Chapter 5

Gaara had decided that he would never feel this way again. He was so happy that he could actually smile. A real, unpracticed, smile. He knew that his new found happiness had everything to do with the pink haired woman who was curled up next to him on the roof of Kazekage tower. He had always wanted someone to look at him with happiness in their eyes. His brother and sister loved him, of that he was sure, but it didn't feel the same. He knew Sakura didn't love him, but she could see in the green eyes looking up at him that she cared for him. Gaara thought over his life and remembered the horrible things he had experienced, but he would do it all over again just for this night. "What in the world am I going to do? I can't keep her here forever, but I don't want to give up any time with her either." Gaara could feel panic slowly making its way into his mind. He was racing for something to say to her to make her know how much she meant to him. That she was changing him for the better, but he heard her speak first.

"Gaara, I don't know what's going on with us, but I think we should just be friends and see where it goes from there." She looked at him with determination in her eyes. Everyone around her knew that she was once head over heals in love with Sasuke Uchiha, but she would not make the mistakes of her past again. She knew already that the feelings that she had for Gaara were different than what she had once felt for Sasuke, but that only made her more determined not to screw things up. She had a bad habit of falling hard and way to fast and she would make sure she didn't ruin her chances with the handsome Kazekage.

At first her words stung him. "She thinks this is a mistake. Her words mean that she wants to let me down easy." Then he happened to look again into her jade eyes. "Perhaps she is as scared as I am." That thought was quickly reiterated as the woman before him reached up and cupped her hand to his pale cheek.

Gaara was still unsure about people touching him, most especially his face, but as he felt her cool hand cup his cheek he felt like he could trust her. He sighed into her hand and allowed her to continue touching his face. A chunk of the hardened shell surrounding his heart broke away and disappeared at her ministrations.

Sakura slowly moved her hand around the contours of his face. Careful not to make sudden movements. It was a well-known fact that Gaara didn't like to be touched. She slowed down even more when her thumb grazed his bottom lip. She felt his hiss and started to back away. Suddenly his hand was wrapped around her wrist keeping it in place.

Gaara felt like his heart stopped when her hand touched his mouth. He was absently aware of gutteral sounds that were emanating from somewhere in the back of his throat. The next second he felt her pull away and he couldn't help himself. He grabbed her wrist to prevent it from leaving his lips. Then he looked her straight in the eyes, turned her hand over and brushed a soft kiss along the pulse at her wrist.

Sakura was almost certain that she had just died and gone to heaven. "How in the world could anyone effect me like this with a simple kiss?" Suddenly she felt a jolt of raw energy phase through her body and settle in the pit of her stomach.

Gaara saw how he affected her and found that it was more gratifying than many of the sexual experiences that he had had in the past. "How is it that this one woman can so thoroughly turn me on without even attempting to do so?" Remembering her words he decided to end whatever was going on between them before he did something that would in no way be considered 'taking it slow'. Standing up slow enough so as not to startle her he bowed and placed a chaste kiss on her furrowed brow. "Goodnight Sakura" With that he was gone.

Sakura stared for several minutes in the direction of where Gaara had taken his leave. "Shit, I am in love with the Kazekage." Sakura had never been less happy in her life.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. For some reason my computer had to be completely reformatted in order for my writing program to work. Shouldn't be a problem in the future and the updates should be quicker.