This chapter focuses more on GaaSaku!!! finally ik!!!

oh, btw BOLD=shukaku

ITALICS=thoughts

Hope you enjoy it!!!!!


Chapter 9: My Protection

After Sakura had left the hospital she went in search of Gaara.

Sakura's POV

"Wonder where he is?" she said out loud. She didn't know why it was so hard to find him, he was the Kazekage after all. So she asked around a little

"Have you seen the Kazekage come around here lately?" she asked a store owner

"Umm, yes I do believe that the Kazekage came around here about an hour ago"

"Thank you very much mam, do you know which direction he happened to go in?" she asked

"Yes, do believe he went that way" she points away from the building

"Thanks again mam!" sakura said as she ran off. The woman just smiled at her.

Sakura had been searching for nearly 2 hours now. She was getting worried

"Where is he? How come I can't find him?" she said aloud. A voice answered her

"Are you looking for someone miss?" she asked. Sakura turned to look at the smiling woman.

"Yes, have you seen the Kazekage by any chance?" she asked, a little desperate.

Why yes, I think he came around here a few minutes ago" she said

"Thank you!" sakura said as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura started panicking when she reached the three hour point

"GAARA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" she yelled out in a desperate voice. She had ventured far into the village, someplace she had never been before. She observed that this was a less populated place of sand, with lower class people. Someone suddenly popped out in front of her; soon she was surrounded by 8

"Where are you going pretty lady?" one of them asked with a grin on his face.

"Get away from me" she glared at him now. She was getting annoyed with him and his gang.

"Why are you bothering me" she asked

"Cuz you are pretty me lady" he said as he moved towards her

"I'm warning you, get away from me or else!" she hissed at them

"Aww, but you do not know who you are dealing with me lady" he said to her. Before Sakura even knew it they had all lunged at her. She managed to dodge 6 of them, but 2 of them got to her. One plunged a kunai into her side, she let out a scream in response as the other kicked her in a different side. She knew this was not going to be an easy fight.

Gaara's POV

Gaara had been searching for sakura for hours now. He was getting worried. He was trying so hard to find her, why couldn't he? He thought. He started doubting himself,

What's wrong with me, why can't I find her? He though nervously.

There is a lot wrong with you, but that's unimportant right now. What is important right now is that we find and claim our mate again. I can already see her kis-

"Shut up Shukaku, you're not helping" he spoke to the demon inside him.

Yes I am. I'm helping you imagination. Shukaku spoke

"Perv"

You know you love me. The Shukaku gave him an evil grin.

"Are you even capable of love?" he asked

Of course I am. I know we love Sakura. That's why I am merely suggesting th-

"Shut up and help me find her" he said to his Shukaku

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a scream. Sakura, he though as he disappeared in a swirl of sand trying to find the origin of the scream.

Sakura's POV

She punched the one who stuck the kunai into her, knocking him into a wall which collapsed. One down, she thought. Two of them quickly did a couple of hand signs as a fireball plummeted towards her with boulders surrounding it. She dodged the two attacks and then used one of her own. Casting the required hand seals she quickly made a river of mud sweep 4 of them down into it as she did more hand seals and the river quickly hardened into stone, killing the 4 swept under it. 4 down, 3 to go, she though as she spun on her heel to encounter another man flying at her with a punch, which she easily dodged. She kneed him in the stomach once he flew over her, sending him flying. She saw her next target. Pumping more chakra into her feet, she suddenly appeared in front of him, sending an uppercut into his jaw, knocking him out. Before Sakura had time to figure out what else was going to happen, she heard someone call

"YOUR MINE BITCH!" as he lunged at her with a rusty Katana in his hands, Sakura knew she had no way to defend, so she just shut her eyes and prepared for impact. To her surprise there was no impact, she turned around only to see Gaara standing there as she saw a whirl of sand in front of her, she knew he had killed her attacker. Not knowing what else to do she ran as fast as she could, crashing into him as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him closer and letting her head wrest on his chest. Gaara's eyes widened at her actions as he blushed red, but he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him anyway. Before she knew it she was sobbing into his clothes, staining them with salt water. His arms tightened around her in response.

It took awhile for sakura to calm down, but when she did se just kept saying

"I'm sorry…" to Gaara, over and over again. Gaara was getting fed up with it,

"Sakura, stop saying I'm sorry, it was not your fault. Stop blaming yourself."

"But it was my fault…I'm sorry…" she said again. Gaara was getting annoyed,

"Sakura, stop it right now." He said, a little too harsh. He felt her cringe under him. His muscles tightened in response, and she felt that. He apologized this time,

"I'm sorry" he murmured to her. She just hugged him closer in response, telling him he was forgiven. He stroked the back of her head with his hand, soothing her.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked her. She nodded in reply, and they both disappeared in a swirl of sand.

They reappeared in their living room. Thankfully Temari and Kankuro were not home yet. Sakura did not want to let go of him so clutched on tighter, hoping he wouldn't make her let go. He moved back a little so he could look at her

"Are you ok Sakura?" he asked

"Yes, now I am. Thank you" she said as she smiled at him and let her head fall on his chest again. He hugged her close again. He also wanted her in his arms, where he could keep her safe, where he could care for her. It did not take long before she collapsed in his arms, giving in to sleep. He carried her to her room as he gently laid her under the covers of her bed and smiled before he left.

Sakura woke in the middle of the night again. She did not know why this kept happening. So she decided to go out again. She went for a walk again, but she did not stray far from her house. She was walking when she saw someone in the distance, she tensed at first and then noticed the person had a large gourde attached to their back, and she immediately knew she was looking at none other than Gaara. So she walked up to him, even though his back was towards her. She walked up beside him and grabbed his hand, his head quickly snapped to her with a deadly glare. He saw the pained look that crossed her face when he looked at her and immediately replaced it with soft and caring eyes

"Sorry" he said to her. She smiled at him in response and let her head lean onto his shoulder. She motioned for them to go and sit on a bench. He did as she asked and sat down with her. Neither one of them talked, no one wanted to ruin the peaceful silence. After about 10 minutes he noticed she shifter uncomfortably and did something to fix it.

She noticed his hands moved to her waist as she looked up to see him actually smiling at her as he pulled her onto his lap and cradled her close.

"Is this better?" he whispered in her ear

"M-much…" she managed to get out, even though her face gave away how much she really liked it. She had blushed a deep red and snuggled closer to his chest, he strengthened his hold on her once again. When she looked up to ask him a question, he simultaneously looked down to do the same, when their lips brushed up against eachother they both blushed red and looked away. Gaara spoke first

"Sorry" he mumbled

"Its ok" she said

"I wanted to ask you something" she added

"Go ahead"

"Would you ever be able to get a day off?" she asked

"I suppose, why?" he asked. She blushed yet again as she talked

"Well I, umm, was…umm……t-thinking m-maybe if you w-wanted, we c-could…umm…maybe……umm g-go o-on a d-date…?" she went very quiet on her last words. Gaara just smiled in response as he talked

"Sure, whatever you want" he told her

"Maybe l-lunch?" she asked

"Can I choose the restaurant?" he countered

"S-sure" she wondered why she was stuttering so much

"Ok, I will see you tomorrow then" he said with a smile on his face. She decided to stop talking, so she could cherish this moment. She spoke up again only in a matter of minutes

"Umm…G-Gaara…"

"Yes Sakura"

"Umm…do you t-think that m-maybe…I could s-stay-" he cut her off

"Yes" he said. She smiled into his chest as she hugged him closer. He did the same in response.

"Gaara" she said

"Hn" was his response, she cringed at his words, and they too brought up bad memories.

He noticed the cringe and immediately changed it

"Sorry. I meant yes" he said

"I wanted to thank you for earlier, I never got a chance. So, thank you" she said as she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He slightly blushed as he answered

"It was nothing" he said

"It was my life, I think it was something" she said as she giggled slightly. Her laugh made him smile.

"Your life means a lot to me" he confessed, realizing he said that out loud he started again

"I mean, you a-" she cut him off by placing her finger on his mouth. He blushed red because of it.

"I know, and thank you. You don't know how much that means to me" she finished the last words with her voice lowering.

"I still can't figure it out. Why am I alone, after all these years? That's why I latch onto you so tight Gaara, I feel like I am going to lose you, and I don't want to. I'm sorry for latching on to you, I feel like I need you though" she began to cry as she talked

"You are too important to me, I can't hold on to people for too long it seems. First Sasuke left, then Naruto. I don't want to lose you either." She cried as he pulled her close so he could speak into her ear.

"You will not loose me Sakura-chan, you are too important to me. You never have to worry about me leaving, because I will not. I will always be yours, so do not apologize for latching on to me, for I have latched onto you, and I don't plan on letting go." He finished as he held her close, and brushed her hair to calm her.

"Lets go now" he said, as they both left in a swirl of sand.

They arrived in his room, as Gaara said

"Would you like to go get changed?" as he pointed to his own bathroom. Sakura nodded as she left the room, went and got clothes from her room, and ran into Gaara's bathroom. She was out in a few minutes and she leaped into Gaara's arms. He smiled at her.

"Do you want to go to bed now, Sakura-chan?" he asked

"Yes Please, Gaara-kun." She smiled as she said this. Before she knew it, they were under the sheets of Gaara's bed as he held her close. She kissed his chest lightly as she said

"Thank you Gaara-kun. Good night," she hugged him closer

"Good night Sakura-chan" as he leaned to kiss her forehead and bury his face in her hair. She smiled as she slowly drifter to sleep in Gaara's warm arms.


Whew!!!!! That was a long chapter!!!! Isnt that shukaku a perv!!! :D lol

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!!!

Allways,

Bryan :D