"This summon better be about something serious, Gaara," Temari said, waltzing into Gaara's office.

She paused when she noticed Kankuro was seated as well. Definitely not good news then. If Kankuro was here too, it must be serious. She sighed, preparing herself for the worst as she took a seat beside him.

"Alright, so clearly this isn't good news," Temari said, glancing between Kankuro and Gaara.

"Don't look at me. Gaara hasn't told me anything yet. I'm just as curious as you." Kankuro turned to Gaara, who was still signing papers furiously. "Come on, brother, spit it out already. Temari is here now."

Gaara paused his pen and observed his siblings before dropping it with a sigh. He was used to solving problems alone and had second thoughts about involving them. Maybe this was a mistake.

"You understand that whatever I say cannot leave this room?" His voice was serious. The office was soundproofed with a special jutsu, but the council had ears and eyes everywhere.

"Of course we do," Temari replied, surprised he even had to ask.

Gaara nodded and pulled out a file from his desk drawer—the one Keita had given him, filled with information about the mysterious and deadly discovery. He placed it in front of them, gesturing for them to open it.

Kankuro took it first, his expression curious but apprehensive. As he read, his eyes grew wider with shock. Impatient, Temari grabbed the file from him, mirroring his reaction as she flipped through the pages.

Gaara remained silent, gauging their reactions, waiting for the information to settle. Finally, Temari put the file down quietly in front of him.

There was a long moment of silence, probably due to shock.

"So..." Kankuro started, unable to bear the silence any longer.

"Keita and Sakura think it may be a drug or worse, a slow-spreading virus. They're not exactly sure what it is yet, but as you can see, it's deadly," Gaara summarized with a frown.

"Wow... that is certainly a lot," Kankuro muttered.

No amount of preparation could have readied Temari for this doomsday news.

"Hold on, Sakura knows about this?" Temari interrupted. "Keita too?" She thought internally. Her brothers didn't know about her 'relationship' with Keita, if she could call it that.

Kankuro had the same question. Sakura knew the whole time? He had noticed her on edge for a while, assuming it was over her issues with Gaara, not something this catastrophic. It must have been hard for her to keep it to herself, but he understood the importance of secrecy.

"It could be a coincidence?" Kankuro reasoned. "If it were a virus, there would be more infected people. The last victim was over three weeks ago. And really, a drug? Come on, three of the victims were married women. Don't you think the victims would be the youths if that were the case?"

Temari nodded. "Yeah, but three victims, all women with similar symptoms, it would be careless to call it a coincidence."

Gaara had been silent, taking in his siblings' observations. Their thoughts mirrored his own. He had heard of a small village in the far north that had been wiped out by a deadly virus in a month. And on the issue of drugs, he just couldn't see women in their mid to late 30s abusing anything other than sleeping pills. But like Temari, he thought three was a pattern. He had hoped for fresh perspectives, but their observations were the same as his.

"Jeez, this is bad," Kankuro said after a while.

"Tell us something we don't know," Temari deadpanned.

"I don't see you making any suggestions either, so why don't you shut the hell up, Temari."

Temari rolled her eyes before looking to Gaara, who was rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Look, the way I see it, we lucked out. We have the best medic in the lands here in Suna with us. It could be worse," Temari shrugged.

"She's right," Kankuro agreed, surprising Temari. He looked straight at Gaara. "Chop-chop, Gaara. Get to talking before it's too damn late."

Of course, Temari didn't understand that Kankuro was talking about Gaara fixing things with Sakura.

"We have plans for a party very soon. I could talk to her for you," Temari suggested innocently.

Kankuro almost burst out laughing before it clicked. "Wait, what party? Didn't know there was one any time soon."

Temari smirked, remembering her plan to piss her brothers off.

"Oh, it's an exclusive party for Ren's birthday. Sakura got a 'special' invitation from him, and—"

"WHAT? Ren? As in Ren Satoh?" Kankuro cut her off, shock written all over his face. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope, she told me today when we went shopping." Temari feigned ignorance, peeking at her freshly painted nails. She was enjoying this very much.

Ren Satoh was the sole heir to the Satoh Company, the biggest enterprise in Suna, manufacturing everything from simple books to industrial machinery, even exporting to other lands. In conclusion, Ren was filthy rich. If they had a ranking, Ren would be the second most sought-after bachelor in Suna after Gaara himself. Ren was the embodiment of cockiness and Gaara didn't like him at all. It didn't help that his family thought they were above the rules because of the revenue they brought to Suna, and the council always backed them up.

Every year on his birthday, Ren would throw the biggest exclusive party known to man. Gaara got an invitation every year but discarded them.

Gaara set his jaw, his eyes narrowed. How did they meet? Are they friends? They had to be if he was personally handing her an invite. And she eagerly accepted it.

"Apparently they met before, but she said she met him again in front of a restaurant where he invited her to his birthday party. Isn't it fate?" Temari fake-gushed to fuel her brothers' annoyance. She didn't hate Ren but didn't like him either. She just didn't care about him in general.

Gaara muted his siblings as they went back and forth. So Ren Satoh was who he saw talking to her the other day. He silently seethed as he recalled Ren tucking Sakura's hair. He was sure of it now. Why did Sakura accept his invitation? How close were they?

"Yo, Gaara, what do you think about all this?" Kankuro asked, drawing Gaara out of his thoughts.

"I don't care," Gaara replied coldly, but his left hand, clenched in anger under his desk, said otherwise.

Temari scoffed, satisfied with annoying Kankuro even if she didn't get much of a reaction from Gaara.

Kankuro could tell Gaara was lying. "You sure? You know what goes on at his parties," he smirked, seeing the slightest twist in Gaara's jaw. Ren always made sure his parties were the talk of the lands even months after.

Gaara served him a murderous glance. "You both are dismissed. I have work to do."

"You should talk to Sakura as soon as possible, Gaara. It's important that we work together right now," Temari said as she stood up, smoothing her skirt. She was already thinking of seeing Keita later. This news… yeah, she needed to unwind.

Kankuro stood up as well, nodding. "Yeah… what she said."

When Gaara offered no response, they sighed and left the office.

As soon as they left, Gaara looked up from the pile he had been pretending to read. His eyebrows furrowed in anger. Oh, he was going to talk to her alright.

Sakura decided to spend the rest of her day bed-rotting after writing to Ino about her life so far in Suna sans Gaara. She had considered writing to Tsunade about the current situation but decided to wait until they had more information. Laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, she felt a familiar emptiness gnaw at her.

After a while, the oppressive stillness of her room drove her to action. She decided to head to the library to do more research. The thought of going back to the hospital to help the night shift nurses crossed her mind—they always appreciated the extra help—but the blazing 5 PM sun outside was relentless. Walking under that heat would surely drain whatever energy reserves she had left.

Clad in a casual pink tank top that matched her hair and short black tights, she languidly removed herself from her comfortable bed. In Konoha, she'd never let herself have this much free time. It was nice, but it also felt hollow. Coming to Suna had been a hasty decision, a desperate attempt to fill the void in her life with some excitement.

The war had taken her parents and a part of her soul that she could never seem to reclaim, no matter how many extra shifts or missions she took. Sometimes she'd wake up in a cold sweat, dreams of Sasuke thrusting his fist into her chest haunting her, her hand shakily checking to ensure it was still intact.

Everyone started pairing up, and it was expected that she'd end up with Sasuke, almost as if she had a stamp on her forehead that read "made for Sasuke." She supposed she had brought that on herself, so like a good little soldier, she tried to play her part. She bore her stamp proudly and forgave him because she really did understand—or at least tried to understand—why he needed to leave. But she could never make peace with why he did that to her.

His poke to her forehead had been the first time he ever initiated any physical contact with her. Like a giddy schoolgirl, her heart fluttered, but in the tiny corner of her mind, she began to question if this was really what she wanted. Of course, she discarded the thought, determined to play her expected role as Sasuke's partner.

But it was different. She saw Sasuke in a different light now. It had taken a while to let go of the trauma he brought her, and even longer to realize that the idea of loving Sasuke played a much bigger role in her heart than her actual love for him. Eventually, she saw it, and on his next short visit to Konoha, she declined his offer to join him on his travels and told him she would no longer be waiting for him.

Sasuke surprised her by asking why. She fully expected him to grunt and walk away. She didn't fit in his world, never did. Sasuke was still searching for something, something she didn't think she'd ever be enough to fill. His void was way bigger than hers. Even though being with him could somehow fill her emptiness, she couldn't provide the same for him. He'd never be satisfied.

However, she didn't say all that. Instead, she kissed him on the cheek. "I just want to be focused on myself for once," she said, parting with a joking suggestion that he write to her. That night, she cried herself to sleep, she cried for a week.

Seated in the library, trying to go through a history book with records about dangerous pandemics and epidemics, Sakura wondered why she was suddenly thinking back to this part of her life. She ran her fingers through her hair, which she had allowed to flow freely. It was frustrating that in just a few days here, Gaara had managed to trigger emotions she had thought dormant.

She was still so angry at him, but part of her anger stemmed from the fact that he could kiss her so passionately and then act like she was nothing. It felt juvenile to expect more from an event that happened while he was half asleep. For all she knew, he barely remembered it, or he just didn't care. It was definitely the latter because she could tell he remembered. Well, one thing Sakura had promised herself was that she wasn't going to let her being revolve around another man again. She had been doing well so far, and she planned on keeping it that way. But damn, it was hard not to think about it. Why did he have to go and kiss her? Certainly, no matter how she tried to spin it, you had to be remotely attracted to someone to do that.

Perhaps Gaara was attracted to her. It wouldn't be wishful thinking to believe that. Ino always told her how pretty she was. If he was attracted to her, would that be something she would be willing to indulge in, she asked herself. Obviously, she was attracted to him as well, judging by how she kissed him back that day. Either that, or she was just plain horny. She wasn't naive enough not to know there were people who entered purely physical relationships based on attraction. Ino had advised her to lose her virginity to some random guy, citing that she had lost hers on a solo mission in Kirigakure. Sakura had considered it but couldn't muster up the attraction with any of the guys she had met, much less try to get to the final base with them.

Sakura shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts. "Why am I thinking about this anyway? It's not like I'm going to do anything with Gaara. I'm still pissed at him." With that resolution, she focused her mind on the history book in front of her. It contained records about dangerous pandemics and epidemics caused by different infectious viruses. Quite a few very small villages had been wiped out due to some virus or another. She knew things like that happened. She had been sent on missions to help such villages, but it was still shocking to see the death toll. The more she thought about it, the more she began to doubt the virus theory. It just didn't match with the fast-paced spread of pandemics.

But then, what could it be? she thought, her brain pondering different theories. A recreational drug gone wrong? No, it can't be. Married women with good jobs and seemingly stable families—chances of them doing drugs are low. What is the connection? She had to find the common ground. What did they lack in their lives? Where had they been?

A small knock sounded on the door, distracting her. Sakura raised her head to see who it was, not aware there was someone else at home.

"Oh," Sakura muttered when the door opened to reveal an older, robust woman with a kind face in a black and white apron.

"Lady Sakura, would you like me to serve you now? Lunch is ready."

"No, thank you. I'll serve myself later. I'm quite busy at the moment. Thank you."

The woman nodded respectfully before excusing herself. Sakura breathed out a sigh. She was not used to being served. She had never even had a maid before; getting used to it was going to take some time. She dipped her head to continue reading her history book.

She didn't know how long she had been in the library, but when her stomach growled for the third time, she knew she couldn't ignore her hunger anymore. Stretching as she stood up, she realized it was easy to lose track of time here. The orange hues of sunset emanating from the clerestory windows indicated she had spent way too much time in the library.

She was in the process of placing the books back on the shelf when the library doors shut suddenly, making a noise that startled Sakura so much that she almost dropped the books in her arms.

Sakura looked sharply towards the direction of the noise, her eyes widening when she saw Gaara standing in front of the closed doors.

What is he doing here? Sakura wondered. She was trying to keep her distance, but he was making it hard by showing up everywhere she was. It didn't help that he was so attractive, and every time she saw him, her mind replayed that day in his room.

She groaned internally and swiftly averted her eyes. It didn't matter; she needed to leave as usual. Yes, she was going to pretend she hadn't been thinking of him all day.

With her small notebook and pen in her hands, she made a swift walk for the door. Gaara watched from where he was leaned against one of the bookshelves.

When she reached the entrance door, she twisted the doorknob like she had done so many times before, but to her surprise, it wouldn't open. What the… She tried again and again, but the door still wouldn't budge. Her hands were still on the handle, contemplating what to do, as realization dawned on her that Gaara had locked them in together. Her heart thudded in her chest. She was alone with Gaara in this library.

After calming herself with deep breaths, she turned slowly to face him, her mouth set in a thin line.

"Whatever you think you're doing, it's not funny. I've had a really long day, so open the doors," she said evenly.

His face showed no reaction, but he could feel his mouth threatening to pull into a frown. Be calm, apologize, and leave, he told himself.

"We need to talk about the other day," he said simply, his sea-foam eyes trained on her.

For a second Sakura was confused about what day he meant, was it the day he shut her down in front of Keita or the day he kissed her...

And this seemed like a good way to do that?" Sakura snapped, her confusion giving way to frustration, referring to him locking her in. "I really do not wish to talk to you."

"You've been avoiding me," Gaara said, disregarding her latter statement.

"And if I was?" Sakura replied, her tone biting, her eyes meeting his, refusing to be intimidated.

Apologize and leave, he kept telling himself. She is angry, so her petulant behavior is understandable. But the part of him that was riled and aroused by her combative behavior was stronger, and he found himself wanting to indulge.

"Are you always this petulant when someone doesn't agree with you?" he asked instead.

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm… Sakura told herself as she tried and failed repeatedly to calm herself through controlled breaths.

"Petulant?" She snapped, her eyes heated on him. "You realize you didn't just disagree with me. You totally shut me down and disrespected me in front of Keita, and you dare refer to me as petulant? You're unbelievable, Gaara! You expect me to just agree to talk to you because you said so? Why? Because I'm not supposed to talk unless I'm addressed by the Kazekage?" She made a gesture quoting his statement to her.

A small wince crossed his features, but he didn't say anything. He wanted her to let it all out.

She took a breath to steady her raging emotions, tossing her head in frustration. "Do you know how small you made me feel that day? If this is the way you treat the women around you, then frankly, I'm disappointed." Sakura was trying hard to stay composed and not let her eyes well up with angry tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him.

Gaara considered her with more curious, softened jade eyes. She had averted her gaze, her hands folded on her chest. He didn't understand why, but the feeling of guilt kept creeping up on him, and it made him uneasy. He hadn't realized his words had hurt her that much. He understood why she felt the way she did. Being a kunoichi came with struggles he would never understand as a man, and he had unfortunately added to those struggles in his anger. Gaara wasn't one to disrespect the women in his life, so he was indeed disappointed in himself.

"If you have nothing else to say, then I'd like to leave," Sakura said, still with her arms crossed on her chest. She was more calm now, the only indication of anger being the faint red hue on her cheeks and the skin of her collarbones. It was hard not to notice the rise and fall of her ample bosom with each breath she took. Her hands across her chest further accentuated her form. It didn't help that the form-fitting top and tights she wore hugged her slender body, showing every outline, curve, and slope. He imagined how it would feel to trace all those lines with his bare hands, the noises she would make—

Focus.

Gaara sighed in weary resignation. All this back and forth with her was getting him hot in more ways than one. Gaara couldn't remember the last time he had felt the need to apologize to anyone. He knew he still evoked fear among those around him, and he'd admit he used that to his advantage most times. He's had a few, maybe more, relations with the opposite sex than he'd admit, but one thing that was constant was how eager to please they always were. They never opposed him, even when he was deliberately being mean.

Maybe that's what had been missing. Sakura's defiance and audacity only made her more interesting to him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did. I was frustrated and felt like you both hid things from me, but that's not an excuse. I was rude, and I'm sorry."

Sakura was clearly taken aback; she didn't expect an apology from Gaara, and a pretty good one at that. He could have just given a surface-level apology, but he didn't. She hated how easily her heart jumped to forgive him but sighed in acceptance—that was really all she had wanted.

"Thank you for apologizing," she mumbled. "Although I don't know why you would think that I or Keita would want to hide something like that."

His lips curled in annoyance. Of course, she was still trying to defend him. "For god's sake, Sakura, he found out a month ago. He had no excuse. Stop trying to stick up for him," he said resolutely.

Sakura knew she should probably leave it. He apologized, and she was okay with that. Things were okay now. Just leave. But she didn't want him going around thinking things were being hidden from him.

"Gaara, he only did that because he was not sure. He's not a medical ninja. He needed more evidence—"

Gaara was pissed now. "Which is why he should have told me immediately. This is not something you wait for. You're a medic. You should know better, but whatever thing you have for Keita makes you blind to see that he was wrong." He bit back at her.

Sakura stared at him as if he had two heads. "What on earth are you talking about?" she questioned. What thing does she have for Keita? Surely he didn't think—

He took a step towards her. "Why do you keep defending him? Do you like him?"

Sakura unknowingly took a step back, the sudden question making her stutter. "W-What? He's my friend," was the only reply her brain could conjure up at the moment. After she regained her composure, she replied more confidently, "And who I like is none of your business, Gaara. Don't be unprofessional."

"Unprofessional."

Gaara mulled the word in his head several times. He supposed his relationship with Sakura had always been more on the professional side. Pleasant greetings from her, a nod from him in acknowledgment. She had hosted him a couple of times during his visits to Konoha, and they would engage in small talk and nothing more. But surely, since being here, she had to be really naïve if she couldn't tell he wanted her. He couldn't help but internally scoff at her silly talks about professionalism. Perhaps he needed to be a bit more direct.

"You didn't care about professionalism when your tongue was down my throat," he replied calmly, his voice devoid of emotions. He had his seafoam eyes trained on her, waiting for her reaction. Riling her up was quickly becoming his favorite thing to do.

Sakura blinked her wide eyes before looking away immediately. She could feel her cheeks heating up with fury, embarrassment, or both. For a minute or two—or five—she did not know what to say.

Gaara's blunt statement hung in the air, the silence between them growing heavier. Sakura felt the weight of his words settle in, the memory of their kiss flashing vividly in her mind. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Sakura's reaction pleased him very much indeed. If her eyes weren't avoiding his like the plague, she would have seen the small smirk on his lips.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" he goaded.

"You-You kissed me first!" she finally managed to croak out with flushed cheeks. Her lips tingled as she remembered the feel of his lips, but her doe eyes glared at him accusingly still.

"I did…" Gaara admitted, taking a step towards her. "But you didn't stop it either…Why?" He had his head cocked to the side as he curiously awaited her reply.

Why? Good question…she had been asking herself the same thing for weeks. Sakura was panicking, her head was blank and she couldn't think of anything meaningful to say. Why was he asking her that? So she said the first thing that popped in her head-

"I- It was a mistake-" she cringed as soon the cliché word left her lips. She suddenly felt the urge to run. Subconsciously, she took a step back but he followed her with another step. Still, she refused to meet his gaze. Being this close was making her dizzy.

"Sakura," his voice was breathy and commanding. He shouldn't say her name like that. It's almost like he wants her, she thought.

Still, it got her, forcing her to look at him. He was closer than she thought and the look she saw in his eyes made her breath hitch. She could recognize that look anywhere; it was the same look from that day in his room. It was like looking in a mirror and it terrified her and excited her at the same time.

He took one step towards her and then another, the sun had fully set and its red hues cast a deep glow through the library, making the setting feel more clandestine than it should be. He was standing right in front of her now, and she could perceive his scent; he smelled just as she expected, like sandalwood and cinnamon.

"Why didn't you stop it?" he asked again, his hands moving to tuck a stray strand behind her ear, cupping her face to meet his. His touch was warm against her cool skin, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I-I don't know," she whispered, even as her breath grew shorter, and his eyes seemed to pull her in closer and closer. It was happening again, and she was letting it happen again. She could tell him to stop, but she realized with horror that she didn't want him to.

"Sure you do," he replied huskily, staring deeply into her emerald eyes, his fingers rubbing soft circles on the pulse points of her neck where he held her face to his, pulling her closer. The gentle pressure of his fingertips sent waves of heat coursing through her body, pooling in her belly.

Alarmed by her response to him, Sakura flushed crimson. "This is a mistake," she panted. Her breath caressed his seeking lips, warm and shaky.

Strangled breaths escaped her as she tried to will her body to stop its betrayal. Her lips were parted oh so softly, and he couldn't resist the opportunity to capture her lips. "Then"—he spread her lips apart with his—"stop"—and he traced the inside of her lips with his, seeking entrance—"me," he said into her mouth.

Sakura's resolve melted as he sucked on her lips and Gaara closed his eyes to savour the sensation of the lips he had been obsessed with for days. This was what he had been craving, and it was everything he imagined and more. One hand encircled her waist as he pulled her flush against him, her soft curves pressing against his hard frame. She gasped, and he kissed her deeper.

She should be trying to stop him. She had made a pact to stay away from him, for gods-sake, but for some reason, she couldn't get her mind to function properly, not with him devouring her mouth like a man possessed. She tried weakly to push him away, but using his unoccupied hand, he grabbed hers and pinned it to the door.

This was improper—but his tongue was in her mouth, and his lips were warm—no, hot against hers. Her eyes were drifting… drifting shut as his lips caressed her into sweet oblivion. The faint sound of their mingled breaths filled the space, the library's silence amplifying every whisper and moan.

Sakura began to respond to his kiss with as much fervour. What was she to do when she was being kissed like that? She could feel his smirk against her lips, but she didn't care anymore. He unpinned her hands from the wall, and her hands fell limply at her sides. Tentatively, her hands reached to his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath his shirt, then shoulders, and before she knew it, they were fully encircling his neck, bringing him closer. She was doomed.

Sakura didn't know how they got here. The last thing she remembered was being hoisted up by Gaara in between frenzied kissing, and now she was arranged on Gaara's lap in one of the library chairs, her long legs on either side of him. The old leather creaked softly beneath them, the sound blending with their heavy breaths.

Gaara's free hand traveled to her ribcage, then trailed upwards, dangerously close to her breasts, before sliding back down. His hands slipped under her shirt, touching her bare skin. The contrast between his calloused fingertips and her smooth skin sent shivers through her, and she lightly moaned into the kiss. Her moan was music to his ears; he needed to hear more. Her skin was so soft against his hands.

Sakura broke the kiss and arched into him as he brushed the sides of her breasts, giving him her neck. She moaned again when he began to nibble and kiss along her neck, his breath heavy and warm against her skin. He squeezed her breasts gently, and she became a mewling mess. Gaara might just get addicted to the sounds she was making. Her slender fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him closer to her. The silky strands of his hair felt like velvet against her fingertips.

Suddenly, her hips shifted, legs tightening around him, bringing her flush with his now painful erection. He hissed, the sound a mix of pleasure and pain, and she could feel her smirk against his skin as she nuzzled his neck. The scent of her hair, a delicate mix of strawberry scented shampoo and her natural scent, filled his senses, making his head spin. Gaara grunted as she started to plant soft kisses on his neck. Her hips shifted against his hardness again and then again, soon moving rhythmically. Gaara could hardly believe this was real. The Sakura Haruno, here with him, in this moment. She began to pant, and Gaara brought his lips to hers again, swallowing her moans while his other hand squeezed her breasts, twisting one nipple with his fingers.

"Gaara," she cried, breaking away from the kiss as her hips picked up pace. He didn't miss a beat, his mouth latching onto one of her mounds, making her arch her back in pleasure, unconsciously providing him with more leverage.

"Oh, god," she moaned, her hands holding his head against her breasts. With his other hand, he grabbed onto her ass, positioning them to have the friction they sought. Gaara moved his greedy mouth to her other breast. They were the perfect size for his hand, so pretty and just the right fit. He squeezed softly, watching her writhe on top of him. He could only imagine what it would feel like to actually be inside her if this felt so good.

With hazy eyes, she pulled his face to hers, kissing him, it was sloppy, needy and he returned it with equal energy as his hands continued their ministrations on her breasts. Their kisses became more frantic, even more heated as they continued to grind shamelessly against each other.

"I'm going...I'm going to..." Sakura suddenly cried into his mouth, her body stiffening. Gaara released her mouth and tipped his head back to watch her beautiful face as she rode the wave of release. It was the look on her face, the blissful surrender that pushed him into an unexpected release of his own.

Gaara couldn't remember the last time he came that hard.

She opened her eyes, their gazes locking, neither having anything to say. Their breath mingled, pounding hearts filling the silence in the library. All too soon, the spell was broken by a resounding knock that reverberated through the library doors, pulling them back to reality.

A/N: keeps shutting down and all. Had to upload with my phone...more updates to come.