"... Sakura, I have some paperwork for you."
Sakura looked up from her desk and turned, watching as Shizune moved into her office with a pile of paperwork in her arms. A soft sigh released from her lips when she realized she would probably end up staying at the hospital later than intended. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was a little past four o'clock, and she only had three hours left of her shift.
Shizune placed them on her desk and paused her movements, "Are you okay Sakura? You look a little… down?"
She turned away from her and shuffled through some of the papers, "I'm fine Shizune. Just tired I guess." For a moment, it seemed Shizune didn't believe her, but the black-haired nurse decided she wouldn't press her for more information. "I'll probably stay later than usual to finish what I can."
"Alright, I'll see you next week!"
'That's right, she's going on vacation.' Sakura thought to herself before waving goodbye to her. Once she was alone again, she worked through the papers and took her breaks when she had a few minutes to spare. When she was in her office, she glanced at the clock and noticed it was past the time her shift was over. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she started shuffling through the papers again.
Eventually around midnight, Sakura finished most of the paperwork Tsunade assigned to her. At least she was finally going home. It was late, she was tired, and she was glad she was off the next night. Shaking her head, she grabbed her car keys from her coat pocket and headed in the direction of her car.
Being so distracted, Sakura barely noticed the male approaching her from behind. Once a hand landed on her shoulder, she jumped and quickly grabbed the person responsible, placing him in a position that rendered him useless. When she noticed who it was, she let him go. "Morio? What are you doing here? And why would you sneak up on me like that?!"
Morio winced and grumbled, rubbing his wrist once he was released. "I was just trying to surprise you."
A look of irritation crossed her face. She wanted to go home, not stand here and talk to a stalker! "Morio, I don't mean to sound offensive—"
"You haven't answered my texts or my phone calls. I figured I could come to your work just to see if you were okay."
Sakura stared at him blankly. This was starting to become a common nuisance that she can't continue to endure. "So… you come to my job and wait until I'm off, then give me a heart attack?! Does that sound normal to you Morio?"
Morio looked like a deer caught in headlights, his expression changing from its happy one to a scared one. "I-I didn't mean to—"
Deciding she didn't care about being nice, Sakura pointed a finger to his chest; "Do not contact me again! If you do, I will get a restraining order against you!"
She stalked away and rushed to her car, not looking back to see how he reacted to her statement. Approaching a girl in the middle of the night when she just wanted to go home was not only creepy—it was ridiculous. Sakura was glad she had those defense classes when she was in college otherwise this could have gone a completely different way.
Once inside her car, she immediately locked the doors and started it; waiting a moment for it to warm up before she left the parking lot. She felt skittish and worried that Morio followed her, so she made sure to circle the block a few times while watching her rearview mirrors. There didn't seem to be a car following her around so she decided she could go home without worries.
When she pulled into her driveway, she parked and got out; being sure the doors were locked, then headed into her home. She doublechecked the locks and looked at her kitten which rubbed against her legs. She smiled softly and kneeled to touch her head, "It's okay Akemi." Akemi must have noticed her demeanor, and for that she was thankful.
Heading up the stairs, she showered and prepared herself for bed. For the first time that day, she glanced at her phone and was startled to see a new number flash across the screen. Sakura clicked the message and felt a smile appear on her lips when the person on the other side revealed himself to be Gaara.
It was a simple message, just him telling her who it was, and not much else. Sakura tried to contain her excitement as she saved the number and texted him back to let him know she received it. Though she was surprised to hear the ringtone sound, which meant he replied instantly. Her heart started to pound lightly against her chest.
What was he doing up? She wondered to herself and even asked him in one of her messages. His response was that he couldn't sleep. It explained those circles around his eyes, but maybe she was just speculating for no reason. She was about to respond until her messenger sound rung again. Stopping her movements, she stared at the text in bewilderment.
"Do you want to meet somewhere?"
A blush appeared on her cheeks. Why did she feel so embarrassed? Sakura was tired, but now she felt wide awake. After he told her where to meet him, she shot up and quickly got dressed, leaving Akemi who was asleep on her side of the bed.
She was amazed Gaara even texted her. When she gave him her number, it was a few nights ago, and she figured he didn't want to talk to her longer than he had to. Shaking her head, she pulled up into the parking lot and noticed Gaara standing by one of the benches. He wore a beanie over his head, but Sakura could tell it was him just by his posture.
Suddenly feeling nervous, she turned off her car and got out; approaching him as loud as she could muster. When he turned to look at her, her heart stopped in her chest when his jade green hues met her own. It almost seemed like time stopped until he finally broke the eye contact.
Sakura laughed softly to herself and moved to stand beside him. Considering it was November, the air was colder than before, and she stood closer to him just to gain his body heat. "Why did you want to meet me here?"
She looked around and took notice of how empty the park looked at that time of night. It made her nervous, but not because she was with him alone. For some reason with him there, she felt… safe?
"I come here to look for inspiration when I have writer's block."
Sakura was silent for a moment, 'Right, he is a writer. I wonder what kind of forums he posts.' Though instead of voicing her thoughts, she placed her hands into her pockets. "Wouldn't you need to do that alone though?"
Gaara turned and glanced in her direction, "Sometimes, but there are moments when even a loner needs company to help them."
When her eyes met his again, she felt shocked. His words seemed to hold little meaning, but then again… it feels like he was trying to hint something to her. Did this mean he enjoyed her presence? Sakura always thought he didn't care for it much, but she realized she never asked. Another blush appeared on her cheeks and she looked away, thankful that it was dark and he couldn't see it.
There were a few lights littered around the sidewalks, and they could see each other, but not the fact that her cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "That's… surprisingly accurate."
Thoughts were whirling inside of her mind as she tried to think of what she could say. She remembered him from their past and she wondered if he knew he saved her from bullies. She also should mention the pendant she kept inside of her favorite book, but those words never approached her lips.
"What do you believe in?"
Sakura was startled. What kind of question was that? "What?"
"What do you believe in? What are your hopes? Your dreams? Things you wish to accomplish?"
She felt stumped. Now that someone asked her those questions, she felt that she had no idea how to answer them. She had plenty dreams and hopes to accomplish, but she still seemed frozen. Hesitating, she reached up and placed some of her pink hair behind her ear nervously.
When he chuckled, she looked at him with annoyance until she noticed the half-amused smirk dancing on his lips. "Did I catch you off guard?"
"Yes! Who asks those types of questions?!" She semi-yelled, huffing as she crossed her arms before turning away. It seemed like he was teasing her now and that was absolutely infuriating.
"It's a question someone asks when they wish to pick apart your mind."
Now she felt embarrassed again. With a soft sigh, she thought for a moment. "I want to become a doctor like my mentor Tsunade Senju. Not sure if you know her, but she's the best in the business."
"I doubt that. You have plenty of potential to achieve what you want most. Time may seem like it is going too slow, but you will notice that it flies by when you are having a good time."
Sakura felt her eyes wavering as she looked at him. And she really looked at him. His gaze seemed sad and broken, unlike anything she had ever seen before. His eyes, brilliant and laminating against the darkness, held many secrets. Her gaze moved towards the kanji on his forehead which reflected his hair, that was nearly hidden by his hat. A part of her wondered why he bothered to ask. When she went out with Morio, he only cared for one thing: himself.
When he looked at her, she quickly glanced away and rubbed her arms to get warm. "I suppose I never thought of it that way."
"Not many of us do, at least… not until it's too late."
Sakura wondered if his words held a deeper meaning behind them and that's why he was telling her all of this. She went to the park that night in hopes to find something and she did. Though now she left the park with more questions than answers. The rest of the time they remained there, they spoke of hopes and dreams, and anything else they deemed important to tell the other person.
Before she knew it, it was nearing four in the morning and they both had to go home before the sun rose in the sky. As she laid in her bed, her emerald hues focused on the ceiling, and her heart swarmed with a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.
Shaking her head, she turned and ran her fingers through Akemi's fur as she tried to distract herself. She had to go to bed before it grew too late and she felt exhausted in the morning. Well… more exhausted than she had been when she got off work. Closing her eyes, Sakura felt a small smile appear on her face as she dreamed of things that could possibly never happen.
Gaara leaned against the window of his apartment and stared at the city below. He could see plenty of cars riding by as people started their day and people walking the streets. He remained silent as he focused on nothing that he deemed important; his heart murmuring things he wished would go away, and his mind warning him of endless possibilities.
His book was approaching its end, but he was stuck on how he should end it. Kiyoshi and his love interest got along well, and he surprisingly wrote them accurately. Considering he had no idea how love was, Gaara was amazed with how nice most of it sounded. Hopefully people would think it made sense and wouldn't condemn him for his choices.
The night before he had gone to the park to inspire himself to write the rest of his novel, but he found himself feeling lost more than anything. That's why he texted Sakura and asked if she wanted to meet him there. Then again, maybe he just wanted to see her. Picking apart her mind seemed easy, but she confused him.
A part of him wanted to ask about that man she was with a few days ago, but never found the courage to allow the question out in the open. Why was he so nervous? His heart had plenty of ideas, and his mind shut them down every time. He's never felt this way before, so he was confused.
When his phone rang, he looked at the caller ID and answered the phone, "Yes Temari?"
Temari chuckled on the other end, "You haven't contacted me in a while and I wanted to make sure you were still alive."
He shook his head, "...Actually… I am glad you called." Gaara felt his heart in his throat and noticed Temari didn't respond so he could continue; "How did you know Shikamaru loved you?"
"That's a weird question, but I suppose you have your reasons of asking. Well Shikamaru and I met at work. We were together nearly all the time, and he eventually asked me on a date. You know we dated for a year before he told me he loved me. But… you can see it in his eyes, and the way he looked at me. Though it doesn't happen when you are aware of it."
Gaara never heard how they ended up together nor did he ever care to hear their story. Now that Gaara wrote Kiyoshi with a love interest, he found himself wondering about these things. In his mind, Sakura appeared and the smile he adored was with it. Wait, adored? Maybe he was losing his mind.
"Why the sudden interest? You never cared before."
"No special reason, it's just something for my book." That was the only thing he could give her before he hung up. He managed to call Kankuro as well, and asked him how he knew Ino loved him. Kankuro told him that it was in her gestures, along with the way she looked at him. Gaara never paid much attention to that either, so he would have to the next time they were all together.
Once he hung up the phone, Gaara stared at his laptop screen. Perhaps he was thinking too much and he needed to relax before he became a hermit. Closing the laptop, he grabbed his coat, and left his apartment building to go to the coffee shop.
After ordering his coffee, he looked around and noticed all the couples. He never paid any mind to them beforehand, so he wondered why they were all he cared about now. He paid close attention to the way the women glanced at their partners, and what they did for their attention. Some of them playfully hit them, or moved in their way just to mess with them.
Gaara grabbed his cup and stood in one of the corners, watching and waiting for something he possibly never saw before. Temari and Kankuro were right; it was in the gestures and the way they looked at one another that signified their love. Some were obvious, others… not so much. Gaara leaned on the wall and narrowed his eyes on most of the couples he was surrounded with.
For once in his life, he felt alone; more alone than he had been in years. Though when his phone rang and when he saw Sakura's name flash across the screen, he realized he wasn't as alone as he thought.
