A/N:
Thank you everyone for your reviews. They make me so happy. I'm you enjoy the randomness of my writing. I like things to make sense but that doesn't mean it has to be completely sane. This chapter has LOTS of dialog in it… SORRYThrift Stores, Phone Calls, and Big Sisters!!! Oh My!
Gaara walked behind Sakura while she pulled on her coat. They walked down the stairs and toward the exit. Gaara grabbed his coat and they finally walked out.
"As long as we're downtown…" Sakura started, "I need to run some errands. You don't mind do you?"
Gaara shook his head 'no'.
"I'll take you to the school right after," she said then looked back at him as they stopped at a stop light, "Oh… your coat looks a little damp."
"It's from melted snow," melted snow he got from following her… "So why do you need to do?"
"Um… my clothes got a little… torn up… last night. I need some new ones," Sakura said remembering how the whip tore through her clothes and hit her skin. She shivered at the thought but Gaara thought it was only because it was cold.
"Green light," Gaara said.
"Huh?" Sakura asked.
"The light turned green. We can go now."
"Oh!"
They hurried across the street and Sakura turned and went up the road and Gaara followed. They walked up to blocks without a word, the cold nipping their noses and melted snow dampened the hem of their pant legs and traveled into there socks. Sakura stopped at another busy road and waited for traffic to clear so she could cross. Gaara stopped behind her.
"Where are we going?" Gaara asked.
"We're almost there," was the only answer Sakura gave.
They crossed the road and turned again. The buildings stopped and a parking lot appeared. At the end was a store labeled 'Good Will'. Sakura walked off the sidewalk and toward the store. Gaara caught up with her.
"Isn't that a thrift store?" he asked.
"Well I not made out of money," Sakura pause then slapped herself, "Damn it…"
"What?"
"I should of asked Shino for money…" Sakura sighed, 'I guess I have to skip some meals…'
Sakura continued with one hand massaging her temples. She was only one and a half weeks into the month but she only had 65 dollars left. It wouldn't be a problem but having to buy new clothes threw off her calculations a bit. She walked into the store and sighed. Sakura would have to spend the medicine part of her budget on clothes.
Sakura quickly walked to the women's section and Gaara, who never been to a thrift store, went browsing all the shelves with the strange old things that everyone forgot existed.
Sakura picked out a large baggy shirt she could ware as a night gown. Luckily it was only two dollars. She went and paid for it quickly and had then put in her bag, and went to get Gaara.
"You ready to go now?" she asked.
Gaara nodded and followed her out. She saw the sun had already set and stars appeared in the night sky. Sakura whirled around and looked at him.
"I need hurry or I'm in trouble…" Sakura said. She was very happy that her legs didn't have many wounds, "Came you keep up?"
"What are you-"
"We need to run for a bit. The school is about two miles away. Can you handle that?" Sakura asked seriously.
Gaara gave her 'the look' then nodded.
"Good. Don't go at full speed or you'll tire down easily. You can rest when we wait to cross roads. Get ready…" she paused and made sure Gaara was ready to run. She ran with new found energy, though her leg bothered her a little, she knew it would be worse if she didn't get home on time.
They got at the school in about twenty minutes. They beat Sakura's record of 23 minutes.
Panting slightly, Gaara glared at Sakura, "Are you crazy?"
"Slightly," was Sakura's answer, "So you can get home from here?"
Gaara nodded.
"Good," Sakura waved a good bye and ran off. From the library to home, school was why off track and Sakura needed to speed up. The three points were practically formed a triangle…
She ran into her house and was about to go up the stair when she saw someone there, "Dad?"
He walked down to her and grabbed her by the hair and force her to look at him, "You're a lucky bitch, you know that? I'm leaving for two days. Don't ask why. My flight leaves in two hours so I'm leaving," he let go of her hair but then smacked her across the face.
Sakura sat on the stairs not even caring about the pain that was in her cheek. Her father is going!!! For two days!!! It was a miracle. Sakura could practically feel wound healing themselves. She watched her father from the stairs as he pulled on a coat and went out the door. Then the sound of a car starting up and driving away. She still couldn't believe it.
Sakura, still in her coat, ran out the door to the park where there was a payphone. She would never risk her friends by having there names on the phone bill. She took the phone off the hook pulled a quarter out of her bag and pushed it through the slot, then dialed numbers.
"Come on! Pick up! I wasted a good twenty-five cents for this call…" Sakura whispered.
"Hello?" a woman's voice spoke into the phone.
"Hey can I speak with Shino?" Sakura asked.
"Sakura? Sure you can!"
There was a wait but soon a boy was heard on the line.
"Hello?"
"Oh my god, Shino!!!! You will not believe it!!!!" Sakura said practically in tears.
"Sakura? Is that you? You never call… Is something wrong?"
"No. But guess what!!!"
"I should kill you for wasting my time?"
"That's not very nice…"
"Never mind. What is it?"
"Dad is gone for two days."
"What? Are you serious?"
"YES!!!! He's gone!" Sakura yelled into the phone, jumping up and down.
"So what are you going to do?" Shino asked quietly.
"Can I come over? I don't want to sleep in my room…"
"I'm sorry but I don't know if that'll work. Sorry. Where are you anyway?"
"Green Wave Park…" Sakura
"Never mind… that's on the other side of town. Well what are you going to do now?"
"Look through the house for some money then runaway!!!!" Sakura said happily.
"It's a good idea but I don't fully approve."
"Do you want me to die, Shino?"
"No but it's the middle of winter and where will you stay?"
"Good point…"
"I got to go…"
"Why?" Sakura asked.
"Dad wants the phone."
"Oh."
"Bye."
CLICK
The line went dead. Sakura sighed and hung up the phone, "But I really don't want to go back to that damned house…."
"Hmm?"
Sakura whirled around, "Gaara? What are you doing here?"
"I live in that house," he pointed at a yellow painted house across the street, "What was that call about anyway?"
"Oh… Nothing important…" Sakura said.
"WHO'S THIS?"
Saw a girl behind Gaara. She had four pig tails, dirty blonde hair, and clothes that didn't protect against the cold weather: light purple shirt, white shorts, and a apron. She held a ladle in her hand and it was covered in some sort of sauce.
"Well?" she asked.
"Temari… why are you outside dressed in that?" Gaara asked annoyed
Temari's face held emotions of worry, sadness, disbelief and happiness. She glared at Gaara hard but glared right back. They had a little staring contest before-
"Just tell me who she is…"
"She's a girl from school. Her name's Sakura. Now can you please just get inside?"
Temari began shaking Sakura's hand, "Hello Sakura. My name's Temari. Would you like to come inside?"
"Sure…" Sakura reclaimed her hand.
"Come on Gaara!" Tamari said, dragging her brother towards the house and Sakura following behind.
When they got inside Sakura could smell food cooking.
"Well I'm almost done with dinner. Would you care to join Sakura?" Temari asked.
"Oh no! I-" Sakura stopped when Temari gave her a cold glare, "OfcourseIdo!" (Of course I do!) she said quickly.
Somehow Sakura wound up at the dinner table next to Gaara.
"So is it just you and your sister?"
"Kankuro lives here to. He's my older brother."
"Where are your parents?"
"Dead. But Temari's over eighteen so…" Gaara trailed off.
"Oh I'm sorry. My mother died when I was young," Sakura said quietly, "I don't know if I can forgive her for it, even if it wasn't her fault."
"What do you mean by that?"
Sakura hesitated for a moment, "That I think my life would be better if Mom didn't pass away…"
"It probly wouldn't of made that much of a difference. You just haven't got over it," Gaara said.
"You don't know. I've gotten over the death. It's the shit load of problems she left that makes me angry," Sakura said referring to her father.
"DINNER'S READY!!!!!"
