Creature Feature Deki Café

Karin: la fille

As the blonde-haired man continued to rub down her legs in jasmine scented oil, Sakura let out a deep and husky moan. She plucked a grape from the fruit basket and popped it into her mouth. After a whole week of nonstop work and school, not to mention the pressures of her internship, she needed this. No, she bloody deserved this two day vacation. And when her dearest and best friend had heard of this, she practically dragged the woman out of her cave and into the city where the two females pampered themselves like movie stars.

"Ino, if you weren't in a relationship right now I'd marry you on the spot."

Said woman slightly lifted her head from the massage table and smirked.

"Am I brilliant, or am I brilliant?"

"You are magnificent."

Sakura stretched her arms above the cushion seat and sighed contently as the man moved to her other leg. It wasn't very often she went to a spa, especially one so expensive and high-class, so she was going to milk this day for all it's worth. Being best friend's with an international chef's wife definitely had it's perks, not to mention the fact they'd been best friends since the dawn of time. Though it did make her feel a twinge of sadness though, to know that most of her friends were already falling in and out of love while she still waited for her prince charming to come and rescue her on his white stallion.

Ino was lucky, so very lucky to have found the love of her life. Unlike most weddings she had attended in the past, their's was surprisingly small, but very intimate. The audience could easily tell it wasn't about how much money they had or how extravagant they could be, it was all about the happy couple and how they became untied as one.

One day, she would have that. As ridiculous as it sounded, she was going to marry the right person and she will get her happily ever after even if it kills her.

I am such a sad, sad person. I wonder how many cats I will live with by the time I'm fifty.

"Hey forehead,"

"What?"

"About that café you work at, Choji's been there a few times."

Sakura lifted the cucumber off her eye, "Really, and what does he think?"

"He says it's adequate enough, the food is delicious but nothing special. He doesn't really see the appeal of it, but knows most of the people go just to look at the girls anyways."

She smirked, "Obviously. Not trying to sound like a misogynist or anything, but have you seen those women? I swear they look like god's photoshopped masterpieces. I've never seen any woman come close to their standards. It makes me feel weird sometimes."

Ino bit into an apple and nodded wholeheartedly, "Seriously, the first time I went I thought I was gonna lose Choji to this busty look girl with pony ears! But he hardly battered her an eye, he says I'm the only woman in his life." She sighed dreamily and the smile on her face nearly made Sakura burst into a fit of laughter.

"Please, you're making me sick."

"Oh bite me, I'd love to see you eat your words when you finally find your knight in shining armor."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "As much as I would love to find that man, he does not exist and I have no intention on searching for him."

Ino threw a grape in her face, "This is why you're still single."

"There is nothing wrong with being single."

"Oh, of course not. But there comes a point in time in everyone's life when they should fine their special someone and settle down. You, my dear, are heading in the opposite direction."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Stop being so dramatic."

"I am so not being dramatic! It's true," Ino lifted herself up, not caring that her breasts hung open in the air, "You are working in one of the hottest jobs in all of Tokyo, as a maid of all things, and you're making bank, but you're still unattached? Something's wrong here."

"Please, nothing is wrong with me." Sakura took an apple from the fruit basket sitting between them and bit into it, "Besides, I'm not the only one who doesn't have a boyfriend. None if the maids there have one, same with the guys. Although, I think one of the butler's is married to a maid."

Ino scoffed, "Who the hell would want to date any of those shallow robots? They look nice, but I can totally tell they're stuck up on the inside. They're like the girls from Mean Girls, and I bet that Bou chick is the asian Regina George."

"Bou is not Regina George, believe it or not she has class and she's sweet. A little weird . . . okay, very weird, but she's nice."

"Yeah, and then you become the head maid and suddenly there's a nicely polished knife in your back."

"Ino."

She lifted her hands and laughed, "I'm just saying."

Once the message ended, Sakura stood up, taking her towel with her, and head towards the powder room.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask; did Shikamaru get a chance to look into the case I sent you?"

Ino pursed her lips as she followed behind, "Which one was that again?"

"The missing women case, you know, how all the maids working at our cafe happen to look like all the women who mysteriously disappeared years ago?"

"Oh, that one. I still think you're crazy."

"I am totally not crazy, this is serious!" Sakura threw her hands in the air, "What if they were all kidnapped and then brain washed into working at the café, I mean let's face it; they really are like robots! It's always yes master, whatever you want master, anything for you master." She grabbed Ino's shoulder and shook her hard, "What if I'm next!"

Ino pinched Sakura's cheeks hard, until she shriek, and placed her hands on her hips, "You need a longer vacation, I think this job is getting to your head."

"It all makes sense now; no one can ever be that nice." Sakura's eyes were as huge as saucers, "I mean, I almost killed one of my clients and his party, and then I threw hot water in someone's face when he used a dirty pick up line on me."

"Sakura . . ."

"Hey, nice legs. What time do they open?" She mimicked in a masculine voice, "Dirty pervert, teach you to use Icha Icha Paradise pick up lines on me!"

"Hey crazy lady!" Ino threw a small, plastic comb at Sakura's head.

"Ow! What?"

"Stop talking to yourself and listen to me!"

"Alright, what is it?"

Ino grinned slyly and pushed her chair right up to Sakura, "You know, the way you were raving about this Neji guy, I almost assumed there was something going on between you two. Is there something I should know about?"

Sakura blushed madly and shook her head.

"Liar, spill it and I want every detail!"

"We just had dinner at the café, alright? Nothing happened!"

Ino rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and you had lunch and you had breakfast. You had three course meals and everything in between. Why aren't you two dating? I demand and explanation!"

"It's really long . . ."

The blonde took out her phone and turned it off, "We have the whole day to ourselves."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow. If Ino, the mobile queen had really turned off her phone, she has be dead serious. With an indigent sigh, she began to tell her story.

"It was after the fifth time he came to the café that I began to suspect something . . ."

Phantom emerged from the behind the glass cased door and shut it quietly behind her. She let our a weary sigh and closed her eyes before the tears started to flow. She would not do this, she would not cry again. The café barely opened and already the fragile pieces of her sanity began to crumble. As she walked away the locks automatically clicked into place.

Further down the hall, the walls began to shift and change. It curved left, swerved right, and somehow Phantom ended up climbing the stairs while hanging upside down. In the end, the building became a labyrinth of stairs, walls, and doors. Some led to more hallways, some led to empty rooms. But there was one door in particular that she was only interested in.

Even from a million doors down she could hear his wailing. His agonizing screams and torturous moans. He banged on the walls and threw things aside. She heard the ear shattering clawing of his nails running down the windows, showing him a world he could no longer walk into.

Her footsteps hurried as she practically ran down the last few steps and ripped out of the keys from her bright pink blazer. She fumbled, trying to find the right key and curse something fierce before finding it and wrenching the door open.

"Daemon!"

He stopped his psychotic rampage for a minute, the beast calming himself as his mate finally arrived. His eyes bleeding red, bore into her with a smoldering look. She rushed into him, wrapping her arms securely around his neck and kissed him on the lips. He responded with great enthusiasm, clutching onto her for dear life.

After a minute, she broke away. "You have to stop doing this, you're hurting yourself."

"I can't take this anymore." His voice grew darker and rougher by the day. Soon, he would not be able to speak at all. "I am sick and tired of hiding. Being confide to this tiny room is driving me insane!"

"What would you have my do, my love? I can't possibly let you out, unless you wish to return home until I have this matter fixed."

He scowled, but it came out as a growl. "You know I would never leave you."

Phantom rested her forehead on his chest. "The liquids are running out, if we don't find another way to feed her, she's going to eat the maids."

"How much do we have left?" Daemon stroked her hair as he rested on his hind legs.

"Enough to last us two months. But all she does is eat, I can't keep up with her!" Phantom grabbed his biceps and pulled herself up. "Let's run away, we'll release them all, every single one of them, and then we can leave this place forever."

"What about Ghost?"

Phantom bit her bottom lip, "I can't leave her here . . . she'll die."

"Then we take her with us."

"Yes, oh please, let's just leave!"

Daemon sighed, smoke coming out his mouth. "You know we can't, she'll only follow us, like she always has. And even if we let go of all the maids, she'll still find and eat them. We can't go."

She looked down, and when she spoke his voice was barely above a whisper. "Then . . . are we to stick with our original plan?"

"Yes."

"What if Sakura doesn't want to? We can't force her."

"She's our only chance of survival. Her life is on line as well. She had a target painted on her back the second she agreed to work here."

Phantom grabbed Daemon's face and looked into his eyes, "Alright, but the second she's put in danger – if I feel like her life is in jeopardy, we leave, okay? We get her out and we leave."

"Okay."

Ino's jaw dropped, and if possible, her face couldn't be more red than it already was.

"What?"

"You, my dear, are an idiot."

Sakura felt an angry tick above her brow, "How am I an idiot?"

"A guy, who is so smitten and in love with you, proposes to you with a pink, diamond ring and you have the audacity to turn him down? You're an idiot, you are the every village's missing idiot!"

Sakura huffed, "I've only met the guy two weeks ago, and suddenly he's asking me to marry him? How could you possibly think that's normal. I'm not the psychiatrist here, but I know when something's not right. No one falls in love in a week."

"I beg to differ." Ino said

"You shook Leonardo DiCaprio's hand, he doesn't even remember your name." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"He wants me, you'll see."

"Anyways," Sakura got up and headed for the showers, "I feel bad though, the entire place lit up like wild fire. Everyone was so excited, hoping to plan for a wedding, even my boss got into it. But then I told them I declined and it suddenly felt like the depression."

"No surprise there."

The showers turned on and steam filled the room. "The weird thing is Neji wasn't even mad, I felt like I humiliated him after he poured his heart out to me, but even that didn't deter him."

"Have you heard from him?"

"We still talk . . . although it's a little strained, I think he's recovering from a broken heart. But he says he wants to see me and properly court me, whatever that means. I think the atmosphere of the café just got into his head." Sakura said.

Like every other male who's ever walked into that place.

"Then do it, it's about time you let yourself get pampered by a man." Ino pulled open the door and let herself into the shower, pushing Sakura aside as the hot water rained down on her.

"There are other stalls you know."

"Yeah . . . but who's gonna rub shampoo in my hair?" She tossed a lavender bottle into Sakura's hand and turned around, "Make sure you get all twenty-six inches of this luxurious mane."

"Or I can just chop it all off and have you walk out of here bald."

There was a bright glint in Ino's eye, "You do anything to my hair and I will sew your vagina shut. You'll die a sad, old virgin and I'll still make you shampoo my hair, so get to it!"

Sakura groaned and proceed to pour two handfuls of gel into her hands before lathering it onto Ino's scalp. She let out a satisfied sigh and sat on the bath stool.

"You know what would make this even better?"

"If I had a drink."

"Nope, if you let Neji take you out for Valentine's day."

Sakura chuckled, "That is so sappy. I told you, I'm not ready to go out with him yet. Hell, I'm not ready to go out with anyone! I still got to get my life in order first. Too many things to do – "

"Yeah, yeah I know; you've got work, you've got school, you've got a cat waiting to be fed. Damn, you are so boring. How are we friends again?"

"Because you need me. Who else is going to shampoo your hair? Besides, I already have something planned out for V-day."

"Oh really, let me guess, you're gonna buy all the chocolate no one else did and eat them at home by yourself while watching Grey's Anatomy."

"Close, it's Phantom's birthday and we're going to throw her a surprise party."

Ino turned to look at her over her shoulder, "Are you talking about your creepy boss?"

"She's not creepy," Sakrua looked thoughtful for a second, "She's just . . . creative."

"Tell me, how is wearing yellow overalls and a green tank top on a snowy day creative?"

"Look, she's been so kind to me and I haven't exactly been the most generous person lately. You . . . you just have to look outside the box!" Sakura tried but failed desperately to defend her abnormal employer.

"Ha! I have to look into the next universe to try and understand what goes on in that woman's head. But whatever, do what you want. I'm going out with my man for a romantic dinner and hot, delicious romping when we get home."

Sakura made a face, "You've got to stop that, I'm going to catch something viral."

"Humph, jealous much?"

Her last resting day was spent shopping in the local market district. What she loved about this place was how accessible everything was. If she wanted something, it was always there, no matter how absurd it might be. There was always a stand selling something she needed. And right now, what she needed were party decorations.

Knowing how odd and eccentric the café looked by itself, she wanted something far more tame. Her initial theme was a club, set in downtown Tokyo. She had been to one before, at Ino's insisting, and surprisingly enjoyed it. She wasn't a heavy drinker and knew Phantom and Daemon did it only on special occasions. So on top of the decorations, she also planned on buying nonalcoholic beverages.

If only there wasn't a liquor store at every single block!

The last thing she wanted was a drunk Phantom spoiling her own birthday party, and she had seen the little woman drunk before. It was rather frighting . . . those couches would never look the same to her again.

"Okay, first on my list are balloons. Shouldn't be too hard." She walked into a small, but cozy supply shop and headed for the party isle.

Unbeknownst to her, the door chime alerted the store clerk to it's newest customer. And a pair of wide eyes glued itself to Sakura as she hurried on by.

So enraptured by her task, she failed to noticed a shadow looming over her as she compared the prices of two bags of colorful balloon.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

The hairs on her neck stood on end as the voice of everything she hated in high school reared its ugly head.

"Please let this be a dream."

"Sorry sweetheart, I'm about as real as your pink head."

Sakura slowly rose from her crouching position and turned to the owner of that sickeningly, sweet voice. "Hello Karin."

"Hey Pinky, long time no see."

They regarded each other with tentative eyes. Arch-nemesis in high school, it had been three long years since they last saw each other. The last thing Sakura remembered about the woman standing before her, she was walking away from the graduation ceremony, arm in arm, with boy she had been dating. The harlot nearly got a face full of well manicured nails.

"That's a mighty expensive purse you got there, see you're a working girl."

"As are you." Sakura responded cooly.

Karin gritted her teeth, "Don't act so high and mighty we all know you're working on a scholarship and paid internship. If it weren't for those, you wouldn't be in school right now."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Otherwise I'd be where you are wouldn't I? Working at a run of the mill quick stop store at butt end of the district. How much is your hourly wage again?"

Sakura chuckled as Karin held herself back from jumping at her. It was just too easy to rile her up. This was perhaps the only way they could possibly ever have a civilized conversation. Years of separation had effect on their relationship, not that she cared. If it were up to her, she'd be sure to avoid this side of the district for as long as possible.

"Look, I didn't come here to get into a fight with you. I didn't even know you worked here. I just want to buy my things and leave."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Karin's eyes lit up with a strange kind of resolution. It put her off just a little.

"Oh, where are you going?"

Well, that was unexpected.

"Uh . . ."

But she wouldn't let up. Karin kept looking at her with the same, excited expression, completely forgetting they hated each other and not two seconds ago, was ready to tear her up limb from limb.

"I'm planning a birthday party." Sakura said cautiously.

"Really, for who?" Her voice seemed to grow a little higher.

"My boss."

"Wow, that's so sweet of you! I'd never do that for mine, course he's my uncle, but still."

Sakura looked away for a second before returning to Karin, half expecting someone to jump out with a hidden camera and tell her she was on a prank show. But instead, she was stuck with a smiling woman who's eyes seemed to grow brighter and brighter with each passing second.

"Well . . . my boss is one of a kind." Sakura smiled awkwardly and slowly inched away from her. Unfortunately, she didn't get too far away before she felt Karin's presence again.

"Do you have a theme?"

"Uh . . . a nightclub in Tokyo."

Karin squealed loudly, "Oh my gosh, that sounds so exciting!"

She was considering making a run from it, the woman was just making her very uncomfortable! But there was no way she could leave when the store had a buy one and get one free deal on all items. It was every shopper's dream come true, and she was the very epitome of a shopper. Perhaps not much of a spender on clothing, but she loved decorating her house and buying grocery.

"Karin, what are you doing?"

"Standing here."

Sakura cocked her head to the side, "Exactly, why are you standing next to me?"

"Why not?"

"Because you almost tore my head off two seconds ago."

Karin laughed, "No I didn't."

"Yes, you did. You looked about ready to kill me."

Then, she did something Sakura would never in a million years imagine her to do.

Her rival, her arch-nemesis, her would-be boyfriend stealer stroked her cheek.

Sakura literally jumped in shock and landed in the shelf behind her, knocking over party supplies. Her breath came out in short pants as she stared wide eye at the offending woman. Her arms posed over her body in self-defense, ready to smack away any more wondering appendages.

"W-w-what the hell was that?"

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me! Are you insane? No, I don't care. Don't touch me!"

This time, Karin had the curtesy to look angry, just like her old self. However, what she wasn't expecting was the hurt and offended look she put on. Perhaps it was all an act, but it was a really good one and somehow Sakura began to feel a little bad for what she said.

"And why not? I've been waiting five long, agonizing years to even have a moment alone with you! Do you know how hard it was to see you changing in the locker room and have to keep myself from jumping you? I want you as badly now as I did then!"

She felt like the air was punched right out of her. It was one thing to constantly hear how much Karin hated, however this was an entirely different matter in itself. She could deal with marriage proposals, overly touchy males, and crazy child patients. But dealing with love declaration from someone you've despised all through out high school was just not in her agenda.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose,"Please tell me you did not just say that."

"Yes I did. And I'll say it again. Haruno Sakura, the girl I hate more than anything in this world; I am in love with you. And I have been since the first day I transferred to that dingy high school."

Karin couldn't possibly look more smug than she did at that very moment.

"But . . . but you stole all the guys I ever dated, how can you possibly tell me you love me when you did all those awful things to me!"

She scoffed and pushed her glasses further up her nose, "I only did that so I can keep them away from you. You think it's fun, competing with a guy for a girl's attention? The only time I can get you to look at me is whenever I do something mean to you. All I ever got were glares. I had to settle for that for five years!"

Now she really felt bad, guilty in fact. But it wasn't her fault, none of this was any of her doing. It wasn't as if she asked her to fall in love! She shouldn't be feeling this way, she did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet there was a part of her that went out to Karin. Despite their history, Sakura was a compassionate person at heart and no one deserved the torment she went through.

She let out a shaky sigh, "Look, this is all . . . there is a lot of information to take in. And it's not even noon yet. I just want to get my things and go."

"What, that's it? I pour my heart out to you and all I get is the cold shoulder?"

"What am I supposed to do? I'm sorry you feel this way, but there's nothing I can do about it!"

And another unexpected event on top of everything else, Karin actually started tearing up. Sakura sprang to her feet in fear, not wanting to see the woman cry. Tears were her mortal enemy, as a nurse, she hated seeing her patients in any type of pain. And now here she was, causing inexcusable pain to another.

"You're so cruel." Karin turned away from her and made a mad dash to the back, slamming through the swinging doors.

Sakura groaned and covered her face. How was she going to deal with all of this, and plan a birthday party all in one day? Knowing how much the sting of heartbreak hurt, she easily sympathized with Karin. If only they could have just kept hating each other, then she wouldn't feel the need to ram her head through a wall. Now, instead of being on the receiving end, she was the one administering the shot.

She stuffed the balloon packets into her bag and walked to where Karin ran to. Pushing open the doors, she heard quite sniffling and a soft choke from behind a metal shelf. In the corner of the room, she found the woman sitting on top of the stow away boxes. Her knees were curled up with her head in between. The crying became more audible, and it took everything in her to not run away in shame.

"Karin?"

She peeked through her bangs. "What do you want?"

"I'm . . . I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to say those things, I was just in shock. I'm really, really sorry."

Sakura made her way to Karin and sat down next to her, gently touching her knee and rubbing it comfortingly. To her surprise, Karin quickly took the opportunity to place her head on her shoulder and started cuddling affectionately. She reminded Sakura of a big, fluffy cat. Fickle and unstable when not receiving attention, but utterly tender and devoted when she got what she wanted.

"You know, it's really hard to digest all of this. I mean, all I remember abut you is how you tried to keep me locked in the bathroom stall after school."

"I only did that because the guy from art class was looking for you. He wanted to ask you to the dance." She sniffled.

"What about that one time you poured green paint all over my hair?"

"Same guy wanted to ask you to the lantern festival."

Sakura shook her head, "And the time you pushed me into the pool, knowing that I couldn't swim and could possible have drowned? Which I almost did."

"I wanted to rescue you and give you CPR! That way you would totally see how much better off you are with me than some dirty boy."

"So all this time, you've been hiding your love from me." Sakura stated.

"Yep."

"That's pretty depressing."

"Tell me about it. I watched Romeo and Juliet, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio for two whole months after graduation."

Sakura lifted Karin's head and looked at her in a somewhat new light. She didn't completely forgive her for all the horrible things she had done. While they may have been in the name of love, they were still rather vicious things and you can't always forget them. But, she was willing to move on from the past.

"Want to go get some shaved ice with me? I saw a stand just two doors down from here."

Instantly, her face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Do you still need to buy things for your party?"

"Yeah, I have a whole book for supplies to need to get."

"Well then," Karin was up on her feet before Sakura even had time to blink, "Let's get going before the day ends!" She grabbed her hands and pulled her back into the store.

By the time they had finished, it was already past mid-afternoon. The sun slowly dipped behind some of the taller buildings, casting the sky into a haze of orange and purple. The district began to fill up as people who got out of work began to roll in with the intent of buying on sale products or simply cooling off from a rough day.

Sakura carried several bags in her arms while Karin had two bags hooked on hers. The two seemed to be getting along better than they had earlier in the day, with the Karin skipping along side the love of her life with a merry beat. Sakura, unsure about how to make of the situation, went along with it as best she could. It was nice to know that they've moved on, and she could even call the red-head a friend, but she was still trying to decipher how she could deal with the one-sided romance.

It was hard enough dealing with men, but how does one handle a woman? Anko Mitarashi was an exception. She was so masculine, she might as well have been born a man. But not Karin. She was as girlie as Ino, and as stubborn as she was. This was going to be a difficult one.

"Look, there is it!" Karin pointed to a small stand sitting on the corner of the sidewalk. An old man wearing a blue apron handed cups of shaved ice to small children as they eagerly jumped up and down.

"I can taste the lemon already." Sakura stared longingly at the cart, mouth open as drool came pouring out.

"I want cherry!"

They ran as quickly as they could, though looking a bit awkward with all their bundle in their arms, but made it just in time before a group of small elementary students got in line.

"It's seventy-five cents for a cone and a hundred yen for a cup."

"That cheap? Wow! In our shopping district, it's two hundred for a single cup. And it's not even that big."

"Well, that's what you get for living in the city."

Sakura pouted, "True, everything is so expensive over there."

"You could always come live in the country side with me." Karin whispered. She looked up at her with wide, puppy eyes and stuck her lower lip out cutely.

"Tempting." Sakura chuckled.

"Really?"

"I have a job though, two jobs actually. And I'm still in school."

"Oh yeah, you work at the weird animal café. Do you really dress up in maid outfits and wear puppy ears?"

Sakura nodded, "Yep, I even get a tail."

"A tail . . ." Suddenly Karin's thoughts went off somewhere dark and seductive. Her lips curled involuntarily as she imagined an obedient Sakura circled up in the lap, licking her face and demanding to be tickled. "Mmmm."

"Uh . . . Karin?"

"You're next ma'am." The old man said.

"Oh!" She moved to take a step forward, but before she could do that, someone had rudely cut her off.

"Hey, I was next!"

"Tough."

"Oh hell no, you did not just tell me to tough it." Sakura growled.

"Too bad, I just did. One cup of pineapple and orange, please."

"Why you – "

"Hey buster!" Karin shoved her bangs into Sakura's arms and poked the man on the back of his shoulder, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Nope."

"I am Higurashi Karin and my family owns half the stores in this district, so if you cut in front of my woman, you're cutting in front of me!" There was a moment of pause. "Which you kind of already did, but the point is; don't be an ass, especially around this part of time. We'll make you very sorry."

But before she could continue on with her bravado, the man grabbed his cup and turned around to face them.

"Oh."

Karin visibly gulped and chuckled sheepishly. But not Sakura, instead, her mouth fell open in shock.

"Gaara?"

He looked just as stunned to see her, but his temporary jolt turned into an interested smirk.

"Sakura."

Karin looked between the two, not liking the man at all. "You know him?"

"Y-yeah, he was one of my customers . . . and technically my boss." She grumbled the last part.

"Not technically, literally." He sneered.

"Whatever, just get out of my way so I can get my snow cone." She shoved past him and made her order.

"So is this the boss you're making a surprise birthday party for?"

"No! It's for Phantom, the café owner. Like I'd ever celebrate his birthday."

Gaara shrugged and scooped a mouthful of flavored ice. "I'm hurt, and to think I was planning on inviting you to my company's annual Valentine's Day party. It's on a yacht you know."

"Don't care."

"With live performance and an endless buffet table."

Okay, all you can eat sounded very good. Especially to a hungry college student.

"No thanks, I have a party to create."

But he was not one to be dissuaded and lifted a strand of hair to his face, "I don't give up easily, Sakura. And I don't take no for an answer."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to tough it out." Sakura replied with an icy coolness to match his own.

"I like your fire." He purred, and inched closer to her.

"Alright, that is enough!" Karin barged in between the two and shoved Sakura behind her. "Stop flirting with my girlfriend!"

Gaara was taken back, "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, that's right hotshot, Sakura is my girlfriend!"

"Um, no I'm not."

"Shh, it's alright. You don't have to be embarrassed by it." Karin patted her hand.

"You're a lesbian?" Gaara asked.

"No I'm not! I just . . . I just want my shaved ice!" She grabbed it from the old man, shoved a bill into his hands and stormed off.

"Now look what you've done, jerk!" Karin spun around, forgetting about ordering her own cone and chased after Sakura.

Gaara stood there, looking flabbergasted, as he watched Sakura walk away. Undeterred, he let himself a secret smile as he walked away himself and back into the car waiting for his return.

"Back to the office, sir?" The driver asked.

"Yes, I have several appointments I need to cancel. It seems I have other things planned for Valentine's Day."

Last update was september, wow!

Okay, I may not like Karin (or have any idea what her last name is) but I totally ship her with Sakura. I don't know why, maybe my inner lesbian just loves all kinds of female pairing (yay yuri!) but they are my female OTP right above Temari and Sakura. Lol.

Anyways, if you find any mistakes please tell me!

Thanks!