Learning to Love

By: yume-chan

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Author's notes- Entry Two: Dedicated to all my reviewers! (I got REVIEWS!) XD

This chapter is much lengthier, ne?

Don't like, don't read! Love, secrets, fluff, angst, jealousy, and tragedy ahoy!

Chapter 2: News

The night was dark and windy. Gaara's favorite type of evening. The breezes not only let his grains of sand fly freely but also gave him a peace he hardly felt in deafening silence. And the blackness…

The scarlet haired boy from the Hidden Village of Sand stood atop the tallest tower in all of Leaf Village. His eyes, lined dark due to frequent attacks of insomnia and fixed in a semi-glare scanned the buildings, the lighted windows, the occasional passerby of ANBU checking up on the sleeping town's well-being. He scoffed. They had yet to be aware of his presence. These people were Konoha's ANBU? Pathetic.

Coming back to Konoha was indeed strange and sudden. Why was it he needed to be here, again?

Carefully, Gaara took a slightly folded picture, handed to him that morning by one of Konoha's ANBU messengers, from his pocket and looked upon the face of his current mission. This girl…he had seen her once before.

It was during the Chuunin exam when the Sand and Leaf were both still enemies. He and his siblings had had ulterior motives that were supposedly planned to destroy the Leaf from right under its Hokage's nose.

The plan had obviously not succeeded. But the memories of the rush, he kept with him, not the pointless failure. The excitement he had felt tingling his senses whenever he came across a new opponent…the prospect of fresh blood had driven him.

Through it all, he did remember the girl in the photograph he held in his hands. The pink-headed weakling. Her future was to decide between Konoha's victory and loss?

The information he'd been relayed by his Kazekage had included that she held a locked blood limit ability. And to obtain this goal, he was to train her until Jounin level.

JOUNIN level.

He was sure to be here for quite a while.

It was for his Village he kept reminding himself. Now that the Leaf and Sand were allies, due to much help from the current Hokage, this was not only duty to his land's associates but also to his people.

He sighed noiselessly then opened his sharp emerald eyes to the world again. He quietly sat down, waiting for the approaching dawn to come.

At that hour he was to meet with people he would be working with for the next month or two. Then, he was to arrange training dates for the pink-headed girl with his fellow instructors Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke.

He smiled sadistically at the thought of the prodigies and he coming together for the first time in a long time. Action was promised. Perhaps blood would be spilt?

Maybe training Haruno Sakura wouldn't be so disgustingly terrible.


Palms pressed against each other and legs crossed in an upright sitting position, he meditated in the comfort of his enormous home at the Hyuuga household. Seeing as he had always liked his life orderly, the ritual was practiced everyday, at noon sharp, always on the dot and on the hour.

Tomorrow the pattern of Neji's meditation was to be disrupted.

On certain occasions, such as when he was sent on A or even S ranked missions, which usually lasted more than a few days, Neji readily took on each assignment with trained responsibility. But tomorrow…

Tomorrow, as the messenger ANBU had informed him at 8:00 a.m. that morning, he was to take part in an A-ranked mission…

He frowned.

…A duty to which he believed should not have even been ranked a B-class mission, much less for an ANBU (and even much more less, THREE) to handle. They had to baby-sit a kunoichi whom the Hokage believed had the power to change Konoha's fate in the war? Fools.

The white eyed jounin let out a huff of breath. Concentrate. Meditate.

But he really had no choice in the matter. If it was the Hokage's final decision, there really were no exceptions. The choice had been settled. The verdict had been fixed. Case closed.

For the next couple of months he was to train the pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura.

He had stored the name in his memory bank a long time ago…back when they had all first been taking the Chuunin exam. The female was pretty easy to remember due to two things:

She was the weak link in the Uchiha's and Uzumaki's former genin team.

She had pink hair.

Actually, that was basically all he could remember about the Chuunin. Being a year older than she, Neji had rarely talked to girl, if ever at all. So how was he supposed to know how exactly to train her? How to set up instruction that went at her own pace? How to tutor her if he didn't even know her level of comprehension or past experience?

Why? Why had destiny chosen him to be one of Haruno's trainers? To spite him for his wrong-doings in the past?

At the very least, the Hokage had assigned two others, Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara of the Sand, to at least be there to offer a good fight—he needed the training.

Neji realized yet again that his meditation period was being disturbed. He grunted at his wandering mind. The last thought he produced before finally going into intense concentration mode was: May fate bring whatever it may. Haruno Sakura…be ready.


Punch. Jab. Kick. Crack! Repeat.

The frustration he had felt when he first found the news that he was to be training her for the next few months, was finally wearing off. His anger had been productively used to benefit his own work out. The level of irritation…well, was quite present on the enormous tree bark he was currently hitting the hell out of.

He didn't need this!

What he needed was some quiet time alone to concentrate on his own training. Not hers. She was not the avenger. He was.

Why did the Hokage have to assign him this job?

Punch. Kick. Roll. Kunai!

Even with the potential of having an all-out brawl between himself and his fellow teachers, Hyuuga Neji and Gaara…

It just wasn't enough to have to deal with her.

The wide-foreheaded girl with above average intelligence.

The emerald-eyed Kunoichi who was his former genin teammate.

The pink-haired ninja…who had once loved him.

Haruno Sakura.

Kick! Thrust. Swipe. Jab. Crack!

Once loved him…

Back in their Genin days, Sakura had practically been his shadow—following him everywhere, asking for dates, proclaiming she loved him at the most inappropriate times.

He'd never warranted any of this…unwanted attention. As one whose main goal in life was to kill his own murdering brother, attachments of this sort were definitely useless and unnecessary.

When he had betrayed Konoha for the temptation of power, she had still loved him (as claimed by eyewitnesses who saw her practically mourning after his absence) then, as well. When he had come back, she'd been all smiles and tears, the only one to truly welcome him with open arms. And still the love she offered was never touched by the likes of him. Taken for granted.

With that, her passion for him had somewhat…extinguished.

The love had died and they became friends. She was less annoying when she was not begging for his notice, he thought.

But as time wore on, that mild friendship had dulled and dulled…until they were merely acquaintances with an awkward history due to unrequited love.

Swish. Punch! Kick. Roll. Shurinken!

He couldn't handle seeing her again with all the tension in between.

But as that ANBU messenger had told him that morning, the Hokage was accepting no rejections. Damn woman. He didn't CARE if Sakura had a bloodline limit ability! He did too and had in fact, already mastered his Shanringan! Damn women.

Punch! Jab! Kick! Crack! Break. Fall.

The giant tree lay in pieces before Uchiha Sasuke. He looked upon his destruction but his mind was upon what the dawn of tomorrow was to bring.

He really, really didn't need this.

He cursed silently at the thought of training with Neji, Gaara, and Sakura tomorrow.


She collapsed upon her bed, bubble-gum strands in disarray across her pillow.

The day had been exhausting. No, not physically. She hadn't been sent on a mission since her last one 2 weeks ago.

It was straining in an emotional way. Mentally.

It was no puzzle that had left her so tired in the brain. No problem that needed solving, no predicament had called for her advanced thinking and concentration abilities. She could easily handle any of those scenarios without so much as a strain to her brain.

No. In fact it was new information and shocking revelations that the ANBU this morning had delivered to her that had left her so mind-boggled and feeling in need of rest.

Haruno Sakura breathed into her pillow, pulling up her cotton, flowery blankets to under her chin. It was going to be hard to sleep tonight. Staring up at the ceiling, she waited for dreamland to pull her into its depths.

The news that she had received that day had been truly shocking and unpredictable. She recalled the ANBU's words.

"…we have reason to believe that our town, Konoha, will soon be at war with our enemies, the Hidden Village of the Sound."

Shocking revelation #1. On the outside, the kunoichi remained serene. In her mind, though, Sakura recollected her Inner-self screaming (not very calmly) about the predicament. "War! WAR! I always KNEW that the Sound were no good! Fight Sakura, fight! Let's KICK—THEIR—BUTTS! HELL YEAH!" Her counterpart had raged.

"…The 5th Hokage had personally suggested that YOU lead Konoha's medical team, due to your skill level in the area as well as because you're bloodline limit ability will come in use for the future."

Shocking revelation #2. Sakura had eased a look of slight shock onto her face though her demeanor was still steady. Inside, Inner-Sakura was yelling yet again. "Bloodline limit ability! I HAVE a bloodline limit ability? Hell YES! I had always known we were stronger than Naruto (who has no bloodline limit ability whatsoever ;))!

"To awaken your skill, you must reach jounin level…"

Shocking Revelation #3. "WHAT! Jounin!" That was obviously the voice of Inner-Sakura as her screams reverberated off the walls of her outer part's skull.

"… the Hokage had arranged for you to have special trainers…ones who can easily advance you due to their own exceptional skills."

Shocking revelation #4. Special trainers? Asked the rational side of Sakura.

"Your trainers will meet with you tomorrow deciding on the dates to which they switch positions for every shift…when they will train you, what to teach you about, etc. Additional information is contained within this envelope. Highly confidential."

Sakura nodded professionally taking the parcel from the man's offering hand. Before the messenger ANBU made it out her door, however, she called out, "Excuse me! Wait! Do I know any of my 'trainers'?" She hoped for yes. Working with strangers surely couldn't let her reach her full potential.

The ANBU looked back at the carnation headed ninja. "I believe their names are Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Neji, and Gaara."

Shocking revelations #5, #6, and #7.

Sakura couldn't even manage a 'thank you' before the ANBU greeted a "Have a good evening, Miss." And sprang off into the shade of the trees. Minutes later, Sakura was still suffering from the blows aftershock.

"Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara?" She whispered. Silence. Then, she swiftly ran back to her own room.

Sakura remembered the absolute effect of each of the revelations, after having been able to sort out her feelings in the quiet of her own room. She took an extra pillow and squished it into her face.

The resent had yet to wear off. "WHY! Why of all the jounin in the world did they have to be picked?"

It was just as bad if she were to be paired up with strangers if not worse. At least in that separate group she'd be free from the intimidating form of an older prodigal shinobi she barely knew, the eerily twisted mind of a demon houser from Sand who she didn't want to know, and the dark, reprimanding eyes of a former crush she knew too well for comfort.

She could feel it. Tomorrow would be hell.

Exhausted, jade eyes fluttered to a close sleep nearly claiming her consciousness.

It wasn't long before her eyes snapped open and she basically jumped out of bed. She headed for her closet, throwing various articles of clothing around the room.

"Damn!" She cursed, this time in sync with her Inner-self.

"What the hell am I supposed to wear tomorrow!"

End chapter 2

A/N (continued): Gomen, to those who believed my first chapter sucked. It was supposed to be an opener. ();; I guess this chapter wasn't MUCH better though…I wanted to focus on their character development. BUT, as the story goes on, it WILL get better, I promise!

Review Responses:

sakura-chan : Thank you! I always appreciate my reviewers especially considering that you're the first! Ah, and yes. How WILL Sakura-chan choose between the hotness of Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara? Read to find out!

Lady Light : Nyah! Here's you're update! Thank you for reviewing!

sky : Hey! It's nice to meet you too! Well, here's your update and thanks for reviewing and being SO sweet about it!

phantasy08 : :nervous laugh: Well, phantasy08, thank you for the advice! I'll make sure to keep it in mind for future reference. Hopefully I WILL succeed in upcoming chapters, ne? Thank you for reviewing!

MegDeity : Hehe. I'll take that "annoying cliffie" comment as a compliment! Hopefully, I did a little better in this one. Ah, well, thanks for reviewing!

Review! Be gentle, onegai!