Sakura had finally found a home.
It turns out Gaara's father was the Kazekage. One look at the pinkette, grasping Gaara's hand, the Kazekage fell in love.
- 13 years later -
Sakura finished sealing a scroll with all of her belongings in it and slipped it into her back pocket. Together; Gaara, Sakura and Kankuro were heading to Konaha to compete in the Chunin Exams.
Dressing in warm clothing, Sakura headed to the door and yelled for Temari, needing the older girls' keen sense of fashion. Standing by her bed in tight fitting black pants and a short-sleeved pink shirt, Sakura eyed the clothing on her bed critically. The door swung open behind her and Sakura sighed.
"Do you think I'll need a bathing suit?" Sakura asked; laid out on the bed were two rather skimpy bikinis. One was black and white with polka dots and the other had cherries all over it.
"I think you should bring an extra turtle neck." A deep voice said from behind her. Swinging around Sakura let out a breath when she saw Gaara leaning against the door frame. "You're too protective." Sakura grumbled, sealing them both in her clothing scroll.
"Well, who else is going to look out for you?" Gaara asked, backing into the hall when Sakura left the room.
Sakura smirked, grabbing Gaara's hand she bolted down the stairs; running into Kankuro's broad chest.
"Hey there pinky!" Kankuro exclaimed, steadying the younger girl. "We're leaving ASAP, are you ready?" he asked, stepping away from the stairs.
Gaara nodded at his brother and Sakura thought for a moment. "Well, I'm going to grab something to eat, but otherwise I'm ready." Sakura grabbed an apple and together they left the house and locked the door behind them.
Ambling through the village the three enjoyed the sights and said goodbye to the village. Stopping at the village the three saluted the guards and exited the gates.
Shading their eyes against the harsh sun the three bid farewell to one another and took off, Gaara used his sand to transport to Konaha, and Sakura used her superhuman speed. Kankuro… well he ran like an idiot.
Gaara arrived first and waited an hour for Sakura. When Sakura ran up, the two entered the village and subjected their papers to examination. Sakura was immediately uncomfortable; the village was full of painful memories. Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist and they made their way through the village, receiving interested stares.
"Do you want to get some ramen?" Gaara looked around for a moment and shook his head. "I'll go check out a room at the hotel." Gaara muttered. Sakura nodded and took off for the nearest ramen stand. Sakura paid for her ramen after enjoying it thoroughly, it was odd actually paying; Sakura would steal from the stands to stay alive when she had lived there. Walking through a rough part of town, Sakura was reminded that Konaha had a dark side to it. A sharp groan came from an alley to the left of her.
Quietly peeking into the alley Sakura nearly screamed out. An angelic little boy was being beat on by a group of older men. Pulling a kunai from her back pocket Sakura gave a yell that would make a grown man quiver in his shoes; but these men had been drinking, the smell of Sake was hot on their persons.
The men turned slowly and didn't register quickly enough that they were about to be viciously attacked. Sakura fell on the first man like a rabid dog; ripping hair from his head, Sakura slammed his head into the concrete. The other two men stumbled away; Sakura tore their hamstrings, crippling them both. Sakura stared into their eyes for a moment, letting them see the eyes of their attacker, with that, Sakura broke their noses and jabbed at their temples; knocking them out immediately.
Sakura rushed over to the little boy and fell to her knees, pulling him into her lap Sakura healed him quickly and hugged him close. Sakura studied him closer; he was unconscious and was probably about 5 years old, she picked him up gently and ran up the side of a building, wanting to remove him from the horrid alley.
Sakura ran over the roof tops and sighed when she stood on her old homestead. The compound was untouched. In truth, her father had died before Sakura had even left the village. Sakura stopped and leaned against a tree, catching her breath. The healing had taken a lot out of her. The door was unlocked when Sakura tested it. The house smelled of stale air and cinnamon, a scent her mother had left behind.
Sakura carried the little boy into her old room and set him on the bed. Feeling oddly protective, Sakura kissed his forehead and left the room, returning with a wash cloth, Sakura cleaned off all of his visible skin, revealing three whisker scars on either side of his face; tucking him into the bed Sakura stared around the room for a moment before snapping off the light, and closing the door behind her.
Twelve hours later; just before dawn, Naruto, the little boy, opened his eyes and stiffened his little body. This wasn't his home. Nothing was familiar. 'The last think I remember, those men had me cornered.' Naruto shivered and left the warm, comfortable bed. Slipping into the closet when he heard footsteps, Naruto shook at the thought of being beaten again.
Sakura opened the door and saw the bed empty, scanning the room Sakura smirked when she saw the closet door slightly open and a very blue eye looking at her in wonder. Kneeling Sakura looked at the little boy and smiled, holding a hand out.
Naruto took one look at the woman and was tempted to throw himself in her arms and tell her all the things that were bothering her. Her green eyes were welcoming, tender and motherly, her short pink hair was curled around her face, giving her an angelic look. Creeping out slowly Naruto neared the woman cautiously. "Are you an angel?" Naruto asked; if the woman sprouted wings in the next 2 seconds he wouldn't have been surprised.
Sakura laughed out loud, crinkling her eyes. The little boy smiled too and his small cheeks colored, thinking he had asked something improper. "No dear one." Sakura sighed, taking his hand in her own. "My name is Sakura Haruno." She said politely, bending down to his level.
Naruto smiled and took her other hand, liking the way they felt in his. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!" he said it rather loud and Sakura cracked a smile. "Well then, Naruto-kun, are you hungry? I've made some ramen-" Sakura began before the little ball of energy in front of her interrupted. "RAMEN! Oh, please, please, please, gimme' some Kaa-san!" Naruto crouched in front of her happily, waiting for his answer, his stomach rumbling in happiness.
Sakura froze when he called her 'mother' but smiled and scooped him up into her arms, earning a whoop of delight. Tickling his stomach, Sakura slid gracefully down the stairs and into the kitchen. Naruto scrambled into the chair that was closest to the food and leaned over the counter, drooling as though he hadn't eaten in days.
Grabbing two bowls Sakura set one in front of him, they gave their thanks and dug into the ramen. Naruto ate twice as much as Sakura. Grabbing a rag Sakura cleaned Naruto's face and kissed his cheek. They sat out on the porch as the sun slowly rose over the horizon. "Naruto, you know I have to ask. Where are your parents? Why were those bast- people, attacking you?" Naruto stiffened and sat up straight.
"My mommy died giving birth to me… and my dad died, sealing the k-kubie into my tummy." Naruto said, rubbing a hand over his navel. "No one in the village likes me cuz' of the kubie, they call me a devil and hurt me…" Naruto's small face scrunched up and he fought back tears.
Sakura pulled Naruto into her lap and placed her head on his, pulling her locket from around her neck Sakura held it in front of Naruto. "My mother died giving birth to me as well." Sakura said, squeezing Naruto tighter. "This was the one thing she left me…" Sakura flipped it open and hummed the song softly in Naruto's ear.
Naruto looked into Sakura's face with a newfound respect, tears leaked from the corners of his eyes as he buried his head in her shoulder. The two of them sat like that for an hour; until Sakura decided they were done moping.
"Let's go shopping!" Sakura said suddenly, throwing Naruto into the air, earning a howl of laughter from the boy.
Sakura lifted Naruto into her arms and ran upstairs to the bathroom. "You have… 10 minutes to take a bath." Sakura said, filling the tub with warm water. Setting soaps on the side of the tub Sakura eyed him expectantly, and left the bathroom to clean the dishes from their breakfast.
Sakura stood in front of the sink and cleaned dishes, listening to Naruto splash around in the tub above, singing a random song. Two strong arms wound around her waist and Sakura spun around, a kunai at the neck of her assailant. Gaara's mint eyes looked down at her. "Where have you been?" He asked huskily, pressing his face into her neck.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Gaara. "I've been busy." Sakura said vaguely. Gaara looked into her eyes and cocked his head when he heard the water running upstairs. "I found a little boy, his name is Naruto. He's the same as us." Sakura explained, holding Gaara's hands. Gaara gave her a sad smile and pulled her over to the couch.
Sakura explained the whole story to Gaara while fiddling with her locket. Gaara nodded in understanding and hugged her tighter. Putting his face close to hers, Gaara breathed in her scent and pressed his forehead to hers their lips were a hairs length apart when a loud bang from upstairs startled them apart.
Hearing Naruto yelp, Sakura threw herself off the couch and was in the bathroom in the blink of an eye. Naruto was wrapped in a soft towel, sitting on the floor with a small cut on his forehead. Sakura gathered him into her arms and healed the cut, kissing it better. Naruto's smile was watery but he smiled at her.
Looking at the state of his clothing Sakura cocked her hips and gave him a critical look, snapping her fingers, Sakura took them in hand and used a cleansing jutsu on them.
Leaving Naruto to prepare, Sakura closed the bathroom door behind her and looked up at Gaara. "I've never seen you act so motherly." Gaara commented, leaning against the wall "Where did you learn a cleaning jutsu?" Sakura scuffed her foot and blushed slightly. "I was in charge of the nursery for a few years and children get dirty easily." Gaara nodded slowly and went back downstairs.
Naruto emerged from the bathroom, pulling at his shirt self-consciously. Sakura smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. They descended the stairs and Naruto looked up at Gaara. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he said, smiling. "Gaara." The redhead answered quietly. "Well, Gaara." Sakura began, lifting Naruto onto her hip, swinging a bag onto her shoulder. "Naruto and I are going shopping; you can come if you like." Gaara grunted and followed after the two as they left the house and walked to the market place.
"Why were you staying in that house? Whose is it?" Gaara asked quietly as they neared a stall. "It was my house." Sakura replied, her eyes hardening. "I'm going to renovate it; hopefully we can have a house here and in Suna." Sakura picked out a bright shade of orange paint that Naruto was eying.
"Want to paint your room orange?" Sakura asked, kneeling down to hand Naruto the paint. Naruto nodded happily and lugged the heavy paint around the market area. They picked out bedding, clothing, toys and food for the house and lugged it all home.
The three of them pushed open the door happily and put all the food away. "Gaara, go get Kankuro, he should be arriving soon." Sakura said, ushering Gaara out the door. Sakura handed Naruto some paintbrushes and she grabbed the paint. Together the two of them emptied the room of furniture and began painting. They finished painting in record time and began moving furniture back in. The room was finished before Gaara and Kankuro returned home. Dinner was even waiting for them.
Naruto came down to dinner dressed in a bright orange shirt and brown kaki shorts. Gaara and Kankuro came in ready to eat. Introductions were made and they enjoyed their dinner like a family.
"Seeing as I was so kind to cook for all of you, you get to wash the dishes." Sakura said, looking from Gaara to Kankuro. Kankuro began whining. "Why isn't the squirt helping us!" he eyed the smaller boy dangerously. Sakura smacked him in the back of the head. "It's Naruto's bedtime." Naruto sighed into his dinner tea and followed Sakura meekly up the stairs.
Dressing Naruto in his new blue pajamas and a little walrus hat, Sakura tucked Naruto into his very orange bed. "Kaa-san, I don't wanna go to sleep." Naruto whined, yawning loudly. Sakura smiled at him and rubbed her nose against his. "Well, the sooner you do go to sleep the sooner we can do more fun things tomorrow." Sakura said, humming as she watched Naruto's little eyes close.
Sakura left the room ad dressed in her own pajamas, swinging down to the kitchen Sakura laughed when she saw Kankuro in an apron, doing all of the dishes. "When you're done with those, you're room is in the basement." Leading Gaara upstairs, Sakura placed him into the room next to hers.
Sakura read for a while before falling asleep. Naruto's little arms shook her away, and she opened her eyes to Naruto's teary little face. "C-can I sleep with you Kaa-san?" Naruto asked, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I had a nightmare." Sakura pulled him into her arms and wrapped her blanket around him.