She was on her way home from yet another solo Anbu mission when she felt strong chakra heading her way. She secured the scroll that she was sent to retrieve and assessed the situation. There was no way that she could out run them they were coming up close and fast. She counted five people coming from the west and seamed to be JunÃn level, also she felt three faint chakra signatures coming from the east; these were quite familiar signatures to her. "Thank Kami" she mumbled to herself. The pink haired medic was still about a half a day away from Konoha and she was running low on chakra. "Well, well if it isn't Haruno Sakura former apprentice to the fifth hokage," Chirped a young blonde boy from the rock country. "Hand over the scroll that you have stolen from us and we will spare your life," spat a blue haired girl. "You also have forgotten that I have taken the place of the slug sannin. You underestimate my abilities don't you?" Spat Sakura. At that a kuni was sent flying her way as it hit her she poofed into a cloud of smoke. "What a shadow clone?" shouted the blue haired girl? Sakura though was behind the girl with a Kuni to her throat. "I told you that you underestimate my abilities." At that she pressed a nerve on the girl and she fell unconscious. The blonde boy had grabbed sacra's hair and pulled her back. The pinkete who still held the kuni in her had reach back and sliced her hair. "Thanks I needed a hair cut!" she shouted to the boy as he fell backwards. "Give me the scroll we know your low on chakra I can sense it." Shouted a black haired boy. "not on your life" shouted the pinkette. At that she gathered the last bits of chakra to her heel and tapped the ground causing the earth to break apart trapping the rest of the ninja. Sakura fell to her knees at the chakra drain. Trying to gather her strength back she grabbed a hold of the tree she had fell by trying to stand and yet she fell back to her knees.
The blue haired girl came to around the time to see Sakura strugeling and smirked pulling out a kuni she sent it flying towards the pink haired kanoichi. Seeing that she could not move before the impact of the kuni sakura braced to be hit. Moments before the kuni reach her she was surrounded in a wall of sand. A giant wind passed through the forest and hit the girl she fell to the ground dead. The wall of sand around the pinkette disappeared from which it came Sakura sighed in relief. Temari kneeled next to sakura and assessed the damage. "are you ok" the blonde woman asked. "yes thanks to you guys." Stated sakura "I don't think that I could have held out much longer." She sighed again. Temari nodded. Well its still dark out so Gaara and Kankuro lets rest a while and have Sakura escort us to the Village. The boys nodded with agreement and sakura relaxed and closed her eyes leaning against the tree "what a way to spend the first moments of my 21st birthday" Sakura mumbled loud enough for Temari to hear. The blonde smirked at the pinkette and sat down next to her. As the sun was starting to rise above the trees the four shinobi walked into the gates of Konoha. She smiled at the guards and told them she was heading to the hokage tower and would escort the three sand siblings there herself. They smiled at her and nodded.
She handed her scroll as well as her mission report to the hokage and told him about the misfortune as to why she was late coming back he nodded. "Hokage-sama" she smirked ah her long time friend and former teammate. Naruto just glared at her "I hate when you call me that Sa-ku-ra." The pinkett just smiled "I know that why I do it." Temari let out a chuckle at that. "well if that will be all I will take my leave and let you speak with your company. Naruto nodded at her. "kazakage-sama, Temari-san, Kankuro-san thanks you again and I hope to see again before you leave." She bowed and headed for the door. Before she got to open the door naruto had grabbed her arm. "wait one moment." The young blonde hokage spoke to her. "one more thing sakura would you please escort Gaara to the festival tonight?" Sakura looked over to the tanned redhead and blushed. "Kazakage-sama" she bowed "please just call me Gaara." Sakura's face turned a shade redder "a-alright Gaara it would be a pleasure." Trying to hide her blush she turned to Naruto. "will Hinata-san be joining us?" Naruto nodded a yes and she smiled. "oh by the way sakura happy 21st birthday." As the young hokage hander her a box wrapped in pink paper. She gently opened the package and pulled out a silver bracelet each link being part of a branch on a tree and the clasp was a pink cheery blossom. Naruto put in onto her wrist and was wrapped in a big hug. "thank you Naruto." "thank Hinata she picked it out for you." Said the blonde. Temari stepped up to Sakura "before I forget Sakura this is for you from the three of us." She handed Sakura a wooden box with cherry blossoms carved into it. She opened the box the reveal a pair of silver chopsticks with cheery blossoms at the top of them. Sakura shed a tear and hugged Temari. "Thank you so much it's beautiful. "Alright you may go now, we will see you at seven infront of the romen stand. Get some rest until then" The young Hokage stated. Sakura nodded and left in a wirl of cherry blossoms. "I think I will go for a walk" stated Gaara. With that he too left in a wirl of sand.
"Do you guys think this will work out?" asked Naruto to Temari and Kankuro. Temari smiled. "Naruto he loves her as much as he hates to admit it he fell in love with her. Since she left the sand to come back here for her parents funeral he has been brooding. He got lost back in his work and never takes the time to enjoy what is there. Sakura changed him some how. His wall of ice was melting and I have never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at her. Naruto for both of them I hope we can get them to relize what it is that makes them happy. When she was in the sand for the last year I statred to see that spark of life and happiness come back to her eyes." Temari sighed "He needs her more than he knows." Naruto nodded in agreement. "she hasent been the same since her parents died. It was like watching her fall like when Saskue left all over again. For her sake as well I hope that she will realize what will make her happy even if that means loosing her to you all. I would truly miss her but I would give anything to make her spark back to life again. Temari agreed with the statement with a nod.
Sakura had finally stepped to her apartment door. Since she had left the hokage tower all she had on her mind was Gaara. She had spent the last year in Suna teaching medical practice to a group of willing students and had grown to love being there. She had been living with the Kazakage and his family and they had all grown very close. Gaara had been there when know one else was.
Flashback
Sakura was really missing home she had been in suna for a week now and really hadent make any friends besides the sand siblings. Temari and her had become more like sisters since Sakura had helped to save Gaara's life from the atuski. She hopped on the window seal and jumped up onto the roof maybe looking up at the sy would help her to relax. She sat down on the roof and laid her head back looking up at the stars. A few moments later she felt someone sit down next to her and lay back. She turned her head and jade and emriald eyes met for a few moments. Gaara turned his head to look back up to the stars. "cant sleep?" he asked her. "Not really." She said to him. "Sakura what is wrong" he questioned. "I just miss home and my friends. All the people here look at me like I am a freak or will bring harm to them. Its kind of depressing really." She stated. "Don't let them bother you, your just new to them they will warm up to you eventually. As far as missing home I cant really help you there but I hope you grow to like it here." He said. "I hope so, Thank you gaara for listening to me." "Hn" he said. She rolled over to her side then and said "cant any of you guys ever give a strait answer is "HN" even a word?". He just smirked at her.
End flashback.
On her door setp was a bundle of wild cheery blossoms. She picked them up and grined to herself as she unlocked the door. Walking inside and flipping on the switch there stood Gaara waiting for her. "You really need better security" he grinned to her. "some one that you don't want to break in to your home." "Gaara, well at least it was you and not some unwelcome intruder she smirked. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for coming I have really missed you." She smiled to him. The butterflies in his stomach were in over drive as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hn" was all he said and she laughed as a smile started to spread on his face.