Cookies to FakeCompassion and AnimeSnowflake because they were happy to see me back and they liked Shukaku's new look. Ino vs. Sakura! I never thought I'd get this far...it's a really weird feeling...

Soundtrack:

Fall To Pieces by Avril Lavigne

Seventeen Ain't So Sweet by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Change Your Mind by The Killers

Disclaimer: Come on, do you really think I'd be on this site if I did?

Gaara: Probably...

Me: WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!

Sakura was royally pissed. So much so that she couldn't concentrate on the fight below. She had to admit though, the damned boy was downright infuriating.

Gaara had walked away, leaving her to stew in this mess. Still, did he love her? Or was she deluding herself? She looked away, and looked back at him. Was it just her, or was he toying with her? She retreated into her thoughts, and her Inner tried to talk.

If I had my way, I'd never have to get over him...

You would never have said that about Sasuke, you know...

Yeah, well...when I come undone, Gaara always manages to bring me back again...Sasuke-san never did that.

Sasuke-san? When did you start calling him that?

Sasuke-san never held me, he never smiled at me or told me I was special...

Sakura looked up, a look of dawning comprehension in her eyes.

He never said "I love you"...

"Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino."

Gaara became keenly aware of the world around him as he heard the proctor yell Sakura's name. He watched her jump down gracefully from the railing.

There's a fire in her eyes...I hope she'll let it burn...

Her opponent looked to hm like the steriotypical ditzy teenage girl. This match shouldn't last long...the blonde looks too idiotic to form a coherent sentence...

Hey! I'm blonde!

Who cares, Shukaku?

I care! That's blatant discrimination!

Gaara shut out the demon's ranting, and focused on the match.Apparently, the blonde had cut her hair in order to prove a point. Gaara didn't understand the motive: it just seemed to be a waste of perfectly good hair to him. The two of them gave a good show with some taijustu, but Gaara had to fight the urge to jump down there and kill the girl himself when she caught Sakura in a justu that seemed to steal her body. Kankuro noticed his brother's fingernails digging into the metal pole, a low growl developing in the back of his throat.

"Gaara?"

Gaara had that look in his eyes again; that cold, icy stare that meant he was ready to kill.

"Gaara, stop it."

Gaara didn't answer. He shifted his weight, and prepared to jump.

"Otouto, cool it!"

Gaara turned away from the fight, and walked off. A sudden thud made him turn sharply, and the sight made his blood run cold: Sakura was unconcious.

The blonde idiot on Sakura's team, Sakura's sensei, and someone Gaara assumed was the blonde girl's sensei ran out and took the girls back up on the balcolny, leaning them against the wall.

"Get out of the way."

The three shinobi turned and looked suprised to see Gaara standing there.Without a word, he knelt down to check Sakura's pulse. Feeling a faint throbbing, he gave a quick sigh of relief. Turning to the other three (shocked) shinobi, he simply told them, "She should wake up in a few minutes. Her companion might also."

He then walked away, joining his siblings on the other side.

Sakura walked into the small bathroom. Turning on the tap to the sink, she filled it with water, and washed her face.

I can't believe I lost to Ino...at least she lost too...

"Sakura..."

She looked over her shoulder, and wasn't suprised to see Gaara standing there. Sighing, she faced the mirror and braced herself against the sinklooking down at the cool water.

"What?"

He walked over to her, and stood close behind her.

"Do you still have feelings for me?"

That threw her off. She snapped her head up to see Gaara's face close behind hers in the mirror. Before she could protest, he'd already wrapped his arms around her.

"Do you still want to be with me," he whispered, breath rustling her bangs slightly. He slipped his head into the curve of her neck, and she involentarily slipped her hand into his.

"If the answer is no, can I change your mind?" He brought the back of her hand to rest against his cheek, and Sakura felt a stab of jealousy at how perfectly smooth his skin was. She felt him bring his lips to her hand, and she felt a surge of emotions, the same emotions she always felt when she so much as even heard his name.

"If all your answers are no," he said, turning her to face him, "can I change your mind?"

She looked into his eyes, eyes that reflected the sadness and the burden of the world in pools of that beautiful celedon-green, and spoke one word:

"Yes."

Wows! 114 reviews for Coming Out of the Closet! I love you guys! Graah...need...sleep...(dies)

Insomnia's keeping me awake again...it's kind of frustrating at times, but it comes in handy when you need it. I hope you like this chapter, because I worked hard on it. REVIEW! SHANNARO!