A/N: As you can see, I'm on an update frenzy. WHOO! Glad to have finally updated this. I wanted something sweet to write, and GaaSaku had given me the perfect opportunity, especially with a little angst somewhere thrown in there. Not to mention, some Shukaku! I love writing about inner demons. They're so...evil. :D

A bit of OOCness, but it's expected, since this is FANFICTION.

So here's part two of the three-shot, Ode to Fangirlism: Gaara's point of view!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other characters of the series. If I did, I'd be stinkin' rich.

Gaara's POV

It wasn't very long ago when Haruno Sakura walked into my life.

She was the jounin medic-nin assigned to help retrain the Suna medical forces, thanks to the suggestion of the Fifth Hokage. It was proven useful to have medics on every squad, lowering casualties and raising performance rates. For the well being of my village, I had agreed to it.

My siblings, Kankuro and Temari, welcomed her gladly, even asking her companions to stay over for the night and rest. I had the seven of them in my office the moment they arrived.

"Nice to see you again, Kazekage-sama," They each greeted as they walked through my door.

"So I'm guessing Haruno-san will be our guest for the next six months, am I right?" I asked, giving a small smirk to acknowledge that they were my friends. Naruto left several little notes around my compound last time he was here reminding me not to scare off friends, because they're 'awesome beyond comparison'.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." The pink-haired medic answered.

I had met Haruno Sakura years ago. She was Naruto's teammate, but I never paid much mind to her. Of course, she helped in rescuing Matsuri, and by then she was under the Fifth Hokage's medical tutelage. Back then, her medical skills were nothing too flashy, but since she's now a jounin and was the recommendation for the medical course, she has become very, very noticeable.

'And she's pretty,' Said a voice in my head.

'Not now, Shukaku.' I said, quieting it. I realized now, that regardless of how civil my inner demon has become over the past few years, he's still an animal, and animals are very, very...well, a common goal for all is to find a mate. And with an attractive female figure around the manor for an extended period of time...

'You just called her attractive.'Shukaku noted.

How awkward was this gonna be.

My older sister had to aggravate the situation more by taking her shopping. Sakura's new form of dress was very decent, yes, but I do believe my sister chose a more body hugging outfit for a reason. Luckily, she was very well covered, and my suspicions could wait after I settle another set of Kazekage duties.

~O~

"Kazekage-sama, I just needed to drop off the report on how the medical students are doing." Sakura said, entering my office.

"Of course, Haruno." I replied passively, my mind full of other things to do. My assistant, Matsuri, was practically useless. I couldn't fire her though, because her father is a very valuable philanthropist of the country.

I was shifting through a few other papers as she was about to leave. Just then, I found another of Naruto (or Temari's, but I can only assume) 'social tips' in the pile. "friends don't call each other by last names!" was scrawled out in messy handwriting.

"Ah...Haruno." I called out just as she was walking out the door.

'Making friends, I see.'

'She's a valued member of the staff. And a friend of Naruto's.' I defended, not wanting to admit to Shukaku anything more.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama?" She addressed me formally.

"You don't have to refer to me so formally. After all, a friend of Naruto's is my friend too." I thought from the top of my head. She responded with a smile. It was pretty. I smiled back. Smiling is a sign of social graces.

"But Gaara-kun, you don't have to go around calling me by my last name either." She replied, calling me by my first name. I guess it was expected. And she would put the '-kun' there before, since I'm friends with Naruto. Then became Kazekage.

"Of course, Sakura." I replied politely, adding a curt nod. I was slightly amused by her energy. Naruto had rubbed off a lot on her. And...her eyes. They're a startling emerald green. I don't think I've seen such amazing orbs before.

She then sighed. "Panda, Panda, what am I to do with you?"

Only two people have been allowed to call me that. Temari and...regretfully, Naruto.

(in return, I call him Fishcake.)

"Do not forget I am authorized to fire you." I replied with a serious tone, meaning to make a joke, but I think I scared her off. She stopped her pretty laughter and practically ran out the door.

'Looks like you gotta work on your social skills, kid.'

I sobered up from the strange state the conversation with Haruno Sakura put me in and straightened up. Regardless of how flustered I was earlier (I do admit now that she's really, really pretty), I'm still a kazekage, and I still have kazekage things to attend to.

'Shukaku...is it proper for a kazekage to be...what's the word...dating?'

'Yup, your social skills definitely need work.'

~O~

I made my monthly visit to the hospital. It's in my duty to check in once in a while, especially with the special lessons given to the medics.

Plus, Sakura was helping out there during the weekend.

I was accompanied by my assistant, Matsuri. Of course, I have to keep her there for formalities. And it would be strange to go to the hospital alone. It wouldn't look official.

We walked the halls. I visited a few patients—valued shinobi that got hurt during missions I assigned them. As kazakage, I sometimes feel guilty for the assignment in the first place. Was this team appropriate for the mission? Were they prepared enough? Questions plague my mind about it often, but they just say that it's for the good of Suna.

The moment I removed myself from the room of an injured shinobi, a scattering of papers flew around the room, dropped by a certain owner of a chakra signature I was familiar with. I shifted my sand gourd to create an arm, catching the victim and the papers.

I set her down carefully. I knelt down beside her, helping her up.

"My bad, Gaara-kun. Sorry." She apologized, emerald eyes recognizing me. Somehow though, they were still not meeting my eyes. Was it humiliation?

No, Sakura wouldn't react like that.

Would she?

She then started feeling around the floor for something. A few feet away was a pair of red spectacles. I assumed the belonged to her, and picked it up.

"Looking for these?" I asked, offering them back to her.

"Ah, thank you, Panda." She accepted them gladly, slipping them on. She mumbled a few incoherent things to herself. She was talking to herself. Hmm.

She then recomposed herself and flashed me another of her wonderful smiles.

I felt myself melt.

"You're welcome...Cherry." I said, in payback for the nickname. I chuckled a bit until I saw her clearly confused. I caught myself, and inquired politely why she had glasses. She didn't seem to need them last time I saw her. But then again, that was two years ago.

She looked at me with a very serious expression. "Enemy interrogation techniques are low. REALLY LOW. But I wear contacts most of the time." She answered. Her stern emote faded, replaced by another of her smiles. "Thanks again, Gaara-kun."

She collected her papers and walked away. I was left there, wondering what had happened to her.

I smirked. However little information it was, Haruno Sakura had shared a bit of her history with me. By my standards, that was a lot. She trusted me.

I realized then that I liked getting to know Haruno Sakura.

~O~

I got another chance when I retreated to the roof of the Kazekage mansion. It was almost sunset—signing off time for most people—and I decided that I've done enough paper work for the day. I escaped from my extremely pushy guardian (I'm only fifteen...and a half), Baki. Personally, I noticed that those papers weren't of immediate need, and could wait until tomorrow.

The rooftop of the mansion was circular and flat, and was railed all around to avoid any accidents. The good part is, it offers a 360-degree view of the village.

And the sunset is beautiful in Suna.

The moment I arrived on the roof though, the sunset was obsolete.

"Ah, Gaara-kun. I didn't know you come up here." Sakura said, startled when she saw me come through the door. She was sitting on an abandoned crate, looking to the west of the building, watching the sun go down.

"No worries. I wasn't aware that you were up here either." I replied, walking towards her. Then I froze. "Do you want me to leave?" I asked politely. Over the past few weeks, my presence hasn't become her favorite. I knew this much, and regardless of my want to get close to her, I didn't want to come off as pushy.

"Oh, of course not!" She said, extending an arm as if trying to stop me from turning around. She then moved towards the edge of the crate, and pat the space beside her, as if beckoning me to sit with her.

I gladly obliged.

We sat in silence for a while, before she started describing how beautiful the sunset was—the colors, the warmth. I couldn't help but listen to her. It didn't matter that she was blurting out absolute nonsense (Naruto was know for that too). Being two inches away from her was...intoxicating.

'TAKE HER! Take her NOW!' Shukaku encouraged, obviously excited at my excitement.

I was going to take his advice...somewhat. But of course, I have too much respect to instantly bed the girl.

See, this is where having an older sister with an obsession for black-and-white romance films comes advantageous.

"Cherry," I whispered, almost to myself.

She turned around to face me, halting her speech. There was a pinkish tint on her cheeks, and the way her lips were slightly parted meant she was flustered. She slowly regained herself, and her lips curved together in a smile. "Gaara-kun, are you trying to get back at me for calling you 'Panda'?"

I had to laugh at that. "Maybe...but 'Cherry' is so fitting for you." I suddenly realized that I had unconsciously reached to stroke her hair. I stopped myself, and looked away awkwardly. Bad move.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um...anyways."

"Yeah..." I answered, unsure of what to say.

After another pregnant silence, she started talking.

"I haven't been getting much sleep." She stated, very out of the blue.

My head whipped around, somewhat in shock. She looked so healthy for someone not getting enough sleep. I had to wonder why.

"Why is that?" I questioned.

She sighed heavily, as if whatever was haunting her has been doing so for a while. "The mission that caused me to start wearing glasses...well, I woke up blind from it. And I'm scared to go to sleep and wake up not being able to see."

I could see the exhaustion in her face now. Though almost too light to be seen, there were dark circles under her eyes. She was pale. She was scared.

I felt like I've finally broken through a barrier. I've just learned her worst fear.

I'm not usually a sympathetic person, but to see her hurt...well, let's just say that she deserved sympathy from a fellow insomniac. I reached for her hand that was resting next to her and stroked it gently. She seemed surprised at first, but then relaxed in my hold.

"I know you can't sleep either." She then said.

"Yes." I simply stated. It was a truth I couldn't deny.

"I find it funny, actually. Naruto sleeps like a log, but you..." her voice trailed off as she studied my expression. "...you can't. At all."

I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Gaara-kun...what was the last time you slept peacefully?" She asked.

"I don't recall." I said.

Suddenly, I felt a small hand on my cheek. I then found myself staring at her eyes. They smiled at me.

"Next time, Gaara-kun," she started.

Before she could continue, I felt a disturbance in the village. Something powerful. Something that didn't belong.

"Gaara...?"

She felt it too. She saw it.

It was someone in a black and red cloak standing on a large, white bird. I didn't know who he was, but he wasn't from my village.

"Akatsuki..." Sakura identified him. "They wear those cloaks with the clouds."

I nodded, noting that they were after me. "I have to stop them, then."

She looked into my eyes, as if pleading me not to. But she knew that I had no choice. I'm the protector of this village after all.

My hand was still around hers as I stood up to leave. Before letting go of it, I planted a kiss on her knuckles. I then started to walk towards the door.

"Gaara-kun," Her voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Yes?"

"Make sure to come back alive." There was a hint of doubt in her voice, because she and I both knew full well that there was a chance that might not happen.

Her voice was the last thing I heard before blacking out.

'See you on the other side, kit.'

~O~

I knew that I was dead. I had accepted the darkness and the feeling of eternally falling. I told myself that this was what I've been expecting. Ironic, really. When my father was alive, he did everything to try and kill me. Now that he's dead, well, so am I.

I couldn't hear anything. Not even Shukaku. I figured that Akatsuki got him. At least I didn't have to spend eternity with him. In fact, I don't have to spend eternity with anyone.

Then it hit me: I was alone. Again. I didn't like the fact that I was never going to see my siblings again. I was never going to see Naruto again. I wasn't going to fulfill my promise to be a good Kazekage. I would never see Sakura again.

Sakura?

"Gaara!"

The distant cry wasn't Sakura. It was someone else. Naruto. Yeah, I remember. His voice changed a bit, but it's still him. I smiled. He can take care of everything from here, become Hokage, continue the peace...maybe even marry Sakura. Yeah, he could take care of her.

"Gaara!"

Naruto's voice got louder and clearer, as if I were approaching him. I looked down to my feet. They weren't moving. I wasn't moving. More like, I was suspended in nothingness.

"Gaara...please wake up."

I felt something fall on my face. Water. More specifically, a tear. Someone was crying for me? The voice wasn't Naruto's. It was feminine. It was hers.

"You promised to come back alive..." She said. "Please, don't let this be your first broken promise..."

I'm sorry, Sakura.

"Please, wake up."

I wasn't all to sure what to expect when I opened my eyes. I didn't even expect to open my eye to see light again. But there's the sun, brightening up Naruto's already golden hair.

I was slightly confused. I knew Naruto would be there (and in all honesty, he looked very different), but where was she?

I pushed myself to sit up. Naruto supported me with an orange-clad arm, telling me that I shouldn't move around a lot. I looked up. Several of Suna's shinobi standing around a clearing, along with a few members of Konoha Twelve.

Naruto gave me a sober smile, then looked in another direction. I followed his gaze to see Elder Chiyo, unconscious in Sakura's arms.

Sakura. I tried to say, but my throat was so dry.

She met my gaze with wet eyes. "It was all her." She said, looking back down at the older woman.

A subordinate of mine got Chiyo from Sakura's arms. Struggling to do so. She wouldn't let anyone see, but rivers practically flowed out of her eyes.

The second Chiyo was out of her arms, I reached out for her. She saw me, a gave a relieved smile. She let my wipe away the tears from her cheeks. She knelt closer, placing her forehead on mine. I felt her lean into my palm, letting her relax into me. Her arms were on my shoulders as if she were supporting herself.

"Don't ever do that again," She told me in a hushed voice. I could see in her eyes the panic she held a while before.

I felt myself smile. She gave a tired one back. I then realized her clothes were ripped in certain areas. There was a large rip across her abdomen, the white fabric and underlying mesh stained a deep red. I traced the cloth, but saw no wound.

"You got hurt," I noticed.

My eyes went back to her face as she spoke. "We all tried our best to get you back," she explained. "The Akatsuki got a lucky shot." She joked. "Besides, you shouldn't worry. You're the one that died!"

I almost completely ignored her outburst, until it struck me that I had died. I was dead. "But you got hurt. I'm never going to let that happen. Ever."

And then, I kissed her.

So to say, my siblings had been betting. I heard Temari victoriously announce having a sister-in law, and that Kankuro owed her ten thousand yen. She wrapped her arms around both of us, putting us in a chokehold grip. Once she let go, I turned to Naruto. He gave me a pat on the back, and told me to take care of Sakura.

From that day on, I definitely did.

She would go back and forth between Suna and Konoha, as my sister did (since she was dating that Shikamaru guy). Temari and Shikamaru got married three years later, the day after Shikamaru's eighteenth birthday. They now reside in Konoha, and Temari is our ambassador.

Since it's said to be unlucky for siblings to get married in the same year, Sakura and I waiting until we were nineteen. Then the wedding party was crashed by rogue nin, so we pushed it back another year, for safety precautions. We were absolutely fine with that, since we weren't into fancy ceremonies.

April 28th, the month after Sakura turned 20, we got married.

And here we are, six years later, absolutely happy. We have a five-year old troublemaking son named Sora and a shy little girl by the name of Aiko, age three. They're often visited by Temari's equally troublemaking five-year old, Toru. Luckily, Toru has a more sober twin sister who takes after her father, named Karura, after our mother. She has turned out to be a better influence over her cousins. Sora and Toru are also very good friends with Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata's eldest daughter, Hikari, age four. Sora even admitted having a crush on her, an issue I left to his mother.

Sakura is balances being a doting mother, the head of the hospital and occasionally a field medic-nin. As much as I tried, I couldn't stop her from doing so. I promised her that she'd never get hurt again, but of course, she wanted to be out there, saving lives. I let her, as long as she came back to me. She always reassured this fact, saying that I'm her one and only Panda-kun.

And me? I'm still a bit cynical and stoic, but I've lightened up after my so-called resurrection. Regardless of these facts, I'm probably the happiest Kazekage to ever exist.

Hell, I'm probably the happiest man to ever exist.

A/N: ISN'T THIS JUST PRECIOUS? Okay, it's a bit OOC. I know. THAT'S THE POINT.I'm absolutely doubting the sweety cheesy scenes. BLEH. But I got my point across, and my narration ain't that bad. Personally, I like the way I depicted the feeling of death.

THIS COLD IS MAKING MY WANGSTY. D:

Anyways, I'm currently self-exiled to the bed. I had cousins visit us, and we went out everyday of the week to show them around the city. I feel absolutely exhausted. My body's currently shutting down, and I'm a bit dizzy from the medicine. A review would be nice. :D

Up next would be Sakura's POV of the whole situation! And if you thought Gaara's was long (*snicker snicker*), Sakura's POV has her conscious and present throughout the WHOLE dilemma. I have personally taken up my OWN challenge to write this.

GAME FACE ON.

'til next time!

~Bella