Yay! Chapter seven! I never thought that I would write such a successful story! Go me! And go you guys! Thank you for sticking with me this long, and I hope that you stay with me until the end! Yeah toast!

Disclaimer! Nope, nope, not mine Naruto!

--------

Sakura and Gaara made eye contact, both stunned to see each other. Moegi smiled and pointed to Gaara.

"Lookie, Sis, this man came to visit you!" she piped up.

Sakura blinked, looking like she was still shocked at Gaara sitting there before her. Gaara snapped out of his shock and stood, smiling softly.

"Sakura…" he said simply and inclined his head.

Sakura seemed to snap out of trance slightly. Still looking at Gaara, she addressed Moegi.

"Moegi, dear, why don't you go and play with the other children?" she said softly.

Moegi looked up at Sakura, then to Gaara.

"You be nice to my Sis, ok?" she said and ran out.

Gaara smiled and watched her leave, then turned his attention to Sakura. She was still looking at him in disbelief. Shaking her head, she set the bag of coins onto an upturned crate and sat down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Gaara sat down next to her. He hadn't yet really been able to answer the question himself.

"I… I guess that I needed to see you…" he muttered.

Sakura looked at him, confused, but then shook her head.

"Do you realize what you're doing to me?" She asked quietly, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. It seems that every moment that we don't see each other, I'm thinking about you…"

Gaara looked over at her, slightly stunned. His cheeks reddened slightly. He looked back down at his hands.

"I've felt the same way… I… I know it's wrong to think of another before my wedding, but… I just can't get you out of my head… It's like you're always there with me, you know?" He said.

Sakura looked at him with a small smile.

"Yes…" she cleared her throat, "I see you've met Moegi…"

Gaara quickly nodded.

"She seems to be fiercely loyal to you," Gaara said and then smiled, "She looked like she was ready to fight for you when I met her."

Sakura nodded.

"Yes, we're not related at all, but she still calls me her big sister and is just as loyal. You see, she lost her parents when she was five…" Sakura said, an odd tone creeping into her voice.

Gaara looked at her. Sakura took a shuddering breath.

"She and I are alike in many ways…" she said quietly, "I, also, lost my parents when I was very young…"

Sakura looked up at the ceiling, letting her memories wash over her. A small smile crept on her lips.

"It was a nice time… My parents were both highly successful Senators, and even though that called for a lot of their time, they devoted everything else they had to me and my sister, Shizumi. They tried their hardest to make us happy. In fact, there were several times when we were able to go out of Suna to neighboring countries on vacation…" Sakura said, "They were great people… But I guess that even great people get punished… It was when I was seven and had just gotten home from playing with the other girls. I… I walked through the door and the house was silent, save for a bird on the windowsill."

Sakura lowered her gaze to the floor, her hair falling over her eyes. Gaara set his hand on her now clenched one. He willed her to be comforted, hating to see her in pain.

"I thought at first that my parents were just out again, even though they were usually home at that time…" Sakura shuddered and took a deep breath, continuing, "So, like any child, I wandered around the house, making sure it was empty. It was, until I went to the last room, their bedroom up on the second floor. There… There I found a child's worst fear. As I entered the room, I noticed that my mother was lying on her stomach on the edge of the bed."

"At first I thought that she was sleeping but as I approached, I knew something was wrong. Blood was everywhere on the bed. I ran over to her and took her hand. The cold of her hand surprised me and I dropped it quick, pulling on her slightly. She rolled off of the bed and I saw what had happened to her." Sakura's voice grew heavy with grief, but her eyes remained dry, "her throat had been cut, and she had been stabbed several times in the chest and the back. It looked as thought the murderer stabbed her even as she was trying to flee."

Anger and sadness flared up into Sakura's eyes as she told more of her story.

"I stepped back in the horror of seeing mom like that, only to be encountered with my fathers corpse. He had fared the same as my mother. Whoever did it had also cut his throat and stabbed him, and left him hanging near the door, out of my sight when I had first entered."

Sakura stopped, her breathing labored. She clenched her hand on Gaara's. Gaara looked at her face. A single tear slid down, falling from her chin and onto her lap.

"Sakura…" Gaara muttered and hugged her, holding her close like they would never be able to embrace again.

Sakura embraced him back, finally letting the ghosts of her past flow out of her in the form of tears. After a few minutes of crying, she looked at Gaara, hey eyes still shining. Gaara wiped away one of her tears with his sleeve, a soft smile on his face. His eyes, also teary, showed compassion.

"It's ok to cry every once in a while…" he said.

"Thank you…" she said.

Sakura gave him a sad smile and leaned against his chests, letting her arms rest around him. It was a few minutes later when her breathing became even and soft, telling Gaara that she was asleep. He smiled, and in spite of everything going on in his life, let himself lean back onto the wall behind him, embrace Sakura, and fall asleep himself.

---------

Gaara woke at dusk with Sakura still in his arms, breathing softly and looking much more peaceful than she ever did when she was awake. He carefully got up, cradling her in his arms and taking her to the back room where her bead lay. He laid her down.

"Farewell, Sakura…" he whispered in her ear, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

With that, he left the house and made his way back to the Palace, avoiding as many people as he could along the way. It was when he had almost reached the Palace that he felt as if someone was watching him. Turning, he saw nothing. He shook his head.

Probably paranoia…he thought to himself, just what I need…

He entered the Palace through his hidden route and continued to his room. He once again ran into Kabuto as he rounded a corner.

"We need to stop running into each other like this," he said as he helped Kabuto up.

Kabuto smiled at him wistfully.

"I'm sorry, my Lord…" he said, an odd tone in his voice, "Did you have a pleasant day…?"

Gaara raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, it was fine..."

Kabuto nodded and bowed.

"Very good… I hope you know what you're doing…" he said and walked away, leaving Gaara.

Gaara watched him leave, pondering what he had said, fear creeping into his heart. Had Kabuto been the one watching him? He thought it impossible, but then again, maybe not.