A/N: I'll be honest I hope my choices of couples do not turn anyone away, but if it does, then I understand. I don't like SaiIno, and I can guarantee you will be surprised who her fiancé is. This fanfic won't follow the normal couples.


Gaara stared at the document with frustration. It was futile to continue writing because it seemed like his muse disappeared and then returned in waves. He was on the seventh chapter now, but he could only backspace everything he typed. Shaking his head, he slammed his laptop shut and stood up after placing it on the coffee table.

In obvious anger, he stalked out of his apartment and to his car, after packing up his laptop to bring it with him. Perhaps a drive could calm his nerves? He wasn't sure what could help him at this point… he was starting to feel a little lost. Starting the car, he left his assigned parking space and headed down the street. It was already growing dark outside, which meant the air was a little chillier than it had been beforehand.

He didn't like the fall… or the winter for that matter. Summer was when he really enjoyed his breaks. Considering it was October, he nearly froze all the time. He missed his old hometown, where it was warm 24/7. He guessed he would have to stop thinking of the past and get used to this weather before he lost his mind.

Although he has lived here for years, he still didn't like it. Maybe he would move back to his hometown someday, but for now, this would have to do.

Disbanding his thoughts, he pulled into the parking lot of his favorite coffee shop which seemed a little empty despite the time. It wasn't that late, but he supposed no one wanted to be out once they got off work. Getting out of his car, he locked it, and headed for the entrance. Once inside, he thanked Kami that they had the heat on, and approached the counter to place an order.

Crossing his arms as he waited after he paid, he started looking around the shop. There weren't many people in there, but his attention stopped on one person who sat alone reading a book. The same pink haired girl he had met at the hospital. He wasn't sure why he always thought of her hair when he noticed her, but it was the first thing he thought of.

Grabbing the coffee when the cashier handed it to him, he barely paid him any mind as he walked towards a table a few feet away from her. He looked away once she glanced in his direction. He stole a look at the book in her hands and it caused him to realize she had been reading his second novel of the series he started a few years ago.

Although he had only placed his initials, he felt painfully aware that she could figure out who truly wrote those books. They were quite famous, a lot of people wanted them. Luckily his agent didn't make him place his name on them. There would eventually be a movie made, but they had to wait until he finished the story. There were too many questions that needed to be answered.

So lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that Sakura already moved. She was heading towards him despite the voice in her head telling her it was a bad idea. There was something about him that intrigued her. Perhaps it was his eyes or something else… she wasn't entirely sure about it. When she stood next to him, she felt nervous, but she tapped his shoulder with confidence.

Gaara glanced at her, a surprised look in his expression. Why had she approached him? Did she figure out he was the author already?

"It's… Gaara right? We met in the hospital the other night."

He wanted to smack his forehead. Why had he jumped to conclusions? She was probably just looking for someone to talk to. There weren't many people in the coffee shop other than them two, so she must have been lonely… though he wasn't entirely sure. "Yes… and you're Sakura, the nurse who made sure a journalist could not gain a story from a shooting."

A smile appeared on her lips because she wasn't offended, showing him that she was more amused than anything. "You saw that? Well I had every reason to do it. She was getting in the way and instead of being reprimanded by my boss, I was applauded. We saved the little girl's life."

Gaara wasn't surprised by that. At least that little girl could go home whenever she felt better. In fact, he was a little proud of her… if that made any sense. "That is a good thing."

"Yes, it was..." She trailed off a bit, "So… is this seat taken?"

He looked towards the seat she held her hand on, and felt himself shaking his head before he could even comprehend what he was doing. When she sat down, he looked away and toward his laptop bag which hung lazily around his shoulder. He had nearly forgotten he brought that in the shop with him.

There was a comfortable silence between them, as she had just started reading her book again; possibly trying her best not to disturb him even more than she had been. Unhooking his bag, he grabbed his laptop and pulled it out; opening it so he could try to write like he had wanted beforehand.

A part of him didn't understand why he stopped at this shop, but he felt like this was a good place as any to clear his head. A drive would have done him some good, however, this was also a great choice. He was relaxing with coffee and a beautiful girl sitting next to him. Gaara paused his movements for a moment. His own thoughts surprised him, but he shook his head before he started to type away at his laptop once again.

He was angled in a way that Sakura couldn't see over his shoulder, but it seems she wasn't paying attention to what he was doing regardless. Perhaps she had noticed that he wanted privacy. He wondered why she joined him… then again, he guessed it didn't really matter. Her company was comforting, even though they had barely spoke to one another.

The only sounds he could hear was the typing he did on his computer while Sakura occasionally flipped through the pages of her book. He glanced at her periodically, though he had caught her eyes once. It threw him off guard, but he could shake it off easily before she took notice. Before he knew it, an hour had passed and most of the people who had been in the coffee shop with them, had left.

Glancing outside, he realized the moon had risen as the sun went down. It was dark and peaceful, but soon enough the coffee shop would close… in about thirty minutes. Sakura shut her book and stood up, causing him to glance towards her briefly. "I have to go, thanks for letting me sit with you. Although we didn't speak much, your presence was comforting."

She didn't give him a chance to respond before she left his side, causing him to glance back towards the document which was still open on his screen. Surprisingly he had written another chapter without even realizing it. Surprise settled in on his features as he started putting everything up, and headed towards his car once he was finished.

Turning his car on, he closed his eyes for a moment and felt a sigh escape his lips. A part of him wondered if he was going insane. Oh well, there was no reason to dwell on those thoughts any longer. Gaara backed out of the parking spot and headed home, his mind whirling around with his ideas, along with the pink haired nurse he had just left.

There was something about her emerald hues that made him curious. Perhaps he was reading too much into things. Or maybe he realized her eyes held the same loneliness his did when he gazed into the mirror for too long.

When he reached his apartment building, he locked his car once again, and headed back inside. Glancing at his watch, he realized he would need to rest soon otherwise he would be exhausted in the morning since he had to be up earlier than usual. His agent had a few things to discuss with him.

Once he made it to his apartment, he was sure to secure his door before he headed into his bedroom. He laid his laptop on the table, his ideas long forgotten as he prepared himself for bed, making sure he would be ready for his meeting with his agent. He wasn't looking forward to it.


"… And we'll drink ourselves blind." Ino stated excitedly before she glanced at her maid of honor who did not seem enthused. She frowned, "Are you paying attention Sakura?" When she didn't answer, Ino snapped her fingers in front of her face, "Forehead girl, where are you at?"

Sakura blinked a little in surprise, shaking her head as she turned to meet Ino's icy blue eyes who glared into her soul. "Sorry Ino…" She said with a nervous smile. Ino hadn't used that nickname in a long time, which meant she had grown annoyed with the pinkette for not paying attention to her. "I was distracted by something."

Ino snorted in a disbelief, "By what?"

She wanted to correct the blond by saying it wasn't about a 'what', it was more about a 'who'. She had seen that red head again in the coffee shop the other day, and it's been plaguing her mind ever since. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to talk to him. They had barely spoken more than just a few words to each other, and yet… she wanted to invade his mind. See what he thought about.

"And you're distracted again. You keep doing this, I'll change Tenten into my maid of honor!"

The pinkette rolled her eyes, "You could, but she wouldn't accept it… I just hope you know that." They glared at one another before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "It's nothing, I'm just distracted about work." It was a lie, and a pathetic one at that. She knew Ino could see right through her, but thankfully the blond didn't bother.

Ino shrugged indifferently and started speaking about the bachelorette party once again which would happen that Saturday night. Sakura hoped she was off, but a little part of her had hoped she was working too. Though with a little disappointment, Tsunade granted her the night off so she could go out and have some fun. Tsunade worried about her a little too much.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and listened to the blond run her mouth about things that she honestly did not give a damn about. She was happy for her best friend, but sometimes she wished she would speak of other things instead. Like when she plans on having a kid or the next dog she would adopt. Why was it always about weddings and nonsense?

Sakura figured she may have been jealous about the fact that she didn't have anyone to return home to. Her mind went back to the card which was still stuffed in her nightstand. She should have thrown it away when Morio sent those roses to her work, but she felt compelled to keep it. Was it wrong to see him as a backup plan just in case she never found anyone else again?

"… I figured I could have purple flowers while walking down the aisle." Ino said, placing her hands on her hips as she gazed at the roses in one of the vases nearby, "I'm not sure though."

She snapped back to reality and laughed softly at her friend's words, "I don't know to be honest. Your wedding is in a week, maybe you should have that figured out already."

Ino glared at her again before she started to ramble once more about her wedding. They stood in her flower shop and Sakura was lazily leaning against the counter, wishing she was somewhere else. When the bell rang by the door, the pinkette took notice that Ino's fiancé strolled in easily; moving towards her before he kissed the top of her head.

"I just got back from the funeral. I wish you could have been there with me." He stated, kissing the palm of her hand once he took it off the counter she held it on.

Ino blushed, "I had to work Kankuro, I'm sorry for not being there."

'That's right,' Sakura thought, 'Kankuro's father died recently.' She wondered why Ino couldn't have closed the store to be next to her fiancé while they buried his father. Then she remembered Ino didn't care much for his father to begin with… still… shouldn't she have been there?

Her thoughts disbanded when Kankuro chuckled and shook his head, looking at Sakura with a small smile; "Hey Sakura, how's it going?"

She returned his smile, "I'm distracted by your fiancé's bachelorette party… which she won't stop talking about you know. It's kind of annoying."

Kankuro shook his head, "It's a good thing I'm not having one. I don't feel like dealing with a stripper or something crazy that Sai would have planned."

Dread settled in her gut. Was Ino planning on having a male stripper there? She wouldn't put it past her best friend to do something that outrageous, and Sakura did not want any part in it. "Why aren't you having one? Usually the males would have one before the females."

He shrugged, "I guess it's because I honestly didn't want to. Ino can have all the fun she wants. I'll probably just stay at home reading a book or something."

Sakura stared at him with confusion in her eyes. She was surprised their relationship was that trusting. Nowadays everyone was so afraid of their significant other cheating that they set up something just to see if their partner would do something they'd regret. Maybe she was just reading into their relationship too much. Perhaps she truly was lonely.

"Anyway, I'll see you later. I have to meet my little brother because he has something important to tell me." Kankuro kissed her lips, before leaving the shop again.

Sakura glanced at Ino curiously, "He has a little brother?"

Ino leaned on the counter, "Yeah, you didn't know that? He has a big sister too. I know them, but not well enough. Most of the time his little brother stays at home and his sister is busy with her son."

The pinkette was amazed with this information. How had she not known Kankuro had siblings? She's known him for nearly two years at this point. It never occurred to her that he could have other family members. It made her want to smack her forehead in embarrassment. "Wow, I didn't know that. How come you never said anything?"

"Because there wasn't a point in telling you? Temari's husband travels a lot for work so she must make sure her son is taken care of. And Gaara-"

"Wait, his little brother is Gaara?" Sakura interjected, obviously surprised. She's known Kankuro for two years and she was just now figuring out who his little brother was?

Ino stared at her curiously for a moment, "Why are you so worried about it? You'll see them at the wedding next weekend."

Sakura felt her heart drop. This was the perfect way to see Gaara again! For some reason she felt herself getting excited, but then she realized there was no need for that. She met Gaara how many times? Twice? Why did she even care anyway?

"Wait a minute…" Ino said, taking notice of the look on Sakura's face, "Have you met Gaara already?"

She shook her head quickly, "No!" Then she saw Ino's smile getting bigger, which caused her to huff in annoyance, "I saw him in the hospital! That's all!" She failed to mention that she saw him in the coffee shop too, but she figured that didn't matter. Why would it? It wasn't like they had spoken more than a few words to one another.

Ino snickered, "Sakura you realize you acted this way about Sasori too right?"

She frowned when she mentioned one of her exes, causing her to look away. When she met Sasori, it was in one of her art classes in college. He had become her tutor because she was not creative or talented enough to even pass that class. Stupid general education rules… zoning back into the conversation, she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "So? We only exchanged a few words."

The blond nudged her lightly with her elbow, "Then get to know him at the wedding."

Sakura grabbed her bag and placed it on her shoulder as she headed for the door, "No. That's okay, he seemed interesting… but…" She paused and looked at her feet. What was she so afraid of? Rejection? Maybe she didn't think he cared for her presence?

"Stop being afraid Sakura. Take a risk for once in your life, you never know. It may just be the best decision you could ever make."

Ino waved to her though Sakura made no move to return it. She knew the blond was right, but she was too busy to focus on that aspect in her life anyway. Sakura wanted to be a doctor, having a boyfriend would only get in the way of that. Besides, Gaara and her weren't even friends. Why would they need to get to know each other?

Sakura shook her head and figured she was just being ridiculous. Ino shouldn't have tried to intrude in on her personal business. She stopped her thoughts when her home came into view. Once she was inside, she greeted her kitten with a light pat to her head, before she went into the living room. She stopped short when she noticed the card sticking out of the drawer.

She moved towards it and grabbed the card, glancing at the name once again. Why was she so worried about this? Was it because her mother called her and asked about her future? Was it because of Ino? Sakura grew frustrated and threw the card away, deciding she has had enough of others trying to control her life. She would do things her way, regardless of the consequences.


A/N: I hope I don't put anyone off pairing Kankuro with Ino. Hopefully people still follow the story. Please review and let me know what you think. ^^