Gaara x Sakura

~Ep 6 ~

Sakura watched as Makoto transformed into his true form: a large saber-toothed tiger. His powerful shoulders were a few inches taller than her yet there was no fear, even when the kunoichi had first summoned him. She held her arms out and stroked his neck and he purred, rubbing his face against her cheek.

Sakura kissed his neck before saying, "I need you to carry this guy back to the village. Can you do that for me?"

Makoto laid on the soft earth. "I think I should carry you too dear. You need to gather your strength."

"I'm fine." Sakura hoisted Hideki onto Makoto's back. "I need to make sure this guy stays unconscious."

Soon they were moving through the trees.

Gaara leaned against a strong oak tree, arms crossed over his chest. He gazed at the grass in front of him, temper boiling at high levels. It had taken everything in him not to snap that mouthy woman's neck and take the punishment he would receive for doing so. Just looking at her made his blood turn to lava and his vision go red. Her attitude toward him made her all the more infuriating. Gaara detected another presences and turned his gaze to see a man standing a few feet. His dark hair was straight, stopping just past his shoulders. Golden eyes met with Gaara's as he used a slender hand to adjust his clothing.

"What are you doing here Utakata?"

The One of Charm gave him half a smile before saying, "Madara really wasn't pleased with that display Gaara."

This wasn't the first episode where Gaara almost killed his project human. However, Madara never sent someone to correct him. What was so special about this woman? Madara was not the sentimental type, so it wasn't because he wanted Gaara to be free of his punishment. Gaara's mind mulled over what purpose Sakura could play in Madara's plans.

"You're spacing out on me Gaara," Utakata said while switching his bubble flute to his other hand. "Just control your temper a little better and everything will be okay. You'll be free of this soon enough."

Gaara had already tuned Utakata out. His concern was false. Still, he noted that he wouldn't be able to threaten Sakura or make it look like he would hurt her. The One of Rage sought Sakura's life force, something different from searching for someone's chakra. Each human had their own unique life force and once a One had pinpointed a life force, they could find that mortal anywhere. He sensed that she was moving farther away, meaning she was most likely headed back to her village.

"I will be more careful," Gaara said, and with a nod, Utakata disappeared.

This would be the hardest five years of Gaara's extended life.

Later that night, Sakura and Makoto stopped to make camp. The large animal returned to his summoning world, promising he would come when Sakura called for him in the morning. After setting up a small fire, she grilled the two fish she caught in a small brook nearby. She still had rice left in her stash so she warmed it and ate her bland dinner. Once she had more strength, she healed the wound on her back. She also healed the small cut on her arm that had stopped bleeding two hours ago. It had already started healing on its own so it didn't take much to fix it.

Beryl orbs looked over at her prisoner, who remained unconscious. Most times, she had teammates with her who could help watch him. Sakura had caught a nap during her ride with Makoto, but not long enough. Exhausted washed over. Her eyes burned for sleep and she faded quite a few times. She jolted awake from another presence and she looked up to see the current bane of her existence, Gaara, standing in front of the fire staring at her.

"You're tired," he spoke. "Sleep and I will watch this man."

"Why would I trust someone who threatened to kill me earlier?!" Sakura snapped, glaring at this guy's audacity.

"Because I will not hurt you," Gaara responded. "Madara sent a warning for me not to harm you."

He was going off on that whole "I'm a celestial being" crap again. Sakura needed proof he was a One. She thought hard trying to remember her history class from when she was younger. If she remembered, there was something that all the Ones shared that distinguished them from regular ninjas. What was it again?

"Prove that you're a One," Sakura challenged.

Gaara's face remained blank at her words. This woman demanded proof? Fine, if that was what she wanted, he would prove it and she would never doubt him again after; no one ever did. The problem was if he unleashed all his power, he may not have the ability to control himself, so he would just go halfway.

"Remember that this was your request."

The wind whirled around Gaara, whipping his hair around his pale face. The ground shook and the forceful gust extinguished her fire. A powerful baritone sound echoed around them and a sonic wave pushed forward in all directions, breaking nearby trees. Sakura squinted, amazed at the spike in chakra she detected from Gaara. She had never witnessed someone so powerful in her life. She shielded her eyes with her hand as her hair whipped at her face, leaving her skin stinging. When she looked at Gaara, her eyes widened at what she saw.

The left side of his body remained normal, but the other half transformed into a strange mutation. It elongated his arm and changed it into a clawed hand. His skin altered into a tan color, left eye changing from cyan to his sclera being black and the pupil golden. A large, thick tail had grown from his back. By now, his chakra had tripled in intensity and its heavy pressure weighing down on her.

That was what made him a One, the Tailed beast he harbored inside him. Each of the Ones had a monster locked inside them to avoid the creatures wreaking havoc on the universe. If someone killed a One, the beast got placed in another person. They did not die because their host perished. In fact, they would try to cause problems the first moments of freedom. There was only one person who had the power to place these beasts into a host, but his name slipped her mind.

"Okay!" Sakura shouted. "I believe you now!"

After a few moments, Gaara's chakra levels dropped and he returned to his normal form. He continued to stare at Sakura as if waiting for her to speak.

"So, you really plan on staying around for five years?!"

"Yes," was his simple answer.

Sakura stood up and dusted herself off from the debris on her clothes. "Well, let's have ground rules. Don't jump in on a battle unless I ask for your help, deal?"

The One nodded.

"Good," Sakura said as she lay down onto her sleeping bag. "Wake me up when you need to sleep."

"I never sleep," Gaara answered, moving to lean against a tree that was still standing. "Rest, I will not let him harm you or get away."

Sakura stayed hesitant, but something told her Gaara would hold to his word. She laid down after braiding her hair into a single plait. She gave the crimson-haired male one last look before lying down and falling into a fitful sleep.