AN: Another chapter for you, more dub-con elements but relatively safe. Enjoy.
"Sasuke... I love you..."
Her sleep spoken words had him breathing darkly.
Gaara hated love, and he hated when people showed love for each other. So hearing her say such things in her sleep about his newest opponent made him extremely pissed.
What was so special about the Uchiha that had everyone chasing him? Why didn't he acknowledge all of the affection he was getting?
Gaara officially hated Sasuke, and had already made plans to kill him today, but that stupid sensei of his forced him to wait. He should have just killed them both, but he had an inkling that the masked teacher was stronger than he looked.
Well, if he couldn't kill Sasuke perhaps he could go kill one of his comrades to piss him off a bit.
Just as he rounded the corner towards the hospital he stopped dead to watch the girl he had been so interested in waltz through the double doors. Another blonde girl strolled behind her, and he remembered the pitiful fight they had in the exams.
The redhead decided to tail them, but kept relatively to the shadows to keep his identity hidden. They handed out flowers to their friends, peeled apples for the bedridden, and giggled amongst themselves about trivial things. So innocent, and soft, but he remembered the flavor of her sinful blood pulsing under her skin. It made him practically starving for another taste.
The blonde eventually left, and as the sun started to set he felt his urges to lunge at his precious blossom grow stronger. Just one bite would do, and he would probably feel sated for the rest of the night.
As the hospital started to close its doors for the night he followed her outside, growing closer with each step down the now bustling street. Shops were lit up brightly, but he blended in with the neon colors quite well.
Sakura stopped, and turned around with a withered expression letting him know that he had been caught. Accepting defeat he wandered up to her without reservation, and waited in silence for her to say her peace.
"What do you want, Gaara?" The kunoichi crossed her arms sternly at him, and he actually enjoyed her standoffish attitude.
"I'm hungry." He smiled darkly, showing her his sharp canines that were meant just for her. However, she just looked even more irritated.
"Let's go eat then." Sakura sighed and waved him to follow her. It wasn't what he had been expecting, but he wouldn't argue over being in her company let alone being invited to do so. He dragged his feet up to walk by her side, looking over at her every so often just to study her up close.
She took them to a rather quiet restuarant, and they sat down in one of the darker corners of the room. She ordered up some of konoha's grilled delicacies, some soup, and some sort of fruity tea. Sitting across from her was even more interesting, and he enjoyed dissecting her with his ghostly eyes.
"So, are you enjoying your stay here in Konoha?" Sakura took a calm sip of her tea, but it was her hands that gave her away.
They were shaking. She was nervous.
"Yes, the air is fresher here. There is also more fresh water, and better food." Gaara answered truthfully, and it actually seemed to calm her. "The beast inside me appreciates nature, and he appreciates your people's blind hospitality. So naive, and ready to slaughter-"
"You know, if you really are trying to woo me then talking about killing my people doesn't really help your case." The kunoichi glared for a moment, and their food was suddenly planted in front of them by a soft spoken waitress. As soon as she wandered away he felt his dark smile return.
"You think I came here to romance you? Once again, naive." The redhead took a generous bite of the tender meat in front of him. It was succulent, and slid down the throat far easier than the dried meats they had in Suna.
"Well, you can't seem to leave me alone. You follow me everywhere like some sort of puppy so what am I supposed to think?" Sakura sighed, and nibbled politely at her food.
"I'm just waiting until the urge to kill you arises. Unfortunately I'm more interested in how you live at the moment. It's only a matter of time though-"
"Says the boy who tucked me into bed last night. Yes, you really desire to end my life. Mmhmm. Sure." The kunoichi took a sip of her soup, leaving him to focus on her neck as she gulped it down. He licked his lips at the thought of her sweet metallic blood pouring into his mouth.
They finished their meal without any more banter, and she generously paid for him even though he could probably do it himself. Yet, he was impressed that she was trying to show him some sort of hospitality.
Did she not care that a demon lived inside him? That would actually be very interesting if that were the case.
Now he was following her to wherever she decided to lead him, and funnily enough it was a tour of her own town. She pointed out the hokage's faces, where the cemetary was, the best ramen place in all of the land of fire, the bath house, and much more. He wondered if she was trying to distract him from his original plot, at any rate he was enjoying himself a bit. As the night grew later more foreign ninja were seen at the bars, so they decided to take more nature trails to different destinations to avoid the drunks.
The current path they were on led to a bridge over a pristine river. Everything here was so incredibly clean. She hopped up to sit on the stone ledge, viewing the moon's rays on the sparkling water. As beautiful as the river was he could only find himself staring at her. Her pink hair, jade eyes, and creamy skin all seemed to glow in the silver light.
It made him hungry again.
"This is the prettiest river in all of Konoha, and this bridge is my favorite. It's always low traffic here, so it makes it extra peaceful." Her eyes were so focused on the scenery that he couldn't contain himself any longer. Without warning he lunged at her with his teeth bared, and they both toppled over the bridge into the river she seemed so fond of.
She gave a curdling scream that was muffled by the water, but his teeth sunk in deep to feel her hot blood pour into his mouth. They immediately washed up against some rocks under the bridge, and she took a few gasping breaths for air while he continued to drink.
What was strange was how her arms had seemed to wrap around him, most likely in an effort to get back to the surface, but as he pressed her hard against the large rocks her arms only gripped him tighter in an embrace. He had started to return it by slipping his arms around her too, and felt her shivering frozen form under his own weight. She gave a few shaking breaths, and his drinking slowed until he could just lightly lap at the wound with his tongue. With her hair so wet he could smell her much more than before, and he began nuzzling into her damp pink locks to try to memorize the scent.
Gaara had already tasted her, but he was still starving for her. Her blood wasn't enough, he wanted more, but he knew the blood wouldn't sate him.
He pulled away to look at her frightened expression. Her face had gone pale from the cold and blood loss. Her lips blue, and trembling. Before he could really think it through his mouth was on her freezing lips, warming them with a kiss. She squirmed, and bit at his bottom lip hard enough to make him yelp.
The redhead pulled away with snarl, but the flower in his arms didn't seize the moment to run. He almost wished she would give chase, just so he could feel the thrill of hunting her in exchange for the discomfort she brought him. Yet the kunoichi continue to shiver in his grasp, and her breath shook violently with every intake of air.
Gaara didn't like it when she looked like that. Sakura looked sickly, and exhausted, it didn't make him feel warm like before when she had so much fight in her. Right now he just felt sour in his stomach like something was wrong here. Without thinking he pulled her arm over his shoulder, then shuffled both of them out from under the bridge and onto the rocks lining the shore. Her expression was confused, and judging by the tight line his lips made he was certain that he looked just as lost about the situation.
"What a-are you d-doing?" Sakura's blue lips quivered from her drop in temperature, but she didn't sound too concerned. He hoisted her onto dry land before dragging his own body up beside her.
"I'm no longer interested." The redhead huffed as water dripped from his face onto the rocks and grass below him. His words were only half true, he was certainly curious about her but he had no further desire to watch her suffer. This was quite new, as he truly enjoyed watching others in pain or discomfort. He stared at the ground beneath him, his expression growing more lost by the second.
"Well, at l-least your l-living your l-life how you w-want to l-live it." The kunoichi shivered uncontrollably, but it was her words that struck him further then her demeanor.
Was he truly living his life the way he wanted?
Gaara wasn't sure of the answer. Well, no, that wasn't quite right either. There was an answer hidden deep inside him, but he held only the pain of knowing that what he wanted could never happen. So thus his answer had to be repeatedly beaten down, because his dreams could never come true.
After a while of thinking he looked over at the drowned girl, and realized that she had probably passed out right after speaking her peace. He couldn't leave her out here for the villagers to find. Believing it to be smart rather than admit the truth that he was worried about her, he hoisted her wet form into his arms to carry her back to her home.
The walk was quiet, and he seemed to slip through the night unnoticed even with a drenched girl slung in his arms. Unfortunately mother nature decided to make things a little harder for them, and opened up the skies for a midnight downpour.
Sakura's house came into view, the lights where off throughout the home letting him know her family was asleep. He took it as a good sign, and jumped up skillfully to her still open window. It was unsmart for her to leave it open when a storm was approaching, she seemed to make a lot of stupid rookie mistakes in life.
He removed his shoes on the large windowsill before treading across her floor. As he was about to lay her out on her bed he realised that laying her soaking wet body on the blanket meant to warm her was not very smart. No, her dress would have to go.
Without a second thought Gaara's sand formed a clone to hold her up while he apathetically peeled off her dress, leaving her in nothing but her soft cotton pink bra and black shorts. The shorts were next, revealing floral pink underwear that seemed much too young for her.
'She is a child though, this girl is a whole year behind me... barely even stepping into becoming a woman where as I have already taken my step into becoming a man-'
The redhead shook out his hair to rid himself of the thought. It was too odd to ponder over their obvious differences, and how those differences made him feel lost in a stranger way than they usually did. He didn't like this feeling, it was too foreign.
Sakura trembled in the arms of his lifeless sand clone, and his brain switched over to the strange desire of wanting her to be comfortable.
Why? Why couldn't he just want her to scream and bleed like everyone else he came across? She was so... fragile. He could snap her in half, or crush her body into nothing but pink meat, yet he wanted her to sleep without shivering. He wanted her to be warm.
Gaara chose to keep her underclothes on, more for himself than for her sake, and pulled back the covers for the clone to place her in the bed. Once tucked in she still continued to shiver, and it bothered him that he couldn't succeed in giving her comfort. With a frustrated groan he started to strip off his own gear.
His gourd rested beside the bed, and it felt somewhat strange to feel the weight lifted away from him. The white scarf was unwrapped from his torso, his black t-shirt peeled off to reveal his fishnet one underneath, and lastly his black cargo pants were pulled down until he could properly step out of them.
Wandering around this girl's room in nothing but his black boxers and netted top didn't make him feel any more at ease, but it did give him a bit more warmth. Hanging up the damp clothes on hangers to dry, he padded back over to her bedside. Denying any thoughts against it he crawled into her bed, and pressed his body along her to provide more heat. As her shivering leveled out he felt a sense of pride finally make it's way to the surface.
The redhead did cringe at the feeling of her cold flesh, but he couldn't deny that it piqued his interest. Her skin was so soft, as if she polished it every day to get its smooth marble-like texture. The teen couldn't help his fingers from running along her forearm to take in it's silkiness, and she turned her head to give a soft sigh in his direction. He felt the absent hairs on his body attempt raise up in gooseflesh while his chest tightened anxiously.
The red tone to her lips had returned, and his haunting eyes couldn't stop staring at the perked rose buds. They were cold before, but perhaps now they were warm. Another quick decision had him leaning forward to test his theory, and he once again pressed his mouth to hers.
Soft. Warm soft petals of the most enchanting flower. He was swept up in the rush of it as he pressed further to truly memorize the feeling of a gentle kiss, even if it was only one sided. She didn't stir for the longest time, he was even able to pull away to continue his study of her sleeping form. She seemed completely at peace in her slumber, and he envied her restful bliss.
Yet watching her eased him somehow, like he could vicariously sleep through her.
Gaara didn't leave until light began filtering in through the window, and at that point he felt reluctant to leave the comfort of her warm bed, but if he stayed any longer he felt that the enemy known as 'sleep' would finally catch up to him.
It was far too soon for that, and he had clearly discovered that if he wanted to keep her he'd have to hold back until the plan finally went through.
After the sand had finally succeeded in taking over this village, he would claim her as his prize. Yes, she would be a fine prize indeed.
- ... - ... - ... - ... - ...
His jealousy got the better of him.
That Rock Lee had gotten so much attention from her, even though the martial artist was completely useless now. It drove him absolutely mad enough that he had aimed to properly finish the bastard.
But no, those other leaf comrads of hers had to step in. Lee's teacher as well. Showing such love and care for his student-
Liars. Selfish bastards; all of them. How dare they flaunt the one thing he couldn't have. It made his head sear in pain.
"You need to stop following me." A voice came up behind him, echoing off the trees on the path. He hadn't even realized that he had been tailing her for over an hour now, or the fact that she had somehow disappeared only to reappear behind him. Was he losing it?
"Why?" Gaara stiffened as her tone showed her emotions plainly. She certainly wasn't pleased with his behavior.
"Because its improper. This is stalking." Sakura was short with him, only proving his points further.
"I don't care, I'm not doing anything to you-"
"You aren't now, but soon this wont be enough for you. You are already targeting my friends, and I don't appreciate you trying to kill them." The kunoichi circled around to step in front of him, and her eyes were so intense he almost felt the urge to look away. "If you want friends then try to be nice to people-"
"I don't want friends." Gaara lied to her face, and her expression changed to something sadder than what he had predicted. Could she see through his careful disguise?
"If that's how you want to live then I guess... I guess I'll see you at the next exam." Sakura looked at the ground before slipping past him to disappear into the trees.
He hadn't felt this lonely in a while, he had grown accustomed to her presence even though it was mostly just him following her.
It made his head hurt.
AN: How's it going? Liking it so far? Review and let me know what you think ;)