Fourth Encounter

What do you do when someone comes into your life and changes the way you lived it, if only for a few days? You get on with your life. Life goes on, even if it's only a twisted farce of a life.

Gaara had moved on. He had grown bored with living alone in the desert so he had moved back to a populated area and worked as a mercenary and now he was growing bored with that.

Gaara sat on a chair in an otherwise empty room and considered what to do next. He could always go on a killing spree but that no longer appealed to him as much as it used to. He had better control of his demon now.

It was the girl, Sakura, who had gotten rid of his boredom in the first place; maybe she could do so again. Yes, he should pay her a little visit and thank her for the bracelet, his girlfriend had loved it. He smirked at his own joke.

And if he was still bored he could always kill her.

Sakura hummed as she closed shop for the night. On the way home she stopped to buy fresh vegetables and fruit. Sasuke and Naruto were away on a mission and Ino was going out with her boyfriend, so she would be eating alone tonight.

Every night almost she came home to an empty house. Sometimes it was so depressing, 'I should get a pet,' Sakura thought.

Still humming softly she set out her food and started cooking her meal. She had the water boiling when the front door creaked. Any of her friends would have called out hello when they entered so Sakura approached the door carefully. She couldn't see anyone in the front room so she closed the door, making a mental note to fix the door soon.

"Your house isn't very nice. Maybe I shouldn't have come."

Before any thought registered in her mind, Sakura had thrown two kunai knives at the source of the voice and jumped to a window with two more knives in her hands.

Gaara easily deflected the knives and Sakura watched them clatter to the floor with a sinking heart.

"What are you doing here Gaara?" she asked, trying to seem relaxed, but her voice squeaked tellingly.

He had gone back to inspecting her furniture but he looked back at her to speak, "Visiting."

'Visiting? Why didn't he tell me ahead of time or knock or warn me or ARG!' Sakura was seriously peeved, but she stepped away from the window and tried to appear calm. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Yes." He replied.

Sakura was about to answer back but she heard a sizzling noise from the kitchen. "Ah crap." She hurried to the kitchen to take the noodles off the flames. "Would you like dinner then?" she heard herself ask and mentally stabbed herself with a giant fork. What was wrong with her, asking Gaara to have supper with her? Was she really that lonely and pathetic?

Well, Gaara had helped her in the desert years ago, and she always made too much food anyway. 'As if that's a good reason to invite a psycho to dine with you.' Sakura told her mind to shut up as Gaara sat at the table, staying apparently.

"So… what brings to you Konoha?" she asked as she set a plate in front of him.

"Boredom." He sat and stared at the food as if it was about to jump off the plate and attack him.

Sakura dug into her own plate. It wasn't anything fancy, she couldn't afford fancy food, but food just tasted so good when she made it herself. Food tasted good period. "It's not poisoned." She assured Gaara.

"I'm immune to poisons."

Sakura glared at Gaara, "My cooking isn't bad if that's what you're worried about."

Gaara watched Sakura eat a third helping of her dinner. It actually did taste good, but not that good, he thought. He couldn't remember ever being so hungry he would eat three helpings of anything, no matter how tasty.

Sakura saw him staring and made a face, "I'm hungry." She said and sat back, having finished her third portion. "Ah… nothing like a good meal."

'Now what?' Gaara asked himself, 'you're with the girl, what will you do now?' He was about to talk when she offered him tea. "Yes."

He followed her around the kitchen with his eyes. She was obviously much stronger than before, just as she had wanted. When she put the cup of tea on the table in front of him he wanted to say something, but could think of nothing so he was silent.

"So, are you on another mission?" she asked eventually.

"Yes." He lied.

"Oh."

Gaara was growing tired of her silence. He quickly gulped down the last of his tea and left.

"Goodbye!" she called after him as he raced away.

'That was stupid. She's just a boring, insipid, weak little… human! Just like the rest of them.' Gaara recognized the demon and silenced it.

Sakura leaned against the closed door. Well, that was strange, to say the least.

Suddenly she had a headache. Sakura turned off the lights as she made her way to bed. No more training today.

As she lay in bed she couldn't help thinking about Gaara. Why hadn't he killed her? If he wasn't going to kill her, why did he come see her?

'Just be happy you're still alive. You can't know what Gaara's thinking.' But would she have been so angry if he had killed her? After all, what did she have to live for? Her shop? For gods' sake, she didn't even have a pet. She didn't really affect anything in this world. There was no reason to be happy to be alive.

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled at that mean little voice and stuffed her head under a pillow, but of course that didn't stop it. 'Even your parents left you. Sure, say you're a woman now, tell yourself you left them to live on your own. What are you good for? Making jewelry. Being polite. Being polite to people you make rings for when you'll never get one for yourself. You hardly even exist.'

Gaara watched as Sakura finally fell asleep then he stepped into her room. She looked so different now, since last time he had watched her sleep.

He could still see the scars from that beating, and others. Her short hair suited her, he decided, then realized what kind of thoughts he was having and stopped. 'Look at her. She's not attractive or interesting. Why did you come back here?'

Gaara found himself staring at her neck. It had been covered up during the day, but now he could see the full pale length of it. He wondered what it would be like to strangle her with his own hands, not sand. Before he had a second thought his hands were around her neck. She was so warm. He hadn't known how warm people's bodies were. He couldn't remember the last time he had touched anyone with his own hands.

Sakura's eyes opened suddenly and he realized what he was doing and jumped back, freeing her windpipe.

"Gaara?" Sakura coughed. What was going on? Had he really returned during the night to kill her? "What were you doing?"

"I-"

"Don't answer. I know what you were doing." Sakura moved away from him slowly. He made no move towards her. Actually he looked kind of… scared. "Why are you in my bedroom?"

"I-" she watched as Gaara crouched on the floor and put his head on his knees. "I thought I was in control."

The sight of Gaara on the floor scared Sakura more than his hands around her neck. He must have been playing some sick mind game with her. She continued backing away until she bumped into the windowsill. Gaara still had not moved and he was no longer making any noise. "…Gaara?" she ventured. Why had she woken up?

He didn't move, but she could see his back rising and falling with each breath.

"Gaara, you're not on a mission are you?"

He shook his head. Why wouldn't he look at her? At least then she would feel on familiar ground.

She tried to steer clear of the killing Sakura subject. "Did your girlfriend like the bracelet?" As soon as she said it she remembered he had broken it, but it was too late to take it back.

He started shaking. Sakura was ready to bolt out the window when he looked up and she realized he was laughing. He stood and crossed the room to stand in front of her and any thought of running fled her mind.

"There is no girlfriend, Sakura," she hated the way he said her name, as though it belonged to him, "There is no one. Who would date someone like me?"

Sakura made a mental note to leave more weapons hidden in her room from now on, if she survived the night.

Gaara was staring at her again. His gaze flickered down to her neck for a second, then he looked back into her eyes. "I didn't really mean to…" he stopped.

"Why did you come here Gaara?" She tried to make her voice like his, tried to own his name.

"I came for you."

Sakura's mind froze, as did her body. He came for her? So he really did mean to kill her then. She relaxed. 'Fine, if this is it.'

Gaara continued, "because I am so bored with everything and when I found you for a few days I wasn't so bored and I hate being bored."

Sakura wasn't really sure to take the information. Should she be flattered? Happy he didn't want to kill her? Afraid of boring him?

"I… amuse you?"

Gaara sighed mentally. The woman was so dense. That wasn't it at all, but it was what she expected to hear, so he agreed with her.

"So… what now?"

What now? The demon inside told him to kill the woman before she told anyone about tonight. But it was the demon's fault he was in this mess anyway, and he didn't want to listen to that bastard.

He realized how long he had been silent when she spoke up. "Are you going to stay in Konoha?"

Gaara nodded. It was what he wanted, after all.

"Where will you stay?"

"With you."

"But-"

"I'm sure it's the least you could do." Without waiting to hear further protestation he swung off his gourd and leaned it against the wall. Then he went into the living room.

Sakura stared at the gourd. She really wanted to touch it, but figured against it. Gaara would probably kill her if he found out, and he would find out. Plus it was made with people's blood.

She settled her gaze on something safer, the ceiling. Gaara was staying with her no matter what she said. How crazy was that? She couldn't remember a moment in her life that could compare, except maybe the day she returned from the desert.

But… Gaara? And a weirdly acting Gaara at that. The world was falling apart around her. It shouldn't be allowed to do that anymore.

She hadn't thought it would be possible, but Sakura fell asleep with Gaara of the Sand in the next room.

Gaara sat on the couch and stared the wall. What the hell was he doing? He shrugged. He was insane; he could do whatever he felt like doing.

For hours he sat there until he heard Sakura waking up in her room. He turned to watch her as she entered the living room. When she saw him she paused and stared at him for a long moment.

"Good morning." She said finally and walked to the bathroom.

Gaara's mouth twitched in amusement. He felt better already. Sakura came back out of the bathroom and went back into her bedroom. Suddenly she popped her head back out and told him, "If you peek, or I find any stray sand in here I will kick you out!"

"Hmph." Perverted woman, she'd like that wouldn't she? Gaara turned his back to her door.

When she came back out she was dressed and groomed neatly. Gaara sat at the table as she cooked herself breakfast. She was humming again.

"Um… I guess, do you want eggs?" she asked.

"No."

Sakura shrugged, "Suit yourself." Then she flipped her eggs onto a plate and sat down to eat.

Gaara found himself staring at her neck again. He hadn't really noticed the pearly line of scars around her neck last night. He was sure he hadn't given her that scar.

Sakura stood up abruptly and put her dishes in the sink. "I'm going out, so you can just… amuse yourself." Before she left the apartment she buttoned her shirt up to the top.

Dumdedum I am the author:

scorpion05: Gaara is insane. He can do whatever he wants and I won't ask questions.

CallMeTemari: Oh there will be Sasuke bashing.. well not exactly, but you'll find out. Oooh. I never really liked him either.

And thanks tomad-killer-bunnies-alert!