Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm very pleased that the first chapter was liked as much as it was. I promised to update as soon as possible, so without further stalling, here it is!

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Gaara looked up quickly as shouts filled the air, and the sound of fighting. He jumped down, just as three Sound nin were running past. They glanced at him and rushed him, one jumping into the tree to attack Sachi. Gaara gave a loud growl and his sand exploded, his armor quickly rising to defend him. His sand split, one aiding him in fighting the two Sound nin, and the other half swooped up to the one in the tree in a death grip.

It happened so quickly, Sachi had little to no time to react before they were ambushed, though she barely had her bow off her shoulder when the sand had captured the Sound nin that had been going for her. A fearful look crossed her face, and she leapt down to the next branch to make sure Gaara was okay. It was then that she caught sight of another small group of enemy-nin racing towards the village, and it was apparent they still hadn't noticed them. As they neared, she crouched down and placed three arrows within the bow, only to fire them off without hesitation. Two found their targets, burrowing themselves into the attacker's chests, while the other one narrowly missed someone's arm.

Gaara blocked one of the nin's attacks, and crushed the other. His eyes flashed with the joy of a fight, the strange smile returning to his face. His sand lapped up the blood from the nin as it crushed him, the nin screaming to the pleasure of Gaara. He rushed past Sachi, his sand already circling the other sound nin. He stood, the wind billowing around him, grinning widely. Quickly he made his hand signs, his eyes flashing once more. "Sand Coffin!" He shouted. His sand rose and collapsed on top of the sound nin, their screams muffled before being silenced. The sand crept back, making pleased sounds in Gaara's head. Left, were the nin's mangled bodies...

With the very short break in the attacks, Sachi looked ahead to see Gaara, fighting mercilessly against their enemies. At the moment, he really did appear near impossible to be defeated, as if he were his own army. She quickly turned her head away from the bodies. Despite the fact that she was a shinobi, she feared death above all else, it had been that way ever since she was a child. But even when she couldn't see the corpses, her nostrils flared momentarily as the scent of blood wafted around her, making her cringe and continue forward. It was clear Konoha was in trouble, the sound of explosions and agonizing screaming said that. So as she fired off two more arrows towards the heads of a couple of Sound-nin, she couldn't help but wonder how bad their odds were.

Gaara headed into the village, where he saw at least twenty Naruto's fighting. Sakura was being outnumbered, and he quickly killed the Sound nin he could find. They were heading further into the village, to the Hokage.

Sachi looked over her shoulder before following behind Gaara, her ears picking up more screams from an unknown location in the village. Her archery wasn't exactly meant for close combat, but she fired arrows whenever she could, aiming for a clear shot to the chest or head. Sweat was beginning to form on her brow again as she ran, trying her best to ignore the bodies of both Sound nin, Konoha villagers and shinobi sprawled against the ground.

Some of the Sound nin must have gotten together after learning Gaara was here. As he was running, five of them jumped at him. His sand blocked their attacks, but was kept busy making him unable to attack.

Sachi skidded to a halt, her feet kicking up a small cloud of dirt around her as she spotted Gaara being attacked ahead of her. His sand was protecting him, but at the same time he couldn't attack. Her breath caught in her throat and she raised her bow without thinking, releasing two arrows towards the cluster. One hit its target, while the other barely skimmed across an enemy nin's shoulder. If she wasn't careful, she would end up firing at Gaara on accident.

Gaara could barely see Sachi as she shot arrows at his attackers. He felt suddenly weak and made his move to attack them himself. He would have her thinking he needed saving. He let out cry, half laugh half a strange roar as his sand parted and swept down to drill straight through one of the Sound nin. Another one behind him however, attacked him with a chakra fueled blow to the shoulder. Gaara cried out and fell to his knees in pain. He wasn't used to actually being hit, and his sand swirled around him forming an impenetrable barrier to protect him. He didn't have much blood, but the nin had managed to crack his sand armor, and blood trickled through his fingers as he held his shoulder.

A shortened yelp of surprise came from Sachi as she witnessed Gaara being struck, having only a split second to view the blood on his shoulder before the sand enveloped him. Worry began bubbling up from her stomach, and she took a few frantic steps forward, at the same time loading two more arrows. This was the closest she had come to feeling anger in who knew how long, and as she shot at another nin, adrenaline began coursing through her system, making the unwanted emotion cloud her mind.

Gaara was breathing harder now, beginning to lose what sanity he had left in this battle. And if he did that... Lord help those who got in his way. His demon was trying to come out, to take control and fight. In short it was a battle inside of him. His sand was convulsing around him, like a beating heart. It looked mad... Angry. It reached out and killed another attacking nin, and the rest fled from the sand.

Taking the given opportunity, Sachi shot at one of the retreating Sound nin, the arrow embedding itself between his shoulder blades before he fell. Her attention turned to the sand, and despite the situation, she couldn't help but stare at it curiously for a few fleeting seconds. Something was going on within it, and from the way it was acting, the outcome probably wouldn't be good. Before she could act, her focus was pulled back to the battle as a kunai narrowly missed her side, and she spun around on her heel in an attempt to hit a couple more of the cowardly Sound nin.

Inside the protection of his sand, Gaara was using the rest of his strength to keep his demon locked away. He cried out as he fell forward onto the ground, unconscious. His sand went limp and crawled slowly back into its gourd. Gaara's breath was light, but his heartbeat was irregular. He had worn himself out in order to stop the demon from taking control. Never before had he fought it so hard. He had done so for one reason, to keep Sachi safe. And he'd never done something to protect someone like that before...

An odd sound reached her ears while she had her back turned, like a sort of dull thud. Sure enough as she spun around, her gaze fell upon Gaara, out cold on the ground. Her mind completely forgot the battle going on around them and the hand that held her bow dropped to her side as she sprinted to him, an unfamiliarly sickening feeling now residing in her throat. "Gaara?" Her voice came out sounding almost frantic as she crouched next to his limp form, desperately hoping he was okay. She could see he was breathing, but it wasn't as strong as it should have been. "Come on…" she pleaded quietly, so quietly the explosions around them probably drowned her out, and she placed a hand on his arm hesitantly, giving a light shake to try to wake him up.

Gaara felt her touch his arm, but couldn't open his eyes. Instead, his sand came out of its gourd and reached for her, petting her cheek lightly. He hoped this would be enough to let her know he was alright… And the sand fell limp as Gaara lost his last bit of strength.

She couldn't help but give a quiet sigh of relief as she felt the rough, gritty substance caress her cheek; at least he knew she was there. Her head lifted to check out the current damage to the village, though it was difficult to determine where they stood. There weren't as many enemy nin crowding this street as there were in others, and it seemed there were almost an even amount of dead shinobi, both from Konoha and Sound. Sachi tried to ignore that last thought as her bow lifted again, and she shot at a stray Sound ninja not too far off, whom had his back turned to them.

Suddenly, Naruto was running by, and paused to wave to Sachi with a goofy grin. "Hey, Sachi! Haha, the Sound are on the run! The old woman really gave them a good scare!" He laughed as he ran on, leaving them behind. The explosions had stopped, and there were no more screams to be heard, though Gaara still lay there.

"Thank goodness…" Sachi's shoulders slumped at the news, and she gave Naruto a grateful nod before he ran off again. So it was over, for now at least. She no longer had to worry about defending them, just if Gaara would be okay. Her knees folded in as her ankles twisted to the side, so that she could take up a more comfortable position on the ground. "We need to get you to the hospital." She murmured lightly as she stared down at him, even if he couldn't hear her, his shoulder needed to be tended to.

Gaara was more or less sleeping now, but he could still feel the pain. Sasuke and Naruto came back, holding a stretcher between them. They laid it on the ground, Sasuke with a large scowl, and then moved Gaara carefully onto it. Naruto smiled at her, "I thought you could use the help." He said as they lifted Gaara up.

Sachi's face lit up, and she gave them both a warm smile, even if Sasuke was currently wearing his 'there's-something-perpetually-stuck-up-my-butt' look. "Thank you…" She gave a grateful nod of her head before turning to pick up her bow and placing it on her shoulder. As they lifted him off the ground, she sidled over to stand as close to Gaara as possible without getting in their way, trying not to think of what would've happened if they hadn't shown up. She wouldn't have been able to lift and transport him the whole way to the hospital.

Naruto nodded to Sasuke and they took Gaara to the hospital. They took him back to a room, where the nurses shoved them out and told them to sit in the hall for a few minutes. Sasuke grumbled something and left. Naruto sat next to Sachi in the hall way, "So, how long have you known Gaara?" He asked with a smile.

Sachi looked around the small room before hesitantly leaning against the white-washed dirty wall. "…I just met him today." She admitted sheepishly, her eyes focusing on the door Sasuke had just exited. It had been a while since she had actually sat down and talked to Naruto, and of course the first subject they talked about just had to be Gaara.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, "He's not a bad guy… Most people just think he is. But he's really a lot like me!" He said, grinning. "Heh, don't ya think so?"

The nurses in the room had taken off Gaara's shirt and bandaged his shoulder. His gourd was on the floor by the bed.

She lifted a hand up to muffle her laughter, trying to nod at his first statement. "He's a bit less energetic, but yes, he is a bit like you…" Sachi smiled towards the blonde boy, running through all of their similarities in her mind. They were both strong, stubborn, and kind, among other things. "…Naruto, do you remember what your first impression was, when you met Gaara?" she asked curiously, remembering what he had said about others believing him to be a monster.

Naruto smiled, and nodded quickly. "Yup! I thought he was pretty quiet, but he was a nice guy."

The nurse peeked out before coming into the hall. "You may visit with him now… He's coming to." She said, before bowing and heading down the hall.

Gaara lay on the bed, his eyes closed, though he was awake. His toned chest rose and fell normally now.

Sachi stood from the chair without hesitation, and she gave another shaky smile towards Naruto, a silent thank-you for helping them again. She stepped forwards and around the corner into the room, the sound of her sandals hitting the polished floor echoing through the small hallway. Standing about a foot away from the edge of the bed, she couldn't help but smile again, unaware that he was awake.

"I have… Much to thank you for, Sachi." Gaara said, opening his eyes and looking at her. They had given him some painkillers for his wound, and he could hardly feel it right now. He looked perhaps a little crestfallen at the moment, however. And it seemed he was still weak because his sand armor wasn't up.

A deep look of confusion crossed her face as she took a small step towards him, resting both hands on the edge of the bed. "Why? I didn't do anything…" She scanned her memories, desperately trying to figure out what he was talking about, how she had helped him. However, her search proved fruitless, and she tilted her head curiously as she waited for his reply, gaze flickering to where the bandages covered his bare shoulder.

Gaara turned his head away, "You came to my aid… And looked after me once I had fallen." He closed his eyes for a moment, "And you...you never once turned from me, to let me die."

The confused look slackened slightly, but a part of it remained. "I'd rather be killed than leave a friend to die." She stated firmly, giving him an odd look. "Were you really expecting me to leave?" she questioned in a hushed tone so that no one from the hallway could hear their discussion.

Gaara looked at her, his eyes holding pain. "Most would have." He stated with a hurt tone. His hands tightened into loose fists, "Anyone else is this village… Would have gladly rid themselves of me."

Sachi's throat constricted as he spoke, and she bit her lip. "Don't talk like that, some people are just… selfish. You'll always have a purpose as long as you live, even if you don't know what it is yet." Her voice quivered as she lowered her head in thought, realizing how much pain he was going through, and the fact that he had probably lived like this for a long time.

Gaara's face fell, his hands going limp. "...I am sorry." He said softly, looking down. He was also ashamed. How weak he must look to her right now, laying in this hospital. And Gaara hated looking weak. But that seemed to be amplified with Sachi.

Once she spotted the look he gave, she closed her eyes in annoyance at herself, believing she was the one causing him to feel bad."Don't be sorry…" she whispered almost inaudibly as her eyes reopened, and she looked down at him with an unreadable expression.

Gaara nodded solemnly, his mouth a firm line. He then looked at her curiously. "...Why did you come to see me?" He asked.

Sachi was somewhat surprised at the question he had asked, as if it were painfully obvious why, but she answered anyways. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I was worried…" The edges of her lips bent upwards into a tired grin, and again her silver eyes flickered over to his shoulder wound, then back to his jade eyes for reassurance.

Gaara gave her a weak smile, "You are indeed kind to me." He said, his eyes flashing with something never seen in them before… Happiness. He lightly bit his bottom lip, "You don't have to stay... If you don't want to."

Sachi shrugged as if to say it was no big deal, and gave a cheeky grin. "I wasn't planning on leaving any time soon, especially when you're stuck here." She teased, motioning towards the small room they were in. As much as she disliked hospitals, the smell, the illness and death, the blood… She was willing to stay all night if she had to, to keep him company while he recovered. As if to re-enforce her statement, she yawned and leaned against the side of the bed with her arms crossed.

Gaara smiled slightly, "Very well then." He said. The cork on his gourd popped off and the sand pushed the arm chair next to his bed. The sand went back into the gourd quickly, as if it too wanted its rest.

"That's handy." Sachi chuckled as she watched the sand retreat, before falling onto the chair lazily. Turning herself so that she could see him, her hand began absentmindedly fumbling with a small tear in her shirt sleeve, something she had received from the earlier battle without even knowing it. "So… What do you think the Hokage is going to do about the Sound-nin problem?" she asked, not really wanting to approach the subject of war, but she was really wanted to know.

Gaara shook his head slightly, "I don't know. I'm sure she will come up with something, she's smart." He said, his eyes drooping a little. Slowly he reached over, taking her hand in his loosely as his eyes closed. He wanted sleep, but was afraid that she might leave once he fell asleep… At least that's what he told himself his reason was for taking her hand.

Another smile worked its way onto her features, and she made an unintelligible sound of agreement as he took her hand. Along with the smile, a light pink came to the surface of her cheeks, but she didn't try to pull away, in fact, she quite liked the feel of her hand in his, and she gave a gentle squeeze to show she wasn't going anywhere. He was like a small child, unsure of the world and what it had to offer, as well as extremely curious, and this amused her.

Gaara was amazed that she did not pull away, but pleased. He fell asleep soon, but he could still feel her hand, so soft in his… It made him happy. He hoped she would stay with him even after he was rested… But he would not make her. It seemed to him that she was like a bird. Small, fragile, and not to be held against her will. He would be happy enough to see her every once in a while, so he told himself. But soon his sleep grew deeper, and his thoughts were lost.

She leaned over the arm of the chair for a few minutes, hand still clasped in his, watching him as he slept. Part of her wanted to stay up while he was asleep, to watch over him. But another, much more stubborn side of her, was making her eyelids droop in exhaustion, the fight had taken quite a bit of chakra from her, and she needed sleep. Her head was still facing Gaara as it leaned against the back of the chair, and her eyes closed, allowing her to unwillingly drift off to sleep.

Gaara awoke with a start, and found that he had lost hold of Sachi's hand. He looked over to find her still asleep, and smiled. He sat up, his shoulder a bit stiff, but not hurting badly. He reached over and stroked her cheek softly, amazed to find her face was softer yet than her hands. They must have slept through the night, for the birds were chirping and the morning sun peeked into the window.

A soft brush against her cheek brought her out of the light sleep she had been in, and she was somewhat startled to find her hand was no longer in Gaara's grasp. Though once her eyes opened and she realized who had touched her, she visibly relaxed, smiling up at him. "Morning."

Gaara smiled, "Morning." He said, looking about them. The door to the room opened as the nurse stepped in, "How are you feeling?" she asked politely, leaving the door open. Gaara nodded his head to her, "Better." The nurse smiled slightly, "Good. You may leave as soon as you please." She said, quickly bowing and leaving out the door. Gaara got up slowly, standing a little unevenly. But after taking a few 

steps he smiled at Sachi as he grabbed up his shirt and pulled it on slowly. He was more than ready to leave.

Almost as if she hadn't been sleeping just two minutes ago, Sachi's eyes snapped open, and she shot from her chair excitedly and to Gaara's side, her feet scuffing the ground like an excited dog waiting to escape outside to freedom.

Gaara chuckled, another new thing for him. He took her hand, a bit more surely this time, and walked out of the room with her. His shoulder was stiff, but he would work it back into shape. He didn't want to worry about anything else but Sachi for a while. What other new things would he learn from her? He smiled as he wondered. A few of the nurses looked at him funny, for they had never seen him smile so much before. Gaara paid them no mind as they walked out into the sunshine.

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A/N: Well, there you go. Again, I hoped you enjoyed the second chapter of Sands Apart, and I plan on updating as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.