Dark Attractions

Summary: Meet Sakura, a hyper, popular, and crazy girl who is hung up on winning the affection of one person: Sasuke. But to do this, she must be anything but herself. She tries to act cool, and relaxed, almost seeming like she has no feelings. Apparently, this is the kind of girl Sasuke likes, and after years of un-fulfilled dreams about him, she is finally asked out. Happy at first, she takes her time getting to know him, and as much as she hates to admit it, she doesn't like that fact that Sasuke likes this "false Sakura". That is, until a new boy comes into school, and she can't help but feel drawn to him and his mysterious past. As she later learns, this boy is just like her. Hiding who he really is. Will these two be able to cope through things, and accept their relationship? And will Sakura be able to accept this guy for who he really is?

Pairing: SakuraxGaara

Chapter 17: Battle of Wills

He nearly froze right then and there on the street corner. He couldn't stop staring at that one vivid spot of color that was completely surrounded by the monotonous paintings of the buildings. Was he hallucinating? If he was correct about whom it was that was leaning over that window, then he couldn't feel anything less then surprise. He knew that girl well enough to know what she would never do anything to risky, for he knew her as one to be fearful in such situations, and, well…at the height she was at, it looked like she was going to fall.

For some reason, realizing that struck something within him. What is she doing? he thought. Before even noticing it, his footsteps accelerates as he made his way through the busy streets, ignoring the shouts from irate drivers as he intercepted the roadways, even when the flashing signs clearly showed that it was not the right time for walkers to cross.

He wasn't going to be obdurate this time—he would going to openly admit it so that he could save himself the headache of figuring out why, exactly, he…was so eager to see her. He was the one that had set the distance between them, so why was he now trying so hard to shorten it? It puzzled him beyond reason, but he decided to pay heed to it once he saw her.

His strides were quick, all the long-ranged training in the dojo proving to be helpful. After all, when an unknown enemy was within one's midst, it was best to keep a distance and quickly shift from one area to another until you completely calculated a full-proof plan, and to do that, speed was essential.

He entered the building, hastily opening the door and slamming it behind him firmly enough to catch the attention of a lady at the service desk, meters away at the entrance.

"Sir," she called to him, trying to be polite, though her exasperation wasn't hidden too well, "may I help you?"

He ignored her—he just damn well didn't care.

"Do you have an appointment?"

Once again, he did not answer, but started to head towards the stairs that were located behind her.

"Sir, unless you tell me what business you have here, I can not—"

The glare he sent her made her freeze at the spot, her eyes growing wide and the swaying of her hazel eyes betraying the calm and collective aura she gave out; it seemed like this was the first time she had ever met a challenge.

She was silenced, and didn't say a word as she ran onto the steps, the soles of his shoes pounding onto the ground.

The top floor.

That's where she was.

He didn't even bother to take the elevator or apologize to the man that he had slammed in to, causing all his papers to be blown away, as he made his sprint down the many twisted hallways.

Damn it, why was he bothering himself with this?

Because you care, a voice prided.

He inwardly chuckled, his eyes turning hard.

"Who are you fooling?" he asked himself.

"You are Sabaku No Gaara, and that is not going to change."

He ran and ran, harder then ever before. He didn't know why he was so eager, or why he thrust every ounce of energy he could onto his legs. He didn't know why he cared, or why he even bothered to see her, to close up the distance, when he was the one to separate each other in the first place.

He denied any at all feelings—he ignored the racing of his heart that he swore he never had until now. He ignored his yearning to see the girl—he just simply replaced the known fact: yearning was the truth—he yearned to see her, but refused to believe that. So, all he simply did was replace the word with curiosity—the lie.

At least now he could silence the pounding voices in his head that were constantly questioning his every action. His red locks began to swing over his eyes ever so softly, and all he did was brush them aside, making sure they didn't blurry his view of the stairs that would eventually, in time, lead him to his destination.

Honestly, he didn't know what room the girl was in—in fact, each room was filled with numerous doors, some possibly being offices, computer labs, or even lounges for the staff to enjoy a quiet meal in. He did, though, know what floor she was in.

Before he had walked into the building, he had made sure to count the windows up to where she was, her pink hair twirling in the wind, and her face bent downward, looking at the street below.

She was on floor 20.

And he was on floor number 14.

Six more flight of stairs to go to, in other words.

He was knew he was wound up, and his patience was so thin that he didn't even take the elevators within the building—he just ran. Of course, he wasn't going to go into detail as to what the source of his sudden…excitement was, but he could say he was excited. There were a few things he needed to question the girl about, and he had a feeling that Orochimaru was already controlling her like putty in his hands.

She could feel the guilt dawn on her as she tore her eyes away from the outside view from the window. She carefully ducked, cautious to make sure she did not hit her head against the top of the window, and then slid it down gently.

She trembled as she began to collect the stray weapons that were scattered all over her floor, placing them into the small holsters that were tied to her legs, just below the knee. After everything gathered, her shaking figure began to walk towards the door—just as she was about to open it, she saw a recognizable flash of red.

She sat down and laid flat on the ground to make sure not to be noticed as she crawled to the door, putting her ear against it to hear all that was occurring in the hallway just behind outside.

The office she was in held many windows and the doorway had a small one as well—if she was correct about whom she thought was outside, she knew that as soon as he saw her through the glass that he would pursue her, and she was doing everything in her power to prevent that.

She stilled her inhalation and sucked in some air, pausing her breathing for a few seconds before she had to gasp for more air.

It was then that she heard a tap at the door.

She stayed flawlessly immobile, not making a move or sound.

The door knob turned, and it then occurred to her that she had no locked the door. She pressed her weight against the door, trying to keep it closed, but the one on the other side was much stronger then her, regardless of her effort.

He heaved open the door, her body getting tossed roughly to the side in the process as he finally entered the room. His eyes trailed to her tremulous figure, emerald eyes, pink hair, and softened for a mere minute before he comprehended his gaffe and hardened again.

"Sakura." His tone was blank—deadpanned. "Gaara-kun," she replied softly, averting her eyes away from him. "What are you doing here?" She could tell by the tenor in his words that he demanded an answer. "I'm…on a mission." That was the only explanation she had.

His eye brows grew hard as he snarled.

"You're with Orochimaru?" he whispered ruthlessly. She flinched before nodding. It was silent for a few seconds, but to Sakura it felt like long hours of stressed anxiety. "It seems that I was wrong in departing from the city," he judged. "This would have been prevented if I was there to stop it." He glared at her before shifting himself into a bit of a slouch, his body and mind calm. "Until I fix all of this disarray, you are to stay with me. I will explain things to you."

He looked at her sternly, and she knew that "no" would not be a response he would allow nor accept.

Sakura's eyes flickered with emotion as she looked at him with all the courage she could possibly conjure. "No," she said abruptly. His eyes centered on her for a mere moment before hissing. "I won't accept that!" "Well then learn how to!" she shouted. "I am not a doll that you can control whenever you want too—you can't just walk into my life again and order me around! You had a chance to stay with me, but you left! I don't give second chances!" She was completely frustrated, and water began to coat her eyes but she wiped it away before they could fall.

Despite the fact that she pretended to be strong, she was, indeed, very frightened. Confused. In truth, she wanted to be with him again, but she wouldn't allow herself that pleasure—knowing him, he would probably leave her when the job was done and he took away her one chance at pursuing some kind of strength.

"I left because I thought it would help you!" he retorted back her harshly, not an ounce of understanding in his voice. He too, was upset—it was like the sacrifice he made wasn't enough for her. He had given her everything he had, but then separated himself to protect her. Was that all for nothing?

The first few weeks of separation was…hard. He couldn't concentrate, and everywhere he went he felt that she would pop out of nowhere and grace him with that smile of hers. His thoughts here foolish, he knew, but he had become so accustomed to her light behavior that having it suddenly gone left a void that could not be filled by any other.

He refused to believe that it was too late to help her—he would find one way or another. Gaara then approached her, shaking her a minute before pulling her off the ground and hauling her, resting her head on his shoulder.

For a bit she was still and relaxed under his touch, even smelling him for a moment. She could hear the door shut behind her as she stayed in his arms, feeling completely at ease for once in her life. She craved his contact and even wrapped her arms around his neck, moving closer to him (if that was even remotely possible).

She craved to be with him—to see his smug composure as he dazed her with his confidence and intelligence. Even though she wanted him to take her away, she couldn't allow that—what she was doing was her own business, and she was going to fight against him for the right to make her own choices, even if it was going to be hard to convince him.

"Gaara," she whined, "let me go." He blinked. 'And she was being so still and quiet before, too.' "No." His answer was flat and blunt. She kicked and flailed her arm to all sides, refusing to accept his answer just like he had rejected hers. "What do you mean?! Last time I checked, I had the right to decide what I do or don't! Put me down right now!"

He smirked this time, allowing himself to take pleasure in winning over her persistence. "No." He was a bit more absolute this time. "Say whatever you want! I am not allowing this!" "Who ever told you that you were the one to make the decisions?" he asked her, chuckling.

She growled, tired of arguing with his hard-headedness, but still pursued her rights against him. "I decide where the hell I go, Gaara!" "No." They continued to argue more and more, their voices becoming louder and louder as they battled against one another's wills—they were competing to see who would last the longest.

She was still in his arms as he walked down the stairs, arguing and paying little attention to where he was going—all he knew was that he was going down, where he would see the exit and bring her with him, despite her protests.

"Hush." For once, he said something gently to her. It softened up the rosette's exterior for a moment, but she bit her lip and continued to kick and scream. "Put me down!" He didn't answer. "Do it right now, Gaara!" Once again, his lips were sealed—he just continued to go down the stairs. "Right now, I said!"

She continued to retort towards him, never wavering in the volume of her voice. Eventually, he grew aggravated with her screams and shouts and decided to quiet her without anymore delay.

"Be quiet." The tone was so vile and bitter that she gasped and silence, scared. She knew he was probably glaring and refused to look into the eyes that resembled hers so well that she was sure to be flickering with irritation.

He could feel drops of water on his shoulder and knew right then and there that she was crying. He sighed.

Foolish, oversensitive girl.

Honestly, he didn't like seeing her like this. He stopped and set her to the ground, brushing the water away from his eyes. "Don't cry," he demanded, but he said it with some concern laced around the command.

Sakura didn't listen him and just continued to sob, hiding her eyes behind her pink locks. "Sakura," he whispered, putting his fingers under her chin to pull her gaze to him. "Calm down," he soothed. His words worked and she calmed down a bit, though she was still crying.

He sighed, rubbing the palm of his hand over his forehead as if he had a headache and grunted, frustrated. "I'm…s…well…I'm s-". He stopped, realizing how hard it was to mutter what he wanted to say. Never had he said those two words, and saying it for the first time was difficult.

He looked to see her eyes that shone with water as she looked at him with hope in her gaze. "Yes?" she croaked. He grunted in annoyance before saying it, trying to pretend like it didn't mean anything as he looked at the other direction and said it. "I'm sorry." He said it serenely, acting as if that it didn't matter.

He was surprised to feel her figure press against him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck once more, cuddling up to his chest. He blinked, relaxing under her touch. "Gaara-kun…" she whispered, looking at him with clear, luminous eyes. She grabbed one of his hands and pressed it against her cheek, swimming in its warmth.

She had missed him, and it surprised her to see how easily he could win her over—she had initially anticipated to give him a hard time, but she knew that she was wavering. She could never succeed in appearing malicious, it seemed.

It was then that she whispered two words that left him utterly silent.

"Kiss me…"

He froze, his eyes growing wide for a mere moment before returning to its natural size.

In truth, he did want to kiss her—he yearned to press his lips against her soft ones and move around in an even tempo as he slid against the soft pink of her lip.

"No."

It tore her apart to hear that response. She had been so…optimistic, thinking that for once he would listen to her. It hurt, having him reject her, and she careful slid to the ground, looking away from him—she felt wounded.

He knew he had saddened her, and fought the urge to assist her. It didn't take much time, though, to change his mind—he found that he couldn't resist coming to her aid. He didn't like her this way—he wanted to see her smile, like she always should be.

He bent down, his fingers rolling around in her pink tresses. He put his nose to it, inhaling its aroma. He breathed in the scent, enjoying it as he moved her hair away from her forehead to give him a good view of it.

He coughed before turning red for a mere moment.

I really AM a fool.

Despite knowing this, he couldn't resist the pull—the magnetism to do it. He set his lips against her forehead before lightly kissing her. He saw the shock that dawned on Sakura's face as she blushed wrapping herself around him once more.

They gazed at each other before fulfilling what they both wanted.

He craned his neck to reach her lips and took them, possessive as he fought for ascendancy. It didn't take long to win, for his tactics were much more aggressive—Sakura was very passive when it came to this. She didn't know much about intimacy, and neither did he, but he did know how to pleasure her, making sure to give her what she wanted.

His hands were pressed against the wall, arms on each side of her shoulders as he held her in the small space, making sure she would not escape. He pressed his tongue to her lips, brushing over it once as she moaned. It was then that he slipped his tongue into her mouth, dancing around her mouth.

She shuddered in pleasure under him and tightened her grip around his neck before letting one hand slide down, placing it on his hard chest as she sighed in his mouth, taking bliss in his ministrations.

He pulled his lips for a mere moment to let her catch her breath before bending down to kiss her again. He moved the one hand that was pushed against the wall and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

He then pulled away from her again, looking at her with a lust-filled gaze. "Sakura," he said huskily. She cuddled up to him, sighing as she let the warmth fill her body, her soul, her heart.

"Yes?" she murmured, pleased and happy. "We need to get going." For once, she obliged and simply nodded, putting her arms around his neck as he cradled her in his arms, picking her off the floor as he positioned one hand on her back, letting her locks rest against his shoulder once more.

He stood up, walking down the stairs once more. The female in his arms sighed over and over, content and not dissenting against him anymore (which satisfied him the most). He smirked. Her content and at ease nature was greatly stroking his ego.

They only had four more rows of stairs to walk down, and he walked especially fast, impatient, for he wanted to get her out of the building as soon as humanely possible. With her still in his caress, he saw the exit and walked quickly to it, ignoring the stares of other people.

After walking out of the entryway, he sat her down on the ground as she childishly protested. He chuckled. "You're not a little girl, Sakura." She "hmphed", cocking her head aloft in a snotty matter. Wrapping one arm around her waist and the other holding her fingertips as he completely overwhelmed her hand with his that was clearly bigger, she let him lead the way to his house, her footsteps walking at a slow pace.

"Gaara-kun," she silently said, bemused and blushing like a love-struck girl.

You ARE love-stricken, you baka.

Whatever.

((sigh)) Even after the kiss, you're still this stubborn? You need a lot of work, baka.

Well sor-ry that I don't rise to your expectations!

"Sakura."

His smooth, deep voice intervened her thoughts. "Yes?" "We're here." She blinked, looking at him for a moment before moving her gaze to the house. She gasped. It was beautiful. He wasn't in the least surprised that she ogled his house, for many did. It was fairly spacious, having a nice green lawn that was cut evenly. Flowers were around the patio and in the front yard, blowing in the wind, the colors and types of greenery varying.

"Gaara-kun…this is beautiful," she said, astonished. She could only imagine how marvelous the designs and decorations were inside, despite the striking yard.

Suddenly, staying with him seemed more alluring then ever before.

Alrighty, everyone. As surprising as it maybe be, your authoress here is still alive—I know I haven't updated in god knows how long (I honestly don't wanna check how long it has really been) so feel free to throw any objects at me. Just please try to be a little…well…merciful. I'm having a hard time convincing myself to write, and I sure as hell am not going to accept that I'm supposedly bored of writing, because I'm not.

Even if I am, I'll make myself write until I grow out of the habit.

I'll try to update, but it's only a few more weeks until summer ends, so…we'll see.

Until then, please review, everybody!