The pair sat facing each other, tense expressions on their faces. It was a moment of truth. A moment of trust.

A moment of temporary insanity.

The hot air shimmered between them, filled with tension and aggressive planning. The pair shifted occasionally, moving some pieces and removing others from between them. A bob of red hair was swiftly followed by a bob of pink.

Gaara didn't mind summer. Summer was a time of disproportionate heat and ice cream consumption, which he normally enjoyed. What he did mind was air-conditioners that did not work. In fact, he suspected that certain air-conditioners, like Naruto's, actually heated apartments to new, undiscovered levels that would make an inferno cringe. Admittedly, he was from the desert and should therefore not be affected by heat, but the line had to be drawn somewhere. As far as he was concerned, the line had been crossed by more than a few degrees.

Gaara shifted uncomfortably as skin stuck to cloth.

He had been waiting in his friend's apartment so he could welcome him back from his first solo mission. He had not expected to encounter a pink haired anomaly with the same goal in mind, though it was a logical outcome considering that they were both Naruto's friends. Then again, he didn't mind certain things. Maybe life was a little better than he thought?

Sakura didn't mind summer. Summer was a time to play at the beach and work on her tan. What she did mind was running into a psychopathic killer in Naruto's apartment. Oh, and the heat. But what she hated the most was encountering both of them at the same time.

If only things hadn't come down to this.

If only they hadn't been bored out of their respective, metaphorical trees.

If only it hadn't been this hot.

Things wouldn't have progressed this far. It was ridiculous. It couldn't be happening. It was a mistake. It was-

Sakura shifted as Gaara stared at her intently, icy-green eyes focused on...what? A drop of sweat ran down his cheek as he waited patiently, a hint of a smirk on his face. He was toying with her, and Sakura couldn't take it any longer. She felt her breathing rate increase. Anger surged through her veins like liquid fire.

"Just hurry up and take me," she hissed, cheeks aflame and chest heaving. Her face shimmered with sweat, and her teeth clenched together harshly. A halo of sticky pink clung to her cheeks and forehead before cascading out awkwardly in uneven chunks.

Could life get any worse? How could she have let this happen?

Gaara smirked. He enjoyed playing cat and mouse with her, especially in this sort of game. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a feral grin that he could not repress. She was his. There was no way she could ever escape.

He had her right where he wanted her.

He ran fingers through his sweaty, tousled red hair before reaching downwards slowly. "You're mine."

Waiting in a small, unairconditioned apartment during a heat wave had never had such effects. Sakura blamed the heat. Gaara didn't.

"Checkmate."

Sakura tugged at her shirt collar irritably. For a fraction of a second Gaara's eyes flicked downwards, making her insides squirm.

She shook it off, twitching slightly.

With a heavy sigh of anger, Sakura swatted her king on his side. "Bastard."

His grin widened.

"The shirt." His eyes flashed downwards, again.

Oh.

Sakura's mouth twisted into a grimace. Why not her shoes? Or her headband? What had happened to chastity? She wanted to duck out of the game, but her shinobi instincts wouldn't allow it. Her instincts and nothing else.

As Sakura tugged at her shirt, she could only wonder why in the world Naruto owned a damned chess set.

It was going to be a very long day.

The lesson? Don't play strip chess with a neurotic genius that has a penchant for drawing things out.