And here is chapter 3! Please review and I hope you enjoy it. Also, more pairings will come in. I just need to know who should I put with who. Until then, please enjoy, and review!

Chapter 3 ---The…S…P…A

"MOM!! WE HAVE TO GET GOING!! WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY, YA KNOW!!" she screamed checking the first resort on the list. This was going to be fun.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! I just need to get the towels and swim suits and all that stuff!" Her mother yelled from upstairs.

"Hey…Mom…NEWS FLASH!! They have all that over there. Just get the goddamn swimsuits, and let's hit the road! We only have until 9:00 pm to finish EVERYTHING!!!" Ino shouted at her mother. She stood on the stairs for another five minutes, and after she had no reply, she retreated to the living room. She sat in the big comfy red sofa, and turned on the plasma TV.

Hmm…Charmed is on at 9:15. I should have time to watch while mom gets ready. It's on channel…

Ino got up to fetch the remote and the TV guide. She jumped back onto the sofa and turned to channel 34.

"Phoebe, where did Chris go?" Piper asked, searching the house, all the while throwing things to the side.

Aww…this is the episode Chris dies in. I better go get a lot of tissues!

Ino stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter. She always cries at this episode. She sat back on the sofa and soon the episode finished. Tissues littered the area, and Ino was still staring at the ending screen.

"Ino…WHY are you watching TV?" her mother asked, her hands on her hips.

"Let's see. It was exactly 45 minutes ago when I told you we should leave. Now, you tell me." Ino said glancing at her wrist watch, before pushing past her mother to the kitchen.

She opened the fridge and took out the orange juice. Ino drank straight from the bottle…her mother gasped.

"Ino! You can't get married with no manners!" her mother screeched, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Let's just go. It's ten o'clock for Pete's sake. We only have eleven hours before closing time." Ino reminded putting the juice carton back.

"Right! Now…off to the SPA!!"

At the SPA!!

Ino walked into the resort Gaara stated in the letter.

WOW! She thought as she dropped her bag on a bench. She touched the aqua colored walls, and smelled the chlorine water. She looked around, her mouth slightly open, and her blue eyes twinkling as she peeked into all the different rooms. The massaging room. The mud bath room, and so on and so forth.

"Ino pig! What are you doing here!?" Sakura asked as she passed by her, only a towel covering her naked wet body.

"I'm getting…ready for the…picking…tomorrow…" Ino whispered, still in a daze.

She snapped, "Forehead girl! What are YOU doing here?"

"For your information, Sasuke-kun is taking me out to a fancy restaurant tonight. I have to look pretty. Oh, and I'm sorry that you have to have an arranged marriage. I thought that you and Shikamaru were going to end up together," Sakura looked genuinely sorry.

"Ya, until he broke up with me. He said it was too troublesome to find a ring in such a sort period of time and propose to me. He broke up, leaving with, 'I hope you don't get chosen.' And if I am, I won't be able to be with him anymore…" Ino was now at the verge of tears.

"Sweet heart, cute little pigs like yourself don't deserve him…" at this, Sakura earned a death glare, "What I am trying to say is that he got over you. I saw him yesterday kissing the Sand Kunoichi, Temari. His hands were exploring her body, and I could almost see their tongues. Good thing I left before it got further…" Sakura sighed, leading her to the mud bath section.

"WHA…." Ino cried as she let a tear roll down her face.

"Hey…where's my mom?" Ino asked, a little worry tinting her voice, as she twisted her head.

"Oh, Nami-san (I made up her mother's name, since I don't know it) went to find the second resort you are supposed to visit. She said she'll be back by one," Sakura informed her.

"Oh…so back to Shikamaru…" Ino sighed as she got into the mud pool.

"Oh, I asked him why he did that, and he said that you were Gaara's. I had no idea what he meant by that. He looked kinda scared when he said that, and he said it so softly that I could barely hear him. I think Gaara had something to do with it," Sakura sighed, getting in next to Ino.

"Maybe…maybe not… Okay, so of the Shikamaru topic, when did you and Sasuke get together?" Ino asked, raising her voice a little bit, getting her mood back.

"Oh, we got together a year ago, but it was kept a secret, and then he proposed a month ago, so that I wouldn't be one of the girls. He is taking me to a restaurant tonight to celebrate year two of us as a couple," Sakura started to play with the mud, occasionally looking at Ino and giving her a big bright smile.

"AWW…isn't that sweet. I wish Shikamaru did that…" Ino spoke the last part barely above a whisper. It was scarcely audible.

"Ya…well…I hope you and Gaara get along if you are chosen. You would be engaged to…" Sakura tried to lift her mood, but was interrupted by Ino's broken voice.

"…a homicidal murderer who Suna put as their Kazekage…"

"No…come on. He's not that bad…" Sakura tried bringing up something good about Gaara.

"No…he's not, he's actually very sweet and weird, and nice, and weird. But when he looks at you, his icy stare is enough to freeze you for eternity, and I don't think I can live with someone who doesn't…no can't have any warm feelings for any female. It's like living with a wall. When he bought a flower for Temari the other day since she was in the hospital, our hands brushed together, and I felt this surge of warm like something just zip through me. All he did was smirk, or smile…and he left. I found a rose later that morning telling me he already has picked out what places I should visit, and how I should look. Every time I see him on the street, his icy stare undresses me, but not in that sickening male way, or that way that would make a girl blush, and get horny, but in a way that says… 'You are going to be mine, and I'll have you whether you like it or not…' It's that evil glare that murderers and rapists have when they are around women. I want someone who is seductive, sweet, and smart, and someone who LOVES me. Not someone who when I am around, I feel like I am either frozen, or already dead. I want when he kisses me, me not to feel like this is purely because he has to, but I want to sense love somewhere there. I want it passionate, not empty…" Ino was crying by the time she finished. Sakura tried to hush her.

"It's okay…maybe you can show him how to love. Maybe you can prove to him what love is. Maybe you can be his savior. Just pray you aren't chosen, and that's that…" Sakura whispered into the blonde's ear, as she hugged her best friend. Neither girl noticed a pile of sand near them.

--------------------------------------------

Gaara's POV

Gaara transformed himself into a pile of sand, and listened to the girls. He thought about the time he threatened Shikamaru he can't be with her anymore, and he remembered all the things he had done, so she would turn to him in the end.

But upon hearing Ino's little speech about what she was looking in a man, he automatically knew that she was right. So, there was only one thing left to do…prove he can be affectionate, nice, passionate, and loving. He is not what he seemed to be, but one problem; he had NO IDEA how…so he decided to start with a flower, and then move to a necklace, and later more expensive gifts. He knew that the gifts couldn't buy her love. He knew that she wanted something on the emotional level, more than material possessions, and he knew just how to achieve this. Tomorrow…he picks her. He doesn't care how all the other girls will look; and then his plan comes into action. On a regular basis, he will stop by her shop, and buy flowers, and each time…wait. She's leaving the mud bath, and going to the massage center. He transformed himself into his normal self, and left the building. He had to got to the hospital and consult his sister. Oh…crap. He needed to get her a gift. He walked out into the hallway, pain that Ino wouldn't love him blinding his step. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up. It was a little too late. He bumped into a blond haired girl standing at the lockers, trying to find her swim suit.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Gaara quickly apologized, before walking away.

"Gaara!" a female voice screamed behind him. Her blonde locks floated behind her as she came up to him.

"Gaara-sama, what are you doing here?" she asked, touching his upper arm in the process.

He looked into her eyes, and recognized her smell. Nothing could make it go away. The sickening sweet stench of the flowers. He knew this was Ino, and once again, pain filled his heart.

"Oh, nothing. Just walking around, looking at the girls I'll have to pick out from," he answered in what appeared to be a cold voice. Sakura on the other hand was looking at the sentence structure, and at his eyes. She detected something that made her gasp. Ino was completely oblivious.

"Oh…I guess that makes sense. I'm sorry I bothered you…" she walked away. A silent tear dropped down her face, as she found the swim suit.

"Listen…" Gaara gave up on the Mr. Mean Guy act, and caught her arm, "I really don't want to ruin your life. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to. If you don't want to marry me then that's fine; I won't pick you…" without saying another word, Gaara left the SPA Center.

Ino turned around to Sakura, who was shaking her head. The confused blonde just didn't get what has happened.

"He loves you Ino. There's no way out of it. He has no idea what that warm fuzzy feeling is, and it seems to me that you will have to prove what it is to him…" Sakura sighed before taking her things and leaving.

Once again…Ino was left alone. Gaara stood outside the shop watching Ino silently cry. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't, but she didn't love him back. There was no point in trying…was there?

He silently left walked down the road and into the hospital, his mind racing through thoughts about tomorrow. He had to pick out a girl, he had to kiss the girl, he had to attend a party, he had to get ready, and in one month, he had to marry her. He just wanted this girl to be Ino. Deep down, into the bowels of Gaara's cold heart, a warm feeling brew up, and he knew…love will find a way.

-------------------------------------------

So…so…DID YA LIKE IT!!! Next chapter will be a lot longer, and most of it in Gaara's POV but I hope you liked this one, and will continue reading, because it sure will get hell of a lot complicated. Please review leaving ANY kind of comments. They mean a lot, and certainly encourage me to write more. Make-out scenes coming soon, along with pairings: Neji and TenTen, Naruto and Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura, Temari and Shikamaru, Gaara and Ino (DUH!!) Maybe some Akatsuki appearances, depending if I choose to make Deidara Ino's brother. So I hope you liked it…and help me take over the world by giving me more reviews. HAH…you get coooooookies!!!