The following days were pretty weird for Ino. She adopted Shikamaru's attitude of observing the classmates from the bottom of the classroom. She noticed how Sasuke kept looking at Sakura throughout the lessons, but she never glanced at him. Then, Sakura ran to the schoolyard and laughed by herself. She held onto a tree with one hand and jumped around it. Whenever Sasuke approached Sakura in the garden, she ran away. It was as if she avoided him. Why was Sasuke so interested in her? He didn't even look at her until recently. It doesn't matter. This is my chance. Ino thought.

"Ino, wait a second!" Sakura screamed as she ran to catch up with the girl.

"Huh? What do you want?" Ino said with irritation. She only turned slightly towards the pink haired girl.

"I was thinking we could become friends again now that I don't like Sasuke anymore."

"You don't like him? Since when?"

"I don't know, but I felt very lonely without you. If you want, I would be very happy to make up." Sakura said with her hands behind her back, eyes locked onto her small black shoes that kept hitting one another.

"Prove it! Cut your hair." Ino had a sly look on her face. She was testing her. "You grew your hair for Sasuke to like you, right?"

"OK. Long hair bothers me anyway. My mom always makes me tie it." Sakura answered cheerfully.

"Good. Come to my house. I will give you a haircut."

Ino still thought Sakura was bluffing. Ino waited for her to back down any moment as Sakura sat on Ino's floor in her room. The blonde had the scissors in her hand as she spoke:

"Last chance. If you want to change your mind, now's the time."

Sakura was playing with Ino's dolls. She grabbed a doll and beat her in the head with the hairbrush while Ino was cutting her hair. She cut it nicely. Sakura wasn't nervous at all; she really trusted her friend. When the blonde finished, Sakura turned her head, her big green eyes looking into blue ones as she asked:

"Are we friends now?"

Ino's face brightened as she started laughing.

"Don't you want to see yourself in the mirror first?"

"No, I am sure my new hairstyle is pretty."

"Of course we are friends."

"Yey!" Sakura screamed as she hugged Ino. And then, her mouth poured out all the words she wanted to say when they weren't friends. She gave Gaara a headache.

How can girls talk so much?

Gaara was a very orderly and clean little boy. He liked to iron even his underwear and socks. He cleaned his room by himself and he took his laundry downstairs for the maid to wash them. This way, she didn't need to come into his room and discover Sakura's presents by mistake. He was doing a favor to the maid because she was afraid to stay in his presence.

Gaara trained with his dad every morning. Each time he had to listen to the same broken CD: "you and I have to work for this family, you live for the family, and you have to help us." This double measure was very upsetting for the little boy. Gaara's ears never heard "I work for you, too" or "the family must help you, too". Gaara was always excluded. His dad was very radical and he considered each coin he gives to Gaara is a waste. Whenever Gaara asked

"Dad, buy me some sweets, please."

Rasa always answered:

"You always want to eat my money. I won't buy you anything."

"Dad, buy me a toy, please. It doesn't have to be big or expensive. A small one is good."

"You have enough toys at home. You're like a tick, always living on my back, sucking my blood."

Little Gaara looked at the ground and stopped saying anything. He stopped asking for things. He was soon going to leave on missions and all the money he earned, he could spend on anything he wished. He consoled himself with this thought.

Gaara's empty eyes only came to life when he talked to Sakura or when he thought about her. He was so happy she wasn't interested in Sasuke anymore. This way he had her all to himself.

One day, Gaara, Temari, Kankurou and Rasa were eating together without making any noise. Temari seemed lost and she lost her appetite. When she sighed, Kankurou leaned closer to her and asked if she was feeling ok.

"I miss mom."

"Why? I am here." Rasa replied harshly.

Kankurou had his hand on his sister's shoulder. He was trying to be a good brother and Gaara memorized all of his gestures because Kankurou was very good with people.

"You don't love us. You don't do anything for us." Temari retorted very angrily.

She was somewhat temperamental and she liked saying anything she had on her mind. She wasn't hiding. It's true this time she let emotions rule her without thinking of the consequences. Gaara and Kankurou were shocked. None of them dared to say this to their father so bluntly. They weren't expecting her words. Rasa's tone rose with every word that left his mouth.

"Aren't you ashamed to say that? I don't do anything for you?" He looked at his sons and continued "You two, get out!"

Kankurou rose from his seat immediately and gestured for Gaara to follow him. Gaara obeyed because he felt the danger, but what was going to happen to Temari? Gaara summoned his third eye and left it by the door so he was able to watch everything through the keyhole. He was a little restless, but not as much as his brother who yelled about killing his dad if he touches Temari. He pulled his hair out in exasperation. Gaara looked at him, but didn't understand what the problem was. When their eyes met, Kankurou started yelling:

"Why do you stay there so patiently? You are the only one who can do something. You should have hit him in the head or bury him alive in your sand. I can't stand him!" He threw dolls at the walls as he yelled.

"I don't have enough power and anyway, when did you ever defended me?" Gaara replied calmly.

Kankurou grabbed his by the collar aggressively.

"What did you say?"

"A simple truth. You left me alone for so many years. You didn't care about me. You blindly obeyed that man."

Kankurou rose his fist to try to hit him in the face, but Gaara's sand also rose when Gaara narrowed his eyes. Kankurou was too scared to go on, so he let go and stormed out of the room, leaving his brother alone. The truth was that it didn't sit well with Gaara to know that his sister might get hit or even killed. She said something not even the boys had enough courage to say. He didn't like seeing her cry and he certainly didn't like to see her being afraid, just like she was in that room as Gaara saw through his sand eye.

Rasa stood up.

"So you say I don't do anything for you, right? I don't work from morning until dark to provide for you? Where do you think all your food, clothes, toys come from?"

Temari already started to cry in fear as she still sat on her chair. Her tears fell into the soup, filling the bowl before her dad threw it at the wall, making it crack into dozens of pieces. Temari jerked and started praying that she gets away through some miracle. Rasa took out the nail clippers he had in his pocket and handed it to Temari to humiliate her.

"Clip my nails."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no." Temari was as stubborn as her mother.

Rasa slapped her across the face and when the girl tried to defend herself with her hands, Rasa grabbed both her wrists in one hand. He kept slapping her with the back of his hand after each time she refused to do what she was told to.

"Will you clip my nails now?"

Temari just closed her eyes and refused to say anything, waiting for the next hit. She eventually yielded because he made it clear it won't stop until she does it. She took the nails clippers in her shaking fingers and began clipping his nails sloppily, which made Rasa yell at her again:

"Be careful! You cut my flesh, too." He raised his hand again, but when he saw how she was shaking in fear, he brought his hand back on the table and let his daughter go.

Temari ran straight to her room, where she huddled in a corner and cried. Kankurou sat next to her a few moments later. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tried to hug her. He was very angry. He begged her to stop crying, but she couldn't. He tried to give her assurances not even he fully believed in.

"I will grow up and we will get rid of him, I promise you. He won't be able to treat us this way."

But he actually thought will I ever be strong enough to do this? And he looked back at his sister. When he saw her frail shoulders shaking from crying and the red flesh of her cheeks from the beating, his fist clenched and he thought: Doesn't matter. I will do anything to protect her!

Gaara remained in the same room Kankurou left him in. He seemed lost and couldn't move from where he stood.

Gaara? Gaara? Sakura called his name with restraint.

Yes? He answered in a serious and calm tone, as if he was preparing for battle.

I know it's none of my business, but I think you should go and check on your sister.

Sakura didn't feel any kind of feedback on his behalf. He just repeated her words in his head as if he couldn't make sense of them.

If you don't go now, Temari is going to remember you weren't there for her. You want her to be there for you, don't you?

Yes.

Then make the first step.

What if dad catches me? I am not supposed to stay with them.

Come on, Gaara. Be a man! So what if he catches you? He can't do anything to you. You have your sand to shield you. Even if he stops you from seeing her, she will find out that you at least tried and everything will be to your advantage.

The corners of his mouth lifted upwards. Sakura was right and she succeeded into convincing him to take action.

What should I tell her? I really don't know.

That you love her.

I am a man, Sakura. I can't tell her that.

Then, I guess you can say...

Never mind, I will find something.

Gaara-kun, I will pray so everything will come out ok. Have faith!

Thank you. I am going.

Gaara got out of the room determined to do and say something, only he didn't know what to say or do. With each step he took, his courage faltered, but the prayer he heard on the background strengthened his will and he hoped to decide on what to do or say when he will be face to face with his sister.

He got out of the house, jumped on his sand biscuit and flew beneath Temari's window, waiting for Kankurou to get out of the room. The girl was in the bathroom, washing her face with cold water. As soon as Kankurou left, Gaara sneaked inside the room and waited for Temari to come out, hoping she won't scold him. When Temari saw him, she jerked because she wasn't expecting him to be there. She saw him from the profile. He was staring at the floor because he didn't have the courage to look her in the eye. He swallowed air before he stretched out his hand to give her the cherry tree flower he had from Sakura. He looked into her eyes for a second, before lowering them again. Temari got closer to him and awkwardly took the flower in her hands.

"Thank you." She whispered as her eyes filled with tears again.

Right then, Kankurou returned and started screaming when he saw Gaara.

"What are you doing here?"

Gaara got scared and ran through the window and then let his sand biscuit take him far away.

"Kankurou, leave him alone!" Temari said.

"What did he want?"

"He gave me this." And she showed him the flower.

Kankurou was dumbfounded.

"Apologize to him next time you meet." Temari said as she was upset.

"Oh, yes. I didn't know what he wanted to do. I thought he came to pick a fight with you."

Gaara ran until he reached an oasis. He climbed down the sand biscuit and stared at his reflection in the water. He felt ashamed and stirred because he thought it would have been better if he didn't listen to Sakura.

"It was better to not do anything." He said outloud.

Gaara-kun, don't say that.

But, Sakura. Temari cried when I gave her the flower. I upset her even more.

No, you didn't. She cried of happiness.

What? Is there such a thing?

Of course. Girls cry from various reasons and not all of them are bad.

Have you ever cried of happiness?

Yes.

When?

When I found out Gaara-kun forgave me for the book he lent me, when Gaara-kun said he will talk to me forever, when he said he will protect me from people like the ones who tried to kidnap me...

Tears gathered in the corners of Gaara's eyes as she spoke.

See? Even Gaara-kun cries from happiness right now.

Gaara looked at his reflection in the water. He no longer looked like a monster anymore.

Thank you, Sakura.

Note: Please leave reviews. I happy to know your opinion.

The nail clipper thing actually happened to me when I was 12 or 13 with my dad.