A/N: Okay I just finished this chapter and I've had a very long day. If you want to hear my reasons for why everything took so long feel free to pm me tomorrow. If you really couldn't care less then please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: The characters and the series they are from are not mine!

Chapter 6: Calm Before the Storm

Dinner with Shikamaru was as easy as breathing. Shikamaru had surprised her with sandwiches filled with things he had prepared. A variety of cheese, slow cooked meats, and fresh fruits and veggies decorated the deceptively simple sandwiches. Shikamaru turned out to be an incredible cook but didn't want anything to ruin the atmosphere of a picnic dinner thus he stuck to sandwiches.

They watched the sun set while they finished off the main course, after which Shikamaru surprised her yet again with two slices of the café's famous chocolate cake. Sakura could have died a happy woman on the spot after being able to taste the chocolaty delight.

It was over all too soon. After the sun had completely set and they began to make their way to Sakura's apartment complex, she began to shiver from the night chill which resulted in Shikamaru enfolding her in his jacket for a little added warmth and promptly encouraged her to walk faster by doubling his pace. 5 minutes after having to jog to keep up with him Sakura was overcome by a playful compulsion.

"Let's race." Before that sentence was even finished she was sprinting ahead toward her apartment. Shikamaru released a stunned bark of a laugh and took off right after her.

As Sakura's apartment came into view Shikamaru was struck by the symbolism of the moment. He noticed that it could be applied to past or future, but for now he was all about the present.

-In Sakura's apartment-

As Sakura finished preparing for bed she noticed she had a missed call from an unfamiliar number. She didn't want to listen to it – she was in desperate need of sleep – but she knew she wouldn't be able to truly rest until she found out who called her.

She glared at her phone before holding it up to her ear to listen. Gaara's rough yet pleasantly soothing voice practically cooed to her in the voice mail. She had never heard the redhead use such a gentle and affectionate tone.

"Sakura, keep your schedule free this weekend. You and I should meet up outside the café once in a while. Please be ready to go by 11 am on Saturday and wear something comfortable. See you then."

She was dumbfounded and of all the thoughts and feelings that she should be experiencing in that moment – among them being indignation at being told what to do and confusion at how he got her number – all she could think before her eyes slipped shut was see you Saturday, Gaara.

-The next morning at the café-

Ino was a bit concerned now. Okay she was flat out worried. At the start of Sakura's employment and Deidara's slight obsession with her, it all seemed like such a good idea. She'd invited wealthy geniuses and the heirs to multimillion dollar corporations to the café in the hopes that with the addition of the innocent Sakura, their view of the café would change and they would be more inclined to frequent it. Her plan had worked a little too well.

The near constant visits of men who were known to be busy beyond all reason had attracted attention from the worst possible source. Now it was the little pinkette they had grown so fond of that was going to have to pay for it. Pein Ame was coming to the café and had requested to see Sakura specifically. He would be bringing a few business partners with him as well, Itachi Uchiha and Sasori Akasuna among the names he'd listed.

It's my fault. Ino's thoughts had been like a broken record ever since Deidara looked at her with a broken expression – possibly expressing the state of his heart – and something very close to fear in his eyes. In the same way Sakura could attract men, Pein could attract women. Sakura was very easy to love. Pein was too. He was a man that women could see themselves settling down with. It was a shame that Pein had no love or respect for women whatsoever.

He was a gentleman no matter the circumstances, a scholarly individual whose deep thinking could have an entire room hanging on his every word. Pein oozed charisma and loved making people laugh. He was so easy to love that even those who knew of his contempt for women kind believed they could change his mind, but the relationship would always end in tears. None of said tears would belong to Pein.

Deidara had switched from sad to angry as he went to his office and slammed the door. Seconds later came the sound of heavy objects crashing to the floor and several shattering noises. Ino knew how he felt. Pein was the most powerful man in the Japanese business world. If they wanted their dream café to stay open Sakura would have to play the sacrificial lamb.

-That Saturday-

Sakura had to fight the urge to chuckle when she saw him. Gaara sat at a nearby bench directly in front of her apartment building up to his eyeballs in paperwork. The serious look on his face was identical to the look he had worn when she had first seen him at the café as he tried to simultaneously work and tune out Naruto.

When she got a closer look at him, though, her smile faded. The black lining his eyes had darkened and thickened. She'd heard rumors around the café that Gaara was at his most irritable when the rings around his eyes were like that. Despite her fellow waitress' horror stories Sakura only felt concern instead of fear.

Not wanting to startle him she made certain her footsteps were audible. Then he looked at her and she nearly melted on the spot. He brightened like the sun that had just come out from behind a blanket of clouds. Not just the rings on his eyes but his entire posture and presence immediately spoke of relief and delight at seeing her. She had never witnessed such a dramatic change in a person and being the cause of it made her go red from her slightly oversized forehead to the base of her neck.

Her blush, adorable and alluring all at once, caused Gaara to chuckle. Sakura had to look away she was so embarrassed. The throaty laughter was deep, rich, and all male with a slight rasp at the end. That rasp let Sakura know that it had been a long time since he last laughed and the thought would have brought tears to her eyes if she wasn't so determined to appear strong.

She had noticed it after Shikamaru and Kiba had their confrontation with Deidara. All three had been over-the-top and she felt the reason was that they saw her as someone who needed protecting. It seemed to her that most guys saw someone weak and emotional when looking at her and by Sakura Haruno's book that was unacceptable. In the dojo she had trained in for half her life, everyone knew she was a force to be reckoned with, and even the highest ranks respected her skill, precision, and her ability to turn her opponent's strength against them.

As Sakura continued to give herself a pep talk, Gaara noticed that her attention was no longer on him. Finding that unacceptable for reasons he still wasn't able to admit or even feel comfortable with, he grasped her hand. Bringing that hand to his lips he slowly brushed his lips over her knuckles. A smug smirk curled his mouth when her eyes immediately flew to his and her blush returned. After giving her arm a few gentle tugs to urge her to follow him to his car.

When Sakura gasped in delight he turned to find her looking like a kid on Christmas morning. He looked over his Ultimate Aero then shifted his attention back to Sakura, his car, Sakura, his car, and when he looked at Sakura again his decision was made. He held out his offering to her and the look of reverence she gave him for the simple gesture melted his ice cold heart on the spot. With nearly trembling hands she grasped the keys and held them to her like a priceless gift she would cherish forever.

He smiled warmly at her helping her get settled in the driver's seat and giving her a quick rundown on the controls. As it turned out, she knew almost as much about it as he did himself, so when she was done delighting in his car and he was done delighting in her he finally told her his plans for the day.