Chapter 7 - "Saving"

The next say, Sakura happily woke up next to Gaara again. He was sprawled out on the bed, facing her, his arms wrapped possessively around her.

She giggled a bit. She didn't think she would ever find someone like this. Someone... Perfect. Sure, Sasuke went by... Then Naruto... But she truly loved Gaara. She knew it.

Sakura attempted to be freed from his grasp, only making it tighten. She groaned and struggled some more. He wouldn't let go!

"Gaara..." she whispered.

In Gaara's dream, he was in a white room, nothing in it but him and Sakura. They were in the same position from the night before when he told her that he loved her.

"Gaara..." he heard her say.

(Pst... Kid.)

Gaara groaned a bit in his sleep.

(Kid, wake up!)

Gaara suddenly woke up, releasing his grip on Sakura. He heard a thud.

"Ow..." he looked over on the side of the bed.

"Sakura..." he muttered. Sakura had fallen off the side of the bed when he released his tight grip on her. "Eh, sorry."

Sakura looked up at him and blushed. She got up and sat down next to him. "Do pajama's even exist in your world?"

(Well CLOTHES don't exist in my world)

'Shut up!' Gaara chuckled.

Sakura was about to kiss him, but when she leaned in she felt nothing. She looked up and saw him walking out the bedroom door.

"Gaara?" she ran after him.

Sakura saw him about to open the door when he looked back at her.

Gaara would've seen hurt in her eyes if she wasn't hanging her head down, playing with the bottom of her shorts.

"W-where are you g-going?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her for a moment.

"Take the day off of work," he told her. Well more like commanded. "Im gonna help you move into my apartment."

Sakura looked up at him and blushed. Nearly the color of Gaara's hair! (xD)

"Hurry and get dressed," he said before walking out the door.

The second the door closed, Sakura ran to the phone. She dialed Ino's number and jumped up and down in exictememt.

"Hello?" said someone on the other line.

Sakura gasped. "Deidara?"

"Sakura? Hn... Haven't seen you in a while" he said.

"What are you doing with Ino's phone?

"I'm suprised she hasn't told you yet."

"Told me what?"

"Dei!" said someone in the background. Some shuffling was heard and then Ino spoke. "Sakura! Listen, girl, I can explain-"

"Ino, you hooked up with Deidara?"

"Ya! Maybe you can explain."

Sakura shook her head. "Well that doesn't matter right now! Guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember that guy that I ran into at work the other day?"

"Oh ya! Jaara... Daara..."

"Gaara!"

"Oh yaaa...! What happened?"

"You got your wish, he's my boyfriend... I think. When a guy asks you to move in with him, is he practically asking you be his girlfriend?"

"In MY book he is! Eek!"

Sakura flenched at the high-pitch noice Ino made on the other end of the line.

"Well anyways, when you get to work today, tell boss I'm taking the day off"

"Okay- INO! Your eggs are burning!- Oops! Gotta go!" beep. Beep. Beep.

Sakura hung up the phone and ran into her bedroom. She was so happy! She finally found the ONE! 'Its like im 16 again.'

(Hun, when your in love, of course your 16!)

Sakura grabbed a pink and black plaid checkered tank top, black capris with a pink belt, and pink flip-flops. She put her hair in a pony-tail, grabbed her purse and ran out the door.

When Sakura had JUST gotten out the door, she realized that she had no idea where Gaara lived! 'Well that sets me back pretty far...'

(Uhm, ya.)

She pushed her back against her apartment door and sighed. 'I'm happy, but it's a strange feeling... He practically... Haunts me. Shows up whenever and wherever, always there, looking out for me.'

(Your own personal ghost.)

'Ya, I guess so-'

"Sakura."

She looked up and smiled. It was Gaara.

"I realized that... You have no idea where I live..."

She smiled. "Then show me the way!" she said happily.

Gaara led her up one story and to the left. When they got to his door, he opened it and saw her face go into shock. A mix between disgust and surprise.

It wasn't special. It looked exactly the same from when Sakura moved into her apartment at first. No family pictures, no instruments, same crummy TV. All the same.

"Its not all fancy, but it's what I'm okay with. You okay with it?"

Sakura looked around one more time. "I think I could make some renevations to it and you would like it more."

She smiled at him, and he just gave her a confused look.

Later that day, everything had been moved around. They had a semi-better TV, moved to a different place (along with the couch). The kitchen had been cleaned up. It was more homey! (yo, what? :p)

Gaara and Sakura were moving Sakura's piano over to where the TV and couch used to be.

"Ah! Finally!" Sakura said. "Like it?"

Gaara looked around. "Ya, it does look better."

Sakura giggled. "What do you want for dinner?"

Gaara stayed silent. He didn't know at all. He mainly had just cereal. 'Crap'

(You know it...)

"Uh..." he said. "What do you want?"

Sakura thought for a moment. "How 'bout some Chinese take-out."

"Okay..." Gaara said in his deep, rough voice (-swoons-).

Sakura walked over to the phone to dial the Chinese resaurants number.

Gaara and Sakura were watching Dane Cook that night with their chop-sticks and take-out boxes in their hands.

"You remember those things the girls used to play with? The thing that like, told your future or something? Like, 'pick a number, please, pick a nimber. okay 4? 4,3,2,1. Okay pick a color please, pick a color... Purple, okay purple. P-U-R-P-L-E... Hmm... Ah, hmmm... You're a faggot!'"

They both laughed as hard as they could. Sakura almost fell of the couch she was laughing so hard, but Gaara caught her quickly.

She blushed a shade of light pink when he pulled her right next to him, no space in between.

"And then finally he gets to your offic and is like 'Thanks for the candy'" They heard Dane say before they closed all space in between them. They had kissed (yet again. :p)

It was slow and loving, like the one's they had shared before. But... Shukaku was getting to Gaara this time.

(Perfect oppurtinity! I'm not talking anything serious! Just a make-out session is all, something to hold me over atleast, you don't want me to randomly break out do you?)

Gaara thought for a moment. That would ruin his 'plan'. Though he absolutely KNEW he loved Sakura, he still told himself it was just an act.

(And just look at her, she won't see it coming!)

Gaara had made up his mind. He nibbled on her lower lip a bit, asking for enterance. But the sudden nip at Sakura's lips made her jump back in surprise.

(So close!)

Sakura sat their for a moment, shocked. She saw that Gaara was blushing a bit. "Gaara?"

Gaara's head jerked up. "Hnn?..."

"In... My past... I've had guys try that on me, I kinda wanted to wait a little while, you know?"

And it was completely true. When Sakura was younger, there were boys who tried stuff on her. But she was an independent woman, she told herself that when she was older it would happen. (smart chick)

Shukaku groaned and Gaara just nodded his head a bit.

"I understand," he said before getting up and going to his room... Ahem, their room.

Sakura felt a little guilty. But she would rather keep her innocence than please a man.

After a while, Sakura got up and walked into their room. When she opened the door, she saw Gaara sitting on the side of the bed, his back facing her, with only jim-jam bottoms on (shirtless Gaara? Mmmmm... -melts-).

Sakura blushed profusely at the sight. Gaara had sensed her presence, so he turned to face her. "Getting tired?" he asked.

She just nodded and walked to the drawers to get some jim-jams. But she noticed something on the dresser, a stuffed teddy bear. She giggled.

"What?" he asked.

She giggled again and picked up the teddy bear. "Childhood memory?"

Gaara stared at her for a moment then stared back at the ground, grabbing a book from the nightstand.

Sakura sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I still keep my blankie."

Gaara looked back at her, diverting his attention from the book. He gave an akward, crooked smile.

Sakura then walked into the bathroom to change into her jim-jams. When she came back out, she was wearing a pink cami and black jim-jam shorts.

She laid down beside the reading Gaara and smiled. She turned around and found her self slowly drifting off to sleep, barely hearing Gaara's words...

"Good night, love."