Whirlwind
Chapter Fifteen
-Operation Day Eleven: Jealousy-
The next day they had bagels and fruit for breakfast again. "We really need to go to the marketplace." Sakura said, feeling guilty about being lazy and just going out to eat.
Gaara simply shrugged, flipping through some papers he had brought home with him. "We could always make a list and send a chuunin out for us. Or Temari."
"I don't want to do that. I'd feel like we were using your powers as Kazekage for the wrong reasons." She looked down, not wanting to admit her love of the idea. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair.
"Sakura, we don't have any time to go shopping. The Uchiha's execution is just three days away, and you have a class to teach. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time I've sent Temari to do my shopping for me." The redhead stated, not even looking up from the scroll he was reviewing.
She gave him a cross look. "How could you use your sister that way?"
"Because, before you, I didn't know how to go grocery shopping, remember?" he finally broke away from his work and gave her a bored stare, making sure she knew how much he didn't like shopping.
"Yeah, you were pretty hopeless." She giggled.
With a roll of his eyes Gaara stood, shoving the papers into a bag and hoisting it over his shoulder. "Come on, we don't want to be late now."
They headed out in silence and finally reached the hospital. "See you later," Gaara waved. Before he could walk away, she grabbed his arm, and spoke gently, unsure of herself. "Would you like to see the classroom? I can give you the notes I made on your hospital staff's progress while we're there. That way you can give them over to the elders."
Gaara stared down at his lovely companion, knowing he had a meeting to attend this morning, but something made him want to stay. Before another thought could form in his mind, the words spilled out, "I would love to."
Sakura smiled happily at him, and led him inside the large building. Arriving at the classroom, Sakura reached out to open the door. When she did, all she saw was a bunch of red roses shoved in her face. Before she could blink, Gaara had pulled her towards him, pressing her against his chest protectively, away from the menacing flowers.
"Good morning Sakura-chan! I got you these flowers as an apology for yesterday, since we didn't get the chance to finish our discussion. I heard that red roses were the way into a lady's heart." Sosuke said with a cheerful smile. Actually, red roses are the way to becoming completely corny and predictable, the pink haired medic thought with a look of distaste.
She felt Gaara tense behind her, but was unsure as to why. Slowly leaving his grasp, she took hold of the offered roses. "Thank you, Sosuke. Let me just put these in a part of the classroom where everyone will be able to see them." She said as she walked towards the back and placed them in a dark corner, away from the light. She wanted these flowers to die as soon as possible.
She turned around and pasted a fake smile on her face. "Is there a reason you're here so early?"
The blonde boy shrugged. "Not really. I know you said that you couldn't do private lessons, but I figured if I came earlier in the morning when you arrive, we could spend some one on one time discussing the gift of live births, and the process that creates young children."
She almost gagged in disgust, while Gaara was left, furious, in the doorway. "Well, not that that doesn't sound fascinating, but I was going to have a meeting with Gaara and go over what will need to be changed here at the hospital." She began to shove him out the door. "So if you don't mind, you'll just have to come back in an hour, when class begins." She pulled the silent, fuming redhead into the room, in order to shut and lock the door quickly. She leaned against the door and let out a tired sigh.
"As if I don't have enough things to deal with already, I have a creepy child begging for my attention, in a non-professional manner."
"Do you want me to kill him?" Gaara asked seriously, his face nothing but stern. Then he immediately sobered and shook his head, as if ridding himself of inner demons. "Sorry…old habits."
She blinked, only slightly alarmed at that comment but decided to let it go since he seemed back to normal. Smiling, she decided to pick on the redhead a bit. "Well, maybe not kill him per se, I think it would be more satisfying if we tortured him first." She said with a sly look.
"We do have some old century torture devices and chambers beneath the Kazekage tower, in the basement. You wouldn't be able to hear him scream," he explained eagerly, taking a step closer to her.
She gave him an alarmed look. "Um, Gaara, I was just kidding. He'll probably leave me alone eventually, and besides, I'll be going home soon, so I won't have to deal with him."
Every muscle in his body tensed at her words. Why did he feel so distressed? "Right, you'll be leaving in just a few days…" he repeated, hands now formed into tight fists. "Well. I'll just take those papers now. I should be leaving."
He seemed uptight now, more so than he had been, almost like he was agitated. "Oh, alright…" she said, a bit confused. She took the papers out of a drawer in her desk, switching into business mode.
"Here's a list of the equipment you will need to get in order to update your hospital with, and where to get it, and on this page is a list of all the nursing staff and their skill levels. If you need any help understanding any of it just ask me. I can also put together some workbooks or something to leave behind, that way they can keep practicing what I taught them." She explained, pointing to the various papers.
"Of course, whatever you think is best Sakura. I give you full freedom in this…I guess, I'll see you later then." He took the papers from her slowly, almost as if he had something else to say. He nodded and turned to leave, unlocking the door, only to be faced with another bundle of red roses.
"Sakura-chan! I just want to show you how much I-" Sosuke stopped, starring wide eyed at the Kazekage from behind the flowers. Gaara's glare set back into place, fire burning up his insides at the sight. He pushed past the boy, nearly knocking him off his balance as he headed out of the hospital.
She stared after the redhead, perplexed. Why was he so upset? Was it because of Sosuke? Or was something on his mind? Turning back to Sosuke, she was about to shoot him down when another one of her students walked in. Grateful for the interruption, she immediately struck up a conversation with the girl. Sosuke merely placed the vase of roses on her desk, and, when he wasn't looking, she put them in a drawer. She loved getting flowers, but, in this case, she hated it.
Class that day continued as usual. Today she had decided to teach them about the various types of poisons. Not all of them, because that would take too much time, but the basic ones, and their antidotes. She didn't want another situation to happen similar to that of Kankuro's and Temari's, because she may not be there in time to save them. So far, today was going to be a long day.
It was just after lunchtime, not too late in the afternoon, when there was a soft tap on the door. It swung open to reveal the most beautiful, colorful, and complex arrangement of flowers. It was so large that it hid the person carrying them completely. The mass of flora moved forward, and Sakura just stared in awe. If this was Sosuke's doing then he had definitely stepped up his game.
The flowers made their way to the teacher's desk and were set down with only little difficulty. That was when Ino popped out from the jungle of beauty. "Hello Sakura! Special delivery! Just for you." She smiled, holding out a card for her.
Sakura laughed and took the envelope carefully, watching her bubbling friend. "What are you doing Ino? Why are you delivering flowers?"
The blonde scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "Please Sakura, I'm a florist! Gaara's letting me run the flower shop in the village. And this is a special delivery for you!"
Sakura looked at the flowers once more, noting all the giggling and squeals coming from her class. She could just see Sosuke from the corner of her eye and the look on his face was far from proud. A smile grew on her face at this new knowledge. Thank God they weren't from him. That alone seemed to make them even more beautiful.
She focused on her gift again, letting her fingers brush over the delicate petals. It was so beautiful, most of the arrangement was white, being the filler flowers of the bouquet. But what caught her eye the most were the other two types of flowers. There were large azaleas littered throughout the piece that were the same color as her hair, and beautiful blood red tulips where the azaleas were not. She could only recall the name of one of the white flowers filling all the space the pink and red did not, it was tuberose, but that meant dangerous pleasure, didn't it?
"Hey Ino…what does the tuberose symbolize again?" she asked her friend, who was eyeing the flowers happily.
"Dangerous pleasure," she purred, locking her gaze with her best friend.
Sakura let out a small laugh and tried to hide the awkwardness from her face. Who would send her this beautiful present? She tore the envelope open and pulled out the card inside. All it said was, Here, I thought these were pretty.
Sakura felt the huge blush crawling up her face. She recognized this clean crisp handwriting. "Sakura-sama!" a girl giggled loudly, waving her hand in the air. "Who are they from? They are so beautiful!"
She tried to gulp and wet her throat so she could speak. "Well, it looks like the Kazekage was just sending me a nice gift," she barely got out, her face only getting darker. Nearly all the girls in the class squealed with excitement, even some of the guys were nodding in approval. Sosuke looked furious, one upped by his perfect Kazekage. The boy crossed his arms and glared off, not wanting to see his sensei's reaction to the flowers.
"Wow," Sakura finally let out a deep breath. "These are gorgeous."
Ino leaned on Sakura's desk and laughed loudly, "Yeah, Gaara came by this morning and asked for my help in the perfect arrangement for you. But he told me absolutely no roses." The blonde straightened and let her face fall into a stoic impersonation. "If I find one rose in that arrangement I assure you, I will show you the true meaning of pain." She laughed again, breaking her act as Gaara.
Sakura began to laugh with her friend, picturing Gaara saying exactly that. So that was why he was cranky this morning. "Thanks Ino. These are beautiful." She began to admire the arrangement some more, trying to list their meanings in her head. The red tulips were a declaration of love…..she stopped mid thought. Leaning towards her best friend, she whispered, "Ino…..what do all of these flowers mean?"
The blonde smiled, and began to list the meanings happily, counting them out on her fingers. "Well, the Azaleas mean take care of yourself for me and fragile passion. The white ones, like the Lily of the Valleys, means you make my life complete, Tulips are a declaration of love, the white Ranunculus means you are radiant and charming, and you already know what the Tuberose means."
The blush returned to her face, as her left eye began to twitch. "Ino…..you didn't tell Gaara what these meant, did you?"
Ino waved her hand in dismissal. "Of course not, I value my life too much to tell him. Besides, HE picked all the flowers, I just put them all together."
"Oh." She said, astonished.
Waving, Ino began to leave the room. "Well, I'll let you get back to your class! I have some more deliveries to make anyways." And with that, she shut the door behind her.
Turning back to the class, she saw that they were all giving her weird looks. Ignoring them, she continued the lesson. "So, what do I do when I see a herb shaped like this in the poison? Can anyone tell me?"
Class continued like this for the rest of the day. About every five minutes or so, she couldn't help but look at her desk, and the flowers on it. Every time she did, a smile crawled up her face as she thought of the moody redhead who had sent them to her. She couldn't wait to see him tonight.
Just as they entered the last fifteen minutes of class, Sakura began to walk around and examine everyone's work. They were currently trying to find the antidote to a standard poison she had given them. As she began to walk back towards the front, she felt a slight pressure on her rear. Turning around swiftly, she saw Sosuke whip his hand underneath his desk. Not wanting to cause a scene in front of everyone, she decided to let them out early.
"Class, since you've done so well today you can leave early. Take the poisons with you if you want, but you must bring the completed antidote in the morning." She instructed. Happy to leave early, they all scrambled out of the classroom. When her blonde stalker began to rise from his seat, she gave him a pointed look. "Except you, Sosuke. We have something to discuss."
Taking her words for a different meaning, said young man made his way to her desk eagerly, sending a not-so-inconspicuous glare towards the arrangement Gaara had sent her. "What is it Sakura-chan?"
She gave him a serious look. "Did you grope me in the middle of class?"
Giving her an innocent look, he said "Why, did you like it?"
"No, I did not like it, nor appreciate it. Things like that are not appropriate for a classroom setting." She said sternly.
Mistaking her words, once again, Sosuke began to advance on her, causing her to back into her desk. "I see. So you kept me afterwards so that we could continue my groping? That way nobody else will see or hear us, if we accidentally make some noises."
It was officially time for her to, once again, throw somebody through a wall. Snaking her hand up his chest, she gave him a coy look. He began to lean towards her, when she gripped the material fiercely, and yanked him off the floor.
"Listen and listen good squirt. I do not appreciate any of your advancements towards me. You are young and creepy, and, in all honesty, you talk too much for my liking. I'm more of the strong, silent type of girl. On top of that, you have been interrupting my time with Gaara, and I really don't appreciate that either." She seethed.
Sosuke merely gave her a suggestive look. "Is this some kind of foreplay? Cause' I kinda like it."
Shrieking at his stupidity and one track mind, she directed a concentrated amount of chakra to her fist, and threw him through the back wall of the classroom, shattering the vase of roses he had given her in the process. She walked towards the human shaped hole, and peeked through it, wanting to see how far he had gone. He was nowhere to be seen, thank God. That meant that he would be too wounded to come to class for the rest of her stay.
She brushed the filth that was Sosuke off her hands and walked back to her desk, humming to herself. Before Gaara could get there, she took the other roses out of her desk drawer and threw them through the hole Sosuke had created with his impact.
Just as she finished straightening up the classroom, the door opened, and Gaara walked in without a word, stopping by her desk. The huge hole in the back of the classroom drew his attention immediately, "I see that young man stayed after for his lesson." He smirked victoriously, crossing his arms as he closed his eyes contently.
She decided not to tell Gaara the reason why she had thrown Sosuke through the window. It would only cause him to kill the boy, and that would put a damper on his Kage image. "Well, he was persistent on learning something other than medical jutsu." She said with a shrug. Then, giving the redhead a mischievous look, she directed her attention to the arrangement on her desk.
"Did you see the flowers I got today? Aren't they the most beautiful things you've ever seen?" she asked, reaching a hand out and stroking one of the petals fondly.
Nonchalantly, Gaara peeked at the flowers with only one eye, finally setting his full attention on them. "Oh yes. I guess I noticed them as I walked in. They are nice, who sent them?" he glanced back at her, trying to keep the smirk off his face.
"Oh I don't know. Some admirer I guess. I just hope he's not a creeper like Sosuke was." She replied, trying to keep her appearance uncaring.
At the mention of the annoyance, Gaara's gaze turned into a sharp glare, and his aura became more threatening. Noticing his change in demeanor, she walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm, smiling at him tentatively. "It's okay Gaara, I'll just throw the sucker through a wall if I have to. I'm actually getting pretty good at it."
He looked away from her, focusing on the wall. He didn't want to show that he was comforted by her. He was the Kazekage after all, and he didn't need someone to calm him, or worry about him. But he could already feel the lie in his thoughts. "I know." He said softly. He almost wished he had gone through with his plan of watching her get the flowers and seeing her reaction.
"So…you liked them…?" he asked warily, trying to avoid her eyes.
She reached her hand up and turned his face towards hers, smiling at him tenderly. "I loved them. It was the perfect thing to brighten up my day and make me smile."
He stared sadly at her green eyes, something clearly on his mind, but she knew he wouldn't say it. He sighed and placed his hand over hers, leaving it there. She was just so warm. "I am…glad."
Eventually they left the hospital, Sakura chatting amiably while Gaara listened intently. After a while, he noticed that they weren't heading in the direction of the house. "Where are we going?" he inquired.
Slightly annoyed that he hadn't been listening to her this morning, Sakura thought that the answer was obvious. It was his village after all, he should know where they were headed. "I told you this morning we had some shopping to do. I just figured we'd get it done on our way home so that I can make dinner later."
Gaara's eye twitched as he looked down her, trying to find some way out of this horrid event. Then an idea hit him, "Oh! Sakura…how absentminded of me. I forgot that I had promised to meet Naruto and Kiba…to…to…" he was trying say it, but the idea was so horrendous that he almost didn't go through with it. "To…train." He finally forced out, trying to control the twitching of his eye.
Hope and happiness lit up her eyes. "Really? You want to hang out with them of your own free will?" Throwing her hands up in the air, she shouted. "This is great! I know just where to find them! Come on!" She grabbed onto his arm and pulled him in the direction of the food district.
"You do?" he yelled, this not being what he had expected. He had planned to escape and keep to himself until arriving home, but now, once Naruto had his hands on him, there would be no escape. If Gaara was any less of a man, he would have cried.
They arrived outside a ramen stand, and, before they could enter, Naruto appeared. "Sakura-chan! Gaara! I haven't seen you guys in forever! What are you doing here? Did you come for some ramen?"
Sakura shook her head negatively. "No, Gaara said you guys were going to train today." Turning from the blonde, she placed her hand on the redhead's arm. "Now, you go have fun, and try not to kill them. I'm going to go shopping and make dinner, which you better be home for, because I'm making you a special treat." She said with a forceful smile.
The redhead eyed her suspiciously. He placed his free hand on the small of her back and brought her closer, breathing in her scent. "I'll try and make it quick." He smirked. How fond he was of her closeness and her nervous tendencies when they were near.
A light blush dusted her cheeks at their proximity. She leaned closer to his face and smiled. "Very well. Don't keep me waiting long, or I'll have to start without you."
He smiled back and let her pull away from him, "See you later then. Have a nice time boys!" Sakura gave them a wave, before heading off. Kiba was now beside Naruto, eyeing the two suspiciously. Once Sakura disappeared Gaara turned to face the Konoha shinobi, a bored and annoyed look already plastered on his face.
"NOT FRIENDS!" Kiba yelled, flailing around the stand. "NOT FRIENDS!" he kept screaming, until he ran straight into a wall of sand. Gaara glared threateningly at the brunette. What the heck was his problem anyway?
"Come on," the redhead sighed, and started walking towards a training ground. Naruto went with him and Kiba slowly followed, rubbing his now sore face.
Naruto eyed his friend, suspicion evident in his gaze. "Hey Gaara, what's going on between you and Sakura-chan anyways?"
Gaara laughed and shook his head, catching his friend's accusing gaze. "I'm not sure what you mean Naruto."
"NOT FRIENDS!"
"Kiba!" Naruto roared, giving the dog lover a silencing look. "Please." He sighed and put his focus back on Gaara. "I think you do Gaara. You treat Sakura-chan differently than you do everyone else. You guys act like a married couple, for goodness sake!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation.
"What?" the redhead went wide eyed. That was impossible. He didn't treat Sakura differently…did he?
Kiba scoffed and nodded, "Seriously, it s like…if I ever saw you guys making out, I would not be surprised."
"But!" Gaara was flabbergasted. He had no idea what to say. That wasn't how things were between him and Sakura. "Naruto, you know that she is in love with that Uchiha." It seemed that was his only defense against these accusations.
"Don't give me that crap Gaara. This has nothing to do with how Sakura-chan feels and you know it! This is about your feelings towards her. It's obvious to me that she cares deeply for you, and I need to know where you stand. I don't want her to get the wrong idea and wind up hurt in the end, because if you hurt her Gaara, so help me I will kill you." The blonde said with fierce conviction.
Gaara's hand shot forward and grabbed Naruto by the front of his jacket, his hateful glare set in place and focused on the fox demon. "You listen here Uzumaki and you listen good." He seethed, bringing their faces closer, so their contrasting eyes were the only thing visible. "I would never harm Sakura, ever, ever again. You have no idea what it's like to see pain on her face and be the one to cause it. I've almost killed her multiple times, I've made her cry, and I've made her sad. Now that I have been with her, and seen her smile, I will do my best to never see that smile fade. So don't you threaten me! Because I will kill you if you even attempt such a thing!" he yelled, making both Kiba and Naruto go wide eyed.
Growling softly, Naruto fisted his hand in Gaara's shirt as well. "Don't tell me I have no idea what it's like to see her cry! I've known Sakura-chan a lot longer than you have! How do you think I felt, watching her cry day after day when Sasuke left, and not being able to do anything about it? I promised her that I would bring him back to her, and every time I tried, I failed! Do you know how painful it was to know that I had let her down? And she didn't even blame me! She wasn't mad, or disappointed, but I could see the sadness, like a shadow in her eyes. I will not allow that to happen to her again. All I'm asking is that, if she gives you her heart, you better do your best not to break it."
"You stupid fox!" Gaara growled, his grip tightening. With a swift move that Naruto was not expecting, the redhead threw the blonde ninja away from him, slamming him into a nearby wall. He stormed after him, stomping on his chest as Naruto tried to get up. "It doesn't even matter Naruto! She came all this way for the Uchiha." He fumed, only growing angrier by the moment. "She wants him Naruto! It does not matter how I feel about her, if I did feel anything like that for her. You whine and complain on how you can't bring her Sasuke and how your failure is what makes her sad! Have you ever caused her physical pain Naruto? Have you? I tried to kill her seven years ago, I tried to kill her four days ago." He smirked, though the blonde could see the pain in his friends face. "It doesn't matter." He repeated, stepping down harder. "And as if you of all people could tell me anything of those emotions. You're so stupid that you can't even tell that a kind, caring woman has been in love with you since before I even met you I'm sure. Yet you're so blind to her and brush her off as if she was nothing more than a friend!"
In a move too swift for the naked eye to follow, Naruto threw Gaara off of him, and pinned him to the ground with a hand on his throat. "Don't call me a stupid fox you temperamental, idiotic raccoon! All you have to do is make her want you! You already treat her way better than Sasuke ever did, even on his best days! Step up your game!" he yelled. Then he got off the redhead, realizing what else Gaara had said. He gave his friend a confused look. "Are you talking about Hinata-chan? There's no way she would like me, I'm not good enough for her."
"Don't call me an idiotic raccoon!" Gaara reached up with both his arms and wrapped his hands around Naruto's throat, rolling over him and pinning him to the ground once more.
"You forgot temperamental," Kiba chimed in, raising a finger. Sand slammed Kiba into a wall and he let out a painful groan.
"I am not temperamental!" he glared over at the brunette and then focused down on the blonde beneath him. "I don't want her to want me! I'm bad! I can't care for people Naruto, you know that. I could never give her what she needs." His grip tightened, but he looked down from his friend's sorrowful gaze. "Naruto…God you're so stupid it pisses me off. Hinata is completely in love with you, if even I can see that it must be true. If anyone is good for anyone Naruto, it's you. You're good, and you care too much about people, and you're loud, but you want to know what people are thinking. How can you just sit there and do nothing when she offers you a future and so much more?"
"You can too care for people Gaara! You and I are friends, and we share a bond that nobody will ever be able to understand but us. That in itself is caring. On top of that, you flipped out when Temari was injured by Sasuke, and that shows that you care for her, as your older sister. And don't even tell me that you don't care about Sakura, because that would just be a lie, and friends don't lie to each other….much." he pried the redhead's hands off his neck, flipping them over again in the process, pinning Gaara's hands on each side of his head. He looked into his friend's eyes in desperation. "You could be just what Sakura-chan needs! You think of others before yourself. You care about the consequences of your actions. You listen to her, argue with her, and prove her wrong. Sasuke can't do any of that." A thoughtful look overcame his face then. "Actually, I don't think anyone's ever been able to prove Sakura-chan wrong, so you're already one step ahead of the game."
His face became solemn once more. "There's no way that Hinata-chan could love me. I'm a monster Gaara. Maybe I didn't go all crazy as a child like you did, but I've hurt people. I almost killed Sakura-chan once, trying to get Sasuke back. I didn't recognize her, I was so far gone. And she lied to me, because she didn't want me to think any less of myself." His voice was barely a whisper now. "I would never be able to live with myself if I did something like that to Hinata-chan. Never."
Gaara sat up as much as he could manage and slammed his forehead against Naruto's, causing him to fall back in pain and release the sand master. The redhead stood quickly as Naruto recovered, getting up as well. They glared each other down, until a loud whistle distracted them from one another. A large white dog landed next to Kiba, "Come on Akamaru, time to beat some sense into these morons." He smirked. Akamaru barked and faced the other two men.
"Let's go!" he yelled placing his hand on Akamaru's back. In a massive puff of smoke, a giant two headed white dog emerged snarling at the two.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Gaara yelled, running back as the enormous animal pounced on Naruto, grabbing him up by the shirt with his vicious fangs and sending him off into a wall. The dog turned its head and located Gaara, who paled as the dog leapt from its place in attempt to pounce. His sand went up instantly, forming a protective shield around him, but the impact dented the ground in. Seeing that the jump had not affected the Kazekage, Kiba and Akamaru swatted the sand ball across the area. The shield slammed against the wall and Gaara fell from it, the shock from the hit breaking his concentration. He landed on the ground painfully, only to find that he had landed on Naruto.
There was another explosion of smoke and Kiba and the dog came out, the brunette angrier than ever. "You two are so annoying! Shut up and suck up your stupid insecurities! Naruto good God, Hinata is in love with you! So be a man, deal with it, and just tell her how you feel!"
Kiba shifted his angry glare to the redhead now. "Gaara, are you just plain retarded? It couldn't be more obvious that Sakura and you have something going on. How about you get off your damn high horse, with your 'I don't have feelings' bullshit and just tell the girl how you feel!"
They just stared at him, almost afraid he would go back into his crazy dog state. Gaara finally stood, brushing the sand and dirt off his clothes and walking off. "I don't need advice from you idiots! Leave me alone and don't tell me what to do!"
Naruto stood abruptly and stared angrily after his friend. "Don't you walk away from this Gaara!" he turned to Kiba and flailed his arms high in the air. "And you're crazy! You're all crazy!" and with that the blonde disappeared as well.
Kiba sighed and crossed his arms stubbornly, "I hate guys." He muttered, giving Akamaru a scratch behind the ears. "Come on boy, let's go find Ino." He sighed and walked off with the dog.
Sakura had only been shopping for about thirty minutes when she felt a familiar presence in the marketplace. Looking around, she saw Naruto, visibly fuming. She ran up to him, worried that something had happened to Gaara. "Naruto! What's wrong? Did something happen to Gaara?" she asked, panic evident in her voice.
"Don't even talk to me about that jerk!" the fox boy growled. "He's too stubborn to realize what's right in front of him! How dare he accuse me of being blind!"
Now Sakura was confused. Did they get into an argument before even training? It was evident by Naruto's appearance that he had gotten into some sort of a scuffle. Great, she thought with a roll of her eyes. They had gotten into a real fight, and now she would have to fix it.
"Naruto, what are you talking about? Why would Gaara call you blind?" she asked, wanting to know the details.
The blonde merely crossed his arms. "He says that ever since he's known me it was obvious that Hinata-chan is in love with me. And that if some emotionally repressed person such as him can realize it before I do, I'm blind and stupid." He gave her a pouting look. "But Sakura-chan! That doesn't even make sense! I'm a monster! I hurt you, and I could hurt Hinata-chan, and-"
She grabbed him by the collar and began to shake him furiously, interrupting his rant. "Oh for the love of God Naruto! You of all people deserve the love of Hinata! You two are perfect for each other! Why wouldn't she love you? You are kind and brave and strong, exactly what a gentle soul like hers needs. Why do you think she blushes and faints around you all the time? It's not a condition or anything, just something that happens when you're around, or your name is mentioned. Hinata has been in love with you since we were in the Academy. Maybe even before that."
He simply stared at her, dumbfounded. "But…if Hinata-chan is in love with me, then why doesn't she say so? She has never really given me any indication that she loves me."
She rolled her eyes, frustrated with her friend. "Gaara was right Naruto, you are blind. Hinata has always believed in you. Even when everyone else treated you like a monster, she didn't. She loves you for who you are, not what you have done for the village. She's never told you because she doesn't think that you care for her in any way, other than just a friend, and she doesn't want to be hurt. I understand where she's coming from."
"B-but Sakura-chan, I don't even know how I feel about Hinata-chan. I never really considered her as anything other than a friend." The blonde stuttered out.
She let go of his jacket and stepped away. "It really isn't any of my business Naruto. It's something that you need to figure out on your own. Just try and think about all the times you and Hinata have hung out. That will help you. Now, if you don't mind, I really need to finish my shopping and make dinner." With that she walked away, leaving a less upset but really confused jinchuuriki behind.
Not really knowing where to go, he walked around the town aimlessly, avoiding all places that Gaara might be. He needed to think, and the best way for him to do so was to eat some ramen. Going back to the stand he had frequented so often, he quickly ordered himself a bowl and sat down. Once it was given to him, he began to think.
He liked hanging out with Hinata, because she always listened to what he had to say, no matter how stupid it was. She never called him names, and always had something encouraging to say. Whenever he was feeling down, she made him feel better.
He dropped his chopsticks as he remembered that day at the hospital. He was on the verge of letting the Kyuubi take over, in order to kill the woman who had upset the Hyuuga heiress. It was as if the beast within him didn't want to see her cry either. But, without words, Hinata had calmed his inner demon. Then, later that day, they had held hands the entire time. He wasn't really thinking about it, only conscious that he enjoyed the feeling. And she had looked absolutely stunning at Sakura's party. He had been too nervous to ask her to dance with him, but he wasn't above dragging her onto the floor every time another man looked at her. At the time, he had simply told himself that he was protecting her.
He swallowed, forgetting his favorite food entirely. He had always cared for Hinata as a friend, that much was certain. But now that he was thinking about it, maybe he did feel something more for her. He didn't really know what love like that was, having never experienced it before, and he wanted to be sure before making his move.
Getting up and leaving his food unfinished, Naruto walked off to find Kakashi. He needed some advice about girls, and his perverted sensei was the best person to ask. Because if he was going to woo Hinata, and prove to himself that she loved him, he was going to do it the right way.
Gaara had taken a spot on the walls of Suna, looking out at the vast desert. It was one of the many places he liked to sit and sort out his thoughts. He leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose as he let out an irritated sigh. He didn't understand why he was acting this way. He didn't understand how he felt. He just didn't understand anything anymore. It was as if his world was tossed around in a box and thrown down in a basement.
He felt the other presence as soon as it arrived, and he turned his face towards the left, seeing the woman whom he had just been speaking of. "Hinata." He said calmly, getting the dark haired girl's attention. More like startling her as he made his presence known.
"Oh…Gaara-sama…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to interrupt." She apologized softly, turning away, already retreating.
"Hinata, it's alright you can stay here if you wish." He gestured for her to sit next to him, and she could not refuse now that he had offered. She sat silently, hanging her feet over the edge and staring out at the orange sky, the sunset playing many colors off the horizon.
"It's actually…quite lovely out here in the desert." Hinata said timidly, at peace with the changing colors of the sky.
Gaara glanced back at her, nodding. He thought Suna was beautiful in its own, but he imagined that was just because he lived here. Hinata looked away from the sunset and let her pale milky eyes meet his sad green ones. "Gaara-sama, are you alright? You seem very sad."
He was taken aback by her question. It seemed a very bold thing for the Hyuuga heiress to do, and almost out of character. Then again she was very kind, and that was what kind people did, wasn't it? "No, I'm fine." He lied, looking away from her now.
Hinata couldn't help but laugh, even though it was a small, quiet one. "You're a very bad liar Gaara-sama, did you know that?" she smiled. It was odd having someone be so nice to him or care about what he was thinking. Well…it was odd for anyone other than Sakura to do it.
"Am I?" he wondered, a small smile coming across his own face.
"Yes." She said simply, with another small laugh. "You know that your village is beautiful, there are so many nice areas to sit and be able to watch the sky. It's very relaxing." She nodded and faced forward once again.
They were silent then, neither bothered by it really, but there was an odd tension in the air. "Hinata," Gaara began, getting her attention once more. "You love Naruto right?"
Hinata could feel her face get warmer, and it wasn't from the desert heat. "Um…w-what?" she stuttered, something she hadn't done in awhile.
"Naruto. Do you love him? I mean, I see you when you're with him. How you react is…different than with other people. I just wanted to know if you did and…" he stopped, lacing his fingers together and squeezing his hands tightly. "How do you know…when you love someone?"
Her face was still beet red from the talk of Naruto, but the look on Gaara's face seemed to bring her out of her shell a bit, making her realize this wasn't really about that. "Is this about Sakura?"
"What?" Gaara almost yelled, facing away from her. Something felt off about his face and he didn't want this girl seeing anything different in his demeanor. Unfortunately, it was a bit late for that. "Why do you say that? Sakura loves Sasuke. I really don't know why you're pushing this subject." He crossed his arms and growled darkly.
Despite his threatening tone, his answer confirmed her suspicions about what was going on. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked kindly, making sure he knew it was his choice.
"It's just. Everyone keeps saying I treat Sakura differently than I do everyone else, but we're just friends. Naruto is accusing me of having feelings for her, but she's in love with Sasuke, so what does it matter? Not that I have feelings of course, I just don't see why he keeps pushing it." He sighed, wondering why he was even talking about this aloud. "But…I do care for her…deeply. I don't want anything bad to happen to her. It's just irritating because I know she wants that Uchiha so badly."
"Gaara-sama," Hinata hesitantly lifted her hand, setting it on his arm. "You do treat Sakura differently, you protect her from things and people." She smiled, "You two are very, very close, and I feel that maybe there is something there. Even if Sakura still cares for Sasuke, I know she cares for you as well. More than you might think."
He gave her a skeptical look, "I doubt that,"
"I don't." Hinata smiled. She couldn't help but giggle at him, and then her face fell into sadness as she remembered what had happened. "When you disappeared…do you know what Sakura did?" she asked. After a moment of silence he shook his head as a no. "No one saw Sakura when you were gone. Ino told me she went to go make sure she was alright, and all she got was a door slammed in her face. The next day Naruto-kun and I went to visit her, and the only words that came out of her mouth were 'Where's Gaara?'. And when she saw you were not with us she slammed the door in our faces as well. Temari-san told Ino and myself that when she went to go get Sakura ready, she was like a lifeless puppet."
Gaara looked away from the girl and tried to focus on something, anything, remembering that she had looked dead when she had come down with Temari that night. Could it have been his presence that brought her life back? No, of course it wasn't, there had to be another explanation.
Hinata stood and gave Gaara a comforting smile. "Gaara-sama, maybe you should just think of what Sakura means to you, or how you felt when you were gone, and then whatever is bothering you will go away. And, maybe you should ask Sakura how she feels about Sasuke, instead of just assuming that her feelings are the same as they were seven years ago. People change over time, you are a perfect example of that." She waved and walked off, leaving the redhead with nothing but his thoughts.
Sakura was important to him, he wanted to protect her…more than anything. But still, did he have feelings like that for her? She made him angry a lot, but she was nice, and she also made him happy as well. When he had danced with her, it seemed like they were the only two in the world. He just didn't understand. He wanted to do things for her, make her laugh and smile. And…he had missed her, so much, when they were apart for those two long days. "I just don't know," he finally admitted aloud, resting his head in his open palms.
After her strange encounter with Naruto earlier, Sakura had been worried about Gaara. But, he had promised that he would be home for dinner, so she didn't worry too much. Humming softly to herself, she began to put together the kebabs. She had heard from Temari that this was one of his favorite foods, and she wanted to treat him, since he had given her those beautiful flowers earlier.
Getting into the song she was humming, she began to sway and dance her way around the kitchen, grabbing the various kebab items, and putting together the plates, making them pretty for presentation.
Sakura was just finishing, arranging the kebabs on their plates when strong arms wrapped around her stomach, brining her back against a warm body. Gaara rested his cheek on her shoulder and took in her scent. He vowed silently never to ditch shopping with her again, because apparently…there were worse things in the world. "I made it…" he said softly, trying not to think too much on his fight with Naruto and his talk with Hinata. It was easier just to leave things as they were than complicate them by investigating his feelings.
Smiling, she turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. "So you did." She glanced down at the plates. "I made kebabs for dinner…I hope you like them."
He pulled her closer, if possible, and looked at the food waiting. A small smile formed on his face, and he wondered how she found out he really liked shish kebabs. "They look great. I'm really hungry."
Sakura pulled away from him and grabbed both the plates. "Well then sit down and we'll eat." She smiled up at him. He took a seat and then dug into the meal she had prepared for him.
He picked up one of the kebabs and tore some of the meat off, tossing it in his mouth and chewing slowly. Thoughts of the day's events kept invading his mind, and before he could stop himself he found himself asking, "So Sakura…I talked with Hinata today…and…" he stopped. He didn't want to put himself on the line, "Hinata asked me to ask you if you were still in love with Sasuke." He mumbled out quickly.
She choked on her food, and almost began to laugh at what he had said. She knew that it was really him who wanted to know, not Hinata. The fact that he had attempted to throw the onyx haired girl under a bus reminded her of when she was a child, and friends would have a friend ask others if they liked them for them. She swallowed, and answered his question as nonchalantly as she could.
"Well, you can tell Hinata that if she wants to know so badly, she can ask me herself. I won't have her using you as a messenger. That's so childish." Then she picked up another kebab, and began to eat it.
Gaara tried to keep his cool with his failed attempt at investigating. "Alright. I'll be sure to tell her." He forced out, shoving a charred pepper into his mouth and closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and began to count backwards, now he was childish? He simply huffed, not wanting to talk anymore, since his plan was ruined.
Stifling a laugh, she took a drink of her water. "But…..I suppose I could tell you the answer to the question, since I'm such a nice person…unless you don't want to be bothered with such trivial things." She finished, face becoming serious.
He watched her warily, pondering on whether or not he should take the bait. Why not? He cleared his throat and pretended not to care…too much. "Well if you would like to talk, I will listen. It's not a bother at all." He shrugged, acting as if it were a simple conversation of preferring blue or red.
"Well, as you know I used to claim that I was in love with Sasuke as a genin." She started. When she saw Gaara give a stiff nod at her words, she continued. "I was devastated when he left, and for days I couldn't think of anything but him. Was he alright? Did he regret his choice? Did he even miss me and Naruto?" she sighed. "But in the end, I realized that if I wanted him to come back, I would have to become stronger. I was tired of standing on the sidelines and watching people fight my battles for me." She paused, considering what to say next.
"It wasn't until we ran into Sasuke when I was fifteen that I realized he wasn't the same person anymore. There was absolutely no emotion in his eyes. And, even though I had trained for two years, I couldn't do anything to bring him back." She slammed her fist on the table, but not hard enough to damage it. Then her face softened, as she was swept away by her memories. "Shortly after that I realized that I didn't love him anymore. I had always admired his strength, and in my naivety, I might have mistaken it for love. I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders when I discovered this. I didn't need to worry about Sasuke, because it's not like he cares about me, right?"
She pushed her food around on her plate, a bit embarrassed about everything she was revealing to the redhead. But this needed to be done, if Gaara was ever going to trust her fully. "I mean, I do love Sasuke, but I'm not in love with him. I love him as a fellow teammate, and that is the only reason I want him to live and come back to Konoha with me. That way Naruto won't have to be burdened with the task anymore, and he will finally be able to move on and become Hokage."
She chuckled slightly. "Although, I do need to thank him some day."
Gaara had remained silent and still up until this point, the statement sparking his interest greatly. "Thank him?"
"If he hadn't left, or treated me the way he did, I wouldn't be who I am today. I never would have asked Tsunade-shishou to make me her apprentice, or pushed myself as hard as I did. I guess you could say that his betrayal gave me a push in the right direction." She gave Gaara a small smile. "If you really think about it, if he hadn't left, we wouldn't have become friends, and I wouldn't be sitting here right now, sharing dinner with you."
"I see," He hadn't considered that. It was true she was only here because he had captured the rogue Uchiha. If Sasuke had never left, he would have never attacked him, and Sakura would most certainly not be in Suna right now. He hated to think of it that way. Never having Sakura? He couldn't imagine that, but he could feel how lonely it would have been. "Yes…that makes sense. I'm glad." He nodded, not really thinking of what he was saying. Because he most certainly wasn't glad she had been mistreated and hurt by Sasuke.
She smiled. "Me too. So, did I answer your question well enough?"
"Yes, you did." Catching himself, he realized that he had given himself away. "I mean, Hinata will be most grateful with my results."
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand, raising a brow at him. "Oh really? Because, since Hinata and I are so close, she already knew all that, since I told both her and Ino when I realized it. It's how girls are."
He paled visibly. Caught in his lie, he decided to do what all men do in these kinds of situations. He took all the meat and vegetables off one of the kebabs and shoved it in his mouth, pretending to be too preoccupied to give her any more ammunition.
She began to laugh hysterically. He looked like a cute little raccoon that was saving up food for the winter. Her eyes began to tear up, and eventually, she fell out of her chair, the situation too funny to remain sitting. Gaara simply glared at her, cheeks still full with food. It seemed this idea had backfired on him as well. He chewed and swallowed quickly. "Are you quite finished?" he asked tersely.
She got back up and sat in her chair, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes. It's just, you looked so adorable a second ago. I didn't realize you enjoyed my cooking so much as to shove it all in your mouth." At this, she began to giggle again.
He opened his mouth to correct her. That it wasn't how much he loved her food, though it was very delicious, but so he wouldn't have to speak anymore. He decided to let her have her moment, even if that wasn't it. "Yes, well. It is very good." He started on his last kebab, trying to focus on his plate and not her. He was thinking now on what she had told him again. Something inside him twisted, he knew he would regret his generosity later on. "Sakura…" he started, still hesitant. "Tomorrow…would you like to see the Uchiha…I mean, Sasuke?" He finally forced out.
Her laughter stopped instantly, and the look on her face now was one of shock. Had she heard him right? "What?"
He didn't look happy about it, but he took a deep breath and repeated himself, something he really hated doing. "Tomorrow, if you would like, I will take you to see Sasuke."
"You will?" she asked with a hopeful look. Realizing that he might mistake her hope for different feelings, despite what she had just told him, she continued, "I mean, I know you don't like Sasuke, and I don't want you to do anything you don't want to."
"It's fine…besides, you still won't know where he is. I'll be taking you there with my sand," he explained, now averting his eyes. He should have expected her happiness, but he hadn't planned on it hurting this bad. Finishing his last kebab, he moved to get up. "Well it's been a long day, I think I'll go ahead and go to sleep."
She stood up as well. "Wait!" She ran into the kitchen, clinking noises being heard. Shortly after, she ran back out holding two bowls in her hands. She held one out to the confused redhead. "I made you some ice cream!" Holding out her bowl, she began to talk excitedly. "Look! I even figured out how to make chocolate!" she exclaimed, almost bouncing in her happiness.
He took it from her slowly, a little afraid to try. But she looked so excited, and he didn't want to disappoint her. Slowly he sat back down and took his spoon, getting some of the ice cream and sticking it in his mouth. He blinked, for the first time in front of Sakura, shock all over his face. "You learned how to make salty ice cream?"
She nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh! I asked one of the ice cream vendors to give me a recipe. When I told her what it was for, she was more than happy to oblige. It was a bit too sour for my taste though, when I made the first batch, so I improved it a bit. Do you like it? I made it because I wanted to make you happy, the way you did me with the flowers." She finished, twiddling her thumbs nervously.
He stopped eating and stared at her, literally speechless. She had wanted to make him happy? Trying not to seem indifferent, he started to eat the ice cream again. "Yes, I really like it." He finally admitted, keeping his eyes on the ice cream until he had finished it all.
She finished her ice cream as well, a blush on her face. What was wrong with her? She felt like Hinata must feel whenever Naruto was around. It shouldn't embarrass her this much that he liked her cooking. She was a great cook, everyone said so. She cleared the table and washed the dishes. Gaara was kind enough to wait for her to finish, before heading upstairs. Stopping in front of her door, she turned to Gaara. Placing her hand on his arm, she looked deeply into his eyes, the epitome of seriousness. "Gaara? Can I ask you something?"
He finally made eye contact with her since dinner, "What is it?"
"Can we have waffles in the morning? I've been craving them lately, and you make the best waffles." Hope filled her eyes at the thought of finally getting her favorite breakfast, now that they had the supplies to make it.
Gaara had to fight the annoyance from forming on his face. He had assumed it would be something a little more important. He sighed and put on a small smile for her, so she wouldn't think there was anything wrong. "Of course Sakura, well goodnight." He said, not really knowing what to do. So he just turned around and went to his room, disappearing behind his doors.
"Goodnight." She muttered. Her dreams that night filled of maple syrup and whipped cream.