Hate Me

A Naruto fan-fiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Keloid Epilogue

She sat in her window seat, leaning against the pane of the open window. The seat was below the windowpane, so she wouldn't fall. The moon was full, and the sky dotted in stars. A warm, gentle wind blew in, caressing her pink locks and slightly darker skin.

It was spring. And not just any spring…the spring he should return. Sakura had waited by her window last year as well; hoping the word 'second' in his good-bye letter had been a mistake. Although, Gaara wasn't one to make mistakes; he was very cautious about everything but his own life.

Everyone had moved on, forgotten the year before, when Sakura had lost all remembrance of an event that had some how changed everything. They hadn't remembered it at least every other day, mostly every day. Everyone had forgotten.

Except Sakura.

Her training room was still waiting for him, the sheets clean, the bed down and the weights and kunai put in their proper places. The tattoo still resided next to her hipbone, and she still had the clothes he had left at her house. She had washed them and laid them on his bed in a pile so he could change when he got home.

Life hadn't changed that much. Tsunade ended up making two ANBU teams, since Naruto and Sasuke couldn't stop fighting over a captain position. Kakashi was becoming that wise, weird old man you went to for answers. Iruka still went with Naruto to the ramen bar, and Sakura went grocery shopping with Naruto every Tuesday morning.

Ino was openly dating Shikamaru, always ready to brag about how wonderful he was to her.

Naruto blew off Sakura for the first time in his life to go fishing with Hinata. Sadly, he and Kiba ended up being hospitalized after a particularly bloody fight.

Sasuke was gone most of the time. But one night, he came by her apartment "because I haven't seen you in a while". Although she wondered if this was the truth, she had learned long before to not get too excited. There fore, she relaxed, just enjoying the company of her old teammate. Having him around was a treat in itself.

Tonight wasn't special, and since it was already the fourth week of spring, Sakura had little hope left. But she would wait until summer was upon them before anything.

She snuggled up to the window, holding her cup of green tea in hand.

Her brows furrowed as they drifted to some place else.

It was true, she hadn't forgotten Gaara's short stay, or the affect he had had upon the lives around him. She was glad to be alive, and glad he was out doing what he needed to do, whatever that was. She hoped that when he did come home, he would tell her, and she would finally understand the sporadic, insomniac, insane mind of Gaara of the sand. It would certainly be…a journey, a very interesting journey, that much was for sure.

She wanted to know so much! She wanted to know if her mark was the same as the one on his head, or had some connection to how they both got it. Was she safe? She had forgotten everything after seeing Gaara's eyes; so what had happened after? She knew something had happened…

"What're you thinking about?"

Sakura's eyes blew open, and she looked behind her.

Speak of the devil!

Gaara stood in front of her, and much to her surprise, there was a scar upon his cheek. She had never seen him have a scar before!

"Gaara!" She exclaimed, and stood, "Wh-what are you doing? Where have you been? I mean-"

Gaara's head cocked to the side, and he smirked. "We've never been very good at talking over green tea. How about water, or just plain tea?"

Sakura smiled warmly. So he did have some humane part of him after all; although, she could still sense the crazed air about him.

"Sounds great." She replied, "How about you drop your gourd by the door?"

She walked up to Gaara, and looked him up and down. His clothes were ripped and dirty!

"I left all my things here." He told her, since he had noticed her looking.

"Well, there's a fresh set on your bed." She answered. She walked past him, and he turned to watch her walk into the kitchen, her back facing him.

"And I'll get that pot of tea going while you change."

Gaara just nodded, and disappeared into his room. His room.

This was truly a revelation.

Maybe things would change. Maybe things would get better…a lot better. Maybe he would be able to deal with his demons better here. Konoha was a quiet, peaceful place…or it was the most peaceful place he'd ever been. It had a serene, liveliness about it.

Maybe things would mend themselves.

Maybe all of his scars, just like the wounds from the psychic, would heal.

Keloid tissue was the least of his worries, after all.