Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Note: Hope you all like it so please review, even if you don't like it. Thanks.
_ To Be Dead _
_ Chapter One _
Sakura frowned at her reflection and proceeded to poke the fangs that had protruded from her mouth. Sighing she retracted them and went on with brushing her teeth. It was the second day that she had been doing it. She had a feeling that it would probably be a daily routine. Frowning once more she went to her bedroom, grabbed her weapons and other strapped on her sandals and exited out her window.
She hummed slightly as she made her way to the bridge that she would be meeting up with her team mates and sensei. She glanced towards the trees and thought of the mission they were going on. Team Seven, along with Team Gai would be going to Suna for a five month mission.
The mission included attending all the gatherings that were being held in the time they would be there, they would also be protecting the Kazekage during meetings and such, and would also be learning more things about Suna to strengthen the treaty between the two hidden villages. If things go well then they would proceed to do a ninja exchange program, but mostly medics.
"Where is Kakashi sensei?" whined Naruto as he kicked a pebble off the bridge and into the water below. "Even Bushy Brows and his team are here."
Sighing, Sakura turned towards the tree opposite her several feet away. Smirking, she took a kunai from Naruto's leg pouch, startling the blonde in the process, and shot it towards the top of the tree. A silver haired man came towards the group, an orange covered book in one hand and the kunai in the other.
"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto yelled, causing Sakura to wince just slightly, unnoticeable to anyone in the group but Tenten.
"YOSH!" said Gai. "Now that we are all here, let us get on with our youthful mission to the youthful Sand village!"
Several hours later the two teams found themselves outside of the gates of the Sand village. Everyone, but Gai, Lee, and Naruto were out of breath and quite flushed in the face. Sakura, Tenten, Sasuke, and Neji, directed their glares at the three energetic ninjas in front of them. Kakashi looked up from his orange covered book, his face hidden by his mask and book before flipping to the next page.
"Why'd we need to get here in a hurry again?" Sakura growled as she looked at the three with large bumps with bruises on their heads.
"Because I couldn't wait to see what the place looked like." Naruto said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in a Naruto like fashion.
"You idiot!" Sakura seethed. "I thought something else happened!" she raised her fist, ready to give him another bruise. But a shadow of someone hovered over her. She put her fist down, but still ready to use it, before turning to find herself face to chest with one of the Suna guards.
"Can I see some identification ma'am?" said the guard.
"Call me ma'am and you'll find your identification up your-"
Kakashi quickly intervened by placing his gloved hand over the pink haired chunins mouth while placing his beloved book in one of his vest pockets.
"Sorry about that, but she has something of a really short temper." he said with a smile and eye crinkle. "We are the Konoha ninjas that Tsunade has sent to aid the new Kazekage."
"Follow us then." the guard said, his eyes still locked on the pink haired chunin who was trying, and failing, at trying to get Kakashi's gloved hand off of her mouth.
He finally took his hand away as they entered the cool Kazekage building where he (or she) and their family resided in. The new Kazekage had come into power five months prior to the mission and no one, but a select few in Konoha and other places knew who it was. Kakashi and Gai were one of the few to know the identity of the new Kage.
"Hey!" Everyone looked at Naruto as they waited to be called in by the Kazekage. "Didn't that one team from the chunin exams live here? You know, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari?"
Everyone thought for awhile before remembering. Sakura had a look of fear pass through her eyes before regaining herself. Tenten also noticed this while it was passed by the others. The brown haired weapons mistress went closer to Sakura and put a comforting hand on the pink haired girl's shoulder, though this also comforted herself.
Finally, the group was allowed inside and they saw stacks of paper on the desk, obscuring their view of the Kazekage. After what seemed like many minutes, the stacks got to a reasonable size and everyone, besides Gai and Kakashi, inhaled sharply at the person in the traditional Kazekage robes. Pen in his hand and looking up at them with no emotion but recognition in his teal eyes.
"Kazekage-sama." Sakura bowed, surprising her fellow comrades. For this was the same person who tried to kill her four years ago at the chunin exams. After several seconds, everyone else followed her example.
"Hn."
"Man, he's just like Teme!" Naruto 'whispered.' This caused him to receive a very painful jab in the stomach, courtesy of Sakura and Sasuke, while Kakashi bonked him on the head.
Gaara looked at the scene with no emotion whatsoever. He knew that they were still wary of him, even though he did change, even though it was a little bit at a time. He sighed quietly before placing his pen down and standing up, causing the Konoha nins to be alert. They watched him move in front of his desk, his siblings on either side of him.
"Glad to see that you are all well." Gaara spoke, even though his facial features betrayed any sign of truth to his greeting. "Kankuro, Temari." he added with a slight nod. Sakura had to suppress a giggle.
"What's so funny Sakura-chan?" Naruto yelled in her ear.
She elbowed him causing him to get the breath knocked out of him temporarily before answering, "I understood what he intended to say with just hearing his siblings' names."
"And what did I intend to say Haruno-san?" Gaara asked.
Sakura quit grinning and frowned. "Your sentence was, 'Kankuro and Temari will show you your rooms and we will all have dinner together at seven. Tomorrow we will discuss what you will do.' That and some other things that I didn't understand. And don't call me Haruno-san, I'm not my mother nor father."
Gaara stared at her with one of his nonexistent eyebrows. A twitch of the lips and he had a ghost of smile. "Glad to know you can interpret things. You will be in the group to accompany to the meetings tomorrow."
As Kankuro and Temari went to show them each of their living quarters Kankuro stared at Sakura in awe.
"I can't believe you got Gaara to speak that much." he said.
"That was a lot for him? Wow, that is the same thing for Sasuke, and I think Neji as well." Sakura said, causing Tenten to snort.
"Well the, as Gaara, or Sakura said, dinner is at seven and then tomorrow the schedules will be gone over. Apparently Sakura got first dibs on accompanying Gaara to his many meetings." Temari said. "So you can unpack for the time being and then roam around if you want, or you can hang out in the living room. Kankuro and I will be heading back to Gaara's office and help him deal with his paperwork."
"Thanks Temari!" Tenten chirped before grabbing Sakura's wrist and zooming into their shared room, at their request.
"Those two are weird." Kankuro commented.
"And you wear make up, deal with it!" chorused Tenten and Sakura inside their room.
"It's war paint!"