Ok so I've reedited this chapter as I really didn't like how parts of it read. Hopefully there are less grammar mistakes this time.
"Run! Hayaku! We don't have much time, so keep running. Don't stop for anyone, okay? Trust no one and run." The blond boy's voice echoed down the dark corridors as they ran, searching for a way out.
Turning a corner, they found several doors lining the corridor. She swore she could hear the sound of people talking faintly in the distance.
It was them, she knew it was them. They were catching up again. The pink haired girl tensed as she listened for anything other than the splash of dripping water in the underground labyrinth.
'They're close. So close now. Have they found us yet?' Anxiety began to overwhelm her as the distant thuds of footsteps grew increasingly louder.
Silence choked them as the footsteps stopped. All she could hear now was the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. The slight rattling of a door knob made her turn.
'They've stopped. They must have a sensor', she concluded as the footsteps started once more, quickening with every second.
"Naruto are any of the doors open?" she hissed in a panic. This wasn't good. If they were caught… No. She wouldn't think about what would happen. They would get away, hopefully by opening one of these damn doors.
"No. They're all sealed," he replied, his eyes locked on the murky darkness ahead of them. The faint, flickering glow of a torch came into view, illuminating the end of the hallway.
"Sakura-chan, we can't get out," he whispered quietly as the light began to get brighter.
There were shadows now. It was over. "Oi, Sakura-chan! What are we going to do?" he hollered at her back. The pink haired medic turned and glared at him in the dull light.
"I don't know baka!" she cried out in frustration.
Darkness clouded her peripheral vision as she swayed slightly. The drug-induced haze and chakra exhaustion were beginning to take their toll on her body.
"We can't escape Naruto... They're too close now..." She mumbled to herself, eyes dropping to the floor.
"I'm sorry Naruto. I-I promised I wouldn't be a burden anymore but I just keep failing you. I keep trying to protect you but instead I end up getting you into these messes. This is my fault and there's nothing we can do about it." She murmured as tears started to drip down her cheeks.
Why was she so weak? She'd tried so hard. All those years spent training, honing her medical ninjutsu, fighting that weakness inside her. It was all for nothing now. When they caught up, subduing both of them would be easy. If they were lucky, someone might find their mangled, mutilated bodies out there in the vast desert. If not then they'd be left to rot in the desert, never to be found.
It wasn't fair, damn it!
She'd told herself that she would never let her precious people get hurt again.
'I guess I'm weak after all...'
She chuckled bitterly to herself, waiting for them to catch up. It wouldn't be long now...
Sakura woke with a start as she tried to gather her bearings. She... She was in Sunagakure. It was okay, it was only a dream.
She took in a few deep breaths and tried to calm her racing heart. Inspecting the room around her, she saw the dim light of the Sun creeping through the maroon curtains. Next to her, that comforting warmth she'd become so accustomed to moved closer, snuggling up against her side.
She glanced down at the sleeping figure, fighting the urge to cup his cheek. She smiled as the light danced on his face, glittering like sand. He just looked so peaceful. Sometimes she would watch him like this, gazing at him in awe. His face was so different when compared to the stoic mask he usually wore. He was more relaxed, yet still composed, without the tense crease that usually appeared on his face after council meetings.
Looking back, she never would have imagined this as her life. She often wondered how her life had arrived at this point. If she had made different choices, would she still be here, lying comfortably in his arms? If you'd told her 12-year old self about her future, she would've died laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Losing her love for Sasuke-kun? Impossible.
Loving the demon of the Sand, Sabaku no Gaara? A horrifying thought. Back then, the mere mention of his name was enough to turn her blood to ice.
It was strange really. At 12, she thought she knew everything but at 19, she realised just how little she did. She'd had everything planned out in her life but fate had other ideas. A life without Gaara wasn't something she ever wanted to think about and she hoped she would never be without him.
When she first saw him, he'd sent shivers up her spine. His cold eyes seemed to stare right through her, as if they knew all of her secrets. They were a glassy sea-foam, devoid of life. He'd appeared out of nowhere as well, emanating a predatory aura from the start.
She would never have admitted to it but even then she could see how, if put in the right light, he could be quite handsome. He had flawless, pale skin and blood-red hair that clashed and made the 'ai' tattoo on his forehead stand out.
She later learned that it was a scar; a mark to represent the horrors of his childhood, and one to remind him of the dangers of love. The night he told her, she cried. The fact he'd survived that and come so far made her heart swell with pride.
No one would ever hurt him again.
Of course, back then she wouldn't have felt like this. Her devotion to Sasuke all but consumed every moment of her day. She spent so much time watching him that she never paid much attention to anything else. A pang of regret and guilt twisted her insides.
How could she have been so shallow, when Naruto and Gaara had been suffering then?
Her former weakness disgusted her. Nothing else had mattered to her, nothing at all apart from being Mrs Uchiha Sakura. The amount of time she wasted still made her ashamed. She was willing to lose her best friend over a guy. Not only that, but a guy who knocked her out after she confessed her love for him and tried to kill her and Naruto multiple times afterwards. It didn't matter to her though, because she still loved him.
In the past, she just couldn't accept that he left. She beat herself up over it every day. She blamed herself for not stopping him, for not confessing sooner.
Maybe if her love had been stronger…
No she knew that if her love had been stronger than she could have saved him.
She could have made him see that error of his ways, because her love would save him.
She knew it would.
However her fairy tale shattered. As she grew older, she came to realise that nothing could have stopped him.
Even if she'd stopped him then, what would have prevented him from leaving again?
Revenge was the only thing he sought even if it meant forsaking everything else. The path he was on was black, and he would get his revenge no matter how far he fell into the shadows.
Gaara had helped alleviate her guilt over it. At first, it confused him as to why she felt guilty. Sasuke had chosen his own path and nothing would have swayed him from it. Years later, he'd been determined to kill her and even Naruto didn't reach him.
Gaara saw the truth while she had been blind to it. They had both walked in the darkness of the world and Sasuke had closed his eyes to the light. At the Kage Summit, the disappointment awaiting Naruto brought him to tears.
Sasuke's life was over. Being a rogue ninja was one thing but attacking the 5 Kage Summit was a death wish. The attempted kidnapping of the Hachibi had left Kumogakure seething and led to him being labelled as an internationally wanted criminal.
Despite this status, he was eventually pardoned of his crimes due to his efforts in the war. During the 4th Shinobi war, Sasuke joined the Allied Shinobi forces to fight against Uchiha Madara. They lost many people but without Sasuke they might not have won. Naruto finally managed to knock some sense into him and he decided to return home.
At that point, the love she felt her him was crumbling. He'd helped in the war but he was no longer the Sasuke she knew. She found herself criticising his actions more and more, asking herself why she had wasted so much time pining after him.
Even after coming home, it was obvious he had no interest in her. She was no longer a naïve rookie who idly fantasised about being Mrs. Uchiha Sasuke.
She was Haruno Sakura, apprentice of the Godaime Hokage and one of the youngest and most talented medical ninjas in the world. She deserved to find someone who had a chance of loving her and who she could love in return. She still cared deeply for Sasuke but she saw him as a brother, much like how she saw Naruto.
The day that the war ended, she made herself a silent promise. Just like back when she had first become a medical ninja, she would become stronger and protect her loved ones. Never again would she be a burden on anyone.
The aftermath of the war was devastating. It decimated over half of the shinobi population in only a few short days. The Kage had been found near dead, in the same place where they bravely fought against Madara. If they hadn't then she would never have become this close to Gaara. When they were brought to the medic base, there was little they could do. The injuries were too severe, requiring intensive care without the Kages moving around. At first the idea to keep them in medically induced comas was scoffed at, as it left them too vulnerable. However there was little choice in the matter due to the nature of the wounds. Too much movement could kill them and there weren't adequate supplies to treat them at the base.
A temporary Kage was chosen for each village. Akatsuchi, the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, would lead Iwagakure while Temari-san and Kankuro-san, siblings of the Godaime Kazekage, would lead Sunagakure. Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy Ninja for Konohagakure, Darui and Shee, the right hand men of the 4th Raikage, for Kumogakure and Aoi, one of the bodyguards of the Mizukage, for Kirigakure.
Several trusted medical ninja were called to watch over each Kage. Suna's medic nins lacked the skill to handle Gaara's care so one from Konoha was chosen due to the alliance. The stand-in Kazekages Kazekages requested Sakura. She was familiar with Gaara and had saved both of their lives in the past. Naruto also trusted her so she was the obvious choice.
It was a daunting task to be given and failure was not an option. The death of the young Kage would bring about war between the two severely weakened villages, destroying both in the process. The pressure was insurmountable and to say she was apprehensive was an understatement.
She knew Gaara had changed. She'd witnessed that for herself.
He was the man who singlehandedly united the Shinobi Forces as one. If anyone deserved to recover from something like this, it was him.
As she'd prepped him to be moved, she couldn't help but notice that how attractive he'd become. His face had matured, with a long chiselled jaw and striking features. His dashing looks and silent personality had caused him to gain many fangirls in his time as Kazekage and she could see why.
That was the problem. He was adored by almost everyone in his village and there was so much pressure to succeed.
She had the skills to treat him but there was always that little, nagging voice in the back of her head berating her. It told her that she was weak, useless and annoying, a complete failure of a shinobi who couldn't save anyone if she tried.
Gaara was transported to his village while she left for Konoha to pack her bags. A few days after the war ended, she was escorted to the Land of Wind by an ANBU Squad. At the border where forest met desert and the two opposing environments fought for dominance, she met her escorts. Temari a girl called Matsuri and Temari's sensei Baki greeted her. They set out at a maddening pace across the dunes to get there as fast as possible.
Walking through the desert was nothing like jumping through trees. The sand got everywhere. By the time they reached the village, she looked like she had done a full day's training with Gai-sensei and Lee. Her pale skin was red and sore from the Sun and her pink hair was a dishevelled mess.
In comparison, the Suna nin looked far better. They were used to the harsh climate and their light clothing allowed the sweat to evaporate more easily. Upon seeing her in such a sorry state, Temari had offered to let her rest instead of meeting the Council but Sakura would have none of it.
She was incredibly stubborn and was eager to get to work. She had never been too enthusiastic about training but when it came to her patients, her enthusiasm knew no bounds. Medicine was her passion and something she was born to do. During her training, she'd made use of Tsunade's private library to research new techniques. Even if she was weak with ninjutsu, she could better herself as a medic nin and become useful. Her ability to remember information served her well in this.
She received endless teasing from Naruto and Sai over being a bookworm but she'd always been like that. Even in the academy, memorising facts was one of her pasttimes . This coupled with her rare gift of perfect chakra control made her an excellent medical ninja.
She'd been shown to her room shortly after arriving and was given 30 minutes to freshen up before meeting the Council. Temari warned her that they were suspicious of her despite the treaty. She could understand why but she was flattered that they let her stay in the Kage Tower.
Usually long-term visitors would be given temporary apartments but because she was taking care of the Kazekage, she was to stay in the main compound. It was extremely rare for even diplomats to stay near a Kage. Gaara was also being kept in the tower so there was another reason for her to be there.
Meeting with the Council was stressful but she'd left them all impressed. Most of them were happy she was there but some seemed distant and almost disdainful of her. She knew that while many people loved Gaara, there were those who still saw him as a monster. Her presence and duty to take care of them must have made them angry.
After the meeting, she was escorted by a guard to the Kazekage's bedroom. The room was dark with the only source of light coming from the various machines surrounding Gaara. His cheeks were hollow and his skin was so pale, it looked almost translucent. He looked much older than he was yet he still had boyish features. He proved that looks could be deceiving. From the sight of him, he looked harmless but she knew otherwise. He was still the powerful Kazekage and was capable of crushing her in an instant.
Her duties mainly consisted of watching the machines and analysing blood samples. She helped out at the hospital when he was stable, as she knew he would be alright. His recovery was coming along nicely.
She'd often wondered what Gaara dreamt of in a coma. It'd been said that those in a coma were sometimes aware of their surroundings. She hadn't worked with many patients in comas and so brushed off the idea. Yet when he quivered in a dream, her touch seemed to soothe him slightly. She'd found herself talking to him on more than one occasion, only stopping when she realised how mortifying it would be if he woke up then.
She hated dealing with patients in comas because of the uncertainty. There was always a chance they would never wake up. That thought crossed her mind often when she'd been looking after Gaara. If she failed then it would show everyone how weak she really was.
Her younger self had been plagued by weakness.
Even Sasuke had said that she was weaker than Naruto.
It felt like a dagger in her chest but back then it was completely true.
All she wanted was his approval and all he saw was an annoying weakling.
But perhaps she had changed, much like how Gaara had changed.
Once regarded as the psychotic, homicidal jinchuuriki of Shukaku he was now respected and cared for. Those piercing eyes, once a raging sea of hate, were now a calm ocean of wisdom. His maturity had even impressed the Tsuchikage and it was all thanks to Naruto.
At the time, she'd heard small tidbits of his past from Naruto. While she could never truly understand, knowing Naruto had given her some idea of what he went through. They were both regarded as heroes rather than weapons of mass destruction.
Stirring from her thoughts, she looked down at his sleeping face once again and brushed a few strands of hair back from his forehead. She traced along the scar, feeling the rough ridges where flesh had been torn away and scar tissue had taken its place.
'Love huh?' she thought to herself, quietly leaning down and kissing his cheek.
He was loved by so many people now. It was all he had ever dreamed of.
The first time she had spoken to him was about 3 weeks after she arrived in Suna.
Between monitoring the Kazekage and reporting his condition back to his siblings, she also began doing some rounds at the hospital to reduce the workload of the doctors there. Temari and Kankuro would usually take turns looking after their baby brother during the time she was gone. If she was needed then they would send someone to get her, but luckily she never was.
His condition was steadily getting better and she was sure that by the end of the month, he would make a full recovery. He would still have to be careful of how much work he did, but he could gradually work his way up to it.
Plus Temari and Kankuro were always there to help, although Temari had made many 'diplomatic visits', as she called them, to Konoha. There were rumours flying around that she was secretly seeing Nara Shikamaru but Kankuro refused to believe any of them.
He insisted that she was just interested in the welfare of an allied village and that's why she was taking so many trips. He was only fooling himself but Sakura let it be.
She would let Temari deal with that one herself.
If everything went well then Gaara would be awake soon and he would need to know about an inter-village relationship, especially one that involved his sister.
At the end of her shift, she was exhausted and had made her way back to the Kazekage's quarters.
There had been so many patients and she had worn herself out. Several children had been rushed in after being bitten by an extremely venomous snake that required immediate treatment. They had been fine and hadn't cried too much but one of the toddlers had kept pulling on her hair while she was working.
She started to get angry but after looking into his big blue eyes and seeing his fuzzy brown hair, she couldn't stay mad for long. He started giggling and Sakura spent 20 minutes playing with him while she waited for the antidote to take effect.
After that there had only been one patient. He was an older ninja, around 40, which was a rare sight. During the war, he had injured his leg quite badly and had spent 2 weeks recovering in hospital. On his first mission, he ran into some powerful bandits and shattered his leg again. He was rushed into the operating room with severe lacerations and third-degree burns on his upper torso and calfs.
It looked like someone had played tic-tac-toe kunai style with his skin. He'd lost a lot of blood but they just managed to save him. Sakura had left one of the senior nurses to look after him as her main priority but she was fairly certain that he would make it.
His body was quite strong but he'd need extensive surgery on his leg before he could do missions again and the scars would never fully heal although she didn't think he would mind that much. She'd noticed that Suna shinobi often wore their scars proudly.
As she reached the Tower, she had felt like someone was watching her. She had tried to use her chakra to find them but she was too exhausted and nearly collapsed right there. She'd staggered into the building and up the stairs and made her way towards the Kazekage's room.
When she opened the door, the room was empty and one of the windows was open. She distinctly remembered shutting it during the day but someone had opened it. She climbed through it and jumped on the roof to look for them.
She saw no one but when she turned around, she almost bashed into the Kazekage and nearly knocked both of them off the roof.
"Are you okay?"
He inquired, giving her a once over before his eyes returned to her face.
"You should be more careful. You could have been hurt." He had told her while she profusely apologised.
At that moment, her body decided it would be a brilliant time to give up on her and she felt herself falling to the ground as her vision went black. The last thing she remembered seeing was a mass of unruly, red hair and Gaara's concerned face.
The next morning she had woken up in her room, tucked into her bed.
It had taken her a few seconds to remember the events of the previous night and when she remembered, she nearly smacked herself for being so stupid and fainting in front of the Kazekage.
He came to check on her a few times throughout the day after he gave her a day off to recover. She graciously accepted but not before lecturing him on getting back to work so early.
By the end of it, he had looked about ready to chuck her out of the building with his sand but he said nothing and simply nodded. In fact afterwards he seemed slightly surprised that she was concerned for him but she brushed that thought aside.
He was very secretive and it had been hard for her to get to know him. He was always so busy with his paperwork and she hardly ever saw him. Her mission had been completed but she was asked to stay around by the council for an extra two weeks to make sure he was okay.
She could tell it frustrated him how everyone babied him and the check-ups had been difficult at first, but he had started to warm up to her at the end. She had stayed up with him most nights and just spent the time talking to him about various things. She told him about all the things he had missed and how Suna hospital had been going while he was unconscious.
While she had told him about the hospital, he'd had a strange look in his eye, but she wasn't able to figure out what it was. She had just brushed it aside then and focused on making sure he was okay and dedicated herself to the hospital while she was still there.
She'd made a few friends in the hospital actually. At first they were very cautious around her but like the Kazekage, they eventually warmed up to her.
She especially got along with one of the nurses called Kobayashi Chiyoko. Chiyoko was quite soft-spoken at first but once you got to know her, she started to come out of her shell. She reminded Sakura a bit of Hinata but Chiyoko had a fiery temper if you wound her up enough.
On her last day, Chiyoko had cried and told her that it had been an honour to have worked with the Haruno Sakura. It had been slightly embarrassing for her as she wasn't used to being recognised like that but it was very flattering as well. Temari and Kankuro had walked with her to the edge of the village and she had said her good-byes.
They thanked her for helping their brother and kept making hints that she might be seeing them again sometime. She hadn't really realised what they meant by that at the time as she had been too preoccupied with wanting to get back to Konoha. Suna had been kind to her while she was there, but Konoha was still her home.
Gaara hadn't come to see her off however she hadn't expected it.
He was the Kazekage and was most likely trying to catch up on all the paperwork that he missed from being in a coma.
That meant that she had been really surprised when she heard a deep, raspy voice call out her name right before she left.
Gaara had come to see her off!
Back then she had buried the feeling, but it had made her really happy that he had wanted to say good-bye to her. She didn't know why but she chose not to analyse it and instead she focused on going home.
He thanked her for all her help at the hospital and that it had run very smoothly while she was there. He had handed her a scroll to give to Tsunade-sama, who had woken up a few days prior to her leaving.
Once she'd returned to Konoha, she was tackled by a very energetic Naruto walking around with his new girlfriend Hinata. She heard about them finally getting together and it made her happy to know that Naruto had accepted the Hyuuga heir's feelings.
They were very cute together.
She had been sad about the loss of her love but while she was in Suna, she had distanced herself from her love for Sasuke.
Instead she had concentrated on getting stronger and she had jogged through the desert daily to increase her stamina. She didn't know why but she'd thought that it would be useful to know how to run across the sand dunes more efficiently.
He was pardoned but left the village to become a wanderer. He left with his new team, intent on travelling around and discovering various new jutsu in different countries.
She was happy for him as well.
His revenge was finally complete and the truth about the Uchiha massacre had been made public so now everyone knew that the higher-ups had orchestrated it. Very few people knew about the coup d'état that had been planned by them but it was decided it was best if the whole truth of the massacre stayed hidden, to preserve some of the clan's dignity.
What happened to her next was something that changed her life forever. She'd delivered the scroll to Tsunade and was just about to leave when she was called back into her office. The scroll had been an official request for a medical ninja to help out at Suna's hospital with a note at the bottom requesting Sakura as the medic to be sent over.
Tsunade had given her a strange look and then asked her if anything had happened between her and the Kazekage, never losing that sly smile on her face.
She'd had no idea how to respond.
Yes she'd spent time with the Kazekage and yes she enjoyed his company and he was drop dead gorgeous but she'd only been there for 6 weeks and for most of the time, he had been unconscious!
Just then she was shaken from her trance by the sudden movement of the boy next to her. He gazed at her, asking a silent question with his eyes.
She gave him a small smile which widened when she felt his hand wrap around her waist and pull her on his chest.
"What's bothering you?" he asked her while he gently nibbled on her ear.
"Mmmm- why would anything be bothering me?" She replied while wrapping her arms around his chest.
His arms tightened in response as his lips moved further down towards her neck.
She tried to stifle her moans as he kissed her neck, sending tingles throughout her body. She was finding it hard to keep her train of thought as he slowly licked and bit the spot. Heat started to build up in the lower part of her body and her willpower slowly started to ebb away.
"You're avoiding the question." He said between kisses as he pulled her on to him more.
Her moans got louder as he slowly began to run his fingers up her back, stopping occasionally to draw circles on her spine. His legs tangled in hers and he felt himself getting hard already.
"It's- mmhmmm- i-it's nothing Gaa-ra." She managed to get out as his hands and lips kept driving her crazy.
"I-I was j-just –uuhhh- thinking about us."
He stopped and propped himself up on one arm. He stared at her for a second before asking "What about us?"
She stared back at him and gave him a warm smile.
"Well, just stuff like how we got together really. "
She hoped he would drop the subject but she knew that was an impossible thought. He was incredibly tenacious and was able to read her like a book. She should have known that he would be able to tell if something was wrong.
She buried her head into his chest and breathed in his scent.
He looked at her again before gently loosening her arms and cupping one of her cheeks. He slowly raised her chin so that she was looking him in the eye. His thumb started to rub her cheek when he saw her eyes widen slightly in surprise from how close his face was.
He moved his face closer so that their foreheads were touching and their breaths mingled between them.
"You're lying. There's something bothering you and I would like to know what it is."
She tried to move away but his hand moved to the back of her neck, forcing her to stay in place. His unwavering gaze stayed trained on her and she found herself mesmerised by his eyes. His previously smooth face was creased from where he was frowning. She tried to move again but his arm had locked in place.
"Sakura." He said, his voice turning serious.
"I do not wish for you to worry. I...dislike it when you are troubled. I would like it if you would tell me what it is." He paused for a second before continuing. "You... are important to me and I dislike the thought of there being any secrets between us."
He sat up a bit and brought his other hand around her waist, pulling her so she was flush against him. He rubbed her back gently, trying to coax her into speaking. After a few moments of silence, Sakura spoke up.
"It's… It's nothing big. It's just that… I have this horrible feeling that something bad is going to happen."
She finally looked up at him and she saw his brows furrow in concern.
She brought her arms up and started to rub the muscles on his stomach. She felt them ripple beneath her hands. She saw his face slowly getting closer and she closed her eyes in anticipation. She felt him move past her face and then she felt his warm breath on her ear.
She felt more tingles run down her spine and she shivered.
She had no idea how he did it. He affected her so much and he hadn't even done anything yet!
He breathed in and then whispered in her ear.
"Nothing will happen… and no one shall harm you. They will die if they try... I will protect you."
He began to nibble on her ear again, earning another moan of approval from her. She ran her hands through his hair and he groaned from the sensation.
He rolled them over so he was on top and he started to bite and lick the sensitive part of her collarbone while her hands ran all over his back. She was whimpering and the heat began to build up again.
She cried out as he bit down and her hips arched upwards. She could already feel how aroused he was and she knew exactly where this was going. She rolled her eyes at him. He made her feel so safe all the time and he had promised to never let her get hurt.
She would be fine right? Then why did she have this dreadful feeling?