Gaara just keeps popping up in my head and demands for me to write him a leading role in a story next to his favourite pink haired lady. What's a girl to do but to obey his every whim?
This fic will be separated into two chapters. I'll put the next one up as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Naruto. I only have claim on my over-imaginative brain.
Hope you like it.
Unexpected
The sound of the phone ringing disturbed Sakura's quiet bath. Groaning in frustration, she decided to let it ring, not wanting to abandon her extremely comfortable position beneath the hot water and abundant bubbles.
But whoever was calling was persistent.
In an attempt to block the annoying noise, she ducked below the foam, holding her breath for a few seconds. When she thought it was safe to emerge, she came up for air, only to hear the sound of Ino's voice on her answering machine.
"…because you're too lazy to answer your phone! I know you want to stay in the bath all night, but if you don't hurry the hell up, we're going to be late for the party. Hiroshi and Jiro said they would meet us there in 40 minutes. I'm picking you up in 20 so you'd better be out the door! Now move your ass!"
And with that, the line went dead.
Sighing deeply, Sakura berated herself for accepting Ino's invitation. All she wanted to do was to stay home and huddle beneath the blankets with a good book. But she knew she could do this every other day and she wasn't about to leave Ino hanging. Her friend always told her she should go out more and had been currently dedicating most of her time to creating plans just to force Sakura out of her apartment. And at the same time, the scheming blond had been trying to revive her friend's love life.
Getting up from the deliciously relaxing bath, Sakura towelled herself dry and went into her bedroom. Opening up her closet, she looked over her wardrobe, trying to pick out a decent outfit for the cocktail party they were about to attend. Thanks to Ino, she had a date for the party and needed to dress accordingly.
Her friend had been dating Hiroshi, a sleek and stylish business man, for around three months. He was everything Ino could ever want in a man: rich, casually cool, witty and clean cut. They actually made the perfect couple. Since she got along with the man so well, Ino suddenly decided that Sakura needed someone like him as well. Hence, a couple of weeks ago she had set her up with Jiro, Hiroshi's business partner, in an attempt to get her pink haired friend "back on track", as she liked to say. They had gone out on a few dates already and Sakura found he was a really nice man, very polite and proper.
But he wasn't the type of male the pink haired girl would ever be interested in. He was just too correct and too decorous… Sakura always became self-conscious of her manners whenever she was around him. Everything he ever did was completely flawless and in fact, she actually found him a bit boring. He was just so predictable. But she knew how persistent Ino was, so she was willing to give Jiro a chance. It did her no harm to humour her friend for a while.
In all honesty, Sakura didn't think she needed any help with her love life… she was perfectly fine as she was. After having gone through some disastrous relationships after she graduated from college, she had decided it was time to stay away from men for a while, despite Ino's efforts. At any rate, no man in the world would ever come close to being anything like him…
'Don't even go there, Haruno!' she said to herself, stopping her train of thought abruptly. 'It was your decision to leave him, so, there's no point in mopping about it is there? You have gone on with your life, you are happy and you do not have any regrets.'
Nodding at herself after her inner pep talk, she picked up a dark green spaghetti strapped dress. Its hem reached just above her knees and it hugged her figure very nicely, leaving her whole back bare. She didn't have many opportunities to wear the dress, but whenever she did, it made her feel extremely sexy.
Satisfied with her chosen outfit, she placed the dress on her bed and went back into the bathroom to get ready. After a record time of 10 minutes, her short cherry hair was dry and perfect, her make up flawlessly applied and simple silver earrings and matching necklace in place. Carefully pulling on the dress, she surveyed herself in the full length mirror behind her bedroom door. Choosing a pair of black high-heeled sandals, she hurriedly put them on as she started to empty the contents of her purse on the mattress. Selecting the most important items, she placed them inside a small black leather bag, which matched perfectly with her shoes.
In that instant, the doorbell of her apartment rang. Standing up in a hurry, she quickly put on some perfume as she went. Grabbing her coat from the back of her living room couch, she was opening the door in a second and was met by the tall figure of Yamanaka Ino on the other side.
She wore a long dark purple dress with matching pearl earrings and necklace, her long hair tied up in an intricate hair style. No matter what she wore, her friend always managed to look stunning.
"Ready?" the blond asked cheekily, turning round on her heel and walking down the hallway before Sakura could answer.
Smiling as she shook her head, the pink haired girl closed and locked the door behind her, falling into step next to her friend.
XXXXXXX
"Ladies, you look dazzling," Hiroshi said to them, as they walked up the steps to the entrance of the elegant hotel. The cocktail party they were attending was being held in celebration of a recent merge between two powerful companies, therefore, all the important business men in the city had been extended an invitation.
As the two women approached, Jiro, who was standing besides his partner dressed in an impeccable suit, came forward, taking Sakura's hand in his and raising it to his lips.
"Good evening, beautiful," he said to her, as he brushed his lips across her knuckles.
"Good evening," Sakura replied with a smile, but inwards, she was preventing herself from rolling her eyes at his antics. He was just so gentleman-like most of the time that it bordered on tacky.
"Shall we?" he asked, placing his right hand on the small of her back and gesturing towards the door.
Nodding in response, the pink haired girl drew in a deep breath, asking the heavens for the patience needed to see this night through.
They made their way through the hotel lobby, heading directly towards the large hall located at the back of the first floor. There was a large crowd spread across the large room and there were open doors located all to one side, leading out to a beautiful garden.
Once they were treading through the crowd, Jiro and Hiroshi would stop every three seconds, greeting acquaintances as they went. Sakura was pulled into their conversations and was introduced to various people. Waiters passed by every so often, providing the guests with constant supplies of liquor. Ino, who loved to be the centre of attention, relished in this type of event and would enthusiastically join in, providing all the witty remarks at all the right moments.
After around half an hour of such activities, Sakura found her attention inevitably slipping. She truly wasn't made for this type of social gatherings; she would have felt much more at home visiting the city's best clubs, dancing the night away in a pair of comfortable shoes. These people around her disgusted her to some extent, with there superficial ways and their meaningless banter. If you didn't have any money, you were no one in this place. It was a view of life the pink haired girl had never agreed with.
Excusing herself quickly, she decided it was time for some fresh air. Walking swiftly towards the food tables which were located by the open doors, she picked up a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and gulped it down hurriedly. She was going to need as much booze as she could get to survive this night, so she'd better get started.
Reaching her destination, she picked up a small plate and proceeded to fill it up with every type of delicacy displayed on the table. Once it was full, she turned and walked towards one of the doors. Eating her food casually as she surveyed the people in the hall before her, she stood underneath the doorway, the night breeze at her back.
Suddenly, the hairs on her nape stood on end as a chill ran its way down her spine. Looking up suddenly, she tried to pinpoint the source of this strange feeling as she gazed searchingly all over the large room. Her emerald eyes came to an abrupt halt as they met an exceptionally unexpected sight, letting her know that the sudden chill she had experienced had nothing to do with the soft wind blowing through the garden.
There, standing beside a table across the room, looking like he owned the whole place, stood a handsome red headed man, staring directly towards her. His tall form filled up the suit he was wearing extremely well and his flawless face contrasted dramatically with a crimson tattoo on his forehead. But his eyes were the feature which commanded everyone's attention. The intensity behind his jade orbs spoke of a passionate and fiery nature and Sakura knew that any woman would falter underneath his zealous stare.
She herself had faltered underneath it once.
Gaara
Sakura's vision started wheeling suddenly as she realized she was in enormously deep trouble. He was the last person she thought she would meet at such an event. What the hell was he doing here? He hated this type of thing!
'Concentrate girl!' she berated herself. 'You need to worry about your own predicament for the time being!'
Her first instinct was to flee. She needed to get out of here… now. If he came up to her, he would demand answers for her sudden departure and would most likely cause a scene in the middle of the whole party. She knew precisely how volatile his temper was, which meant that every person in the room was in immediate danger of being beaten up.
As her mind worked furiously, she realized she would have to tread through the thick crowd to get to the exit and would have to give explanations as to why she was fleeing the place. But screw Jiro, and screw Ino too! She needed to get out here quickly if she wanted to save her skin. Knowing she had enough money in her purse to grab a cab, Sakura realized this was the best option for her. However, the multitude of people gathered around her escape route was increasing by the minute.
'The garden!' Sakura thought desperately. 'It must connect with the lobby at some point.' Ino would have to pick up her coat for her if she went this way, but it didn't matter. All that mattered now was to evade him!
Just as the pink haired girl was about to bolt, her blond friend stepped in front of her.
"Hey sugar, seen any handsome…" she started to say, but Sakura grabbed her wrist in a vicelike grip, silencing her immediately.
Confusion crossed Ino's bright eyes as she looked intently at her friend. The pink haired girl's face was extremely pale, as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Gaara's here," she said in simple explanation.
The blond's eyes widened in shock. "The Gaara?" she asked in disbelief.
Sakura nodded solemnly.
"Where?"
"Across the room, next to one of the tables. He's easy to spot… he's a red head."
Ino lifted her eyes casually, surveying the people around them. Even though she had never met him, she spotted the man Sakura was talking about after just a few seconds.
"He's hot!" she exclaimed, gazing back at her friend.
"Ino, that's not the point!" Sakura hissed, gripping the blond's wrist even tighter.
"Ok,ok," Ino replied, trying to rescue her hand.
"I need to get out of here," the pink haired girl said in desperation.
"Alright, you can take my car. I'll ask Hiroshi to take me home," Ino said, digging around her purse for the keys.
But as she found them and took them out to give them to her friend, her pale eyes looked over Sakura's shoulder.
"Sweety, he's coming over," she told her, trying to keep her voice calm.
"What?" the pink haired girl hissed.
"He's making his way towards us."
"Ino!"
"Don't worry, I'll distract him. You make your way to the lobby in the meantime. I'll meet you there in…"
But she was interrupted by Hiroshi, who came up and took her by the arm. "Ino, honey, there's someone I want you to meet…"
And before either of the girls could do anything, he had taken her away, pulling her towards a group of people nearby.
As Sakura watched her friend go, the world tumbled down upon her.
Suddenly, there was someone at her back and she could feel his strong presence as if it were a physical touch.
Bracing herself, the pink haired girl mustered all the courage she stored in her small frame to turn around.
And there he was.
After three years, he was as handsome as she remembered him. Everything about him made her knees tremble… his ruffled hair, his penetrating jade eyes, his nose, his lips… This was the precise reason why she needed to avoid him. Once she was beside him, she would be under his power and it would only take a small gesture from him for her to fall helplessly into his arms again.
"Sakura," he whispered fervently, looking directly into her emerald eyes.
At the sound of his voice and with the way he said her name, images of his rough hands travelling over body while they were making love filtered through her mind.
The pink haired girl stifled a sudden urge to burst into tears.
They looked at each other silently for long moments, the world around them falling into the background. Lost in the gaze of the other, they were content just to stare. It had been so long.
He was the one who decided to break the spell.
"Why?" he asked simply, a spark of temper behind his green eyes.
"Gaara, I…" she started to say, but Jiro was suddenly beside her.
"Darling, I see you've met the man of the party," he said with a smile. "We're celebrating in his honour tonight."
'Darling?' Sakura thought desperately after the shock of the interruption had passed. 'Why did you have to say that?'
As if on cue, Gaara's eyes darkened with anger as he looked at Jiro with barely controlled hatred in his gaze.
But the other man was clueless to the deadly intent in the red head's gaze.
"In his honour?" the pink haired girl asked Jiro, trying to provide some distraction.
"Yes, he's now the owner of the whole Suna Corporation and one of the richest men in the world," he replied, lifting his wine glass towards Gaara in salute.
"Owner?" Sakura asked in shock, turning to look over at the tall man in front of them.
Momentarily, jade met emerald as the red head nodded in response to her question. But their gazes didn't hold for long as he turned back to Jiro, whose hand was now caressing Sakura lightly on the arm.
She knew she needed to do something before the red head murdered the business man with her bare hands in front of everyone.
But a diversion appeared from the most unlikely of sources.
"Gaara, baby, here you are!" a tall voluptuous woman said, coming up and draping herself all over him. Standing a head taller than Sakura, she had platinum blond hair and was wearing a red dress which exposed more skin than it actually covered. Her large breasts were basically hanging out in the air and the crease of her dress left her legs exposed up to mid-thigh.
"Won't you introduce me to your friends?" she asked, smiling down disdainfully at the pink haired girl.
It was Sakura's turn to see red.
'A bimbo?' she thought furiously, 'he's dating a bimbo?'
Before Gaara had the chance to open his mouth, she whipped around and started walking into the crowd, pushing a startled Jiro away. Spotting Ino easily, she stalked up to her friend.
"Keys, now!" she exclaimed, not caring if she was interrupting a conversation.
Looking at Sakura's angry eyes, Ino didn't dare to utter a word and handed over her car keys.
"I'll talk to you in the morning," the pink haired girl said as she turned towards the exit and walked towards it in a hurry, anger building with every step. Making a quick stop at the coat room, she crossed the lobby hastily, heading directly towards the revolving doors which would let her out of the building.
Once outside, she pulled her coat on with rough movements as she went down the steps, cursing the shoes she was wearing since they didn't allow her to walk any faster.
Entering the parking lot, she was closing in on Ino's car when a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind.
"Where are you going?" Gaara whispered angrily in her ear.
"Let go of me!" she exclaimed, as she struggled to escape from his grasp.
"Never," he replied fervently, turning her around to face him in a single movement. Before she could say anything, he crushed her against his chest.
"What is he to you?" he asked, a dangerous tone in his voice as he buried his face in her hair.
Face against his muscled chest, surrounded by his unique smell as she was held in his strong embrace, she could do nothing but do his bidding.
"He means nothing to me," she said truthfully, trying to fight the tears which were starting to fill her eyes at his closeness.
"I could crush him with a single blow. I could leave him out on the street with a disfigured face and no money," he threatened arrogantly.
She knew he wasn't bluffing. He never bluffed. He possessed the calculating coldness to act out every single one of his threats.
He was unimaginably possessive and incredibly jealous. But he was also unbelievingly caring and he would always place her needs first before his own, always thinking about her before he even thought of himself.
Oh, how she missed him.
But this could never be.
"What's she to you?" she asked defensively, bringing her anger up as a protective barrier once more.
"She's a stupid air-head who I can discard at a moments notice," he replied without hesitation.
Sakura tried to struggle out of his hold once more. Surprisingly, he released her somewhat, allowing her to stare up at his face but holding her firmly in place.
"All this time, I've been searching endlessly for you," he whispered passionately. "A day wouldn't go by without me thinking about you, Sakura."
As her name fell from his lips, the pink haired girl felt a tear run down her cheek.
"I do not let go of what is mine," he said ardently. "Remember that."
Looking up into his eyes, the pink haired girl felt the world fade away. It would be so easy to allow herself to fall into the magic spell he wove around her, to fall powerlessly into his arms and let him take her away.
It would be too easy…
Get out of here girl, before I make my boys take you away. My son deserves a lot better than you… stay away from him.
As the memories came tumbling into her mind, she thrashed against his hold.
"Gaara, I can't!" she exclaimed desperately.
"Why not?" he asked furiously, gripping her more tightly.
"Sakura!" someone yelled from the hotel's door. It was Jiro. Following close behind him, came Ino and Hiroshi.
Growling in wrath, Gaara looked up at the approaching man.
"Jiro, stay away!" Sakura screamed.
"Is he hurting you?" the business man asked in concern.
"No", she replied. 'He would never hurt me,' she added inside her mind.
Staring maddeningly at Jiro as he came closer, Gaara wanted nothing more than to beat the man into a pulp of flesh and bone.
Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Sakura slipped out of his grasp and ran as fast as she could towards Ino's car. She unlocked it hastily, falling into the driver's seat even as she turned on the ignition.
She could see Gaara standing a small distance away, but she pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. Backing the car up, she speeded away as she crossed the parking lot in the blink of an eye, heading down the road at a dangerous velocity.
Staring at the receding vehicle, jade eyes watched as the love of his life left him once more. But that didn't matter. He was now aware that she was living in this city and it would take his agents a small amount of time to track her down.
He would get his answers and after he did, he would never let her walk out of his life ever again.
Walking back towards the hotel he saw Jiro approach him out of the corner of his eyes.
"Hey, what were you doing to her?" he asked angrily, intercepting the red head's path.
Without a word, Gaara pushed him forcefully aside, sending the man flying into a nearby car.
He passed Ino and Hiroshi along the way, but did not spare them a glance.
There were more important things he needed to take care of and the sooner he started, the sooner he would have his pink haired woman back in his arms.
XXXXXXX
Bursting through her bedroom door, Sakura plunged herself on her bed, face buried beneath her pillows. Body wracking sobs shook her frame as the tears she had been fighting through her drive home were finally released.
Why did she have to see him again? Why?
She had tried so hard to forget him and she had almost succeeded. She had been able to live for a whole three years without him. And now, he suddenly walked back into her life, leaving her breathless with a mere stare.
And then he had to go and embrace her… he had held her in his strong arms and she had been helpless to do anything about it.
It had felt so right... it had felt like she belonged there.
That was the reason why it hurt so much.
She knew she loved him, from the bottom of her soul. She knew she would love him until the end of her days, but the ironies of this wicked world would not let her have the man she loved.
She had been forced to leave, for both their sakes.
Not bothering to take off her dress, the pink haired girl cried all through the night, sobbing into her pillow. She was aware of nothing but the excruciating pain in her heart, a hurt that cut her so deep it was almost physical. She almost expected her chest to start bleeding at any moment, her life liquid flowing away from her.
As the stars faded from the sky, her body collapsed from exhaustion and she fell into a restless sleep. But after a while, as she tossed and turned on the mattress, the vision of clear jade eyes made its way through the confusion, calming her in her sleep, as a deep voice echoed throughout her dreams.
I do not let go of what is mine. Remember that.
XXXXXXX
Stepping out of the shower, Gaara quickly dried himself with a towel, putting on a pair of clean sweat pants he had placed by the sink. Walking shirtless out of the bathroom, red hair dripping as he went, he walked through the long expanse of his living room, stepping into his large kitchen.
Making himself a quick protein shake, he took up his large glass and stood by the huge window. His penthouse apartment had an amazing view of the mountains surrounding the city and he often indulged in just standing by one of his many windows, surveying the landscape.
After he had moved into his newly acquired home, he would frequently wish for a certain pink haired beauty to share in his contemplations with him. She had been the one who had taught him to stop for a few moments of every day, just to take in the splendour of his surroundings. Whenever he found himself staring out of the immaculate glass, he would always think of her.
Three years ago, Sakura had abruptly walked out of his life, leaving only a small note of farewell on the living room table of the small house they had shared for a few months. There were no explanations in the note and despite all the effort and time he dedicated to searching for her, he had never been able to find her. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the planet.
Raging and completely uncontrolled for many days following her sudden departure, he had cursed her with all his soul. Thankfully, he had his martial art as an outlet or else he would have surely gone crazy. Using his Kyokushin as a means to release all his violent emotions, he had won the world championship a few days after his lover had left him. The referees had been forced to separate him from his opponent by the end of the match, since he had been suffering from a terrible blood lust and would have killed the man in front of him without a second thought.
The months that followed had been disastrous and it had taken all of his willpower to regain some semblance of order in his life. He would go out and get amazingly drunk in an attempt to forget his heartache, picking violent fights wherever he went. Without his lover, life didn't seem to have any meaning and it had taken an abrupt wake up call from his brother and sister to put him back up on his feet.
They came to him one day, looking solemn and grave. Neither of the three siblings had ever had a problem with expressing things directly and brusquely, and that time hadn't been the exception.
They brought the news that his father was dead, killed by a hired assassin after he had failed to pay a personal debt to a local mafia boss. In his will, he divided his fortune between his three children but had left his multimillionaire company in the hands of his youngest son.
It had felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown directly in his face.
The news that his father was now deceased didn't affect him much. In truth, he was relieved that the old bastard had finally left them alone. He had never been a good father and had always treated his children with cruelty. In fact, it was a miracle that he had left them anything in his will at all. Gaara felt no love towards him and would have killed the fucker himself if he had had the chance.
What shocked him was the knowledge that he was now in charge of a huge multinational corporation and would have to assume full responsibility for it. Initially, he had balked at the idea, trying to dodge the burden which had been suddenly dropped on his shoulders. But eventually, his perspective started to change.
Realizing that despite the difficulties he might face, he was being offered another chance in life and he wasn't stupid enough to let it go by.
Hence, the red head took up the task with a flourish and succeeded incredibly in his endeavours, much to everyone's surprise. He had a natural talent for business, being the ruthless and calculating person that he was. The money flowed constantly into his pockets, and along with his siblings, he was allowed to live a life of luxury he had never been able to experience before. Even though their father had been filthy rich, he had never shared any of his money with his offspring, throwing them out of the house at a young age and forcing them to forge their own lives with their own bare hands.
Through it all, he had managed to forget Sakura, at least on the surface. He would always keep himself extremely busy, working until the late hours of the night. Constant distraction was the effective cure he applied for his heartbreak and across the years, he had somehow managed to live without her.
But now, when he had reached the pinnacle of his business career, he had come across her at the most unexpected of places. After all the efforts he had put into searching for her, he had, in the end, just bumped into her.
It was if the universe was involving him in an extremely bad joke.
When he first spotted her, she had stolen his breath away. She was as beautiful as always, with an aura of brilliance and vividness all around her. He had hesitated at first, thinking that if he approached her, she would only be an illusion of his unstable mind.
But no, she had been real enough and she had felt his eyes on her across the large expanse of the crowded hall.
The moment her emerald eyes fell on him, Gaara knew that he would have her in his arms once more. He knew it as clearly as he knew how to breathe. She was his destiny.
However, his pink haired beauty had attended the party in the company of one of the unimaginative idiots plaguing the city's industry.
How he had wanted to crush the bastard like an insect. How dare he place a hand on the skin of his lover? How fucking dare he?
The incident had taken place around three days ago but the red head could still fill the jealous anger pulsing through his whole body.
His cell phone rang suddenly where he had left it on the kitchen counter, interrupting his fervent fit of jealously.
"Yes?" he spoke into the phone.
It was one of his agents. After many hours of actively searching for her, they had finally found the home of the lovely Haruno Sakura.
Gaara grinned wickedly as he hung up, the address his agent had given him tattooed in his mind.
"It is time you return to me," he said out loud, staring up at the clouds passing across the mountains.
Turning swiftly on his heel, he hurried back into his bedroom. He needed to get ready… he had an appointment with the love of his life and he wasn't going to be late.
As usual, let me know what you think.