Reminisce

Him?

Rock Lee saw the shock on Sakura's face a bare moment before she dropped the ramen bowl she had been happily sipping just a second ago, and he managed to catch it neatly with his left hand without spilling a drop.

"Aha"! He thought, internally jubilant. "This surely means that Sakura chan will love me forever"!

Because of his preoccupation with his 'triumph' however, Lee didn't see the curtain of the ramen stand fall back down. Nor did he have an inkling as to why the pink-haired object of his worthy adoration had turned pale, and was taking deep breaths as if something had momentarily cut off her access to air.

xxxxx


2. Arrival

Not him! Thank God…

"…sends his apologies that he was unable to welcome you to Suna personally", the guard at the entry to the Sand village was saying as he gave a short bow to Neji. "The Kazekage had an appointment today he was unable to put off, and as your party was behind schedule, not your fault I understand…"

"Of course", Neji's voice was smooth, but he could almost feel the relief emanating from Sakura next to him like a warm cloud. With his considerable perceptiveness however, he also sensed the flare of another emotion – was it disappointment?

The guard cleared his throat. "This way then, if you please. The Kazekage has ordered nothing less than the best possible accommodation to welcome you to your new home"

xxxxx


"New home huh", Sakura thought to herself as she rinsed off three day's worth of desert-accumulated sweat and filth, and toweled herself dry. "He made it sound like we're going to be here longer than just a few months."

Immediately, she felt a twinge of guilt. "Come off it", she told herself sternly. "As the Hokage's prized apprentice, it's your duty to give Suna all you've got in terms of medical training and techniques, no matter how long it takes". Nevertheless, that momentary relief...

"What are you going to do, hope he stays away forever"? she scolded herself, as a glance at the window told her that at least an hour had gone by while she had luxuriated in the bath. As the unofficial leaders of the Konoha team, she and Neji had been invited to dinner with the elders, both as a welcome to the village and an informal meeting about the variety of skills each member would bring to Suna. Her teammates should all be rested by now, and Neji would be appearing to head out with her any time.

Stepping lightly onto the porch of the small but comfortable units Suna had obviously been repainted recently for their benefit, Sakura heard clattering noises from Tenten's room and a muffled curse from Lee's. She grinned, and wondered briefly if she was dressed correctly for the occasion – she had only brought clothing she'd decided would be practical for the desert, and for hospitals; none were particularly ceremonial or formal. Neji would know with one look, she thought ruefully. A small grin tugged at her mouth as she tried to imagine how he would tell her she looked awful while remaining as correct and as courteous as he normally tried to be. The smile faded slightly as she remembered the Hyuuga's stern words to her that morning. "Repair that relationship as soon as you can..."

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice the dark figure, crouched on the roof of the flat house detach itself in a graceful movement to land precisely behind the kunoichi, with barely a sound to announce its presence. All Sakura had time to feel was a strong arm wrapping around her waist, which effectively restricted her ability to straighten properly, and another hand at her mouth, stopping any scream or sound of protest.

"Just the medical nin I wanted to see", drawled a low voice, sand roughened and achingly familiar.

xxxxx


If her assaulter had hoped for struggling or alarm from his fragile looking victim, he was in for a disappointment. Instead, the pink haired kunoichi muttered something about being unable to breath, then proceeded to sag and pass out. He snorted.

"Nice try, Haruno"

Sakura opened her eyes, and grinned.

"I seem to remember…" she mused, seemingly to herself, "someone almost pissing himself in fright when I tried that trick on him the first time".

"And you thought I'd fall for it again"? Her attacker demanded with mock offense. "Come and face me in a real fight kunoichi, and we'll see who comes out on top!"

"Fight you"? Sakura scoffed, no longer able to restrain the laughter bubbling in her throat. "I'm not going to fight with someone notman enough to assault an innocent girl on his own"!

The man laughed, and the arms around her waist and mouth abruptly withdrew with an audible mechanical sound. Sakura promptly turned and flung herself into the arms of Kankurou of the Sand, who had withdrawn his puppet and was now stepping forward with a massive grin on his painted face, making him look positively feral.

"I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't throw me against a wall" Kankurou explained sheepishly. "So I thought I'd try you with Karasu first –we didhave a windstorm recently you see, and we really couldn't afford to damage any more buildings…"

Laughing, Sakura pushed him away. "You smell", she informed him, wrinkling her nose and jabbing him gently in the chest.

Kankurou winked. "Oh? Well you're a medic nin. Why don't you give me a good sponge ba – ouch"! He leapt back, narrowly missing a second jab which would have sent him flying.

"Ungrateful", he murmured, clapping a hand to his heart in feigned sorrow. "I come straight from my mission to see you, and this is the welcome I get".

Sakura hugged him again, ignoring his mock wince and gasp for breath. "I'm waiting for Neji", she told him. "We're supposed to be dining with your village elders, because Gaa – er…that is…your brother -" Again, reality seemed to hit her unawares. "I can't really call him 'Gaara-kun' or even Gaara-san anymore can I"? And just like that, a wave of nostalgia enveloped her, accompanied by the familiar sense of panic that had plagued her during the entire trip to Suna. "How can I even look him in the eye"?

"With your history, you know he'd smother you with sand if you dared call him 'Kazekage-sama', right"? Kankurou asked pleasantly, seemingly oblivious to her confusion. "Well, in private anyway. And what's with that look?"

Sakura quickly tried to smooth out the pained expression that had crept onto her face and shrugged. "It's nothing", she said, flashing her best Naruto-version beam at Kankurou. "I thought I'd be seeing – I'm just really glad to you. I couldn't wait to see all of you again, that's all". She was pleased at how glib and cheery her voice sounded to her ears.

Kankurou wasn't fooled however. For all the genuine gladness with which she'd greeted him, he could sense the underlying nervousness and stress the kunoichi was under. And it had nothing to do with her capability to perform her mission competently either - a certain person in his immediate family had been emanating the same emotions for the last few weeks. "Hey", he said to Sakura gently. "Don't be too disappointed ok? You guys were behind schedule and Gaara did have time planned to welcome you here properly. If you must know, he threatened to kill me around eight times in an hour when you guys didn't arrive on time. That usually only happens when he's nervous, or looking forward to something". They both chuckled lightly, though Sakura's smile quickly faltered.

"Even me, after what –

"Yes,including you", Kankurou said firmly. He tilted her face up towards him, and Sakura had an uneasy recollection of Neji's stern eyes looking down on her earlier that morning. Then the puppet-master grinned and cheekily tickled her nose with his finger, prompting her laugh a little and slap at his wrist. She lowered her eyes onto the ground. "It was my fault", she said quietly. Kankurou sighed.

"Just talk to him, ok"? He said. "You guys have things to sort out, and I know he's always wanted to talk to you. He won't bite, I promise", he added, a gleam in his eye. "If he does, he'll answer to me. And Temari too. She's become quite an expert at slicing through his sand with that rusted piece of metal she calls a fan".

Sakura smiled at the mental image that produced, and nodded. "Ok". To her right a door opened, silhouetting for a moment the tall figure of Neji.

"Good girl", Kankurou slapped open a scroll from his back, and Karasu vanished in a puff of smoke. "Well, I better get going. Take a shower for your pleasure and all. Don't be too intimidated by those old farts Suna calls elders; most of them still think the third Kazekage's around, and can only ape what was done then. I'll see you around in the village soon"? Sakura smiled and nodded, as he strode forwards and acknowledged Neji. The two of them conversed politely in brief murmurs, then Kankurou was off, winking and waving back at Sakura.

"There you are Neji, I'm beginning to "build bridges" again", Sakura thought, surprised at the slight bitterness the thought elicited as Neji joined her on the porch, both watching Kankurou thread his way through the empty streets of the village. Her resentment faded and turned to concern however, when she saw the weariness in his Neji's face; he clearly hadn't rested as most of them had upon reaching their huts. Tsking, she reached up and smoothed away a frown line on his forehead, and smiled when he made an effort to relax his features.

"Ready to go"? Neji asked lightly. Sakura nodded, and they stepped out into the unfamiliar streets of a village that would be their home for the next half year.

xxxxx


A.N. Reviews are a great motivation! Thanks to those who've reviewed so far, I love you guys. And setting the scene took forever; Gaara will appear in the next chapter, I promise!