A/N at the end.

Chapter 10

"There was nothing else that could've been done."

Sakura's fingers quivered as she pinched the brass key. When she finally managed to pinpoint the tip of the metal object to the slit of the lock and insert it in, she wavered. She couldn't bring herself to turn the key, to twist the knob, and to push open the door to the cold, lonely place that was her empty apartment…

"You did everything you could, Sakura-senpai. "

…especially now, more than ever, knowing there was no one there on the other side to catch and embrace her weak and fatigued body. She cast her tired eyes downward to the ground, looking at the doormat without focus.

"Such a pity. She was so young."

They lost someone at the hospital today, a young one that was taken away from this world too soon.

She was also a special case for which Sakura has been providing her consultation. More than that, however, she'd developed a liking toward the child beyond the standard doctor-patient relationship, as did the hospital staff that had cared for her. For Sakura though, the reason was that the girl personally reminded her of her own daughter in many ways: High-spirited, expressive, and tenacious. Despite the rare illness that ravaged her health and tethered her adolescence to the confine of the sterile hospital room, the youth persevered; and her vivacity endured. In the weeks following her admission, the medical team was able to stabilize her condition under Sakura's fastidious guidance.

In spite of all their best efforts, the child's sickness had apparently taken a turn for worse.

When Sakura was urgently called to the scene to respond to the emergency, she could only stand to witness the cruelty of fate win over humanity. When the girl's frail life slipped away before her eyes, Sakura had never felt so hopeless. Stunned, she couldn't walk, couldn't talk, couldn't move for the longest time in the chilling hospital room as everything and everyone continued to buzz around her.

It was when the gut-wrenching wails of the deceased girl's mother shrilled in her ears that Sakura was snapped out of her stupor, only to be devastated again just the same, for she was a mother too and could feel the heartbreak in its rawest form…

Then the worst pang struck her when she felt as though she was responsible for the child's untimely departure from her loving family. Maybe… she thought, maybe, if she'd dedicated more time at the hospital to spearhead case studies or further medical researches, she might have saved her.

Teeth gnashed, grip tightened, Sakura fought to retake control of her emotional state. She couldn't relive this tragic moment. Left on her own, she thought she'd reach her breaking point; she couldn't be alone now, trapped within the isolation of her unoccupied apartment. Decidedly pulling the key out of the lock, Sakura wheeled around and fled from her own home…

Much of her world was a blur for however long it took her to run to her intended stop. It was as if her brain had switched to autopilot. In that moment, there was only one person in her mind, one who could save her from the desolation. She'd seek him out. Not because they were soulmates who understood each other on the deepest levels; really, it was because he was there, physically at the very least, when no one else was—no, none of her oblivious friends, and especially not her ghost of a husband.

When Sakura had come to perceive her surroundings again was when she found herself at a familiar place: The classy lobby of the hotel that she'd dropped by a handful of times before. Though she cared not for the opulent decor, as she sprinted a linear path toward the elevators. She pressed the button on the panel between the elevators almost neurotically, her impatience revealing through her repeated tries. The doors to the cabin couldn't slide open fast enough for Sakura; the instant her slender frame could fit through the opening, she'd slipped inside.

Panting, she automatically reached for the polished buttons. Her risen hand paused mid-air, fingertips mere inches away from the circled numbers but unable to bridge that gap.

Sakura hesitated. Her hazy determination crumbled in a matter of seconds, as the obvious realization knocked some clarity back to her fogged state: She didn't know which floor he was on, much less which room he occupied. In fact, she never did. Sure, she'd walked him back to his hotel a couple of times, but she'd always said her goodbyes at the entrance to the building. The only time she'd ever been to his room was months ago; and even if he was a creature of habit as she'd come to suspect and he'd stuck to his routine accommodation, she never exactly did jot down his room number during her quick getaway from her humiliating mess of a situation.

For all she knew, he could very well be staying with his sister and brother-in-law…

Then, all of a sudden, she felt like she was the biggest idiot on this planet, standing alone in the elevator. Pathetic. Lost. Without any sense of direction or purpose.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Sakura berated herself in frustration, over and over like a broken record. Why did she come here? What was she doing? What did she hope to achieve? The firmness in her footing loosened, as uncertainty and confusion overcame her.

The faint whirring sound of mechanic gears disrupted her daze, and she refocused just in time to see slabs of metallic gray shroud her view of the hotel lobby. Gasping, she realized the doors of the elevator had shut on her, and she was too late to react. The elevator immediately ascended, taking with it a confused rider who had not one clear destination in mind. On the other hand, the machine itself knew where it needed to go, as it arrived at the topmost floor in under a minute. With a pleasant "ding," the doors reopened to free its unwilling passenger.

Ultimately aborting her mission, Sakura had every intention to ride the lift back down. But when she'd discovered an older man standing on the other side of the frame of the elevator cabin, she paused. Her self-consciousness bubbled within her, as Sakura exchanged an awkward stare with him. Eyeing her with a raised brow, the man waited as if fully expecting her to exit.

Directing a half-hearted apologetic smile at him, Sakura robotically stepped out of the lift to make way for the stranger to stride into the compartment. She soon heard the doors of the elevator close behind her, but all she could do was to stare dumbly at the empty hallway of the hotel's penthouse floor before her. And she faltered.

No, she couldn't be here; she should leave. She needed to return to that lonely apartment of hers, where she could wallow in the waves of depression she was used to…

…where, she'd always belonged…

Because she didn't deserve anything else…

And as for the one person whom she'd become more and more reliant on, she thought she could find in him what she couldn't from Sasuke. But even then, what would come of it?

She could never ask from him for love, affection, and support. At that line of thought, she felt immensely foolish and disturbed at her own wistfulness and selfishness.

As Sakura turned to face the closed doors of the elevator again, her vision blurred. A rush of emotions inundated her, and she was floored at once. The little boost of energy she'd derived from her impulsion to help her get to where she wanted drained away instantaneously, and her earlier fatigue caught up with her again—only this time, it was much more profoundly felt.

The hot tears that pooled around her eyes finally burst forth like water from a dam and streamed down the sides of her face uncontrollably.

This time, she no longer had the will or the strength to wipe them away, to deny the existence of the aches in her heart; and she was experiencing the pain in full force. The shoulder, the hand, the voice that were supposed to be there to let her lean on, to hold her, and to tell her everything would be okay had abandoned her. And after all these long years, she just couldn't be her own crutch anymore.

So she cried like a child, robbed of her own happiness. There was no grace in her dissonant sobs and sniffles. Ino had once told her that she was an ugly crier; even so, she didn't hold back. She now could care less about her appearance. Because in this moment, in this unrecognizable hallway, she was alone anyway—like she'd always been, with no one around to ask her what was wrong or to lift her up…

Her trembling finger reached for the elevator button again and pushed it. There was no reason for her to linger in this strange place any longer. As expected, it wasn't too long before the elevator answered her command and returned to her floor. The doors to one opened with the typical "ding."

Mustering some conscious effort, Sakura dragged her feet forward. Fresh tears continued to roll down her cheeks unceasingly. She'd given up. With each labored step, she pushed herself to move toward the elevator cabin, into the emptiness that was about to swallow her and let her wither in her own sorrow.

While in her misery, however, she'd failed to notice an encroaching presence.

"Sakura."

Her own name rang so clearly in her ears, effectively causing her to stop in her procession. Someone had called for her. Joined with it was a hand that grabbed her by her shoulder, immediately causing her to spin her head around.

And her eyes widened in surprise at the one behind her.

Gaara.

To him, the thing about practicing meditation was that it made everything too quiet, almost to an unbearable degree; and it could only do so much to purify a mind of its chaotic thoughts, especially when one's heart was as turbulent as the whipping grains in a sandstorm.

With such pervasive silence that encompassed him, he thought he'd be able to hear a pin drop from a mile away; and indeed, he'd picked up on something peculiar through his heightened senses. In the security of his hotel room, he sent out a slither of his sand to probe the disturbance outside. When he'd registered the known chakra signature, he bailed on his self-necessitated meditation session rather effortlessly and proceeded to inspect his surroundings in person… which would result in the unanticipated situation that he'd presently found himself in.

Gaara frowned deeply, as he regarded the female before him with a kind of heaviness on his heart that he couldn't fathom.

Sakura was there. She was crying.

To his surprise, he'd discovered her in the hallway outside of his suite, and in such a distressed state… So he'd led her back to his quarter, which allowed the privacy she needed to sort out her emotions away from public eyes.

She stood rooted to her spot in his living room with her head lowered, unwilling to reveal her face to him as she hid behind her bangs. Her recovering breathes punctured through each hiccup, and her shoulders heaved along with each muffled sob. He could tell, as much she evidently tried to curb her weeping in his company, she was unsuccessful in pacifying the commotions within her.

The crease between Gaara's brows tightened more.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, lightly squeezing with reassurance to prompt her to look at him. His gesture turned out persuasive, as she yielded to his gentle request and gradually brought her head up.

What's the matter? He wanted to ask her, but those intended words fizzled right out of his mouth at the sight of her.

And he simply couldn't look away.

Her mask was gone. What confronted him was her truest self underneath—so vulnerable and pitiful, yet the most alluring he'd ever seen. Her glimmering green eyes shone brilliantly, despite the unspoken sadness that resided within. A lone tear spilled from the corner of her eye, grazed her cheek, and trickled down to her chin, drawing his attention to every inch of her perfectly shaped face. Her exotic pastel hair caressed the soft curves of her jawline, enhancing that adoring shade of red that colored her porcelain skin…

Suddenly, he became keenly aware of their circumstances: The two of them, alone, in his room.

The same gripping tension he'd experienced from last night crept back and settled between them. The temptation to explore further what she'd set in motion was mastering him. The seedling of an idea that she'd planted in him had blossomed into what was finally apparent—his attraction to her. When had she managed to crack his steel-like resolve? When had something so dangerous burrowed itself within the depth of his heart, propagating freely without his awareness just in time to burst forth now? He didn't have time to mull over these questions, before his hand had moved on its own accord.

He reached for the side of her face. Instantly, he detected a hint of surprise that flashed through her glassy eyes, but she didn't flinch. His fingers involuntarily followed the wet trails on her cheeks and traced her smooth skin, an action reminiscent of what she did during the previous night. Their roles were now reversed, as she accepted the place of the observer and quietly watched him with her curious emerald eyes.

He could feel her shiver against his risky touches. Time seemed to still, as the intensity in their matching gazes grew. And through her batting long lashes, he saw a surge of emotions oscillating between shock, wonder… and undeniable anticipation, which incited him greatly.

He thumbed her lower jaw and tilted her chin up to present him a better angle of her face. He inhaled a breath of brashness that was unlike him, before bending his head down to catch the salty drops that raced down her one cheek with his lips.

Licking over his upper lip, he tasted her liquid sadness in his mouth as he backed away from her face.

Her eyes went positively round.

When he'd found that his action had stolen her breath out of her, he consciously reined back his growing craving. Tentatively, he asked for permission in an undertone, making a mimicry of her own act from before:

"Is this… okay?"

It was almost unnoticeable, but she indeed nodded minutely.

Her affirmative response was appreciated, though he briefly wondered if it still even mattered, for he felt his impatience was about to carry him away regardless.

He'd finally succumbed to his impulses when, his lips ghosted hers, continuing what she didn't the night before… The innocence in their gestures was long gone. Each second was a push at their increasingly fragile boundary that was their supposed friendship…

Until it splintered.

To hell with Sasuke.

With one hand resting below her ear to steady her, he leaned in and delicately closed his lips over hers, lingering just for a few seconds, and pulled away.

Then again, again… and again, each time teasing her seconds longer than before, until he felt her trembling eased. And she'd parted her lips to goad an open-mouthed kiss from him. The world fell away after that.

Her soft lips moved in sync with his, working in equal rhythm. His stomach churned with the most wonderful sensation. Heat flared from where they'd made contact and spread throughout the rest of his being like a fire that'd been lit. The initial saltiness he tasted from her melted away to delightful sweetness. The slightest inhibition that he sensed from her yet controlled movements was the only thing that held back his urges to devour her.

In need of air, they broke apart. He could feel himself smile against the corner of her mouth. It was almost as though his brain and his body have become two separate entities, and the latter now solely functioned on primal instincts. In a breathy whisper, he repeated, "Is this okay?"

He had his own experiment for her. Pushing her pink tresses back, he strayed to her jawline and made his way down her neck, sucking, nibbling, and lapping against her satiny skin—demanding that she divulge the sites of her most sensitive spots.

"Is... this… okay?" Too distracted, he'd grunted the question again with much difficulty. He almost couldn't recognize the husky voice that was actually his.

She replied him but with her hitched breaths. Though, by now, he no longer waited or cared for an answer.

Slowly, he ran his tongue over her jugular. It elicited an immediate reaction from her, as she let loose a moan and slanted her head sideways to offer him more room to explore. At her body's confession, he smirked.

With enough mental efforts, he managed to draw away from her, who'd clutched his arm to protest his retreat and declared her evident objection through a petulant whimper. He remained close though, surveying her tear-stained face, now rosy with vigor. She puffed hotly, her warm breathes tingled his over-sensitized skin, reminding him that he really shouldn't be spending too long away from her kisses. The knowing gaze from her sultry eyes ensnared him. Right then and there, they both knew, that there was only one wish, one desire…

Sliding his hand into hers, he guided her to his bedroom. Soundlessly, she followed him in their doomed path. Upon reaching his bed, he seated her by the edge and gently nudged her down until she was flat on her back and her head sank into the plush pillows. As he moved to hover over her, he took one last good measured look at her.

Suddenly, the little ounce of rationality he didn't think he still possessed tugged at his mind, making one last desperate attempt to warn him that this, in all likelihood, was a very bad idea.

But he'd quickly lost himself in those clouded lustful green eyes. When Sakura lifted a hand to cup the nape of his neck, the bit of lucidity that he'd reclaimed vanished all at once. At the slightest urging from the pressure of her hand, Gaara gladly complied and lowered his face down to hers.

A/N: Ahhh, they went there, nooooo—alright, let's not pretend that y'all didn't see this coming. This chapter sorta marks the halfway point of this fic. I'll be dedicating the next couple of chapters to the characters' reactions and thoughts on the matter, before progressing the plot. So expect a short pause in the storyline, but it's only necessary.

And sorry this update took so long. I had other projects that I had to tackle, and I realized that I really am not a multi-tasker when it comes to writing… I'm traveling for the holidays, so I hope to squeeze in some writing time in between all the family gatherings.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!