Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the respective characters.

A/N: Just felt it necessary to define a few terms used in the story because I have a suspicion that some readers may not have seen Shippuuden yet, or just haven't caught the terms.

Bijuu: a powerful demon

Ichibi: specifically a one-tailed demon (Shukakau)

Jinchuuriki: Host of the Bijuu (Gaara and Naruto)

Now, on to the story...

Experimentation

Chapter 1: First Session

Sakura's emerald eyes slowly wandered across the towering walls of sand at the entrance to the Hidden Village of Sand. Glancing over her shoulder at the desolate land where she had ventured from, she started to question if she should have come there alone. Sure, there were ties between the leaf village and the sand village, but who's to say those ties wouldn't break, and with Gaara as her objective, she didn't feel exactly at ease.

Earlier that day, Tsunade had called Sakura into her quarters, claiming she had a one-man-, or one-woman- in her case, mission for her. Tsunade had mentioned she felt it would be beneficial as a medic-nin for Sakura to study the nature and affects of Bijuu on their hosts. Naruto was of course the first subject suggested for the experiment, which at first he was more than willing to volunteer himself as a guinea pig to Sakura, but as soon as the word "needle" was mentioned, he quickly changed his mind. Given Naruto's stubborn refusal, that left Sakura with the only remaining known Jinchuuriki; Gaara of the sand. Though Sakura was rather uneasy about the idea of being in a room alone with the infamously unstable Gaara, she was more afraid of what her mentor would do to her if she refused.

So there she was, standing at the entrance to the sand village, having no idea what to expect. The fingers of her left hand squeezed tightly around her medical bag handle. She sighed deeply before brushing the wrinkles away from her shirt, and strolled through the entrance to the sand village.

Sakura did not make it far into the village before she was greeted by Gaara's former sensei, Baki.

"We've been expecting you. And I must say that I am rather pleased that you chose to perform such an experiment on our Kazekage."

Sakura offered a gentle smile and a nod as she silently followed Baki.

Once inside the Kazekage tower, Baki turned to Sakura and pointed towards a flight of stairs. "Gaara's office is just up these stairs and to the right. He is expecting you, so do not worry about interrupting him. If you need anything, supplies or medical aid, please let me know. I'll be down the hall here in my office."

"Thank you," Sakura replied before turning to the stairs. She gazed up, feeling rather apprehensive, and slowly made her way to the next floor. Stopping before the large door to Gaara's quarters, she took one last deep breath before reaching for the doorknob. Before she could lay even a finger on the knob, the door suddenly swung open abruptly, startling her. She yelped, stumbling back several inches before finding herself caught by her right wrist. She lifted her head quickly, to find that the hand holding her wrist belonged to Gaara, who stood, expressionless and stoic as usual, in the doorway.

As Gaara released Sakura's wrist, Sakura quickly looked away, a slight blush sweeping over her cheeks.

Real smooth Sakura. Inner Sakura taunted. A little on edge, are we?

Sakura pushed aside her nagging inner self and turned her attention back to Gaara. His listless eyes were locked on hers, making speaking, or functioning in general, even more difficult for her.

"Good afternoon Kazekage-sama. Sorry to intrude, but is now a good time for…"

Gaara interrupted, and thankfully broke the gaze. "Please come in Sakura." He turned and took several steps into the room before turning again towards the entrance to watch Sakura. "And please, just call me Gaara. There's no need for formalities."

Sakura cleared her throat, the lump that had formed nearly choking her. She would have been quite flattered by Gaara's chivalry, had it not been for the immense nervousness that had now swept over her. After she stepped into the room, Gaara pushed the door closed; adding to the sheer discomfort of the situation.

Sakura's eyes quickly scanned the room, trying desperately to find something, anything, to keep her attention off Gaara's intense gaze. She was somewhat taken aback when she stumbled across a picture hanging on the wall of him and his siblings. She walked past Gaara and to the wall holding the picture. Upon closer examination, she noticed Gaara looked surprisingly content in the picture, with Temari's arm over his shoulder. She turned, ready to ask Gaara a question pertaining to he and Temari's relationship, but was startled to find him standing directly before her, his eyes glued on hers.

Damn. Doesn't this guy know it's rude to stare?!

"Was there something you wanted to say?" Gaara questioned, apparently noticing Sakura's mouth had opened then shut quickly.

"Uhh… well, nothing important. I was just curious about your relationship with your sister Temari." With Gaara's eyes still locked on Sakura, she turned to a small table sitting at the side of a couch at the center of the room. As Gaara gave her a simple reply, she made her way to the couch, setting her medical bag on the table beside it before taking a seat.

"We don't speak much." Gaara walked over to the couch, but did not sit down, and instead stood towering over Sakura.

"Why don't you take a seat beside me, and we'll get started on the tests." Sakura gently patted a hand on the couch seat at her side, offering a reassuring smile to Gaara, who looked to be somewhat uneasy as well.

Gaara sat down, but at the complete opposite end of the couch. Sakura had to stifle a giggle, but with his eyes still on her, he could clearly see she was laughing.

"What?"

"Nothing, sorry. Could you maybe sit a little closer… and actually, I need you to remove your vest and coat." Sakura reached into her medical bag, removing a large syringe.

Gaara muttered an apology before standing to remove his vest. Sakura waited patiently as he unbuckled the two straps of his vest, letting it fall onto the arm of the couch. His long trench coat soon followed, leaving his upper body only covered by a short-sleeved mesh shirt. He sat back down, close to Sakura as she had requested, but too close, nearly on top of her. Sakura's cheeks flushed as the bare skin of his arm brushed against her own. She pushed herself as far against the corner of the couch as she could to leave her enough room to do her work. Gaara's expressionless eyes were glued to hers once again as she reached for his arm.

"I'm just going to take a couple blood samples to start out," Sakura explained as she took Gaara's arm in one hand, and the needle in the other. Gaara's arm twitched, just slightly, as Sakura gently held his arm up. She was rather surprised at the smoothness of his skin, half expecting it to feel more like something that resembled sandpaper. Hoping to distract Gaara's attention from her and the needle, Sakura returned to the subject of Temari. "Do you get along with your sister?" As she had anticipated, Gaara's eyes averted to the picture on the wall.

"We get along. We just don't really talk."

Sakura turned Gaara's arm, allowing her access to the underside of his arm. She pressed her thumb against his skin, searching for a good vein. "Why don't you two talk?" She watched Gaara's expression closely through the top of her peripheral vision as she slowly inserted the needle into his arm. She almost expected his sand armor to appear and prevent her from using the needle. No sand appeared over the targeted skin, and his emotionless face did not waver, his eyes remaining on the sibling picture as if in thought.

"Women make me uncomfortable."

Surprised that Gaara had used the term 'women' rather than something expected like 'female', Sakura's eyes averted from her work on Gaara's arm up to his face. He was staring again. His eyes almost had a hypnotic affect. She found herself unable to pull her own eyes away.

Why is he making me so damned uncomfortable? What's with his eyes?

When his words finally registered in Sakura's head, she wondered if she was making him feel just as uncomfortable as he was making her. As if answering her question, Gaara clarified his response.

"You don't make me feel uncomfortable, Sakura."

Sakura was taken aback, not only by the actual words, but the fact that he had admitted to them. She forced herself to look down at the needle in her hand, which she then realized was completely full. She gently removed the syringe, dispensing the red liquid into a small glass vial she had pulled from her medical bag. She noted that there were small traces of fine grains of sand within his blood, but the image did not concern her much. Returning to his arm, she reinserted the needle for one more sample. Gaara had now taken his eyes from her and lowered them to the needle, fixating on the clear glass as it slowly filled with his blood.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sakura jumped back into the conversation, but not quite in the way she had intended.

"Have you ever been with a girl?"

What the hell kind of question is that? You don't just ask the Kazekage a question like that! Sakura inwardly scolded herself, knowing the response would be an unpleasant one.

"Yes."

That was a surprisingly simple and calm answer.

"Really? I mean... I don't mean it like that... I just..."

"I've been with my sister most of my life."

Sakura raised her head, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she tried to refrain from laughing. "I meant... been with a girl... you know... like a romantic relationship." She couldn't believe her own words, and even more, she couldn't believe Gaara was so willingly and calmly replying.

"No."

Sakura noticed a strange twitch at the corner of Gaara's right eye. She gazed down at his arm, surprised to find the vein she was extracting blood from was unusually protuberant. She shifted her hand on his arm, thinking the position might have been a bit unpleasant. His chakra seemed to suddenly fluctuate beneath her touch.

"Gaara, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." Without his own consent, Gaara's tongue snaked out across his dry lips. Realizing what was happening to him at the sight of blood, he forced himself to look away, turning to one of the room's small round windows, watching the clouds pass by in the blue sky.

Sakura could see that he was lying, and judging by his actions, the Bijuu inside him was coming forth at what she presumed to be the sight of blood. Wishing not to stir up anything dangerous, Sakura slowly removed the needle and once more dispensed the crimson liquid into the glass vile, releasing his arm from her other hand in the process. She made a mental note of her observation.

The one-tailed demon is clearly driven by carnal instincts. The sight of blood heightens the host's adrenalin and chakra levels.

After setting down the emptied syringe, Sakura turned to Gaara. With his attention on something outside, she took the moment to observe his physical stature. His face, though stern and almost completely unreadable, was actually rather handsome. Her eyes traveled down to his stomach, then back up to his arm. With only his small fishnet shirt on, she noticed his unmistakably toned abs and muscular arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught glimpse of a small trickle of blood escaping from his needle puncture. Before it could slip down the side of his arm and onto the couch, she swiftly grasped his wrist with one hand, using the other hand to run her index finger across the bloody trail.

The touch immediately caught Gaara's attention, and as he turned to find his own blood being swiped up by Sakura's finger, he instinctively grabbed her wrist, sharply pulling her hand to his face.

Sakura released a small yelp of surprise, followed by a gasp as she watched Gaara close his eyes and slide her index finger into his mouth. She said nothing, just gazed, completely awestricken, as she felt Gaara's warm tongue swirl around her finger, lapping at the traces of his own blood.

Despite being somewhat entranced by the unexpected actions of Gaara, Sakura was able to notice a strange chakra flowing beneath the hand that held his wrist. Seeing that Gaara's eyes were lightly closed, she allowed her eyes to travel curiously to his arm. A faint red glow emanated from his arm.

That must be his Bijuu's chakra. Shukaku's chakra.

Gaara's eyes suddenly shot wide open as realization crashed into him like a freight train. He quickly removed Sakura's finger from his mouth and released her wrist.

Sakura lifted her head, her eyes meeting Gaara's, both equally wide. She released his wrist as well, allowing both her hands to fall stiffly at her sides.

Then there was silence, horrible, awkward silence, and more staring, but now even Gaara looked bewildered.

Gaara was the first to speak, breaking the silence, but doing nothing to lessen the uneasiness.

"Water?"

Sakura's brows raised in question to the one-word statement.

Gaara cleared his terribly dry throat.

"Do you want some water?"

Sakura quickly nodded. The atmosphere since she had arrived had left her mouth feeling parched.

Gaara wasted no time in taking off to the hallway to retrieve the water, leaving Sakura to momentarily ponder her situation in solitude.

Unfortunately her moment of solitude was short-lived as Gaara quickly returned to his quarters, carrying two small glasses of water.

"Thanks," Sakura spoke softly as Gaara held out a glass before her. She took the glass, and slowly sipped at the cool and refreshing water, watching Gaara carefully as he took a seat on the couch again. Traces of red chakra still swirled around his arm. She temporarily ceased her intake without removing the glass from her lips as she watched Gaara in awe. He downed the clear liquid almost instantly, as if he had gone without liquid refreshment for days. She wondered if it was only due to the fact that he lived in a desert, and not to mention, he probably had a constant taste of sand in his mouth. As he set down the now empty glass on the table at his end of the couch, Sakura merely brushed off the contemplation, satisfied with her derived explanation.

Sakura returned to sipping at her water, and turned her attention to the blood-filled glass vial lying on the table. Her mind traveled back to the incident just moments before.

What sort of reaction was that? Was it blood lust? Or just... lust? No... it couldn't be.

Sakura gently placed her glass on the table and turned to Gaara, ready to speak, but was taken aback once again by his intense gaze on her. She just could not seem to get used to his eyes being on her at all times. She cleared her throat, as if to ease the discomfort, and looked to one of the round windows lining the room.

"I'd like to try examining your chakra now." Sakura attempted to speak assertively, but her true feelings had her voice shaking. She cleared her throat again before continuing. "I'd like to compare your normal chakra flow to that influenced by the Ichibi." She paused for several moments, waiting for any protest Gaara may have with the matter. Satisfied with his silence, she stood up from the couch and turned to Gaara, whose emotionless black-lined eyes were still glued to her.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you lay down. I'll need to concentrate on your chakra center, and I want you to be as relaxed as possible."

Without speaking, Gaara complied and lay on his back across the couch, resting his head upon the arm.

Sakura reached for a small notebook and pen from her medical bag, jotting down her previous observations before crouching down to her knees besides the couch. She sat her notebook and pen down on the couch at Gaara's side. She noticed Gaara's body was rather stiff and rigid. Her eyes trailed up to his face, where she was relieved to find his eyes were staring up at the ceiling rather than at her.

"I'm going to have to ask you to try to relax Gaara. I need your chakra to flow naturally. I know this is probably a little unnerving, but I promise I will try to make this as comfortable as possible for you." To Sakura's surprise, her words seemed to actually calm the Kazekage slightly, as she noticed his body fall somewhat more naturally against the couch cushions. Unfortunately though, his blue eyes had returned to her.

As Sakura reached out to pull up Gaara's mesh shirt, she detected a slight shake in her hand, and prayed that he would not notice. She slowly peeled the shirt away from Gaara's stomach, revealing his pale flesh. She glanced at his face, curious if he had noticed her trembling hand, only to find he wore the same typical unreadable expression.

What has me so nervous? It's not like I haven't done this a hundred times before when performing a medical jutsu.

Cautiously, she moved her hands, ready to place them on his abdomen, the center of his chakra circulatory system. Just as her hands touched the soft skin of his stomach, she could feel his stomach muscles quake beneath her touch, and a very soft, almost inaudible groan escaped Gaara's lips. As she pressed her hands more firmly against his body, she could feel him grow tense again. Her eyes caught a glimpse of his hand at his side closest to her, which was now balled into a fist. She needed to relax him if she wanted to do this right. She needed to relax.

Sakura took in a deep breath before attempting to speak words of comfort for both her and her test subject. "You don't need to do anything yet. It may help both of us if you just concentrate on feeling your chakra for the moment. This shouldn't take long."

Gaara gave a simple nod and turned his head away from Sakura, allowing his eyes to close and his muscles to relax. Sakura focused her attention on her hands as she held them firmly in place over Gaara's stomach.

Time passed in silence, though only several minutes, it felt more like several hours. Sakura turned her head, curiously peering at Gaara. His eyes were still gently closed. She briefly released her attention from his chakra flow, taking the time to further observe the features less pertinent to the experiment at hand. Without removing her hands from Gaara's abdomen, she readjusted herself so that she sat propped up on her folded legs beneath her, giving her a better view of Gaara. Her eyes fell instantly on his dark red hair.

I wonder if his hair is as soft as it looks…

Sakura shook her head in an attempt to dismiss her strange thoughts, but her eyes only found a new feature to ponder; his chest. Regardless of his somewhat slender stature, his chest was well-defined. Though it really should have been expected, being that he was an active ninja, she still found it fascinating. His skin was such a faint shade of peach. It amazed her that he could have such pale skin when he lived in the desert. Granted he did wear quite a lot of clothing, but that did nothing to explain the skin tone of his face. Her eyes trailed back up to said part, where she was startled to find his eyes open and on her. Her body jerked slightly from the surprise.

God, please tell me he just now opened his eyes!

Sakura laughed sheepishly, offering a fake smile as she tried to cover her slipup. "Everything is looking quite normal. Right now your chakra seems to be flowing at a typical rate for a high rank ninja. Now I'd like to observe your chakra levels under the influence of your Ichibi."

Awkward silence again ensued.

Sakura gave a questioning look, wondering why she was not feeling or seeing any changes.

Reading her expression, Gaara stated it a hoarse voice, "I can't invoke Shukaku's power at will. It's something I can't control."

Sakura was impressed with his relatively lengthy reply, but troubled by the fact that she would have to find some way to summon the one-tailed beast's power.

"Well, do you have any idea what usually triggers it?" she questioned as she tried to remember the things that set Naruto off.

There was a short moment of silence before Gaara finally replied.

"Strong emotions I suppose."

Sakura pondered for a moment, remembering hearing that Naruto's rage had set off his beast's power. Unfortunately, she was not the least bit comfortable with the idea of pissing off Gaara of the Desert. She wished to make it back to Konoha that day in one piece. Her thoughts again traveled to the incident just moments ago in which Gaara had taken her blood-covered finger into his mouth. His chakra had burned red, which had to have been the influence of Shukaku. Her stomach churned at the thought of reenacting said event. There had to be another way.

"To be honest Gaara, I know that engaging in battle with you may trigger something, but I do not wish to even attempt that," Sakura began as she still tried to gather a plan in her head. "I do have one thing in mind…" She paused, her mind going in completely the wrong direction despite her gut feelings.

Just relax Sakura! You've got nothing to loose here. Besides, this is all in the name of science! Strictly experimental. Just innocent research.

Little did she know, as she argued with herself subconsciously, her right index finger had commenced making soft traces along Gaara's well-defined abdomen.

"What did you have in mind, Sakura?"

Hearing her name startled Sakura back into reality. She looked to Gaara to find his eyes were staring down at her hands. Just as she turned to discover what held his attention, she realized what she was doing. She fell back on her haunches, a blush sweeping across her face and she immediately removed her hands, placing them in her lap. She phased out again, wondering how she was going to go through with this.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's head shot back to Gaara's face again and she forced a reassuring smile. "Well… I noticed earlier… your chakra changes drastically when you're… well… how do I put this… excited." God was it hard for her to even speak her thoughts. If speaking her thoughts was this difficult, she couldn't imagine acting on them.

Gaara stared in silence, leaving them in yet another one of their awkward staring moments.

Stop being such a pansy about this and just take the initiative! Just tell him what you plan to do and do it!

Unfortunately, Sakura was not even sure what she planned to do, but she did know it would involve physical contact.

Kiss him!

Sakura's green eyes grew wide, astounded by her inner self's suggestion.

I can't just kiss him.

Oh yes you can. It's not like he isn't attractive. I mean just look at his body. And his eyes are so mysterious!

He is NOT attractive. He's creepy!

Creepy, in a sexy way.

As Sakura argued with her inner self, Gaara looked on in wonder, waiting for her to further explain her previous statement, watching her face contort as she seemed to be staring blankly into space.

If you kiss him, you can touch those wonderful locks of red hair and see just how soft it really is. Besides, you can always argue it's for the sake of gathering information.

Great! Now I sound like the perverted hermit!

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

Sakura snapped back to reality once again at the sound of her name. "Sorry Gaara, my head has been a little clouded today. I guess I'm just a bit nervous about performing these tests on you." She hung her head, feeling rather ashamed of how unprofessional she was being.

"Am I making you nervous?"

Sakura looked up to Gaara. He was turned on his side, his upper body propped up by his left arm. Was he actually concerned with her well-being?

Sakura chuckled softly, shaking her head, though clearly he was right to think it.

"No. It's not you." She sighed, feeling somewhat guilty for not being completely honest. "Actually, I find you to be somewhat intimidating, and a little hard to read." She watched his face closely, waiting for any sign of expression change, but there wasn't.

"I don't mean to intimidate you. I'd like for you to be comfortable around me." Gaara's voice was steady, but deep.

Sakura laughed again, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Don't worry. I'm getting comfortable as we speak. So what do you say, why don't we continue the experiment?" She pushed herself back up into her sitting position, resting her rear on her folded legs.

"So what exactly did you have in mind?" Gaara questioned as he returned to his lying position across the couch.

Sakura attempted to swallow the lump that had now formed in her throat. He just had to ask.

Well it's now or never.

Ignoring all possible dreadful outcomes, Sakura leaned over Gaara, her face hovering mere inches from his. She actually caught his eyes grow wide at her advancement, but her mind was too preoccupied to take much notice. With one hand resting firmly on his right shoulder for support, and the other on the couch beside his head, Sakura closed her eyes and brought her lips to his.

Lights flashed behind her closed lids. It wasn't that it was her first kiss, because it wasn't. It was the sinfulness of the kiss. It was the fact that she was kissing the Kazekage, the desert God, a strong and powerful man. She knew for certain it was his first, and yet, to her surprise, he responded quite skillfully.

Initially, Gaara remained frozen in place, but his lips parted and pushed lightly against Sakura's. But as her hand found its way to his hair, his hand soon followed suit, entangling it within her pink locks as he pulled her head closer.

His hair really is soft.

Sakura moved her hand from Gaara's shoulder down to his bare stomach. She tried to concentrate on feeling his chakra, but she found herself distracted when Gaara suddenly grabbed both of her arms and tugged her on top of him. Her knee knocked over her notebook and pen, sending them clattering against the floor. She gasped against his lips as she found herself forced to straddle him to keep her balance.

Feeling the need to try to keep things believably 'experimental', Sakura again returned to concentrating on Gaara's chakra levels. It was not long though, before she noticed something different. As they both became short of breath, Sakura could feel a strange aura emanating from much of Gaara's body. She broke the kiss, both of them gasping for breath. Gaara stared up at her, his eyes wide open, and yet his expression was still hard for Sakura to read. Her eyes slowly drifted down to the exposed skin of Gaara's waist. She caught a glimpse of the red glow she had seen earlier.

Just as I suspected; when in an aroused state, his chakra takes on a significantly different structure. It must be his Bijuu.

Sakura looked back up to Gaara's eyes, which were now more relaxed than usual. Her face was flush, and she knew he had to notice as he stared up at her. She had to make him think this was all strictly for research.

"Well, I'm certainly seeing a change in your chakra." Her words were ragged, despite her strong effort to remain cool and collected. She cleared her throat and turned her head, trying to avoid Gaara's intense gaze. "I find this interesting... and I'd like to take this further... that is... so long as you are comfortable with this."

Sakura mentally kicked herself. Gaara had to find her excuse of 'research' to be phony. She was surprised though, when Gaara gave a reply which, to her, indicated he was naive to her true intentions.

"Do what you must," was Gaara's gruff reply.

Sakura raised a brow. Does he really not think anything more of this than just... an experiment? Is he really that naive? Well, I suppose he did think that hanging around his sister meant that he had been with a girl. She inwardly shrugged off the thoughts, and returned her attention to her 'experimental subject'.

Slowly, Sakura adjusted herself so that she lay entirely across the length of Gaara's body, resting one leg between his, and the other at the edge of the couch. As she placed her hands on his shoulders, propping herself up just enough to keep her face several inches from his, she became suddenly aware of his breathing. She could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against her own. Their breathing tempo was remarkably in sync. She allowed her eyelids to flutter close as she took a moment to just listen to and feel their bodies. She had apparently done so for more than just a moment, because Gaara spoke out suddenly.

"Is something wrong?"

Sakura's eyes shot open and she forced herself to smile reassuringly.

Yeah something is definitely wrong! I'm finding my test subject far too attractive and distracting.

"No. Not at all. I was just... just trying to think of the best way to induce your Bijuu."

I can't believe I'm going through with this. This is wrong in so many ways.

But that's why it's so right.

Sakura let her inner self win this time. She let her arms fall just to the sides of Gaara's as she brought her face down beside his. Her nose rested in his hair just above his ear, and she closed her eyes. She inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet scent of his hair as she whispered against his earlobe, "Just tell me to stop if I do anything that makes you too uncomfortable." With that said, she began trailing soft kisses along his jaw line, her mouth coming to rest finally at his parted lips.

Before Sakura could really begin the kiss, she felt Gaara's tongue dart out, sliding across her bottom lip. She unknowingly shivered against him at the new sensation. Soon, she found her own tongue had come out to play as Gaara gently placed a hand in her hair again to pull her into a deeper kiss.

Removing one of her hands from Gaara's shoulder, Sakura began to trace her fingers little by little down his side, the tips of her fingers falling between the holes of his mesh shirt. When her fingers reached the point where his shirt ended, her fingers grazing his bare stomach, she felt his chakra levels grow, creating an almost hot haze around her hand. As she slid her hand beneath the flimsy fabric, she opened her eyes to check Gaara's expression, hoping she was not overstepping her boundaries. Apparently she wasn't, because his eyes were actually closed, a good sign that he was comfortable, and more importantly, not taking notice of her expression.

As Sakura ran her hand gently up Gaara's chest, she finally broke their kiss, gasping for breath again. This time, when she opened her eyes, she took note that Gaara's cheeks were growing flush and his eyes were ever so slightly glazed over.

Is he actually enjoying this as much as I am? I wonder if he realizes how strongly his chakra is reacting to this.

"Gaara…" Sakura surprised herself with how much her voice dripped with lust as she spoke his name, and even more surprised to hear what sounded to her like a small groan pass through Gaara's lips. "Gaara, do you feel what's happening to you?"

"I feel it," Gaara replied simply.

Did I just sense a hint of wit in that comment? He does realize I was referring to his chakra, right?

Sakura's eyes drifted to Gaara's moist, parted lips, and she could feel heat surge through her body, and it wasn't due to the Bijuu's chakra. She almost whimpered as her gawking eyes witnessed Gaara's tongue snake out and run sinfully slow across his upper lip, which only added to the fire rushing over her.

Is he doing that on purpose?

Unable to resist, she engaged in yet another fevered kiss with her test subject.

Sakura began to move her hand beneath Gaara's shirt, running it slowly down his soft flesh, letting her fingernails lightly graze his stomach. As she reached the waistband of his black pants, she could feel his chakra levels spike again. His tongue grazed the bottoms of her teeth, causing her to jump slightly. Without realizing it, her hand slid further beneath his waist band, the tips of her fingers brushing against the base of his now fully aroused member.

Gaara's chakra nearly exploded beneath Sakura, startling her into realization.

Sakura gasped, realizing where exactly her hand had traveled. Her eyes shot wide open, and she pulled her head up, breaking the kiss instantly. She removed her hand, placing it anywhere other than on Gaara.

She stared down at an equally wide-eyed Gaara. Fear washed over her like a tidal wave. Nausea filled her stomach, and all she could do was stare in shock and horror as she awaited certain death.

Shit! I went too far. I over-stepped the boundaries. He's going to kill me right here on his couch.

Gaara reacted outrageously, but not in the manner Sakura had expected. She watched in shock as his eyes narrowed, brows furrowed, and the strange red chakra flared around his body.

"Gaara..." Sakura choked out, unsure of his intentions as he abruptly thrust his hands into her shoulders, propelling her backwards across the couch. She found herself unable to speak or comprehend as her back fell violently against the couch. Gaara moved over her, straddling her in a very dominating position, and took her wrists into one hand, pinning them above her head. His face was twisted into a sick smile, much similar to the one Sakura recalled from the Chunin exams so many years ago. Before she knew it, his hands and mouth were all over her.

While she lay there, unable to move beneath the weight of Gaara's body, she started to feel something unidentifiable swirl around and up her tall boots. She struggled to move her head into a position to see her legs, but she was quickly distracted as Gaara's lips crushed against hers. In the moment the strange feeling passed over the top of her boots, she realized what had been slowly making its way up her legs. She squirmed beneath Gaara as she felt grains of sand swirl around the bare skin of her legs, her fear rising ten-fold. She finally managed to pull her lips away from Gaara's as the sand slipped beneath her shorts, running along her inner thighs.

"Gaara…" Sakura whined, fearing the worst possible outcome. She watched in terror as Gaara's sinister smile only deepened. He brought his face next to hers and whispered in her ear, his voice husky and wet with lust.

"I won't hurt you Sakura."

Though Sakura was fully aware now that his intentions were not to kill, she did not feel any less anxious. Her eyes remained open, unblinking, as she watched Gaara lift his head, his face hovering over hers as he licked his lips slowly, seductively. She was certain this time, that he was doing so on purpose.

With her attention locked on the slowly advancing sand running up her thighs and Gaara's frightening expression, Sakura had failed to notice Gaara's free hand had slipped beneath the waist of her shorts before it was too late. All her breath was released in a sharp gasp as his finger ran across her moist, warm entrance.

"Gaara!" Sakura cried as her back arched, hips thrusting upwards and, unintentionally, aiding the entrance of one of Gaara's fingers. Her eyes closed tightly, every color of the rainbow flashed behind her lids as new sensations filled her senses. Waves of heat shot through her body, and all she wanted was for the experience to never end.

Soon, Gaara's finger was joined by another, earning more whimpers as Sakura writhed beneath him, tugging her arms helplessly in his grasp. She wanted so badly to grab onto his hair, grab onto something to keep her from going crazy with pleasure.

The sensations only grew, over-stimulating her mind and body. She became fully aware of every part of him, where each appendage lay against her body, the ragged and deep breaths passing through his lips, and all the sweet smells of his skin, hair, and breath.

The sand finally ceased advancement, swirling around her thighs just beneath his hand. She finally lost all reasoning, all cognitive thought. Little did she know; she was only further thrilling Gaara with her cries and whimpers of fervor.

She whined his name as he teasingly ran his tongue across her lips. He wrapped his lips around her bottom lip, suckling gently, then aggressively. His fingers delved deeper inside her, and, at the same time, he bit down on her lip. Her body almost quaked. Her hips rose instinctively against his hand. He released her lips, and began trialing his sharp canines along her jaw bone, down her throat, and finally coming to rest at the supple skin where her neck met her shoulder.

Sakura found herself abruptly and violently thrown back into reality as Gaara sank his teeth into the sensitive flesh of her neck. She gasped and her eyes widened as pain shocked her nerves.

Gaara's fingers ceased their exploration as he slowly removed his canines from Sakura's flesh, leaving small trickles of blood at the puncture sites. Sakura could only watch in alarm as he lifted his head, bringing his face over hers and licked his lips hungrily. His chakra was now visibly apparent all throughout his body, and he was eyeing Sakura dangerously. He pushed himself up just enough to break the contact between their chests and stomachs, one hand remaining on her wrists, and the other resting still within her.

I think… I might have taken this too far. Inner Sakura finally agreed with the outer Sakura.

Gaara's eyes remained locked on Sakura's for several agonizing moments, until she finally realized that he wanted her to look at something. His eyes began to travel down the length of her body, her eyes following the path. He stopped at the waist of her shorts where his hand had slid beneath. Her eyes stopped there as well, in time to watch him slowly remove his fingers from her hot depths.

"Gaa-ra…" Sakura whined in protest as she watched and felt Gaara's tauntingly slow retreating hand. One finger was completely removed, earning another pathetic whine. She whimpered once more as the tip of the last finger finally escaped.

"Gaa-ra…"

She thought she heard a guttural chuckle, but she was unable to tear her eyes from Gaara's hand, which was now ever so slowly creeping out from beneath her shorts.

Both sets of eyes watched the wet fingers slide erotically up across her stomach. Both watched as he lifted the fingers and held them before their faces, as if Gaara had wanted Sakura to clearly see the wet remnants of her pleasures. Her eyes were fixated on them, but his were locked on the expressions on her face.

"Gaara?" Sakura murmured meekly. She had no inkling what he was trying to do. But it took only the slow advance of his fingers towards his parted lips to figure out exactly what he was doing. Without knowing it, her own lips parted in awe as she witnessed Gaara take his fingers into his mouth, his eyes closing only for a moment to revel in the sweet taste of her juices.

When he finally removed his moist fingers from his mouth, Sakura was at a complete loss for words. She could only stare up at him and wait for his next move. She was certain, after his next words, that he had all along known exactly what the 'experiment' had really been about.

"So Haruno, when is our next session?"

A/N: Well, I don't typically write stories such as this (with lemons/limes, or what-have-you), so I would love to hear comments and suggestions. I've thought about possibly writing a second chapter, but I was planning Naruto as Sakura's second test subject, so input on that would be awesome as well. Perhaps if I do another "Experiment" with a different character it should be a separate story? PLEASE review with any comments good or bad. I'd like to know if I should ever even take a stab at another "lemon" story. Thanks for reading!

A/N-2 (added 04/22/08): I have decided I will add another chapter with Gaara and Sakura. Not sure how soon I'll have it up since I have other stories to finish and I'm gone for work almost 50 hours a week, but I'll try my best to get it out quickly. If I do actually write a Naruto and Sakura 'experiment' it will be a separate story. As always, I greatly appreciate the reviews!!