Chapter 20

"I'm sorry, repeat that once more please?"

Sakura looked exasperatedly at Tsunade. She had just requested Gaara's leave for the day. For the fifth time in a row. Was it really so difficult to believe that she wanted to take him out of the facility? Or that he was actually willing to go? Or even that he wasn't putting up a fight about leaving and wasn't going to attempt an escape?

Honestly, had she no faith in him at all?

"Tsunade-sama, please? It's only for the day, and he has sworn to me not to cause trouble." Sakura said, leaving out the part of how he had outright cackled in her face at the request of being good.

"I refuse to submit and lay belly up to you like some kind of sick, lap dog, Sakura." Had been his response.

She had rounded on him with an, "Well you had no qualms about submitting earlier!"

At which point she had found herself pinned to the wall, body pressed flush against Gaara's, and his thigh resting between her legs. His gleaming eyes all but burned into her own and she swallowed thickly. His lips curved in a deadly smile and he leaned down to speak lowly in her ear.

"As I remember it, you were the one that submitted to me." he whispered darkly. "Or are you going to contradict that too."

Sakura almost scowled at what he had done, but in his own way, he had agreed to behave. That's all she had needed from him, his confirmation. After calming down from his little stunt, she had went to find Tsunade who had been napping on her paperwork.

Which is where she had ended up now. Repeating and repeating and repeating her request to Tsunade who, as Sakura saw, had no faith or trust in Gaara at all. It was sad to her how no one ever seemed to give Gaara the benefit of the doubt, but then she felt a surge of pride to know that she was. She trusted him wholly and he held her faith in him as well.

Tsunade pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and groaned slightly. "Sakura, what are thinking?" she sighed.

Sakura frowned. "What am I thinking?" she repeated. The pinkette narrowed her eyes to slits. "I'm thinking that Gaara deserves this. I'm thinking that no one believes in him but me and how that is wrong all the way around. I'm thinking that he is capable of great things but isn't offered the chance because people like you refuse to let him out!" she growled and stared pointedly at the blonde who had dropped her hands from her face and was staring at Sakura with an expression Sakura had trouble decifering.

"Sakura, he is mentally- "

"Sound." Sakura cut in and crossed her arms. "He is mentally sound. Gaara may not see things the way you and I do, and he may not act the way that is expected, but there is nothing wrong with him. He isn't what everyone thinks he is."

"I never said anything was wrong with him, I was just going to say that he was diagnosed-"

"He was a child back then. All children would have problems if they had been through what he had endured. He has no reason to be here."

Tsunade gave the younger woman a sharp look. "Stop interrupting me." she snapped. "Look, we'll talk about this later, right now go get that man and for God's sake, take him out." she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Just...sign these papers and be careful, alright?" Sakura nodded. "If something happened to you, I don't want to even imagine how it would affect Gaara."

She left it at that and exited the room, probably to find her drinking buddy, Daichi, leaving Sakura to sign the papers and mull over her words. Sakura wondered if Gaara really would be affected if she left. If he would even really care. She couldn't help but hope that he would miss her company. At least slightly.

///

"You promised, Gaara. No acting out." Sakura reminded him as they made their way toward the exit of the facility's yard. "And no threatening people either." He actually looked slightly put out by that rule and Sakura smiled.

Sakura paused at the edge of the yard and stared out at the parking lot ahead of them. She shot a sideways glance at Gaara, though he was as impassive as always, his eyes were brighter. He would never admit it out loud, but she could see that he was itching to step out just as much as she wanted him to have the chance.

"Come on, my cars over there." she said, watching as her breath formed a cloud of vapor in front of her face. It was still chilly out, but the weather was gradually warming and she couldn't wait for spring to come around.

Gaara shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and followed after her, glancing around him every now and then, as if watching for someone to jump out and drag him back to his room. Sakura watched from the corner of her eyes, smiling slightly. Inside, she was jumping up and down in excitement, ecstatic that she was getting to take him, not just out of the building, but out of the entire facility itself.

They reached her car after a short walk and Gaara paused in front of it. Sakura walked by him to get in the drivers' side and brushed her hand against his right arm on her way by, showing him encouragement without coming right out and saying it in order to avoid awkwardness.

Sakura had intended to get into the car and drive out of the parking lot, but instead she felt her arm snatched from her side and her body jerked back against Gaara's so abruptly that it took her a full minute to understand what had happened. When she did, she looked up at the red-headed man and gazed at him curiously.

He was glaring at the ground in annoyance. Sakura immediatly caught on to his struggling for something to say, and found it amusing that he was frustrated at his loss for words when, usually, he always had something to say. Though it was usually laced with sarcasm or a smart remark.

"Gaara," his eyes snapped to hers. "let's get out of here, huh?"

He blinked slowly at her before nodding. One of her hands came up to caress the side of his jaw gently, and she watched him roll his eyes. She smiled and stepped away from him.

"Let's go."

The drive was silent at first. Gaara's eyes focused on the outside world as they drove and his ears tuned on to whatever made a sound. Sakura, not really used to the silence, shot glances at him now and again, hoping he would speak to fill the quietness. He didn't.

Her fingers twitched on the steering wheel and she scrunched her nose. "Want to listen to some musice?" she asked and tilted her head at him.

Gaara's head didn't move, instead his eyes shifted to her and he shrugged, his shoulder barely moving but giving his consent. He seemed to be the type to like rock music, or metal. But maybe he didn't like either of those. Sakura frowned.

"What kind of music do you like?"

Another shrug.

"...Did you listen to music in the room?" she didn't really know what to call it, since it wasn't really his home and calling it 'the facility' sounded to brash.

This time, Gaara gave a slight nod.

"Well, um, what songs did you listen to?"

Gaara's eyes cut to her and the slightest hint of smirk lifted his lips. His hand fiddled with the dials on the radio, turning it to a station she had never heard of before, and she winced when her ears were assualted with a woman screaming hysterically.

Sakura opened her mouth to tell him to turn it down and off, but was cut off when Gaara held up a hand pointed at the radio. He wanted her to listen. The pinkette scowled but nodded and faced the road again, focusing on the words.

'Caught up in this madness, to blind to see.

Woke animal feelings in me.

Took over my sense and I lost control

I'll taste your blood tonight.'

Sakura swallowed thickly and stole a quick glance at Gaara. He was staring straight foreward, relaxed and comfortable it seemed. Anyone else would have took comfort themselves from the fact of how well he was adjusting in the car, indulging in music, and being pleasant all around.

Sakura knew better. Sakura could see the brightness lightning his eyes, the amusement playing on his lips, and the dangerous glint that flashed in his jade orbs as his gaze locked with hers. She could see the muscles on his biceps coil and tighten beneath the fabric of his black shirt. She could also see how his tongue shot out of his mouth and licked his lips before disappearing just as quickly.

It would have seemed an innocent act, just wettning his lips. Of course Sakura saw through it. She knew what he was doing, and she didn't appreciate one bit. Seducing her in the car was just so....so....so working.

'You know I make you wanna scream!

You know I make you wanna run from me baby,

But no, it's too late, you've wasted all your time!'

Oh yes, she wanted to scream. He was staring at her, though her eyes were back on the road, she could feel it like a knife in the gut. His half lidded gaze was burning holes into her skull and she wanted nothing more than to make some kind of noise to make him stop. That look was setting her body on fire.

Her thoughts were all muddled. The only thing that was clear was the white hot memory of his hands on her.

'Relax while you're closing your eyes to me

So long as I'm setting you free

With your arms by your side there's no struggling

Pleasure's all mine this time.'

You know I make you wanna scream
You know I make you wanna run from me baby
but know it's too late you've wasted all your time!

Cherishing, those feelings pleasuring
Cover me, unwanted clemency
Scream till there's silence
Scream while there's life left, vanishing
Scream from the pleasure unmask your desire, perishing!

We've all had a time where we've lost control
We've all had our time to grow
I'm hoping I'm wrong but I know I'm right
I'll hunt again one night - '

Sakura's hand shot out and turned the radio off in one swift movement, her eyes never came off the road ahead of her. Her face was flushed, and she appeared to be breathing heavily. Gaara gazed at her from the corner of his eye, watching as she struggled to gain control over herself once more. He knew what he was doing to her, oh, he knew alright.

Just because the game to break her down was over and had been abandoned, didn't mean he couldn't play other games. Seducing her and teasing her untill it became unbearable was quickly becoming his favorite. It was amusing for him to see her reactions to his impulses.

Making her squirm for him was easier than he had originally planned it to be.

Sakura refused to speak, simmering in her own aggrivation for falling into his game. Though he spoke not a word, gave no indication that he was entertained, she could hear his silent laughter echoing around them. It seemed to be louder than anything imaginable.

The rest of the ride was silent, filled only with the humming of the car engine and the, now steady, breathing of both occupants.

Sakura turned on her signal light, and maneuvered the car into a parking lot. Gaara glanced up at the shop they had pulled in front of and frowned slightly.

"I thought you might be sick of the facility's food." Sakura said and smiled at him. "So we are going to eat here. It's been said this is the best restraunt in town."

Gaara shrugged and put a hand on the door handle, pausing when Sakura touched his shoulder lightly. He glanced at her over his shoulder and saw her biting her lower lip nervously.

"I don't mean to sound like a school girl or nothing, but....would you...what would you consider this? This going out and all?" she said quietly and averted her eyes away from his penetrating stare.

Sakura felt weird, wanting him to say he thought of it as a date and that it would be wonderful. That was only a little girl's fantasies though. Things she thought she had abandoned along with Sasuke and his memories. It should have been locked up tight in the back of her mind, the very idea of ever dating again was in and of itself, shocking. It just didn't seem probable, less likely possible to her.

But, her she was, staring at the ground with anxious eyes waiting for his answer. Hoping and praying he thought of it like she did.

At that moment, she felt two fingers lift her chin up and she came face to face with Gaara's gleaming jade eyes. He stared into hers for a moment, then the smallest of smiles curved his lips slightly upward. It was hardly noticeable, any other person would have easily missed it because you had to be looking for it to find it.

"I think," he said in a deep, husky voice that had Sakura's insides fluttering. "...that this is another way to know you."

She couldn't help the smile that split her face. Sure, he didn't say it was a date, but this was Gaara after all. The day he said 'date' anything was the day hell froze over and angels sang Into the Fire. It was enough for her, to have him at least acknowledge it as something.

"I think so, too." she agreed and quickly pecked him on the nose and jumped out of the car before he could get annoyed with her antics.

He stepped out of the car too, a slightly irratated expression on his features at which Sakura fought back an amused chuckle, and walked around the other side to stand next to her.

Sakura looked up at him with a silly grin on her face and poked him in the arm teasingly. He half-heartedly glared down at her, which she payed no mine to, and growled quietly.

"Behave." she reminded him with a mock stern look. "I don't want to go reporting to Tsunade that you were bad on you first day out."

He rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "Because that would be horrible considering what happened just hours ago, right?" only it sounded more like demand while his eyes glinted wickedly.

"N-no, it's j-just t-that...I o-only...Gaara!" she sputtered as her face turned red and huffed out a breath to calm herself. "Come on before I decide to take you back to Tsunade." she threatned.

Gaara tilted his head and grinned sadistically at her. "What was that?" He leaned down to whisper in her ear hotly. "I don't think you will do that."

"And why not?" she snapped, trying in vain to stop the mad rush of her heart.

She felt him smile against the skin on her neck, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Because I'm the only one that can make you act like this."

Sakura's breathing was shaky, and she fisted her hands into her shirt to stop them from trembling. It wouldn't have been surprising to her if she had fainted on the spot, but a voice called her name loud and clear from just a few yards away.

"Sakura?"

Ice shot through her body and she froze, her eyes widened in fear as a strangled, almost silent, whimper clawed from her throat. Her hand clutched at Gaara's wrist on instinct at the voice, and she held on tightly, as if her life depeneded on it. Gaara stiffened in response to her body and straightened to gaze down at her.

It set him on edge to see her all but petrified and his eyes narrowed. His eyes cut to her hand enclosed around his wrist and back to her face. She look terrified and it unsettled him more.

"Sakura, is that really you?"

Gaara turned to glance over his shoulder and took in the sight of a man walking up to them. His stride yelled to the world that he was used to having things his way and the air around him choked of arrogance. Dark onyx eyes stared out from ebony colored bangs, glinting in a way that made Gaara want to kill something. Him perferably.

"Gaara."

The whisper was so quiet he almost missed it. Turning back to Sakura, Gaara locked gazes with her horror stricken eyes and stilled. She looked almost hollow, and for a split second, Gaara felt worried. But it was gone in the next instant, vanished.

Her voice was strained and hoarse as she whispered desperately to him, "Please...d-don't let him hurt m-me, Gaara."

Her hand gripped at his wrist harder and he stared into her wide emerald eyes. A surge of rage shot through him at that moment, and he loved the feel of it. He realized he hadn't felt such a strong call for blood since the day he had killed his father and uncle. His face split into a wicked smile, revealing his sharper than normal teeth, and his presence screamed 'demon'.

'