Gaara stared up at the clock which ticked silently as time went by. He wondered where Temari was. It wasn't like her to be late when they arrange a plan to meet up somewhere. With a soft sigh, he stared down at his coffee which was on the table in front of him. Ever since he last asked his siblings how they could tell their partners loved them, he had been studying couples.

It may have been strange, seeing a red-haired male sitting alone and watching others. He used the excuse that it was for his book, but deep down he knew it was because he was confused about his own emotions.

His thoughts disbanded when he watched Temari enter the restaurant and head in his direction. When she sat down, she placed her purse next to her and looked at him afterwards. "It seems like it's been a while since we saw each other." She said before waving the waitress over so she could order something to drink.

"Well I have not seen you since the wedding." Gaara answered dryly. Before that it was the hospital. He didn't go to his father's funeral because he did not want to do so. He should have been there for Shikadai, but as he mentioned before, Shikadai was smart for his age. Gaara wasn't worried for his nephew.

As if reading his mind, Temari sighed and spoke about their father. Which was something he didn't want to talk about. "The lawyer discussed the will with us. You'll be getting the heritance whether you want it or not."

He shrugged indifferently, "Then I suppose I will accept it if I have no choice." He didn't need his father's charity, but he guessed there was no real reason he shouldn't take the money.

"Shikamaru and I plan on saving it for Shikadai when he's older. He'll be able to use it for college."

Gaara figured that was a smart plan. Since he had no kids, he didn't know where he could put his. Maybe give it away to charity? "I guess that's what Kankuro plans when he and Ino have a child. I wouldn't know though."

She chuckled softly, "Maybe… who knows if they'd have a kid… What about you Gaara? Do you ever plan on putting yourself out there?"

He pursed his lips into a fine line. He knew his sister meant well, but it annoyed him when she asked about his love life. Gaara has never been with a woman, nor did he plan to do so. Most of the time he found them annoying and he didn't want to deal with it. After watching what Kankuro went through, he decided he was better alone. Then again… his mind went to Sakura and he found himself zoning out before he could control it.

"Hey, you're somewhere else." Temari said, noticing the distant look on his face, "What are you thinking about?"

Gaara looked at her carefully, "Nothing that is important." He answered before grabbing his phone once he heard the ringtone go off. When he saw Sakura's name, unconsciously his lips turned into a small smile and he unlocked it to text her back.

Temari narrowed her eyes on him. She's never seen him smile at his phone. "Who are you talking to?" She asked this but didn't give him the chance to answer, and snatched his phone out of his hands. When she took notice of the name, she blinked in confusion. "… Sakura?"

Gaara grabbed his phone again in irritation, "Mind your own business Temari."

Temari didn't answer him right away. 'Why does that name sound familiar?' She thought to herself. She didn't get a good look at their messages, but she saw that this Sakura asked him what he was up to. With the way he smiled, there was something unusual about it. Did he have feelings for this girl? Racking her brain, she tried to remember why this girl sounded familiar.

"… Who is she Gaara? You know you can talk to me, right?" She said this, but she knew that he probably wouldn't tell her. Even though he grew closer with them over the years, he still held a few things to himself.

He was silent for a moment, staring at his phone and typing away. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, glaring at him when he looked up. "I suppose I shouldn't intrude. You never tell us anything anymore." She was suddenly angry, but she knew she shouldn't blame him for that. Their father ruined his view on a lot of things.

A soft sigh released from his lips, "She was Ino's maid of honor. I met her at the hospital when we visited father and ever since then, we've seen each other occasionally and spoke a few words."

She chuckled. 'That's right. I guess I wasn't paying much attention to her.' "With the way you smiled, it seems like something else Gaara." Temari drank some of her coffee when the waitress gave it to her. "What's she like?"

Gaara went into a description of what she looked like and how she was. Temari listened and one thought appeared in her mind. She knows who this girl is. Despite the fact she was Ino's maid of honor, Temari remembered a time when he saved her from bullies. "You said pink hair?" She asked after he was done telling her everything he knew about Sakura.

"Yes, why?" Gaara seemed confused and Temari knew he had reason to be.

"… I guess you forgot then?" When Gaara didn't answer, Temari explained what she meant. When he was younger, he met a girl who was being chased by bullies and saved her from them. Who was that girl? None other than Sakura Haruno, the girl he has been talking to the past couple of weeks.

When she was done, she could tell he was amazed. "Why do you remember this and I don't?"

Temari shrugged, "How am I supposed to know? You two only met once and it probably faded away in your memories. The only reason I remember is because I will never forget the one time my brother was nice in his life."

He glared at her, "I'm nice, what are you talking about?"

"When you were younger, you weren't. That's when we figured out you were skipping out on classes and you explained it was because you saw her being chased by two guys that beat her up. You also helped patch her up."

Gaara could scarcely believe what he was hearing. So, he and Sakura met before? Why couldn't he remember this all on his own? It annoyed him, but he tried his best not to show it on his face. Temari could tell without him even having to say a word. "I know this is a lot to process, so I wouldn't dwell on it."

"Do you think she remembers?" Gaara asked, though Temari wouldn't know the answer.

She gave him a small smile and simply shook her head. "I'm not sure, I think you'd have to ask her that, now wouldn't you?" Temari finished her coffee and grabbed her purse after placing a twenty on the table. "Call me when you want to meet again. I have to go pick up Shikadai from daycare." And then she was gone.

Gaara stared at the table for a moment, unsure as to whether he should ask Sakura whether she remembers him. She probably doesn't. Why would she? He wasn't memorable. Shaking his head, he paid for their coffee and split Temari's twenty to leave the waitress a tip. Walking out of the restaurant, he started down the street so he could get to his car.

His movements paused when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. Turning, he stared at a short brown-haired girl who had amber eyes; which seemingly stared into his soul. He was confused for a moment. Why was she bothering him? Glancing around, he tried to figure out if she just bumped into him by accident, but there wasn't anyone else on the sidewalk with them.

Before he could ask, she immediately gave him a smile. "Sorry for bothering you." She said, and it made Gaara sigh. "I just… wanted to talk to you for a moment. See I saw you across the road and couldn't help but feel like we should meet."

The irritation must have shown on his face because her smile disappeared. Gaara didn't give a damn if this woman was the president. She didn't need to bother him just because she 'felt' like they should meet. "Sorry, but—"

"I have to go. Please leave me alone." Gaara answered shortly, barely missing the shocked expression that appeared on her face. He didn't have time for her and he hoped she would take this as a rejection.

Shaking his head, he started for his car again and ignored her calling out to him. Perhaps he shouldn't leave his apartment again, lest he be ambushed by this woman again. Once inside his car, he sighed with relief and headed for his apartment building.

When he arrived, he locked his car doors and headed to his apartment; greeted by the silence, which he was thankful for. Here he could be alone and not worry about anyone else bothering him. Taking off his coat, he hung it up and removed his shoes before heading into the living room. Sighing, he sat down on the couch and relaxed for a moment.

His laptop was on the coffee table, closed and obviously mocking him. He had been able to write some more, but now he was stuck again. The frustration was overwhelming. At least he still had a few more months before his deadline. Running a hand through his red hair, he closed his eyes and nearly jumped when his phone went off.

He could see Sakura's name on the screen and it made a soft smile appear on his lips once more. He enjoyed talking to her and knowing that he had met her when they were younger, it made everything better. For them being friends. He wanted to ask if she remembered, but he figured there was no reason to bring up the past.

Reading the message caused him to chuckle. Apparently, she had a lot of work to do and could barely get herself anything to eat for dinner. For some reason, Gaara felt the need to give her something, but what would he get her?

After debating with himself for a few minutes, Gaara readied himself and headed out of his apartment again; grabbing them both something to eat. When they met at the park that night, she told him one of her favorite food was sushi. He figured it wouldn't hurt to get her that for dinner.

Gaara asked for Sakura as soon as he arrived, but the secretary barely paid him any mind. She waved him off and told him the office number. Gaara sighed in annoyance and went to her office, though he had trouble finding it at first. He knocked on the door and pushed it open when he realized it was cracked open.

There were a bunch of papers strewn over the desk and a bouquet of roses in the corner. He placed the bags down and looked at the card which was one of the flowers. 'Sorry for everything – Morio'. Gaara was confused for a moment, but he decided he didn't really care who this 'Morio' was.

Eventually his eyes moved towards his book which laid in the middle of her desk. He took it and opened it up, which caused something to fall out. Shock appeared on his face when he bent down and grabbed his pendant. He had been missing this for weeks… and Sakura's had it this whole time? Surprisingly he wasn't angry about this newfound information and that confused him. Of course he figured out why without having to really dwell on those thoughts.

He knew how Sakura was, and he figured she probably found it, then she decided to keep it safe for him. Placing it back in the spot he found it, he made sure the book was back exactly how it was before he went into her office.

"Gaara?"

Hearing his name caused him to turn around and meet Sakura who was standing in the doorway. "I brought you food. You said you may not be able to eat dinner, so I figured…"

"That's sweet of you." She said, interrupting him before he could speak again, "Do you want to stay here and eat with me?"

Gaara gave her a nod and sat down to eat with her. He noticed her place her book inside of her drawer, but he was thinking of the pendant she had used as a bookmark. He knew his mother gave it to him because she loved him and wanted him to have her in his memory.

But he figured his pendant was better off with Sakura. It was almost like he was handing the pinkette a piece of his heart. Of course, he ignored those notions and focused on the girl who gave him a smile, causing him to forget what he was thinking about.


Sakura stared at the pendant that was in her grasp, and knew that she had been holding onto it for far too long. Since Gaara brought her food, he's been on her mind. Shouldn't she give him the pendant he has probably been worried about? She felt guilty. He's been nothing but nice to her and here she was holding onto a valuable possession of his.

"Sakura?"

She looked up once her name was called, and noticed Ino standing in the doorway. She looked nervous, though before Sakura could ask; Ino already started to explain why she was there. "I think I'm pregnant and I came here to do the blood tests."

"So why do you look nervous? I figured you would be happy."

Ino started to push her fingers together, kind of like Hinata who usually did when she was around her crush. "Kankuro and I just got married last month. Why would we want to get pregnant right away?"

Sakura stood up and moved towards her, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ino, what's the real reason?"

The blond sighed, "Kankuro said he didn't want to have kids, so I've been on birth control for as long as I can remember. But I am two weeks late…"

"You don't need to do the blood test, you can take a pregnancy test instead, you know that right?" Sakura asked before wrapping her in a hug when she started to cry. She didn't like seeing her best friend so worn down. Ino was headstrong and not an emotional woman.

"I'm just worried he would want to divorce me or something. I know it's crazy, but I can't help those feelings that rise in my chest."

Sakura pulled away and gave her a soft smile, "I don't think he'd do that to you Ino. He may just not want kids now, but fate obviously has other things to say about it."

It was enough to calm Ino down and when she escorted her to a separate room, they did both tests. Sakura waited patiently for Ino to return with a urine sample and she used the test. When a few minutes passed, Sakura glanced at the stick and handed it to Ino. "… It's positive."

"It could be faulty. The blood tests will return in at least a few days, so we'll know for sure by then. Don't worry Ino, I'm sure he'll be happy." She wrapped the girl in a hug again and waved to her once she left. Sakura felt her heart drop in the lowest part of her stomach as she realized her best friend was moving on with her life. Where did that leave Sakura? … Alone. It left her alone.

Sakura returned to her office and finished the rest of her paperwork. When she was done, she clocked out and headed home, a million thoughts whirling around in her mind. She knew she had a dream of being a doctor and a man just had to be on the backburner, but she still felt incomplete. Most of her friends were moving forward and she was still single.

She knew Tenten had a crush on Lee, a martial artist instructor. She wasn't sure if they ever went out on a date, but she also knew that the brunette wasn't afraid to make a move. Hinata has never discussed who she likes now, but it's definitely someone she works with.

Once she was home, she showered and changed into her pajamas, shuffling through the T.V. as she brought out her book. She opened to the page she last left off with and stared at the pendant. Sakura felt like a schoolgirl with holding this pendant away from Gaara. She knew it would be a good thing to give it back, but something stopped her from doing it.

"Akemi, what do you think I should do?" She looked towards her kitten which settled itself right next to her on the couch, and sighed softly. "I'll give it back to him this weekend. He'll probably be angry that I've held onto it for so long, but I can just explain how busy I am with work. He surprised me with food and saw all the papers in my office, so it's believable."

Akemi meowed in response which caused the pinkette to giggle. "You have no idea what I'm saying. Maybe I should talk about this with Ino, but all she'll try to do is set me up with him." But would that be a bad thing? Sakura looked away from Akemi and went back to being distracted by her book which suddenly didn't seem as interesting as it was before. Her mind began to wander about a life she could have if she abandoned the career she's chosen.

She knew she could have both, but a lot of guys wouldn't be able to stand her schedule or deal with her dreams which take up most of her time. She's went on dates and when she ignored them, they grew angry. Luckily Morio hasn't taken any drastic steps when she told him to buzz off. He's sent apology flowers, but she honestly didn't care.

Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her pink hair. She would have to ask Ino about all of this because she felt like she was losing her mind. Then again, her best friend was having troubles of her own. She decided against it. She would have to figure this out by herself. There was nothing wrong with that right?

Her heart told her yes, but her mind told her no. This showed her that she was at a crossroad, and she had no idea which direction to take.