

Take these chances to turn it around

Yeah take these chances to make it somehow

And take these chances to turn it around

Just turn it around

She was having a great life, being the medical prodigy of Konoha. She had great friends, and nice house, and a fear hanging over her all the time. Never again will she drive a car, she pledged. Her friends all knew that she never wanted to be reminded of that. All car accident casualties were taken to other on-duty doctors.

Sadly, she didn't tell that to the new nurses.

One day, here comes Subaku No Gaara, a victim of street racing. Somehow, he triggered those deep memories, and she nearly lost it afterwards. When she got home, she indulged herself in her work, hoping to forget that patient.

Why the hell did he have to be so memorable?

And oh, oh, how could you do it

And oh, I, I never saw it coming (2x)

Oh, oh, I need an ending so why can't you stay

Just long enough to explain

She observed him from the corner of her eye, hiding the bright emerald under her loose bangs. He sat there, his face blank of any emotion. He had that tattoo on the upper left corner of his forehead, and five clear stitches opposite to that. His outfit consisting of black jeans, a red t-shirt under a black hoody and red converse clearly contributed to the bad boy image.

He must have seen her looking at him, because he suddenly smirked in her direction. She immediately turned away, re-averting her gaze to the wall at the back of the room. As she finished the few chords, she asked herself, why she was somehow drawn to him.

He dug up her old memories that she's tried so hard to keep. He was an embodiment of everything she used to be—the alter ego she left behind. And yet…

You can take your time, take my time

…she wasn't hating him for it.

After a round of applause, she threw a knowing glance at Naruto. He nodded to her and she spoke on the mic. "Um, can Hyuuga Hinata come up on stage?" She asked.

Everyone on the lounge turned to the white-eyed girl in between her two relatives. Before she could hide from the spotlight, Neji and Hanabi pulled her to her feet by her arms. She had no choice but to make her way to the stage with the spotlight following her and a blush staining her cheeks.

Sakura stepped back as Naruto came from behind the drum set. She held out the mic to him and he took it with a shaking hand. She patted him on the shoulder reassuringly before stepping in between Sasuke and Sai.

"What is he doing?" Sasuke asked, leaning in to whisper.

"Just watch." She held her guitar behind her and clapped her hands together in a dream-like state.

"Hinata," Naruto bent down on one knee and pulled out the small velvet box from his jeans pocket. "Will you marry me?"

Hinata was silent during the one-sided exchange, her face turning a tomato red. Sakura, knowing well what would happen, walked behind the Hyuuga girl and caught her as she fell backwards. Everyone gasped in shock as she started fanning the unconscious girl's face.

"Hinata-chan…?" Naruto looked over his girlfriend with concern. "What happened?"

Sakura giggled as pearl peaked through the Hyuuga's eyelids. "I think she said yes, Naruto."

--

Hanabi stood up from the couch as her sister passed out on stage. She started making her way through the crowd, even though Neji was shouting for her to stop.

"Excuse me, niisan. I have to do something first." She disappeared from her cousin's sight and merged with the crowd. Much to Neji's surprise, she wasn't heading to the stage to her older sister. Instead, she was heading the opposite direction to where some standing tables were.

She approached a spiky haired brunette and tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately turned around and hugged her. "Hanabi!" He cried, lifting the youngest Hyuuga in the air.

"Konohamaru, I-I need to tell you something." She said, with a little trouble, nervous on how her boyfriend would take it.

"Shoot Hanabi-chan." He smiled goofily.

"I'm pregnant, Konohamaru. It's your baby."

--

Sakura had Ino's arm slung over her shoulder. She supported her blond friend as she trudged through the January snow, attempting to hail a cab. A spot of yellow was approaching, and she stuck out her free hand. "Taxi!" She called, but the public service transportation unit passed her. "Stupid fucktards don't know…" she cursed under her breath, but continued to walk through the snow.

The snow was piling up around her, making it harder to walk. With the free arm, she tightened her coat, shielding herself from the cold. She damned whoever invented snow as she continued to drag her friend towards their home, three miles away.

As she continued her muttering, a heavily tinted sedan pulled up beside her. The window rolled down and revealed a redhead at the driver's seat.

"Gaara…" Sakura said after a few moments of analyzing his shadow.

"Do you need a ride?" He asked.

"Um, if it doesn't trouble you, then yes please." She replied. "Where do you live?"

"My house is down that direction, just past Green Valley." The jade orbed Subaku said as she shoved Ino in the backseat. "How about you?"

"We're in Green Valley, so it's on the way." The pinkette climbed into the front seat beside Gaara and buckled up. "What about your siblings? Do you guys live together?"

"No," He shook his head in the negative as he turned into Park Lane. "Temari lives a few blocks down from Naruto's place, and Kankuro lives on the other side of the city."

"Wait," She held her hands up in a halting manner. "I thought you all moved here together?"

"Temari's been here for business for quite a while. Kankuro followed about a year after, and I just got tired of Suna." He shrugged the topic off with a tilt of his head.

"A Jaguar," Sakura stroked the dashboard with the tip of her finger. "Amazing horsepower. Said to go up to 5000, am I right?" She asked with a smile gracing her features.

"How do you know all that?" He inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"I used to drive one." She shrugged.

"Why don't you have a car? Don't doctors earn enough to buy a lot of cars?"

She turned her gaze towards the window. "I can't," She whispered under her breath. "Anyways, turn a right here."

Gaara did so, thinking on why she couldn't get a car. She was perfectly rich, like all Harunos. She even used to drive a Jaguar for crying out loud. He glanced at the exposed skin on her wrist. He could see thin white lines in the space between her glove and her coat.

'Cutter…' He thought. Scars like those never actually faded away. She saw him observing her when the light was red, and she hid her hand under her hair.

"This house on the left," She pointed to a Renaissance style house at the corner of two streets. He pulled over by the sidewalk and opened his door. As Sakura climbed out of her seat, Gaara opened Ino's door and pulled her out bridal style.

Sakura skipped ahead of him and pulled her keys out of her purse. She stuck in into the lock and opened the door. Switching on the light, the room was bathed in a light halogen. She led him down the hall and up the stairs. The pinkette turned to the door on the right. Gaara entered and laid the blond on the bed.

He turned to the Haruno and saw her take of the purple parka from her friend. She slung it over her arm and smiled to Gaara. "Thanks Gaara. I'll walk you down."

They walked back down the stairs and to the front door. Sakura hung Ino's parka and shed her own coat and gloves before opening the door for Gaara.

"Thanks again." She extended her right arm to him and plastered a small smile on her lips. He shook it accordingly before exiting through the door. "If you need help around Konoha, we're just here."

He turned when she said that and smirked. "If you need a ride," He said. "I'm just past the village in Kage Towers." He then continued his walk down the path to his car and climbed into his seat, put his key in the ignition and drove off.

Sakura watched the black sedan merge into the dark night before smiling to herself. She disappeared behind the closed door and practically skipped to her room, her thoughts filled on Subaku No Gaara.

A/N: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! TY! :))