Naruto felt something was very wrong. It was too quiet. He felt heaviness in his stomach and even the snickers of his resident demon told him so. Three days had passed since the group had met with Gaara of the Desert and his two siblings. Sakura had missed training since then. It wasn’t like her. She was always early and not even a cold kept her from training.


“Sasuke!”


Sasuke’s dark hair fell into his face as he turned towards Naruto. He was not in a good mood and Naruto was making it worse. Sasuke sent Naruto a hateful glare. He had been in a rotten mood that tumbled on a downward spiral since their meeting with Gaara. Naruto’s blue eyes took him aback. They were intense and held no room for banter or play.

Naruto ran up to Sasuke. He was panting and dripping in sweat. Naruto put his head down to catch his breath and looked up at Naruto with a look of sheer terror and panic. Sasuke took Naruto’s distress seriously, “What’s the matter, Naruto?”  


“Sakura!”


Sasuke furrowed his brow in irritation. It had been quiet the last few days and he was relishing in the peace. He rolled his eyes and wondered what about Sakura could be so dire. “What does Sakura,” he snapped, “have to do with anything?”

“She’s missing! Sasuke, her parents haven’t seen her in days! She could be in trouble!” Naruto shouted. He snarled at Sasuke’s indifference, “We have to help her!”

Naruto had not been this serious since their mission in the Land of Mist. Sasuke decided not to let this go. Naruto was too unlike himself to write this off. “What do you think happened to her?” Sasuke asked Naruto.

Sasuke actually cared about Sakura’s wellbeing, regardless of what he said to her. She had always been sensible and reliable. She tried hard, but her best was not good enough. Either she had the wrong teacher, or she would never become a real ninja.

Still, she was responsible where the two male parts of the team lacked this particular quality. She would have told them if she was leaving or if she would not be able to come in to train, not that she missed training. She would have told her parents if she were leaving as well. It was not like her to be so regardless. Suddenly, Naruto’s ramblings and scenarios seemed very real and Sasuke began to panic inwardly.

Sasuke was about to ask Naruto about what they should do next when he saw Naruto’s blue eyes grow wide beneath the shock of his blonde hair. Sasuke followed the blonde’s gaze. Sasuke suddenly felt like a fool for letting Naruto’s incessant babblings worry him. Sakura was there.

Naruto called her name so loudly that Sasuke winced as it berated his ears. Sasuke watched as Naruto bounded at her to give her a big hug. Sasuke almost smiled with relief that Sakura was alright. She was fine. She was here with them. She was still their Sakura. She was still his.

However, Sakura was not smiling at Naruto. She was not angry with him either. Her pink hair fluttered in the breeze and it reminded Sasuke of the trees in spring. His relief turned into fear when he noticed something was wrong with her. Her body was limp though. She looked like a lifeless doll walking around without a care in the world. There was a permanent look of indifference on her face that even Sasuke envied in its entirety. Naruto paused.

He tottered in front of her and asked her in a hushed voice, “Sakura,” he hesitate, unsure of how to approach this fragile looking girl, “are you alright?” Naruto’s blue eyes stayed wide with apprehension.

“She’s fine.” A mature, cultured voice spoke. Naruto and Sasuke’s mouths were open in shock. Gaara of the Sand was the owner of the voice. Despite his reserved voice, his naked brow was stern and his mouth was drawn up in a scowl.

Sakura turned her attention to her new companion and said his name. His face relaxed and his eyes became indifferent if not gentle. She tugged on the white sash on his waist, signaling she wanted to leave. He glared one more time at the two boys and turned his full attention to her.

“Gaara,” she said again. Her voice was softer than either of her teammates had ever heard it before. Her two teammates were unnerved. She had always been weak, but she had a strong personality. The two looked nervously at each other, questioning the other what could be wrong with Sakura.

Gaara smirked at the two. He tilted his head and turned his chin up at the Uchiha. His mannerisms were cocky but the cultured voice said, “Farewell, Uchiha,” was controlled. Gaara ignored Naruto and began to walk away, Sakura holding onto the slack fabric of the back of his sash. She did not look back at them.

Naruto gasped, “Wait!” He called out impulsively. He ran after Sakura and went to grab the top of her arm to keep her form leaving. His fingers missed their chance to brush against her skin when he felt his arm trapped in the cast-iron grip of the Sand ninja. Naruto winced as he felt the flesh of Gaara’s hands press into his hard enough to bruise.

The two sets of blue eyes clashed violently enough to cause lightning to strike. Naruto stilled called out to Sakura, “Sakura? What’s going on?”

Gaara glowered at Naruto, “Do not address her.” He continued, his voice growing slightly harsher with each syllable, “Do not touch her. It is advisable that you mind your distance from your betters.”

Gaara had reasoned that as the son of the Kazekage’s companion, she should be treated as any other member of the Kazekage’s household. He knew that either Temari or Kankuro would be the next Kazekage, as tradition decreed, or even he if worst came to worse. Sakura would be treated as a lady in Suna on her arrival there, so her village needed to start to treat her as such and with proper respect.

Naruto furrowed his fair brow. This was the most he had heard the Sand ninja speak since they had met three days ago. He remembered that this Sand ninja had only paid attention to Sasuke. Gaara had not even glanced at Naruto. Sakura was not even in the boy’s perception. He then remembered that Gaara had been Sakura’s primary focus. She was petrified the moment she had seen Gaara. Now she was clinging to him. It did not make any sense at all.

“Sakura is our teammate,” Sasuke said. His tone was cold and hard as steel, “She may speak to us and we may speak to her whenever either sees fit.” He glared at Gaara to drive emphasis into his words, “We are equals.”

Sasuke would never accept Sakura as his equal. It would not matter how strong she became. Naruto wasn’t even his equal. Nevertheless, Sakura had captured the eye of one of the most elite ninja in Konoha.

Gaara regarded her as his own. It was as if she were his property to do with as she pleased. That was what angered Sasuke. He did not want to accept Sakura as someone else’s and he was not sure why. Sasuke looked over to Naruto and saw he had come to the same conclusion. Neither of them was going to accept this.

She was their friend, though Sasuke would never admit it aloud and hoped his actions would speak louder than his words. He cared for her and he would not let anyone hurt her in any way. He also hated being ordered around by others. Moreover, this Sand runt was not any different.

“Sakura…” Naruto tried again as the grip on his wrist increased in pressure, “your parents are worried… they don’t know what happened to you…”  

“She is staying with me.” Gaara spoke blatantly. Naruto growled, “Hey! Why not let her answer!” Naruto had snapped although his better judgment told his it was a bad idea. He hated the way the Sand ninja was treating her. He would not stand to see Sakura treated like some sort of-- He did not know how he was treating her, but he did not like it at all. Her eyes had become dull and listless and were no longer the emerald gems that Naruto cherished. It was the same as killing her.

“She need not speak to you.  She is my ‘Sakura’.” Gaara cast a smug glance at the glowering Uchiha and added, “She always has been.”


“That’s a lie!” Naruto screamed.


“Naruto, be quite.” Sasuke wasn’t any happier with the situation. He knew better than to make a scene in public though. “We’ll go to the Hokage,” Sasuke said. The sand ninja was here as a guest. Guests were expected to act properly and accordingly. Kidnapping was not something a political guest should do. Naruto barked, “But Sakura!”

“NARUTO!” Sasuke was at the end of his patience. Naruto closed his mouth into a pout. Neither of them was happy with the situation, but there was nothing they could do. They would have to leave Sakura with the Sand ninja until they could retrieve her properly without causing any political strife. If Gaara had been from Konoha, they could have dealt with it themselves. Personally, Sasuke would have had no qualms about beating the Sand ninja from within an inch of his life and returning her friend to the safety of her home.

He gritted his teeth, “I hope for your sake nothing happens to her while we’re away.” Sasuke led Naruto away from the Sand ninja. Gaara simply watched them. He shot them a glance that said ‘I haven’t hurt her yet, retard, but I could if I wanted to.’ Sasuke despised that look.

Sakura watched her two teammates leave. She did not feel anything as they left. She watched them until they were out of sight. Her gaze returned to Gaara. He was eyeing her carefully. He was waiting to see how she would react to seeing her old teammates. She smiled at him and waited for his acknowledgement. When he nodded, she received it obediently and followed him. She looked up at the sky and smiled, it was such a nice day.

Gaara took her to the woods. He had done that yesterday too. She liked the woods. She seemed happier to him there than on the streets of Konoha. The woods smelled innocent. They were clean, fresh, and like potpourri. She seemed to like it. Therefore, Gaara took her to the woods as often as he could. She stopped at his side, waiting for him to tell her what to do. He told her to sit down in the clearing they had reached.

She did what she was told to do. She always did what he told her to do. She always said what he wanted to hear. It was only fair. She had traded her existence for a flower. Now he had come back to reap the benefits. She realized, now that she was older, that it was not the best decision she had ever made, but she would live with the consequences nonetheless.

Gaara seated himself in front of her. He stared at her and she allowed it. Her gaze wandered from place to place as the mutual silence stretched on. He leaned forward, brushed her hair from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. He was worried about her. She was so… listless. He watched her head turn towards him and he realized he had captured her attention.

He was the one who spoke, “Smile for me, like you used to.” She had rarely smiled during their brief meeting as children, but when she did, she was more glorious and brilliant than when she was angered. Most of the expressions she had were those of sadness or pleading. He remembered for one instant how she shown in her blaze of female fury. She had been ‘breathtaking’; he had finally found the right word to describe it. Gaara doubted he would ever see such expressions again.

Sakura smiled, but only because he told her to. She always did what he told her to do. Gaara admitted that this made life easier, but he silently missed the headstrong girl he had …he did not know what.

She watched him. He had told her she was a good girl when they were alone at night, when he held her close to his body alone in his bed. She thought that it might comfort him immensely just to hold onto her as she dreamed. It seemed he felt that if he did not hold onto her, she would disappear.

However, she would never leave him. She promised she would stay, so she would. She would be with him forever. Her mind began to rush and her make-believe bliss was about to shatter. She forced herself to calm down. She wanted everything to drift by blissfully and beautifully. She thought about it carefully, if she realized she hated this, it just might kill her. She smiled and he placed his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his hand and he sighed with relief. All she had to do was smile. That was all it took to please him. Therefore, she did.

“Gaara.” Gaara turned to see his sister Temari. He glared at her. He knew she was only going to tell him she always told him. Gaara watched her gaze drift to his hand holding Sakura’s hand. He did not care whether she approved or not. He stared at her unfeelingly. He could not understand how she felt no qualms about him slaughtering opponent after opponent but she would not let him find joy in something that did not involve killing.

He felt connected to Sakura. He had been alone and hated for his whole life, even by the sister that stood in front of him now. Sakura was his. He had the right to do with her as he pleased, and it just so pleased him to find happiness in her. She would not hurt him as his village had. She would not betray him like his beloved Uncle Yashamaru had. He could trust her and relax in her presence, and that was what he had been looking for his entire life. That is what love was said to be. His glare deepened as he tried to understand how his sister, who says she loved him now, could not be happy for him.

“What is it, Temari?” he glowered. He had been in such a good mood before she had appeared. Temari understood her younger brother did not want to discuss it, but Sakura’s empty stare from in front of him compelled her to make her youngest brother see reason.

She straightened her back. Sakura was a human being. He was hurting her and he did not understand. She had to make him understand for her sake, as well as his. He was torturing her. He was not so much of a monster and she was determined to keep him from becoming more of one. Whenever he killed, he made it painless. She looked at her baby brother, whose birth took their mother’s life, and wanted to believe there was some humanity left in him.

She looked down at him, “You shouldn’t be doing this, it isn’t right, Gaara.” She was like a broken record perpetually trapped on repeat. He glared at her. Temari cleared her throat; she wanted to give up. There was no way to reach him now. Maybe, if she had been kinder and showed she loved him, he would not have become this way. Nevertheless, it was probably too late.

Temari was about to turn around when she saw Sakura’s empty stare again. She was so obedient and meek that it made Temari sick. “She has a family!”

Gaara refused to acknowledge her. He let go of Sakura’s hand and stood up. Sakura stood up too. Temari realized how futile her excuses were. She knew that all the men they killed on missions had families too. She knew he knew that.

She had to give it another try. She took in a deep breath, “Dammit! You’re both just kids!” She screamed, “You shouldn’t be doing this sort of thing!” She clutched her hands to her mouth. Gaara turned his head and glared at her over his shoulder. “Giving me orders on behalf of our village is one thing,” he said coldly, “but you have no right to tell me what to do with my personal life.”

He turned around gracefully. He locked his eyes with Temari’s again and stared at her until she bowed her gaze. He walked past her and his natural grace emanated from him with every step he took. He moved like a magnificent predator. Sakura trailed behind him. Temari looked at Sakura’s dead eyes and turned away, her face burning with shame. She was too afraid of her own brother to stand up to him.

The two of them left the clearing in flourish. Gaara looked at Sakura and grabbed her hand. He laced their fingers and pulled her to his side as they walked down the busy streets of the Village. He calmed when he saw that the stares he received were only the stares that one gives a foreigner. He felt good about it. At home in Suna, the stares he felt where full of terror and hatred. He took a deep breath and looked at Sakura. He wondered if she was hungry.

They stopped in front of the hotel were he was staying. They walked through the lobby and he hastily made his way to his room. He pulled his room key out of his pocket, slid it into the key hole, and turned it. He opened the door and pulled Sakura inside. She walked in and stood in front of the door, waiting for him to lock it and tell her where to go.

He took her hand, gently, and walked into the room. He led her to the bed and she sat down. He went to the mini-fridge and pulled out some prepackaged cakes. He shoved them back in. He did not even want to look at food right now. He was too upset.

He looked at her. He walked to the window, looked at her again, and walked back to the fridge. He began to pace back and forth, trying to calm himself. Gaara ruffled his red hair in his anxiety. Sakura watched him. He began to mumble.

Sakura allowed her mind to wander as Gaara paced back and forth violently. She felt her deeper thoughts of treason begin to surface. Beneath all of the acceptance and indifference she had built up to protect herself, she believed her teammates would come save her. They always had before.

The promises of children should never be upheld. Children are stupid, and she was no different. She felt that if things had been different, she would still be a child with silly dreams and the stupid belief in promises all children had. Gaara swooped back into her life. He was no longer the stubborn and endearing boy she remembered. He did not become a fairytale prince, but a boy with a monster beneath his skin. He sacred her. He was like a beast that was waiting to devour her.


“Sakura…”


She blinked and hastily buried her hidden intentions. She focused on Gaara who was still pacing the hardwood floor, barely making a sound. He stopped in front of her and knelt on the ground in front of her. He held her hands imploringly. He stared at her with the scared eyes of a young child. His eyes glistened in the rosy light of sunset, “Sakura, you’ll… never leave me, will you?”

She smiled at him. She smiled through her thoughts of running away from him and to other men. “No, Gaara,” she cooed, “I’ll never leave you.” He looked at her with his lost, pleading eyes and she rested her hand on his cheek, “I’m yours until the end of time, and nothing will ever change that.”

He smiled back, his blue eyes gentle and sweet. She felt her pulse speed up. It must have been an illusion. However, she felt the muscles of his face form a smile. He looked down suddenly and shook his head. He looked at the window with a look of pure hatred that sharpened each feature. He gripped her hands tightly and she winced.


“That damned Uchiha… he’ll try to take you away from me…”


She strengthened her resolve and tried to defuse his rage. She gently whispered to him that she would never leave him no matter what. She ran her fingers through his wild red hair and he calmed. He rested his head in her lap and stared off vacantly. This was the only rest he ever indulged in and Sakura was always more than happy to help him any way she could. She continued to brush his hair with her fingers and she hummed an old lullaby her mother once sang to her. She felt him move away from her. She moved to the middle of the bed, he laid down next to her, and he placed his head in her lap once more. She continued to comfort him as she watched the moon rise through the open window.

Gaara had developed a habit of walking through the village during the day. He also did at night, but he left Sakura at the hotel. He confessed an odd fascination with the mannerisms of the people he saw.

He told her that the people of his village, Suna, reacted to him with intense displays of hate, fear, and mistrust. She believed him. There was a twang in his normally indifferent voice when he told her. He liked that the people of Konoha subjected him to the same mistrust any foreigner received. He told her it was refreshing not be called a monster by everyone he passed.

She listened to him carefully. He told her that he grew up alone and only left his village once. He had gone with his uncle to Konoha on an errand for his father. She nodded. He told her that was the day they had met. He told her he was taken aback by the fact she did not run from him. He told her that his uncle, whom he had loved dearly and trusted with his life, tried to kill him on his father’s orders shortly after. Sakura gritted her teeth. Gaara said what was worst was that his uncle wanted to kill him. He held his head and pulled at his red hair. She coaxed him to relax. He did. He stopped talking and he stared off at the ceiling.

She felt herself drifting into sleep. She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She was tired. Gaara noticed she had stopped moving. He pushed himself up and looked at her sleeping face. It was peaceful. He picked her up and gently rested her head on one of the pillows on the bed. He bent in close to her face and withdrew. He pulled the covers over them and he stared at her the rest of the night.



The next day he waited for her to wake up. When she did, he ordered two breakfasts for them. She picked at the food. He wondered if he should have asked her what she wanted. He then wondered if he would have gotten a response. She ignored her scrambled eggs and toast but ate her bacon and sausage. She drank her milk and ate a few slices of an orange. When they had both washed up, they left for the village.

Gaara developed a new habit this morning. He was still shaken by their encounter with Sakura’s teammates. He was more upset than he had led her to believe. She secretly hoped his fears of them stealing her away would come true. He clutched her hand tightly as they strode past the people of her village. If someone looked at her, his grip would tighten and he would pull her closer. Other times he would let go of her hand only to hold her upper arm and he would cling to her like he once had to his discarded teddy bear.


“Sakura…”


She turned and glanced at him as they past the school that Sakura had recently graduated from. He stared at her intently and the corners of his mouth sunk. “They call you Sakura, but they shouldn’t. It’s too familiar. They should call you Lady Sakura. It’s only right now. Don’t you believe so, Sakura?”

She wanted to tell him ‘No’. It was not overly familiar at all. Sasuke and Naruto were her teammates if nothing else, and they could call her what they wanted to. She was not above them in the least, and neither was he.

She simply smiled at him. She squeezed his had slightly, “It’s alright, don’t worry,” she smiled, “I’m yours, all yours.” Sakura continued, “They will never take me away because I belong to you. I’ve always been yours, only yours.” It hit her that what she had just said was true. She felt like crying when she realized that no matter what feelings she had for Sasuke, they would never become anything. Gaara would have come back into her life. He had made a promise, and he was a man of his word.