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Dare to Love You
Chapter 8
Gaara growled. Sakura chewed her lower lip. Tsunade laughed. Shizune giggled.
"I'm leaving." Gaara muttered and stood up, but he lost his balance. Before he fell, Sakura caught him. He just slapped away her hand, which made Sakura chewing her lower lip again.
"I can walk by myself. Thank you." He said. Sakura was about to protest, but Gaara lifted a hand as a gesture not to talk.
Curious of what happened earlier?
Flashback….
"Sakura!!!" Gaara tossed his scrolls away carelessly and tried to save her. He caught her hand, but unfortunately he tripped on his way to the rescue.
They fell from the second floor. Sakura opened her eyes and got onto her knees and look down. Gaara released his hands from Sakura and opened his eyes.
"Kazekage-sama! Are you okay??" Sakura asked worriedly, and forgot to say his given name, once again. Gaara blinked and looked at her.
"What about you?" He asked back after a groan escaped his lips. Sakura helped him to sit up. "I-I'm okay. You saved me. You—hugged me." Sakura finished with blushing.
"I did?" Gaara asked innocently. Sure he knew that, he hugged her to protect her. Sakura nodded.
She stood up and bowed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Sorry." Gaara shook his head. "No, you don't need to. I didn't pay attention, so I startled, just like that." He stated as he stood up. He failed. His legs couldn't support him to stand.
"Kazek—Gaara! Are you okay?" Sakura squatted before him. Gaara groaned again as he touched his ankle. "I think I… sprained my ankle…"
xxx
"You know. I can cure your ankle. So does Sakura." Tsunade said between her laugh. Gaara looked at her as cold as ever. "No. Thanks." He stated.
Tsunade shrugged. "Alright then, if you say so. But for your info, your ankle will get worse if you don't cure it."
Gaara stood again and supported himself with leaned against the wall. "It's okay with me. I'm leaving." He opened the door and walked out.
"Wait! I'll walk you home!" Sakura blurted out. Three pairs of eyes looked at her. "What? It was my fault after all." She insisted. Gaara sighed and looked at two older women for help.
"No…" Tsunade shook her head. "I think that is Sakura's responsibility to take care of you." Shizune nodded in approval. Gaara groaned.
"Well, this is your mission, Sakura." Tsunade continued. Her words caught the attention from the others. "Mission?" Sakura tilted her head.
Tsunade nodded. "Your mission is to take care of Kazekage of Suna, starting right now. No time limit."
Sakura gaped. "W-well… I'll take it."
Gaara's eyes twitched.
"Is there anything else you need, Kazekage-sama?" Sakura asked politely. Gaara stared at her. "What?" Sakura blinked.
"Why are you acting so polite?" Gaara looked up. Sakura shrugged. "I have to. I'm on mission. A-rank mission, if you want to know." She stated. Gaara laid his head on the pillow.
"A-rank mission, just for take care the Kazekage?" Sakura nodded. Gaara didn't say anything then. When he closed his eyelids, Sakura raised her voice.
"Wait! You can't sleep on sofa! You have to sleep in your bedroom, Kazekage-sama!"
Gaara got irritated and sat up then. "Great. Now I'm not sleepy anymore. Thanks to you." Sakura grinned innocently.
"Weeell… I'll make a lunch for you. Wait here." She walked toward the kitchen. Gaara sighed and reached for the nearest document on the table, and began to read it.
A few minutes passed. Gaara started to smell a delicious scent from the kitchen. He put his document away and trying so hard to walk toward the kitchen.
He found Sakura gave her back to him. She stirred the spoon in the pot and then brought the spoon to her mouth. She blew it and tasted the liquid. Feeling satisfied, she walked to the counter next to stove, and began to cutting the tomatoes and carrots.
"I hate carrots." Gaara murmured. It was audible enough to make Sakura startled.
"Ouch!" Sakura tossed the knife away. "Gaara!" She said annoyed.
"What?" he asked and his eyes noticed her bleeding finger. He walked toward her and grabbed her wrist.
"H-hey!" Sakura protested. Too late, Gaara already put her finger into his mouth. Sakura's face turned to like the tomatoes on the counter.
"Finished." He said after he put a plaster around her finger. Sakura looked at her finger and then to Gaara. "Thank you…" she murmured. Gaara nodded.
"Err—I… the soup! Yes, the soup… I-I'm not done yet… excuse me…" She stammered as she stood up. Gaara stepped aside to give her way.
Sakura stirred the soup and poured it into a bowl. Gaara grinned in his seat. The carrots were forgotten.
"Here you go, Kazekage-sama…" She put the steamed soup in front of him. Gaara nodded and spooned the soup with a plastic spoon.
He looked up at her. "Why don't you eat too?" Sakura shook her head.
"I'm not hungr—," her words were cut by the growling sound from her tummy. Gaara tried his best to hold back his laughter. Sakura's face was totally red that time.
She ignored her embarrassment and put her hands on hip. "What's so funny?! Just laugh! Don't hide it!"
Gaara cleared his throat after a small chuckle escaped his lips. Man, he forgot the last time he had laughed before. It felt great.
"Come eat with me." He stated. "But—," Sakura protested, but he cut her, once again.
"It's an order. You are on mission, aren't you?" he said. Sakura gave up and got a bowl of soup for her. After she sat on a chair across Gaara, they started to eat.
"How's the taste?" Sakura asked carefully. What if her cooking was bad? Gaara looked up from his bowl.
"It's… nice." He said. Sakura sighed in relief. Then she talked again. "Can I ask you something?" Gaara nodded. "Go on."
"Where were you when you disappeared a few days ago?" Gaara blew his soup.
"Naruto was invited me to sleepover at his house, along with other boys. Although I had refused, he insisted. What can I say?" Gaara finished his words. Sakura gritted her teeth and made a note for herself to kill Naruto as soon as possible.
Sakura finished her soup. She just took a small amount of soup back then. Sakura then looked at the young Kazekage in front of her.
He said that her cooking is nice. Sakura smiled unconsciously. The birds were chirping outside. The sun was shining brightly. At the kitchen in an apartment, a guy was having his lunch while a girl waited for him patiently. She smiled happily after that guy praised her cooking. Wait. This situation…
Sakura blushed madly. That situation was really looked like a new married couple in their apartment. Sakura shook her head.
Gaara looked at her. Sakura ignored the stare and stood up. She began to make a drink as she tried to forget her weird imagination.
"Here." She said simply. Gaara frowned. "What is this?" Sakura rolled her eyes.
"It's milk. It's good for relaxing your mind." Gaara stared at her as if she was crazy.
"I hate milk…" he mumbled. Sakura's eyes widened. First were carrots. And then milk?! "Just drink it, will you?" Sakura demanded. "No." Gaara answered. "It's nauseating. Can I have coffee?" he continued.
Sakura shook her head. "No. Coffee is not good for your health. Drink this milk, Kazekage-sama." She said again.
"No. I said no. Are you dumb?" Sakura's eyes twitched. She stormed to the counter and grabbed all of his coffee sachets.
"What are you doing?!" Gaara asked as he looked at her. Sakura smirked. "I'm going to throw these away."
"NO!" But Sakura's smirk grew wider. "Unless…"
Gaara frowned. "Unless what?" Sakura pointed her finger to the mug. "You drink that milk." Gaara muttered under his breath. "How could you…"
He lifted the mug and began to drink it. Sakura watched happily. Finally, he made it.
Gaara didn't say anything after he finished his milk. "Happy?" Sakura nodded and then walked to the trash bin.
"Wait! Why are you—," Too late, she already threw all the sachets away. Gaara growled. "Sorry, but I have to. Like I said before, it's not good for health." She grinned.
"Now, do you want anything else?" She asked again. Gaara ignored her and walked to the living room, difficultly. Sakura sighed and walked beside him and put his arm on her shoulder.
"It's just sprained ankle, for the God's sake! I can walk by myself…" he looked at her. Sakura shrugged. "I know. But this is my responsibility. It's my mission, to be exact."
She sat Gaara on the sofa. Gaara lied on it and closed his eyes. Sakura just stood there, guarding him.
"You can go home, Sakura." He murmured. Sakura's heart beat faster. She always felt like that every time Gaara called her given name. "I won't." she answered. "Whatever…" he muttered.
Sakura looked around. She had nothing to do, so she chose to clean his messy table. She rolled the scrolls, and put all the documents and other things into a neat pile.
"You don't need to do that." Gaara stated all of sudden. Sakura jumped on her spot. "Gaara! You always do that!" she scolded him. Gaara frowned. "Do what?" But Sakura chose to drop the subject.
"Nothing. Get some rest." She ordered. Gaara stared at her and his lips formed a small smile. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. This situation is kinda reminds me of something." Sakura gulped. Is he thinking what I think?
"W-what is that?" Gaara shrugged. "You know, when you were sick. Now the situation is the opposite of that day." Sakura sighed in relief. 'I thought that he is thinking that the situation is just like what I thought earlier. Wait! What's wrong with me?!' Sakura patted her cheeks. Fortunately, Gaara didn't notice.
"Speaking of that, I want to ask you something." Gaara looked at her as he crossed his arms. Sakura grinned nervously. "Y-yeah?"
"Why are you calling my name in your sleep? Moreover, you were crying and kept saying sorry." (1)
Sakura bit her lip. "I… did?" sure she remembered this one. She was dreaming that Gaara had figured the dare. In her dream, she cried as Gaara told her that he hated her.
"O..oh. That. I-I was dreaming that I… I… broke your… gourd! Yeah, I broke your gourd!" She finished ad then gulped nervously as she looked at Gaara's disbelief expression.
"You broke my gourd? And then you cried?" Sakura nodded.
And then someone knocked the door. "The door! I'll get that!" Sakura said excitedly and rushed to the door.
"Yes. Can I hel—Ino!" Sakura's eyes widened. Ino grinned. "Hey Sakura! Wow, you really move fast, eh?" Sakura covered her mouth.
"Sshh!!! We talk outside." Sakura pushed Ino. "Who's that, Sakura?" Gaara asked from inside. "Err… It's Ino!" then she closed the door.
Sakura leant against the door. "What do you want?" Sakura hissed. Ino still had the grin on her face.
"He called you Sakura now? What a progress…" She clasped her fingers. Sakura lifted an eyebrow. "Just tell me what do you want, Ino."
"Fine." Ino grinned again. "Shizune said that you have a mission which is to take care of Kazekage. So I check it out. What happened?"
"His ankle is sprained and it's my fault." She lifted a hand when Ino was about to talk. "What else?"
Ino's grin turned to an evil smirk. "Let's continue the dare."
"Continue the DARE?" Sakura covered her mouth as fast as the words escaped her lips. "What the heck are you thinking?!" she hissed.
"Why don't you try it? You've made a progress. I believe you two have called the given name each other. And we all had seen that you two were kissing in public! It's just about time until he confesses it to you."
Sakura gaped. Ino lifted a hand, just like what Sakura did earlier.
"You want to hear Gaara says it to you, don't you?" Sakura gave a how-could-you look to Ino.
"Yes or no?"
"I—yes." Sakura confessed at last.
"Great! Now, enjoy your time with him! See you!" the she left.
Sakura growled and opened the door behind her. She came in and closed the door quietly. She rested her forehead against the door and sighed. It was so complicated to her.
"Now, will you explain it to me?" said a cold voice which made Sakura jumped on her spot once again.
She turned back. Her eyes met his. He stood there, crossed arms and his old expression on his face.
"G-Gaara?" she stammered.
-tbc-
(1) a/n: read chapter 4 for the further.
Ehehehe… what do you think will happen next? Eheheheh… PLEASE REVIEW!!!
-sorry, I kinda addicted to review…-