Gaara x Sakura

~Ep 3~

The six men turned to see a man standing a few feet away from them. His arms were crossed stubbornly over his chest, the look on his pale face one of slaughter. As Sakura gazed into the eyes of this newcomer, she felt such a cold aura from him. Not just that, but the look in his eyes showed his blood lust. Who was he?

As if Akihiko read her mind, he yelled at the man with blood red hair to say who he was. The man simply gazed at them, held out his hand, and then fisted it. "Sand Coffin."

The sand that had wound its way around Akihiko's lower half constricted. A sickening crunch sounded as blood spurted through the tendrils. Sakura's main assailant was not the only one to scream. The sand had covered the other men as well in different places. Two men around their necks, two more around their chest, and as emerald orbs watched in shock, around the fifth man's head. When the said retreated, there was nothing left of the fifth man's head but bloody pieces of skull and brain matter.

The four accomplices lay on the ground, voicing their pain and despite the bloody show, Sakura found herself smiling. That's what they deserved for doing something like that to her. More than anything, she felt relief at the fact that she had been saved. If this man hadn't jumped in, she would still be in her horrible experience. Still, it was a bit frightening to watch his eyes light up with amusement as he used his sand to crush different parts of their body.

Gaara grew tired of hearing the humans cry for their lives so he covered them in the smooth sand completely. "Sand Burial."

The sound of shattering bones and crushed organs filled the air and then there was silence. The sand moved back towards its owner and entered a gourd that was strapped to the man's back. Sakura looked at the mess that was left. One couldn't even tell they had been people before their end and if Sakura didn't have a strong stomach, she would have lost her lunch at the sight and smell of it.

"T-thank you for saving me," the kunoichi said timidly as she channeled the little bit of chakra she had left into the bruises on her arms and thighs. The cooling sensation helped to dull the aching, but didn't make it go away completely. Sakura still winced when she tried to pull up her leggings that had been precariously shoved down to her ankles. She may have nearly had her innocence taken, but modesty wasn't out of the question.

I was almost raped...

The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. That sacred virginity she was saving for just the right guy had almost been snatched away from her from some man she didn't even know. Sakura felt dirty, disgusting, and the first thing she wanted to do was scrub her skin raw of the feel of those grungy hands all over her body. Her breath hitched again as the raw emotions that were coursing through her tried to burst free.

Cyan orbs gazed at her coldly. "I did not save you because I wanted to. Do not get the wrong idea."

Sakura blinked at the harsh words that were spoken to her. He sounded angry, but she hadn't done anything to make him be angry with her. If he didn't save her because he wanted to, why did he?

Brushing it off as she struggled to get to her feet, muscles screaming in process Sakura asked, "Well can I at least know your name?"

"Gaara," the red-head answered smoothly. "I have been sent here to protect you. I will be your guardian for the next five years."

"What?" A confused look crossed Sakura's face. Didn't this guy just say he didn't want to save her in the first place? Why would he now claim to be her guardian especially for the next five years? Sakura was grateful that this man saved her life, but she didn't think they would work well together. Despite what had just happened, Sakura was usually very capable of taking care of herself.

Gaara stopped a growl from rising in his throat. It was the same thing every time he had his first run in with a human. They were confused at first, next was unbelief, then there was awe and wonder. This cycle had gotten old the first few dozen times and it wasn't any more amusing now. Humans were such and idiotic race. They couldn't believe things that were right in front of them. Not unless they saw the same thing multiple times.

"I am a One," Gaara continued. "You have been chosen for me to protect for the next five years."

"But why me?" Sakura questioned. Pausing for a moment, she gave a strange look to the person who saved her. "Wait, you're telling me that you're a One. As in the celestial beings?"

"Yes."

"You expect me to believe that?" Sakura cocked her head to the side as she gazed at the taller male.

Gaara clenched his fists tightly at his sides, tendrils of sand began seeping from the gourd. He'd better leave before he tore this insignificant human to shreds and tacked another ten humans onto his punishment.

The being turned away from the woman who had already managed to get under his skin. "It is not my job to convince you mortal."

With that, he disappeared in a swirl of sand. Sakura stared at the spot this man...or One named Gaara had been standing in only moments ago. That guy must have been on something seriously dangerous to think he was a One. They hadn't been seen for thousands of years. They weren't human either. They were immortals to a certain extent. From Sakura's understanding, the Ones would continue to live until someone killed them. That was what happened to the One of Determination named Naruto. His lover was forced by her village to tricking him into sealing away his powers.

A relationship between a One and a mortal was strictly taboo. Amelia loved Naruto, but when the safety of her family had been put in jeopardy, she chose them over her lover. If it had been Sakura, she would have told him and then they could have run off together. That was the ultimate romance story.

Sakura shook her head. She was losing the initial reason for her musings. This Gaara character said he was a One. His powers were amazing, but so were strong ninjas. Was there a way for him to prove he was who he said he was? Was there something that clearly separated the Ones from humans? Honestly, the kunoichi wasn't convinced. There was, however, something different about him. Sometime other than the way he seemed to look at her with fiery hatred.

The young woman began heading back to the village Hidden in the Sound. The man who she was after was still out there so she had to kill him now. Luckily all his lackeys had been killed by that Gaara guy so her job was easier. After all, Hideki Takahashi was not a ninja. He only had money which bought him the protection he needed. After a good bath, something to eat, and a little rest, Sakura would be good to go.

Intending on doing just that and dropping the red-head psycho from her thoughts, Sakura remembered a small river she had to jump across with a burst of chakra to get over when she was desperately trying to escape those men. Slowly limping her way towards the river, the abused woman couldn't wait to rinse herself of the disgusting feel of those mens' grubby hands all over her.

Returning back through the woods, Sakura tried her best to ignore the aching in her legs and headed back to the small cave where her belongings were. She had placed genjutsu on the area so to anyone else, it looked like trees and bushes similar to the rest of the forest. The female kunoichi pretended to look through the bushes, still having enough chakra to sense if there was anyone nearby. She gazed around her, looking up at the sky before turning her gaze back to a small bundle of berries to keep her facade up. When Sakura was sure that no one was around, she stopped her act of picking berries that didn't really exist and quietly slipped into her small cave.

Gaara watched her from a distance, his back leaning against the tree. The more he watched the human, the angrier he got. His mind kept changing Sakura's hair to black, making her look identical to the woman who killed his best friend. This mortal would be the hardest one he had ever dealt with and Gaara was starting to think Madara made it that way on purpose. Fucking bastard.