Sand whipped across Sakura's face as she ducked to avoid a wayward shuriken, Naruto's she was sure. She hung back in the trees enclosed by sinuous vines surrounding the clearing that was being used as a battleground. Sakura circled around to the left, trying to find a place where she could help. Gods, but it was difficult to fight with Gaara; she could hardly see for the sand from his attacks. Sakura sought out a victim: one of Orochimaru's sound ninjas, leapt out, and pulled him back with her. She closed her eyes to concentrate, and used the strength she had acquired during her training with Tsunade. He did not get up again.
Sakura heard a noise and looked up quickly; Orochimaru had disappeared again and she didn't fancy meeting either him or Kabuto alone. Not that he thought of her as a major threat, but she was sure he wouldn't mind if he made a mistake, preferably fatal. One less kunoichi to deal with. She noticed that the sandstorm had died down, and guessed that Gaara had managed to kill Orochimaru's two huge snakes. It normally woufl not have taken him long at all, eben now that he was no longer possessed by Shukaku, but Kabuto had warned Orochimaru about Gaara's being imperious to most physical attacks, and so Orochimaru had used som kind of ninjutsu to alter Gaara's perception. Hence the unfocused waves of sand.
She searched for her missing kunai, gave up, and went into the clearing to find a disheveled Naruto, who was excitably discussing his part in the fight to an unimpressed-looking Sai. Gaara came up from behind a hillock and stood a distance behind them, watching dispassionately. As usual, there was not a scratch on him. His teammates came up too. Kankuro spoke briefly to Gaara, who relied without turning his head. Sakura waved at them, determined to keep friendly relations between Konoha and Suna. Sakura turned as she felt someone looking at her, and looked up to see Gaara standing across from her, then silently hold out her kunai to her.
"Oh." Sakura reached out to take it, and when she did, her fingers touched Gaara's briefly. At the same time, she felt a shock go through her, as she felt the unmistakable feeling of being hit with a jutsu. She spun around, knife in hand, to find the edge of a robe disappear in a flash of smoke. Damn. Sakura turned around to find Gaara still looking at her with an unreadable expression. Had he felt it too? Sakura wondered.
She turned to Kakashi, whose clothing and mask were looking rather dusty, and asked what that jutsu had looked like.
Kakashi peered at them through the settling sand.
"I think I know what this jutsu is, but we're going to have to check. Are you sure it hit both you and Gaara?"
"Yes, I could tell it was from a professional, too." Sakura looked at Gaara, who nodded.
"Sakura, I need you to touch Gaara."
"What?"
"Just try it. It's the only way we can check if it's the jutsu I'm thinking of."
Sakura laid two of her fingers lightly against one of Gaara's crossed arms.
"So he can feel it."
Sakura lay one of her hands on Gaara and involuntarily gasped as she felt a rush of warmth at the exact same spot on her arm. Kakashi looked at her closely.
"You can feel that?"
"Y-yes!"
"Well, then I think I know what happened."
They waited.
"Kakashi! What happened!"
"I believe that you and Gaara have been subjected to a binding jutsu attack. I've never seen it myself. It's a specialized jutsu that links the two recipients nerves. Basically, it allows you to feel some of the other person's pleasure when you touch."
"Why would anyone want to make a pleasure jutsu?" asked Naruto, who had snuck and was now listening intently.
"It was designed for assassinations," Kakashi continued, as if there had been no interruption. "If one of you dies, then the other will too. This was probably a test to see if the two of you would die on contact-"
And what makes you think that I would gain any pleasure from being touched by Sakura?" asked Gaara, glaring at Kakashi. Sakura was tempted to say, "You just did!", but she didn't particularly feel like "Desert Coffin" were the last words she wanted to hear, so she kept silent.
Kakashi sighed and ran his fingers through his spiky gray hair.
"Look. I don't expect either of you to enjoy this, just try not to kill each other until we've sorted this out. And Gaara?"
"What?"
"You should stay at Sakura's until we've caught up with Orochimaru."
Sakura started, then asked, "How long will it last?"
"It can only be undone with the specific chakra of the person who cast the jutsu. So until we can find Orochimaru and steal some of his chakra. Gaara, why don't you and Sakura go and get some of your things. I'll some by later.
Gaara gave Kakashi a look that Sakura couldn't see, then turned to her.
"Come," he said to her, and Sakura was left to follow behind him. She was in slight denial that something like this had happened, but she was stronger now, and knew she could survive whatever Orochimaru had thrown at her.