A/N: I'm sort of back. For those of you who don't know me, I hope you enjoy. For those of you who do, you know that I'm absolutely horrible with keeping on schedule. So I'm just going to be straight forward with you. I'm several years older now, I'm a university student, I work when I'm not in classes, and I try and spend what little time I do have left with my friends. I have a lot of things to do, so I really can't promise consistency. But I love writing, and I really do want to make up for the discontinuation of Euphoria. The fic I had written got lost when I switched to a new laptop, so I just decided to start over.

SO HERE IT IS. It's an AU and set in the future because I stopped paying attention to the manga. IF someone wants to pm me and like give me the sparksnotes version, that'd be kinda cool.

Without Fear

The air was crisp with the sting of autumn. The park was mostly desolate, with the exception of a girl sitting alone on an old wooden bench. She was resting. From afar, she would appear young. But upon closer inspection, her stature and her eyes suggested a weary, aged soul. Sakura Haruno had just come back from a peace-keeping mission. Although the mission itself was not taxing, it was her morale that was burdened. Returning to her beloved village, she found it hard to be cheerful.

Although the war had ended, traces of the violence that ensued were everywhere one looked. From the houses that were poorly rebuilt, to the shards of metal and glass embedded in the pathways and streets, Konoha looked less like a village, and more like a war refuge. Yet, people were moving forward with their lives. The great time of peace was declared among the nations, and although this could have just been propaganda, no one cared. It was something to hold onto, something to hope for, and something to believe in, in an otherwise dark, gloomy period. For shinobi however, the adjustment was harsh.

With the exception of medic-nin, shinobi itself as a profession was outlawed. The government grew fearful, fearful of these exceptionally strong characters with the power to alter the world in small numbers. Her old friends all seemed to take different positions within the government itself, in hopes of being able to contribute, but for most, the change was not well received. Some abandoned their loyalties, took a strike through their own badges, and became outlaws, refusing to give in to the new era, forever living a life of fear. They did shady jobs to get by. But the fear of getting caught, for punishment was death, prevented many from doing anything high-profile.

Somewhere above, a bird chirped. Sakura looked up. Her own feelings on the matter were mixed. On the one hand, she thought the council to be naïve fools, for believing that the time where shinobi had a purpose was over. But, she also admired their ambition. If it really was the great time of peace, then truly; shinobi were not needed. However, there was always trouble, there was always rebellion. For these kinds of events, wouldn't the shinobi be the most effective tool?

But she was a fool to ponder these things. When the new laws were passed, she had passively agreed to stay a medic-nin for the sake of her village. She swore on contract to use her abilities only for the purpose of healing, and never to fight. She did not resist one bit. With a sigh, Sakura closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sky. She was tired. Life seemed bland and boring without her friends close by. Ino had given up her kunochi role altogether, taking over the flower shop. Shikamaru had been offered a position within the council as an advisor, and he had happily taken it. Tenten and Neji were now instructors at the new government established school for "defence". Even Naruto was being trained to step into the role of Hokage. Sakura missed his company the most. Feeling like an old maid, she finally stood up. Hoisting a small rucksack onto her right shoulder, she began the lonely walk home.

At the tender age of twenty, she missed those carefree days of her youth. With another long sigh, she walked forward still, numb to her surroundings. How long had life been like this? She couldn't seem to remember, for the days melted together. A walk that was only fifteen minutes seemed to stretch out forever, making her feel as if she had been walking for an hour. When she finally reached her humble house, Sakura unlocked the door and walked in, shutting it quietly behind her. In her gloom, she failed to notice the strange presence of her living room.

Setting the bag down by the door gently, she kicked off her boots and ran her hand to the light switch. As light flooded the small room, Sakura finally glanced up with hazy eyes and inhaled sharply. Her pupils contracted, and her mouth hung open, a blood curling scream escaping from her lips before she was tackled to the ground by a strong figure. Panic was her first instinct; she struggled underneath the massive weight, but to no avail. When she calmed down, she realized that the person was not attempting to harm her in any way. Her own mouth muffled by the intruder's hand, she tried to speak but could not. The hand smelled like burnt wood and wild flowers. A strange combination, she thought.

"Shh," a deep but familiar voice cooed out to her. Sakura stopped struggling and blinked. She could not see over the man's shoulder, but she trusted him. Something told her that she knew him. When it seemed that she would be quiet, the man raised his own body off of hers and helped her sit up. After sitting up, it was apparent that the male was not as large as she had initially thought. In actuality, he was fairly thin. Though, what mass he did possess was solid muscle, built from years of training. His skin was as fair as hers, perhaps even a shade lighter. But what drew her to him was the color of his hair. Those gorgeous red locks framing his face ever so perfectly, she knew immediately who it was, even without his piercing gaze.

"Kazekage-sama," she murmured out, bowing slightly in her sitting position. Sakura was confused for sure, but she did not forget her manners. The boy raised his right hand, motioning for her to look up.

"Please, Haruno-san, I'm no longer the Kazekage. You know that," The man spoke out. He was sitting too, but in a perfect kneeling position; it was a refined kind of elegance that only came from a cultured upbringing.

"Sorry, it just takes some getting used to. Then, will you allow me to call you Gaara-san?" She asked gently, glancing up at him shyly. She never was close to the man before her. For this reason, she wondered why he was suddenly in her house.

"I'm sorry for earlier. It was not my intention to scare you. I just didn't want the neighbours to overhear your screaming and misinterpret this," he began to explain awkwardly. Gaara paused. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed.

"It's…alright. But please, get off the floor. Would you like some tea?" She offered, standing up and motioning for him to sit down on the couch. As she walked into the adjoining kitchen, her head was reeling with questions, but she bit down on her lip. As sad as it may seem, she didn't want him to tell her everything just yet…it had been a while since she had any company over, and she rather enjoyed hosting.

"Ah yes, thank you. The reason I am here-," he began, but found that the clatter of Sakura getting her kettle drowned out his voice.

"What kind would you like? Green? Chamomile? Orange Pekoe?" She called to him from deep within one of the cupboards.

"Green tea is fine. Thank you. As I was saying, the reason that I'm here-," he started again, but was cut off once more.

"Now, Gaara-san, let's talk when we are both sitting down. Just give me some time to make the tea." Sakura said shamelessly. At her suggestion, Gaara stayed silent. She was the host, and he felt obligated to comply. So, the silence stage began. At first, Sakura found it awkward. But then, it grew on her until it became comfortable. She stood by the kettle, getting a tray ready. Humming to herself, she was pleasantly surprised by how happy she felt. Even if it was not one of her good friends, it felt kind of nice to be making tea for someone.

"Ah, it's ready. Would you like anything in your tea? Honey? A drop of lemon?" She asked him. Gaara simply shook his head politely. With a smile, Sakura grabbed the handles of the tray and brought the tea into the living room, and set it down on the coffee table.

"Now then, why are you here?" She asked, as she handed him his cup. Gaara took it with a small wince. It was warmer than expected.

"I have a favour to ask of you. Feel free to decline, but please, hear me out," Gaara spoke out clearly, setting his untouched tea down onto the tray.

"Alright, what is it?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"As you know, the academy has been shut down. The last summit had decided to ban the teaching and passing down of shinobi arts," Gaara started tenderly, testing the waters.

"Right…,"Sakura added, with a slow nod, even more curious now.

"But the thing is, I…I did not agree with that decision. I think this peace is a foolish notion. We are human. There will always be conflict, and if we do not teach the future generations what we have to offer, how can we possibly protect anyone?" He asked rhetorically.

"I see, and so…" Sakura prodded.

"Unfortunately, when I presented my view, it was not very well received. I am sure you have heard the rumours of the removal of my position? Well, it was more of a political movement. I abdicated. But for the sake of the council's dignity, we decided it would be better if it looked like a more suitable candidate was chosen," Gaara explained.

Sakura took a sip of her tea and nodded. She knew of this news. Naruto nearly had a fit, demanding to know why Gaara was removed. His loyalty to his friend was fierce and he could not even fathom doubt in Gaara's ability to lead.

"So, after my abdication, I decided to leave Suna, temporarily. I left two weeks ago, and I'm sure Konoha will be receiving news of my leave any day now. Haruno-san, I will be classified as a missing-nin in no time," he continued.

Sakura swallowed. She didn't like where this was headed. Why would he hide in her house of all places? Was it a jab at her social life? But there was no way he would know that she had no life. Annoyed, she chewed on her bottom lip.

"Do you want me to hide you," she asked. At this, Gaara looked bewildered.

"No, no. That's not it. The thing is, I'm choosing to be a missing-nin. I…I'm going to start up a school of my own. We will travel between villages, finding students who are interested and have potential. I…I must do what I can to protect our future," he finally explained.

Sakura blinked once, then twice. Did she hear him right? Gaara was going to teach? And who was this 'we' he mentioned. She suddenly felt a cold sweat. What exactly did he want with her?

"Right…so my favour was?" Sakura hinted at, trying to figure it out.

"I would like for you to come with me. I fear I do not know many medic-Nins, and I fear the others would betray me and alert the authorities." He stated boldly. It wasn't a command, but it felt like one.

Honoured, and indignant at the same time, Sakura puffed up her cheeks.

"Well, how do you know I'm available? I'm very busy you know-," She started to say. Gaara stared at her unwavering in his goal, and spoke out, cutting her off.

"Forgive me if that's how it came off, I only assumed because I have been watching you for the last two days. You've only gone on one mission, and it was a mere publicity stunt." He replied. Sakura scoffed on the inside. It was such a cold and cutting response, but with Gaara's social graces, it came off polite and well-reasoned.

"That is true…but, I don't know Gaara-san, I have an obligation to Konoha. I signed a contract." She hesitantly responded.

Gaara pulled out a piece of paper from his cloak. Sakura's eyes widened. It was her contract.

"This? I thought about that too. If I ripped it up, you'd be free to go, right?" He asked her, his voice never changing pitch, even once.

Sakura sat, mouth gaping. Was he…was he blackmailing her? Destroying her contract was seen as an act of defiance, and she could be sent to jail.

"Just…just wait a minute here. I don't want to become a missing-nin. I want to support our future too! But I want to do it in a way that I can still support our government," She retorted with, feeling panic once more.

Gaara stared and nodded at her once, before standing up. He placed he contract gently on the table before her. Walking over to her door, he opened it quietly.

"I understand. Thank you for the tea," He said casually, before leaving. Sakura whipped her body around to watch his figure disappear into the crowd. Turning back around, she stared at the place where he sat. His tea was untouched. She sighed. What exactly was preventing her from going? She knew that deep in her heart, she didn't mind leaving Konoha. But, she did not want to get caught. She still wanted to live after all.

Standing up, she brought the tray and his tea into the kitchen. She couldn't seem to get his voice out of her head. He had a point. What was holding her back? Even if she were to say, she wanted to support Konoha, but what had she been doing? She had only been given jobs on the occasion, and even then, they rarely lasted longer than a day. Publicity; that was all they were. Gaara was right. Surely, she could be of more use to him. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be a good idea. Washing out her cup in the sink, she stared blankly out the window.

Would she be missed? Sakura wondered. Surely, someone would. Naruto would. Ino would. Her heart took a small pang at guilty thoughts of abandoning her friends. But, the more she thought, the more Sakura really wanted to go. She believed in Gaara's ideals, and she too wanted to help the future. So why not?

Excited at this new prospect, Sakura ran into her room, and grabbed her emergency backpack. In it contained all of the things she would want to take with her, in case something happened to her house. She had the majority of her money from previous jobs, some food, a couple of sentimental keepsakes, but most importantly…her medical supplies. How would she find Gaara though?

At this setback, she paused in her bedroom. Well, how hard could it really be? Smiling, Sakura ran to her front door. With one last glance at her house, she turned off the lights and flung the door open.

"Oh, Gaara-san, I didn't know you'd still be here," She called out in a surprised voice. On the other side of the door, Gaara leaned against the wall of her house. He smiled and pushed off the wall.

"How did you know I would come," Sakura asked him out loud, as she locked up her door.

"I guess I just trusted you," He answered simply. To Gaara, the comment was nothing but truthful. To Sakura however, something about it made her heart flutter just slightly. When the moment passed, she smiled sheepishly.

"Well, shall we get going?"

A/N: So, what do you think? I know it's kind of short, but it's just the beginning. It'll get longer. Oh, one last thing. I try really really hard to keep the characters as canon as possible, because I hate like when they make someone totally emotionless and badass this like goopy soft lovable bear in fanfics within like a day or two…so this is my attempt. Having that said, if you've read my other fics, you'll see that Gaara in this one is much more…polite? But I'm attributing that to the age and maturity that accompanies age. Don't worry. He'll still be stone cold. At least, for now!

Ciao! Don't forget to review! I'll try to respond to any questions or comments you have.