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Chapter Fifty-six


Sakura stands there in an awe while staring at Gaara's slit eyes.

'Sage mode,' she comments in her mind again.'It took time for him though. It took him ten minutes. If he and Shukaku are in sync then it should have...'

Sakura watches as Gaara lets out a long yawn, and like the many changes his body has undergone, his canines have also grown pointed.

'Snake!' Sakura immediately thinks.

She bites her lip then, hard. In a sense, Gaara's place now, and this new ability of his, puts someone else in her mind. The snake man, himself, slithers through her thoughts as a dreadful being. Yet, what comes next is the image of Sasuke, and how familiar his old story now becomes for Gaara who still relaxes in the small pool of water.

"Gaara," she murmurs, earning back Gaara's look. "...Where did you go exactly when you were young? Who did you meet?"

Gaara's bright eyes immediately glow to Sakura's inquiries and he boasts silently as a grin spreads on his face.

"You're familiar with this?" he eagerly asks with almost a hiss.

There is joy in his eyes as he stares at her. He was right in always thinking Sakura a powerful being in his life. Deserving of all respect, she knew well the secrets of the world before he even learned rumors of them. For the rosette, she is almost quick in telling the young man that her best friend, Naruto, is just the same. Naruto has told her stories of these powers, and has even pressed her from time to time to seek out at least one of the legendary places. She stops herself from saying anything regarding her knowledge and Naruto, and instead repeats her question to Gaara. After all, the best way to keep her friends alive is to not reveal them.

"Where did you go when you were still just a boy, Gaara?"

Her question makes Gaara sneer as he realizes she disregards his own. Nonetheless, he does answer her to some degree with a sentence she had told him when he was just a little kid.

"You wouldn't believe how mysterious the world is."

As he says this, he blows a breath towards the rocky ground at the edge of the pool. Sakura's eyes are captivated as the rocks begin to give life of green and small flower buds. The act is beautiful in a way, the sense of it all is magical almost beyond jutsus and explanations. Yet, Sakura knows, deep down, that where Gaara breathes life in front of her, he has taken many with the power he shows her now.

"Where did you-" Sakura repeats again before being cut off.

"Hold your tongue," Gaara snaps at her and even sends her a glare.

Sakura returns the angry gaze immediately. Perhaps, this was far from the reaction Gaara was hoping to pertain from Sakura. He is nothing less than a grandiose being in the eyes of those who wish to adore him, yet Sakura sees something much darker behind his iridescent skin. Marks that paint his body with Shukaku's own markings tell her the beast in him works with his sage power, but maybe to only some degree. It took him to be at the level he is now whereas Naruto can reach it in the snap of a finger.

"Speak first what I wish to know, only then will I reveal more," Gaara tells her.

'Ah,' Sakura thinks. 'That's why he isn't quick to tell me where he went.'

Sakura swallows hard and licks her lips before speaking.

"I know where you went to gain this power. I know the ordeal you put yourself through."

She toys lightly with him. She messages to him with vague words that she knows more of him now than he does of her. As quick as he is to realize Sakura is mocking him is the same second anger begins to boil within him.

"What I want to know is if you found that cave all on your own, or if someone else led you to it," Sakura finishes with a hiss of her own.

An eruption of water happens before her from the pool, and the glow worms above begin lighting the small cave around them sporadically. Yet, before Sakura can realize any of this, a cold, hard hand wraps around her throat and backs her up against a wall.

"You ask so much, Sakura."

Sakura can hear the young man whisper in her ear, and it is then that, in the blink of an eye, Gaara has approached her from the pool, placed a hand on her throat, and backed her against a the rocky cavern. His speed now just another silent gloat of the power he shares with her now. Yet, he only shares now because she has pushed him towards anger. She masks her feelings, but any other would probably quake and be killed by Gaara now whereas the young man holds back for her sake.

As Sakura evens out her breaths from the quick surprise, she realizes Gaara is way too close for comfort as he still rests his mouth near her ear. Despite the power he has now, the danger Sakura's mind tells her, only one other factor bothers her most than any other.

'He's naked,' she grimaces.

Yet, those thoughts leave her when he continues to speak.

"To gain a little you must give a little. Tell me where you went fifteen years ago, why you left me, and I'll give you anything you want."

His breath comes at her skin hot and she shows him her distaste by cocking her head away from his lips. His reply; the hand on her throat tightens.

"I gave you enough when you were little. I gave you the greatest thing any child could gain. I gave you love," Sakura spits backs; turning her head so her angry eyes can see the corner of his.

She is surprised he no longer looks at her in distaste but instead with curiosity. However, the hand on her throat is still on her tight like a delicate choker.

"You tease me," Gaara suddenly admits. "You toy with me. You know exactly what it is I want, and yet you refuse."

His hand tightens.

"Were you anyone else you would be dead. I would have torn you apart by now were you not the woman I love."

Sakura remains quiet to those bold words and even narrows her eyes in front of her. She isn't sure what sort of love he speaks of; so she instead doesn't reciprocate what he shares now. She loved his young self, she will readily admit. Right now though, as he presses the gap between them closer and leans in closer again, does Sakura think he speaks of something more that she does not want.

"I want to break you," he proclaims in a breathy whisper. "I want you to look at me the way I look at you now. I want you to give yourself to me in a way the rest of the world has."

Sakura grimaces more.

'There's something sexual he sees in me,' she realizes.

She had been wondering for it for days. He had led her to this belief with his vague words. He masked his want with soft speech, gentle touches and the word love. Use to his way for fifteen years, given what he asks, Sakura is the exception as she stands before him in defiance. Routine has patterned and bored his mind, for he now desires that which threatens change. Even if that change comes from a woman he met in his young age and a figure that was far from a love interest.

"It starts as friends," he suddenly speaks as if her thoughts are heard by him.

"We're the best of friends!" she once boasted to him.

'When did this change suddenly happen?' she wonders. 'Was it recent? Did it begin during his puberty? Was it those fake Sakura's I have to blame for his want in me?!'

She tenses as the thumb on her throat begins to gently circle on her skin. Despite his threatening grip, Sakura's free hand quickly reach for his arm in a means to stop his forward ministrations. To her touch, Gaara presses his face down onto her neck while he groans, chattering his teeth lightly after. He aims to press their bodies closer together, but Sakura backs as far as she can, molding herself into the hard, wet rock behind her. Above her, the worms continue to flicker. It isn't until the young man's breaths grow sporadic does Sakura force herself to speak.

"Stop," she whispers to Gaara.

Her voice is not frightened nor does she tremble when Gaara pulls his head back to meet her gaze. Instead, it is an order to him like she had given when he was younger.

"No," he argues.

With one hand still on her throat, his other is quick to grip Sakura's aching shoulder, and the woman cries out lightly as he grips her hard in place before pushing her more back against the rock. Sakura swallows and winces as she tries to regain some composure. Yet, as her gaze returns to his, there is a triumphant smirk on his face and a hunger in his eyes.

"Control yourself, Gaara," Sakura tries again, her whisper authoritative.

Gaara opens his mouth, yet before he speaks, Sakura cuts him off.

"You'd truly do this to me? Force yourself onto me? After all I did for you? You claim love and then do this?!"

Like an angry bull, Gaara snorts with a sour look suddenly on his face, and slowly, he begins retracting from Sakura.

"What is wrong with you, Gaara?!" Sakura cries the moment she regains enough strength to push Gaara's arm off her throat. "You can't just-!"

"I'm sorry!" Gaara cuts her off, almost in a desperate cry.

So convincing, that even Sakura is slightly taken aback by the panic in his eyes.

"You're right," he claims. "Not now. This wouldn't be right..."

He feverishly shakes his head, and his words come out in such fluster and speed that Sakura believes Gaara was not conscious of the matter. That is, not until he looks back at her with a smirk and finishes his words.

"Not until the day you look at me like I want you to anyway."

Still flustered, still angered, that Gaara's finishing words just make Sakura boil in rage. Over the edge does she go once his frightened eyes grow jokingly again.

"I will never love you like that! Never! Get that through your head! My love for you will never be romantic!" Sakura retorts.

She wants to snap when she spots his smirk grow, and along with it does his arm slowly snake for Sakura's outer shoulder. He pulls her towards him that second she tries to pull away, and he begins walking her in the direction of the pool as she fights to get away from his grip.

"Don't touch me!"

"Oh, Sakura," he mocks, gripping her hurt shoulder tight and causing the poor woman to shrink lightly in pain. "Who knows what the future holds, only time can tell. One thing you should know about me now is that I either find a way."

"Let go of me you bastard!" she continues instead, ignoring Gaara's words.

Yet, she cries out lightly as Gaara swings her to face him with their noses barely ghosting. He grins, sharp fangs showing off pearl white that reflects the glow worms. His mad eyes suddenly brighten, and the grip on Sakura tightens as she stares into Gaara's gaze.

"Or I make a way..." he whispers with a growl.

Sakura immediately narrows her eyes and sneers at the man holding her.

"You could never make me love-"

But Gaara cuts her off.

"One thing I could never make you do, Sakura," Gaara says instead. "Is hold back, even for my sake."

Sakura raises her eyebrow, confused by Gaara's words. Yet, before she can demand an explanation, she cries out as Gaara pushes her into the pool they stand next to. Sakura closes her eyes as the fresh, warm water envelops her vision, and quickly she swims racing to the top. She doesn't realize then she is using both her arms for this, and simply gasps loudly once her head pops out from under the water. Wet hair sticks to her face, her wet clothes weigh her heavy, but despite this she snaps her angry eyes quickly towards Gaara.

"What is wrong with you right now, Gaara?!" Sakura asks.

Her sneer, and disgust for the man, grows heavier as he takes a seat next to the pool. With his pants back on, he leans his back against a rock and crosses his arms while looking down at Sakura. His eyes narrow in confusion, and he looks at her with skepticism.

"W-What is it…?!" Sakura asks before she grows quiet when Gaara's own muteness, along with his hard stare, make her grow a little anxious.

"Sakura, I've seen your strength. I know you a fighter who I've always deeply respected."

Sakura's eyes only narrow to this.

"And?" she asks as Gaara's frown turns into a smirk.

He is quiet at first, as if he debates whether to say his next his words. He weighs out the pros and cons before continuing and still trying to paint an image for Sakura to see in the future.

"Had you really wanted to. Really, truly despised my actions, and where your words would have not stopped me, you surprisingly keep your fists lowered."

She does not show it, but her teeth chew the skin under her lip in her mouth. She keeps her angry eyes steady as Gaara's eyes widen towards her. He is quiet, but his eyes tell Sakura that her next words better be wise, for he misinterprets actions as much as sentences. When she says nothing, he rephrases.

"Next time, I may not stop. And if you choose not to fight back, Sakura, regardless of whatever you say, I will continue."

"You're sick," Sakura hisses.

Gaara's frown and hard stare return. For a few seconds he is quiet, contemplating, before…

"You want it as well. You would push me off of you if you didn't."

Yet, she knows the reason her physical fighting spirit is diminishing. The damage she once could threaten with is no longer there, it still refuses her call. Her chakra is still slowly…

"You have no excuse now," Gaara comments, pointing to her hurt arm as she subconsciously lets it keep her afloat.

To the sight, Sakura gasps lightly. Surprised at what she sees, she slowly scoots her way towards the edge of the pool and uses one arm to hold her in place while she brings the other up to examine it. Gaara is quiet, leaning against his rock still as he watches her.

"It's fixed," she whispers in awe before scanning the bruises and cuts that laced on parts of her body.

Yet, now, her skin is clean, fresh, new, and there is some rejuvenating power within her.

'I wonder...' she thinks.

She calls out to her chakra, but stops immediately once she spots Gaara fidget in his place and narrow his eyes towards her.

"What are you doing?" he asks suspiciously once her eyes scan over back to his.

"Nothing," Sakura whispers, resting herself against the pool's edge.

Were it not for the odd sensation she feels in her from the pool, almost like she is be re-energized, Sakura would be scrambling out of water all while hollering at the young man who put her there in the first place. Yet, what takes over her now is a calm tranquility that even Gaara's presence doesn't threaten. For those reasons, she keeps her place, soaking up whatever, and all, she can from this pool.

'No wonder he comes here. Especially for Sage mode. I'll have to remember this place. Especially if that seal on my back is still...'

Sitting in front of her still, Gaara watches Sakura intently, his own thoughts his own as the woman does the same. Yet, in time, he breaks the tranquility.

"What is going on with your chakra?" he asks her.

Sakura's fists tighten before releasing it. Of course, in the state he is now, he should be able to…

"I mask it," is all Sakura says. "I know how to mask it well."

"It's weak," Gaara spits, as if that trait of Sakura irks him. "You hide power? Why? For what reason? I am here now."

Yet, Sakura shakes her head.

"The one who asks too much is you," Sakura's voice is bitter.

"Sakura," Gaara mutters like he is reprimanding a bratty child.

"It's none of your business how I work my chakra," Sakura snaps back, her message more of one telling the young man to not ask anymore. "Tell me who led you to that place and I will share why I am like this now!"

Gaara is quiet for a minute, staring hard at the rosette who does the same. His frown drops and he lets out a breathy sigh.

"You do realize how suspicious this makes you look again, don't you?" he questions, his gaze narrowing once her eyes sweep to the water under her.

In its reflection, she stares deeply at the glowing green lights.

Where anger stirs in him, Sakura remains calm and collected. If thought deeply, she would realize a small ache pains her. For she was certain by this point…

"You still don't believe me," she whispers. "After all this still… How can you claim love and not understand trust?"

It is a small breeze that catches her voice and carries it towards Gaara's ears. Her words not meant for him to hear. With it, in the same wind, a part of her ache spreads to him. Watching her sad face turned from him begins a new fear suddenly rising in him. One he had forsaken time and time ago.

'Sympathy,' a womanly voice whispers to him.

His eyes widen, and even his breath is stolen before he refocuses his gaze towards Sakura. For once, a light shines in the darkness in his mind. For a moment, it reminds a man what a woman lovingly did for him. For Gaara, his voice speaks before he can bite his tongue.

"When you left, I made a pet..."

Sakura's eyes widen and she stares at Gaara both surprised and curious.

'A pet…?' she thinks.

She is about to snap at him for his mockery. Sakura first believes Gaara toys with her once again. Yet, she retracts that thought as she stares at Gaara's wide, shaking eyes and the small, red edge of scar on his head. Severity, she sees in his gaze. He looked at her this same way when he was young, and cried out to her in tears-

"I'll always love you too! No matter what."

There is always one moment in childhood when a door opens and lets the future in. That moment, that loving, caring scenario, breaks-way for Sakura and Gaara to move just a tiny bit forward as adults with differing desires. And for once, in this new Gaara, does she know, truly, truly, know, that he is telling her the absolute truth. Even if a riddle or vague. For this reason, she nods lightly towards him with wide eyes.

In the next second, Gaara looks at Sakura as if she is a ghost. Frightened, cornered, possibly betrayed. Gaara's eyes quake as if Sakura has unlocked something within him. He has shared a secret he vowed to keep to himself. He's stupidly given Sakura another game piece to use over him. He's revealed what he promised his heart to never let go of.

A sacred memory is shared and, worst, possibly to a stranger.

'Kill,' something dark whispers in his mind suddenly. 'Take back what she has stolen from you.'

His pupils slit.

Yet, in her next breath, Sakura stops him before he can even lift a finger.

"I was stolen from you."

Another wide gaze and the slits round. A breath is suddenly released, and curiosity returns once he stares at Sakura's face. Where he, frightened, Sakura holds sympathy and sorrow in her look for the man in front of her. He believed her in a place to beg forgiveness from him. To apologize for her abandonment and betrayal is something he still waits for that she just simply refuses she owes. Yet, her look now, her desperate eyes, give him just that. For that reason, he believes her words now. This point on, as he is finally given that little sliver to quench his appetite, does Gaara never question Sakura's identity.

Yet, along with that sliver, is a taste given. And he wants more.

"Who?" he whispers in a growl, eyes narrowing towards Sakura.

Anger. Rage. They burn his eyes. Even if his stare is on Sakura's gentle, cool emerald gaze, his flames do not spread onto to her. Instead, the fire burns for another. Gaara holds that blinding animosity towards the one who stole the woman he loves away from him.

"Tell me more about your pet," Sakura presses instead.

"Sakura," Gaara murmurs back, intense.

His voice is enough to send Sakura the same message back. Desperate for more but unwilling to be the first to break.

You first. No, you. A game. A childish one.

"Tell me about-!"

"Not until you tell me-!

Muteness follows, frustration comes next. Yet, this is a step forward. Sakura recognizes this and reminds Gaara the same.

"I did not leave you," she whispers. "I was taken from you."

She dissipates his mood and brings forth the desperation he has for her.

"Sakura," she says with a speedy breath while he hurriedly reaches for her.

She doesn't fight his touch this time. She knows it's the little boy who reaches for her now, not the man. Her arms wrap around him just like when he was a child and his hold on her is strong enough to gently pull her back out of the water.

"Gaara," she murmurs from his tight felt hug.

This time, he buries her into him. A free hand tangling into her hair. Sakura first thinks the affectionate acts to stem from the thought that they have revealed a little more of themselves. There is a point within their long bond where they reach an agreement and a little more trust is given to the other. Yet, his next words disdain that thought. Instead, his happiness now comes from something far more greater. Something Sakura has no level of understanding.

"Someone took you," he says in murmurs, sighed away with relief. "You didn't leave me. Someone took you from me."

Sakura blinks, her hands shaking lightly against Gaara's bare chest. If ever a moment Sakura doubted Gaara's claims of keeping her close, she has a dreadful realization that he may just add another link to her chain after this. Like a precious stone, he will wear and show her off everywhere, yet keep her close and locked away from those who wish to take her from him.

The hug continues, but Sakura frowns before lifting her chin to rest on Gaara's shoulder.

"We were meant to always be together," he continues.

She shivers lightly and blames the cold, wet clothes that weigh her heavy. Her light tremble catches the attention of Gaara's hand, and he pulls her waist closer to him. She listens to the drips of her outfit against rock before Gaara echoes again.

"Always."

Sakura swallows hard.

'You're wrong,' she thinks of words. 'Not always. This world is not mine. You're not the Gaara I'm suppose to-'

Yet, his tight hold steals her breath. His affection, adoration, desperation, his gentle voice… It speaks to her. Speaks to her in a way young Gaara once did. She is almost certain an, I love you, from him will come next. For all of those reasons, Sakura remains quiet, and her heart begins to pace.

It races for the little boy she shared a smile with. Which, her heart reminds her is…

'That same little boy,' she thinks. 'Gaara.'

Sakura shivers once again as fingers gently trace up her spine. She knows the direction Gaara's dark mind and lust-filled heart takes him. His mind is corrupted. He is mere product of both Sakura's teachings and whatever darkness cloaked him after her leaving. Yet, the cherished, childhood memories shared cushion her heart from most of the darkness the man in front of her threatens to overtake her with. For that reason, the sneer that should be on her appears still as just a soft frown. Still, from his tracing, curious fingers does she step away from.

Sakura pulls away from Gaara's hug, and the man looks down at her with teal eyes and a curious tilt of his head. The magic around Gaara has left him. Whether through his own heed or his strength running out, Gaara has reverted to his original look. No shimmering skin, dark markings, or fangs on the young man. His teal eyes, as she watches him blink, now look more gently towards Sakura.

A milestone achieved. Yet, the end is far from over.

His hug reminds Sakura of the goodness buried in him, but his forward hands caution her to be weary of his mental mind. For Gaara, her hands on him signal a closeness forming, yet her retracing steps remind him that the elements he is used to working with will not sway Sakura like it has others.

Their minds each dive to the same place, Sakura is simply first in speaking it.

"Tell me more?" she questions with a long breath.

Gaara merely shakes his head.

"I broke down first," he almost warns. "That will not happen again next time."

"You first," is basically what Sakura hears from Gaara.

Along with his form does the tight lip on his secrets return, and Sakura eyes Gaara up and down before concluding she will learn nothing more from the man in front of her lest she say something first. Her eyes move to her fixed arm, and gently she bends her elbow in and out before concluding the aches and pains from before are only minor now.

'That pool...' Sakura thinks, staring at the water next to her now.

Gaara follows her gaze and stares along with her in silence for some time before speaking.

"Though I'd prefer you accompanied by me, you may come back here if the need is great."

Sakura blinks, the seal on her back pops into her mind.

'I feel better,' she can admit to herself. 'Rejuvenated. Maybe this pool can help me along the way...'

Another realization hits her dead on. The impact of this one is so forward that Sakura's eyes even widen and she stands frozen in thought.

"You..." she suddenly whispers at Gaara.

Gaara tilts his head and watches Sakura's odd behavior in silence. For the rosette, her thoughts steal her away once again.

'He brought me here to help me. He said it was for him and his arm but he obviously lied. He brought me here because he worried about the blood loss. He brought me here out of concern and kindness. Something people keep telling me Gaara has forsaken.'

Something else whispers in her mind.

'Because he doesn't want to lose you. Because he-'

Sakura blinks to that last sentence.

"Gaara," Sakura suddenly. "I-um..."

Her voice trails, it's suddenly too hard to say thanks to the man who threatens so much hurt to her and the world. Surprisingly, Gaara suddenly has an urge to move, and his eyes linger on Sakura's own curious gaze as he turns his back on her but keeps his head in place. Her mouth obeys poorly when her heart murmurs.

"Shall we?" he suddenly presses Sakura.

"Ah!" she beams, almost reaching for him in the process.

Her thanks has gone unspoken. She actually owes Gaara a little more than she'd like to admit. The knowledge that he may have prolonged her life that the seal threatens to take makes her recall Kankuro's words.

"He'd do anything for you."

She is starting to see just that. Her small pushes seem the break a dam in Gaara, and he has become more quick to break down to her and shower her with her needs. Yet, she keeps his actions from before in the back of her mind. He touches her, whispers sensually to her, and presses for a relationship she does not want.

'He may be willing to help me now,' Sakura thinks. 'Yet, it may come to bite me in the ass later on.'

She doesn't mind Gaara's help, and also wants to thank him for the humble kindness he has just shown her. Yet, she is afraid of what he may ask in return. Instead of thanks, she merely replies to Gaara.

"Please. This look is not for me."

She gestures to her wet clothes, a coldness in the air now wrapping around her. She draws up to Gaara as soon as he begins his steps and watches as he picks up his shirt and other clothing he has dropped from stripping.

"Here," he tells her, offering his shirt. "Change."

Sakura merely shakes her head. Again, she finds Gaara's forwardness a thirst to have her give herself up to him. A man's own clothes on her back says something.

"I'm fine," she counters, and Gaara catches her contempt.

"Newfangled nonsense," Gaara growls before speaking more. "I just don't want you to get sick."

Suddenly, there's a newness Sakura sees in him. Maybe it had always been there, vaguely, and she only recognizes it now. A general care he probably has for her is beginning to shine more. His tone, his stern eyes, his heavy frown, though desire blinds him at times, he truly did this for Sakura and her health.

She can see this.

With a slow hand, she reaches for the shirt. Her approach is watched with amused eyes and a dark whisper that tells Gaara.

"She's breaking."

Delicious thought, but his concern for her outweighs his craving of her. Still, he swallows hard when he watches Sakura gently blanket his top over her shoulders. Like a shawl, it drapes around her, and despite her unsightly sight; Wrinkled, wet clothes; frizzing, tangled hair; tired, possibly sick. There is a swelling in his heart at the sight of her.

"Beautiful blossom," he whispers for his ears only.

Sakura merely looks up at Gaara's heavy stare as she draws up next to his side. A silence between the two as they stare.

"You'll probably need to lead the way again," Sakura says, nudging her chin in the direction of the exit.

They look out together. The patter of rain has traveled far, no longer hitting their ears, yet the tall trees still hide the guiding light of moon and stars. Darkness envelops the scene in front of them, and for one of them that is a problem. Thinking of all he has just done for her, Sakura is surprised to find that her reluctance in taking his guidance is waning. She threatened his hold earlier yet now…

Silence. She waits for his offer, but it isn't coming.

Maybe, as she has learned through this experience that his helping hand has so far been kind to her, Gaara is realizing that Sakura holds her strong independence proudly and refuses to try and break that part of her tonight.

Silence.

"Shall we?" Gaara finally murmurs, stepping past her.

It's not even a second thought, she reaches for his hand instantly. He freezes at her gentle touch, allows her small hand to slowly slide into his. Yet, turning his head back to look at her, his eyes are skeptical.

"I can't see out there like you can," Sakura quickly offers her explanation.

Yet, her expression lasts on his eyes for only a second before she casts them to the side of her. Ashamed, embarrassed to ask for help, or maybe something else… Whatever reason, Gaara's mind begins to stir. He will claim composure always. At the top of men, Gaara will tell that he is the most intellectual and collect of all. Even if he fails to recognize or admit it now, Sakura's touch threatens to break him instead. Her fights, the way she spits at his words, her spirit drives him to claim love for Sakura. She swats his advances away and he happily retreats riding on the rush he just experienced while constantly thinking how to grace his fingers across her flesh again.

This time, she unexpectedly draws to him. A gentle, innocent touch rocks his mind. An echo in his head tells him to claim her now. If just a touch from her can illicit this then how can he control himself when she…

"Are you sure?" he asks, almost warning her that this path she takes may lead her down the road she does not want.

Yet, the warning is too vague. The man is still the child in her eyes. There is nothing foul in this innocent act. Her hand tightens around his; an answer. Gently, Gaara leads Sakura up towards his side.

"Stay close to me then," he tells her with a smirk. "This jungle homes numerous dangerous, wild animals."

Sakura this time rolls her eyes, but the lighthearted mood still has Sakura speaking out without worry.

"Right," she drawls before adding in a joke. "The wildest and most dangerous animal on this island is probably you."

Hand in hand, they step out from the dimly lit cave back into the blackness of the jungle. To Sakura's comment, Gaara only allows himself a giant grin once it's hidden by the darkness of the night.

"I think you're correct about that," he whispers, tightening his hand on her own. "And now I've caught my prey. How easily too."

He is sure she will pull away then. His words may be of humor, but there is truth to them. Lucky for him, he learns now how easily Sakura is manipulated once put into a good mood. When the seriousness in his suggestions is laced with humor from joke, Sakura doesn't pull away he learns.

They've each gained another piece in their game today.

His eyes grow wider when her hand stays firmly with his and a small laugh makes her chest rise up and down.

'How glorious,' he thinks, watching her as he continues to lead them away with Sakura snickering. 'How wonderful this feeling is.'

It's been fifteen years since he last heard her laugh. If her words made him doubt the feelings he has for her, now more than ever does he feel absolute with his love. Instead of her tears, her cries, her pleas, her fight; he'd much rather see her smile and laughter return.

Composure still, he will claim. The little she gives makes him want more, and unbeknownst to her, he pulls her in towards him just a little more.

"Not prey," Sakura adds, feeding a little to his appetite. "A friend."

A sliver of a taste she offers again, but he is still hungry.

"Right," he actually agrees with her for a moment. "A friend."

His eyes cast back down to her face. They continue traveling in the dark. Vulnerable as she is, Gaara does actually lead her by hand in a means of being her only guidance and protection now. Still, as he glances at her face, smile still there, he may actually admit to himself later…

"I was her biggest threat then. I realize now her actual being was a constant tease to me."

Realizations that come in later.

"Growing up, I found myself in a place where the streets were lit up at night with neon lights."

Sakura blinks to Gaara's sudden words. She is smarter than he may think. She knows his words now are meant to draw her in. He knows claims of the past, whether spoken by her or him, will freeze the other in the spot. Bait. Trap. More. Sakura can't help herself. Quickly, her mind tries to think of such land before Gaara begins to reveal more.

'This is where he went,' she thinks. 'After me, this was a place that changed him for the worst.'

"The people there did nothing but party," Gaara continues. "They relied on men from the same country to go out there and sacrifice themselves for the cause of a lively nightlife."

Sakura blinks, quiet, listening intently.

"Tools," Gaara murmurs. "Nothing but living, breathing tools ninja are. Tools used for power gained."

Sakura can't bite her tongue then, for her worst fear is Gaara looking at his army in the same light. Disposable devices used as he pleases just so he can take a high seat and look down at the world in disgust.

"That feels wrong..." she can't help but whisper.

Beings with emotions they are. Trained to lose them, Sakura has held on to her love, her grief, and turned it into her strength, and it has helped her become the best there is. Same with Naruto. She is ready to admit the old teachings are wrong. Surprisingly, Gaara, if she thinks about it, is just the same. A man in her world accepted love and changed himself for the better. This Gaara though…

"I'll change it then," he tells her hurriedly. "I'll change the world you see fit. I'll make a place for just the two of us with you in the middle."

Sakura grimaces and her steps falter. Something Gaara is quick to notice, and his voice speaks again before Sakura's lighthearted mood dissipates. If he can invoke curiosity, he can lead her away from the anger she holds for him.

"My point was lost," he speaks before her. "I was going to mention that the livelihood from the night, in that village, would play throughout the day."

"Ah," Sakura murmurs, drawn back into the story. "A party place. I've been to towns like that. Gambling, drinking-"

"Sex," Gaara cuts in, hoping to finish her sentence.

Sakura rolls her eyes once again.

"Of course that be the first one out of your mouth," Sakura remarks.

Gaara merely shrugs.

"Would you expect anything less? You've seen those towns, you know."

Sakura shakes her head.

"I wasn't denying it," she states with her nose in the air. "Just pointing out how quick your mind is-"

"My point being-" Gaara cuts her off, worried of the direction she takes the conversation. "Young as I was, I disliked the bright lights at night. I was taken out of my usual, comforting element. Darkness was never found there, and stealth and surprise was forsaken when my shadow loomed heavy in the street lights."

He speaks, but what Sakura garners most out of this is…

'He was young. He couldn't handle the change of scenery. This was recent after I was taken.'

She may analyze, but Gaara continues on as if he is telling her a lighthearted story. Even more reason behind it becomes carefree once Gaara reveals what he wants with this story.

"I hated the nights there," he adds. "But the daytime..."

Sakura's eyes widen when Gaara pulls Sakura a little more closer towards him. She is hesitant when his other free hands snakes for her other, but nonetheless allows both her hands to be held on by him before he nudges her hip with his own, pushing her lightly away from his body before drawing her back in with the gentle hold on hands.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asks, a little laugh in her voice at Gaara's playfulness.

His steps go to side and then back, holding her still, she follows his light movements and realizes he is leading her into a-

"Dance! People danced like this in the streets during the day."

His movements become wider and, surprisingly, Sakura continues to let the man slide her in and out towards him while shuffling her steps to one side before the other. Above it all, her hands remain laced into his, and she can't help the smile on her face seeing this display.

'Gaara dances!' is what swarms her mind now. 'Gaara likes to dance!'

"Sometimes, I would just sit and watch performers dance in the streets all day. Beggars they typically were, but they entertained me with their movements and song."

His moves become more vigorous and it isn't until Gaara tries to spin Sakura to face him does the young woman laugh and begin to pull away. Gaara stops her by squeezing her hand in a silent plea to not let go just yet.

"No, no, no," he lectures. "Fast steps, I'll show you."

Sakura laughs once more.

"No," she lightly whines. "I can't dance."

Gaara scoffs.

"Is this why you never showed me dance when I was a child?" he asks, rocking Sakura lightly.

Yet, before she can fall on the image of the child, Gaara pulls her in again, and moves her feet with his. Though slow, his steps now still move them in the direction of the home. Wet clothes forgotten, sinful acts from before placed in the back of their minds, Sakura instead follows his lead once again, laughing lightly when she trips lightly over him.

"Really," she tries again. "I can't dance. This is embarrassing."

"It's dark," Gaara counters. "It is only I."

Sakura shakes her head with a smile.

"Still embarrassing," she mumbles.

He sways her body still with his steps and a bump from his hip to hers from time to time. Hands in hands, he leads her, but slows their movements.

"Alright," he finally caves, but not without reason of his own. "It's because we need music. Singing. A song!"

Sakura groans disapprovingly as Gaara's mood suddenly grows more playful.

"No...that's even more embarrassing."

"It's experience," Gaara counters.

"Experience?"

"Experience is the name we will give it now. You can't turn down experience."

Before she can speak, Gaara begins to hum before turning it into a light whistle. He continues to lightly parade Sakura next to him and begins moving her to the tempo of his noises.

"Let me hear you sing," Gaara presses.

He grows a smile of his own once Sakura grins to the suggestion. With a new art that threatens her comfort, dancing begins to not sound so bad. She lets him move her, but her lips remain purse.

"No," she tells him. "I cannot sing."

"You speak," Gaara presses. "You have a voice."

"I use it for different means. Better means."

Instead of delving into her doubt, Gaara recounts his younger years.

"In the streets, the beggars always had a new dance and new song everyday. They would belt their voices even when the words ran out. I realized later they simply made up the songs as they went on."

As his headlong steps continue, growing wider, Sakura laughs when she realizes what Gaara is proposing.

"I have no songs memorized," she begins.

Yet, she tilts her neck when she realizes that isn't necessarily true. Before Gaara can point that out, she relays the message fast.

"Except your mother's."

A pause in his dance, and Gaara's hand tightens on Sakura's own before releasing. Her words are a sudden reminder to the two; We have a past together. For Gaara, the thought makes his heart pace. It makes him realize her place now truly is in his arms. For Sakura, it turns her mood more light, and she carries a gentle smile while Gaara continues to lead her into rocking her body back and forth.

"-and I don't think that's a song you dance to like this."

Though she can't see in the dark, she feels Gaara nod his head in agreement.

"Another then," he presses.

"I know no other by heart."

"Make one up."

He is persistent, and Sakura isn't sure if she is getting home unless she hums out some sort of tune.

"From the heart," he adds in a breathy whisper.

It steals Sakura's breath for a moment. Still, she can't bring herself to…

"From the heart...you first," she whispers.

Gaara eyes her, and even tilts his head in her direction to take in her red cheeks.

'She's really ashamed of art,' Gaara realizes.

Yet, her requests are ones he is ready to answer at the drop of a dime, and he begins with a soft hum, trying to figure out how he wants their steps and song to match.

'He eats sweets still,' Sakura thinks while listening to Gaara's light hum.

He adds a word here and there but still no sentence produced. Still, he begins to rock Sakura a little more.

'He bakes. He sings. He dances,' Sakura thinks before Gaara's voice becomes louder; he has figured out his song. 'He is the product of my teachings.'

Yet, with his next words, she realizes he is also the product of all the mysteries that happened to him these past fifteen years. Like she asks, he sings from his heart.

"So beautiful my blossom stands. So beautiful the love we had, I can't believe she just let it pass. But how beautiful that love we had, I just want it back."

Sakura's nose wrinkles. She compliments Gaara's singing voice in her mind. She is surprised he has a voice that he is not ashamed to carry out in song. Yet, the lyrics he chooses…

"That's not true," she tries to counter. "I never-!"

Yet, she stops when Gaara retracts a hand of his and gently pats Sakura above her chest.

"From the heart," he reminds her. "Sing how you feel."

His words almost sound desperate. His request holds deeper meaning than she thinks. He's opening up to her more, and willing to hear her plight for the moment as he relays his to her. Shame be damned, he's brewed something in her where her voice comes out in a light tune.

"I..." she begins before clearing her throat.

Staring down, she realizes their steps have slowed as Gaara just lightly sways them. It is then Sakura speeds the tempo back up and tries to sing with the same notes Gaara had. Her hand reaches back to take a hold of his.

"So beautiful the love we had..." she repeats.

It's more like a whisper than song, and she pauses in doubt. Yet, in time, Gaara squeezes her hands before stopping them in their spot.

"Sing to me," he begs. "More than my mother's song, I want to hear Sakura's song."

"I know..."

She tries again, thinking hard. She focuses on two alien things right now. Dance and song is hard for her, multitasking with ease comes in the form of medicine, surgery, chores, eating while eating. He throws her another curve ball with his heartfelt request.

'From the heart,' she thinks while Gaara lets her move them both offbeat.

His eyes are trained entirely on her while her eyes furrow staring at their moving feet. Delving into her heart now, feeling the gentle touch she has on his hand, the thought of how he would have laughed and enjoyed this sort of thing when he was young is what makes Sakura's heart beat faster. In her heart, is the little boy.

"I know you're hurting..." Sakura tries to sing, her quiet voice cracking at the higher note.

Gaara turns his eyes more onto her expression. Unsure if she is stating something or trying to sing, he watches with a heavy frown when Sakura looks down at their feet solemnly. A part of him wants to reach out then, to remind her that if the task is too hard, too tedious, for her then that she may stop. Yet, at the sight of her expression, a better realization dawns on him.

'She's singing from her heart,' he thinks.

She's willing to play, he happily thinks. Yet, he prepares himself for her sad song.

"I know you're hurting," she tries again, a little more loudly.

Tempo the same, she hits his notes better, and this time she leads their steps into a gentle dance. Holding each other, side to side, neither of them mind or speak when they remember her movements will drive them deeper into the unknown jungle. No matter, home can come later.

"I know you're hurting and I know your heart it aches. For love, look at this terrible world you helped create."

She isn't surprised an amused, mocking laugh escapes Gaara then. Like her before, Gaara wants to end her song and redeem some doubt in her mind of him.

"Is that what you think?" he asks after his dark cackle.

He allows the dance still, allows Sakura to guide them lost into a jungle. An emotional tie to this woman stops him from pulling away. His fixation on her is an unhealthy cathexis. Though, he will claim all of it untrue if pointed out by another. Along with his fixation, does his eyes linger on Sakura. He watches her intently still, her voice not disheartened by his question.

"It's what I know," she tells him instead. "But..."

She picks up her head, her voice echoing through the jungle a little more loudly as she rings out another part to her song.

"Gaara, all you needed to remember, is that the sun will shine once the clouds break."

She continues to hum, continues to sway them, and is happy silence follows him through that last part. Her light humming becomes minutes, and in the dark, Gaara's emotions are hidden. The grip on her hand the same, his movement sways with her, but he silent...for too long.

"Your future was suppose to be a good one. Not all the heartache and trouble you I know you went through," Sakura whispers, not in song.

She realizes his lead up to his song had gave her some insight to his mysterious past. For him, she will do the same.

"Where I come from...song and dance is not as common."

"Ahhh," Gaara almost purrs through the dark and the deep thought she has put him in is forgotten as new information hits him.

He is just as aware that she shares only because he had.

"So, there is a place you call home," Gaara presses, trying to garner more from her.

Yet, Sakura only smiles to his questions. She knows a push and a shove will get him nowhere.

"There is," she tells him. "But..."

A pause, a silence.

"What?" he can't help but break first by asking.

"It seems far away now," she whispers.

"Where?" he asks more urgently now. "I'll take you there. Tell me where you come from and I will take you there tonight."

'If only that easy,' Sakura thinks with a sad smile.

When she doesn't answer him, he presses again.

"Konoha?" he asks, falling back to his previous assumptions from her.

Sakura chuckles lightly to his question and only keeps her sad smile before looking up and revealing more.

"Konoha? Here? No," she whispers while shaking her head. "I come from somewhere...out of this world, you could say."

More riddles, but they are lighthearted. Plus, the mood between them now, the small instance of sharing, tells something deeper to the both of them; Maybe not tonight, but someday, they will learn of what the other keeps hidden. The singing stops. Their feet follow suit, and their voices are lost as they dwell on their own suspicions and what they've both learned. The other, knows, nothing more will come tonight.

It takes minutes, but Sakura slowly listens as Gaara begins to tap his foot again. The hands holding onto hers suddenly grip hard, and its his turn to hum.

"Again?" Sakura asks with light laughter, surprised Gaara wishes for song once more.

"Why not?" he asks. "The folks there would go day and night. Never stopping."

"I've run out of lyrics," Sakura admits.

"My turn anyway," Gaara speaks.

Before Sakura can protest, she cries out as Gaara swings her out to face him. He catches her while pulling her back towards him and carries his arm up before placing her free hand on his shoulder and his onto her waist.

"No," she instantly whines. "Not a dance like this. No more dancing."

Yet, she's caught in the fun, contagious act the second he begins leading their steps in circles. Without song, her steps mismatch his, but in time, she allows him to lead some as she laughs nervously at the act.

"No one is watching," he reminds her, to stifle her humor and bring back her collective thoughts.

His movements become faster, his humming louder, and as he begins to push Sakura forward and back towards him, Sakura does eventually fall to only a smile while trying to look at him through the dark. Though she only catches his eyes, she knows he must be a little appreciative that she shows him her face; her delight.

"Hold my hand tight, Sakura. Don't you want to be wild with me? Just like we used to be back then," Gaara attempts at singing again.

Sakura cries out in laugh when Gaara spins her in his hand.

"Wild?!" she asks through her laughs. "Your words are really odd, Gaara!"

"Again then," he speaks, perfection from him sets in to make this setting all he wants, and he clears his throat for another sentence to sing. "Come and grab my hand Honey-"

"Oh, Honey now?" Sakura laughs before Gaara sends her for another spin.

"-don't you want to dance with me? Let's take back what we left in the past."

Gaara watches Sakura as she grins while he twirls her. He realizes, with a sadness, his fiery dance has left her more awed then his song. His lyrics.

His heart.

Yet, her smile now, her laughs, her genuine carefree attitude.

It's almost too much to take in now.

She's happy, that makes him happy.

'Were our roles reversed?' he wonders for a moment. 'As a child, did she push for my smile as much as I do for hers now?'

He pulls Sakura back towards him and slows their dance back to what it was. For the rosette, as a light behind them brightens, she realizes Gaara has danced right by the home again. Still, her eyes strain on him, the dance continues, and at the sight of his entire face; her grin still holds upright. The sight of her, her happiness, allows him just the same. Doubts are washed from his mind, and the idea that she could something more to him now, something much more important than she wants to be, makes his grin spread along with hers.

In his mind, a voice echoes.

'...perfect...'

"So beautiful that love we had," Gaara whispers in song, dancing Sakura slowly.

He twirls her, to keep her mind spinning so she doesn't retaliate against his song. He's asked for her song, but mostly given her one of his own.

"That love we had," he continues to whisper.

"Gaara," Sakura gently calls as he continues twirling her slowly. "I'm getting dizzy."

'It's too perfect,' something darker tells him.

His hands slow, and Sakura finds her landing with bark against her back and Gaara drawing in closer to pin her between him and tree. A dangerous situation her mind instantly tells her. Yet, looking up at Gaara's hard gaze and set frown, she has to second-guess where that sense of danger of her comes from. They were having a good time, Gaara was showing her a side to him she wasn't sure he still had, and things felt like they did when he was young. So, why does her mind scream at her now that something dangerous is happening?

"Gaara?" Sakura questions as his stare on her lingers.

Still holding her hand, he steps in closer towards Sakura. There is no backing up from her part due to the tree, but her eyes widen once Gaara's face draws in.

"That love we had," he tells her, eyes glued on her emerald, wide gaze.

Meanwhile, Sakura tries to read his own teal orbs. Tries to understand what Gaara feels now. She swallows hard when she realizes the space between their faces is only inches apart, and she knows his eyes carefully watch her just as intent as she does him. His eyes even follow that lump she swallows before looking back up at her and parting his lips.

"I want it back," he finally reveals.

His head draws in closer and Sakura gasps.

Danger.

"I need your love," Gaara continues to whisper, his lips aiming for her trembling ones.

Sakura is frozen in her spot long enough for Gaara to gently graze his bottom lips against her. It's presence almost not felt; his lip barely ghosting hers. The small touch sends a shiver up Gaara's spine and he lets out a quivering breath as Sakura suddenly brings her lips back together in a tight frown.

"Gaara," she murmurs.

He hushes her with a long shush before he eyes her up and down. He realizes her hands are at her side as his begins to gently trace her neck.

"Don't," Sakura warns, narrowing her eyes at him.

He thinks she requests his hand to freeze. So, when Sakura speaks her next sentence, it catches him off-guard.

"Don't choose to love me this way," she warns him instead.

No better teacher, for she knows the sad outcome.

"Your heart will break again..." she sighs.

Other words echo in her mind before she decides to speak them to Gaara. With mood ruin already, why not reveal the serious truth behind it? She finally decides to tell him more.

"And you will be more broken than you are now, Gaara."

She tenses when the hand on her neck suddenly grips her threateningly. Her hands race up to meet his grip, but he stops them with his sand. Like rope, the sand holds her arms back. Her eyes rush to his, her only voice to him now to release her. His eyes glaze, trance, staring longingly, and feral passion begins brewing when his other hand reaches up to trace her face lovingly.

'Be careful,' her mind echoes with a voice she is not familiar with as she loses more and more of her breath. 'There's more happening than you're understanding right now.'

Not only is the tightness are her neck strong, but it also feels like something pins her backside more against the tree than Gaara's own strength.

"Break it then," he whispers.

Sakura comprehends nothing once his hold loosens and gasps for air. His words hold no meaning until her fuzzy mind draws in the breaths he has stolen. Gently, his thumb massages the dip in her throat. Soothingly, forgiving itself for the pain it caused her. Her arms, however, still stretch with the chains of his sand. His element, darkness, reminds her that it is no use to even try even when his next words tell her to exactly just that.

"Break my sand," he tells her as her angry eyes stare up at him in rage.

She grounds her teeth then.

"Fuck your games, Gaara," her cloudy mind tells her to speak. "I'm not your play..."

Her voice stops when she realizes her vulgar words do nothing but encourage and excite the redhead. Another piece of her broken, and he lavishes at the reward of seeing a new side of her.

"Spirited," he labels her in almost awe. "My dangerous, beautiful blossom."

He whispers all this with glee, bringing himself against her and cradling her head into his hands.

"You could merit anything from me. I'd give you the world if you just asked."

She glares at him, rocking her face and trying her damnedest now to get her head out of his hands.

"Stop!" she screams as his lips reach for hers again while he holds her head in place.

"Break my sand," he whispers again as he slowly moves towards her face, and his eyes widen dangerously. "You've done it before and I know you can do it now."

"Control yourself, Gaara!" she cries again.

"If you didn't want this you'd push-" yet, Gaara's voice is lost to another in Sakura's mind.

'There's more happening than you're understanding right now,' her mind suddenly repeats.

Her backside is way too pushed into the tree behind her, and the new tightness around her stomach and waist grows her nauseous. Sakura gasps once she understands the situation around her better.

"Gaara," she is quick to speak. "Someone is trying to kill me."

It's like a switch is turned on in him. Maybe more like like a snap that beckons one to follow its master's orders. She is only given a second to gaze into the face of something so animal, so feral, so dangerous as its eyes suddenly glow and teeth snarl once her words rock him back into reality. That red, fury of a face turns its head quickly to the side of him, recognizing now the other being that has been looming in the shadows while watching them. His sand comes out in a wave as Sakura begins scrambling at the metal wires that grip and break skin while tightening her around the tree.

"My kunai is on my right, inner thigh!" she calls to Gaara, seeing him more the ally than enemy at the moment.

Yet, a part of her does regret her voice being so quick once she feels sand, slither quickly up her thigh before maneuvering delicately back down her legs with kunai in hold. The blade never touches her skin.

'Pervert,' shes quick to think. 'Sending that thing around my leg like that!'

She can't hide her blush.

All forgotten as that snake of sand carries her kunai up the wires and releases Sakura from their dangerous hold. Sakura reaches for her kunai, and, while doing so, analyzes the situation best she can.

'He's still fighting,' Sakura first realizes. 'Then it's someone who knows his sand. Knows how to get past it.'

Sakura looks quickly up when she spots a shadow coming down on her from the trees. A woman.

'The real one,' she figures out as Gaara's sand still races for the fake one ahead of him.

The woman comes down at her with a blade of some sort in hand. Her face full of the same rage Gaara has in his. Her intent, easy for Sakura to recognize.

'She wants to kill me.'

Brown hair is what makes Sakura's hands quake as she brings up her kunai and braces for the impact and her eyes widen when she hears the woman's loud voice holler.

"How dare you...with that damn face...and with my Gaara-sama!"

Something on the woman's wrist reflects light from the home, and Sakura's eyes widen at the Konoha-found stone she helped a little boy pick out years ago for his, second, friend.