Title: Shukaku Love

Author: pawsbells

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Sabaku no Gaara

Type: Continuous (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/Humor

Word Count: 5868

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: She should never have extended her help to him. It was supposed to be a simple healing but it was anything but. Now he was chasing her around the countryside in his bestial form and she still had no idea what she had done to merit his attention.

Chapter Last Revised on: 18/07/08

Chapter Four

Sakura was stunned by the sudden feel of his lips against hers. Her mind went blank for one instant, and then was immediately flooded with so much sensations and feelings that she had trouble sorting through what was what. He smelled of freshly cut grass, and it filled her head and inundated her senses, and at that moment the only thing the pink-haired kunoichi could think of was the texture of his lips against hers, and how very well she fit inside his arms.

He was gentler this time, but only by his standards, and belatedly, Sakura realized she liked the way he hadn't treated her like some fragile porcelain doll that would shatter if handled roughly. The mutual attraction that they shared flared to life immediately.

Gaara growled low in his throat as he tasted the sweet flavor of her lips. Her scent of strawberries and sunshine tantalized his senses, and he pulled her even closer if possible, trying to get more of that special taste. The hand that had held her wrist captive moved to encircle the sweet indent of her waist, as if seeking to anchor her even more securely to him than ever. Sakura gasped breathily at the sudden feel of his arm wrapped snugly around her, and before she could do anything more he pulled her up towards him, forcing her on her tiptoes and eliciting a muffled squeal from her. Instinctively, she threw her arms around his neck to keep her balance and to her surprise; he let her, his hold on her tightening slightly as if to keep her in that position.

Gaara took advantage of her slightly parted lips and quickly slipped his tongue into her mouth. Sakura made a soft, indescribable sound at his intrusion and emerald eyes fluttered shut. He was everywhere. Tentatively, the pink-haired female opened her mouth wider at his sensual coaxing and her soft pink tongue darted out almost shyly to tease his lips, tracing them slowly in a seductive, yet startlingly innocent manner.

He groaned throatily at her ministrations.

It was so obvious that she was untutored in the art of passion, but dear kami, she had the ability to affect him like no one else had ever had, and he shuddered to think of how easily she could have brought him to his knees if she knew just how potent a hold she had over him.

For some reason, he hadn't minded that thought as vehemently as he would have at the start.

The powerful redhead tore his mouth from his little mate to pay homage to the soft skin of her neck, the graceful arch of smooth milky flesh just beckoning for him to have a taste. He ran his lips down the vulnerable curve of her throat, and then down even further to nip at her collarbone almost teasingly. The pink-haired female whimpered, and her fingers clutched convulsively at the soft red strands at the nape of his neck in reaction.

Sakura was sure that she was either in heaven—or hell.

The foreign sensations bombarding her senses were so wonderfully exciting and forbidden that they left her craving for more, so much more. She had never felt this way before, had never allowed any males to get as close to her as the way Gaara had. Utterly overwhelmed, it was all Sakura could do to hold on to him for dear life.

Then Inner Sakura said something that made Sakura's eyes pop open.

'He's so intense, isn't he? Just like-'

Sasuke.

Gaara knew the exact moment Sakura stiffened and withdrew completely from him, both emotionally and mentally. The arms that she had wound around his neck slipped down to his chest in an effort to separate herself from his embrace, and not liking the way she was avoiding him so suddenly he pulled his attention reluctantly from her strawberry-scented flesh to lift his head and look her in the eyes.

His jade eyes darkened at what he saw; her lips were swollen and well-kissed, her face flushed from his ardent attention, but her eyes…

The emerald orbs that he was beginning to form an obsession for were slightly dazed and burdened with a look of bewildered hurt that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

The Shukaku shifted subtly with agitation.

Sakura focused her upset gaze on his chest, and refused to look up at the redhead.

"Please…let go of me."

His jaw clenched at the painfully polite tone that she had adopted. Surely anyone who had not seen their intimate embrace would have thought that they were but strangers who had bumped into each other on the streets. The arm around her waist tightened slightly in response, as if in a silent demand for Sakura to explain herself, but still the pretty kunoichi pretended not to understand.

Gaara did not mind; he had all the time in the world and could wait for his pink-haired female for a long time in this position if need be. Once he claimed her officially as mate, she was going to be the most important female in his life and there was no way that he was going to allow any secrets to be kept between them. It was all very simple; she was expected to tell him all of her problems, and naturally it would be his role to solve them for her.

If only she would cooperate and tell him what was troubling that pretty little head of hers.

Sakura felt horrible. She shouldn't be feeling guilty about kissing Gaara but she did. Sasuke had occupied such a large portion of her affections for so long that she felt as if she was betraying his memory by being intimate with Gaara, which was utterly ridiculous because there had been nothing between herself and the Uchiha in the first place. Yet, she still felt as if she was replacing her ex-teammate with the Kazekage and that made her feel miserable.

"…I'm sorry." Sakura tried to extract herself from Gaara's grasp but the redhead was allowing no such thing. He tilted Sakura's chin so that she could look him in the eye, and his jade gaze probed her sad, emerald ones intently. It was obvious that she was upset about something, but she just wasn't ready to share it with him yet. It chafed slightly that she did not trust him enough but even he knew that some time would be required to pass before she would be fully at ease with him.

A delicate hand reached up to his face, and he watched imperceptibly as she laid her palm gently against his cheek. The action was tellingly tender, and at the same time, it told him that she was trying her best to accept him. Still, he did not know what to make of the sweet gesture from her. Then he looked into her beautiful eyes once more and saw the apology in those verdant depths.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again. "I just…need a little time."

He nodded.

"You are my mate." Gaara spoke at last, his voice quiet and low. "I will give you anything you want."

It wasn't a boast nor was it just an empty promise. It was a statement of fact, and Sakura was slightly overwhelmed by his generous concession. It quickly told her that he would respect her wishes and not force her to do anything she didn't want to do when he could; after all, they both knew that everything that was happening now had occurred for his benefit. Her respect for him grew some more.

Sakura smiled; a small tilt of her slightly kiss-bruised lips that lit up her face once more. He was immediately mesmerized by her joy. She was very easy to please, it seemed, and he found that he liked being the reason behind her happiness.

"Thank you."

Once more, Gaara nodded, and then he slowly released his hold around her waist and stepped back. Sakura dropped her hand from his cheek and missed his warmth almost immediately. The pink-haired kunoichi started to frown over her newest revelation. She didn't have time to contemplate it for long though, for Gaara took hold of her hand in his larger one and started to lead her out of the apartment. She eyed him curiously, and could almost swear that she saw a quick glimmer of amusement in his jade eyes before they turned impassive once more.

"Dinner." He answered her unspoken question, and Sakura immediately pinkened. She had forgotten about that! He probably thinks that she was an airhead now!

"Ahahah…" Sakura tried to laugh it off. "I knew that…" she trailed off nervously.

The wry, sideways glance he shot her told her that he wasn't buying it, and she could not help herself; she burst into merry peals laughter at the thought of her current predicament. Not in a million years would she have imagined herself in this scenario, laughing unguardedly in the presence of the dangerous Kazekage but here she was, giggling like a schoolgirl and him watching her with a small contented look in his cat-like eyes. She had never seen Gaara like that before, and it warmed her heart. Her laughter ceased slowly and she smiled widely at him.

"You are right." Sakura admitted at last. "I was…distracted."

Then she proceeded to turn so adorably pink that he could not help but feel his own lips curl up in a slight smirk.

To her surprise, he brought her to Ichiraku. To her further delight, Naruto, Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru were there as well.

As expected, the hyperactive Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was the first to spot their arrival and his yell of greeting made sure that all the patrons of the famous ramen stall knew of it. It was also apparent that Gaara's formidable reputation exceeded him, it seems, for although some of the customers nervously stayed put after the Kazekage's entrance, the rest jumped up from their seats for a quick getaway. Sakura tried not to notice the fearful looks being shot their way as people hurried past them and she could not help but feel a surge of irritation at their bigoted way of thinking.

Demon host or not, Gaara was still human.

The pink-haired kunoichi wondered at his reaction to the villagers' fear of him. Had he gotten used to such terrified stares by now? Sakura felt a twinge of sympathy when she thought of how he had probably been subjected to those loathing, yet fearful stares since young. She stole a glance at Gaara as they made their way to the table where Naruto and the rest were.

His face was impassive as usual, his jade gaze ever watchful and…glimmering with mild amusement?

"You think that their fear of you is funny?" Sakura blurted out with mild disbelief before she could stop herself. Gaara looked at her.

"I no longer find pleasure in the terror of others." The redhead answered calmly. Sakura was immediately contrite. "However, it pleases me to know that they are smart enough to be wary of what I am capable of."

She approved of his answer.

Sakura smiled at him, pleased to know that he wasn't the bloodthirsty person that she had once thought him to be. It gave her hope. She was a little ashamed of herself for judging him without even getting to know him first, but she was now determined to remedy that mistake. She was also equally determined to make the best of what the Fates had thrown at her. She was going to try to make the best out of this situation; she had decided that she was going to put all her resolve into making this odd relationship with Gaara work.

"I'm glad." She whispered earnestly to him, her emerald gaze sincere and shining with something else he could not identify.

He stared at the face of her pleasure with a slight look of incomprehension and was inwardly thankful when the kunoichi's attention was no longer focused on him. He watched her greet her friends joyously; her vivid eyes alit with delight as the four Konoha ninjas welcomed her into their midst. He did not miss the slight looks of apprehension sent his way either, and if he was a lesser man he would have felt like a total stranger intruding upon a private reunion, which was not too far from the truth, actually.

Gaara quickly realized how important her friends were to her as he watched her bask under their attention, and he realized just how great a sacrifice she was making when she had agreed to relocate to Suna. As such the Shukaku Jinchuuriki decided that he would not interrupt her little gathering with her closest friends, and was fully prepared to stand aside this time to allow her precious time to interact with those closest to her. It was what he does best after all, remaining amongst the shadows of obscurity.

Sakura was not having any of it, however.

Whereas Gaara was perfectly content to stay behind to watch after her, the pink-haired kunoichi had no intention of letting him do anything like that. As if remembering that she was no longer alone, Sakura flew back immediately to the redhead's side, gracing him with a happy smile as she grabbed his hand in an extremely familiar fashion which he was disturbed to find that he did not mind at all. She proceeded to tug the surprised redhead along behind her, and then, as if their relationship was a genuine one and not at all forced upon her like it was, Sakura proudly introduced him to the important people in her life.

Gaara was bemused by her determination to make sure that he didn't feel left out, and although her considerations for his 'hurt' feelings wasn't needed, it was duly noted down. He was slowly learning that she was kind and very sensitive to others, and although that might be counted as a weakness to most, Gaara decided that he was very pleased with her unique traits.

Judging by the unsurprised look on the faces of the three ninjas at Sakura's announcement, the redhead felt that it was safe to assume that Naruto had already informed them about the news. Sakura looked a little put out by their slightly amused stares and even pouted shamelessly before her friends, and watching her being at such ease intrigued him. He had never seen her look like that before and it was…charming to say the least, not to mention entertaining. So this was how she behaved, when fully unguarded and feeling playful. Gaara immediately filed away the piece of information in his mind, in the rapidly expanding folder named singularly 'Sakura'.

Naruto must have caught the concentrated gaze that he had been directing upon his mate and the blonde smirked, sidling up to the redhead to nudge him, grinning his foxy grin and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he did so.

"She's really something, isn't she?" The blonde whispered cheerfully to his fellow demon host.

Gaara did not turn to look at Naruto; no, his eyes were fully centered on the pink-haired kunoichi currently interacting animatedly with her friends. Sakura must have sensed his perusal, for she lifted her head in the midst of an exchange with Ino to smile at him, lips gently curved and vivid eyes bright and happy.

The cozy scene sent a wave of warmth that flooded his chest; strange, foreign…but not entirely unwelcome.

Gaara fixed his jade stare on Naruto's, head inclining subtly in response to the blonde's question.

"Yes, she is."

All in all, everybody had a good time together, and conversation was lively. It was hard not to feel at ease with the Konoha ninjas; at least, it was hard not to feel at ease with Naruto around, at any rate. How the enthusiastic blonde could swallow buckets of ramen while being the heart of the party at the same time still remained an unsolved mystery to the Suna Kazekage.

The gathering was chaotic and yet closely cohesive. Everyone seemed to be talking at the same time and Gaara wondered how on earth they could seem to juggle so many conversations at one go. The ninjas interacted openly with their partners, to those besides them and to those across of them seemingly with ease, and it was hard not to be pulled into the always changing conversation.

Personally, Sakura thought that Gaara appeared a little bewildered by the people around him. She was seated beside him of course, actually not given the choice thanks to the fact that he had guided her to the side of the table adjacent to the wall before seating himself beside her and squeezing her up against said wall. Sakura had thought at first that he was trying to isolate her from her friends, but then the way he scanned the faces of each and every one of the patrons in Ichiraku warily told her that he was merely trying to guard her. She had been mildly offended that he was watching over her like she was a defenseless child, but a part of her was secretly thrilled by his protectiveness. And so Sakura had not said anything, merely went on to assure her friends that everything was alright.

Truth to be told, Naruto had already explained most of the important facts to the group already, and while she had been slightly disappointed that she hadn't been the one to tell her friends about the impending move to Suna, the pink-haired kunoichi was now grateful for her fox brother's interference. There were some animalistic traits of the Shukaku that even she herself did not fully understand yet and she was glad that Naruto was there to help assure their friends that she would not in any way be harmed or would she be at any time in danger from Gaara.

At first, her friends were wary; even Sakura could feel their hesitation, but the pink-haired kunoichi was determined to have her way, and before long, once they realized that Gaara had no intention of ruining the evening for Sakura that is, everyone started to relax and Gaara actually found himself enjoying a sub-serious debate on politics with the lackadaisical ANBU tactician Nara.

Everything flowed quite smoothly after that, Sakura was pleased to note, and the pleasant camaraderie among the friends lasted long after dinner was over. Then Ino, wanting to spend some quality girl time with Sakura before she left for Suna, had asked for her date of departure to the sand village.

Sakura, who had been mentally calculating the time which she would need to prepare for the move, immediately came up with her answer. At the same time, Gaara came up with his own estimate as well.

"A week, I think."

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning."

Ino's pretty blue eyes widened slightly at the vast difference in answer. It was obvious that the two of them had not come to an agreement about that yet. There was already trouble in paradise, and they haven't even gotten to paradise yet, so as to speak. The blonde exchanged a swift glance with her fiancé, who was giving her a 'look at what you have done now' look.

Sakura was eying Gaara with disbelief. Beside her, the redhead appeared totally unperturbed.

"What?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked at last, as if she didn't think she had heard correctly.

Gaara set down the cup of green tea that he had been nursing before he turned his impassive jade gaze to his mate. After seeing how much joy she took in the company of her friends, he had expected that she was going to be difficult about this. He wasn't wrong.

"We have to leave as soon as possible, Sakura." The hard tone the male used left no room for argument.

It was the truth that Sakura did not like to hear that at all. She frowned slightly at Gaara, her earlier good mood disappearing like a puff of smoke.

"And why must we do that?" The kunoichi demanded. Around them, her friends watched what must be their first public fallout with interest. It was like watching a car accident about to happen; you know that it's going to be bloody and that you shouldn't look but you just can't help yourself.

The stare Gaara gave her was quietly pointed. As much as he didn't want to make a scene in front of her friends, her outrage was not helping at all. As if to further give proof to his thoughts, the pink-haired kunoichi crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a mutinous look which he was starting to realize now was going to cost him a lot of unnecessary grief. Naruto appeared like he wanted to intervene then, probably to tell his best friend that it really wasn't such a good idea to challenge Gaara thusly, but a single look from the Shukaku Jinchuuriki dissuaded him immediately. This was to be settled only by the two of them, with no interferences from any outside sources allowed whatsoever.

"There are official matters to attend to in Suna." Gaara explained calmly to Sakura. "I have been away for longer than expected."

He never would have went to the trouble of explaining himself if she wasn't his mate, but as an important figure in his life now he owed her that at the very least. The redhead was mildly irritated that she was forcing him to stoop to such a level, but even he was starting to recognize the purely stubborn streak within her. It would be wise of him not to purposely provoke her fiery temper; it would certainly be simpler to gain her compliance rather than to force her hand and end up having to deal with an unhappy mate. He had enough things to take care of as it was and didn't need more problems on his plate.

Immediately, Sakura felt a twinge of guilt for thinking only about herself. He probably had his people to take care of, not to mention a mountain load of paperwork waiting for him back in Suna. However, Sakura was quick to find a solution to this problem.

"This can be easily solved." The kunoichi was quick to offer. "You can return first to your village, and I will join you a week later."

"No."

Somehow she wasn't very surprised by his curt answer. Sakura frowned again.

"Why not?" She asked. "It's a pretty logical solution."

Gaara shook his head at her. Once.

"It's not." The redhead answered her evenly. "I will not leave my mate unattended. Therefore you will have to come with me."

Sakura really did not like what she was hearing at all. The fiery female could feel her temper rising at the implications behind his words and it was all she could do to keep her emotions in check.

"Are you telling me that I will have to stick myself permanently to your side from henceforth?"

He merely looked into those vivid eyes of hers; all but shooting sparks of emerald fire at him as he did.

"It will be an honor to be seen by my side."

Long silence.

Okay. It's high time to vacate the premises now.

Naruto looked at the black flames of ire that erupted literally around his best friend and quickly came to that conclusion not a minute too early. Apparently Ino was having the same thought in her mind as well, if the way she jumped up from her seat was of any indication. Their significant others were slower to join them, though the urgency of the situation certainly wasn't lost on them at all. Hinata appeared slightly bemused over the electrifying chemistry between Sakura-chan and the Kazekage; she had certainly never seen the normally sweet-tempered medic get riled up this fast before. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was mildly amused by the entire proceedings. He put his bet on Gaara of course, though he couldn't help but feel sorry for the redhead. Sakura was bound to be a handful if she resembled anything like his own Ino.

"Hey guys…" Naruto laughed weakly as he looked nervously between his two friends currently locked in a fierce stalemate. "The both of you need to sort this out between yourselves, seriously."

Sakura immediately turned to her best friend, eyes flashing with growing indignation as she did so.

"Did you just hear what he said?" The kunoichi demanded of her best friend. Privately, Naruto thought that the whole of Konoha had heard her question judging by the way she roared it. "I can't believe that he actually thinks that—that I will be content to just stay by his side! Like I have no life or something! I am not a pet, I am not his pet!!" The pink-haired kunoichi cried out passionately as she tried to appeal to her fox brother. "Say something, Naruto!"

The blonde really didn't want to be dragged into this domestic quarrel between two of his best friends, and the awkward way his blue eyes shifted to Gaara's apathetic façade told of his discomfort.

"Anou…Sakura," Naruto spoke softly at last, his voice low and uncharacteristically serious. "It would really be for the best if you go with Gaara."

Sakura didn't believe what she was hearing, and the stunned look in her eyes made Naruto's heart twinge slightly. But the truth was the truth, and Sakura had to know. "You are his mate now, Sakura. You have to go where he goes." The Kyuubi vessel continued with slight difficulty. Watching his childhood best friend sporting that bewilderedly betrayed look was harder than he thought, but Naruto held firm. This was her fate, and he knew what Gaara was trying to do, and privately agreed with his reason.

The redhead wasn't being deliberately cruel to force her away from her village at such short notice; no, it was the other way around. Gaara was trying to make her transition from Konoha to Suna as easy for Sakura as possible. Even Naruto knew that the longer she stayed here, the harder it was going to be for her when it was finally time to leave. Naruto would rather that she departed from Konoha in a fine fit of temper than heartbroken and in tears.

Shikamaru quickly caught on too, and he silently nodded his agreement, much to his fiancée's confusion. Ino trusted Shikamaru's judgment though, and for the moment she decided to go with him. Besides, it wasn't going to do Sakura any good to go against Gaara at all, and she didn't want her friend hurt, accidentally or no.

"It's alright, forehead." Ino murmured as sympathetically as she could, shooting her best friend a rueful glance as she did so. "I can visit you in Suna when you are settled there."

The god awful ache in Sakura's chest blossomed. Why was it that her friends suddenly seemed so eager to foist her over to Gaara? Didn't they want to spend more time with her? For all she knew this might just be the last chance she would get to interact freely with them, so why were they acting as if she was Gaara's property now?

But in a way, that was truth, was it not?

She was Gaara's now.

Sakura's expressive emerald eyes clouded over with hurt. The need to know why they were rejecting her now and literally throwing her to the wolf was so great that it was all she could do not to yell her accusations at her friends. She was about to do so too, but a careful look at Naruto stopped her. The sapphire gaze of her fox brother's was darkened and pained…and not unlike hers actually.

Sakura forced down her blind hurt and forced herself to think rationally. She was soon glad that she did, and was quickly appalled by what she had almost done. What was she thinking to achieve with her wild and angry accusations? Naruto probably had his reasons for asking her to leave, and besides, this was an official mission! She wasn't supposed to be allowed to choose a damn thing in the first place; how could she have forgotten and went and acted so unprofessionally?

Sakura was immediately contrite. She should put some faith in her friends, and she would.

Gaara watched with outward coolness as Sakura's turbulent gaze slowly calmed down. She lowered her gaze to the table for a moment, but he did not miss the flash of sadness in her vivid emerald eyes.

"You are right, of course."

Her voice was a little husky, but the scenario hadn't ended in tears and anger like the redhead had earlier predicted. He could feel the weight of her grief covering her like a heavy blanket though, and he was immediately proud that she had managed to control her emotions despite everything. She was indeed worthy of him, and he vowed quietly that she would be fiercely protected and well cherished under his care.

Sakura lifted her head then, and to the surprise of her friends, there was no look of betrayed anger waiting for them, nor was there the pain of grief. Sakura even managed to flash a shaky smile, seeing in the gazes of all of them their worry for her. The kunoichi was touched, and felt a little selfish for trying to cling on to their sympathies like a petulant child.

She wondered what Gaara thought of her now, and immediately pushed away the thought. She would deal with the Kazekage later; right now was reserved for her friends here, there would be more than ample time for her to deal with her mate at a later date. Sakura's eyes gleamed with the growing strength in her emotions. She was determined not to worry her friends any more; wasn't that why she had wanted Gaara to help her in the first place?

God, her heart was aching so fierce, but she knew what she had to do.

Her weak smile steadied; became warmer.

"Well, seeing that I'm leaving for Konoha tomorrow, you guys have better be prepared to sit here to accompany me till dawn."

She was purposely avoiding his gaze and he did not like it one bit.

They had left the gates of Konoha for almost half the day already and she had been…broken, to say the least. Oh, she had smiled and waved and acted like she would be alright when her family, friends and teachers had came to see her off, but the moment Konoha disappeared from view she seemed to have withdrawn completely into herself, her brilliant emerald orbs painfully blank and her movements almost mechanical and doll-like.

He was concerned, though the remote look on his face would never have indicated anything like that.

Out of respect for her wellbeing, they were traveling at a more sedate speed than he was used to and she had followed dutifully not far behind, not making any effort to speak to him at all nor did she even ask for a break until he signaled for them to stop for lunch. He spent the time observing her keenly, more than a little worried now when she made no effort to acknowledge his blatant stare. This wasn't the lively, fiery-tempered kunoichi he had come to know, and he did not like seeing her like this at all.

Gaara knew that she was feeling upset about the abrupt departure from her home village, but he had not expected for her to close herself off from the world. From him. She was part of his family now, she was supposed to turn to him for comfort, but as it was, she was doing the exact opposite. It was tantamount to a rejection in terms of physical language, and although Gaara knew that she was not fully aware of the consequences of her own actions, it didn't change the fact that she was driving him on an edge.

Before the redhead could ponder about his upset any longer, he started to move across the clearing to where Sakura was currently perched listlessly on a rock.

She lifted lackluster eyes to meet his, and his jaw clenched slightly at that look on her face.

"Get up."

A flicker of annoyance glanced across the emerald depths at his imperious command. For a moment, Sakura did not look as if she was planning to obey, but at last, she got to her feet slowly, carefully brushing away from her clothes the leftover crumbs of the sandwich that she had eaten for lunch.

Watching the cool look in her eyes was like staring into a mirror, and Gaara decided that he absolutely abhorred that expression on her.

"Mate. You will cease your little tantrum right now."

Blunt as usual, Gaara was anything but sympathetic. But maybe that was what Sakura needed to drag herself out of her misery right now. Almost immediately, the flare of anger ignited within her eyes, and the redhead was pleased to see the fire within her come to life once more.

"Tantrum?" Sakura hissed, totally furious at the redhead looking down at her emotionlessly. How dare he?! "I am not throwing a tantrum. In case you did not understand what was going on, I just left my hometown for an indefinite period of time! I am allowed to grieve, damn it!"

"Then grieve. Do not hide your emotions from me."

Sakura was so shocked by his reply that she did not know what to say. She stared at him uncomprehendingly with huge, dark eyes. Before Sakura could string together a proper retort, Gaara reached out for her wordlessly, gruffly pulling the surprised kunoichi into the circle of his embrace and holding her simply against him. The feel of his warmth surrounding her felt so comforting and it was almost too much. Sakura felt her rigid stance relax against her will, her shoulders slumping with pitiful upset. She closed her eyes, and slowly, hesitantly lifted her own arms to wrap them around his waist.

Tears filled the emerald orbs; threatened to leak from her closed eyelids. Her small frame shook with emotion against his, and Gaara sighed. It was becoming obvious to him that she needed more than his physical proximity; she needed his assurances as well.

"Never hide from me again." The low, silky timbre of the redhead vibrated comfortingly around her. She was dismayed when she heard herself sniffle. "You are my mate now and I will protect you in everyway I can." His large hand rubbed absentminded circles against the small of her back. "In time, you will understand my reason, Sakura. Until then, can I ask you to trust me?"

It was hard not to react to his quiet sincerity. Sakura found herself nodding silently against his chest.

Her ready faith in him humbled him. His hold on her tightened—slightly.

"You won't regret this, I promise." He was fervent in his vow.

Sakura felt hope blossom in her chest for the first time since leaving Konoha. She wasn't alone anymore.

"I know."

:tsuzuku:

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--paws