The Battle of the bands was in three weeks. So they practised every morning and afternoon. And when Sakura finished writing a new song, they would all eat lunch outside so she could show them it, without anyone listening in.
Kio had left on a buissness trip, and would be gone for two to three weeks. Which ment Sakura could do what she wanted with in that time period. So she practised with them 24/7.
All of her bruises were gone within a week, and she was a lot happier, and wasn't hitting Naruto as much eather. Lucky him. Because she can hit hard!
XX
It was the morning before the day of the consert. Sakura was sitting in Kiba's garage with the band. They had just finished practicing and were talking about who's going to be there tomorrow and what it would be like if they won. In short... Everyone was very excited.
"Ok, so we're going to sing these songs." Temari wrote down three of their songs names on the wall that was made with a white bord time of miterial. "We need to be ready." It was obvious that she had the nervous jitters with how she couldn't stop moving.
"Temari, calm down." TenTen laughed. "We'll do fine!"
Temari sighed and gave them a small smile. "I guess your right." She looked at them all and let out a deep breath.
"KIBA!" A girl with long brown hair came out of the house. "Time for dinner. Wrap it up." And she went back in the house.
"Alright guys. I'll see you later!" Kiba gave them a smile and closed the garage door behind them.
XX
Sakura, Temari, and Gaara walked down the road together. None of them were talking. Just enjoying the peace and quiet... Until...
"Shit." Sakura whispered, seeing Kio's car in the driveway. She stopped walking and looked at it with hatered.
"You can spend the night." Temari sugested, seeing the car, too.
"..." Gaara just stared at her, waiting to see what she'd do.
Sakura couldn't meet his eyes. She knew that if she did, he would make her stay with them. But she couldn't. It would just make things worse with Kio. "I can't. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Sakura ran up to the house, waving back at them with a fake smile.
"I don't like this." Temari whispered as Sakura entered the house. She saw Kio in the curtian, and he left once she got up to the deck.
"Hn." Gaara stood there, glaring at Sakura's front door. Temari tugged at his jacket's sleeve, and he slowly followed her back to there house.
XX
"Bitch." Kio tossed the rag he wiped his hands off with on Sakura's crumpled form. She lay in a corner, blood all over her shaking form.
Sakura could feel the blood dripping down from her head and lips. But she refused to cry. Her ribs screamed from the torcher they under went. Her lungs screamed for the air that she was gasping for. She tried to stand up, but her legs calsped and she came crashing back down to the floor.
The minutes felt like hours and the hours felt like days. But once she had enough strength, Sakura lifted her self and left the hell hole called home. She slowly made her way over to her Gaara's house. Temari's words hung in her ears.
'If you get hurt badly again, please come see me, I'll help you.'
Sakura tried as hard as she could, not to scream out in pain, when she lifted her arm to knock on the door. She decided against it, and settled for banging her head on it.
Not a good idea.
Everything started to sway. And someone opening the door didn't help. Sakura fell forwards, only to be caught in Kankuro's arms.
"TEMARI!" He yelled, lifting her and slaming the door shut with his foot. He carried Sakura into the living room and laid her on the couch. "TEMARI, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! IT'S 3 IN THE MORNING!" She screamed, coming down the stairs, but when she saw Sakura, her temper flew out the window as she rushed over. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I opened the door and she fell in." He backed up and let Temari get mext to the gasping girl.
"Get the first-aid kit." Temari grabbed the front of Sakura's shirt and ripped it down the front, so she could see the damage better.
Dark black bruises covered her body. Some were purple and blue, but mostly a dark black. There was cuts all over her pale skin, and the bigger ones were bleeding. Kankuro was back within seconds and gasped when he saw Sakura's skin. Her black bra just made her skin look even more pale, which made the bruises stand out even more.
Temari took out a gozz and some proxide and started to rub it on the larger cuts. Sakura hissed as her skin started to bubble from the chemicals cleaning her wounds. Kankuro had to turn his back to keep from throwing up. Next, Temari took out a small knife and sliced the jeans away from Sakura's legs.
Once she finished wrapping Sakura's body with bandages, she sat back on her heals. Sakura had already passed out from the pain she was in. Kankuro covered her up with a blancket he got from the closet and followed his sister into the kitchen. She stood at the sink, washing the crimson liquid off her hands.
Kankuro said nothing. There was nothing to say. They both knew what happened, and that it could have been avoided. Temari finished washing her hands and dried them with a towel, while looking down at the sink. She was glad Sakura had come to her, but was pissed that it happened in the first place. Sakura was so badly beated up, that she would be surprised if she would wake for a few days.
She turned to face her brother, just as he looked up. They both shared a ental agreement. They would protect Sakura no matter what. With a sigh, Temari walked past her brother and back into the living room.
Kankuro followed, only to run into her back. "Tem, what the-shit." He finished in a whisper, seeing Gaara standing over Sakura. He had moved the blanket down her body, so he was looking at all of the bruises that covered her pale skin.
"G-Gaara?" Temari slowly aprotched her younger brother, affraide he'd take out his anger on her. Gaara just put the blanket back over Sakura and turned and walked, rather calmly, out the door. He didn't even slam it as he left.
Kankuro and Temari shared a glance, and Kankuro bolted out the door after him. Gaara wasn't even going in the direction of Sakura's house, in fact, he was going in the exact oppiset direction. Kankuro stood at the bottom of their driveway, staring after Gaara. When Gaara disppeared around the corner, he turned and walked back to the house, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't halosonating.
"Where is he?" Temari asked when he re-entered the house.
"I... He went that way." Kankuro pointed the way that Gaara went. Temari looked out the window and sighed.
"You think he'll be ok?" She whispered.
"He will is she will." Kankuro flopped down in the recliner. "It's kinda funny. He has like this huge crush on her, and she has one on him, but they don't see that the other does."
"I know. It is funny." Temari let a small smile come to her face as she sat in the other recliner. "She will be alright though. She's tough."
"What are we going to do about the battle of the bands tomorrow?" Kankuro put his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.
"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see how Sakura is." Temari yawned and pushed the chair back so she was laying down in it. She shut her eyes, and was asleep in seconds.
Kankuro watched his sister sleep. Even though he was a year younger, he still felt responsible for her. She was his only sister after all. His eyes shifted to the couch. Gaara's calm face popped into his head. He was hoping nothing bad would happen. He may lose a brother if it did. Sakura was like a sister to him too, so he may lose that too.
Over the past three weeks, Sakura and the Sabaku's had become very close. But, Gaara and Sakura were closer then anyone else. They would sit on the roof late at night and right songs together. They'd go shopping together, against Gaara's will mind you. They would spend almost every second together. It hurt Kankuro to see her like this. He could only imagen what Gaara was feeling.
XX
Everything hurt. Everything was sore and stiff. Sakura couldn't move anything on her body. Not even wiggle her finger. It hurt to breath. It felt like chains were wrapped around her lungs and chained tighly.
Sakura tried to open her eyes. She tried to move. But it hurt to much. She couldn't even open her mouth to whimper. She heared the sound of a door opening and closing. But didn't know where she was. She couldn't remember anything. How did she get so sore? Where was she? And who was standing over her?
She could feel the warm breath of someone standing over her pained form. The person's breath tickling her skin. Will a great effort, she opened her eyes slightly. Enough to see red hair and jade eyes.
Gaara...
XX
Gaara walked down the cold streets. He had been planning to go over and smash Kio's face with his fist, but dicided that Sakura wouldn't want him to. It was supost to be a secret about what was going on. But what would they say to their friends? 'I'm sorry, Sakura can't play in the battle of the bands with us because, she was hit by a car? Fell down the stairs? Was mugged and beaten badly?
What was he going to say?
He stopped at a corner and looked up at the street light. The air was cold, and he wished he would have brought his jacket. The wind blew, sending shivers down his spine. He dicided it was time to go home.
He slowly walked home, stopping in front of Sakura's house and looking up at the cream white building. anger rose within him, but he just turned and started up the drive to his house.
The anger only rose even more when he saw Sakura asleep on the couch. He walked over and stood over her. She was shivering. Gaara grabbed the blankst that was drapped over the couch and carefully draped it over her.
"... Gaara?" He looked down to see her eyes fluttering open. Kneeling, so he was face to face with her, he wiped some hair from her face.
"Shhh..." Gaara pulled the blancket up higher and tucked it under she chin. "How do you feel?"
"... Like shit." Sakura whispered, with a small smile. Gaara had always calmed her, she didn't have any clue why, but he did. Gaara gave her one of his ever so rare smiles, with a small chuckle.
"... Gaara?" He turned to see Temari sitting up in the chair, rubbing her eyes to get the sleepyness away. "Gaara, what are you doing?" Temari pushed the blancket away and walked over to them. She looked down and smiled when she saw Sakura's eyes open and looking at her. "Here..." Temari got down on her knees and pulled the blancket away from Sakura's body. "Let me check the bandages."
Gaara stood and moved out of the way, standing bhind hte couch, looking down on them. Sakura's eyes never left him and he moved around the couch, but his eyes were glued to the bloodied bandages that Temari were pulling off. His eyes finally wandered up her bady to her face. Sakura gave him a small smile, but winced when Temari tried picking up her left leg.
"Alright, her knees is sprained, but thats the worst ingery she has." She stood and stretched her arms over her head. "I'll go see if we have a knee brace." She started walking to the stairs and ran up them.
"... Gaara..." Sakura's voice was soft and weak.
"Are you alright?" He whispered, bending down and cuping her pale cheek. He was leaning on the couch, so he couldn't get close enough to kiss her forhead, so he just rubbed her cheek.
"I think so... It hurts." Sakura wiggled, but stopped when a peircing pain shot threw her leg.
"Don't move. Just try to rest." Gaara moved back around the couch and kneeled by her head. "I'll be right here when you wake."
Sakura didn't say anything, just smiled at him and turned her head his way. Slowly, she moved her hand and put it iver his, which he took and kissed her fingers.
"Everything will be alright." It was the last thing Sakur heard before she drifted to sleep. But she remembered feeling warm lips press against hers.