Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It hasn't changed.
Human Nature: Side Stories
By: TailFear
Sands, Sweets, and Cotton Candy Hair
Sakura had been surprised when she had first been ambushed by Gaara's sand on that first day. She'd been surprised yet again when he'd shown up to training with Naruto later on the same day, then kept showing up afterwards. She was continually surprised by his restraint, by his icy demeanor, by his acceptance of Naruto (really, it was more tolerance than anything else), by his insanity, and by his carefully hidden passions. To sum it all up, she was surprised by him.
In the beginning she hadn't really expected Gaara to function on a ream that didn't consist only of himself. But there he was, working so fluidly with Naruto that they were almost of one mind, and the two of them working with her as well once their partnership had been firmly cemented into place. They would train as a team, Sakura on nin and taijutsus, Naruto on stealth (surprise, surprise), and Gaara on close range combat. Sakura never would have thought that she would end up throwing rocks at Gaara's head in order to get him to dodge instead of just swamping her with sand (which he occasionally did anyway -but at least it didn't smell anymore).
The first time she'd seen him collapse, clutching his head in agony as sand violently swirled around his form, she'd seen something that she'd never seen before, she'd seen him in genuine pain. It had never occurred to her that having a demon sealed inside his body could hurt him (especially since Naruto didn't outwardly seem to mind his, and she'd just attributed Gaara clutching at his head to him being more than slightly insane at the chuunin exams). She had tried to rush to him in some futile attempt to calm him down, only to be bowled backwards head over heels as his sand swung out to smack her away. Naruto had suddenly appeared in front of her, stopping the next wave of sand heading in her direction before heading for the eye of the storm.
When the flying sand finally calmed, she got up from the ground, brushing dirt and sand from her hair and clothes as she approached her teammates. Naruto had managed to punch the other boy square in the face, effectively pulling the possessed boy out of his psychosis long enough for the red head to regain control of his body. Her green eyes watched with fascination as Naruto ran his fingers through Gaara's rust-colored locks, seemingly calming the red head down as Naruto's fingers gently ran over his scalp.
Naruto had looked up and smiled at her, beckoning her forward with his free hand. She had been nervous as she approached, unsure of Gaara's stability. The blond then reached out and grabbed one of her hands, pulling her close enough to him that she had to crouch down to keep her balance beside him.
"He likes it."
Naruto's words, in their slightly unnerving way, caused her to blink as Naruto, who still had control of her hand, submerged her fingers into Gaara's hair. The red strands were surprisingly soft, making her blink as she ran her fingers through the silky substance of her own accord.
"It's so soft."
Her nearly breathless whisper was enough to snap one of Gaara's light green eyes open. Sakura startled and would have jumped back had Naruto not kept a firm grip on her shoulder.
"Calm down you lunatic, she won't hurt you."
And Gaara closed his eyes and allowed Sakura to continue to run her fingers through his hair while Naruto just smiled and watched.
Sakura had also been surprised to find that Gaara had kept a cache of candy squirreled away. The coffee she hadn't been surprised by, but she hadn't expected to find a good-sized bag of candy stashed away in the vegetable drawer (the only place Naruto wouldn't look). When she'd pulled the bag out with a puzzled expression Gaara, who had been in the small kitchen at the same time doing who knows what, had been quick to snatch it away with a glare that made Sakura cringe. From then on she'd had fun finding and moving his stash, sometimes leaving him a note, sometimes just eating some of it, just to drive the red head nuts (but not too nuts).
Slowly their lives were falling in place around each other, like pieces fitting into a puzzle, with blond and red first, then adding pink into their group. Sakura had never thought that she would end up working with two of the most insanely powerful (and insanely stupid, depending on the moment) individuals she and most other people had ever met. And yet, she was happy as she walked down the street, casually teasing Naruto as she kept a hold on Gaara's arm, working on the team's newest project which was to help Gaara with physical contact. A smile graced her face as she looked at her two teammates. There wasn't anywhere else in the world that she'd rather be.
TBC…
All right, so these drabbles are to help me brainstorm as well as to give ideas about the story. I know that everyone wants an update in Human Nature, but these are a little easier to produce (especially since I can write them in school…class? What class?). Don't worry though, the next chapter is in progress and it will be a big on with two big ones following. My beta has also been sick, so it may take a little past this coming weekend, so expect an update around the beginning of March.
Thanks to Alicia, Sabaku no Kawaii, and Lady-Frisselle for your reviews….I'll update the real thing here shortly, I promise.