Chapter Three

Waiting for their meals, Sakura, Sasuke and the Sabaku family engaged themselves in a friendly conversation. The restaurant was a nice, peaceful public place with very good service. It was a very well-known place in which many people returned to time and again. The Sabaku family had been there a few times before and was happy to come back.

Everyone took seats at the round table that they were showed to. Gaara pulled out Sakura's chair for her and smiled gently for her to have a seat. Sakura beamed at him and happily sat down, secretly, despite herself, she hoped Gaara would take the seat to her left. To her dismay, Sasuke pulled out the chair and sat himself down stiffly. She saw Gaara pull out the chair opposite her and felt something in her stomach collapse. She shook her head and reminded herself to be happy. It was her night.

They were here to celebrate her first, successful day at the hospital. Not that it was a big deal or anything, but it was a nice gesture all the same. She didn't know she was staring at Gaara until he met her gaze and smiled at her. She blushed slightly and averted her eyes to look at the restaurant.

Couples and families were laughing, talking, and enjoying their meals. Sakura already liked the restaurant from its tranquil appearance. A marble dance floor made the center of the extended room where few couples slowly danced to the band playing on stage. Ringing the dance floor were cozy round tables covered in red linen laden with fine tableware. Shimmering white candles flickered in the center of the dozens of tables spread throughout the restaurant.

Menus were handed out to them and Sakura looked through it. The meals looked delicious and she couldn't decide what to have.

"What's good here?" She asked, looking at the three siblings.

"The fish is good," Gaara said.

"That's great! I love fish." Sakura set her menu aside and placed her hands in her lap. Gaara smiled at her and set his menu aside as well. The waiter came back several minutes later, ready to take their order. Sasuke got the chicken, Temari got a salad, Kankuro got a mix of several dishes, and both Sakura and Gaara got fish.

"I love fish, too." Gaara and Sakura exchanged grins, causing Sasuke to narrow his eyes. He cleared his throat which made everyone look at him.

"So, Gaara. How's being Kazekage?" He asked.

Gaara's eyes traveled to the Uchiha's scrutinizing gaze. "It's very hard work. You need to read everything closely and you're swamped all day long. But I enjoy it." Sasuke grunted carelessly, only bringing up the question to distract him and Sakura. Said girl seemed to like the fact that Gaara took his work seriously and enjoyed it at the same time. She had a high amount of respect for the man.

"So, Sakura," Gaara turned his eyes to her across the table,"tell us about your first day. Anything tragic?"

Sakura rolled her eyes to the ceiling and puckered her lips in thought, which Gaara found quite amusing. And kind of cute. "Hm, nope! Nothing too serious. The nurse showed me around, and I took care of some of the patients. You know, the simple stuff: check on the patients, re-bandaged anything that needed to be, heal wounds. The usual."

Gaara nodded in understanding. "I'm glad there was nothing serious."

"Me, too. I like it when they're just minor injuries and nothing fatal. It makes me happy to know people will be okay, I hate delivering bad news."

Gaara chuckled, "Who wouldn't? It must be hard."

"Mhm, very," Sakura liked talking with Gaara, he was very friendly and open-minded. She guessed a Kazekage had to be, with everything that he had to do. The waiter served them their food just then and everyone thanked him. Sakura saw the sight of the fish and licked her lips in anticipation. She took a bite and savored the taste.

"Wow, Gaara. You were right, this is good!"

"I'm glad you like it, Sakura. I would've been disappointed if you didn't." His eyes grew softer as he smiled and Sakura's heartbeat quickened. She didn't know what it was lately but she felt like Gaara triggered something inside her. The way he looked at her seemed to be more than friendly, and she wondered if it were true. No, it couldn't be, Sakura knew Gaara wasn't that type of person. He was all work; he wasn't looking for a companion. Looking at him, across the table in the dimly lit restaurant, Sakura doubted he wanted to be more than friends. He was just being nice, she decided conclusively.

"Hey, Temari, how's your training going?" Sasuke asked rather loudly. Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye and sensed his agitation. She knew Gaara being so friendly with her would eventually get to him, but there was no reason for it. He was just being nice, what was there to be upset about? Sakura didn't know but found she was growing irritated at the thought. Knowing tonight was supposed to be a good night; she pushed it aside and shoved a fork full of fish in her mouth.

"It's great! I learned a new jutsu just recently. We should spar sometime and let me try it on you. I already whooped Kankuro's butt the other day, right Kanky?" Temari elbowed her brother and laughed at his annoyance.

"Temari! I told you not to call me that!" Kankuro pouted and mumbled something about her being mean. Sasuke saw nothing funny and distanced himself from the conversation again. Sasuke being so rude and anti-social sparked a fire of anger in Sakura and she bit her lip. She wouldn't ruin tonight, she'd talk to him later. She was thankful for Temari's question that distracted her from said Uchiha.

"So, how's Konoha? How is Shikamaru?" Temari asked, pushing her plate of food to the side and focusing her attention on Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke pretended like he didn't hear her and played with his food; Sakura rolled her eyes at Sasuke and exhaled roughly. Gaara noticed her reaction to Sasuke's behavior and took note to talk to her in private later.

"Konoha is the same as always. Everyone's busy on missions and training and the such. Shikamaru is as brainy as ever; he works really hard for such a lazy guy." Sakura and Temari giggled, knowing the lazy ninja all too well.

While the girls chatted about everyone back home and Kankuro joined in occasionally, Gaara and Sasuke seemed to have an invisible battle across the table. Sasuke glared silently at the Kazekage, his shoulders tense with meaningful hatred in his eyes. Gaara, however, remained lax and laid back. Looking closely at his face, though, it was obvious he wasn't. While his body and posture appeared calm, his eyes burned with menace and threatened Sasuke.

The Uchiha was growing more and more tense the longer he stared at Gaara. He knew he wanted Sakura, but Sasuke wouldn't let him have her. She was his.

Sitting up and clearing his throat, Sasuke placed a hand on Sakura's thigh, grabbing her attention and cutting her off mid-sentence. She looked down at his hand and raised an eyebrow at him. He simply smiled.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" She asked, annoyed that he interrupted her conversation with Temari. He didn't notice her mood, though, and spoke as if he were doing nothing wrong.

"Nothing, just showing my appreciation for you." He tried to give her a caring smile but it came out all awkward and deformed. He squeezed her thigh but it was too hard and Sakura jumped.

"Ow! Sasuke, that hurt!" She glared at him which made him roll his eyes when she looked away. Gaara watched all the while with amusement, and decided it was his turn to get her attention.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" He asked with true concern. There was no better way to grab a girls attention than to be nice and honest with her.

"Yeah, I think so." She smiled at him and pushed Sasuke's hand off. Sasuke glared at the red-head who pretended to not notice, which upset him even more.

Suddenly, Gaara pushed back his chair and stood up. He walked around the table to Sakura and held his hand out. Sakura looked at him, confused and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, giving a small smile that Sakura fell in love with. She nodded eagerly and took his hand. He led her to the dance floor and wrapped her in his arms. Her previous agitation evaporated the moment he laid his hand on her waist. Her skin tingled where he touched her and she felt weak at the knees. He held her so firmly but gentle, she felt like she was floating as they moved gracefully across the floor. They moved in sync with each other and never made a mistake, it was like two pieces of a puzzle that fit nice and neat next to each other. It felt right. She exhaled slowly and savored the peaceful moment.

"You are a wonderful dancer, Sakura." Gaara commented. He spun her slowly and was mesmerized by her smile and the whoosh of her hair. She was an angel on her feet and loved how elegantly she moved. Her perfume entombed him, filled his nose and his mind until that was the only thing he could think about. He loved the way she felt pressed against his body, loved the feel of her delicate skin, the sweet sight of her lips dancing upwards in a smile meant for him. Gaara felt his heart hammering inside his chest and knew he wanted more than friendship with this woman. Yet as he looked at her, he knew she wouldn't be interested. Sakura always had a crush on Sasuke and with a dreadful, sinking realization, he knew that Sakura would never be his.

He wouldn't let that ruin his chance at having her, if only for one night.

The song ended and was followed by another slow, romantic song. Sakura beamed up at him and didn't want to go back to their table. She was happy right here with him, right here in his arms. She didn't give him a chance to say no, not that he was going to anyway, and laid her head on his shoulder. They moved slowly, relaxed in the others' arms and felt their worlds fall away from everything but each other.

Being in Gaara's arms was like floating in the clouds, calming and peaceful but thrilling at the same time. She loved his cologne and how it filled her nose and clogged up her senses. He was so gentle with her, treating her like a delicate rose that might brake if held too strongly. Sakura wasn't as delicate as was assumed but swam in the moment anyway. She wished she could stay like this forever, her life would be so much more relaxing and peaceful.

Sakura lifted her head and gazed into Gaara's eyes. They were so serene, so full of hidden meaning that was just waiting to be discovered. Sakura felt like there was so much to learn about Gaara, so much she was tempted to find out. The deepness of them made Sakura want to swim in them and fill them until she was the only thing he could see.

As she gazed at him without a care in the world, Gaara observed every feature of her face. The way the light in her eyes danced whenever she turned her head, how her lips were so thin and made a perfect smile across the smooth vastness of her face. Her hair framed her face gracefully and danced as she moved ever so gracefully with him as they danced. Her body heat mixed with his as he held her, her hand so soft and small in his. The way she looked at him in admiration was the best, though. Nobody ever looked at him the way she was at this moment, she made him happy like no one else ever did, ever will.

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to lean his head towards hers, feel her sweet breath touch his face and hear her murmur his name. He wanted to touch his lips tenderly to hers and feel them move in sync with his. He wanted to taste her, feel her, have his senses be filled with every part of her and never let her go. He wanted her to be his.

Gaara's eyes filled with sadness as he looked down at the angel he held in his arms. The song would end soon and he would have to let her go. His heart ached at the foreboding pain that he knew was inevitable but would happen all the same. Sakura looked up at him, oblivious to his abrupt sadness. She didn't want to go either, but he didn't know that. By the end of the dance, both of them were already aching for the others' warmth.