I thought everyone understood this, but apparently not, so: Italics are Sakura, normal writingis Gaara.

Would anyone prefer it if I put stars between them or something?

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!

Yar, sorry this took a while to upload, it was actually ready a few days ago, but due to ADD I am very easily distracted, and I have the memory of a goldfish. Anyhow, hopefully enjoy!

Sakura guessed she could probably get in a few more hours of work out before bed. She went into her room to change and came back out to tell Gaara where the food was.

When she came out he had taken off his gourd and leaned it against the wall and was stretching to inspect her walls. She paused in the doorway, noting how much smaller he seemed without his gourd. 'I'll bet he's not much taller than me.'

Sakura crossed the room to stand right behind him. She was actually taller than him, by a fraction of an inch. 'Too bad size means nothing.' She thought mournfully. If it meant anything she would be stronger than him at least, though not stronger than many others. Everyone had outgrown her, in so many ways.

Gaara turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye, "I'll go with you."

Sakura blinked and realized how close she was standing to him and stepped back with a muttered apology. Then what he had said processed in her brain. "What?"

"Don't worry, I won't bother you."

'Yeah I'm sure you won't.' she thought. She remembered when Gaara had trained her in the desert. It had been good training, but she didn't want to put up with that humiliation from the man she would have to spend the next month with.

"Ok." She agreed and they went out again.

"Yo Sakura!"

Gaara looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice. He and Sasuke had been gone for a week now, and he had begun to hope they had died on whatever mission they were on.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura called, "You better be here for business!"

Whatever Naruto was going to say was never said as he stared at Gaara with his mouth hanging open. For maybe a millisecond. "Sakura look out!" he yelled and started to move but Sakura jumped over the counter to pin his arms to his side with a weary sigh.

"Yes, I noticed Gaara there already, idiot." She said, "He's my guest Naruto, so you had better act appropriately," She turned to Gaara, "As long as he does."

Naruto shrugged as she let go of his arms and turned to her, "Yeah, I've got business for you! I need a bracelet!" Talk about ADD.

Sakura nodded. Gaara marveled at her patience. "Who for?" she asked.

Naruto fidgeted, "Um… well." He whispered 'Hinata' into her ear as though Gaara couldn't hear anyway. As though he would actually care.

"Ok then," Sakura clapped her hands together, "Are your intentions pure?"

"Of course!" Naruto exclaimed. Gaara grimaced at a mental image of Naruto and any girl.

"Is Sasuke back too?" Sakura asked as she gave Naruto a pearl bracelet at a very discounted price. Gaara frowned at the mention of Sasuke. Naruto didn't notice. 'What a numbskull.'

"Yup, he's back! He went to talk with the Hokage. He'll probably stop by later."

Sakura stopped by the door with Naruto. Gaara didn't see their faces as Sakura told Naruto, "If you see him, tell him not to come by here. I'm going to close up now."

Sakura ran through the forest faster than usual, enjoying the feel of branches slapping her legs, reminding her she was still alive. She stopped only when she heard a snap. "Was that you Gaara?" she called, knowing better herself. Gaara had trained nearby her for a week now, and he never made any noise.

He still made no noise, and so she kept running.

She jumped up suddenly when a giant snake lunged at her. Landing neatly on the underside of a branch she aimed two shuriken at the snake's eyes and jumped back again as it's tail smashed through the branch she had stood on a split second ago.

Sakura made quick work of the snake; soon it was lying motionless as she inspected its body. Snakes didn't usually appear in this part of the forest. She shrugged; they could move as much as any creature if they so chose. She would tell Tsunade when she got back to the village.

When she finished her evening routine Gaara appearedbeside her,as he always did. She wondered if he actually did anything, or if he just followed her around.

They walked back to the village in silence. Sakura knew she should be making more of an effort to talk to him and find out what he had been doing, but she didn't want to push him now. Somehow she had become comfortable with his silence beside her.

When they got back to her apartment Sakura made dinner and they ate. Since Gaara had been givingher money she could make better meals. Halfway through the meal there was a knock at the door. Sakura answered it; it was Sasuke.

"Can I talk to you Sakura?" he asked, looking at Gaara. Sakura nodded and closed the door on Gaara.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" They walked away from the apartment slowly.

Sasuke cleared his throat before he spoke, "Sakura, are you and Gaara…um…"

"No." 'Absolutely not!'

"Ok." Sasuke nodded, "Here's the thing. I really don't trust Gaara, but that has nothing to do with what I'm going to tell you, ok?"

Sakura nodded nervously.

"Since… I'm not sure when, I've felt like we… We should be together." Sasuke faltered, he who was always so blunt with his words. He reached out to touch her cheek and she flinched. Not because of Sasuke; there wasn't much contact she could stand. Still she felt horrible for acting likesuch a cowardwith Sasuke. After all, he had no idea what had happened to her. No one knew.

Sakura shook her head, "You're a bit too late Sasuke. Two years too late." Inside she was yelling at herself. 'This is the chance you've always wanted! This is what you've been waiting for since you were children! So why the hell are you saying no now?' Because she knew that if she said yes, they would only end up hating each other, and she really didn't want that.

"Right," Sasuke nodded, "Well don't I look stupid?"

Sakura smiled and tried to lighten the mood, "Don't worry, I'm the only one here, and I promise not to tell anyone."

Sasuke smiled, "You be careful with Gaara ok?"

"Sure."

He looked back at the way they had come. The apartment wasn't far, "I think I interrupted your meal. You should get back before he eats it all."

Sakura watched him walk away and turned back home, 'Boy, are you a fool girl!'

"Oh shut your trap."

Gaara listened to Sakura throwing things in the other room and stomping around and making angry noises. There was a loud crash followed by what was probably her kicking the wall repeatedly. She had come home and locked herself in her room and stayed in there. That had been a half hour ago now, and she was still as angry as she had been when she first went in there by the sound of it.

Finally the door opened and she joined him on the couch. They sat and stared at the wall for a while.

"You should have healed by now," Gaara said.

Sakura sighed, apparently what he had said meant something to her. He himself hardly understood what he meant by it. "Sometimes it just doesn't get any better."

"No," he disagreed, thinking of his own life, "It always gets better at some point. Sometimes it just takes realizing that nothing matters, and it will be better."

Sakura turned her head to give him a funny look out of the corner of her eyes, then she turned back to the wall. "Well, some things never heal."

Gaara wondered what she was talking about now, or if she even knew. He certainly didn't, but it seemed to make Sakura feel better, so he was quiet.

"I left your dinner on the counter."

Sakura looked at the plate without feeling any desire to eat it. All she wanted now was to climb into bed and maybe stay there for a few months. Yeah, that would be nice.

And she would like to thank Gaara somehow. He was, surprisingly, a very good roommate. Better than Ino would have been. He had cleaned the kitchen and done the dishes after he finished and he didn't take up much space around the apartment. Really, he only needed room for his gourd. That didn't stop him from creeping her out a little still.

Sakura packed up her food for tomorrow and went back to the living room to say good night to Gaara. When she got there his eyes were closed, but instead of just saying goodnight and going to bed she sat beside him. When he didn't respond she took her chance to study him.

He looked almost harmless here on the couch with his eyes closed and without his gourd. He looked almost normal, except for his eyes and his tattoo. She stopped herself before she reached out to see if she could smudge the black lines around his eyes.

'Are you insane?' she hissed at herself, 'He is not a teddy bear!'

Gaara was watching her. Before she could stop herself she blurted out, "What's it like, having a demon inside you?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Ok." Sakura tried to smile, but she felt like everything was falling down on her and trying to suffocate her. 'Just because he said no? You're being a little melodramatic don't you think?' "Well I'm going to bed. Goodnight!" She tried her best to step lightly as she left the room.

In her own room Sakura slid out of her clothes and in between her blankets. She stared at the dent in the wall where she had kicked it. Her stomach felt weird, as if there was a hand grabbing it from the inside.

"Gah!" she snorted, unreasonably frustrated and pulled the covers over her head. She used to love being under her blankets, in the dark, in the safety. But it no longer felt safe, not like it used to. Everything had changed in one night.

"But everything has to get better at some point." She whispered to herself.

When Naruto and Sasuke left again, about a week later, Gaara could feel a change in Sakura. He didn't understand the change, but there it was all the same.

He sat in the shop and pondered this. In truth, he thought about pondering the subject then laughed at himself and started rearranging the shop. It really was inconveniently arranged for moving about. He could feel boredom creeping back, and with it, the demon.

The days passed with the same routine, but somehow it had taken two weeks for it to start becoming unbearable. Normally Gaara would have been sick of it within days.

Later that night they sat in the living room. Sakura looked up from her book to say, "We should do something."

Gaara watched her carefully, wondering if he really wanted to do 'something'.

"If only there was something happening… We could just visit Ino!"

Gaara made a face, "But what if she's…"

"What?"

Gaara realized what he was thinking was inappropriate and decided against finishing his thought. "Nothing." This was why he avoided conversation.

Sakura got up to get her jacket, thankfully ignoring his comments. The weather had gotten much cooler in the past weeks. Gaara himself was almost tempted to wear a jacket. (but can you imagine Gaara in a jacket?)

They walked out into the evening. Sakura sighed happily beside him. She had vocalized before how much she loved the night air, especially in Konoha. She seemed to think it was somehow different from the air during the day. It was just colder.

Unsurprisingly, Ino was not alone when they got there. Mark was sitting on the couch behind her when she opened the door. Fortunately they were both fully dressed.

"Hey babes!" Ino greeted them, mostly Sakura. Gaara could tell she was still afraid of him, as she should be. If she ever called him babe he wouldn't hesitate in crushing her throat. Gaara tried not to laugh as Ino offered them food as they took their seats.

"No thanks, we just ate." Sakura said for them. Gaara was content to let her talk for him. It saved him from wasting his breath on her stupid friends. They sat for a while, Ino and Sakura talking, then Ino asked Sakura to follow her to her bedroom. "I want to show you something."

Sakura glanced quickly at Gaara, but he pretended not to notice or care. She got up and left with Ino. Mark watched them go (Gaara followed his line of vision and saw he was watching their butts) then turned to Gaara with a snort. "Women eh?"

Gaara was careful not to look at him. He knew that if he did look at the idiot he would end up killing him. This was the real reason he avoided conversation. 'Just don't let him talk to me,' he asked whatever force was out there that might still listen to his request, 'Don't let Sakura be long.'

"What do you think you're doing?" Ino turned and asked Sakura as soon as the door was closed.

"Um, I think-" Sakura started but Ino covered her mouth and pulled her into the corner.

"Keep your voice down! He'll hear you." She pulled Sakura down into a crouch and whispered conspiratorially, "And by 'he' I do not mean Mark."

"You're talking about Gaara, yes?"

"Yes. In both instances." She stopped for a long moment and watched Sakura's confused face with one eyebrow raised, "Do you like him?"

"Well, yes." Sakura grabbed Ino's arm before she could say anything, "But not in the way I know you're thinking!" she floundered in silence for a moment, struggling to find words to explain how she felt about Gaara. In the end, she failed, "It's a long story." She said lamely.

Ino put her fists under her chin and grinned at Sakura, "I've got time to listen, if you think Mark if safe enough out there with him," they both looked at the door leading to the room the men were sitting in. Ino looked back at Sakura and shrugged. "You know, I've got time anyway. This is kind of fun, don't you think? Whispering in the corner."

Sakura rolled her eyes "Sure brings back memories."

Ino poked her, "Come on. I know you want to tell me."

"Oh yes, your persuasive powers are too much for me to resist." Sakura said sarcastically. Ino smiled and wiggled her fingers at her. "Fine. You know two years ago when I was kidnapped? Well… he was there and he saved me, as much as he could without being a hero anyway." She tried a smile, but it felt rather pathetic.

Ino was silent. Finally she made a face. "That's it? You said it was a long story! There aren't any juicy details you're leaving out?"

"Sure I left out details, but no 'juicy' ones that you would appreciate," Sakura poked Ino's forehead as she said so, "We walked through the desert for maybe a week, during which I was pretty out of it and then I came home alone. Oh, and then he bought a bracelet from me, but that was some months ago only."

Ino sighed and hugged Sakura, "All right then. And you're over Sasuke?"

"Oh yes." Sakura nodded against Ino's chest.

Ino sighed deeply. Sakura could feel it against her cheek and she felt calmed by it. "I miss the days when you would talk to me about your crushes." Ino said.

"Might I remind you that the last time that happened we stopped being friends?"

Ino snorted, "You know what I mean."

Sakura smiled, "When I have a new one, you'll be the first to know."

Gaara looked up relieved when Ino and Sakura returned. He had been forced to retreat into a meditative state when Mark decided he wanted to talk.

"Mark!" ... But Mark talked too much, so Gaara had given up meditating finally and just tied and gagged him. Ino ran over to untie him as Sakura turned to face the wall. Gaara stood and went to the door. He couldn't understand why Sakura liked these people.

Sakura quickly said goodbye and joined him outside. She wouldn't look at him as they walked away. She was shaking, was it because of him? Well, he wasn't about to apologize if she was mad at him for tying up Ino's idiot boy.

Sakura burst out laughing suddenly. Gaara stopped walking he was so shocked. She was… laughing? Laughing at him. He didn't understand her at all.

"I know I should be angry," She said through her laughter, "But that was just so…" She bent over, wheezing with laughter. Gaara couldn't remember ever hearing anyone laugh so much over anything other than death.

Sakura stood suddenly and straightened her clothing. "Ok, never mind that!" she said and pointed in the direction of her apartment. "To the apartment!"

Gaara shook his head; what a ridiculous being. No doubt it was that which kept him from boredom with her. Her turned and followed Sakura, who was now skipping away.

'Just one more week.' Sakura thought as she washed dishes and put them on the drying rack. When she had finished she joined Gaara on the couch. "What do you do all the time?" she asked.

Gaara looked up from his fingers, "Breathe."

"I mean, how do you keep yourself occupied? You must get so bored, being awake all the time…" She imagined it for a moment, "But you've seen everything."

"Hm?"

"You've seen all your life, unlike the rest of us. We miss so much of our life-"

"Stop it." He said coldly. Sakura stopped, feeling stupid. Of course, he wouldn't enjoy being awake all the time, he could never sleep to keep a vicious demon at bay. And here she was talking about it as though it was a kind of blessing.

She sat back in the couch, and changed the subject. "So… what will you do when you leave?"

Gaara watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. Was she hinting that he should leave? He had stayed for a while. She must be getting sick of him. Her and the rest of the world.

He shrugged, trying to pretend he didn't care. And he didn't. Not one bit. "Go back to the desert. I miss it sometimes."

He could see Sakura shudder at the thought of the desert. 'Well of course she would hate it.'

"Maybe I'll come visit you sometime." She said quietly.

Gaara shrugged, "If you can find me."

Sakura yawned and scratched her belly as she walked into the kitchen, "Morning Gaara." As usual he didn't answer. She picked a fruit and bit into it, revived by the tart juice. She looked around the corner to ask Gaara how hungry he was.

"Are you going to have… breakfast…" The living room was empty.

"Ok. No need to panic, he probably just went out for a walk…" 'Who are you kidding? He never goes out for walks. Start panicking now! Scream! Smash things!'

Sakura sighed and shut up her inner voice. Sometimes it was like having her own demon inside.

Breathing deeply, she searched the room to find all of Gaara's things were gone. She went out onto the roof to look for anything, but there was nothing to be seen. In her search for a head of red hair, she failed to notice the black and blonde heads making their way towards her.

Sakura went back inside and flopped down on the couch. "He's gone…" She stood suddenly and kicked a chair into the wall. "Shit!"

She sank back onto the couch. When Kakashi had convinced her she needed the money she would have gotten from him, he had been right, and now she had failed. 'No money for me. I couldn't even keep him here for a month. Why is it that I always end up alone again?'

"That's it! I'm getting a cat!" Sakura stood determined and marched to the door, yanking it open angrily. There stood Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto had his hand up as though he was about to knock.

"Hey Sakura…" he said, almost nervously. "Just stopping by to say hi, we're back."

"Hi." Sasuke mumbled.

Sakura blinked. For some reason her brain took a long while to process the fact that they were standing there. Finally she stepped back to let them in, "Want some breakfast? I was just about to eat."