Chapter One: Mission
(Sakura's P.o.V)
I couldn't quiet understand my teacher's intentions. I had to trust her after all. She was not only my teacher; she was also one of the most powerful people in Konohamakure. She was Lady Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of the village hidden in the leaves.
I covered my pale ears with my hands as she all but screamed my mission at me. Her voice was the most shrill and ear splitting voice in the village. I guess I learned from the best then huh? Tsunade did all she could to scare one of my best friends away. All I remember is seeing a streak of blonde and orange and he had bolted from the office like a dog with its tail between its legs and I almost laughed. However, the look on Tsunade's face told me to keep silent for whatever she was about to say was extremely important. She took a calming breath and sat.
"Sakura," she began again, the temple in her forehead vanishing from view. "You have a important mission… Scratch that, a urgent mission. I have never, in all my days assigned a mission like this, but its important to me and the life of a dear friend of Naruto's." I blinked rapidly, pushing my long cherry blossom hair from my eyes. I took a deep breath.
"What is the mission my lady?" Her head snapped up
and she blinked confused. Her bright brown eyes were trying to unscramble her own thoughts for a moment.
"Mission? Oh! Mission right! Sorry." Shaking her head as if to clear it she stood up and her long blonde pigtails fell neatly on her large bosoms. "Yes! Sakura Haruno, I am giving you a mission effective as soon as you leave Konoha. Your task it to go to Sunagakure and watch over the Kazakage. As he recovers from our recent encounter with the Akatsuki he is going to need around the clock protection."
I blinked rapidly and felt knots in the pit of my stomach. Even though the Kazakage has had a change of heart I was still very unsure about him. After all, he did try to kill me in the Chain exams. Sighing I stood up, unsure how to put my words.
"Tsunade-sama… I… How do I put this…? I still don't feel Conferrable with being around him. Let alone Sunagakure; that village is still so unfamiliar to me. I don't know if-…" I was cut across by Lady Tsunade as she spoke in a very understanding tone.
"Sakura, I know this is hard for you but it is an S rank mission and you are the only one I can trust to protect Gaara without trying to do away with him yourself. This is extremely important to the alliance with Suna and Konoha; doing this one task will ensure a treaty with the village hidden in the sand. Please Sakura, if anything, Do this for me, me." I sat and thought for a moment then stood up.
"Why does he even need protection anyway? He is Sabaku no Gaara for God's sake! Shouldn't he be able to protect himself?" I faltered under the look she gave me.
"Sakura! You know damn well what happened not a few weeks ago! Shukaku the one tailed raccoon demon was extracted from him! Although he is not gone completely for we interrupted the process, he is still not strong enough to bend the sand to his will like he used to. I don't care! You are going to protect him and you will succeed in this mission! Do you understand?" I nodded but still, stupidly, kept pressing my luck with her temper.
"I understand that my lady! But why can't Naruto go? Naruto is his friend! He tried to kill me, kill me Tsunade!"
"And how long ago was that incident?" she spat at me.
"At the Chunin exams but…!"
"Did he try to kill you after Sasuke left?"
"No, But…!"
"But nothing Sakura! He owes his life to you and Lady Chijo! He will not risk breaking the alliance between the two of you and you know it!" I gulped and nodded. Fuck my enthusiasm. I sighed and gulped again. What was going to happen to me… Then I remembered the question I wanted to ask so I spoke.
"So who exactly is after Gaara anyway?''
"Akatsuki." she said darkly.
"What? The Akatsuki? They already got the one tailed, why would they want to kill him too?"
"I don't quiet know, Sakura. All I do know is, that you must protect the Kazakage, Sabaku no Gaara, with your life. Do you accept?" I thought for a moment and sighed.
"Eh, What the hell. I accept Hokage-sama." She grinned brightly at me and hugged me tightly. I tried to suck in some air. Nothing would enter my lungs and it was a relief when she finally released me this time.
"Good luck Sakura, you are dismissed!''
"Got it!" With a wave I ran out the office and streaked down the stairs to the direction of my apartment where I lived alone.
It was only last year; I thought with a sad little smile, that my mother had passed away. She was always a very sickly woman. She was also very strong however and lasted far past her expiration. I smiled and changed my route and headed the cemetery. I walked up the muddy path to a very beautiful weathered headstone. It was a large statue of an angel with her wings held high and her hands put together in prayer. Prayer… what was that anymore?
I walked up to my mom's place of rest and got down on one knee and smiled at the place where I knew her head lay. I put a beautiful white orchid on her headstone, just below the words that said: 'Forever a loving mother, wife and friend.' I sighed and felt the tears filling my eyes.
"H-hi mom," I stammered, my voice cracking slightly. "I'm going on another mission today, to Suna. You remember Sunagakure? Yeah, it's the place with the entire beach and no ocean." I smiled and pictured my mom's laughing face and sighed, fighting back more tears. "I need to protect the Kazakage, Gaara…" her smile in my mind turned into a grimaced and I shrugged. "I'll be okay, But I won't be home for a while…" I stood up and straightened my vest. Clearing my throat and waving goodbye to my mom I headed to my home again.
Now I had to think, what was I going to need for my journey? I opened my door and my small cat, Terra, nudged my leg. She wasn't very old, not even eleven months. She was the runt of the litter so she was small. She had bright white hair and the most mesmerizing eyes. One eye was a beautiful ice blue and the other one was a dark green color. She meowed at me softly and wanted me to rub her back. I bent down and scratched her ears and she purred loudly.
"Well Terra, I have another mission, a very long and important mission. So, I won't be back for a long time." Terra seamed to understand me and whimpered in protest. I stood and began to pack. I knew it was going to be extremely hot, so I packed some dresses and short skirts. Tank tops would be nice too, so I fit them in there. I put the essential makeup there and some hygiene elements into my back and packed some water and food for the trip. I pet my kitten again and went back into my room to grasp my scrolls and weapons and walked back out.
"Terra? I'm leaving!" the kitten must have been angry at me, so I'm guessing that's why she didn't come out to say goodbye. "Naruto will come here later tonight to feed you. I love you." I walked out and bolted the door closed. I smiled and walked out the door.
I walked down the street and waved to some of the people walking back, who in turn, waved or nodded in return. Finally after a few moments, I arrived at the Ramen shop, where I figured Naruto would be eating. I walked up to him and rolled my eyes. He was devouring, what looked like his fifth bowl of noodles.
"Naruto," I said and he turned, his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts. He smiled and gulped the giant glob of ramen and smiled at me with a very fox like grin.
"Hi Sakura-Chan!" he screamed and hugged me, I huffed and he froze and jumped back, I guess waiting for me to hit him. I rolled my eyes and spoke.
"Hey Naruto, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything for you Sakura-Chan! Believe it!" I couldn't help but smile at his hilarious facial expression. I handed him my house key and his bright blonde eyebrow rose.
"Your house key? What do you want me to do with this?"
"I'm going to be out of town for a few days, so I need you to feed and play with Terra while I'm gone." Naruto nodded then raised his eyebrow again.
"Where are you going?" I backtracked at once.
"I err, Uhm…" I backed up and took off, waving back at him. "I-I'll see you later Naruto!" I began my run to Suna. It was a good three days before I made it there so I had to be quick. I also could only travel by night because of how hot it was. So I quickly changed my clothes into a traditional Suna robe. From what my friend Temari, bless her soul, this was a cooler way to stay at a normal body temperature. I wrapped the cloak around me and put the cloth around my neck. Popping the hood over my face I sighed and headed to the gates of Konoha territory.
"Stop," said a male's voice. I looked up at the man and smiled. It was Shikamaru. He hopped down lazily and walked over to me. A new group of boarder patrol was watching me and I hoped to god that they couldn't see my hair or face. I put up a mask and only showed my eyes. "What is your business being here Miss?"
"I am here to return back to Sunagakure." I said in a low voice, calmness flooding my face as I handed a note to my friend and he looked at me.
"How troublesome," he nodded and led me to the outside gates, to where a huge patch of sand lay ahead. The desert. Then he whispered to me so low only I was the one who could hear. "Good luck with your mission, Sakura."
I nodded my thanks to him and took off to the direction I knew Sunagakure laid. I had only run a few miles when I was already feeling sick to my stomach. How could anyone live in a place like this? I groaned and kept walking until I saw the sunset. Smiling I sat and watched it. I smiled at how beautiful the area was.
"Wow," I whispered aloud. "If only Konoha was this beautiful at sunset…" When the last brims of the sun had vanished I stood up and stretched. I picked up my bag and felt it wiggle. I stopped for a moment and waited to see if it would wiggle again. It didn't. "Must have been the wind…'' Smiling to myself, I walked for a long time. I looked at the stars and was in awe with how many there were. I continued to walk, looking up at the sky until I yawned again. I was really exhausted from the travel, but if I kept moving I knew I would be able to make it to Suna by possibly tomorrow. Or, I thought to myself with a yawn again, that night.
In the end, I walked another four hours and by the time the first rays of sunlight began to shine through; I had pitched up a tent and built a small fire. I placed a can of beans on the fire and waited for them to start bubbling. I looked up at the dimly lit sky again and wished my mom could see this. My mom always loved the desert. Especially Suna, where she met my father after the second great ninja war.
She had been checking on survivors from the final battle when she spotted my father wounded and dying. She had taken her headband and hid his from view and took him to see the Hokage. The Hokage had said that he was her responsibility and if something happened that put Konoha in danger, she would be executed along with him.
After a few months they fell in love and had me not to long after. Then my father was killed on a mission to save the princess of the land hidden in the snow. I growled angrily as I remembered. She was a cold, selfish and ruthless bitch. I hope she burns in the fiery depths of hell. I sighed and ate my beans quickly. Ugh how I hated beans. Again I stretched and killed the fire with some of the sand on the ground and walked into my small tan tent.
I changed into nothing but a shirt and my underwear and relaxed against the covers. I set my head on the pillow with a loud thump. Yawning I closed my eyes and fell into the deepest sleep I had ever dreamed of.
I jolted out of my sleep late in the afternoon. I had beads of sweat literally falling from my head. Ewwww… I staggered out of bed and opened my half full water container.
"That's strange," I whispered to myself, swishing the water in the container. "I could have sworn it was full when I left. Oh well," I gulped down greedily until there was a third of it left. I sighed and packed up my stuff.
I then changed into a presentable outfit for I knew I would meet the Kazakage today. After all, I didn't get tired easily, so I was able to make it in a day and a half. I put on a short white dress and the whole cloth around my neck and over my head. I placed the little fabric over my mouth and picked up my supplies. Smiling to myself I sprayed myself down with dark rose perfume. Satisfied with my appearance and smell I all but ran towards Suna.
I ran until I got to the large little mountain of sand that I knew from my last trip here. Taking a deep, ragged breathe, I climbed up the hill. I finally got irritated when I kept sliding down the hill so with all the might I could, I punched a whole right threw the huge mass in front of me. Then I smacked myself over the head for that dumb mistake. Of course everyone in Suna is going to be alerted by the large defining boom that echoed around me.
"Oh crap, this isn't good.'' Suddenly I felt a giant gust of wind hit me square in the chest and I flew back. I hit the sandy ground hard enough that it knocked the wind right out of me. I tried to get up when strong wooden arms pinned me to the ground. "What the?"
"Who goes there?" Said a very strong feminine voice and I smiled. I knew all to well whose voice that was and I was glad to hear it.
"I am from Konoha and I was sent here on a S rank mission to protect the Kazakage from any harm." I said kicking my bag to the sand ninja in front of me. The blond women bent down and picked my bag up and detached a scroll from it. She scanned it over and looked at Kankuro. The man who was controlling this beast with his arms wrapped around me.
"Sakura, it can't possibly be you can it?" I smiled and without even trying, I broke free from the puppet's grasp and threw it back at the sputtering brother of hers. It hit his painted face and he fell back onto the sand with a loud "Ooof!"
"Well if ya coulda done that! Why not freaking do it before?" He grumbled angrily, getting up. I rolled my eyes and brushed the sand off my clothes.
"Cause then you guys would have attacked me thinking I was a threat!" I snapped back, my temper slightly flaring. "Then who would protect your brother then?" Kankuro blinked a few times and barked a laugh.
"So you're the pretty thing watchin' my wee little brother!" He bent over and began to laugh again; at least he did, until Temari hit him over the head with her fan. I laughed when he fell over, knocked unconscious.
"So anyway, let me take you to my house for something to eat and a nice shower; before you go see Gaara." I thought a moment and decided it was a very good idea. A shower with nice cold water sounded really good in the blaring heat of Suna.
I walked with Temari to one of the biggest houses there in the large village. I smiled slightly and watched the little kids playing with a small ball, when it rolled over to me and bumped into my feet. Many of the kids looked at me with terrified eyes. Temari bent over and whispered something about strange travelers that have been mean to the children the last few days. I nodded and bent down to pick up the ball. Holding it like an egg in my hand I walked over to the children.
Many of the children took a few steps back and others ran off. There was one, however, with dark brown hair and pretty green eyes, which did not back away. He seamed to be about six and was standing with his chest puffed out. I looked over to a small girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. I smiled brightly under my hooded mask when I saw that he was standing up to me to impress this girl.
I offered the ball to him and he blinked at me.
"I do believe this is yours,'' I said softly and the boy took it and nodded thanks. He ran off and met up with the girl, taking her hand and finding the other kids that had ran off.
"That was nice," Said Temari with a small smile too. "Not many care much for that boy."
"Why?" I dared to ask her and her expression turned grim. She shifted slightly and she sighed, looking up at me.
"He is the son of one of the killers who was caught not but a few days ago. He had killed over twenty women and not to mention raped them. He is shunned for being the spawn of that man. The kids are unaware of this yet, but the parents try to hide them from him…" I blinked a few times and realized that she was also referring to her youngest brother Gaara.
He was shunned by the village for being the vessel to the one tailed raccoon demon, Shukaku. I looked at her and sighed for the little boy. She nodded and I fallowed her, the cloth from my head piece fallowing after me like a long white cloud of smoke. After walking for a few more minutes and talking, we arrived at their house. I stopped for a moment, unsure.
"Well come on Sakura!" Temari pushed me to the door and all but shoved me through it. "Gaara won't be home for another hour. He comes home for dinner you see, and then goes back to work. You can walk him back then!" I spluttered my protest while she shoved me threw the door, up a flight of stairs, past the kitchen, up another flight of stairs and to the bathroom. I was pushed into the bathroom and thrown a towel, shampoo and some very nice smelling soap.
"Uh?" Was all I was able to say before Temari cut across me for the hundredth time in the last half hour.
"This is your bathroom, meet me in the kitchen when you're done, we'll make dinner together!" She sounded so happy at that moment and streaked out of the bathroom, slamming the door as she went. Faintly, as I was undressing, I heard Temari scream from what I thought was at Kankuro.
"Kankuro get your happy ass out of the kitchen! If I see your ungrateful face in Gaara's cookies again I swear that I won't stop him from killing you this time!" Oh great! Another fucking Ino! Wait…
I back tracked for a moment and realized that I would be staying in the Sabaku house. Oh my god! I gripped the sides of the counter so tightly my knuckles began to turn white. I'm going to be living with Gaara! Oh damn!
I shrugged it off and took a nice long shower. I scrubbed my scalp as hard as I could to get the sand out of it and thankfully it worked. I got out and dressed in a short red dress and put an ankle bracelet on. I also brushed my hair and teeth and let my hair lay on my shoulders like molten silk. Or at least that's what it looked like to me when it was wet.
"Oi!" I heard a banging noise from outside the bathroom door. Kankuro's voice echoed from behind it. "Oi lass! I hate to break this to ya, but I sure do have to pee and Temari is getting impatient, thinkin you up and drown in thee shower. You better get our there 'for she has a heart attack." I opened the door to see Kankuro no only there, but bouncing up and down with his legs crossed. Oh man, he looked like he was going to blow up. I moved out of the way and he streaked in there like a flash of lighting.
I blinked for a moment and walked out into the kitchen. I almost gagged at the smell. Temari had brought out a half burnt chicken. I almost gagged and sighed.
"Temari…"
"What?"
"Get out of the kitchen and let me cook." She grimaced and walked out of the room and I set to work. I cooked meatloaf, Fried chicken, and a few others and I baked some new chocolate chip cookies to replace the ones Kankuro ate. I had just pulled out the cookies when I heard a scream from the living room down stairs and a loud crash.
"Temari, What the hell is going on?" I heard a new but familiar voice and I streaked down the stairs. I threw myself over the railing and landed hard on the ground right next to Temari, who was up on sofa.
"Temari?" she screamed and pointed at something under the other sofa and I blinked.
"That thing b-brought a-a rat in here!" I blinked.
"What?"
"Temari, you really must stop your screaming, you frightened this poor animal." I froze and turned to the tall pale man standing there with a small fuzz ball in his arms.
The Man was Gaara.