Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the corresponding characters. However, as I say at the beginning of most GaaSaku stories, If I did own Naruto – GaaSaku would be Canon.

"You and me all alone girl – what's going on? Would you tell me what's wrong?"

~David Archuleta~

Thank You

She stared up at the night sky; her mind was wandering far from here. Her imagination taking her beyond the lush grass and trees heavy with foliage, past the sparse area one would end up traveling through at the edge of Fire Country, and didn't stop until she had taken herself to the desert; Suna to be specific. The pinkette sighed in frustration thinking about it. Suna was so far away, three days travel, and that meant that he was that same great distance from her grasp. She wondered, absentmindedly digging her blunt nails into the damp grass and soil beneath her, if he ever thought about her. And, if he did, was it brief and passing or did he get like this?

The pink haired female heard faint footsteps drawing near and would have tensed, ready for combat, had she not recognized the footfalls of her companion. He stopped a few paces behind her and to the left, she knew without even having to look at him. Slowly she leaned her weight back onto her hands and tilted her head back – giving the male her attention; not her full attention though, never her full attention while she was out here.

The woman smiled at the man who was quirking his lips while staring down at her and then spoke, "Shikamaru." The pinkette motioned with her head for the brunette to sit next to her, as usual. He acquiesced and took his seat on the dampened earth next to the female and muttered, "Sakura," his small acknowledgement of her. And the two sat there in companionable silence. It wasn't a happenstance that Sakura minded much since her thoughts were never very far from her red head, from Gaara. And, she knew, his thoughts were fixated on the Kazekage's sister Temari. For this reason she allowed her nightly ritual to be disturbed by Shikamaru because he knew her pain – knew what it meant to want something that's out of your reach; something that you know, rationally, that you'll never reach but your heart and mind steadfastly ignore the logic your brain tries to throw its way.

Sakura laid back, head cushioned in her brunette companion's lap as he moved to accommodate her position – just like he did every night, – close her eyes, and imagined that she was lying with Gaara, her Kazekage that barely knew she existed. She was probably "Naruto's best friend" to him. The thought was sobering and she let out a dejected sigh. He was so far out of her reach; even more out of her grasp than Sasuke had ever been, and it killed her a little every night when she came to that realization. The pinkette knew that in order to grab a male's attention she needed to actively try – in most cases – but she refused to because she would rather barely be on the red head's radar than for him to think of her in the same way Sasuke had.

"Sakura," Shikamaru's voice cut through her self deprecating thoughts, causing her to open her viridian orbs and glance up at the brunettes face. When he had her attention he continued, "Everything will work out."

The pink haired woman smiled a genuine smile and muttered, "Thank you, Shikamaru."