As promised, here is the other short chapter. The next couple of chapters are 6 written pages, so I'll probably put those up at the same time too. I recently got into the manga, Zero no Tsukaima, and it's pretty good! No fanfics for it though. I have an idea for a SakuSasu fic after this, but that's a long way away and I'm not a HUGE fan of Sasuke, but he's alright I guess. Depending on my motivation I might update again tomorrow, if not then by the end of the week for sure. Peace!

~ Belle

I was disoriented when I awoke, stiff too. It felt like I had slept for a long time. I checked outside the window and the sun had just set; it was early evening.

I poked my head outside the bedroom door and it was silent. The members of the house must have retreated to their rooms for the evening.

I went to the window and sat on the roof outside and let the cool evening wind blow through my hair. I put my head on my knees after I had drawn them up to my chest, and watched the rest of the sunset disappear.

The silence was broken by the familiar voice echoing in my head.

"I could never love someone like you."

My battered heart missed another beat, and the shock of the clarity of the voice made me gasp. Tears were flooding down my face immediately and I was shuddering in the evening air.

"Sakura." Gaara's voice surprised me from the other side of the roof.

I leapt to my feet, wiping the tears away, "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to disturb—"

"No, I wasn't disturbed. Actually, I was waiting for you to awaken so I could ask why you're in such a state."

"Oh." I said lamely as I sat down again, motioning for him to sit beside me. "Come on," I said resignedly, "it's a long story."

He silently sat at my side, and though we were both looking towards the now rising moon, he inclined his head slightly towards me, showing he was listening. He remained quiet, waiting for me to start.

I took a deep breath. "I was taken hostage by Orochimaru, with… Kakashi." My voice broke and his name burned my throat a little on the way out. "He decided he would let one of us go… so long as the other… died." I finished in a whisper. "He… he attacked me and I didn't fight… he wanted to know why I wasn't fighting. I told him…" my voice broke off and I fought back a sob. "I-I told him I loved him." Gaara was quiet. The silence went on until he asked a question.

"What did he do to you, Sakura?" Gaara asked quietly.

"He told me he didn't love me," I said sadly, "that he could never love… someone like me." I put my face in my hands and the tears started falling again.

"You didn't do anything… drastic, did you?" I looked at him darkly, then stood up and lifted my shirt so he could see my abdomen, and with it, my ugly scar. Gaara's eyes widened by a fraction of a centimeter.

"I tried." I said bitterly. "But he saved me. Brought me back. I woke up at Tsunade's house. I couldn't face him. I didn't want to be around anymore; the sight of him alone makes me want to cry… so I left." The stem of tears flooded down my face again. "I left Konoha in the misled of the night; that was when I woke up." I looked at the now risen moon. Gaara was looking there too, as if in thought.

"My deepest apologies, Sakura." He said gravely, hesitantly putting his arm around me. I leaned into his chest as more tears leaked down my face. After a few moments I drew back and met his eyes. They were full of sympathy. They turned scrutinizing. "You still look quite tired…"

"I am." I admitted. "I think I'll go back to bed." I slowly got to my feet, stumbling. Gaara caught my arm before I fell right off the roof. He helped me in my window and I shut it, watching him disappear in a swirl of sand.

I lay back down on the bed, and drowsiness hits me immediately, as does the pain. I decided I'd stop trying to hold it all in. Since I was the only one in this wing of the house, I let it all out, sobbing noisily as the noises and pain ripped through my chest; I welcomed the pain freely. I eventually cried myself dry, and I just lay there, numb. My breathing kept hitching and my heart beat erratically, almost hyperventilation. I waited until I returned to a state of exhausted calm. I closed my eyes, and eventually I drifted…

--

Some say Sakura cries to much, but I think if she's this much in love it makes sense for her to go through that kind of pain. What do you think?