SUMMARY

Gaara has a stalker and Ino discovers herself. Also, Sasuke's sexuality is questioned :)

Perhaps there was a 'weird people attracting pheromone' on Gaara's body. It wouldn't be so farfetched of a theory because this was the third time in a row a weird person would insist he must become their friend.

First it was Naruto. But Naruto was a special friend because he opened his eyes to the light of friendship and was the first to draw close to him and actually see him for the fragile boy he was despite his extremely rough exterior back then.

Then it was Lee, whom Gaara could not and was not even foolish enough to try to understand. He pulled the dude's arm out of its socket and stomped on his leg till it broke... Yet Lee still wanted and insisted that they be friends immediately after he was pushed to apologise. His forgiving spirit was scary.

At least the other two had valid reasons for insisting and badgering him to become their friend. This person had no reason whatsoever for disturbing him pointlessly and grating on his weary nerves that they be friends.

To put it simply, Gaara was exasperated. Not enough to actually go all Red Devil again but just right to turn him into a paranoid freak with mild anxiety disorder. He became a meerkat in the span of five days, a feat that nobody had ever achieved on Gaara aka the emotionless killing machine.

Before he knew it, the redhead was peering cautiously into hallways and checking his back dime a dozen times for his peculiar stalker. He was turning crazy at this point. And, his observation was correct. This turned out to be his worst nightmare.

"Gaara!"

"Shit." Upon hearing the voice, Gaara started speed walking but unfortunately for him his P.E skills still sucked so he was caught. It wasn't helping that his stalker was a literal female Naruto.

"Gaara! Don't run from me-su!" The green haired girl who had come to block his path by standing with her arms and legs wide like a starfish, whined and Gaara sneered.

"A smarter person would take it as a rejection."

Fuu had a thick skin to rude words though, so she just stood akimbo and gave a huff. "Why won't you be my friend? I want to have a hundred friends and I want you to be one of them! Why won't you be my friend-su?!"

"For starters you make me talk more than I normally do, you're touchy feely and I detest touchy feely-ness and I generally don't like people. So get lost!"

Gaara wanted to leave but Fuu was not letting up. She blocked his path again. "That's okay! I can talk lots for the two of us and I swear I won't touch you, so please please let's be friends?" Fuu begged desperately.

"Are you stupid?" Gaara deadpanned. "I. Don't. Want. To. Be. Friends!"

Fuu's gasp is scandalised as Gaara brushes past her still body. The redhead is sadistically pleased with himself for the audible heartbreak he's caused. That'll do the trick. She would loathe him for the rest of her life and never approach him again.

Gaara doesn't get far because something hard collides with his head. A less than manly yelp that Gaara would later bury himself in a sand coffin for in his room is released from his mouth before he can stop it.

"ACK!"

Dangerous green eyes turn to glare harshly at the culprit that collided with his head— a shoe— and its owner. Fuu is angrily pouting and Gaara is miffed to find out that he thinks it is cute. See why he needs to avoid her?! Since when did he think anything was cute?!

"Meanie."

"What?"

"You're mean! I hate you-su!" Fuu stomps away with one shoe on one foot.

Gaara watched her go. He surprisingly became somber at her declaration which he didn't understand. He wanted her to hate him! It was his goal all along! Now she did and he didn't feel as accomplished as he thought he would be. Why?!

Gaara pulled his ruly hair in frustration, regretting that immediately when he pulls on a head bump, and picked up Fuu's shoe. He examined the shoe just to be sure it's not wood instead of leather— the shit hurt!

Groaning when he realised that he had to return the shoe to Fuu and apologize for being a jerk, Gaara set off in the direction the dark girl left. It was a heinous task searching for her and by the time he found her he was already exhausted from walking around the big school.

Fuu was in the school's art gallery when he found her. Her topaz eyes glanced briefly at him when he came in and went back to the art piece she was looking at. Her complete disregard for his presence affected Gaara than he expected it to but he composed himself.

He threw her shoe to her. It landed by her feet. "Protect your feet, it's getting colder."

Fuu only huffed defiantly and turned her head so that he was completely out of her vision range. That annoyed Gaara for an unexplainable reason. After disturbing his peace for five whole days she suddenly gives him silent treatment?! Why did he care?!

Gaara wants to leave the gallery but he can't for another unexplainable reason. He doesn't actually want Fuu looking at him like he murdered her puppy in cold blood, Gaara comes to realise moments later while standing there in silence.

Dammit. Everyone was bound to regret their life choices at one point in time but Gaara could see himself regretting this decision everyday of his life.

"Fine."

His voice, raspy and deep, carried across the big gallery to Fuu whose head perked up a second after. The mood change was frightening but it was too late to take his words back. The dark girl rushed over to him, topaz eyes shining and smile as big as the sun.

"REALLY?! Really? Really? Really?! I can be your friend?!" She asks excitedly. Gaara is already weary but he's the one that got himself into the predicament so he has no choice.

"Yes. You are legally allowed to wear me till I'm bones and skin." He says forlornly and Fuu laughs. It's a rich sound that Gaara has never heard directed to him before. His heart does something funny. He doesn't know what.

"YAHOO! I'VE MADE A FRIEND!" Fuu yells in glee and dances around Gaara in a funny way. It brings colour to his pale cheeks but her happiness is strangely satisfying. "We'd have so much fun together! You'd be my model and I'd be able to take cool pictures that'll make it inside this gallery! Then we'll..."

As Fuu continues to prattle on about the wholesome fun the both of them would ''have'' together, note the air quotes, Gaara begins to realise in horror that his speculation about her was correct. She is his worst nightmare.

Xxx melody xxX

The story line Sasuke and Ino chose for their dance exhibition was surprisingly Ino's idea. It was surprising because the platinum blond didn't think Sasuke would actually listen to her not to mention think that her idea was nice.

It wasn't her fault for thinking that way. After years upon years and times without number of getting rudely rejected by Sasuke she had gotten quite used to him being cold and had unconsciously generalised him as one.

Sasuke was shockingly warm and caring. He might be blunt, snarky and rude at times but underneath there was a soft interior that the raven never showed normally. He was everything she wanted in a man, handsome and caring, but it surprised her to note that her feelings for him weren't growing.

Huh.

They really weren't.

It took her a while to realise it but Sasuke is like a piece of rare jewelry or something else beautiful. It is so expensive but you want it because it is rare. So you work hard and save up for it till you finally get it. When you do you're happy and you wear it with pride. People admire you and are jealous of you for owning it.

But then, its now yours. Everybody's attention is off of it. It gets overused. It doesn't feel like that beautiful rare jewelry you used to admire anymore. So you keep it in a glass case and go for another thing. It eventually becomes forgotten.

Seeing Sasuke afar off, he was like an untouchable god that Ino could only dream of conversing with not to even mention having as a boyfriend. When Kakashi paired her up with him she was so excited at the opportunity to get closer.

The first few days of practice together was like a dream. She could revel in Sakura's jealous face and taunt Karin for giving up on Sasuke. Yes, it was unbelievable but Karin suddenly stopped obsessing over him.

As time went on and she knew more about Sasuke, Ino realised that she didn't feel any different around him than how she felt around Shikamaru or Choji. She'd dreamt of him touching her a million times but now that he did when they danced, it felt...normal.

Did she just imagine butterflies in her daydreams of her being together with Sasuke?

Yes. Yes she did.

The mere thought made Ino humiliated about her previous lovesick obsessive action towards Sasuke. How did she even think he would come to like her when she was a smothering, clingy and whiny spoilt princess?

Maybe Karin had the same wake up call. Perhaps that is why she left Sakura and Ino to their infantile obsession. Boy was she glad she came to a realisation sooner. Sasuke was less cold to her once she stopped being a fangirl.

It was pointless getting jealous of Hinata and Tenten when Sasuke talked to them because she could now see the reason why he spoke with them. Not to, with. They didn't behave like desperate girls who only wanted to be Sasuke's friends because of how cool it would make them look.

She must've come off that way huh? So much to the point that Sai pointedly stared at her for three solid minutes and blurted, "You've been behaving less like a bimbo lately."

Thinking about that moment now, Ino could only laugh at Sai's words. His blunt observation hit the nail on the head. She loved her new self. It wasn't dependent on the fantasy love of a boy who was not even the least interested.

"Come back to earth." Sasuke's voice snaps her out of her reverie and Ino startles. She grins at him despite knowing that he's less than pleased with her spacing out.

"Say Sasuke-kun, I'm curious about something." She didn't think she could hold a normal conversation with Sasuke before but here she was, talking to him like she would Kiba or Shikamaru.

"What is it?" Sasuke grumbled.

"You're into girls, right?"

Her question makes Sasuke pause like he's never considered the topic himself. There was a long moment of silence before Sasuke spoke. "Why are you asking?"

"Just...I've never really seen you showing interest I guess." Ino shrugged.

"Hn." Sasuke gave his signature Uchiha grunt. Ino thought he would leave it at that but then he continued. "I'm not the kind of person to have a particular 'type' or find anybody particularly attractive. I form relationships based on how well I get along with and know that person. I don't know if this applies to the romantic sense or if there's a name for this sexuality but for now, I'd identify as asexual. I'm not attracted to anybody."

"Wow. That's enlightening." Ino mused. To think that she had been grasping at literal straws.

"Hn." Sasuke grunts again. "Fun's over, now let's start dancing."

Ino mock saluted. "Hai, fukutaichou!" And got into her dance position.

She had mentioned this before but Ino did love her new self very much.

Sakura and Ino's inevitable fall out is coming up next chapter. Don't miss it!