A/N: Sorry for the delay, everyone. Work and the flu sort of got in the way of my writing, as well as the unexpected arrival of a family member I hadn’t seen in months. I was fine for a couple of days but then my cold decided to come back with a vengeance. Needless to say, I haven’t been feeling too good. :( But I shall prevail!

On a side note, just wanted to say that ‘paediatrician’ is spelled with an ‘a’ at the start if you write in UK English like I do. You’ve probably noticed that I also write ‘colour’ and ‘favourite’… the result of having attended a British school all my life. xD

Without further hold-ups, here’s the next chapter.

Chapter III – The Vestibule Stand

“Thank you very much,” Sakura said happily as she handed a couple of bills to the carpet delivery man. He’d been extremely nice and had actually helped her move the sofas around in the living room so she could arrange the heavy rug in exactly the way she wanted. The man had been exactly what a delivery guy should be like: cooperative, friendly and with the ability to make casual chit-chat that helped make his clients feel taken care off.

He wasn’t a snobby, egotistical bastard who thought less of everyone else in the world while flaunting his good looks and making poor unsuspecting female clients doubt their mental integrity. That’s what marked the difference between a good delivery man and for the past few days Sakura had had many encounters with men of the trade from which to garner this conclusion.

Thankfully, her house was almost completely furnished now. The stores from which she’d purchased her things had ended up being efficient and now, her kitchen, TV room and bathrooms where completely set up. Some of her walls were still looking terribly empty but she’d decided to tackle the decoration one step at a time. Most of the things she’d ordered had already been delivered and she was quite happy with how the interior of her new home was turning out. She was going to be able to throw that house warming party she’d been planning soon.

However, before she did just that, she would have to deal with said narcissistic and infuriating redheaded delivery man who had been plaguing her existence since he’d showed up at her door. Being the analytical and rational person she was thanks to her professional training, the pink haired girl had realized that she should stay as far away as possible from him. Their last encounter, which basically had them holding hands in the middle of her clinic’s hallway, had made it terribly clear that if Dr. Sagara hadn’t interrupted, she would have most likely done something she would’ve regretted.

Haruno Sakura did not do things se regretted… ever. She was notorious for her keen intelligence and thus, she always thought things through systematically before doing anything that might compromise her position. It was simple rationality and it had saved her rear many times as she was coursing through university, not to mention how much it had served her when it came to personal relationships.

Problem was her rationality was being threatened by a complete stranger with his irritating handsome face and exasperating demeanour. Not that she could call him a stranger now. Suddenly, by being Kamlyn’s and Nyoko’s uncle, Sakura could rightfully say he was an acquaintance. The twins had always held a special place in her heart, especially after Kamlyn’s illness the year before. The pink haired girl had fought that damned pneumonia with unconventional medications right alongside that little boy every step of the way. She had successfully cured him when all other doctors had been delaying treatment because of the child’s unexpected allergies. She’d pulled him out of a serious crisis and by doing so, she’d not only earned his mother’s eternal gratitude, but the trust of both twins as well. Nyoko had wanted to be by her brother’s side all the time and Sakura knew by the knowing glint in her eyes that she was more aware of things around her than most adults gave her credit for.

They were a pair of chaotic little ones ready to take the world on but they’d won over her heart with their resilience and she’d duly earned their confidence by being there for them when they needed it. That’s what Sakura loved about working with kids, how they could utterly surprise you with the most meaningful things but be carefree and childish the next instant.

Not to mention that she’d developed a readily friendship with their parents. Hidan and Temari, though unconventional in their own right, had gone out of their way to let Sakura know how grateful they were for the service she’d done for their son. They’d invited her over for dinner on a couple of occasions and the pink haired doctor had even been invited to the twins’ birthday party but she hadn’t been able to attend due to another one of her patients being terribly sick…

…which meant that she could’ve met the infuriating Gaara a lot more sooner than she actually had.

Pinching the bridge of her nose as she dropped into one of her living room couches, Sakura tried to clear the sudden confusion in her mind. Why was it that whenever she thought of the redhead, her thoughts would become muddled and caused her to become even more irritated?

Are you really that stupid or do I have to spell it out for you? Inner Sakura said in a patronizing tone.

‘A man that makes you lose all rational thought isn’t good for you,’ she replied, picking up a nearby cushion and throwing it over her face.

I greatly differ from that opinion.

‘That’s because you never think things through. You always jump into things.’

Something you should do more often!

‘I barely know the guy,’ Sakura said defensively, trying to put an end to this pointless discussion she was having with her inner self.

You could know him if you let yourself.

‘He could end up being a freak! You saw how he stalked me to my office.’

Yeah and Sasuke wasn’t a freak, Inner Sakura countered in a mocking tone.

‘This is difficult enough already without you bringing up an ex,’ she replied with a groan.

It just proves my point. Admit it, you’re attracted to eccentric men.

‘A habit I’m trying to break and you’re not helping!’

It’s not necessarily a bad thing… you just need to improve your freak filter. You need to work on choosing the good freaks from the bad freaks.

‘Is there such a thing as good freak?’ she asked in exasperation. The pink haired girl felt like weeping from the hopelessness of it all.

Of course there is. I think this Gaara might be one of them.

‘Ah yes, how convenient,’ Sakura replied, narrowing her eyes.

Prove me wrong then, her inner self said with an impish smile that did nothing to comfort Sakura. Just get to know him and then we’ll talk.

“No, thank you,” the pink haired girl said out loud, putting an end to their dialogue. She had to recover her rational mind and keep her thoughts in order, or else her inner personality would get the best of her. Inner Sakura had a manner of throwing convincing arguments her way, making her doubt her initial intentions. It was a good thing in some occasions because it forced her to see things from a different perspective but not this time.

Not after the Sasuke fiasco. Oh no. She’d learned her lesson well.

Her convictions strengthened, Sakura picked up the cordless phone buried beneath her legs on the couch and stood up. Walking over to her fridge, she skimmed through all the post-its stuck to it until finally finding the number she was looking for.

“The Puppeteer, how can I help you?” a female voice answered on the other side of the line a moment later.

“Yes, hi. My name’s Haruno Sakura and ordered some furniture with you guys. I called yesterday and was told that the stand for my vestibule would be ready today.”

“A yes, Ms. Haruno! Shinpachi told me you had called. I’m glad to say that your piece is finished and ready for delivery.”

“That’s precisely why I’m calling,” Sakura said with a nervous laugh. “Instead of delivering it, do you think I could come pick it up?”

- XXXXXXXX –

As Gaara went over his daily list of tasks, he couldn’t help but elicit a resigned sigh. It seemed there was a lot to get done this day and as usual, he’d arrived at The Puppeteer in a tardy fashion. This meant he would have to speed up his deliveries if he wanted to have the evening off for that jog through the park he’d been looking forward to.

He’d been rather busy these past few days, working for Kankurou during the day and sending out job applications when he got home. Already, he’d sent his CV to around five investment and stock companies but if he was quite honest with himself, he wasn’t particularly taken with any of them. It would all depend on the interviews and what they would offer him. Despite his lack of social skills, Gaara had accumulated a vast amount of experience working on several projects in these few years since he’d graduated from college. He might not be the most forthcoming person out there but he knew how to get the job done, there was no doubt about that.

Of course, finding a firm who would appreciate his business skills while overlooking his crude personality wasn’t easy and he didn’t know if he’d be able to find it. Even so, the applications had been sent and all he could do now was wait.

Loading the daily furniture into his truck helped as a distraction and soon, he was thinking about the best deliver route he should take instead of wondering when he would acquire a more decent job. Even so, he had to admit that delivering furniture did have its perks… namely one Haruno Sakura. She’d made this whole ordeal worth while and had made his servitude for his brother, as he liked to term it, a bit more tolerable.

Come to think of it, another one of her orders should be ready for delivery sometime soon. He’d delivered her dresser on Tuesday and it was Friday now. Kankurou had started work on both her foyer stand and bed; since the bed frame took longer to make, Gaara knew her stand would be finished first. He’d been keeping an eye out for it and was aware that one of Kankurou’s assistants had been designated to add the finishing touches to it. As a matter of fact, he’d expected the thing to be there in the storage room this morning but it wasn’t. This meant that the assistant had slacked off and hadn’t finished it on time for it to be included in the day’s deliveries.

Frowning in irritation, the redhead climbed up to his truck and placed it into gear. He really didn’t appreciate that someone else’s lack of efficiency had deprived him of seeing the pink haired spitfire before the weekend but in truth, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. The best he could do was to make sure he’d arrived on time on Monday to deliver the stand for her.

Imagining the look on Sakura’s face when she was forced to start her week by seeing him on a Monday morning was enough to make him chuckle to himself. The insults cleverly hidden within comments she would most likely throw his way would be priceless. He might just have to silence her perky little mouth with his own lips if she got too feisty. Admittedly, he’d been almost about to do that the last time at the clinic until that old geezer had come strolling their way. There was something unimaginably attractive about the emerald eyed doctor when she lost her composure and he couldn’t help but be lured in. He didn’t know why but she had triggered some kind of reaction in him, making his already impulsive nature even more impetuous. No one ever before had poked Gaara’s chest while reproaching him and lived to tell the tale. Instead of getting annoyed at it, he’d found he wanted her to come even closer and had acted out on the whim.

Needless to say, the catch in her breath and the way her eyes had widened at his touch hadn’t gone unnoticed by the redhead. It seemed that the attraction he felt towards her was far from one-sided. From the glimpses he’d caught of her personality, Gaara could tell that Sakura possessed quite a stubborn streak. This only made this little project of his all the more alluring for he planned to find out just how hard-headed she could be before giving in.

Driving the truck out of the alley at the back of the store, he passed the front of the shop and drove for a bit before coming to a stop at the red light at the corner. He rolled his right shoulder, trying to get a kink out of it. He’d had to haul a large bookcase the day before and despite the fact that another of Kankurou’s delivery men had been there to help, his back had complained this morning. Thank goodness it was Friday and he had a weekend of loitering around to look forward to.

As he was contemplating the best way to spend his Saturday, the redhead was distracted by a dark green Mini-Cooper turning the corner he was at. There was a flash of pink as it passed by in the opposite direction and looking through his side mirror, he saw the car make its way towards The Puppeteer and look for a spot to park in front of the store.

The gears in his head seemed to shift for a moment before clinking into place again.

‘The devious little cheat’, he thought in furious disbelief. Did she think she could outsmart him?

When the light turned green, Gaara wasted no time in going round the block. Luckily, there wasn’t much traffic at this time of day and he managed to return to the back of the shop in just under three minutes.

He jumped out of the truck, sprinting towards the entrance.

“But you just left!” Taji complained as the redhead passed the storage room.

Gaara simply ignored him and only slowed his pace when he’d traversed the long corridor that crossed the workshop and led to the storefront. There, he peaked through the small glass window on the door that separated both areas and caught a glimpse of Sakura, who was happily surveying a couple of wooden porch chairs. Her vestibule stand was next to the cashier, where Hana, one of Kankurou’s vendors, was writing her a receipt.

Grinding his teeth, the redhead turned back to the pink haired woman, who was looking pretty smug with a little I’m-so-smart smile on her lips. As he watched her for another couple of moments, his irritation actually gave way to mirth. If she would go through such lengths to avoid him, then their previous encounter had affected her in more ways than she would probably care to admit.

He would so enjoy watching her when she realized her plan had backfired.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kankurou asked, suddenly behind him. “You were supposed to be out on delivery ages ago.”

Jade eyes simply turned towards him and offered him a nonchalant glance. “I’m busy with other things at the moment,” Gaara replied, before opening the door and stepping into the storefront.

Kankurou was about to complain but as the door swung back closed, he also caught a glimpse of the pink haired woman admiring the furniture on display. He swallowed deeply, about to follow Gaara but thinking twice about it when he recognized Sakura. He’d better steer clear of this encounter or else, he could unknowingly make things worse. A long time ago, he’d learned that when he got in the way of his younger brother, things had a tendency of exploding in his face.

Still, this didn’t mean he couldn’t oversee the whole encounter and make his own conclusions about what was going on. If things took a turn for the worst and Gaara blew it, he might have to call in the cavalry… namely, he would have to give Temari a call.

Since Gaara hadn’t actually done anything for the time being, all he could do was stand and watch.

- XXXXXXXX –

“Ms. Haruno,” Hana called out. “Everything’s ready.”

“Thank you very…” Sakura started to say but her words died in her mouth as she turned around and saw the vision from her nightmares she’d been trying to avoid standing right in front of her.

There he was, arms crossed in front of his chest, his jade eyes staring fixedly at her. He was dressed in the store’s uniform polo shirt and had a pair of faded jeans on, torn a little at the ends from where he dragged them slightly. His crimson hair was tousled in that annoyingly attractive ‘out-of-bed’ look he usually wore while his lips were curving up into an arrogant smirk as he stood there next to her piece of furniture.

‘I can’t believe this didn’t work!’ she wailed inside her mind, giving no outer sign of her inner turmoil. ‘I planned this perfectly, dammit!’

She cleared her throat and started again. “Thank you very much, Hana,” she said, moving towards the cashier and ignoring the redhead completely. “I’ll be going now.”

“Would you like some help with that, Ms. Haruno?” Gaara asked in a deceptively cooperative tone.

“No, thank you,” she replied with an equally misleading smile. “I can manage.”

“Are you sure, Ms. Haruno?” Hana interrupted, completely oblivious to the hostile energies circulating around the two people next to her. “It isn’t a problem whatsoever. It’s our job to help, after all!”

For the first time in his life, Gaara actually felt appreciation for Kankurou’s air-headed vendor. Before Sakura could respond, his hands reached down to lift the plastic wrapped stand. The thing was actually a pretty aesthetic piece of furniture; four Greek-like columns had been carved out of the wood, with vines coiled around them, holding a round board between them. A small bowl had been carved in the middle of the thick board, with carvings to decorate it, making it perfect to stash keys and loose change. It wasn’t all that big and wasn’t heavy at all, reaching only to Gaara’s hip.

The redhead knew that by offering to carry it for her, he’d send a direct jibe Sakura’s way. Taking the stand and tucking it under his arm with ease, he made his way to the front door.

“Thanks again,” he heard her say to Hana once more before her steps started following him.

“Are you sure this thing will fit in you Mini?” he asked mockingly once they were out the door.

Sakura tried to convince herself that making a dive for the passing traffic on the street and committing suicide wasn’t the best option.

She simply made as if he hadn’t spoken to her and hurried up her pace on the sidewalk, stepping ahead of him. Luckily, her car wasn’t parked all that far.

Gaara simply gave her a sidelong glance, enjoying the situation thoroughly. “I see, you wanted to avoid me so much, you’ve decided on giving me the silent treatment.”

Once more, she whirled round on him abruptly, her eyes flaring with temper. “You’re just so full of yourself, aren’t you? Why do you think everything revolves around you?”

“Give me one good reason why you came to pick up this piece of furniture instead of having it delivered like the rest of the things you’ve ordered,” he said, his feline grin back on his features.

His demand caught her off guard and she searched her mind furiously for a quick answer.

Gaara didn’t give her a chance to find one.

“We both know your car’s terribly small. Nothing fits in it and you know it. This stand is the only thing you’ve ordered that will be able to make it in there. For you to go out of your way and come all the way downtown to pick it up means you’re making an effort to avoid something.”

He took one step closer to her and duly noted the way she was biting her lower lip. “And I think that something is me.”

Emerald eyes narrowed as her temper came to her rescue once more. “And what of it? If I have the opportunity to circumvent an encounter with you, why shouldn’t I take it?”

As she spoke, she started walking towards her car again, keys in her hand. “All you’ve done is behave like an asshole towards me, something which I don’t particularly like. Any sensible person would want to steer clear of you.”

Sakura reached her car and unlocked the passenger door. She had lowered the seat so that the stand could travel on it without getting damaged.

“So I’m an asshole now,” Gaara commented, his grin at odds with the solemn tone he was using.

“As if you don’t go out of your way to be one,” she countered testily.

The redhead was about to reply to that when an unfamiliar male voice spoke behind Sakura.

“HA! I always knew you’d end up hauling furniture like the useless nobody you are.”

The pink haired girl watched the feline grin instantly disappear from Gaara’s face and saw his eyes glaze over with intense cold fury. His body tensed immediately and she was glad that the grimace that settled over his face wasn’t directed at her.

She turned around to face the speaker, only to find a tall man wearing a posh suit standing near her. His sleek black hair was combed back and his clothes were impressively tidy, with his tie neatly in place and his jacket impeccably buttoned at the front. Sakura would’ve said he was handsome, with his chiselled features and deep blue eyes, except that the demeaning sneer he was throwing Gaara’s way was tainted with utter cruelty.

The pink haired girl disliked him straight away and she took an unconscious step closer to the redhead.

Somehow, Gaara seemed to take this as his cue and he moved to step in front of her, coming between her and the stranger.

The rage emanating from him was almost palpable.

“Get the fuck away from here, Tohru,” he said, his tone so icy it could’ve frozen the air around him.

But the man simply ignored him and took a step to the side to be able to look at Sakura as he spoke. “My dear, being the beautiful lady you are you should be warned that this man is nothing but a useless ruffian. He thinks he can get away with anything with his bullying and harrying ways. He simply wasted his time obtaining that renowned business degree he has in his possession for he would’ve ended up in the gutter like he is now no matter what he did.”

Sakura found her hands fisting at her sides in irritation at the man’s disdainful tone. She found that Gaara wasn’t exactly thriving in the situation either. The back muscles of his arms were tensing even more by the second and she was suddenly afraid that he might hit the man in front of them with the vestibule stand he was still holding.

Not that she would blame him for it.

“That is why I highly suggest you buy your furniture elsewhere, for any liaisons with him and his kind can only lead to problems,” Tohru was saying. “I would happily be able to suggest some high class furniture stores,” he finished with what he doubtlessly thought was a charming smile.

Inner Sakura was prepared to wreck utter havoc with the angry fit she was on the verge of throwing. If there was something she detested, it was snobby bastards with money that looked at everyone else down the end of their nose.

Gaara opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

“Well sir, as unlikely as I would trust the judgment of a conceited dunce like yourself, I’ve always made it a point to follow my own opinion when it comes to who I relate to. My companion here asked you to leave and since I was having a conversation with him before you rudely interrupted, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to do the same.”

Tohru gaped at her with utter disbelief for a moment, not sure he had heard right. He regained his composure, however, and pinned Sakura with an even more demeaning look.

Gaara seemed to bristle at this and moved again to block his line of sight.

“Suit yourself,” Tohru said, smoothing his suit even though it didn’t need to be straightened. He turned towards the redhead. “As for you, low-life, you know very well you’ll never get another decent job in this city. I hope you enjoy drowning in that gutter you’re in.”

With that, the man turned around and stalked away.

Jade eyes stared as his back, as if he could break all the bones in Tohru’s body out of sheer strength of will.

“What a tight assed bastard,” Sakura commented, coming to stand beside Gaara. Turning to look at her, he saw how her emerald eyes were blazing with anger as she too glared at the man’s back.

For the life of him, he simply didn’t know why she had just stood up for him. Barely knowing him, she’d defended him against this man who evidently had a high standing in life and had insulted him for his sake. The redhead felt a strange warm feeling settle inside his chest as he looked at her.

Every time they met, there was always something she did that made his estimation of her rise even more.

The pink haired girl watched Tohru climb into the driver’s seat of a really expensive car down the street before driving away in the opposite direction, oblivious to Gaara’s stare.

“You should’ve kicked his ass,” she said, placing her hands on her hips while Inner Sakura nodded fervently in agreement.

“Trust me, there was nothing I wanted to do more,” he said irritatingly. “But with the uniform I’m wearing and knowing who he is, my brother’s store would’ve been sued in a matter of minutes.”

Sakura blinked. Now that she thought about it, he was absolutely right. All he would’ve gained was trouble for Kankurou and his business, especially since they were only a few steps away from the store. Before she could help it, she found herself smiling. Being capable of holding back his impulses for someone else’s sake was something she wouldn’t have thought Gaara capable of doing earlier today. Wasn’t he full of surprises.

She turned to him then, her smile turning mischievous. “Well, well. You, the incarnation of egotism, being considerate? I’m shocked,” she teased.

Gaara’s eyes narrowed before he realized that she was actually joking with him. Sakura was relieved to see his roguish grin return to his face and could almost feel the terribly anger that had coiled around him minutes before start fading away.

“It seems you’re not the only one who thinks I’m an asshole today,” the redhead said, moving to place the stand inside her car.

“Why do you keep making that impression, I wonder?” she countered but she was still smiling.

The redhead simply shook his head at her, arranging the piece of furniture on her seat so that it wouldn’t move around while she drove.

“I don’t think you know me well enough to make such observations,” he replied, straightening up beside her.

“And why would I want to do that? Like I said before, any sensible person would steer clear of you,” Sakura said, closing her car door.

“So you’re calling the man who was just here sensible? He doesn’t want anything to do with me, I assure you,” Gaara said, slightly annoyed.

“No, I didn’t say that…”

“But you implied it.”

“I didn’t!”

“Evidently you agree with his opinion of me,” the redhead said testily.

“Of course I don’t!” Sakura said, temper flaring. “I wouldn’t share that idiot’s opinion about anything.”

“You called me an asshole.”

“I…” the pink haired girl was suddenly at a loss for words. But her irritation rose to the fore a few seconds later. “Well, you haven’t treated me differently!” she countered indignantly.

“I can so prove you wrong,” Gaara said haughtily.

“Oh really?” Sakura asked, avoiding the temptation of poking him on the chest again in her annoyance.

“Yes, really. And I will. Dinner, tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up at 8 o’clock.”

“Fine!” the pink haired girl exclaimed angrily, wanting nothing more than to throttle him. Why the hell had she just stood up for this narcissistic man?

“Fine. See you then,” with that, the redhead graced her one last predatory grin before turning around and walking back to The Puppeteer.

Stomping her way to the driver’s side of her car, Sakura fumed. She opened the door and sat down with violent motions, proceeding to slam her car door closed. Furiously turning on the ignition, the shock only filtered through her angered filled senses until she was making a red light two streets away.

Emerald eyes blinked in disbelief and she covered her mouth with her hand.

‘Did I just agree to go out on a date with him?’

Yes you did, came Inner Sakura’s triumphant reply.

“Shit!” the pink haired girl said as she slammed her forehead against the wheel in front of her.

- XXXXXXXX –

Kankurou watched as his brother made his way back to the store through the window. He’d witnessed the whole encounter and had recognized Tohru as one of the younger managers of the firm Gaara had previously worked for. He’d never liked the man, as a matter of fact, he’d never liked any of his brother’s employers at all, but had known the job was a great opportunity for the redhead to get ahead in his field.

Thus, he knew that Tohru’s sudden appearance could only mean trouble and had been ready walk out of his store to give his brother his support if he needed it. In the end, that hadn’t been necessary and it seemed that Gaara had managed to live through the encounter without actually losing his temper.

This was something very out of the ordinary in and of itself.

“Well?” Kankurou asked when the redhead walked into the shop, wanting to know just what the hell Tohru had said to him.

Gaara only gave his brother a wolfish grin. “I’ve got a date with her tomorrow.”

Visibly spluttering while a different kind of shock filtered through his system, Kankurou grasped the implications of what his brother was saying. Needless to say, this wasn’t the answer he had been expecting.

“You what?” he exclaimed.

“We’re going out on a date,” the redhead replied casually as he started making his way to the back of the store. “I’ve got to go now. Got stuff to deliver.”

Kankurou was left there standing, Tohru completely forgotten and his heartbeat pulsing in sheer disbelief. Dr. Haruno, the polite and assertive paediatrician, had agreed to out with his brother, the self-centred and obsessive maniac? It was too contradicting an affirmation for his poor neurons to handle.

One thing was terribly clear, though.

The cavalry would really have to be called in.

Hope you enjoyed this one! BTW, cause I know you'll probably ask, I'm afraid Sasuke won't be making an appearance in this fic. He was just mentioned as a 'reference' to Sakura's past. I just want to keep this fic as simply as possible. :'D

I’ll be starting work on the next chapter as soon as this flu of mine decides to hit the road... Thanks for your support, guys!