I'd like to tell you all a short story.
Once upon a time, there was a fanfiction writer with the absolutely best reviewers ever. The writer loved her writing and her readers so much that one day she promised them that she would update every freaking day in November to honor NaNoWriMo. However, fate didn't like this plan and dumped a shitload of homework, family issues, and angst on the writer. She was so burdened and worn out, that as soon as she finished whatever crap life threw at her, she went straight to bed and completely forgot she was a fanfiction writer. Then one day, a miracle occurred. The writer's completely awesome and legit older brother got a heart and did her Algebra and Statistics homework for her, leaving her a Sunday afternoon open for her to do whatever she wanted. The writer came across a crumpled manuscript of Chapter 11 of a story called Paradox. So the writer sat down in her big foofy red chair and wrote happily ever after… for now.
The End
Sasuke: … You are so full of crap.
Shadow: Shut up. I'm sorry for being late, okay?
Questions will be answered at the end of the chapter.
Please read and review.
Chapter 11
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"
Sakura looked up at the judge and blinked.
"No," she said simply. The crowd in the courtroom murmured. The judge's eye twitched.
"And… why not?" he asked the small girl. Sakura continued to stare at him.
"Because I don't believe in God."
The crowd laughed and the judge quirked an awkward smile.
"Okay, then Sweetie. Is there any god you do believe in?"
Sakura looked down at hands and shook her head. "I don't believe," she said quietly. "That there is any god in this world that can possibly be cruel enough to do the things he's done to me. And if he does exist and is happy with the way I and thousands of other people's lives have turned out…" Sakura looked up to look at the judge.
"I don't think he's a very good god."
The courtroom was dead silent. People shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable with the things the five-year-old girl had said. Pein leaned back in his chair, a hand covering the smirk on his face.
That's my girl, he thought.
The judge cleared his throat. "Be that as it may," he said awkwardly. "We do need you to swear on something. Is there anything in this world you trust more than anything else?"
Sakura looked to the crowd. "Pein-sama," she said.
Pein smiled at the small girl and waved. She waved back and a chorus of 'awws' ran through the crowd.
"Then do you, Sakura Haruno, swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Pein-sama?" the judge asked with a chuckle.
"I do." Sakura said seriously.
"Then I call the attorney to rise and begin the witness interrogation." The judge banged his mallet on a small block of wood.
"Thank you, Your Honor."
A tall man wearing a strange mask stood up and approached Sakura. He smiled at her.
"Sakura-chan, my name is Yamato," he said politely. "I'm just going to ask you some questions, so don't be frightened, okay?"
Sakura nodded. This man, despite his strange appearance, was very nice and she felt comfortable around him.
Yamato pulled a piece of paper from a nearby folder. "Sakura do you recognize this man?"
Sakura glanced at the picture. She stiffened with terror, clutching Sasori's statue to her chest and whimpering. He was an unruly man, badly shaven and with messy brown hair. He had a strong jawline and a prominent nose along with thin eyebrows. He was winking slyly at the camera and the one eye he had open was a bright emerald.
"Judging from your reaction, it appears you know this man," Yamato said. "Can you tell me who he is Sakura-chan?"
Sakura whimpered and turned away from the court, from Yamato, from the image of the terrible man he held in his hand.
"Sakura-chan."
Taking a deep breath, Sakura turned back and gripped her figurine tightly.
"He's my father," she said weakly. The crowd murmured.
"Yes, Sakura," Yamato said softly. "This whole thing is because we want to understand why you are scared of this man. We've heard some stories, but we really want to hear it from you. Sakura." His eyes drilled into her intensely.
"What did this man do to you?"
Silence enveloped the court once more as everyone anticipated the pink haired child's answer.
"He hurt me," she whispered. "He'd hit me and do things to me. He killed my mother."
Outraged shouts broke out in the court. The judge hit his mallet hard against the block of wood.
"Order!" he called.
Yamato's focus never left Sakura. "How did he hurt you Sakura? Did he just hit you?"
Sakura nodded. "He'd come home really late smelly bad and would just find me to hit. Most of the time, he just use his hands and feet. Sometimes, he used an empty bottle."
"Do you have any scars or bruises?"
Sakura nodded and lifted up her shirt to just above her rib cage. A long red scar stretched from her sternum down to her left hip. Surrounding it were several other small scars and black marks.
The courtroom broke out in fury again and had to be silenced by the judge.
"What other things did he do to you Sakura-chan?" Yamato asked.
Sakura looked down and began to tremble. "He…" She began to speak but faltered just as quickly.
Yamato placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura-chan. We cannot help you if you do not tell us what happened." She remained silent.
"Did he touch you?"
Sakura nodded slowly.
"In places where you shouldn't be touched?"
Another nod.
Yamato frowned. "Did he manage to violate your body?"
Sakura shrunk into her seat.
"Sakura, did he have sex with you against your will?" Yamato pressed.
The small girl began to tremble.
"Sakura! I need to know!" Yamato said raising his voice slightly. "Did. He. RAPE. YOU?"
"YES!" Sakura screamed, choking with sobs. It took a full ten minutes to calm the raging crowd. Pein was close to murder when no one would allow him to go to the crying girl.
Once things had settled down, Yamato offered Sakura a small handkerchief. She took it and tried desperately to cease her sobbing.
"Take all the time you need, Sakura-chan," Yamato said softly.
Once Sakura managed to get her tears under control, Yamato handed her another picture.
"A couple more questions and then you can go to your Pein-sama," he said. "Do you know this woman?"
Sakura stared at the picture, new tears spilling out of her eyes.
"Okaa-san…" she whispered. It was a picture of a pretty woman with dark pink hair that could almost pass as brown. She had large brown eyes and two purple triangle tattoos on her cheeks. The woman was smiling and waving happily at whoever was taking the picture. She pressed the picture to her chest.
"This is your mother?" inquired Yamato. Sakura nodded.
"You said that your father killed your mother. Can you tell me how?"
Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. "They were fighting again," she began. "Mama was mad at Daddy because he would always come home drunk. He didn't' like that she was yelling at him."
Sakura fell silent for a moment, remembering the night.
"Mama told him that she didn't feel safe anymore. She told him that she was done and she was leaving. Daddy didn't like that." The small girl began to shiver as she continued her story. "That's when Mama said she was taking me with her. Daddy began screaming and throwing things at her. First it was small things like plates and bottles. But soon he began throwing knives. One of them hit Mama in the stomach." Tears flooded from Sakura's eyes. "Daddy jumped at her and began choking her, while banging her head against the floor. I think she died from a broken neck. Daddy just stared at her. Then he laughed." Sakura bent over sobbing. "He came at me then and said it was my fault. He was right. If hadn't been so stupid and helpless, I could have saved her. She's dead because of me."
"Sakura." Yamato said firmly. "You are not responsible for your mother's death, do you understand me? Sakura!"
The girl continued to cry. Knowing the small child was beyond his help, Yamato let out a defeated sigh.
"What did your father say the death of your mother was, Sakura-chan?"
"Car crash," the girl choked out.
"How did you come across Pein-sama?"
Sakura looked, watery green eyes focusing on her care giver.
"I ran away from home after Mama died," she whispered. Yamato nodded, thinking the girl had every reason to run away. "Pein-sama found me digging around in an alley for food one night and told me that eating food from a trashcan wasn't healthy. He took me home and fed me. I tried to leave after that, but he made me stay the night." The girl smiled at the orange haired man in the crowd. He smiled back and Sakura turned back to Yamato.
"After that I didn't leave and he didn't make me go."
Applause rang through the courtroom, people patted Pein on the back and Yamato smiled at Sakura.
"Thank you Sakura-chan," the man said. He turned to the judge. "No more questions, Your Honor."
. . .
"Hey Bubblegum!" Gaara said, waving his hand in front of Sakura's face. The pink haired teen shook herself.
"Huh?" she said intelligently. Gaara rolled his eyes.
"You are so spacey."
Sakura snorted. "You should have seen yourself when we were in the store. That was spacey."
Gaara shrugged. "Drink your coffee before it gets cold."
They sat in silence for a long period of time examining the coffee shop and its occupants, sipping at their drinks. Suddenly Sakura groaned and slammed her head against the table. Gaara stared at her for a moment, before turning back to continue drinking his coffee.
"I'm an idiot," Sakura muttered.
"Everyone knows that, Bubblegum," Gaara said nonchalantly. "So why are you just realizing it?"
Sakura remained silent. Gaara turned to look at the pink haired girl. She still had her forehead on the table. A slight nudge of concern made itself present in the back of Gaara's mind. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the table as he stared at the girl in front of him. Sensing a pair of eye on her, Sakura lifted up her head to examine the seafoam eyes not far from her face. For some reason, she didn't mind the close proximity.
Well, sitting in a parking lot crying in his arms for half an hour did kinda send messages saying she was somewhat comfortable with his presence. Feeling a blush creep onto her face, Sakura put her head back down and mumbled the first thing that came to her mind.
"You're a freak."
Gaara chuckled lightly. "I know."
"You're crazy, too."
"I'm also aware that."
"I can't believe I dumped my deepest darkest secret on someone like you."
Gaara remained silent. He didn't know what to say. He decided lightening the mood would be the best approach.
"That was you're deepest darkest secret?" he asked with a snort. "That's a relief. I was scared it might be something worse, like you were related to Sasuke or something." He let out an awkward chuckle.
A long silence followed.
Then Sakura lifted her head to glare at the redhead. "You really suck at this comfort thing."
It was Gaara's turned to hit his head against the table.
"I know," he sighed.
Sakura laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. As soon as her fingers touched the blood red strands, Sakura became entranced by how smooth and soft it was.
Not a trace of gel, she thought incredulously. How does he get it to stick up like the?
Sakura continued to run her hands through his hair, marveling at the luxurious downy feel of the red locks. A rough hand caught her wrist as her fingers unconsciously made their way to his neck. Frozen with fear, Sakura found herself staring into the light, but deep eyes of Gaara no Subaku. They were hooded and clouded with something Sakura could not pinpoint. More gently than Sakura thought was possible, Gaara pulled her hands out of his hair, never looking away from the emerald eyed girl.
"We should go." he murmured.
Sakura didn't want to leave. She really didn't. But she mutely nodded and stood up. Gaara did the same and turned to leave. However, instead of walking to the exit, he turned to contemplate the girl behind him. Sakura shifted nervously under his penetrating gaze. Slowly, Gaara's hand was extended towards her. Sakura stared in shock at the hand and then at Gaara. The redhead had a soft smile on his face and Sakura understood. It was a peace offering. A bond of friendship. Gaara was giving Sakura the chance to accept him for what he was and he vice versa. Gaara closed his eyes silently pleading for Sakura to take his hand.
She might be willing to give you a chance. But she can't do that if you don't let her in.
Skin as soft as ivory slipped into Gaara's rough hand. The redhead's eyes snapped open to see Sakura smiling at him. She gave his hand a light squeeze and stepped closer to him, their shoulders now touching.
You'll never be able to understand what he's been through. But at least you know now that he does have a good side.
Slowly, Sakura began to walk out of the coffee shop, Gaara following silently by her side. They both climbed onto the redhead's black motorcycle and while Gaara, started it up, Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist. She turned her head and rested it on his back, letting the muffled sound of his beating heart comfort her. It was at that point, Sakura didn't care what everyone else said about Gaara. From what she had seen, he was sweet and protective, even if a bit blunt and inconsiderate. As the motor revved and Gaara tore out of the parking lot, Sakura closed her eyes as she took in his warmth amused by a simple fact that had entered her mind.
After years of struggling to escape the pain of her past, Gaara managed to heal part of her fear in a single day.
. . .
Karin's eyes narrowed in disgust as she watched her two least favorite people leave the dump of the coffee shop she had spotted them in earlier. She threw down the menu that was hiding her face in relief when they finally walked back out through the doors and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly located one of her contacts and pressed speed dial. While the phone rang, Karin peered outside one of the shuttered windows. She smirked as she watched the pink haired bitch climb onto the back of the Subaku freak's bike.
"Hello?"
"Sasuke-sama!" Karin said cheerfully as her beloved's voice came on the line. There was a sigh on the other end.
"What do you want, Karin?"
"I know it's late," the girl said, watching the black motorcycle disappear into the night. She grinned wildly. "But you will not believe what I just saw!"
. . .
Handing Sakura her bag, Gaara closed the compartment on his bike and turned to look at the girl. She stood in front of him on the steps of her house, staring at the ground as she shifted from foot to foot. After a deep breath, she looked up.
"I had fun Gaara."
Not expecting this answer, Gaara looked up to glared at the sky to avoid her eyes. Sakura continued to stare him.
"Thanks for giving me a ride and taking me to that coffee shop."
Gaara nodded, still not looking at her.
"Gaara…"
Noticing the change in tone, Gaara glanced at Sakura. He inhaled sharply when he saw a tear slip down her face. He closed the short distance between them in an instant, thumb wiping away the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
"Bubblegum," he said frantically. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you—"
"Why couldn't you be with me when it happened?"
Gaara froze. Sakura leaned her forehead against the redhead's shoulder.
"If you had been there when it happened, I might not be as pathetic as I am today." she wept.
"Sakura," Gaara said firmly. "You are not pathetic. I don't know anybody else who could have gone through what you went through and remained this strong. Anybody else would have let their fear consume them. They would end up as sniveling cowards, afraid of life. But not you."
Gaara took Sakura's chin in one hand and forced her to look up at him. "You are trying to let go. And that is what makes you strong."
The two of them stood like that in silence for a moment. Then, Sakura wiped her tears from her eyes and hugged Gaara tightly.
"Maybe you don't suck at this comfort thing," she said as she released him. Gaara brushed himself off.
"Actually, I feel like one of those pretty boys from some random soap opera," he said making a face.
Sakura laughed. Gaara smiled at her. She really was very beautiful.
Sakura caught Gaara staring at her. "What?" she asked.
Gaara blinked slowly. "Do you think you'll ever get over this?"
Somewhat taken aback, Sakura stared. "Um, I hope so. Why?"
Gaara closed his eyes. "Because there is something I really want to do without scaring the shit out of you."
"And what's that?"
Gaara opened his eyes and gazed at her longingly.
"This," he said softly. He leaned forward, slowly closing the gap between them. Sakura's heart pounded wildly as she breathed in Gaara's scent. A pleasant mixture of cinnamon and chocolate. Their noses brushed and Gaara's upper lip met Sakura's, causing the pink haired girl's breath to hitch and her mouth to part allowing Gaara full access to claim her…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE—
Sakura groaned as she punched the alarm clock. After rubbing her eyes, she stared at the ceiling the remnants of her dream still lingering. She could still smell the chocolate and cinnamon. She could still feel the warmth of Gaara's lips. She could still see the want, passion and love in his eyes…
"FUCK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Go ahead and kill me. I deserve it.
I just don't see Gaara as one of those badboys that do drugs and pick fights. I think of him as more of that awkward kid every school has that just doesn't know how to be social. So why does everyone else think he's a violent, sadistic little bastard? Read the next exciting chapter to find out! Chapter 12: Getting Personal! Gaara's Desires Fears and Favorite Color!
Question time!
From Yakame Seika of the Wind
Shadow-San...I was ready to strip you of your skin and feed you to a pack of wolves...I was all Awww Gaara-kun...then I saw the end and I was all WTF and THEN I continued reading and forgave you...
Shadow: Trolololololololol… Love you too.
question to Neji ...how do you feel about being called creepy and part pig lol
Neji: *twitch*
Tenten: Oh shit.
Neji: I AM NOT CREEPY NOR AM I PART ANYTHING BUT AMAZING! YOU SAY SUCH HATEFUL THINGS BECAUSE YOU ARE JEALOUS OF MY DAZZLING APEARANCE AND MY EXTRODINARY LOVELINESS AND SLENDOR! NOT TO MENTION THAT I AM DIVINE AND EXQUISITE AND STUNNING AND VIBRANT AND ATTRACTIVE AND—
SMACK!
Shadow: *twirls frying pan* Frying pans! Who knew right?
Sasuke-you are not God Itachi is awesome and you suck get a life sometimes I wish to castrate you
Sasuke: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?
Gaara just for you (hands you large plate of streaming hot cookies) for making me wish I had one of you...share with shadow-San
Gaara: Cookies… *drools*
Shadow: That's a thank you, Yakame-San!
*steals cookies*
Shadow: Run away!
Gaara: RAWR!
Sakura...you lucky slutbag...jkjk..
Sakura: O.o … okay….
From akatsukisweetheart34
ask sasuke how it feels to be gay!
Sasuke: I refuse to answer these questions anymore.
Shadow: He says its great but he's super depressed he got rejected by Naruto, Kakashi, Suigetsu, Juugo, Orochimaru, and Itachi.
Sasuke: WHAT. THE. FUCK!?
From akatsukiblossom597
ask itachi what he does to his hair
Itachi: Nothing. It's completely natural.
Shadow: Bullshit.
Kisame: No its true! I showered with him once and he seriously just walked in and out with it looking like that!
*cricket chrips*
Shadow: Awkward…
Well, that's all for now! I will update this week! Probably tomorrow if I have time.
So until then!
Veni, Vidi, Vici…
Shadow