Not for the sensitive ears. There's a lot of cursing in this chapter.

Excuse the character's French if you will.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I really want you to know I appreciate it and I'm sorry if I didn't respond to your last one. I always like to thank you for reading, reviewing, story alerting, or favoring but sometimes I don't have the time when I get the review, story alert, ect. So I forget when I do have the time. So sorry.

A good song besides Should I Tell Her to listen to on repeat while reading this chapter is:

Falling in the Black- Skillet

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I don't own Should I Tell Her. All I own is Arina and that bug that just died on the floor… okay so I don't own it but really who will stop me?

Should Tell Her?

Chapter 7

Sakura's vision wavered, as did she, when she was finally out of Yamuko's body. Her vision was clouded with spots and the sides were slowly dimming, threatening to over take her whole vision. Subconsciously, she felt something shifting around her waist. Before she finally passed out from chakra depletion, Sakura failed to see the angry redhead at her side as she slumped into the sand.

The world spun as blackened vision brightened and became colorful, blurry vision. Familiar red, orange, tan, and black were dimmed in awareness apposed to the florescent lights beaming mercilessly on dilating pupils. Sight was a dim sense compared to hearing and her swirling, albeit broken up thoughts.

Beep, hospital, beep, soul parasite, beep, jutsu, beep, beep, keki-genki, beep, beep, beep, sand, beep, beep, beep, red, beep, beep, beep, beep, Gaara?!!

"Sakura-chan?!" Shrill, screeching, annoying, piercing, concerned- Naruto.

"Arina?" Deep, husky, throaty, hoarse, demanding- Gaara.

"Her heart rate is increasing; I think she's waking up!" Fast, smooth, fluent, definite, calm- Arina.

"Hell, it's about time. But what the hell is wrong with her, she's freaking the hell out!" ….-Kankurou, the bastard.

"She's having hysterics, maybe you should slap her!" ….-Temari, always nice to have her undying support.

Floating on the sea in between consciousness and unconsciousness, Sakura was dimly aware and impressed of her ability to locate whose statement was whose and her ability to create sarcastic comments for each as well. She was also dimly aware of the gasping that had triggered the voices of her friends; thought who the sounds originated was a mystery to her.

"Sakura, Sakura, can you hear me?" Again the voice was fluent, though slower and gentler, and smooth, indicating Arina as the speaker.

"Mm," The girl teetering on unconsciousness had no idea where the grunt like sound came from. Obviously, it was not Arina, far too soft to be Gaara, or any other, due to the closeness of the sound.

'Oh…was that me?'

'Wake up, Blossom.' …Deep, throaty, ancient, definite, demanding of respect, with the softest, lightest stroke of gentleness- Defiantly not Inner Sakura.

Her eyes focused immediately and a scream ripped her throat as she violently sat up, holding her head and hunching over. It felt as if her body was hollow and her mind was consuming her being. It was like falling and not feeling or hearing the wind rushing past her; instead she was watching herself fall from a distance then slowly fade into black nothingness. She felt as if her mind was being forcefully ripped from her body and her body went cold and numb. Though she couldn't feel physically, her mind was still capable of thought, not quite coherent and rationally thought, but thought none the less.

'WHAT THE HELL?! WHO ARE YOU?! WHY… WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY HEAD!!?!?!'

'Hush now, Blossom, calm yourself.'

Another scream, numbing her senses and awareness of anything physical as all her attention was set on the strange voice that was defiantly in her head.

'Who… who are you?! Am… am I crazy or something…?' She thought, though she numbly thought in the back of her head that she had been hearing a voice in her head all her life, albeit a familiar one.

'Calm, now, you will learn everything you need in due time, Blossom.'

Allowing a shuddering breath past her lips, Sakura decided to comply with the… voice inside her head's soft command. She looked up and saw the look on Arina's face. Her eyes were distant, her expression shocked, and her shoulders rigid, along with the rest of her small body.

Sakura then realized her bed was flanked by people, four exactly; though how she did so shocked her, as it wasn't with sight or touch. Fruity and energized, fresh and sweet, light and slightly burning, and musky and sandalwood scents all caught her attention at once. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?! Sakura-chan?" "What the hell is wrong, you okay?!" "Are you alright?! Anything hurt?!" "Sa. Ku. Ra."

The last defiantly caught her attention more so than the rest. It sounded almost like a growl, or a hoarse, clipped, throaty gasp. Her eyes, unfocused again, managed to focus enough for her to realize the worried expressions three of her friends wore, and the one of pain washing away still slightly apparent anger the other did.

"G...Ga…Gaa…ra?" The frenzied pink hair girl murmured, wincing at her stuttering. She could tell, by the expressions of both Arina and Gaara, they knew something about the (extra) voice in her head.

Could she be just as scared
Cause it kills me not to know (killing me inside)

The other three stopped their questioning and glanced at Gaara who was hunched and leaning at the footboard of the hospital bed. His heavy breathing jerked his back and his hand gripped at his faded blood colored locks while his knuckles turned white.

"Oh… Kami…" Arina murmured, coming out of whatever stupor she was in.

"Arina," growled Gaara, looking at her through his hair which was falling in front of his eyes, "how the fucking hell is this possible?!"

"I…I don't… know, Gaara. I just don't know." Arina whispered, looking at Sakura's curled up form as the girl in turn looked back at her with wide, confused eyes.

"What the hell?! What's going on here?!" Naruto shouted, not able to stand the feeling in his gut of not knowing what was going on… at this particular moment, anyway, when his friend seemed scared and in danger. Every other second of his life, the out of the loop feeling was fine.

Gaara's head snapped to the orange clad shinobi and his biological siblings. "Get out." He growled.

"But Gaara-" Temari's protest was interrupted. "Get. Out. Now." He growled through clenched teeth. The three obliged, warily and grudgingly, not wanting to increase Gaara's seemingly enraged or pained mood… or both.

The clicking of the door shut was like a trigger setting off a gun. Instantaneously, Gaara was at Sakura's side, grasping her face in between his palms to hold her still and staring at her through narrowed eyes. The proximity caused Sakura's breath to hitch and the emotion exploding on his face and in his eyes caused her body to shake even more.

"Can you hear me?" The Kazekage whispered hoarsely. The reply from a pink haired teen was a slight nod, as she didn't trust her voice not to shake, like the tremors running up and down her body.

'…Sakura… can you hear me?' Arina spoke slowly in her mind, gently as to not startle the teen.

"…hai," she whispered softly, warm breath startling Gaara as it blew over his chin. Her shaking began to recede, allowing Gaara a softer hold on her face.

'Alright-,' Arina started again in her mind, only to be cut off by a loud, deep shout… or bark, from the same mind. 'GET OUT NOW!!! GET OUT! I'LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?! GET OUT!'

Sakura screamed again as a sharp pain exploded in her head; Arina gasped as her own mind was forcefully pushed from Sakura's. Gaara's hold on her face tightened again as she screamed and shook.

Upon feeling herself tugged back into her subconscious, Sakura clutched onto Gaara's arms, instinctively trying to hold onto reality… afraid of the… apparently more than just a voice in her head.

'Blossom…' the voice was darker than before, and the way he spoke was more possessive and sadistic than just the husky, throaty whispering of before.

'Who are you? Why do you keep calling me that? How did you get Arina out of my mind… and why did you?' Her mind exploded with questions, barely leaving any time between them for the answers she was desperate for.

'Kuku kuku,' the animalistic sound, as she wasn't sure just what it was, sent more tremors through her, 'Blossom, my Blossom, you ask too many questions.'

'You're. In. My. Fucking. HEAD! I have a fucking RIGHT to know who the hell you are, at least!!' Sakura exploded, her patience fully stretched to the limit and then snapped like an old rubber band.

'Hn, alright my little fiery Blossom, if you are so interested in my identity then I will tell you,' false relief flooded through her after this statement, only to be diminished by the next, 'but I'm afraid you won't like it. Kuku kuku.'

'Just… just tell me dammit!'

Ignoring the statement, the voice finally answered her question, 'I am the one-tailed Ichibi, the Tankui Shukaku.'

Sakura was momentarily too shocked for coherent thought, speech… or coherent anything for that matter. '…Na…nan….NANI?!'

"…Na…nan….NANI?!"

"Arina, get him OUT of HER!!" Gaara growled, still staring at Sakura's changing expressions through her face and distant eyes. First, there was fear, then desperation, then anger, then slight relief, and then finally shock and disbelief mixed with fear in a disturbing brew.

"Gaara, I can't! He won't even let me in there!" Arina cried in response, slipping over to Gaara's side,

"Nani?!" Gaara's eyes widened, looking down to the shaking kunoichi's face in his hands.

"Hai, he is too protective of his mate." Arina's replied quietly, knowing this information would upset Gaara. And upset Gaara it did.

"She is NOT HIS FUCKING MATE!!!" The yell must've been heard through the hospital. His breathing was so heavy his whole body heaved with effort to pass oxygen into his lungs and his grip on Sakura's face tightened to the point of pain, which said teen cried out in.

Naruto pounded on the door, "What the hell is going on in there?!"

Arina's voice entered his mind, 'Naruto, calm down, we don't need you guys panicking too. We'll handle this, everything's… under control.' The Mind Reader lied, hoping to sooth the tense, heavy aura in the room.

Hearing no response from the blonde shinobi, Arina decided the message was across and slipped into Gaara's mind. Immediately, she made him let of go Sakura, and the girl slumped into his chest. The white eyed kunoichi then put his breathing under control. Once he was back to normal, physically anyway, she probed for any trace of the Ichibi.

'Shukaku, where are you hiding?'

She got a growl in reply '…Arina.'

'You sick fucking bastard, get out of Sakura NOW.' Gaara's snarling thoughts were surprisingly controlled, albeit clipped and graphic, but controlled none the less.

'…Gaara…Arina?' Sakura thought hesitantly, her soft voice cutting off any rebuttal from Shukaku.

'Hai, Sakura, it's us.' Arina replied for the both of them.

'Gaara… why is… Shukaku-'

'It doesn't matter. He just needs to get out.' Gaara growled in reply, making Sakura give a wince at his tone.

Easy to pretend that I don't care
And maybe it wouldn't get no where

'Boy, I will protect my mate, what happened will not again.' The Ichibi finally spoke up; his seemingly simple statement brought slight realization, more confusion, and more anger from the three linked minds. 'I don't find that sick.'

'When you scare the hell out of her and she has no idea what the fuck is going on, it's sick.' Gaara replied coolly, then confronted to the first part of Shukaku's explanation, 'She. Is. Not. Your. Mate.'

'Right, protect our mate.' Shukaku revised.

"Gaara, what is… he talking about?" Sakura whispered, her eyes focusing, yet again, onto Gaara's face. "What's going on?" There were too many questions in Sakura's mind for her to create coherency with them in the form of sentences. She opted for the simplest one.

Being best friends with the Kyuubi vessel for all those years, Sakura had a basic knowledge of demonology and jinchuuriku. Even with just basic knowledge, she knew jinchuuriku couldn't just jump from mind to mind. There was a reason they were sealed with such powerful jutsu into a person. It wasn't so they could do gallivanting around in other people's minds, she was positive.

Sea foam eyes focused again though did not leave their stare at the pink haired medic's shoulder as Arina fluttered to Gaara's side.

"Sakura, there is so much to explain. But for now, you need sleep to rebuild your chakra." Arina said slowly, keeping her voice down as to not startle Gaara, who was still, unmoving, holding onto Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura argued, though even through her will her fatigue was still painstakingly apparent, "Iie, Arina, tell me now. There's an extra voice in my head and I don't know why or what he wants… or… what he's talking about… or…… why he's…. there…" She then proceeded to black out, having not noticed the pale hand encased in blue chakra that caused her to do so placed on her leg.

Running a hand lightly over her back, Arina whispered, "Gomen-nasai, Sakura, it was for your own good." Inwardly rolling her eyes, Arina knew how cliché that sounded but seemed to work at the current situation. 'Damn, it's like this is all some cliché made up story by some hopeless romantic chick or some chick that needs a better way of expressing her moods.' Deciding to stop mulling over such ludicrous ideas, Arina focused on Gaara and the passed out girl sprawled in his arms.

"Gaara," she murmured, receiving no response but knowing he had heard, "she needs to sleep."

His eyes widened, "Arina!" he whispered franticly, his panicked eyes flying down to Sakura, "What if Shukaku tries to get out…?!"

"I doubt he will… he wouldn't risk her like that. He's connected himself with her because he wants to protect her. I'm thinking the only side effect she'll experience besides hearing his voice is an increase in senses like your own…"

The panicked Kage snarled, "Your thinking?!"

"Hai, Gaara, I can only offer you my theories as I have never experienced this before and I have never read about it before." Arina hissed in reply, "But I don't think you have anything to worry about her health or well being."

As he calmed slowly, Arina placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed very softly, "Come on, lets let her sleep and I'll help you figure this out."

"Iie, I'm staying." As she was about to argue he continued, "Use the books from the Kazekage library… though I'm missing one…" His eyes became distant upon remembering his dilemma from the morning.

"Gaara…" her unsure voice made him snap a sharp glance at her, which also silenced her of her argument. "Alright… I'll inform the hospital… and your siblings and the poor blonde baka too."

As the door clicked shut, two things occurred. Muffled shouts of question and that of pain when the person to emit the prior was hit on the head pounded through the door. And Gaara sat on the hospital bed cross legged, pulling the passed out kunoichi into his chest and sprawled half way on his lap, with her face nestled into his chest and her legs bent at the knee curled up atop and nested on his crossed, Indian style, legs. Her arms curled with her upper body into his chest, her mind unconsciously embracing his warmth.

He leaned back onto the headboard, carefully wrapping his arms gently around Sakura as not to awake her. While slipping into meditation in sync with her steady breathing, Gaara thought, 'It must be so overwhelming… so… frightening for her… Why does everything I come to like in my life suffer because of me?'

Temari and Kankurou suffered the early years of their lives fearing their own brother, though he didn't care at the time, Gaara could only remember his own morbid thoughts and actions of his childhood.

Arina suffered her whole life because of his mere existence. It was true that she was created to control him, and differently because he was abnormal to say the absolute least. All her life she unwillingly heard the thoughts of all those around her, the darkest, more morbid, the most sinister and those of the people who were happy and content in the way she could never be due to the latter peoples' minds. Only when she learned to generally control it did she gain most of her sanity back.

Naruto suffered having an emotionally void best friend. They were good sparring partners and listened to each other's problems regarding technique difficulties and who Naruto wanted to beat the crap out of next, but when Naruto mentioned anything about the shy Hyuuga heiress Gaara could offer him no conversation, advice, or comfort.

Now he was making Sakura suffer, in more ways than one. Even before, he was fairly sure all of his uncontrollable actions and fluctuating moods towards her were causing her some discontent or un comfort. Then that damn Sand Demon had to infiltrate her mind, her privacy, and scare the living hell out of her. Sure it was to "protect" her as the Bijuu had claimed, but how is she to know that? To understand any needed protection from what? The Kazekage also knew how incredibly selfish he was for not stopping his growing feelings and thoughts that revolved around her. But what exactly was she thinking?

Damn his lack of human skills.

Damn the demon.

Damn his feelings.

Damn it all.

Could she be just as scared
Cause it kills me not to know (…kills me not to know)

If there was one thing Sabaku no Gaara hated… it was not being in control. The majority of the beginning years of his life, he had not been in control, as the Bijuu was. Thus for that duration of time, he had the most morbid reason for his survival, as he hated life but had no control over it to end it. But once he had learned to deal with that, he had the reigns of his life tightly gripped in his hands… that was until about a week ago when he learned the two Konoha shinobi he valued most were coming to Suna. The reigns snapped and his life stampeded out of control.

'Then the Hell Damned horse fell in a fucking ditch.' He thought disdainfully, then looked down to the pink head, 'Hit its head, broke its leg, then Sakura came and healed the fucker… then it kicked me in the face…'

A soft whimper reminded him of his hard clench on Sakura's pink hair as his thoughts became more distressed. He loosened the hold and suppressed the rage which was different to that of when Sakura had passed out earlier.

The Kazekage's eyes tightened. During the time of the pink head's unconsciousness, Arina had explained to him the technique said unconscious girl had performed. How could she have been so stupid as to perform such a dangerous technique with no back up medical team?

Was it even possible that she really had such a low level of self perseveration?

Perhaps that explained the bizarre ease she expressed with being around him. It made sense.

Though it also made sense that perhaps she was just bizarre, it explained her constantly cheery demeanor…. and she was friends with Naruto. Though being friends with Naruto wasn't very hard due to the hyper blonde's outgoing and friendly nature.

Gaara inwardly groaned and let his head fall back against the headboard with a dull thud once more. Now did not seem like the best time to attempt to figure out the confusion that took form of a girl that was Haruno Sakura. He felt Sakura shift her face and nuzzle his chest as if he were a warm pillow, murmuring lowly, so lowly Shukaku would've had to strain his senses to pick it up had his vessel wanted to.

Non existent eyebrows rose and his eyes moved down to her head, 'I wasn't aware I was her teddy bear.' He thought dryly.

'Well you are so you can get used to enjoying it.' Shukaku said, though there was no mockery in his dark voice.

'Why is it that you allow her to use me as a pillow though to anyone else who had the vaguest thought of coming near me you wish to tear apart?'

Shukaku barked a laugh, 'It is true I do wish for her blood.'

At this, Gaara became confused, and frustrated, 'That doesn't make any sense you bastard rodent.'

'Ah… I just wish for it in a different way then that of normal bloodlust.'

'…How… so?'

Another barked laugh sounded at his vessel's hesitance, 'Though I am more then capable, I do not wish to just take her forcefully, I-,'

'By her you mean her blood.' Gaara snarled in correction, though in that quick second in which he corrected the demon in, it didn't quite occur to him that taking her blood was immensely bad as well.

'Iie, so shut up and listen to the answer to your question you insolent boy,' Gaara scowled but complied, wishing to understand the demon, 'I wish for her to give herself to me.'

Gaara was confused again at this, 'Submission?' That didn't make much sense; submission would imply weakness and Shukaku would never want a weak mate.

'Iie, of her personal will.'

Gaara scoffed, 'since when have you care about the will of humans, demon?'

'I care about her will.'

'Why,' he demanded, growing agitated of the vague answers he was receiving.

'She is my mate, or will be.' Shukaku clarified, not giving time for the usual argument on Gaara's part, 'A demon has a service to their mate, like the responsibility you feel to your pathetic little village of morons.' Gaara scowled at the insult to his village but remained quiet, 'If he fails to fulfill that service or responsibility and makes his mate unhappy, he has to see his mate unhappy and it will make him miserable.'

'Are you implying demons have more cares then blood and war?' Gaara asked, shocked at the demon's calm explanation.

'Their mates only, boy,' Shukaku responded gruffly, as he slowly drifted further away into Gaara's subconscious.

Gaara looked down at the pink head resting on his chest. "Sakura, I'm sorry I've dragged you into this." he rested his hand atop her head and let hit slide down over her hair and onto her shoulder, and repeated the motion peacefully.

"I don't want him to hurt you, but I can't stop him if he tries to through me.

"But Sakura, I don't think his true intentions are to hurt you." He continued to muse to the sleeping girl for a reason he did not know of, "Or at least he doesn't think of it as hurting you.

"The last thing I want is for you to fear me. And I don't want to add anything more troubling to your thoughts." He sighed.

"What I am unsuccessfully trying to say… even though you can't understand me… I'm more than sorry for all of this."

"It's… okay… Gaara….-kun…" She murmured sleepily; his eyes widened and his hand stopped its soothing motion. She sighed in her sleep and shifted her face into his chest, "You… stopped… Gaara-kun?" Her words were muffles as she uttered against his chest in her sleep, as if what she said was a real question.

The only thing he could ask himself as she silently returned to her un-talkative sleeping state, '….kun?'

Well that was a new one for the rapidly increasing books of things he didn't understand about Sakura. Though, what he didn't know was, there was a whole separate library.

This library contained the also rapidly increasing books of things Sakura did not understand about him…

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