Gaara and Sakura are sitting next to each other inside the movie theater. The romantic comedy movie that Sakura wanted to see is about halfway done. She has been enjoying the movie, but for some reason her mind has begun to wander.
Her light-green eyes shift over to the Kazekage sitting next to her. "What am I doing here? Why did I ask Gaara to join me for this movie? And why did I call it a date? I mean I joke with Naruto calling them dates." She says to herself.
"And that was back in the day when we were younger. And in the hallway that was so spur of the moment from me. I mean Gaara is a good person, but I am in love with Sasuke-kun," she continues to think.
Sakura's eyes now shift back over and she is now staring at her lap. "I mean I like Gaara, but Sasuke is the person I really am in love with, right? I mean why else would I be so upset about not being able to bring Saskue-kun to the village."
Sakura begins to flashback to that moment when Sasuke said good-bye to her before heading off to Orochimaru. "Sakura…thank you." Those words keep on running through her mind. "I mean Sasuke-kun cares about me, right?"
Sakura closes her eyes while she ponders some more. "But what are these feelings I have been getting these past hours when I am around Gaara? Am I starting to fall for Gaara? I mean his kind words last night caught me by surprise, but still…"
Suddenly Sakura feels a hand on her arm and Gaara asks, "Is everything ok, Sakura? You look a little sad, plus you have been laughing at parts like this all movie except for this time." Sakura opens her eyes and looks over at Gaara.
"Oh, yeah I am ok. Just a little tired from all the meetings," Sakura replies. "Wow, Gaara is really able to notice subtle changes in me. That is pretty amazing. Saskue-kun was never able to do that before." She goes back to watching the movie.
The movie concludes and the two are heading out of the theatre. "Well thank you for coming to the movie with me Gaara," Sakura says. A cool breeze blows in the night that gives Sakura a little chill. She folds her arms and shivers a little.
Suddenly, she feels clothing being draped over her shoulders. She grabs a hold of it and looks down at it. It is the jacket Gaara was wearing under his vest. "Oh Gaara, thank you but it is ok, won't you get cold?" Sakura asks as she begins to blush a bit.
"It is ok, you looked cold. I will be fine," replies Gaara. "Well, to be honest those movies are my style, but the company more than made up for it. Say, would want to go and grab a coffee somewhere before we turn in for the night?"
Sakura gives a friendly smile and nods in agreement. As they are walking towards the local coffee shop, Sakura's heart begins to beat a little faster in her chest. "Here comes that feeling again. What is going on? Am I really falling for Gaara?"
The two are sitting at a small table inside the café. Gaara is talking to Sakura about the movie. Sakura is looking at Gaara, but none of the words are registering with her. All she can do is think about the emotions going through her mind and heart.
"Ok, let me think about this rationally," The strawberry blonde says to herself, "Gaara has matured quite a bit over the past years. He is attractive, but not only that, he also has this incredible hidden soft side. And Sasuke-kun….Sasuke is…."
Suddenly it hits Sakura like a shot in the dark. "The only thing that made me attracted to Sasuke was his cool act and the fact everyone else wanted to be with him or be like him. The only thing on his mind is revenge against his brother."
"I mean Gaara has shown more concern about my feelings in these days than Sasuke did that year we were all part of Team Seven. I have let my own concerns and feelings towards others get lost in the hunt for Sasuke," Sakura reveals to herself.
"While I still want to bring Sasuke back to the village, maybe it is time to let my feelings reach out to someone new." Sakura now realizes that Gaara is no longer talking but looking into her eyes with that look of concern again.
"Are you sure everything is ok, Sakura? Are you not having fun?" Gaara asks. "Oh no, it isn't that Gaara," Sakura replies as she takes a sip from her drink. "I was just thinking about something that I may have lost along the way."
The two finish their beverages and walk back to the front of the hotel where Gaara is staying. Sakura hands back the jacket that Gaara gave her for warmth. "Well I thank you for letting me take you out on this date. I enjoyed myself," Gaara says.
"Yes, I enjoyed it as well," Sakura replies. The young woman suddenly gets overcome with a strong feeling. "Well, Naruto always says to go with your instincts sometimes, so here we go," Sakura says to herself as her heart begins to beat faster.
"Well I hope you find that something that you lost earlier," Gaara says has he turns around to head into the hotel. Sakura looks down at the ground and replies, "You know what, I think that I have finally found that thing thanks to you."
Sakura grabs Gaara by the shoulder, turns him around, closes her eyes and presses her lips onto his. Gaara is frozen in shock. He realizes what is going on and his face begins to turn bright red. He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around Sakura.
As their lips release from their tender kiss, Sakura looks up into Gaara's eyes and whispers to him, "All thanks to you…Gaara-kun." It is now Sakura's turn to blush as they release their embrace. "Gaara-kun, huh," replies the Kazekage.
"I like the sound of that…Sakura-chan," Gaara says with a smile on his face. Sakura heads off home as Gaara is standing there waving good-bye. "Ok, it is now official. I really do like this village. Sweet Dreams, Sakura-chan."
Next Chapter - "Always With You"
The video version of this fanfic chapter can be seen via youtube under the same title or under the channel of bkeller1976.