Seeing Shinki upon arriving back in Konoha was one of the greatest reliefs in Gaara's life. In every shinobi's life there was always the lingering risk of not coming back from a mission, but instead coming back in a body bag. Gaara often pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, he had suffered too much pain in his life to deal with such thoughts. Whether Shinki knew it or not he had helped Gaara heal. Seeing Shinki for the first time had been quite cathartic for Gaara..to see a child in such emotional pain stabbed at him. Shinki had come far in the past few months he had been adopted by Gaara and Matsuri.
Matsuri..an orphan, witnessing her parents deaths at the tender age of 7.
Perhaps that's why she was drawn to him, for those who go through unbelievable tragedy seem to be drawn to one another..like a magnet.
God he loved them..the three of them were healing together.
Gaara finds himself equally touched seeing Sasuke and Naruto's families greet them. Two other people struck by tragedy, but had found light and love now.
Gaara is so focused on the reunion of families he almost doesn't hear the sirens, or the loud beeping coming from Sakura's pager.
Sakura looks down at her pager, at first with great frustration, then with a crippling worry that would nearly have sent her to her knees had Sasuke not been there to catch her.
Gaara's blood runs cold when Sakura's gaze focuses on him.
Sakura is nearly in tears when she makes her way over to him.
"It's Kankuro and Matsuri.."