When Sakura woke up she was once again alone, but this was the norm for her. Somehow he would always manage to slip away unnoticed, and for once she wished she could wake up to him laying by her side.
The pinkette yawned, and stretched. She looked around herself to find that her clothes were neatly folded next to the bed, unlike the original way she had tossed them in pile.
She didn't think Gaara to be a 'neat freak' due to that one frightening room she had been stuck in with him in the beginning, but he seemed to have proved her wrong. Every day things were put exactly in their proper place.
Sakura thought about the day she had first been placed in his 'care'. That meeting between them had been frightening at first, however if she were to go back with how she felt about him now she was certain that night would have turned out very differently.
It was no secret, there was something about him that had her enchanted, and enticed. Every moment with him left her craving more, even though she had been so afraid of going anywhere in the first place. She had made a complete one-eighty on the idea, and now had many thoughts on how she could achieve such things with him.
Such... horrible things...
The pinkette smirked as she put on her civilian clothes for the day. Perhaps if he showed up sooner they could go for a walk... a very, very, very long walk.
'Damnit, get your head out of the gutter!' She scolded herself, yet that stupid grin couldn't help but spread across her face.
Sakura made her way down to his room, but when he wasn't there she sighed finding herself easily bored even though his bedroom was her own personal haven. With a curious spirit she made her way through the stone 'mansion'. It was huge like a mansion, maybe even a palace, but Suna was a strange place where people lived in the sides of canyons and their style reflected that. It was essentially just a sandstone palace, but it was certainly exotic in comparison to Konoha.
The pinkette missed her home terribly, even though Suna had technically been her home for years now. She wondered if Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke were still alive-
"Sasuke..." She murmured as she looked out at a sandy courtyard. Once upon a time he was the only boy on her mind, and even pledged her eternal love to him...
But after that day, the day that they had left her behind, she had grown bitter. They didn't think to grab her unconscious body. They left her there.
No secret letters, no contact, no rescue missions... nothing. Perhaps it was better that she leave people like that behind. People who did not truly love her.
Just then Sakura heard something, it sounded almost like fighting. Her free spirit led her to the sounds, and when she wandered outside the courtyard she found two ninja sparring-
'Gaara?!...and Kankuro?' She watched with intrigue from around the wall as they seemed to jump around a great deal. Kicks, punches, dodge rolls, leg sweeps, jumps, back bends, and roundhouses. She was completely captivated by how they both moved especially in the gear they were wearing. Their clothes always seemed so baggy so she wondered just how agile they were in hand to hand, but it seemed that they held their own well enough.
Suddenly Kankuro got a hit rather close to Gaara's face, and a hiss of sand whooshed to his aid. The fight stopped abruptly, and the redhead cursed while punching at his own ultimate defense. Kankuro laughed heartily at him before he seemed to notice something. He didn't turn her way, but she wasn't completely sure what he had leaned in to tell Gaara about. The redhead nodded in agreement to something, and disappeared in a cloud of sand.
"Aw... no fun. I wanted to see him fight." She whispered to herself, but then heard fabric move behind her. She wasn't quick enough to stop the person from snatching her up by her waist, but she knew the smell of him intimately as well as the feeling of his body against her back.
"You snuck out, I see." Gaara hummed into her ear, and the tone tickled her. With a giggle she tilted her head back to see him smirking at her. "How very mischievous of you-"
"Hnnn, I was lonely. No mischief here." Sakura purred before turning in his arms so she could place hers around his neck. "Although, I did enjoy your sparring session. I didn't think you could move like that."
"I'm full of surprises." The redhead gave a half smile that had her almost melting.
"Yes, so you've shown me a few times now." The pinkette let one hand come down to trail across his chest. "You have many tricks too... I was wondering if you could show me one soon?"
Gaara blinked at that, a bit shocked by her sudden boldness, but his shock quickly turned wicked.
"You want to see a trick?" The redhead gave a devilish smirk, and it had her tingling all over with excitement.
"Hmm. See, feel, same difference right?" Sakura snickered for a moment, but then gasped as he pressed her up against the wall with a force that he had hidden from her. Before she could even comprehend what was happening his mouth was on hers, giving her a dizzying kiss.
The pinkette hummed, her fingers scratching at his shoulders while her tongue danced with his own. He was pressing himself against her so firmly she felt as if he was crushing her, and yet the pressure was still so exciting despite the slight discomfort. His hands began to roam, and one had the gall to sneak up her red dress-
"Mmm!- Gaara! No! Bad!" Sakura broke out of his enchanting kiss to scold him for being naughty. It wasn't like they were hidden away anywhere, rather they were outside in broad daylight. He only seemed to give a sly grin in response, which had her worried that he might get a bit too daring.
"Too much? Or is it that you don't want to be seen?" Gaara's charcoal lined eyes narrowed knowingly before his hand gave a firm squeeze to her bottom. "It's not unheard of for Suna citizens to show affection in public. Sometimes they can be rather graphic in their displays-"
"I am not fucking you outside." The pinkette narrowed her eyes back at him with a withered expression. To her surprise he managed a small flush despite his dominant demeanor.
"I didn't say they go that far..." The redhead looked off to the side, his bravado quickly fading under a wash of anxiousness. "Is that... why you came here?"
She could see that shy boy peeking through him again, and for some reason it had her burning hotter than his more vicious side. However, she knew that she had to treat this very delicately as it had now become a touchy subject.
"Well, I was hoping you'd still be in bed when I woke up this morning. I really just wanted to cuddle-"
"O-oh... I see..." Gaara shivered for a moment before biting his lip. "I'm... I'm sorry I was not there when you woke up. I know you don't like being in that room alone."
'Ugh, stop acting so damn cute!' She shouted inwardly, but also secretly loved this side of him.
"That room is meant to have at least two people occupying it. Don't you think?" Sakura played with the buttons on his maroon coat near his neck, and got the pleasure of watching him swallow hard.
"You said you didn't like being in there because it makes you feel like a... whore..." The redhead's face scrunched up at the word, but the way he said it washed over her almost erotically.
"Well, I'm sorry if this hurts the image you painted of me... but I don't mind playing that part for you once in a while. Is that okay?" The pinkette ran her fingers through his crimson locks as his eyes widened at her declaration. His lips parted for just the barest of moments before a pink tongue darted out to wet them quickly. With a shaking exhale he closed his eyes, and gave a fast but gentle nod. "I'm so glad you approve, I was worried that you might grow tired of me-"
"Never! I constantly think of you-!" Gaara blurted out rather sternly before his cheeks burned. With an embarrassed groan he leaned his head on her shoulder, gaining a hysterical giggle from her. "Sorry... I'm not trying to be weird..."
"No, its adorable. I like your enthusiasm." Sakura swayed with him lovingly, and felt completely comfortable in his arms.
What was happening to her? How could she be so fond of someone she was certain she had hated? She almost wished she could go back and yell at her twelve year old self for hating another child.
He was a child still when the Konoha Crush started... he was so much shorter, and although frightening his face was so youthful. She couldn't even imagine how hurt he must have felt for his entire life.
"Sakura?" The redhead brought his hand to her chin to raise up her gaze. Her sight locked onto his haunting eyes, they were so beautiful and yet intimidating all the same.
No, not intimidating... not anymore. Now they were sad, and wondering about the world around them. Searching for something to ease the pain.
Her heart was pounding violently in her chest. What was this? It felt so familiar yet it also felt like she had never experienced it before. Her chest felt like it was being squeezed painfully, yet it was intoxicating. She wanted to live, and she wanted to die at the same time.
"I'm so sorry..." The pinkette trembled, her palms reaching up to his cheeks to cup his face in her hands. He looked truly terrified. "I hated you once, and I'm sorry I did not take the time to see who you truly were. You're such a beautiful person-"
She couldn't grant him a full speech as he almost instantly gave a choking exhale that broke her heart. His eyes squinted shut with an emotion that he was forcing back, but she could see the shining evidence in the clenched corners of his closed eyes.
"Don't just... suddenly say things like that. I'm not prepared for it." Gaara gave a shaking laugh, but it was obvious that he felt a relapse of pain in that moment. "I'm sorry too, for being a complete ass of a child-"
"Eh?! You weren't an ass! You sure were broody though." Sakura snickered in an attempt to lighten the mood. She knew she had ruined the moment they were having, so it was her job to make it up to him. "I didn't like your attitude back then, but now when I see it I feel a little differently."
"How so?" The redhead sniffled slightly, giving her a telling sign that he was almost on the verge of tears for a moment. She really shouldn't make her boyfriend cry in public-
'Boyfriend?...' She inwardly shocked herself with that strange status she had just put on him. They weren't dating or anything... or were they? Were they even courting?
"Sakura?" He pressed for her to speak, and she gave a laugh.
"Oh, well, the brooding thing... I don't really know how to explain it. You just have that 'bad boy' vibe, but you're actually a sweetheart underneath." Sakura giggled, but his eyes started to narrow.
"I did a lot more than just 'brood'. I murdered a lot of people... I still do, unfortunately." Gaara's mood seemed to change then, it darkened.
'Wow, I really suck at cheering up boys.' The pinkette felt herself deflate, but tried to stay strong.
"Do you want to change that? You can, you know-?"
"No. I can't change it. It will always happen, no matter what I say. The full moon is the worst for me... he craves blood." She watched as the redhead started to whirl into a tailspin, and she inwardly berated herself for it.
'STOP MAKING HIM UPSET, MY GOD!'
"Spend the full moon with me then." Sakura tried grinning, but he eyed her with a nervous expression.
"I could kill you-"
"You won't. You can take out your frustrations in other ways, Gaara. You know you have that option now that you have a girlfriend, right?"
There was that word again, that label that she not only put on him but now herself as well. His brows raised curiously at it too, blinking at her owlishly like she were the most interesting thing on earth.
"Girlfriend?" It slipped sweetly from his lips, but his confusion had her inwardly cringing.
"Yeah... um... sorry, you don't have to call me that if you don't want to-"
"Ah! No! I like it... truly." A genuinely sweet smile formed on his lips, and it had to be the purest thing she had ever seen in her whole life. He held her a bit closer, and leaned in to kiss her with a gentleness that she wasn't used to.
However, she felt she could get used to it rather quickly.
- ... - ...
He couldn't stop watching her, he couldn't believe this was real.
Gaara breathed carefully so he wouldn't disturb the ethereal woman draped across his chest. Her cheek rested against his heart, and her arm held him sweetly in her sleep. Sakura seemed so peaceful-
'I'd like to disturb that peace.'
The redhead cringed at the grating voice. For some reason Shukaku always sounded like he was screaming.
'You can't have her-' Gaara began, but was quickly interrupted by a sharp headache.
'Then you can't have her either.' The tanuki snapped, forcing out his emotions through the redhead's body. The host wished that he had more control over the beast, but it seemed that they would forever be battling it out inside him. 'She made her terms, she wants to mate with us.'
Gaara winced in disgust over the idea of sharing her with the bijuu.
'We're not doing it. I wont let you hurt her.'
'What makes you think that I want to hurt her?! Fucking someone is not hurting them-!'
'You'll be too rough on her. She is fragile, and delicate-'
A loud sinister laugh rang through his brain, it was so real that he could feel the reverb in his sinuses.
'Ha! You are an idiot if you think she's that breakable. When in the throws of passion she'll beg you to go harder, and you wont live up to her expectations.' Shukaku continued to laugh heartily, forcing the redhead to wither in irritation. 'And when you fail to satisfy her I will be there to set it right. She'll desire my pleasurable company more than yours-'
'You wont get that chance.' Gaara argued back, but then felt strange as the beast grew strangely still.
'She wants it. The only thing stopping us is your stubborn ass. So I suppose a bit of convincing will needed...' At first it seemed like Shukaku had decided to bow out for the time being, and as the redhead gave a sigh of relief he felt something pulse through him.
He knew the emotion, and he knew why the beast had decided to push that feeling upon him. Desire could drive a man mad.
Luckily for Gaara, he was no stranger to madness.
Sakura hummed, and rolled away from him in her sleep. His eyes wandered her bare shoulders, and the outline of her perfect figure under the thin sheets. Her pink hair was tousled from events prior as well as bed rest, making her look rough yet soft at the same time.
'Doesn't she look delicious? ' Shukaku purred gently, attempting to coax his host into making a large leap. 'You've done well up until this point, you've left her wanting-'
"Hnnn... Gaara..." The pinkette murmured in her sleep, her brows stitching together could be interpreted many ways. She could be having a nightmare, or it could be something much sweeter.
The redhead leaned over her to brush her hair out of her face. She hummed at the sensation, drawing his attention to her pouting lips. Absentmindedly, he ran his thumb softly along her bottom lip. The action had her parting her flushed petals, lightly mouthing over the digit while lazily licking at the pad.
'See? Even in her dreams she's begging for it. Hurry up, and let me fuck her-'
'How about you go fuck yourself, Shukaku?' Gaara had to hold back a snarl, and while he waited for the beast to attack his mind he found that the bijuu seemed to not be in the mood to fight.
'Fine, but you will regret this.'
That threat felt very real, and it was also suspicious that the tanuki didn't act out aggressively. The redhead knew he would have to be on his guard.
He decided to slip away for the time being, and perhaps work out his frustrations on the training grounds.
... - ... -
When Gaara had made his way across the grounds he had discovered that his brother was already there working on his taijutsu. It was fortuitous for the redhead, as it was exactly what the doctor ordered.
They had fought, and Gaara had managed to move his body faster than his sand could keep up. It took a lot of work to get to that point, but he felt accomplished as he repeatedly beat out his own ultimate defense.
However, cockiness did not suit him well. A hit came too close too quickly, and he found himself slow to react. As the sand covered for him he outwardly cursed, throwing a punch at the hardened grains with bitterness.
"Heh! You gotta stay focused, Gaara!" Kankuro began to laugh loudly over the ordeal, however it was probably due to the small tantrum that the redhead was throwing.
Suddenly his laughing stopped, and a sly smile appeared on his painted face.
"Don't look now, but you got a little stalker round that corner over there." The puppet master gestured with his eyes, but his smile only grew bigger. "She's trying to be sneaky, you should give her a taste of her own medicine."
Gaara blinked for a moment before truly ingesting what he was saying. He felt out with the chakra in his sand, and pinpointed her location.
"Sorry, I guess we'll have to continue this another day." The redhead chuckled for a moment, but his brother seemed unbothered by it.
"Hey man, I get it. When your lady calls you gotta answer, and let me tell you that when your woman is asking for your company consider it a fucking gift." Kankuro let out another laugh before giving a slight wave.
The redhead nodded before using his sand to pull a rather sneaky prank. He dissipated into a cloud of sand then materialized behind her, watching with humor as she anxiously peered around the corner.
"Aw... no fun. I wanted to see him fight." Sakura whispered, but then stiffened as he took his first silent steps. He realized that his duster was rubbing against his pants, making a swishing noise that gave him away. He decided to make it fast, and snatched her from behind to pull her close. She squeaked at first, but quickly warmed to him.
"You snuck out, I see." Gaara hummed into her ear, and witnessed her tremble while giggling lowly. She tilted her head back wearing the smile of a troublemaker, for some odd reason her behavior was making him warm. "How very mischievous of you-"
"Hnnn, I was lonely. No mischief here." Sakura purred before turning to place her arms around his neck. Her body felt so slender in his hands, and yet her curves were obvious too. "Although, I did enjoy your sparring session. I didn't think you could move like that."
'She was studying me... how interesting...'
"I'm full of surprises." The redhead gave a half smile, and it seemed to make her bite her lip excitedly.
"Yes, so you've shown me a few times now." The pinkette let one hand come down to trail across his chest. "You have many tricks too... I was wondering if you could show me one soon?"
'She wants to see a trick? The only tricks I know unfortunately use sand-oh. Haha, okay. I get it. A trick. Well, I'm not an old dog just yet.' He mused to himself for a moment before staring her down.
"You want to see a trick?" The redhead gave a devilish smirk, and was pleased to see her shiver with anticipation.
"Hmm. See, feel, same difference right?" Sakura snickered for a moment, but he surprised her by forcing her up against the wall. His lips found hers in a matter of seconds with the intent to steal the breath from her lungs.
She was whimpering, scratching, and shifting against him sensually. It took a great amount of willpower to keep himself from crushing her with his insatiable appetite. However, her eager tongue sliding against his own had him moving subconsciously. He felt her soft skin on her thigh first before bravely sliding his hand up her skirt.
"Mmm!- Gaara! No! Bad!" Sakura broke out of his enchanting kiss to scold him, but it only fueled his flames.
"Too much? Or is it that you don't want to be seen?" Gaara's charcoal lined eyes narrowed knowingly before his hand gave a firm squeeze to her bottom. Her small squeak had him smirking. "It's not unheard of for Suna citizens to show affection in public. Sometimes they can be rather graphic in their displays-"
"I am not fucking you outside." The pinkette narrowed her eyes back at him with a withered expression, leaving him flustered and dumbfounded.
'Was she... actually thinking about it? And she said she wouldn't do it 'outside' so does that mean she would not mind it behind closed doors?' His head was thrown for a loop for a moment before he shook himself out of it.
"I didn't say they go that far..." He looked off to the side, his bravado quickly fading under a wash of anxiousness. He didn't know if he could handle her answer, be it 'no' or even 'yes'. "Is that... why you came here?"
He heard a snickering within him, forcing him to realize that this situation was beginning to turn south.
She shifted on her feet with a coy expression, looking him up and down with an interest he wasn't used to.
"Well, I was hoping you'd still be in bed when I woke up this morning. I really just wanted to cuddle-"
The laughter grew.
"O-oh... I see..." Gaara shivered for a moment before biting his lip. "I'm... I'm sorry I was not there when you woke up. I know you don't like being in that room alone."
'Gaara~' Shukaku called from the depths, making him bristle.
"That room is meant to have at least two people occupying it. Don't you think?" Sakura played with the buttons on his maroon coat near his neck, forcing him to swallow hard at her closeness.
It was becoming dangerous, he had to turn her off to him for the time being.
"You said you didn't like being in there because it makes you feel like a... whore..." The redhead didn't want to use that word, but he knew of its negativity, and felt it would be enough to get her to put space between them-
"Well, I'm sorry if this hurts the image you painted of me... but I don't mind playing that part for you once in a while. Is that okay?"
Gaara almost gaped at her, but somehow managed to keep his mouth closed despite the shocking content.
Suddenly the redhead could feel her hands in his hair, forcing him into a physical space he knew he would have difficulty returning from. Bellowing maniacal laughter erupted inside of him, Shukaku was acting as if this were the most hysterical turn of events imaginable.
'I TOLD YOU! YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME! Look at that face! She wants it so bad, you should take her back to your room-'
Gaara tried to collect himself with a deep breath, but he ended up nodding in agreement to what the beast was telling him. However, a slight giggle quickly brought him back to her.
"I'm so glad you approve, I was worried that you might grow tired of me." She swayed seductively on her feet, and his brain began to feel fuzzy yet also frantic.
"Never! I constantly think of you-!" Gaara blurted out rather sternly before his cheeks burned. With an embarrassed groan he leaned his head on her shoulder, gaining a hysterical giggle from her. "Sorry... I'm not trying to be weird..."
'Don't worry, kid. If she didn't want a freak then she wouldn't be interested in you. Own it.' While the bijuu's words were meant to be endearing, Gaara couldn't help but find it to be a backhanded compliment.
"No, its adorable. I like your enthusiasm." Sakura swayed with him lovingly, obviously trusting him a bit too much.
Didn't she realize just how much he was holding back? With Shukaku pushing extra sensations on top of his already ridiculous lust for her, he felt as if he were going a bit crazed. He didn't want to revert back to what he was before he met her.
She was staring off, why?
"Sakura?" The redhead brought his hand to her chin to raise up her gaze. Her sight locked onto his, and looked lost as well as a bit mournful.
"I'm so sorry..." The pinkette trembled, and took his face into her hands. He felt his chest tighten with the thought of impending doom. "I hated you once, and I'm sorry I did not take the time to see who you truly were. You're such a beautiful person-"
He remained unblinking, and for the first time in years he felt enough pain in his chest that it started to form in his eyes. However, the pain was bittersweet. He felt healed by her words, while also remembering the hurt he felt during the awful memories.
Shukaku said absolutely nothing, but the redhead could feel him watching the whole scene unfold.
"Don't just... suddenly say things like that. I'm not prepared for it." Gaara gave a shaking laugh, still working out the emotions wracking his body. "I'm sorry too, for being a complete ass of a child-"
"Eh?! You weren't an ass! You sure were broody though." Sakura snickered, leaving him interested. "I didn't like your attitude back then, but now when I see it I feel a little differently."
"How so?" He accidentally sniffled for a moment, and inwardly cringed. When she didn't answer right away he felt he might have screwed up. "Sakura?"
"Oh, well, the brooding thing... I don't really know how to explain it. You just have that 'bad boy' vibe, but you're actually a sweetheart underneath." Sakura giggled, but the terms 'brooding' and 'bad boy' had him a bit suspicious.
'Like I said, she's not wanting you to be gentle with her. She wants it hard-'
'Shut the hell up! No one asked you!' The redhead inwardly yelled at his monstrous counterpart, but all it did was make the tanuki chuckle.
He chose to ignore him.
"I did a lot more than just 'brood'. I murdered a lot of people... I still do, unfortunately." Gaara thought of all of the leaf ninja he had been putting down, and instantly felt the weight of their deaths on his conscience.
'She will never forgive me when I tell her how many I have killed-'
'Then don't tell her. It's better if she doesn't know.'
"Do you want to change that? You can, you know?" Sakura smiled for him, and he felt the guilt seep even further.
"No. I can't change it. It will always happen, no matter what I say. The full moon is the worst for me... he craves blood." Gaara scowled, and the bijuu practically giggled at the attention.
"Spend the full moon with me then."
His eyes found hers in disbelief, yet her resolve stayed strong.
'Ah-ha... she's curious... Gaara, you should grant her wish-!'
"I could kill you." The redhead ignored Shukaku, his only concern was for her welfare.
"You won't. You can take out your frustrations in other ways, Gaara. You know you have that option now that you have a girlfriend, right?"
'Girlfriend-?' Gaara was completely dumbfounded once more, his only action was to blink and breathe.
'-As in the term for courtship. She's accepting you as her mate. Humans call it dating, boyfriend and girlfriend. However, it is a monogamous courtship. It's best if you don't chase other females while invested with this one-'
'I wasn't planning on it!' The redhead seethed inwardly, getting a laugh for his trouble.
'Spoken like a true tanuki. We mate for life.'
While Gaara was usually pissed off at the bijuu, he found the beast to not be so awful in view of actual lasting relationships. It seemed that he did not actually want to hurt Sakura, but his crassness was still off-putting.
'Mating for life... with my... girlfriend.' The redhead blushed for a moment before meeting her eyes. They seemed happy...
"Girlfriend-?"
"Yeah... um... sorry, you don't have to call me that if you dont want to-" She seemed embarrassed, and he didn't want that at all. He truly enjoyed the idea of it.
"Ah! No! I like it... truly." As he smiled at her she returned it twofold. Her brightness drew him in instantly, and he couldn't keep himself from kissing her gently.
He placed every ounce of affection into it, and she melted almost instantly.
'So. What's the verdict? Are we doing this? ' Shukaku ruined the moment for him, but he continued kissing her regardless.
'I refuse. You can't have her. She's mine.' Gaara knew that an inner fight was about to break out, but when a dark chuckle rattled through his skull he felt himself grow a bit nervous. It was rare for the tanuki to not be screeching.
'Stupid boy. It's funny that you think you have a choice.'
- ... - ... - ... -
He was sweating, which was a rare occurrence as he rarely overexerted himself, but he knew it had nothing to do with working too hard.
The shinobi in front of him was sweating too, but it was because the redhead had just gotten done torturing him. The man looked a little familiar, but not enough for Gaara to know his name.
"Heh... are you... getting sick... or something?" The tan-skinned man coughed up some blood, and a metallic smell filled the room leaving the redhead dizzy. "You're... sweating..."
"It's been a rough day." Gaara answered him honestly before grabbing a chair. He sat down in front of the shinobi, he seemed to have kind eyes.
The redhead looked over his handiwork, noting that the man was defenseless as he was tied up to his own respective chair. He wasn't mangled, but he would be sore and/or sick later.
"What's your name?" Gaara asked gently, he did this frequently now as he wanted to know if Sakura knew these people. However the man managed to laugh despite the conditions.
"Why do... you need to... know?" The shinobi wheezed slightly, showing his fatigue after every word.
"There's a girl from your village that I am involved with. I like to know your names in case she is acquainted with any of you. If she does know you it could save your life-"
"What's... her name?" The tan-skinned man seemed serious then, almost worried, but Gaara would not play into his demands until his own were met.
"You first." The redhead crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair while he waited. Surprisingly it didn't take long to get an answer.
"Iruka. My name... is Iruka..." The shinobi shivered, as if it were a name he was not proud of. Perhaps he was just reading too much into it. "The girl... please... I need a name-"
"Sakura Haruno." Gaara answered instantly, watching curiously as the man went pale.
"S-Sakura... where is she?!" His ghostly face began to change then, he started to turn red with rage. "IF YOU... HURT HER-!"
"I would never hurt her. I assure you, she is safest in my care. No one will touch her." The redhead blinked for a moment, realizing that this man seemed to be close to Sakura. "How do you know her?"
"I taught at the academy... she was my student... the brightest one..." Iruka's breath heaved then, and tears started to fall from his eyes. "Please, spare her... You can take... what you want from me... just please..."
"Like I said, no harm will ever come to her. Not while I still breathe." Gaara had never been one to reassure people, but for some reason he wanted this man to feel better.
It was because Sakura knew him, and was probably fond of this person. He was kind for a shinobi, and not made for war it seemed.
"Why protect her... why you of all people?" Iruka panted with exhaustion, his eyes were beginning to droop as well.
The old Gaara would have been offended by such a question, but he understood it now. The redhead was known for being a heartless killing machine, he was created for that purpose. However, he wanted to change that. He wanted to break free from the cage this village had placed him in.
Gaara uncrossed his legs, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He took calming breaths as the former teacher watched him through weary eyes.
"I am in love with her." The redhead admitted it out loud, and to a stranger no less. The man before him seemed to stare in wonder at him now, as if it were the most peculiar thing to happen.
"Yet... you murder... her people-" Iruka spoke softly, but Gaara felt that the older shinobi should know better in such times.
"War is funny that way, don't you think?" The redhead then felt scrutiny from the former teacher, and looked to the floor dejectedly.
"I don't... think it's funny... at all." Iruka huffed then, gaining back a bit of spunk.
Gaara liked this man. For some reason he seemed very much like a kind father, or older brother. He wanted to help him if he could.
At that thought, he rose up from his seat to cross the room. On a small table was a bucket of water with a ladle, and the redhead took both in hand to bring back over to his captive. The leaf shinobi frowned in confusion, but did not reject the water from the ladle as Gaara brought it to his lips.
He drank the liquid greedily, and the redhead let him drink until he was completely satisfied. It seemed to bring more life into the Iruka's face, which made Gaara feel a bit better about the situation.
"Thank you. I can see why she likes you... you're actually just misunderstood." The leaf shinobi's voice was clearer now, and he seemed more relaxed.
However, he was wrong in assuming that the redhead was some sort of sheep in wolf's clothing.
"Everyone is right to be afraid of me, I was not merciful until I met her-"
"That may be so, but the fact remains that you had that ability to love inside you all this time." Iruka said it boldly, as if he had so much experience on the matter. "There's a boy I care about, he reminds me of you. He's a jinchuriki too."
Gaara paled, it was unheard of for people outside of his close circle to openly talk of the beasts, and the shinobi did not fail to notice his discomfort.
"I will not judge you for being a jinchuriki, you did not choose to be one just as the tailed beasts did not choose to have human hosts. It's merely poor luck on both sides." Iruka took a breath before continuing, still fatigued from the tortures he had recieved.
"However, I will judge you for your crimes. Those are things you could have prevented. It is okay to feel, and it is okay to be hurt, but it's how you react to such things that make you what you are."
'Heh, he's quite wise for being so young. He doesn't look to be past thirty...' Shukaku murmured inside of the redhead, and his host had to agree with him.
"It's never too late to atone for your sins-"
"Sounds like you're trying to convince me to let you go." Gaara smirked, and surprisingly recieved it back.
"It's the end for me. I won't last much longer in this cell, and I've already made my peace... but if I can save her then my death will have at least a little bit of meaning." The former teacher let out a long breath, it seemed his energy had run out. "She deserves to be happy..."
"She is happy. I make sure of that." The redhead stated it a bit to cockily for the other man's tastes, gaining a withered look for the comment.
"Are you sure about that? Is she truly happy here? She deserves to be free-"
"She is free-"
"So she can go be with her people whenever she pleases? Because I'm sure that's not the case." Iruka was quick to bite down on any answer Gaara gave, however the redhead couldn't necessarily say he was wrong either.
'I kept her prisoner at first... does she think she can't leave? Does she stay because she wants to, or is it because she feels she has to?' Gaara inwardly raked through his thoughts, trying to cling to things that he wasn't sure were real feelings or not.
"If she were to tell you that she loved someone else, would you let her go?" The leaf shinobi murmured, but it still felt as if the comment was meant to be screamed. Or at least it felt that way inside the redhead's rattled mind.
'Don't let him fool you, that girl is infatuated with you-' Shukaku tried to console his host, which was very off-putting.
'I have to see her...' Gaara started to feel neurotic, he had to know if she was truly his or not. If not, could he let her go? Or would he break everything first? 'I don't want to lose her-'
'Then make her yours. Go and claim her like a true mate.'
"I have to go." The redhead spoke outwardly this time, obviously distraught in how he thought and moved. He turned tail for the door.
"You should ask her what she wants." Iruka called out gently, but Gaara refused to acknowledge him as he left.
- … -
Gaara made his way to the library trailing her scent alone. For some reason every part of him felt heightened, all the way down to his tracking senses. As he approached the door a ruckus could be heard inside. The door was cracked open, so he slipped in silently to check out the disturbance.
Kankuro and Sakura were on the floor... She was laying on top of him...
Suddenly he was seeing white, his heart felt like it was going to implode in his tightening chest-
The pinkette scrambled away from his brother with a look of fear, and he wondered if they noticed his presence.
"I didn't mean to freak you out, sorry about that-" Kankuro began, but she quickly shook her head at him. However, the puppeteer seemed to notice the strange aura in the room, and looked at the redhead in a state of ghostly fear.
"No, it's fine. It's just that Gaara would probably kill you if he saw me laying on top of you." Sakura laughed until she noticed that Kankuro was not looking at her.
For some reason Gaara couldn't control it any longer, the sand from his gourd was pouring onto the floor to spread out in sandy veins. She turned just in time to see his rage flourish.
'Kill him. He's trying to steal your mate-' Shukaku practically purred, and the redhead let his jealousy overwhelm him as well.
"You are correct, Sakura. I would most definitely kill him." Gaara was shaking, and his breath felt hot as it left his nostrils. "I hope for both your sakes that what you said isn't true-"
"I fell on him. He was teasing me so I went to hit him, then he backed up and tripped. I unfortunately went down with him, there was nothing more than that. Put your sand away." The pinkette was stern, and absolutely fearless in the face of Gaara's wrath while his own brother was sitting there looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
'She's taking this too lightly, assert your dominance.' The tanuki barked, and the redhead listened.
"Gaara-"
"I'm not in the mood to put my sand away." Gaara bared his teeth at her, but he felt odd when she didn't seem to back down.
"She's telling the truth, Gaara. I was trying to get gossip on what you guys do together and she didn't like it. It was my bad-" Kankuro argued, but quickly shut his mouth when two burning coals turned on him.
"So you started it? You already have your own harem going, so stay away from my mate!" Gaara hissed, and his sand twitched at the ready to attack.
Sakura got to her feet with a glare, closing the distance fast to pull on his arm. He stared at her curiously as she yank him forward into a painful kiss.
'Well... that was interesting...'
'Shut up!' The redhead hissed inwardly before feeling a bit lost as her lips left him. She seemed furious.
"If you think I'd cheat on you, let alone with your brother, or that he'd ruin his relationship with you just to sleep with me than you are a fucking moron." The pinkette snarled.
'A... fucking... moron?' As he digested her words she attempted to dramatically turn tail to leave, and without thinking to hard he locked her ankles in sand to keep her from moving. She looked back at him in disbelief, but he felt smug in the fact that he would always be stronger than her.
"Would you leave us? I need to speak with her alone." Gaara looked back to his brother with a tight expression, and luckily Kankuro knew that face well enough to get the hell out of there.
As the doors clicked shut the redhead's sights turned back on her, and he approached her with power in each step.
At first Gaara had wanted to see how she felt about him, but now he was too blind to even do that.
No, he was going to show her that he was the alpha. He was going to give her what she had so teasingly asked for.
Sakura was going to take what he gave her, and she was going to love every second of it.