"By the way," Gaara was saying, "I brought you some medicine. Hold on a second." He rose up from the table in her small kitchen where the two had been seated for about 15 minutes. When he returned, he carried a shopping bag full of various painkillers. There must have been dozens of bottles of medicine- but that wasn't all. In his other hand, he carried a carton of orange juice. There were also a few containers of Alka-Seltzer, a bottle of Gatorade, and a box of crackers. He poured it all out on the table and looked at her timidly. "I didn't know what to get, so I called Naruto. He was the one who told me Sasuke might be coming over, so I just bought everything he suggested and left as fast as I could."

Sakura was dumbfounded. All of these things, though small, must have cost a fortune altogether… or at least more than she would spend on a typical grocery store run back when Sasuke and she were still together. Unsure of how to express her gratitude, Sakura simply nodded and squeaked out a "wow, thanks," before her mind began to work on why he had bought her so many things. Surely she hadn't done something to lead him on last night? Oh God, she thought miserably, maybe I came on to him? Her mind was still unable to remember what she had done, and the blush on her face would have been a dead giveaway to her thoughts. She looked down at the table to avoid Gaara's eyes, but it was too late.

"Is something wrong? Did I do something?" he asked quickly, embarrassed and confused. Sakura shook her head, unsure of how to ask. "So Gaara, did I sleep with you last night or anything?" didn't seem like a proper way to broach the subject, especially since he was basically her boss... except even more important. So she beat around the bush, stuttering and looking away nervously, before finally getting to the point.

"Look… I can't remember what I did after I drank last night. Did I do anything… uh, well, you know… did I like…" she stuttered, unable to bring herself to say it. Gaara looked at her, trying to understand while still looking sympathetic. "Did I do anything inappropriate?" Sakura said to her lap, dying of embarrassment while the red-head simply stared. He shook his head slowly, obviously pondering what the connotations of "inappropriate" were.

"You were upset. But you didn't do anything wrong," he said slowly, not giving away much. However, she thought she saw his eyes flash with an emotion she couldn't identify for a brief moment before he turned away silently. He found the glasses in the cabinet much easier the second time, and when he returned to the table he was completely composed. "Orange juice?" he asked cheerfully, in a tone of voice she hadn't ever heard Gaara use.

"Alright…" she gave in meekly, her painful hangover preventing her from refusing. Empty calories were a small matter when she felt as if her entire body was waging war on her. Grabbing the Alka-Seltzer, which boasted about its incredible hangover-relieving powers, Sakura poured herself into a chair once more and sulked. To recap, she had likely engaged in some mildly embarrassing activities (including littering her living room floor with mementos of the past) whilst drunk, waking up with her head in the lap of her superior. To top it all off, her delightful ex had shown up to throw some salt into her wounds while her hangover raged on. She was rescued by the aforementioned superior, who was obviously withholding details of the previous night from her. It was enough to wear her out, simply listing off the events of last night/this morning. That is, if it was even morning anymore.

"What time is it?" she pondered aloud curiously, not expecting an answer. It was strange, but she honestly didn't care about the answer- she simply wanted to end the silence. When he didn't answer, Sakura chanced a glance behind her. Gaara was standing there sullenly, looking down at an expensive-looking smartphone. A blackberry, maybe? Sakura could never keep up with the fancy new gadgets they came out for rich people to play with.

"It's 2:30," he said to the floor, quietly. "I actually have to go. Will you be…" he faltered here, deciding whether it was okay to ask, "will you be okay alone?" Sakura looked at him, wearing his crumpled up dress shirt and designer jeans from the night before. His hands remained still, but he seemed unsettled. Sakura nodded delicately, getting up to put the orange juice away before she could change her mind.

"Ah-ah," Gaara scolded. "Already poured you a glass," he gestured to the glass, half-full (or is it half-empty?). He knew she hadn't been planning on drinking it, so he'd at least been polite and forced as little on her as possible. "I won't babysit you, but… you should drink it," Gaara explained patiently, seeing the hint of defiance in Sakura's eyes. Sakura nodded, unsure of what she would actually do once he left.

Gaara turned around after that, not saying another word as he headed for the door. Sakura let out a tired sigh, growing more used to his awkwardness than she cared to admit. Following him timidly, she expected him to stop once he reached the door. Having no such luck, she reached out carefully and touched his elbow, noticing his flinch as he whirled around to meet her gaze.

"Sorry. I just uh… I wanted to say thanks," she bumbled gracelessly, feeling his eyes bore into hers with a look that seemed uniquely Gaara. His face was unreadable for a moment, but this look was quickly replaced by a smile- a genuine smile, one that suited his undeniably handsome face quite a bit. He let out a quiet chuckle, more out of disbelief than amusement.

"No," he answered her honestly. "Thank you." With that, he turned around and got into his car. There was a little bit of hesitation as his eyes lingered on the small girl in the doorway, leaning on the frame for support. Sakura looked bewildered, unsure of what exactly he was thanking her for.

"Oh god," she whispered to herself. "Maybe I really did sleep with him."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Once Gaara was gone, the house was noticeably emptier. Unsure of how to fill the space he left behind, Sakura turned on her radio and decided to shower. It was 2:30… in the afternoon? She'd managed to squander away her weekend rather quickly. Tomorrow, she'd have to explain her absence to her manager and catch up on any paperwork she'd missed. She'd also have to work out exactly what the hell had happened last night, since a certain red head didn't seem to be anywhere near cracking.

Sakura turned on the shower and let the water run over her, feeling her hangover begin to dissipate as the Alka-Seltzer she'd taken once he left kicked in. The glass of orange juice had been gingerly placed inside her fridge- she dared not pour it down the sink, but couldn't bring herself to drink it just yet. Going through the motions, Sakura washed her hair delicately while mulling over the past few months. It seemed as though she always did her deepest thinking in the shower, or at least now that she was older she did.

When Sakura was a child, she'd waste quite a bit of time singing in the shower. She made up her own songs or sang ones she knew with much bravado and added motion. It was surprising, looking back, that her parents hadn't told her to pipe down. They shared a shower, since Sakura's bathroom contained only a tub (which she insisted was for babies). These memories seemed so distant now- but at the time, they were all she had. The time before, memories of her family when everything had been okay.

In the aftermath of the incident, Sakura sometimes wondered if those memories had even happened. Things had been going downhill once she hit high school- they knew she was throwing up to get out of school, had maybe noticed her doing it a little more frequently than usual, even- but they said nothing. Sakura had confessed to her parents that she had been trying to lose weight, that she was growing desperate, and that she was scared of what she was doing to herself.

Her parents were angry, displeased. Her mother wondered why she was paying for lunch if Sakura simply got rid of it afterwards. Her father claimed he'd known all along and questioned her ceaselessly. They threatened mental institutions, promising to send her somewhere where eating was required. They didn't have the energy to babysit her, her mother was tired and her father was busy with work. It wasn't their job to watch her anymore- she was a big kid now, the whole deal.

Sakura did not want to be sent off anywhere. She had swallowed the whole story, retreating inside herself in order to continue her high school career. She didn't have many friends, and growing closer to Sasuke had certainly not helped that. Even before they dated, girls would give her funny looks and sometimes do ridiculous things like trip her in the hall or "accidentally" bump into her on their way past her. It wasn't until they'd been dating a year and she was a senior in high school that rumors of Sasuke's infidelity approached her.

They were jealous of her, Sasuke told her confidently. She'd believed him, because she was eating (although not too much), and she could feel her self-confidence growing ever so slowly as time went on. Her parents never spoke of the incident again, but when she moved out with Sasuke after graduation, they severed contact. It was painful, but at least she had Sasuke… until she didn't.

Sakura sighed as she shut off the shower, feeling drained rather than refreshed as she stepped out of the shower and dried off. Leave it to her brain to haunt her on the day she was feeling the weakest. That's what Sasuke did to her- he made her weak, caused her to lose herself. She had found herself forgiving him, ready to move past his mistakes and let him back into her life just like that. It was a pathetic display, and she wondered exactly how much Gaara had heard. Looking back, it was easy to think of things she could have said to Sasuke, insults she could have thrown at him to make him hurt as he had hurt her. But at the time, she couldn't bring herself to hurt him- she wondered if she could even do that if she tried, now. As Sakura tried tirelessly to remove herself from a past she could not forget, it appeared Sasuke had begun anew without even trying.

With Sasuke went Ino, leaving only Naruto, who sided with her from day 1, though she wasn't sure why. Sasuke and Naruto had had their fair share of fights (and then some,) but Sakura always felt left out around the pair, and figured she would lose Naruto just as she had lost the other two most important people in her life. She didn't expect him to call her ever again, which made it even more surprising when he showed up at her door the day after, rousing her from the bed she hadn't left in over 12 hours and helping her clean up the dishes she'd smashed the day before. Although she refused to speak, he talked to her, comforted her, and brushed through her hair like a close female friend would. She couldn't imagine where he had gotten this advice, but she guessed it was from Hinata, his female shadow and doting girlfriend.

Sakura dressed in her pajamas lazily and headed towards the kitchen without thinking, wandering aimlessly, lost in the house she'd lived in for what felt like forever. As she headed towards the table, she saw the bags of things Gaara had bought, untouched except for the medicine she'd taken. Seeing this as an opportunity to tidy up, Sakura began to put the items away, finding places for things she wondered if she'd ever need again.

When she discovered the bottle of Gatorade, she cautiously grabbed it and pulled it out of the bag. Eyeing it suspiciously, she looked to see if it needed to be refrigerated or not. Finding no such information, she sighed and opened her fridge, just in case. The glass of orange juice stared at her from its spot on the middle shelf. Pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand, Sakura placed the Gatorade in the door of the fridge and reached for the glass.

Her fingers closed around the cool glass and she found herself hesitating, filled with anticipation and fear of the taste. Here goes nothing, she thought timidly. Tipping the glass back, Sakura finished the orange juice in 2 gulps. Easy.


Hey again everyone! Sorry my chapters are few and far between, but I hope you know I'm trying. I made a cake this week... it was delicious. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. Thanks again to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and read in general. Love you guys!