Business Affairs

Some say that a drunk driving accident happens once every fifty minutes. Who would have guessed that at this one minute, out of all the other people in the world, two individuals would meet and slowly, their lives would become more and more intertwined.

Chapter Eight ~ Is This Love?

A/N: Chapter Eight? Yes! For all you, who don't know...I love the number eight! Hehe, so I am pretty excited for this chapter and I'm really happy I've reached a chapter eight without deleting the story. I love you guys too much(: So, sorry for this very long wait in updating...I was busy with some fanfictions, some other things like roleplaying, and other fun stuff that I totally forgot about this story! Sounds horrifying? I know...it feels more like a nightmare than reality! I'm so sorry! Though, I do hope this chapter is good enough and will make up for it :| I hope to post Chapter Nine either tomorrow or something, you'll see why it is important for me to post these two at the same time...or at least I feel it is important for me to post these around the same time. Uhhhh...this is a long Author's Note. Sorry about that, now please...enjoy this chapter eight of mine! :D

PRECAP: "A-are you s-sure?" Gaara asked, Sakura didn't reply because she wasn't sure. She tried to nod, but she felt her body was taking control over her rather than her brain. Bringing Sakura to his room, Gaara locked the door and sighed once again.

"S-sakura, I-I'm s-sorry f-f" Gaara had been speaking, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"Just stop, I-I..." Sakura spoke, but had to pause so tear drops wouldn't come out and neither would her bawling reappear like it did at Starbucks. Gaara could sense that Sakura was to cry very soon and it was probably better stop talking and do what they were supposed to.

He walked towards the bed and looked at her. He gently pushed her onto the bed as he gulped one last time.

Both thought the same thing:

"Here we go..."

Gaara's eyes fluttered open, he groaned once hearing the beeping from his alarm system that was next to him. Like any other day, the redhead got out of bed, though something was different and that he was unable to get out of bed. It was as if something was pulling on him or holding him to get out of bed.

"What the hell?"

Turning to his side, Gaara saw the reason why he couldn't get out of bed. A girl, the most beautiful girl Gaara had ever seen was in front of him. He never noticed her beauty till now, it may have sounded perverted because she was nude, but now that Gaara took a second look at her and without the guilt blinding him, he saw something out of the ordinary. Something that looked more like a goddess than a real person. Something that seemed too perfect to be real. It was Sakura. Sakura Haruno, the girl who's child the redhead killed in a drunk driving accident, the girl who slapped him and hated him, the girl who he slept with in order to let go out of the guilt, the girl who he slept with so she could have a baby. That girl. That Sakura Haruno.

He felt like his heart stopped when he looked at her, he couldn't think of anything else at the moment, but something disturbed his thought. The continuous beeping of the alarm system. To ensure Sakura gets her sleep, the male pressed the off button and shut the whole alarm down. Now nothing would disturb the beauty who laid opposite to him. Gently, he took her small hand of his abs. Once her hand reached the mattress, Gaara got out of the bed and sighed.

He didn't know what to think nor what to do. He couldn't love her because this girl belonged to someone else. She was like a deal, to have a baby, he slept with her. As soon as the baby or maybe even after this day, the deal was over and they'd pretend like they never each other. As heartbreaking as that sounded, it was the cold and bitter truth that Gaara had to cope with soon enough.

With another sigh, he began walking to the bathroom which was conveniently in the room. On the way there, he picked up his pair of boxers which was thrown on the floor, near the bathroom. Slowly gripping the golden knob, he turned it and entered the luxurious, marble-flooring bathroom. The marble felt warm on his feet, unlike other days when his feet were cold and begging to get off the white tiles. Gaara felt different.

The alarm company owner looked at his reflection on the large rectangular mirror. He looked at himself, but he didn't feel the same. He looked the same, but he didn't feel the same. He felt as if he was looking at a whole new person. He wasn't looking at Gaara Sabaku, but he was looking at Gaara Sabaku.

Widening his eyes at his insane thoughts, he instantly move the knob for cold water on the sink and splashed water onto his face to cool himself down and make him think straight. Once again, he looked at himself in the mirror and saw that person who looked like him, had his same name, but wasn't Gaara Sabaku.

"What's happening..?" He grumbled as he fiddled with the knobs on the faucet. Picking up his red toothbrush, he began brushing his teeth, but he had a hard time doing since he couldn't focus on the brushing or anything, but he was lost in his thoughts. His thoughts about thoughts about thoughts and thoughts, he was lost and needed a way out because everything was the same. He never felt so...confused before.

After relaxing a bit and brushing his teeth, Gaara began stripping off his clothes and entered his walk-in shower. Once the water turned on, the redhead stood there letting the warm drops of water drip down his face like ice cream that drips down a melting cone. Once reality began to hit, Gaara, he immediately shook his head to get the water off his face. Sighing for the umpteenth time this morning, he began applying the AXE Heat shampoo that he had bought recently from the drugstore. The only reason he had bought it was because the design on the bottle was red which matched his favorite color. Applying the citrus scented shampoo onto his soft ember hair, he then put his head underneath the water to wash his hair. After scrubbing himself with soap, he walked out of the shower, dried himself and his hair, then walked into his bedroom in only a towel. It was his usual habit.

After dressing himself in a black suit plus a tie, he walked down the stairs and into his library to bring all his things with him. He continued to keep quiet, no good morning or anything to his maids. Before leaving the home, he wrote a note to Sakura and motioned for the maid to put it in the room along with a toothbrush, towel, new pair of clothing, and other things the sleeping beauty would need. After informing the maid, he walked out the door.

At Work...

Gaara walked into the building, immediately the workers stood up once seeing their boss walk. Each of them greeted a hello, but the male was lost in his thoughts to realize they were saying something. This wasn't anything new that the workers who greeted him would react to since the man was as quiet as mouse. They were lucky if he peeped out something, other than that there was no sign.

Reaching his office, Gaara placed his briefcase on the table and sighed when taking a seat. "Sakura..." He muttered. After a few moments, Gaara began to just stare in space, thinking of his life and what was soon going to happen.

Suddenly, a voice was heard. It was by someone clearing their throat once Gaara turned to look at them, his eyes which were widened began to grow back into it's regular size as if Gaara wasn't surprised at all. "Yes...?"

The man in front of him was Baki. A man older than him, but remained Gaara's most trusted employee and friend. "Gaara, did you forget? There is a meeting with Shippuden Electronics. It's a long meeting, so I hope you're ready for it..." The man said as he slightly adjusted his turban.

Gaara raised his eyebrows as Baki spoke about the meeting that must have escaped the businessman's head. "What meeting are you talking about?"

"Shippuden Electronics wants to work with us to create an advanced type of alarm system which as they claim will improve our alarm systems and they hope for us to switch our contact with Leaf Village Electronics due to the news of our alarm system beginning to malfunction because of the technology and mechanical problems we are having." Baki explained. "So, if you remember, we requested the company to show us a presentation of their electronics and how it will be beneficial to our alarm systems. Of course, the company being the biggest showoffs they can be, decided to add onto the agenda on how they would change each of our systems with their technology adding extra perks and many more things to make a meeting that would have been at least an hour or at most, an hour and a half turn into a meeting that is almost three hours."

Everything seemed like news to Gaara, nonetheless, he nodded and listened to whatever his adviser said as he deeply trusted him. "Yeah, yeah..."

"Gaara, are you okay? You seem out of the norm. Did spending a night in jail affect you that much?" The adviser said with a chuckle, with the cold glare from Gaara, he shut his mouth. "Uh, back to what I was saying. Gaara, this meeting is extremely beneficial due to the malfunctions and as boasting and annoying Shippuden Electronics are, they are one company we don't want to lose. Their electronics have been offered to the Uchiha's. Though they turned them down."

"If they turned them down, how does that prove they are any good?" Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes.

"The Uchiha's turned them down because they run their own electronics. Shippuden wanted to stop that, but the Uchiha's cunning business style with doing their own manufacturing make it much harder for there to be any bugs or problems." Baki explained. "Once Uchiha denied their request..."

Before Baki could continue, Gaara rolled his eyes and nodded. "Okay, just shut up. Let's go..." Baki nodded and led Gaara to the meeting room where within a few minutes the representatives from the company came, of course they were loud and looked as if they were made from money. With their cashmere suits, sophisticated looking hair, and killer shoes.

"Executive Board of Sound of Desert, I, present to you Shippuden Electronics. Our company promises a sufficient and reliable source of electronics which have been 98% bug free. The two percent that aren't bug free are the ones that haven't been made yet...Now, let me present to you your previous alarm system for..." The representative said. He kept talking and talking, but Gaara couldn't focus on him. Something was running through his mind and it wasn't about Baki, or this annoying representative, or...the whole business itself. It was about another business. Sakura Haruno business.

Her beautiful pink hair. Her stunning body. Her meadow green eyes. What was there not to like. Her boyfriend, whoever he was, must be a lucky man to be with such a beautiful girl. A girl who is as aggressive as she is nice. A girl who is strong, but weak. A girl who knows what is right and what is wrong. A girl who can sacrifice her own feelings for other people. A girl like Sakura Haruno is the one Gaara has been looking for.

Gaara isn't very social or at least for most of his life, he wasn't very social. He was only involved in his studies and schoolwork hoping to be an excellent businessman making a lot of money. People were worried about him because they felt Gaara would put so much thought and focus into it, by the time he was ready to make the business, he would be too old. Though, Gaara proved them wrong once he opened 'Sound of the Desert'. It was his biggest success and something which took away the reputation of the boy who wouldn't accomplish anything away from people's eyes. Since Gaara wasn't very social, he didn't meet very much girls. As a child, he may have liked a few, but he was too shy to ever confront a girl, of course that has changed since the male is more open and blunt about what he is feeling and thinking.

He may have liked girls, but he never like this. He never felt so attached and attracted to a girl. Fate had them meet by accident because of Gaara's stupid mistake, but because of his stupid mistake, Gaara felt he was seeing another Gaara. Not the Gaara who would keep himself isolated from everyone. Not the Gaara who was mean and cold. Not the Gaara who never regretted what he did. But, the Gaara who was willing to sleep with someone just so that they can keep their reputation for their spouse. People may say Gaara was selfish because he didn't want the spouse to know, but that's not the truth. In all honesty, Gaara knew he deserved the punches and slaps he would receive, he deserved the comments by Kakashi and Asuma, he deserved all the shit people would give him if they figured out.

Though, one thing continued to stump Gaara every time he thought of the rosette. Her mystery boyfriend. He didn't even know who it was, even if he did know who it was, the fact of the matter is that she cannot belong to Gaara. Sleeping with Gaara is already adding salt to the wound, but to have an affair with him is just...wrong. Morally and in every way it is wrong.

Memories flushed through his head of every moment they had on that bed. There wasn't romance on the bed, but there was kisses and pleasure that surprised Gaara that this would happen. He figured it was a quick and easy put in and it's done. Though, it got intense. More than planned.

Last night:

Gaara put his hands on Sakura as he pressed his lips onto the girl's arm. Figuring that this couldn't take place without the real motion of sex, he had to do this, and it was the only way to make things easier for Sakura and himself even if the kisses didn't mean anything.

Gaara noticed the feel of her arm, it was soft, softer than his pillow and anything he's ever felt. It was like baby soft, a feel that was admirable. His lips loved it whenever it touched the girl's arm, every time he put a kiss, he would glance at Sakura, to see her emotion. He wasn't expecting an emotion, but anything would have been...nice.

Kissing her neck, cheek, and arm was just the beginning of the night.

Gaara put a finger to his lips, feeling the part of his body which was able to admire and taste the sweetness of her arm every time they came together and then released once reaching the arm. It felt nice.

Her nude body was in front of Gaara and Gaara was never a pervert, but he meant it when he said her body was like a goddess'. Her hips, her breasts, her curves were perfect and not too big nor too small. Whenever she wore clothes, those were the curves that stood out once someone analyzed the beauty.

That picture was stuck in his head, he wasn't in for the breasts or the fact that she was naked. Her body was like art, a good art, a beautiful piece of art that was too pure to be thought of as dirty.

Finally Gaara got down to the part which would change everything, the part that was awaited that evening, the part that...this "deal" was made for. Flipping some of his ember hair out of his face, Gaara stood up and did the manly thing.

The redhead looked away when the thought came to his head of that. Why was he thinking of that moment? It was the moment that ruined everything because as soon as it was done, the whole night's pleasure was gone. The kisses were meaningless. The last hour they spent on the bed was as if it never happened. That memory fit the definition of a nightmare than a dream.

A dream. A dream would be if Sakura was Gaara's. If Sakura was single and ran into Gaara's arms. If they met in a proper and nice way that wasn't upsetting nor depressing. A way that wouldn't be recalled as a bad memory, but a good memory. A way that would not have killed Sakura Haruno's baby in womb.

From the first moment Gaara had seen her, he was speechless. She was crying, but her crying still showed some beauty, just not the new found one that the redhead had just seen. The tear drops that gently came down her face as she screamed and whimpered, muttering on how what was happening couldn't be true. It was a truth that she would have to accept. Then, Gaara entered the room and got an even better look at her. After the multiple visits, Gaara felt like he hated her, till now.

What girl could run through his heart, his mind, his brain, and have no meaning at all? Which girl has the power to do all that and not be loved by that one person? Sakura Haruno.

Sakura must be the fastest person. She changed Gaara in a blink. She can run through Gaara's head for all his life even if he knew that Sakura Haruno was that girl who was running marathon by marathon on his head. The one whom he has been waiting for since he heard the term 'girl'. Sakura wasn't like any ordinary girl in the movies, she was one in a kind like Gaara.

Shutting his teal eyes, only three words escaped his mouth once he thought of the name "Sakura".

"I love you."

A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter! Hehe, finally Gaara has admitted to be in love with Sakura? Uh-oh...what if Sasuke figures out? Speaking of Sasuke, where is he? I still believe that he got hit by a bus or something...let's hope not because then Sakura did it with Gaara for no reason at all! Lmao! Anyways, here is my shout out to all of you! (; LOVE YOU!

Bluberry – I'm glad you are loving it so much! I hope you love it as much as you love blueberries xD Just kidding! Hehe, I hope you liked the chapter!

Sabu – Hehe, tell me what you think!

TeamTHEFT – How do you know it's obvious? ;D What if that doesn't happen?(;

ZR69 – Your username is funny lol(: Though, I'm glad you love the story! Updated!

Cindy Medeiros - ...You scared me! D: Hahaha, though I'm glad you are still liking it!

NekoE – YAY! You liked it, I'm glad you did! Hahah. I love Mystery and Suspense since it's all like mysterious! XD

Gummybear – I hope you liked the chapter! XD Loveeyoutooo!

NeoKurama41 – My Bud! First off, I'd like to thank you for reminding me of the story because I forgot about it a lot since I was busy with a lot of other things! I hope you liked the chapter and matched your expectations!

Miikodesu – When I first read this review, I thought you were insulting the story plot LOL! Though, I'm assuming you are not! LOL! Well, there a few glimpses of what happened, nothing very big...or is there big? ;D

Joele – Hahaha! Agreed! (; And, anytime!

Ichibiluva – HAHA! I'm glad you liked that part(: I try to add humor every now and then! Lolzz!

Sorry if my shoutouts weren't as good as last chapter or previous chapters or not good at all! It's like 3 in the morning here, so I'm kind of tired. I have another chapter that I need to write for this story, but I'm way tooo tired to go write it. ANYWAYS! I hope you liked this chapter! :D