Sabaku no Gaara couldn�t look away.

True, he merely glanced at the strange girl from the corner of his eye, unless he was certain that no one was watching him, although this was rare, considering Temari and Kankurou�s constant close proximity.

He knew there was a high risk of being caught staring at that girl, but his eyes were drawn to her like a moth to a flame, and his will power was easily crushed, something that had never occurred before.

This girl�he was certain that she wasn�t real! All females were a hindrance, a disgusting addition to the people on his list to destroy. They were all ugly, wretched things, and even when they rose to the physical capabilities of a male, their weak hearts always stood in their way; even Temari was no exception. All females were foolish and believed themselves to either be the most worthy or the most innocent, although neither was ever true. It was not that he was sexist, because he was not: every single person living at all was below him � far, far below him � and not one was worthy to be looked upon by his eyes.

But then�why was it that he could not simply look away from this despicable girl? He did not know her, and her name was even a mystery. He had never seen her before in Konoha, not even during the Chuunin Exams four years prior. Even now, she was comfortably talking and laughing with Uzumaki Naruto, but never had the other Jinchuuriki introduced her to him, despite the slight formation of a friendship both demons had with each other. Besides, surely he would have remembered a girl like that one.

She was absolutely stunning, and Gaara was certain that she wasn�t even trying. She wore a plain, white, sleeveless top with an appropriate neckline that modestly revealed her collarbone, a pair of baggy black pants, and the casual blue shinobi sandals (although Gaara was positive that she was not a kunoichi, considering he could spot no hitai-ite anywhere on her body). A white ribbon loosely held her luscious, pitch-black hair away from her eyes � which, he could tell from here, were a magnificent icy blue in color � causing her to appear positively innocent.

She was not fairly tall, at least not from what he could see, but Gaara estimated that she went approximately up to his chin, and that was all. Her complexion was fair and unflawed, and her posture straight but not strict. He nearly blushed � nearly � once he caught himself observing her gentle curves and flat stomach.

Her face was heart-shaped and beautiful, and no matter how many times his thoughts tried to reason with this knowledge, the Kazekage could not deny it. Her nose was cute and petite, her cheeks flushed as she chuckled at something Naruto had told her. Her smile was stunning and made his heart skip a beat, and his eyes paid more attention to her full, rosy lips, fascinated with its movements as she spoke, smiled, and laughed.

Such a beauty, Gaara was certain, could be nothing but false, but the more glances he threw in her direction made him inwardly falter, and it was impossible for her to be fake at all.

But no, he was sure that such physical loveliness was tainted; she was surely a terror to be with, he attempted to convince himself. She was probably rude or indecent, or perhaps she was just loud and obnoxious? She was most likely a devious vixen, an obsessive girl who would do whatever she could to get what she wanted. Yes, he was sure that was it. There was no way that someone like her could be so�perfect.

His eyes darted away from her, this gorgeous enigma, and he again looked forward, leading the way to the Hokage�s office up in the tower. Temari and Kankurou, he was surprised, did not seem to notice his uneasiness with that girl, or they at least did not express their awareness. That was perfectly fine with him, he assured himself; he refused to degrade himself by being caught staring at the wretched, vile monstrosity that was that girl.

Sometime during his thinking process, Team Baki had begun to ascend the outside stairs to the Godaime�s office. Reaching the top, two Jounin allowed them entrance, knowing who this Sabaku no Gaara was; and another elite ninja, after exchanging a few words with Temari (who was the voice of the team) escorted them to the Fifth�s office so that the Kazekage could hold his annual meeting with Suna�s allies of Konohagakure.

That girl, he would have to think about her later. The fate of both his homeland and the Village Hidden Amongst Tree Leaves was partly in his hands, and he needed to focus. It would not do for him to do otherwise, both for professional matters and his stoic reputation.

No, Sabaku no Gaara was never distracted, and most definitely not by that strange female!

�Shizune-san?� the Jounin addressed the Hokage�s subordinate, temporarily snapping Gaara out of his frustrating reverie.

The woman in question took a single look at Team Baki and nodded in understanding. �Hai.� She bowed to the Kazekage and his elder siblings. �Matte, I�ll alert Hokage-sama of your arrival.�

Temari made a simple approving sound instead of a straightforward answer, and Shizune disappeared behind the door before them, the door leading to the office of one of the three legendary Sannin.

Gaara, arms crossed, merely stared at the door she disappeared into, trying to usher every thought of that girl from his head before he entered for the meeting. He could not be distracted. He was not completely successful in his attempts, not in the slightest, and Shizune returned much too soon, leaving no more time to prepare himself.

�Tsunade-sama will see you now,� she smiled, opening the door for the three siblings.

Kuso, Gaara narrowed his nonexistent eyebrows reflexively, entering the untidy office. He would have to think about her later.

An image of her pretty, smiling face passed briefly in his head.

Later.

�You were really quiet, Gaara,� Temari commented from behind him as he led the way to their room for the night, compliments of the Godaime. The three were to stay for the night before heading back to Sunagakure the next day, and Tsunade had insisted that she provide them living quarters, ironically the same room they shared during the Chuunin Exams.

�More so than usual, anyway,� Kankurou drawled in response.

Gaara remained silent, glaring at the ground before him, arms still crossed over his chest. This girl�what was it about her that made her haunt his mind since hours before, when he first saw her? He only recalled half the meeting with Tsunade, thanks to her lingering in his head, and that was certainly not a good thing, with him being Kazekage.

Temari sighed, straightening the fan behind her back as the three turned the corner. �Honestly, Gaara, you know that��

�Gaah!�

It all happened so fast, nearly too fast for anyone to comprehend. All the same, it took many moments to fathom, and four pairs of eyes widened simultaneously as three of the four voices gasped in utter surprise and speechlessness.

Temari and Kankurou were motionless, standing back with their legs spread shoulder-width apart, their arms out before them in a defensive stance. Their mouths hung open as they looked for the words that had disappeared and failed them. How�how on Earth?

Gaara looked down, his own body stiff with surprise, at the mass of black waves brushing against his neck and chin. His own lips were parted, his hands reflexively and securely gripping the slender and smooth shoulders to his body, as he took in the feeling of the womanly shape pressed against his entire self, almost successfully causing a schoolboy blush to adorn his cheeks. A pair of delicate hands clenched the dark red fabric of the cloak that lay atop his chest, and there was no indication that they would be letting go anytime soon. A gentle face was buried into his upper chest, right below his neck, as a button-like nose nuzzled the bare skin of his pulse.

The face slowly lifted itself to look upwards at Gaara, a soft groan of annoyance protruding from the soft, pink lips that muttered them. Sparkling blue met black-trimmed green as the pair�s eyes made contact, both consequently widening even more, if it was possible.

Gaara gulped.

It was her.

It was that wretched girl who had plagued his thoughts all morning!

He exhaled slowly, the full effect gradually dawning on him: this girl, this beauty, was�! He was suddenly very aware of the extremely close proximity between both their bodies, and he forced himself to swallow the cherry-red blush that threatened to decorate his nose and cheeks dramatically.

�Do you mind?� he growled at her, extremely uncomfortable with the feeling of her body pressed against his and the sensations building inside of him at the contact of her skin with his�

He paused, stiffening.

She�she was touching him!

How was it even possible that anyone was able to touch him? The sand in his gourd and Shukaku�s impulsive and impenetrable sand barriers should have been vastly enough to shield him from any physical contact whatsoever, weapons included, not to mention the thick layer of sand coating his body as an ultimate defense (which he had instinctively set when he had sensed the �threatening� contact).

All who tried, and all who hadn�t, had never even been able to lay a finger on him, although there were a few exceptions; nonetheless, those who had hurt him had vastly attempted to, unlike in this situation. Temari and Kankurou themselves had never touched Gaara�s skin; each time they tried, they could only feel the sand coating against his flesh.

And now, this girl had merely run into him, and they continued to hold each other, skin against skin. How was this possible?

�Huh?� the girl in his arms blinked, confused, but a simple look down at the intimacy of their bodies made her blush and push him away as she backed herself up a few steps. Gaara refused to admit, even to himself, that he had immediately missed the warm feeling of her compressed body against his. �Gomen nasai! I mean, I didn�t mean to� Ah, I�m so very sorry!�

Gaara made a small noise, staring at her intensely before moving his gaze to his outstretched hands. She had touched him! According to the auras of his siblings behind him, they were in as much stupefied shock as he.

�How�how did you�� Kankurou lost his words, gaping like a fish as he stared at the two in front of him.

She�s dead! Temari gawked, awaiting the violent reaction from Gaara that she was sure was to come. If he could kill a person simply for looking at him funnily, for simply passing by him, then there�s no way this girl will survive even five more seconds!

Fate would disappoint her, though: before Gaara could make a single move, the girl recovered and spoke up, her large eyes staring up at each of them. Although Gaara did not make it clear whether he forgave her for running into him or not, she seemed to have looked past it and moved on to more important matters. �Tell me, do any of you know where I could find Uchiha Sasuke?�

The three shinobi stared at her, blinking. �Uchiha�� Temari began uneasily.

�Sasuke?� Gaara spoke, beginning to find his voice. Why was she looking for him?

�Yes, you see,� she continued innocently, �I�ve been looking all over for him, all day long! I can�t find him anywhere!�

�Uh, sorry,� Kankurou hesitated, glancing at Gaara constantly to see if he would make any move against the girl�s favor, �but we haven�t seen that guy in ages.�

Her face dropped and she frowned. �Alright, then. Thanks anyway. I guess I�ll just have to keep��

She was cut off as a sharp kunai zipped straight towards her face at full speed. Gaara nearly forced his sand to protect her from the weapon, but before he could do so, she leaned her head backwards and successfully dodged its dangerous blade, the offending item lodging itself into the building�s wall beside the four.

The girl cried out. �What the�� She turned her head in the direction the kunai flew from, and her horrified face immediately lit up.

Gaara and his teammates followed her example, looking towards the attacker. Their expressions were obvious ones of slight surprise, Gaara�s would-be eyebrows narrowing at the male who had so clearly won the attention of the beauty before him.

�Sasuke!� she exclaimed, looking as though she were about to run towards him. She stopped herself, turning her head to stare at the kunai that just barely missed her face, before whirling towards the Uchiha heir, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. �What was that for? Do you know what could have happened? If I hadn�t sensed that kunai when I did, I�d be toast right about now!�

Uchiha Sasuke leaned casually against another wall across the street, smirking attractively. �I knew I�d miss.�

She glared. �That�s no excuse! Last I checked, chucking sharp objects at people isn�t exactly the most polite way to greet someone.�

Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, scoffing. �Hn.� He straightened himself, walking towards the group not too far away.

The girl sighed heavily, wiping the frown off her face and replacing it with a grin. She approached the shinobi herself, meeting him halfway, and hugged him tightly around the neck, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Gaara glared even further at him, not understanding why it was that he was steaming at the contact between the two. An iron hot sensation clenched his chest at the sight of the Uchiha getting such an intimate greeting from the girl he still did not know, his hands shaking at his sides with a furious jealousy he could not comprehend. He did not know if Temari and Kankurou had noticed his frustration or were just watching those other two as he was, but he did not much care just then.

It did not help in the slightest when Sasuke half-smiled, placing a hand on the small of her back to hold her into their embrace. Gaara seethed, Shukaku twisting within him; he had indeed lost his temper this easily before, but never had he ever been so jealous about a girl, or at all, even! What had she done to him?

�Where were you, Sasuke?� she scolded, slowly pulling herself from his embrace, much to Gaara�s satisfaction, although his arm remained resting around her. �Do you know how long I�ve been looking for you?�

�Baka!� Sasuke smirked again. �I was out training this morning, or did you already forget?�

Her mouth opened and closed as she searched for a response. �With such a confusing schedule like yours, how do you expect me to remember where you�re at every day?�

He shook his head at her mockingly. �Apparently you didn�t look everywhere for me, did you, Kagome-chan?�

Gaara stared. Kagome-chan. Her name�was Kagome. It suited her, he decided. It was simple, but breathtakingly beautiful, as was she. He yearned to test out the name on his own tongue, but he held it back in his throat. It wouldn�t do for him to become so open because of this foolish girl, this Kagome.

Ignoring the pouting girl beside him, Sasuke turned to the three shinobi from Suna and moved closer to them, dragging Kagome along beside him by her waist. �Oi.�

Temari nodded in greeting as the other two merely looked back at him � or, in Gaara�s case, glared. �Uchiha Sasuke, it�s been a while.�

He looked back at her indifferently before moving his gaze onto the Kazekage. �Arigatou,� he said simply, �for finding Kagome-chan for me.�

Gaara�s expression did not change, but he passed a glance at Kagome from the corner of his eye briefly, not planning on being caught, although he very much was. Sasuke was the only one who spotted the quick look the stoic shinobi peeked at her, and his eyes narrowed slightly at him in response.

�And I�m sorry again, for running into you, you know.� Kagome smiled innocently up at Gaara, bowing politely. �I�m Higurashi Kagome. Nice to meet you.�

Gaara stared at her hunched form, which she had not yet stood from, as she was waiting for his own responsive bow. He was still, refusing to degrade himself by acknowledging her stance. He took note of her body stiffening awkwardly once she realized that he wasn�t going to bow, but she was stubborn and did not stand up straight. Catching on, Gaara felt like fidgeting under the tense atmosphere and hesitant gazes from his siblings, matching the angry glare the Uchiha was throwing him.

�Sabaku no Gaara,� he said simply, merely bowing his head a fraction of an inch. He did not want to seem affected by Kagome, although he very much was; he despised feeling weak and easily manipulated, although her intentions were obviously not hinting towards it. Kagome caught the inclination of his head and smiled brightly, the tension removed from her shoulders as she once again stood next to Sasuke.

Temari, however, noticed the strange shift of atmosphere, and she quickly introduced herself and Kankurou, both of them bowing themselves.

�Oh,� Kagome noted the three�s hitai-ite wrapped around their respected areas, �you aren�t from around here?�

The three sand shinobi stared at her. Did she not understand the simple symbol of Suna�s ninjas? Sunagakure was an ally of Konohagakure, so how was it that she did not recognize their sign?

�They�re from Suna, Kagome-chan,� Sasuke informed her, unfazed by her confusion, and his arm again around her. �Gaara�s the Kazekage, and the three of them come every year to discuss things with the Hokage.� At her nod of understanding, he turned back to the three. �How long are you staying in Konoha?�

�We�re leaving tomorrow,� Kankurou shrugged.

�So soon?� It was uncharacteristic for Sasuke to say such things. In reality, he wanted nothing to do with these sand shinobi, especially not their Kazekage, who was previously looking at Kagome in a way he didn�t like. All the same, Kagome was still in his presence, and he felt it would only impress her if he remained civil and polite with the foreign ninja.

�Anou,� Temari placed her hands on her hips arrogantly, �there�s not much for us to do here, now that we�ve talked with the Hokage.�

Kagome smiled. �Why not just stay anyway? You can call it a sort of vacation.�

Temari and Kankurou looked to Gaara, not minding the idea to stay a bit longer, although things in the office, as well as Suna itself, would be problematic without a supervisor. It was all up to their brother, the Kazekage, to decide their next move. The said shinobi intently bore his eyes into every other pair, Kagome last. His gaze lasted on hers longer than the others before he turned away, not being able to handle looking at her for much longer.

�One week,� he said simply, walking away towards the room Tsunade had booked for their use.

He couldn�t stand by that Kagome any longer. He didn�t understand why, but he found himself getting a bit�nervous by being so close to her. This was foolish; Sabaku no Gaara was never nervous! This girl and her beauty, they had captured his interest and would not release him from their confines. And with that Uchiha hanging all over her� This jealousy of his was not being sated any time soon, he knew.

No, he had to leave as quickly as possible. Such a threat to his indifferent and dangerous being was a ridiculous one that he did not wish to risk getting near. She was so beautiful, so enhancing, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her for every moment, but he also wanted to get away from her and her precious Uchiha Sasuke.

He quickened his pace, terrified of this girl, this Kagome. He barely heard her words to Temari and Kankurou, her tone hesitant at his sudden departure but pleased with their lasting visit.

�Well, then we�ll definitely see each other more often within this next week, ne?�

No, not if he had anything to do with it. She would not intrigue him any longer. He couldn�t.

And for the first time in his life, Gaara fled.

�Gaara-sama?�

The pale shinobi turned his head away from his view of the moon from atop the roof and looked down toward the direction of the voice.

Her. What was she doing here?

He stared down at her, unmoving. She was dressed the same way as earlier that morning, looking as though she was taking a walk when she noticed him.

A walk. In the middle of the night.

She smiled at him, a smile that made his heart flutter for some reason unknown to him. �Come down here, would you?�

No, he shouldn�t; he wouldn�t. He had vowed to himself that he would stay away from that enchanting creature that was Kagome. But�no one was around; everyone but the two of them was asleep. Surely�surely it would do no harm to just see what it was she wanted, would it?

He looked away, refusing her. He could not allow his emotions to make decisions for him. It was a standard regulation that all shinobi had learned to know and practice early on in their ninja careers.

�Come on, Gaara-sama!� she laughed softly at his stubbornness. He didn�t budge. �Well, then,� she made a face, her hands on her hips, �fine.�

Gaara stiffened unnoticeably, unnerved by the fact that she so easily decided to leave him alone. If anything, it rather disappointed him.

His discomfort disappeared suddenly when he sensed her form nearing his own. He tilted his head to the side, hearing her grunts of struggle as she hauled herself up the floors of the building. Although he could feel the strange chakra within her body � now that he thought about it, why hadn�t he noticed it earlier? � he noticed that she was not using it to help her leap higher and higher up the plastered walls. She had found some nooks and crannies to use as support throughout her climb, but she did not use them as often as he believed she needed to. She wasn�t a kunoichi, and she was climbing so easily without the use of chakra. How was that possible?

Nonetheless, just moments after, she gave one last sound from the back of her throat and pushed herself up onto the roof, a difficult task, considering how slanted the tiles were.

�You�re so stubborn, Gaara-sama!� Kagome spoke cheerfully, although it was surely much past her bedtime. �Why wouldn�t you come down?�

Gaara turned away to look back at the moon, ignoring her question. It wasn�t that he didn�t want to answer; on the contrary, he wanted so very much to speak to her again. He kept his mouth shut, though, because he was certain that his voice would crack or waver if he tried to say something to her. She was that distracting.

Kagome frowned comically at his lack of response, carefully maneuvering herself closer to him until she was sitting right next to him, just a few feet between their bodies. The somewhat close proximity caused Gaara to shut his eyes for a second or two, something fluttering around inside of him and making him uneasy.

�Well,� Kagome continued, hugging her knees and peering at him closely, �why aren�t you asleep?�

His body didn�t move, but his green eyes rolled to the side, staring at her as coldly as he could in hopes that she would leave him and his troubled mind alone. �Why aren�t you?� He was pleased enough that his quiet muttering didn�t turn into a high-pitched squeak.

The girl looked up at the starry sky, shifting a little and not meeting his eyes. �It�s nothing. It�s just hard for me, sometimes. I get nightmares.� She chuckled to lighten the burden of unease. �I guess you could call it �selective insomnia�.�

Gaara remained silent, watching her fidget as her grin weakened. He internally felt a twinge of regret; he had only spoken to her once tonight, and she had already acted negatively at his words. Perhaps he shouldn�t even be talking to her. Scratch that: he knew he shouldn�t be talking to her.

He was about to move to stand and leave her alone on the rooftop, but she spoke again, her cheerful tone recovering. �Well? What about you?�

He looked at her again, her eyes catching his. He stared into the blue depths, beginning to get lost in them, but he swiftly turned away before he could make a bigger fool out of himself. He didn�t answer her.

�Fine, then,� Kagome pouted. �I�ll let it go. You aren�t much of a talker, are you?� He again refused to speak. �I guess not.� She sighed and turned away, folding her arms atop her knees and putting her head down. �So,� she tried to start conversation again, �when you don�t sleep, do you usually sit on rooftops?� She laughed softly, pleasing Gaara�s eardrums. �That�s not exactly a common way to spend the night, but whatever makes you happy.�

He mentally smirked, but outwardly, there was no change. �And when you don�t sleep, you walk.�

�Anou, at least I get the exercise.� She made a face. �You, on the other hand� Then again, you�re a shinobi, so you already get a lot of exercise, don�t you?�

Gaara made a short, monotonous sound in agreement. �Do you always talk so much?�

Kagome simply laughed, not seeming offended at all. �Of course! Even at night, I guess I don�t shut up. You aren�t the first to notice. Inuyasha and Sasuke-kun have always pointed it out to me, but I can�t help it. I�m always talking.�

Gaara didn�t recognize the other name she mentioned, but he stiffened once she brought up the Uchiha. The arrogant jounin irritated Gaara extremely in the past, but his relationship with Kagome made his blood boil even more, although he had only seen her for the first time just earlier that day.

He wasn�t sure he liked this strange feeling very much. His jealousy was already beginning to eat up at him, and he barely knew Kagome. It was difficult to even speak to her, hence why he had kept his words at a minimum. Why should it bother him so much that Kagome had made friends with Uchiha Sasuke? When he had seen her with Naruto earlier, he did not feel the urge to let Shukaku rip him to shreds. Perhaps he simply detested Sasuke so much that he didn�t want someone as innocent as Kagome to get near him.

He was being ridiculous. Kagome had obviously known �Sasuke-kun� for quite a while now, and they had hit it off, considering how disgustingly comfortable they were with each other. Gaara scowled to himself. Why did it matter whether or not they had some sort of relationship? He didn�t even know this girl, so he had no right to condemn them for being happy with each other. Still, he was livid. He didn�t enjoy the thought of having to share Kagome, not that he had her in the first place.

�Hey,� Kagome�s voice soothed his ears and dragged him out of his murderous thoughts. �Daijoubu?�

Gaara wasn�t aware that he had made his anger noticeable. He turned to her and stared at her concerned features, allowing a moment to pass before he answered her. �Hai, I�m fine.�

�I�m sorry,� she frowned. �Did I upset you?�

Gaara paused, wanting to tell her that she wasn�t a problem at all, which she wasn�t. He was a bit uncomfortable by her worrisome countenance, and he didn�t want her to stress over him any more (although, he had to admit, he rather enjoyed being fussed over by her).

He did not answer, but looked to the sky and back at her again. What he wanted to say next was off topic, he knew, but he didn�t want to talk about himself. There was something bothering him in the back of his mind all day since their last encounter, and he wanted answers now.

�How is it that you can touch me?� His eyes penetrated through her, his usual cold gaze not fazing her as much as his words were.

�What do you mean?� she furrowed her brow cutely, clearly not understanding where he was directing the irrelevant conversation.

Gaara�s eyes formed a glare, although it was not as heated as it normally would have been. He knew that she was clueless about his sand, but it was still frustrating, not knowing why exactly his barriers and shields were so easily broken. He was certain that she must know something about it all, but she hadn�t said anything that he could use as a clue.

�Earlier,� he reminded her, �when you fell on me.� He hid his blush skillfully, but she did not do so nearly as well. The cherry-like hue prettily flushed over her nose and she avoided eye contact.

�Gomen,� she said hastily. �I�m not usually such a klutz. I mean��

�Why did you touch me?�

�Look,� she nagged, still embarrassed, although her temper was beginning to shine through, �I already said that I�m sor��

Gaara�s eyes narrowed further. Did she still not understand? The gourd on his back began to rattle, catching her attention and quieting her. He knew, by the look in her breathtaking eyes, that she was getting nervous, but he didn�t expect her to react any differently.

He did not want to hurt her; this was only an experiment. Because she had touched his bare skin earlier, he had a theory that his sand would not harm her. This was only a test run to see the way his sand reacted to her. He didn�t think it would hurt her; at least, he hoped it wouldn�t.

He moved his pale hand behind him, calmly uncorking his gourd. The sand within it immediately escaped from its confines, swirling in spirals over their heads. Kagome stared, open-mouthed and eyes wide with a sort of dread as the sand clumped together and became more solid and dangerous. The immune look in Gaara�s eyes was obviously unnerving her even more than the sand was, and she was frozen to her seat against the cold, forest-green shingles.

The air was tense as Gaara stared straight at Kagome, and she shivered anxiously. She looked ready to jump up and run away, but the brave look in the back of her eyes told him otherwise.

This was the only way to see for himself what had happened earlier.

He truly hoped that this wasn�t a mistake. If he hurt Kagome�

Gaara pushed the thoughts away, determination and frustration mixing into one. He blinked slowly, the dark rims around his eyes turning the sockets into black holes before they opened again. He looked at Kagome one last time and spoke, his tone icy.

�Show me.�

His sand plummeted from the sky, and she screamed.

--TBC--