Title: Never Coming Back
Author: Winter Ashby (rosweldrmr)
Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto
Rating: K
Time Line: Post 'Rescue Sasuke' Arc.
Summary: Sakura runs into Lee and Gaara after they come back from their failed mission to rescue Sasuke. (Sakura & Gaara)
Authors Notes: I've had this sitting for a long time, and I finally just accepted that it wasn't going to make it any father than this. So, let's call this a vignette, okay? I am NOT going to continue with this. It's just a fun little, 'what if' scene that will never get past this. (So technically, this is AU, since Sakura doesn't find out about Sasuke until she gets to the hospital and hears Naruto talking to Shikamaru. This is like, 'what would have happened if she ran into Gaara and Lee before she made it to the hospital.')
"Lee-san." Sakura spotted the bobble-headed black hair from across the square. He had his back turned to her, and he didn't seem to notice she'd called out to him. He was standing this his hands on his waist. He looked dirty… and tired. His back heaved as he breathed hard and Sakura was struck with a pang of compassion. She walked a little faster then, through the throngs of people.
The closer she got, the more convinced she was that he'd been fighting. But it's too soon after his operation. She thought wearily as she approached. But even still, her heart skipped a beat thinking that he might have been successful in rescuing Sasuke.
"Lee-san, ohayo." Sakura stopped just behind him and waited for him to turn and give her a watery grin and thumbs up while he told her all about how Naruto brought Sasuke back to her. Her stomach lurched as he began to turn. But immediately, she could tell there was something very wrong.
"Ah, Sakura-san." Lee's voice was stretched and tight. His smile was drawn think across his bruised, blood face and her heart plummeted to her feet.
Just over his shoulder, in the shadows of the summer clouds stood Gaara. She gasped and pulled a hand protectively to her chest.
Lee immediately moved to block her view of the visiting Suna shinobi. But it was too late; Sakura was already drawing away from them, step by step. She moved slowly, as if she didn't want to attract any attention.
But Gaara's pupil-less green eyes watched her over Lee's shoulder as she pulled away from him in fear.
"Sakura-san, daijobu." Lee laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, but Sakura was too busy trying not to crumble to the floor to notice that it was Lee's hand on her and not the sandy hand of Shukaku.
"Hana se!" She turned sharply and it was only then that she caught the haunted look pass through Lee's face. Sakura paused then, for a moment she was unsure whether to apologize or run. After a second of internal deliberation, she bowed slightly and moved towards Lee, careful to avoid catching Gaara's eye. "Gomen, Lee-san."
Lee smiled, but Sakura could tell that he didn't really feel it. It was only then that Sakura caught the metallic taste in the air and spotted the dried blood that clung to Lee's green jumper. And she knew then… Sasuke wouldn't be lying in the Konoha hospital waiting for her to peel apples and sit with in the midday shadows.
She knew there would be more injuries, and she fleeting thought of Naruto's face as he left that day and gave her Lee's nice-guy pose. She broke then, because she was too useless to do anything. Instead she pictured Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Kiba and Akamaru walking off into the sunset. She wondered just how much pain her selfishness caused.
She looked just over Lee's shoulder to the terrifying boy who haunted her dreams for months. He was worn, and dirty just like Lee. She knew why he was there, what he had done for the village… for her and she was hit with such a wall of shame that she fell to her knees on that sunny day in the middle of the crowded square and buried her head in her hands.
She didn't even care that there was a murderer watching her, or that there was probably more bodies on the way. All she knew was helplessness. Because that's what she was, and for the first time in her life she didn't know how to fix it.
She wept and thought of her last conversation with Kakashi before the left as well. And she imagined two chidori's shimmer in the light of a summer moon as her sensei and her first love drew blood. She was smart enough to know that Sasuke would not be returning.
"Sakura, Sakura!" She could vaguely hear Lee's voice over the roar of blood rushing from her head to her broken heart. But even soon he began to fade away. And the sand under her knees, scraping and digging into her legs was disappearing. She wept until she couldn't breathe over the grief and shame that suffocated her.
Sakura fell into a trance that she couldn't be roused from. Lee swept her into his arms and ran for the hospital. Gaara stood alone in the strange village, and stared at the spot where the girl with pink hair had collapsed. He admired her then, for at least accepting that whatever she was waiting for would never come.
He'd seen her face as well, these last few months. At night when he couldn't sleep, her face reminded him of what it had cost to release the raccoon-dog. Even though it was Shukaku's arm that pinned her against a tree he wasn't fully released then. And Gaara could almost taste her tears.
He tutted and turned on his worn heels until he realized he had no where to go. He considered following Lee to wherever he was taking the pink-haired girl, but decided that she was far too leaky to be around. All those huge, wet tears that she slobbered all over herself were disgraceful, and they made him feel very uncomfortable.
That's it, no more. Sorry.. but I just don't have the interest to turn this into anything more. So I'm just going to leave it as it. I liked the way it ended... nice and plausible. Let's forget for a minute that NOTHING happens between Gaara and Sakura. In fact, Sakura and Lee seem to be closer in this fic. But ignore that too. I still stand by my description. I liked writing this, and I thought you might enjoy reading this little jaunt into the Naruto-Ash-World. (P.S. If you're not sure what that means, I'm Ash. So this is MY Naruto World... see). That's all.