Chapter 3

A/N: Last time I was running out of ideas. BUT now I've returned with a vengeance. Thanks to my lovely reviewers. I have ideas bursting out of my ears. I didn't want to write this story at all! I mean I resented it. I ran out of ideas and everything. Then something sparked. I just have to write it! With now four new ideas I shall begin this chapter.

Hoshi: HAH! I've returned to help write my story!

Faith: About time!

Hoshi: Hee hee I even brought Gaara with me! –pulls out Gaara action figure-

Faith: OMG with real bending joints –in heaven-

Hoshi: That's not all BUT… check out my headband!

Faith: ZOMG –steals the headband- I'm sooo cool –flails-

Hoshi: Oo right… Moving on.

------------------------------last time--------------------

"Sakura Sakura Sakura" A voice scolded. "If your hurt you shouldn't move" It was rather snide and scolding. She hated it!

"Gaara" she snarled blowing her hair out of her eyes.

"See you tomorrow" Gaara removed his boot from her back and headed off.

"Like hell you will" she hissed attempting to stand once more.

------------------Now---------------------------------

"The papers will be transferred to your new school miss Haruno" The blonde secretary at the desk smiled sweetly at Sakura.

Ignoring the fact her clan name was used. The name she didn't have any part of anymore. She bowed to the secretary and flashed her the closest thing to a real smile she could manage.

Sakura practically skipped off to class. She ignored the fact she was rather beat up. And the fact, her whole body was pulsing with waves of pain. She would be free of Gaara. Free of this school. The girl would be able to start over fresh at a new school. Sure it was only just down the street. But it was away from here. With any luck Gaara and the other girls from this school would never see her again.

She entered her class. She was late but with good excuse. Tapping the teacher's shoulder to get her attention she pulled her aside.

"I'm transferring to the school just around the corner" she said rather confidently.

"I see… This is rather sudden" The teacher said looking down at the pink haired student. She was rather bruised up. But aside from that she was all smiles for the first time since she'd walked in the doors of the school.

"Yes… I know. Sorry" Sakura tilted her head to one side. She wasn't the least bit sorry. Inside she was laughing at everyone.

"Give me your text book. If you would like the rest of this hour you may go around giving your text books back to the rightful teachers" The teacher ruffled Sakura's hair and smiled at the teenager. There was something about the girl that made her want to smile when the girl was beaming at her.

"Thank you Sensei" She set her back down. The girl kneeled over it. After a few moments she had retrieved the book. She handed it to her and closed her bag.

"Class…" The teacher paused to catch the student's attention. Slowly the students that weren't asleep looked up. Most of them looked like they were just about to fall asleep when the teacher had called upon them.

"Today is Haruno's last day. Make it as pleasant as possible" The teacher smiled and patted Sakura on her back. "I know you will all wish her good luck in the next school she's going to… Which is?" The teacher patiently waited for Sakura to tell her the name of the school she would be attending.

Sakura looked over the room. Her gaze collided with an emerald one. Gaara was sitting in the back of the room as usual.

"I'm home schooling" she lied with a rather vibrant smile.

Gaara slammed his hand down on his desk and shot her the nastiest glare he could. The girl was his toy for this year she wasn't going anywhere. If there were to be any changes he would make them. She was supposed to talk to him, tell him if she were doing something.

At the end of class the bubblegum haired girl walked up to Gaara's desk. He hadn't moved since she said she was leaving.

"None of the other girls ran away from me" he sneered at her.

"They were afraid of you" She murmured thoughtfully.

"Yeah and so are you Sakura" He smirked.

"No" her voice was firm.

"What was that Haruno?"

"I said no…. I just…" She paused looking almost lost for words.

Slowly she leaned across the desk her porcelain skin glowed softly in the lights of the room.

"I just hate you"

With narrowed eyes and hands clenched into fists Gaara rose abruptly from his seat. "Sakura, I don't care if you have a clan name or not. You will fall. Whether it be that you are scarred for life. Or you cry every time you see someone with red hair. Your toast"

Sakura looked taken back for a moment…

"I … Really.. hate you" her lips with each word grew closer and closer to his. Then finally they touched. She pulled away with her cheeks red. That was the last image he saw of her. For she turned and fled out of the room as fast as she could.

With one hand on his lips Gaara turned for the door. The girl left him no choice but to play cat and mouse. Of course he was quite intent upon receiving the trophy and … the ultimate prize of devouring it.

The week had passed uneventfully for Gaara. His prey as promised and expected had turned tails and hid. Indeed she was clever. For he hadn't come upon her once. She wasn't seen outside by anyone. Perhaps the school she went to was on the outskirts of the city?

How wrong he was. It was exactly what Sakura expected. She merely switched from her apartment to another apartment just down the hall. Sakura did the same when it came to the schools. From her school she could see his school. Though hers was considerably small the people that went there were hand picked. It was a rather hard place to get into. If she weren't so good with her chakra or her analytical skills the girl would have never made it in.

First day of school was rather simple. She wasn't looking for friends. Sakura just wanted to be able to study without Gaara or the girls bothering her.

She walked into the large courtyard looking from side to side. It was amazingly clean. Without graffiti everywhere like her other school.

Sakura must have looked rather strange. She chose comfortable blue baggy guys pants and a red shirt with bleached spots of white all over it. The look was merely casual for her. She was comfortable and no one had a say in it. It must have looked rather odd to see a girl with pink hair and a good deal of injuries walking into the school. But no one seemed to notice or question it.

"Haruno?" The voice was quiet yet held the air of someone of high class.

Her bruised cheeks turned a red color as she turned. Had her horrible reputation followed her here?

"Sasuke?" She murmured to herself upon staring at the male. He had black hair that fell tousled in his face, it was slightly long. Two black eyes stared back at her. The infamous Uchiha eyes.

"Its been along time" he said quietly. He didn't question the bruises on her. Nor did he bother to ask why she was attending at this school or how she got in.

"Yes… yes it has" she said looking at the ground. "Just call me Sakura.." She didn't mention that her clan had disowned her. It was none of his business anyway.

"Join me for tea?" He held out his arm.

If she was still twelve years old she would have latched onto his arm squealing rather loudly. But now she was a teenager. Straightening her back and squaring her shoulders she let out a whoosh of air.

"Only to catch up on the times" she said in a rushed voice.

"Hn" was his only response to what she said.

School was the same here. Meet a teacher. Get a textbook. Nothing was new about it to her. But the campus was open. She could leave school grounds to eat lunch anywhere she wanted.

"Coming?" Sasuke looked at the girl. Her head came to the bottom of his chin. If he were one for hugs he would bet she would have fit like perfect in his arms.

"Yes" Sakura picked up her bag and followed after him.

"I'll pay" He said casually over his shoulder to her.

"You don't have to" her face was slowly tinting pink.

"I never took you out before." He answered. Sasuke turned sharply into a door. His hand caught hers and he pulled her in.

"A café?" She smiled looking around her. It smelled of sweet incense and vanilla in the building. Plush chairs were in the center of the room and off to the side. There were a few tables. But she chose a plush chair allowing him to order for her.

"Sakura" he placed a smoothie in front of her and smirked "Strawberry?"

"You remembered" she snatched the smoothie and took a contented sip. "Thank you Sasuke" She murmured in such a small tone Hinata would have sounded loud.

He sat across from her. Though neither of them spoke they just enjoyed themselves as they sipped upon their own individual drinks.

"That was nice" She murmured throwing her cup away.

"Yes" He answered absently.

She had no intentions of befriending Sasuke once again. She'd already tried that. There was nothing to be had there. He wasn't someone you could trust. But she needed someone at the moment. Sasuke was strong. She could easily vanish in his shadow.

Two green eyes stared angrily at her from the table to her left. She froze up ducking her head and trying to casually look. Indeed the trademark blood red hair of Gaara. He was only a few feet away. Gulping she pulled herself together.

"Sasuke we should get heading back to school" She murmured softly.

Sasuke looked at her and tilted his head. He offered her his arm. In the depths of his eyes something flashed victoriously after seeing her look at Gaara.

Gaara fumed. The girl .. she was only feet away. She didn't even spare him a glance. Instead she went cheerfully about her date. The date she was suppose to be terrified of. She was suppose to be alone! Hurting and alone! He threw the table over angrily.

After getting out into the air. He began to think rationally again. If she were there during school hours her school had to be somewhere close. No one would run across the city just so they could have coffee on their lunch break.

He was one step closer to the bane of her existence. Once he found out where she was living and what school she was attending he would once more make her his. Only one person could have the toy. And he was confident it would be him. Up until she broke of course. Then he'd leave her like he did all the others.

-------------End-------------

A/N: bwahahaha and thus school has started again for poor Sakura-chan. Next time: be ready for the explosion of the man wars. Gaara vs. Sasuke. Who gets the toy!