Wow, you all are good reviewers… Anyway, since you all reviewed like good little readers, I will now post my 7th chapter. A lot of you actually want it to work out between Gaara and Sakura… maybe I'll consider it, but no more threatening my gerbils with hungry kittens…you know who you are (cough, cough, KageOni1). To these threats Grandma Sniffles only says "Bring it on!" Anyways, before I ramble…again here's chapter 7.

PS. I will try to make this chapter longer at the demand of those who hold the ultimate power…the reviewers!

Gaara's Therapy

Chapter 7: Does Music Tame the Savage Beast?

Gaara walked back to Shikamaru's office yet again after a week of stalking his love interest, Sakura. He knew he should have stopped going to Shikamaru for therapy, and now he was stuck liking a girl. Shukaku shuddered at the thought; it was too disgusting for even him considering how he still thought girls were ookie (Dictionary: Ookie- disgusting, gross, and all around icky; or the way boys feel about girls during the 'cootie' stage). Gaara walked in, too busy thinking about Sakura to notice the voices coming from the office.

"I like him, but he doesn't seem to notice me at all. It's like, everywhere I go there he is. He's so cool and I really want him to like me…" Gaara heard the girl talking. He realized with surprise that it was Sakura who must also be one of Shikamaru's patients.

"Well, maybe you should stop hinting and ask him out," Shikamaru advised.

"Oh, I could never do that. What if he rejected me?" Sakura answered nervously.

"I see. Well you try to get a little more confidence and ask this guy to go out with you, but until then our time is up," Shikamaru said certain she was talking about Sasuke though both he and Gaara were wrong with that assumption.

Sakura got up to leave and only then did Gaara realize he had to leave or be suspected of eavesdropping. He silently edged up the stairs and shut the basement/office door. By the time Sakura got upstairs, Gaara was waiting coolly by the door. They nodded to acknowledge each other and then Gaara headed downstairs and sat on the patient's couch.

Shikamaru said good afternoon to Gaara, and then Gaara told him how his treatment with Sakura had gone leaving out of course the crush/stalking part of the story. Shikamaru looked up.

"Hmmm, it seems to me that Shukaku is messing up your social life… We need to find a way to mellow this demon of yours," Shikamaru was thinking aloud.

Shikamaru thought and thought and thought for three hours and just when Gaara was about to leave, he got a great idea.

"Gaara! You know that old saying; 'Music tames the savage beast'? Well, maybe it'll work with Shukaku and he'll chill out! That's it! Gaara, your next treatment is to listen to a lot of music and learn to play an instrument," Shikamaru said this all in one breath until he looked quite blue.

Gaara walked out of Shikamaru's office and straight into the music store which randomly popped up in Konoha next to the coffee shop. He was somehow mysteriously drawn to the section with electric guitars and amps (Grandma Sniffles: "Hahahahaha! Gaara's a punk rocker! Maybe he could join my band; I've been looking for someone who won't be disturbed to play with an evil gerbil that lives in someone's head, and that Shukaku is really sexy…") Gaara quickly found the perfect electric guitar. It was signed by Metallica and had the name of one of their songs (one of Gaara's personal favorites) Sandman on it. All in all, it was a sweet instrument. (I am drooling over this guitar that has come from my head…I WANT it!) Gaara used the money he had gotten from the wallets of people he squished to buy an amp, the guitar, and a guitar book of cool songs (Sandman included) and headed home.

He quickly went up to his room and played that guitar hard. But like most first time players, he sucked…bad. Temari and Kankurou came upstairs and threatened to get him a flute if he didn't quiet down, so he turned down the volume on the amp a few notches and continued playing. But after an hour of playing, he wasn't any better and had to admit he was bad.

"Go on and say it, Shukaku," Gaara said. "I suck and I know it. I probably should have tried to read the guitar book on how to play well before I started playing."

There was no reply from Shukaku.

"Shukaku? Shukaku?" Gaara started to freak out. Not hearing criticism from Shukaku was disturbing.

'Zzzzzzzzzzzz' Shukaku said.

He was sleeping. And after Gaara had made all that noise too. Suddenly, Gaara realized Shikamaru had finally been right about the treatment. Music really did tame Shukaku! He had to tell Shikamaru about this right away! Gaara got up excitedly and ran out of his room. He quickly explained about music taming Shukaku to Kankurou and Temari and after Kankurou's sarcastic comment of "You call that racket music? I'd hate to see what you considered bad" they quickly followed Gaara out of the house and to Shikamaru's office to tell him the good news about Gaara's progress.

That's the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Oh, and if anyone knows where I can get a nice guitar like Gaara's that came out of my head, please tell me where (not like I have any cash, but I can drop some hints to the right people while being my subtly manipulative self and I might get a "surprise"). Anyway, it's time for the usual questions at the end of the chapter tune in next week type thingy so here are the questions: What will Shikamaru say when he finds he was actually right? Will Sakura and Gaara find happiness? Will Akamaru and Spike ever return? Will Shukaku ever wake up/is he in a permanent coma or something? Will Gaara and Shukaku join Grandma Sniffles's band? And most importantly: What will this girl with too much time on her hands do when the fast-approaching end of this story comes along? Bubbyes till next chapter.

PS. FYI, this is the second to last chapter so you's had all best enjoy it. I really don't want to end my first story, but otherwise it'll go on and on and start to drag. I want to end my story while it's still popular and besides, there may be a sequel (hint, hint, hint)