Keep expecting slow updates, school had been a nightmare. I think it shows in my writing, trying to type this, it felt so forced. I'm sorry about that.

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Temari ate quickly and soon finished, dully dragging her fork through the puddles of syrup as she eyed Gaara and Sakura. She wanted to ask about their relationship. But she wanted to ask Gaara alone.

Her chance came when Sakura finished her breakfast and excused herself to take a shower. Temari watched her leave, then rounded on Gaara, who was still eating.

"Gaara."

His eyes flicked to her.

"You still haven't told me h—"

"Because, as I told you, we don't know ourselves. The attacks seem to be random."

That's not what I'm talking about. I mean your girlfriend. When did that happen?"

Gaara almost choked on his drink. "Excuse me?" he hissed, eyes mere slits as he glared at her.

Temari stared at him, smirking now. "Gaara, you can't obviously believe that I wouldn't notice that you were cuddling with a girl when I arrived."

"I was not cuddling," he spat. "I do not cuddle, the mere thought is ridiculous. Don't be stupid, Temari."

"Oh?" Temari raised an eyebrow, seeing a very rare chance to make her brother uncomfortable just around the corner. "Then what do you call what you two were doing?"

"She was cuddling against me. Not with me. There's a difference," he said sharply, looking away, deciding that was the end of the conversation.

Temari wasn't having any of it, and snorted. "Gaara, I know you can't possibly think I'll drop this. It's obvious you two are together, and denying it won't work. So tell me why she was cuddling with you."

"She was cold," he said shortly.

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know."

"So then answer the question."

"I did."

"Give me the answer I want."

"How could I possibly know what it is you want me to say?" he asked, scowling.

"Don't get smart, Gaara."

"Don't be stupid, Temari."

Temari scowled right back. She didn't know how much time she had left before Sakura got out of the shower. But she knew the mood that Gaara was going into, he wouldn't say anything to her for a while. But she also knew how to get him out of it. Be blunt.

"How many times have you two had sex?"

Gaara snapped around, eyes crackling, hand nearly shattering the glass in his hand. Temari only smirked at him.

"And just why do you want to know?" Gaara snapped quietly, struggling to keep control of himself.

"Just curious," she chirped, cocking her head and smiling coldly. "I need to tell our brother all about this, and I want to have my facts straight."

"There is absolutely nothing going on between us."

"Oh please. Gaara, I saw you two last night. I know that you're not telling me the truth. I bet that if I had come around an hour earlier, I would have come at a very private moment containing two certain some-ones doing a very intimate something."

"Temari, you don't know what you're talking about!"

She smirked. She had gotten him to raise his voice. "Gaara, do you want me to get detailed? Alright, fine, I will. I bet that I would have walked in while you were rolling around in the sheets, that little girlfriend of yours panting and sweaty—"

"Enough." Gaara hands curled into fists. He did not need that mental picture, never mind being feed it by his sister. "For your information, we have not had sex, we have not kissed, we have not so much as hugged. Nor have we expressed any such feelings that would lead one to believe that we want to any of those things. Got it?"

Temari stared at him. "You're lying."

"Want a bet?"

"I've seen the way you look at her!"

"What does that have to do with any of this?" Gaara snapped, suddenly on defensive. Had he been watching her with lust without realizing it?

"Gaara, I am not stupid. The look in your eyes when you look at her is the same way a lover looks at his woman."

"Sakura is not my woman."

"Maybe not, but you want her to be. Gaara, I come here, and find you sleeping peacefully, looking completely at ease, with a girl curled right up next to you. You had your arm around her, and she had her arms around you. Never mind the fact that literally sleeping together is only something people who have feelings for each other do, you would never do that before, no matter who it was. You wouldn't let anyone that close to you, ever."

Gaara glared at her. She was only telling him things he already knew and had thought about.

Temari continued. "Gaara, I know these things. Don't kid yourself."

"I'm not!" Gaara finally yelled, just wanting to shut her up. "Of course I know I want her, Temari. I want her all for myself, but that doesn't mean I have to do anything about it!"

Temari blinked, having not expected his sudden acceptance. "Wait…'that doesn't mean I have to do anything about it'? Gaara, what the hell do you mean?"

"What do you think? I'm not going to do anything about it, because I don't want to want her. I hate it. I don't like the thought of me attracted to someone."

"Why not?"

"Because feelings like that leave people weak. They will always have that one damn weak spot. And if I leave those damned feelings alone, I won't have that."

"You're denying yourself your feelings so you can be strong?" Temari demanded. "Gaara, that isn't right!"

"Screw what's right, Temari. Since when have I ever cared about what's right?"

"Gaara, feelings don't have to make you weak. They can make you strong, too!"

"Oh, don't give me that crap." Gaara glared at her.

"It isn't crap, Gaara! And you may not care about what's right, but at least I know you care about her! You protected her Gaara, and you've watched over her. I can see it in your eyes Gaara, you won't let anything bad happen to her."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you can't help it Gaara. Ignoring those feelings is just about impossible, isn't it? How many times have you reacted, have you saved her from getting hurt without so much as thinking about it?" Temari watched him, knowing that she had hit it on the head. "It's because you want to, Gaara. And denying it will get you no where, it's not healthy. You'll only end up hurting yourself and maybe her too."

"No, Temari, you've got it backwards. I'll hurt her. She won't have a clue why, and she doesn't deserve it. Even I won't do that to her."

"What do you mean, 'even I'? Gaara, you aren't that bad of a person. You're not the kid you were before. You've changed, and for the better." Temari's voice was soft.

"Drop it!" Gaara snapped, fists clenching.

"Gaara—

"Temari, I mean it," he said quietly in a voice of ice. Gaara gritted his teeth. His temper was slipping out of the very tips of his fingers, and a stand off between him and his sister wouldn't be pretty.

"Alright," Temari said quietly. She could see he was at his breaking point. She stood and picked up her fan, which was leaning against the couch. "Don't be surprised if I show up again, I'll probably be assigned to bring you back."

As she reached the door, she paused. "Give Sakura my goodbye, alright?" Then she left.

Gaara stared at the door a while after she had left, feeling unsure with his sister's sudden departure. He unclenched his fists and ran a hand through his hair.

"Gaara?"

He whipped around, nearly falling out of his chair. He had forgotten about Sakura. She stood in front of him, dressed in her everyday clothes with her hair dripping onto her shoulders. His stomach made an uncomfortable twisting motion when he realized that he and his sister had been yelling quite loud, she could have heard the argument.

"What?" he asked tightly, keeping his face impassive.

"Where's Temari? I heard the two of you yelling, is everything alright?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Everything's fine. She just left."

"Are you sure? I've never heard you yell so loud. Well, I couldn't really hear what you were yelling about, but still. What happened?"

"Nothing, Sakura. Don't worry about it," he muttered, a feeling of relief washing over him.

"Alright…" she said a little unsurely. She hadn't really been expecting him to tell her what had gotten him upset, but she still wanted to know. Deciding to ask later, Sakura moved to the counter and started to put the dishes in the sink. Gaara slumped over the couch and listened to the plates clink together. He realized that Sakura must have cleaned a mountain of plates and made dozens of meals since he had "moved in". That stuck him as a little surprising; Sakura didn't look like the homemaker type.

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine Sakura as a stay at home mom. It didn't really fit, imagining her staying home taking care of a baby. Going to formal parties like the kinds that the civilians held, in a little black dress chatting with other women, drinking wine, it just struck him as odd. Well, not the little black dress part, that fit perfectly. Maybe with her hair tied back, dangly earrings that drew attention to her neck, her lips painted red…

"Gaara?"

He quickly opened his eyes and saw Sakura looking at him.

"You have a nosebleed," she informed him.

Gaara blinked and put a hand to his face, and pulled it away, seeing bright red blood on his two fingers.

"Here," Sakura murmured, and kneeled onto the couch, pulling out a handkerchief. Gaara stiffened, apparently she hadn't realized that her action had caused her to move her knee between his legs, nearly brushing a certain sensitive area. She made quick work of the blood, but didn't move from her position and studied his face. "Gaara? Are you alright? You're face is all red."

Gaara clenched his teeth. She was much too close to his lap right now, and she moved any closer, she would quickly be informed about his attraction.

She didn't notice his confliction and cocked her head. "Do you have a fever?" she asked, and without thinking put a hand to his forehead. She paused for a moment, then moved it to his cheek.

Gaara closed his eyes. Screw this.

He flipped Sakura, earning a confused yelp from her, and crushed his mouth to hers. Sakura froze and Gaara fisted his hand in her hair, ran his lips hungrily over her unresponsive lips, then bit them swiftly. His free hand slid up her body to cup her breast, and moved his mouth down, to her jaw. Without thinking about it, he caressed the skin under his hand with his thumb and moved his lips to her neck. He paused there, panting against her skin, suddenly registering that all his attempts of seclusion had just been blown to bits, and non too subtly.

"Gaara…?" Sakura asked, her voice scared and shrill, yet quiet. "What…?"

He pushed himself up quickly, not looking her in the eye. He didn't need to look at her to know that she was staring at him with those big, green trusting eyes of hers. He didn't want to see them with fear, betrayal, pain, or disgust. He snapped hoarsely, "This is you're fault!"

Sakura didn't respond, she didn't understand. She didn't know if she wanted to either. She was shocked at what he had done, and this sudden change in mood confused her even more. Was he angry at her, or himself?

"If you hadn't gotten bound to me, then none of this would have happened!" Gaara stated loudly, looking at his knee, his face conflicted. "If you had just stayed away, I wouldn't be doing this. If you had been like everyone else, I wouldn't have gotten attached. If you hadn't been so kind, so understanding, so different, I wouldn't be feeling this!" he accused her. "If you hadn't been so damn trusting—!"He finally looked at her eyes, which were watching him as a child that was being punished but didn't understand why. "Why did you have to trust me!? What the hell gave you the right to trust me?"

Sakura looked up at him. Gaara couldn't describe the emotion on her face, but he didn't like it and quickly looked away again, chest heaving with his outburst, face scrunched up. His jaw was clenched to the point of cracking his teeth, and his hands were balled into fists on either side of her head.

Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it. She flicked her glance down, then back up at Gaara. How was she supposed to respond to that? And should she, after what he had just done?

A moment passed, and then Sakura tried again. She managed to work her tongue enough to say, "Gaara," but the rest was cut off when he had flinched and jumped to his feet, stalking away. Sakura had just enough time to sit up and see his back before the bathroom door was slammed closed.

Only one word was occupying her mind at the moment.

What?

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I'm expecting flames on this one. I had so much trouble writing this chapter because working out what their reactions would be was so difficult. I like Gaara's reaction, but I hate the way I wrote Sakura. No matter what reaction I tried, it just didn't fit. I had to re-write this chapter about three times because of the kissing scene. Please, if you didn't like it, I won't mind you saying so. I want you to, so I can learn.