Sorry for the delay, school has been a pain, hope you enjoy Chapter 5, it's my longest one so far

Responses to Reviewers:

Cindy Medeiros: I am glad you like you it.

: : Thank you for your kind words. I hope you like this new installment.

orochimaru's cherry blossom: While I don't think it is that great I thank you for saying so.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did, a lot of things would be different

Inner Sakura/Shukaku

Thinking

Vocab:

Fukusū no ByūEnpashigan: Multiple view empathy eye

Chapter 5: The Love They Both Needed

Gaara didn't know what to do. Ever since he had talked to Sakura she had become kind of clingy. She was everywhere. He couldn't do anything without bumping into her along the way. One time he just couldn't take it anymore and his eyes actually showed rage, she of course asked it something was wrong. Of course something was wrong, it had pink hair and its name was Sakura. What he didn't understand was how she knew exactly where he was at all times. It was like she was stalking him, or having someone stalk him for her. (little did he know that neither was true)

Ever since Hiranor had seen them hugging and bonding in his mansion, he had gone about constructing a plan to have them together. He knew they were young but didn't they say that love was timeless? He would do anything and everything he could to get them together. He knew that he was messing with destiny and all, but frankly he didn't care, after all, he didn't have anything better to do.

The funny thing about Gaara's predicament was that Sakura wasn't even aware that someone was spying on him, or her for that matter. Whenever they ran into each other, they both had the same thoughts running through their heads. The truth was Hiranor was actually setting the whole thing up. He would have an old lady talk to Sakura for a while, or ask her to carry her things for her, and then he would have Gaara be asked by a child to help him or her with something, and pester him until he did, and then he would follow said child and then 'coincidentally' bump into Sakura. After said bump both child and woman would disappear and leave them to chat for a moment, before they would look around and find their former companions missing.

It was all an elaborate plot, and Hiranor was very proud of his achievements thus far. He had gotten them to open up even further to each other and now they talked more openly at the dinner table. It was quite refreshing to see them so happy. It gave him all the more reason to keep at it.

_A Fiery Passion_

Gaara was walking down a surprisingly empty street when Sakura came out of nowhere and ran into him, which sent both of them to the ground in tangled pile of limbs. Sakura was apologizing profusely until she locked eyes with him, which promptly shut her up. She hastily tried to untangle herself but it only made it worse as Gaara was trying to do the same thing and in the end they just made it worse, well, to them it was anyway. With all the moving around their faces had somehow come together and their lips locked. Both Sakura's and Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.

Sakura quickly pulled back, and somehow managed to disentangle herself. She brushed herself off, "So Gaara, do you need help getting up?" She asked. When she didn't get a response, she looked down at him. Her face heated up, seeing as how Gaara was in the same position on the ground, eyes wide open. She squatted in front of him, and waved her hands in front of his face, "Helloo, Gaara? You there?" She shook him a little, and she still didn't get a response. She placed her head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was going at a 100 beats per minute. Just as she was about to get back up his arms came up around her and held her to him.

"Um, Gaara."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting answers."

"To what?"

"Questions."

Okay, this is ridiculous, I mean, come on, how hard is it to give a straight answer? Sakura thought furiously. "Hey Gaara what is your damn question? I swear if you don't tell me I will hit you into next year."

Gaara focused on her face with his usual emotionless one. "Why are you following me?" he asked.

Sakura blinked, "Following you? Why are you following me? Everywhere I go you are. It's like you're stalking me or something."

Gaara scoffed, "ME stalk you? Are you out of your mind? What do you have that I would possibly find interesting?"

Sakura's eyes welled up, and she immediately removed herself from his grasp. She stood up and ran away, tears streamed down her face.

Gaara sat up, not really sure what just happened. He wasn't sure where those words came from, but apparently they had a negative effect on Sakura.

He made his way back to the mansion and was walking toward his room when he heard someone crying, Probably Sakura, he thought to himself. Just as he was about to open his bedroom door, one of the servants walked up to him, and gave him a glare. He had red hair and deep brown eyes.

Gaara looked at him with disdain, "What do you want?"

The Servant returned the look, "Lady Sakura is crying, care to tell why?"

"Why should it matter to you?"

"Because, it is my job to keep the guests of the lord Kazankage's estate to be as happy as possible. And if we have a guest who is making another one sad, then I am obligated to intervene."

Gaara shrugged, "All I did was say that I didn't find anything interesting about her and then she started crying and ran away."

The servant gave him a smoldering glare. "You said what? That is one of the rudest things you can say to a young lady, lord Gaara. And now that I know what is wrong, I think it is high time that you fix it."

Gaara looked at him as if he was crazy, "Me? What did I do wrong?"

The servant eyed him as if he had just said that unicorns were real, "You have got to be joking. A ladies appearance is everything to them, and you insulting hers is a low blow indeed that no right-minded gentleman would make. Now I want you to go in there and apologize young man before I have the Kazankage come in and make you do it with your hands tied behind your back and a blade at your throat until you do. Do I make myself clear?" Gaara nodded weakly, something he had never done before, "Good, see that you do. Now go on, get! I don't want to hear her crying for another minute, it breaks my heart to hear a beautiful young lady such as she cry."

The servant walked off and left Gaara alone in the hall. These servants must be allowed to speak their thoughts, 'cause that man scares me, and that is saying something.

Gaara walked up to Sakura's bedroom and brought his hand up to the door. He paused, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't make things worse. After a few minutes of thinking he finally worked up the courage (yes he was actually afraid) and waited.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice called out.

Gaara hesitated before answering, "It is me, Gaara, may I come in?"

A startled squeak was heard from inside the room, and then a hastily spoken "Yes!" Gaara knew that if he didn't go in now it would only get harder later on, so he took a deep breath and opened the door. What he saw made his heart wrench in his chest.

Sakura was sitting on the bed trying to wipe away the tears that were flowing down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying. She looked up at him and held his gaze for a few seconds before she looked down, furiously wiping away the tears that kept coming down. "You must think I am really pathetic."Gaara looked at her with a blank face, "getting worked up over nothing."

Gaara couldn't hold it in anymore, "You are not pathetic."

"Yeah I know I am… wait what?" She looked up at him with wide eyes, just registering what he had said.

Gaara took a deep breath, "You. Are. Not. Pathetic." He said painfully.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Is this guy for real? One moment he is insulting us and the next he is giving us a compliment? I mean, he acts like he is freaking bipolar or something.

I don't know, but he does seem new to this whole emotion thing. I mean, look at him, he looks like he is fighting a battle without knowing who his opponent is.

Inner thought about it for a second, Well, I don't know if he is or not, but if he is, then MAYBE we can forgive his behavior.

Let's see where this goes.

Sakura looked up at him shyly, "You r-really mean t-that?"

Gaara closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I meant every word I said." Now I have to make her feel better or that servant is going to kill me (strange thought for an ex-murderer), "You are thoughtful, compassionate, and amazing. You love to help others and don't think for a second about your own needs. I might not fully understand why you are crying, but I want to make it better." Now for the finishing touch, "Sakura, will you f-f-f." He narrowed his eyes, "Will you f-f-f. F-f-f." Out with it already! "Will you forgive me?"

More tears welled up in her eyes. Great, now I just made it worse, he moaned inwardly.

Those are tears of joy not sadness you dolt.

Sh-Sh-Shukaku? I thought you were unable to wake up!

Yeah? Well, I am not fully awake, so you can rest easy. This place is suppressing my powers so I can't do anything other than talk. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, those are tears of happiness, not depression.

You mean there is more than one type of tear?

Shukaku groaned, You really need to get out more kid.

Well I would have if certain SOMEONE hadn't had a lust for blood.

Yeah, yeah, yeah blame it all on me. But, you'll thank me in time.

Gaara looked at him confused, In time? What do you mean in time?

Shukaku chuckled, You'll see soon enough. And then he was gone.

Shukaku? Great, now what am I going to do?

Just then Sakura worked up the courage to speak. "G-Gaara?"

"Hn?"

"Could you hold me? I could really use a hug."

A look of surprise crossed his face but quickly disappeared. Gaara nodded that he would. She smiled, a heart-wrenching, soul-jerking smile that made his heart do flips in his chest. He went over to her and sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. He traced slow, calming circles on her back, and Sakura felt like she was in heaven. After several minutes of holding each other, Sakura, lean back in Gaara's arms and looked up at his face (he is slightly taller than her). He had his eyes closed and was breathing rapidly. Sakura looked at his face, he was so serene, she couldn't see how he could be a mass murderer. She looked at his forehead, where the kanji for love was and her eyes wandered to his lips. Suddenly she had an overwhelming desire to know what they would feel like against hers. She closed her eyes, and leaned forward.

Gaara was reveling in the feeling of holding her; he didn't know quite what to make of the sensation. He was so lost in the magic of the moment that he didn't even notice Sakura until her lips were pressed onto his. His eyes flew open. His heart was beating at over a hundred beats per second. This was so different from that time on the street. Her lips were soft, and tasted of strawberries.

Sakura was drowning in pure bliss. She couldn't believe that she was kissing Gaara no Sabaku, the Jinjuriki of the sand. But she loved every minute of it. Suddenly, without warning, Gaara returned the kiss, and they stayed there in that position until the need for air became overwhelming and they had to break apart.

Sakura looked away shyly, a blush deepening on her face, and luckily for Gaara away from him so she didn't see his own blush.

"Well," Gaara said after a moment of silence, "That was new." Sakura's blush deepened, "Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked hopefully.

Sakura nodded, resting her head against his chest again. Gaara rested his head lightly on top of hers. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours until suddenly the servant knocked on the door and barged in without waiting for a response. He stood stock still at the scene before him. A wide smile broke out on his face, 'Well, I see my little plan worked' he mentally patted himself on the back. "I can see that you two have made up. Good job Gaara, I am glad I didn't have to force it."

Sakura looked from the servant to Gaara and back again, she was confused. "Forced? What do you mean forced?"

"Well you see my dear, it would appear that Gaara does not have as much strength as you would think. After all, do you really think he would have come in here and apologized if he had only just started to try and understand emotions this year? All I did was give him a little push in the right direction and away he went."

"So, what you're saying is that Gaara isn't very good in the emotional department? But we just... well,"

She looked away, blushing deeply.

The 'servant' winked at her, "Yes, I know exactly what you two did, my dear, it is quite obvious. And now that that is done, I can take of this stupid mask."

Now Sakura was even more confused, "Mask? What do you mean mask?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, "Isn't it obvious?"

Sakura still didn't get it, and it was showing.

The 'servant' gave her a small smile. "Well, maybe this will clear things up." He reached up to his hair and grabbed it. He pulled it up, earning a gasp from Sakura, until the mask came off completely, revealing the sea-blue eyes and brownish-gold hair of the Kyudaime Kazankage.

"Hiranor?" Sakura didn't understand what was going on, luckily for her Gaara did.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet. I mean it was pretty obvious that it was him. Considering that only he would call you 'dear' instead of lady. Only someone with an important position or an overblown ego would dare to speak to a distinguished visitor like that."

Sakura blushed again, He thinks I'm distinguished? I could die now and I wouldn't care.

Girl, you are weird. One second you're crying 'cause he was rude the next you're crying 'cause he said you are important. Make up your mind already!Inner huffed.

Well, he is new to this whole emotion thing so I guess it's okay to forgive him.

"So what are you two going to do now? I mean, it's obvious that you two like each other." Hiranor said, breaking threw her thoughts.

Both Gaara and Sakura looked at him like he was crazy, "What do you mean we like each other?" they said at the same time- earning a blush from each of them.

"Well aside from all the blushing and the kissing, right? Well in case you two haven't forgotten I possess the Enpashigan, which allows me to read the emotions of others. And yours when the two of you are together is like an erupting volcano. I wish you two could see it. In fact, I think I just might do that."

"Do what" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"This." Hiranor grabbed their hands and shouted "Fukusū no ByūEnpashigan!"

Gaara and Sakura were soon seeing the world threw the Kazankage's eyes. And what they saw shocked them to put it mildly. They looked at each other and saw the longing, the desire to be with each other, and the hurt that lay beneath it all, revealing that they both had experienced a great deal of pain in their short lives.

After being sure that they saw each other's emotions, Hiranor released their hands and left the room silently, leaving them to work out their feelings.

After a few moments of silence, they rushed into each other's arms and cried. Gaara had never known anyone to actually want to be with him before, besides his uncle Yashamaru, until he had tried to kill him and then no one ever wanted to be with him again. Even his siblings, they were only around him when they had a mission and that was it. They avoided all contact with him. But here was a beautiful girl who didn't care about his past, or what he had gone threw to get where he is today. She just wanted to be with him. And he was fine with that. No scratch that, he was more than fine, he was ecstatic.

Sakura was feeling the same way, to a lesser extent. She had been hurt by others who said she was ugly and had a big forehead. And she had also been abused by her parents who said she would never be good enough for them. That she would always be the failure of the Haruno clan. That had hurt more than anything the others had said or did to her, not that she would show it, or they would have been even worse. But here she was in the arms of someone who said she was amazing, and that he thought she was special in a good way. She no longer tried to hold back the tears as they flowed down her cheek.

They separated after an hour of holding each other. Gaara made as if to leave but before he could take a single step Sakura grabbed his hand, effectively stopping him. He turned back to look at her with a non-existent eyebrow raised, questioning her action.

She was shaking slightly. "Gaara, I w-was w-wonder i-if you would spend the night with me?" She asked, blushing deeply.

Gaara was shocked, again. This was happening a lot today. Did she say what I think she said?

Shukaku was waving his tale excitedly, I must say our little blossom is something else. First she kisses you and the next she is asking to sleep with you.

Gaara nodded numbly, earning a squeal of joy from Sakura. "Yay! Now all we have to do is change and we are all set."

Gaara nodded again and made his way to his room where there was a set of nightclothes waiting for him on his bed. He quickly changed and went back to Sakura's room where she was combing her shoulder-length hair in front of a mirror on the wall. She had let it grow out again. As soon as he walked in the door, she stopped brushing and smiled at him. He felt like his heart doing a somersault in his chest.

She got up from the chair and went over to her bed where got under the covers and motioned for him to join her. He sighed and climbed under the covers. Sakura cuddled up to him, earning her a gasp from her bed buddy. She giggled. This is going to be a very interesting year.

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