Summary: After being sent on a long mission to Suna with Sakura's dream boy Sasuke, she is determined to show him how much she's changed since Squad Seven. But what will happen when she makes friends with Gaara and Sasuke starts getting jealous of an innocent friendship? SakuraXSasuke SakuraXGaara

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters associated with it.

Warnings: This story has been rated M for later chapters and will include lemon. There is also bad language and cussing. Now enough with the warnings and on with the story!

Chapter 2 – Departure to the Desert

Sakura Haruno dashed out of the spotless hospital at top speed, nearly knocking over an outpatient. After supporting the bandaged man until he was steady she helped him carefully into the reception room. He said nothing to her, even after she had apologised at least fifty times.

"I'm so sorry, I just wasn't watching where I was going," Sakura babbled while checking his bandages were still secure. After satisfying herself with the fact that she hadn't made his injuries any worse, she shot him an embarrassed smile and got the attention of a passing nurse with a simple wave of her hand. Sakura was very well respected in Konoha's hospital and whenever she entered the building her mind was fully focused on her work. She had an aura of authority surrounding her and was a great inspiration to everyone who worked there. She did not tolerate laziness, tardiness or rudeness and had surrounded herself with likeminded medic-nins. Sakura herself had formed a very strong central medical unit that had stepped up the working standards of the entire hospital.

If only she could use that self discipline when dealing with Sasuke.

'Sasuke! Get out of my head I'm busy right now!' Sakura thought furiously.

Some of her anger must have shown on her face because the bandaged man backed ever so slightly away from her and the nurse who was attending him glanced nervously at Sakura before plastering on a strained smile.

"Miss Haruno," the mousy nurse said in a soothing tone, "We've got things under control here. There's nothing to worry about."

Sakura started as if coming out of her reverie and nodded at the quiet nurse, fully professional again. "Of course Maya, thank you for your reassurance."

Sakura would miss working in Konoha's hospital. She heaved a sigh and remembered to walk carefully out of the white double doors this time. She readjusted her backpack and did a quick check to make sure she had all the essentials. Once satisfied she was ready Sakura sprinted to Konoha's front gates.

"Good morning Cherry Blossom and how are we today?"

"Kiba," she said awkwardly. "Hey, I'm great thanks. I can't stop to talk I'm afraid I'm off on a mission."

Sakura didn't slow down the pace. She was going to be late if there were any more interruptions and she didn't want Sasuke to think she was unreliable. The tall canine loving form of Kiba appeared by her side. His keen nose had obviously sniffed her out and as much as it annoyed Sakura at the moment, she was also slightly curious. Kiba didn't track down people for a something as simple as chit chat. They continued their way to the gates, with Kiba smiling into the distance.

Sakura's inquisitiveness finally overcame her and she blurted out, "Did you want to ask me something Kiba?"

He responded with a laugh that sounded more like a bark and waved his hand as if dismissing the idea completely. "Well I was going to ask you if you wanted to come on a camping trip with the rest of the gang, but if you're off on a mission you'll miss out." Sakura groaned audibly and Kiba agreed with a sigh of his own.

"It's a shame," he added. "Everyone was going to be there. We're even asking Sasuke if he wants to come. It will suck if he shows up and you aren't there huh?" Kiba gave her a knowing smirk which Sakura returned with a blush.

"Sasuke won't be able to come either. He's on the same mission as I am." Sakura stated. Kiba's smirk grew even wider and Sakura's blush grew even fiercer.

"And there I was thinking you two were finally going to get it on if we dragged you both camping," Kiba chuckled. "Seems like you'll have more fun with just the two of you."

"It's not like that!" Sakura stammered a little too quickly.

Kiba raised a knowing eyebrow that immediately lit the fuse on her temper.

Sensing the quickly erupting volcano that was Sakura, Kiba dropped a pace behind her whilst skilfully changing the subject. "I'll walk with you to the gates; I need to find Shino and ask him if he wants to come. Knowing him he's probably out bug hunting. Or he may be right behind me, that outfit of his blends him in so well that even with my sense of smell it's hard to find him."

Sakura laughed and her rapidly growing temper was extinguished. Kiba didn't fuel arguments despite his outgoing, assertive personality. He wasn't afraid to say what was on his mind but he knew when it was his pride ushering him a long rather than common sense. And his common sense right now was telling him Sakura would hold out for one, possibly two more jibes and then he would be in a lot of pain.

"So where's Akamaru today?" she questioned.

"I let him sleep in. We got back from a mission a couple of days ago and he was exhausted. I'm letting him take it easy for a bit."

"How did it go?"

"You know me and my buddy. We got it done perfectly!"

Sakura smiled genuinely at Kiba. He never saw his dog as a pet, but as a fellow comrade and his best friend. Their friendship was quite touching and Sakura sometimes wished she had a companion like that.

The two friends arrived at the front gate and Sakura was right on time. Sasuke was, as usual, already waiting there with a scowl on his face, leaning casually against a wall.

"Hey Sasuke!" Kiba raised a hand in a wave and Sasuke inclined his head.

'Oh no, Sasuke's right there! I don't want to make myself more of idiot than I already have today' Sakura panicked. She blushed a brilliant shade of magenta that Hinata would have been jealous of and stammered, "H-Hi Sasuke. Are you ready to go?"

Sasuke nodded and continued staring at the floor. Sakura's heart was strangled in her chest and she felt like it was going to burst. She could feel herself getting emotional, when she felt a rough, yet gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked into the dark eyes of Kiba and he smiled reassuringly at her.

"You'll be fine; you just need to keep your cool, alright?" Kiba muttered into her ear.

Sakura nodded and she took a deep breath, steadying herself. When she was this close to him she could tell that Kiba even carried the same sort of scent as a dog. Kiba didn't release his hand from her shoulder but continued watching her intently. Behind them Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Don't you have somewhere to be Kiba?" he asked firmly.

Kiba growled at Sasuke and shot Sakura one more reassuring smile. Even though he was friends with Sasuke he didn't like how inconsiderate he still was to Sakura's feelings. 'Although,' Kiba argued with himself, 'She does need to get over him too. Anyway this is between them; best to not to interfere.'

He crushed Sakura into a bear like hug and waved goodbye to Sasuke. "See you guys later," Kiba yelled and sprinted through the gates and into the surrounding foliage.

Sakura sat down on the floor next to Sasuke and went through her bag. She knew she had everything there; it was just a distraction from the dark silent beauty standing next to her.

"I didn't realise you were such close friends with Kiba," Sasuke said casually.

Sakura's entire body froze and she went over the question again in her head. 'You idiot it wasn't a question it was a statement. Now stay cool, and don't mess up this time!' She took a deep breath and stared determinedly at her bag. It was easier to stay cool if she wasn't making eye contact with him.

"Yeah, we get teamed up together pretty regularly. Especially since a month ago when he got critically injured. Naruto wanted a medical ninja to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't over exert himself. We work very well together so we're put on the same team pretty regularly now, even though his injuries have healed."

Sasuke lapsed into a thoughtful silence and Sakura let out all her breath slowly. 'I can do this; I just went a bit over the top when I saw him unexpectedly this morning. Just play it like you normally do.' It was then that Sakura felt a pair of handsome eyes upon her. She snapped her gaze upwards and found Sasuke scrutinizing gaze roam up and down her body. If anyone else dared judge her that way she would have beaten them to a bloody pulp. However it was different with Sasuke. Even if he refused to acknowledge it, he had her heart.

Sakura blushed violently but her stubborn eyes refused to drop down. Sasuke's gorgeous gaze focused on her face and she found herself lost in his eyes. She was sure her heart couldn't possibly be going at the speed it was, her head was all over the place. All that mattered to her in that moment was Sasuke. The ebon haired male made a noise of contempt and pulled himself cruelly out of her happiness.

"You should never stare a wielder of the Sharingan directly in the eye Sakura," he stated coldly.

Sakura felt her heart pierced by his cruel words and she could feel the whirling in her stomach shattering. But she wasn't about to back down yet.

"You're my friend Sasuke; you wouldn't use the Sharingan on me."

Sasuke sighed and his face split into a smirk. "Friends huh?" Sakura blushed even more vividly and her legs became weak.

His freezing eyes found Sakura's and he locked their gaze. Sakura gasped and her body went rigid. He took this moment to close the gap between them and pin her against the stone wall. He was so close their bodies were touching and she could smell his aftershave. He brushed her pink her aside gently and his breath tickled her ear knocking all the wind out of her.

"Be that as it may," Sasuke whispered, causing Sakura to writhe at his touch, "It's still good practise to avoid staring straight into what could possibly be your death."

Sakura trembled. Here he was calling her weak again. She used that as her strength and found her voice. "You wouldn't kill me Sasuke."

Sasuke watched her thoughtfully, then moved his body skilfully closer to hers, pushing her tighter against the wall, his strong hands biting her skin painfully. "You're right Sakura, I wouldn't." She squirmed, not sure whether she wanted to push him off or pull him closer. His face twisted into a sadistic smile. "I could always knock you out for a few hours though, at least I would have a small period of peace." With that said he pulled away from her glaring and stalked towards the gates.

Sakura was left against the rough, chilly wall. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she cursed herself over and over again for not only making an idiot out of herself once but twice. Her emotions were scrambled everywhere and she felt the familiar sensation of drowning. 'Why doesn't Sasuke understand I love him?' She brushed her tears irritably out of her eyes. She would not be weak in front of Sasuke.

Sakura sat down shakily, still leaning against the unforgiving wall, rubbing her arms where he had mercilessly held her. She scanned the area for any sign of Kakashi; he would be a welcome distraction to break the ice that had formed between Sasuke and herself. With a disappointed sigh she realised she was actually relying on Kakashi to be on time. The silence stretched on, Sasuke looking supremely unconcerned and Sakura glanced around every few minutes for any sign of their former sensei. Gradually she began to relax again and she soon became content with just leaning against the wall.

An hour passed and there was still no sign of the famous copy-ninja. Sakura had since regained her composure and had grown bored. Sasuke may be able to stand there radiating sexiness for hours on end doing nothing else, but Sakura was not that type of person. She liked to keep busy. Applauding herself quietly for bringing something to do, she rooted through her backpack until she found a slightly worn out textbook and a pen. She settled herself on the floor as she opened up to the dog eared page she had been reading the previous night. Medical Jutsu's and their Structure – Chapter 11, Third Degree Burns. Sakura loved going through textbooks and improving the jutsu's. She could cure third degree burns but even with her expertise they always left a small amount of scarring. Sakura was working on including some form of rejuvenation that would restore the cells one hundred percent and leave no scarring whatsoever. She immersed herself in her work, jotting notes down on her textbook every now and then.

Three hours later, judging from the position of the sun, Sasuke and Sakura both felt a familiar chakra rushing towards them. Sakura sighed and put her book and pen away and walked over to Sasuke, completely forgetting that she was embarrassed about what had happened earlier. Her mind was swimming with facts and figures instead, and she suppressed a sigh at how difficult modifying this particular jutsu was going to be. Sasuke stood up straight and at full attention now eying the direction the chakra was coming from. He may have been one of the most inconsiderate people Sakura had ever met but he did his missions with the utmost care and execution.

Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke and raised his hand sheepishly. "Yo."

Sakura was a little more reserved than Naruto when it came to shouting at the silver haired legend; however she was not going to let him get off that lightly.

"So sorry I'm late," Kakashi said calmly "I just got lost-"

"-On the path of life." Sakura interrupted. "Yeah you've used that excuse before."

"I have? It get's hard to keep up with who's heard what. Anyway," he cut across Sakura's obvious ambush of abuse, "Let's get going shall we? We've got to make up for lost time."

Even Sasuke raised his eyebrows at this statement and Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "I was only kidding. But we should get moving anyway. You both ready to leave?"

"Yes," said Sakura. Sasuke merely nodded.

"Right then, before we leave do you have any questions?"

They both shook their heads and Kakashi growled in approval, whilst checking his chest pocket for the documents.

"Good, let's head out then."

"There is one thing we have to get sorted out before we leave," Sakura piped up.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I'm starving Kakashi-sensei and I didn't have a chance to eat lunch because we were waiting for you while you journeyed 'the path of life.' So I vote you have to buy us all lunch along the way."

Kakashi rubbed his neck nervously. "That's a bit harsh Sakura. Besides, you both earn the same amount I do; you can afford your own lunch." He received a warning punch in the head at this and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Ungrateful student of mine, Sasuke would never stoop to that level."

Sasuke chuckled at this. "I believe she said buy us all lunch."

"You would betray me too Sasuke? Aren't you a little bit too proud to let your aging teacher buy your food?"

Sasuke smirked widely. "Of course I have my pride Kakashi, but I also have a hungry stomach."

Realising he couldn't win against both of them Kakashi gave in while he had the chance. He nodded in agreement to buying them lunch, whilst muttering darkly under his breath.

Sakura giggled and turned her attention to Sasuke smiling. It was rare to see him smile and she imprinted the image in her mind. Her dearest wish was to see Sasuke smiling like that just for her.

"Ok, let's be off then," Kakashi said.

"Right," Sasuke and Sakura said in unison.

With that one word, all three jumped into action. Their mission had begun.

A/N: And that's chapter two complete! As you can see I'm not rushing this story at all, there's going to be a lot of raw emotions in later chapters and I'm making a build up to it. It's all necessary XD I will start the next chapter this evening so keep an eye out for it over the next few days. I would also like to thank people for reviewing it so quickly; I didn't expect anyone to read it for weeks! Thanks to you guys I was able to finish ahead of schedule and get this chapter up so promptly.

-Ashes