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 3 – A Cup of Emotions

Sakura found herself relaxing and beginning to enjoy herself thoroughly. All three Shinobi were sitting at a small tea shop, sipping tea and eating freshly made dumplings. The source of Sakura's amusement was Kakashi practically crying into his wallet.

"Why didn't you order anything?" Sakura asked her former sensei, tucking into the dumplings.

Kakashi paused in his mourning to raise a lazy eye to her questioning gaze. "I ate right before we left."

Sakura stood up suddenly, causing the table to wobble.

"Sit down Sakura," Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura turned furiously to Sasuke and all but shouted, "Sasuke, how can you be ok with it? He's such a jerk!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I would have thought you'd have gotten used to his ways by now Sakura."

Kakashi awkwardly sat in-between the bickering pair and said out loud, "Am I really that bad?"

Sakura bristled and looked as if she didn't quite believe her ears. "Yes Kakashi-sensei! You're always extremely bad at time keeping."

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging and digging in his pocket for one of his beloved Icha Icha books. Sakura opened her mouth to say more but Sasuke cut across her.

"He's already bought us lunch, don't push it. You can't change people Sakura, deal with it."

Sakura's mouth hung open unattractively and Sasuke wrinkled his nose and turned away from her sipping his tea. Sakura turned her attention back to her dumplings, but she suddenly didn't feel all that hungry anymore. She pushed her plate away and Kakashi peered over the top of his book at her.

"You went on at me to buy you lunch and then you can't even do me the courtesy of eating it?"

Sakura smiled warmly at him, "I don't feel all that hungry anymore; I'm going to go get some fresh air." Before the other two could protest she stood up and walked quickly outside.

Now that Naruto was no longer on their squad there was nowhere near as much conversation. She missed her hyper friend more than she thought she would. She sighed to herself and sat carefully a little way in front of the old tea shop. After she had enjoyed the sunshine for a while her mind started wondering about the medical jutsu she was working on. She reached absently for her backpack but realised she had left it at the table in the musky eating area of the tea shop. Sakura cussed under her breath and forced her body up after it had gotten comfortable. She walked stiffly back to the old rusting doors of the shop when she heard Kakashi say her name quietly at the end of a sentence. She paused, caught off guard, thinking perhaps he was calling her because it was time to leave. That couldn't be it, she was sure Sasuke hadn't finished yet. As she pondered for a second more she realised he had said it quietly so it wasn't for her to hear. She side stepped the doors and skirted the outside of the crumbling little building until she came to the tall windows at the side. The smell of cooking dumplings fuelled the air, along with a mixture of alcohol. The copy-ninja would find it more difficult to pick up her scent with strong smells like this around. She checked her chakra was masked and located Sasuke and Kakashi's table. She slowly edged closer until she could hear what they were talking about.

Kakashi had since ordered a small bottle of water and was sipping it as gracefully as one could through a mask. Sasuke was slowly eating his way through the dumplings, apparently highly annoyed by what Kakashi was saying.

"Nothing's going on between us Kakashi. I can't stand Sakura most days."

'Jackpot!' Sakura thought triumphantly. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear but she was expecting it. Plus, she thought cheerfully, there are worse things he could have said.

"I see," Kakashi replied, swigging back some more water.

Sasuke looked irritated and asked angrily, "Why did you ask a question like that anyway?"

"Because Sakura seemed quite emotional today. When she's not with you she act like that at all. So have you upset her then?"

"Probably," Sasuke shrugged, unconcerned. "It's not my fault she can't take no for an answer.

Kakashi nodded in agreement and tossed some more of the clear liquid into his mouth. He really was quite an expert at drinking with a mask on; he didn't let a drop escape.

"Have you ever thought of letting her down gently perhaps?"

"What, and have her think that I'm going soft and she'll have cracked me in a few more days?"

Kakashi opened his mouth in protest but paused suddenly. "You really do understand women don't you Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded indifferently and took another bite of dumpling. Kakashi swilled the water round in his cup as if mulling it all over.

"Just don't let any of this get mixed up in the mission," Kakashi said, giving up.

"Try telling that to Sakura," Sasuke said, taking another careful sip of tea.

Kakashi chuckled. "You have an answer for everything don't you?" The pair started finishing up and Sakura, heart racing in her chest, ran to the spot where she sat just outside the shop. She made it there in time and wasn't even out of breath. Her head was full of what she had just overheard and she realised sadly she hadn't actually learned anything new.

A minute later the two male ninja were in the doorway of the teahouse and Kakashi was cradling his wallet again. Sasuke's dark eyes found Sakura and he walked straight towards her. At first she thought she had been found out and he was coming to yell at her. Her throat constricted and her breath ran dry. How on earth would she come up with an innocent explanation as to why she was eavesdropping on them? Sasuke stopped in front of her and roughly threw her backpack down at her feet.

"You forgot this," he glared.

"Ah," Sakura released all her breath. So she hadn't been found out. "Thanks Sasuke." She reached across and picked it up and her textbook tumbled out on to the coarse, dying grass.

Sasuke sighed at her incompetence to even pick up a bag and before she could make any more mistakes bent down to retrieve the book. What he saw surprised him. When they had been younger she had always read those romance novels that Sasuke found so predictably annoying. What he held in his pale hand was a very advanced book about healing jutsu and their structure. He eyed her questionably and she squared her shoulders, bracing herself for the slick comments.

"Is this yours?" he asked simply.

Sakura gasped audibly; that was not what she had expected him to say. Nevertheless she hastened on the defence.

"Yeah," she said defiantly as if daring him to laugh. He didn't though and merely looked intently at the cover as if expecting the dumb romance novel to materialise if he stared at the book hard enough. After nothing happened he handed the book back to Sakura and grunted something about her not being able to pack her bag properly. He stormed off back to Kakashi and waited impatiently for her to join them.

Sakura carefully placed the book amongst her belongings not really sure as to what just happened. She sprinted over to the pair of them; Kakashi had finally finished mourning over his wallet and Sakura resisted the urge to kick him.

"It was only lunch Kakashi-sensei, hardly your life savings," Sakura said irritably. "God I wonder if you're this stingy on a date."

Kakashi looked blankly at Sakura and said slowly, "So is that what I'm doing wrong then?"

Sakura started, looking at Kakashi as if she couldn't quite believe what he had said; Sasuke's face broke into a look of pure amusement.

"Figures," said Kakashi hanging his head. "I'm forever doomed to be Konoha's handsome bachelor."

Sakura snorted at this and Kakashi looked mildly hurt by her lack of sympathy.

"You brought it on yourself you stingy bastard," she said.

"Hey hey! Less of that language in front of your old sensei now," Kakashi joked. "I remember a time when you used to respect me you know."

"Yeah and the respect points just keep going down every day," Sakura teased.

Kakashi sighed and said quietly more to himself than Sakura, "Just where did I go wrong?"

Sakura flashed him a grin and stuck her tongue out.

"Right, all ready?" Kakashi asked sharply,

"Ready," Sakura said cheerfully. Sasuke nodded his head, his eyes focused on the path.

With that said, they all carried on their way, sprinting instead of running to conserve their energy.

"We should be at the halfway point this time tomorrow," Kakashi said, focusing on the trees around them. "We'll keep a good steady pace until it gets dark. If there are enemies around I wouldn't want to run into them half asleep."

Sakura acknowledged what he had said and decided to ask a question of her own, "Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi looked at her to indicate he was listening. "Aren't documents like these supposed to be delivered by the Courier-nin's rather than actual ninjas?"

Kakashi nodded his head gravely, yet did not elaborate.

"So.... why are we delivering this and not them?"

"Simply because Naruto trusts us more," Kakashi stated plainly. "The sand village has a lot of political problems at the moment which is weakening their military force. Konoha has openly declared that they will support them throughout this time, so naturally, those wishing to see the Sand Village destroyed would break their ties to the Leaf."

"Oh, I get it! Konoha's like their back up force."

Kakashi smiled at Sakura, "Your still the brightest kunoichi I've ever trained I see. That is indeed what we are."

Sakura blushed slightly and looked at Sasuke for his reaction. It was unreadable and blank as usual.

"That's why we are staying there for as long as needed." Kakashi continued seriously. "If an enemy does decide to attack they will be able to see that Konoha is not actually all talk and no action. We're there to prove the Leaf's loyalty and to help bolster their numbers with a few more Jounin." He paused for a second before carrying on. "Now you may be able to understand why there is a high possibility of ambush and attack on this mission. Enemy ninja realise that there will be a lot of contact between the two villages; if they can sabotage the contents of documents, or even make sure their never delivered, it could cause a relationship break down."

Sakura nodded her head determinedly and lapsed into a thoughtful silence, her five senses tingling, testing all of them to make sure they weren't about to walk into a trap.

The sun was beginning to set in the endless sky, casting a golden glow upon the lush land. The three Leaf Shinobi didn't show any sign of stopping or slowing until the taller one with a shock of silver hair suddenly paused his sprinting causing the two on either side of him to stop quickly.

"I think we'll set up camp here tonight," Kakashi said brightly.

The other two nodded silently and jumped down from the trees into the small enclosed space below. Sakura heaved her backpack off her shoulders and stretched widely. Sasuke just stared around the area moodily.

"Right, I'll scout the area to make sure we're covered. You two start up a fire," Kakashi said cheerfully.

Sakura nodded and Sasuke's expression didn't falter, he didn't even bother to acknowledge what Kakashi said. He simply took his bag off carefully, placing it by a tree and wondered off into the forest. Kakashi sighed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Sasuke, where are you going?" Sakura asked him curiously.

Sasuke turned back and glared, "To get some wood for the fire."

Sakura blushed and ran to his side. "Alright, well since Kakashi asked us both to help, I'll gather some wood too."

Sasuke made a noise of contempt but then smiled at himself. "Can't say I didn't see this coming," he said resigning himself to the fact that he couldn't shake her off.

They walked a few paces in and he started collecting logs that would burn easily. Sakura mimicked him, choosing carefully which fallen trees weren't toxic when burned and keeping an eye out for traps. The air was filled with the scent of woodland, majestic pine trees and small animals. The wind was barely present at all; it gently caressed Sakura and Sasuke teasingly with a cool waft of air every few minutes. When they had gathered enough they walked back in silence, Sakura's unruly eyes flicking at Sasuke every opportunity they could. Together they made two piles at their campsite. One for the fire and another of spare wood that they would undoubtedly need later on in the evening.

Sakura started rooting in her bag for matches but Sasuke held out a hand to stop her. He smirked and formed the hand signs, Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse and Tiger shouting "Fire style: Fireball Jutsu!" The fire was searing hot and Sakura was sure it would burn the wood to ash then die out, yet Sasuke had thought a head. He placed his hand just out of range of the intense fire and used his chakra to tame it. It yielded to his touch, like most things did and the temperature dropped to a comfortable level. After a few seconds there was a merrily crackling fire as if it had been burning for hours.

Sakura gasped at Sasuke in amazement and asked, "How did you do that?"

Sasuke smirked, "Chakra control."

"You used your chakra to domesticate the fire?"

He nodded smugly. Sakura started gushing, "Wow Sasuke you are just amazing! I had no idea your chakra control had advanced to such a level."

Sasuke shrugged then sat down next to his bag staring blankly at the fire. Kakashi chose this moment to reappear happily.

"There are no traps and no ninja that I can see in this area. We're safe for now." He settled down tugging off his own rucksack and leaning heavily against a tree.

Sakura smiled at Kakashi and took out a flask of water, swigging it back furiously, letting the gloriously cool liquid hydrate her. After she had her fill, she settled down next to the fire unpacking her compact sleeping bag, and bringing out a small portion of readymade soup. She heard Sasuke and Kakashi rummaging around too and suspected they were probably doing the same. After she had set up her sleeping bag just right, and as close to Sasuke as she could so it didn't look obvious as to what she was doing, she popped the top on her soup and poured its runny contents into a small bowl to heat it over the fire. Diet soup wasn't Sakura's favourite thing to eat, but it would at least keep her going. The smell of smoky burning wood filled the clearing and the scent of soup was gradually becoming stronger too. Once Sakura was satisfied it was warmed through, she carefully took the soup off the fire and placed it on the hard packed earth in front of her. Experience had taught the kunoichi never to place the bowl on your lap after cooking it, but instead to put it on the ground until the bowl was cool enough to touch. As she lounged on her sleeping bag waiting, her eyes wondered to Kakashi, who was predictably reading his perverted book. Sakura frowned slightly and let her eyes travel slowly over to Sasuke. He had already finished eating his rice ball and was casually sitting down, enjoying the warmth of the fire. His eyes were looking at the ground but he sensed Sakura watching him. A single grunting noise in his throat was enough to make Sakura look away, and he smirked quietly to himself and turned purposefully away from her. This simple gesture she caught out of the corner of her eye hurt Sakura more than he could know. She felt like her entire body had frozen despite the warmth of the fire. Her stomach stopped its rumbling, and was instead filled to bursting with the rejection and pain that now wracked her, cruelly beating her from within.

'Keep it together Sakura, he's right there! Just... carry on with what you were doing ok?' she thought furiously to herself. She miserably rummaged through her bag until she found the silver spoon for her soup and placed it carefully in the bowl, remembering to test the temperature of said bowl first. When she felt it was ok, she picked it up gingerly and held it in her lap. She still didn't feel like eating, her stomach felt swollen and sore inside as her emotions gathered there, her heart pumping so fast the pain tearing her apart couldn't possibly be there. She felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked up sadly into Kakashi's concerned face. He pocketed his book, stood up briskly and walked over to Sakura, finally ending his journey by sitting down next to her.

"Sakura, don't tell me you're not hungry again," the copy ninja asked quietly.

Sakura laughed shakily and put the bowl back down. "Yeah I don't have much of an appetite today," Sakura replied forcing a smile.

Kakashi sighed, but he wasn't going to let this one go. "Come on, I haven't seen you eat a single thing today. Is this about some issue with your weight?"

"No!" Sakura said quickly, she didn't want him getting the wrong idea. "No Kakashi-sensei, I just don't feel hungry that's all."

Kakashi frowned clearly not believing her. "You're already underweight Sakura. As a medical ninja, you understand the dangers of losing any more. I know that girls are pressured to be thin but you are very slim, I don't think you could lose more if you starved yourself to death. Plus you need your energy for this mission. I don't want you passing out due to lack of food halfway through."

Sakura frowned slightly. He did have a point there. They weren't quite halfway to Suna yet and she was already beginning to feel the strain which was unlike her. Sakura smiled and thanked Kakashi quietly while picking up the bowl, eating the now lukewarm soup. He stayed by her side reading his book but offering silent support which the kunoichi really appreciated. After she had finished she did feel a lot better. Kakashi looked down at his former student and ruffled her hair.

"Good girl. Now, no more skipping meals do you hear?"

Sakura nodded and smiled back at Kakashi. He turned his attention back to his book and Sakura peered into the fire, lost in thoughts of Sasuke.

The silken voice of the ebon haired Uchiha floated to them across the fire. "So how are we doing watches?" His voice had a certain harshness to it and he was clearly annoyed at something.

Kakashi looked up from his book questioningly and Sakura meekly raised her eyes. Sasuke looked to be in a towering temper. His onyx eyes were fiery and they glared not just at Sakura but at Kakashi too. Kakashi closed his book once again with a sigh and stood up, brushing himself off.

"So who's going to do first watch?" Kakashi asked at large.

"I'll do the first watch Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said stifling a yawn.

"Sakura, I'm concerned about your lack of energy so I want you to rest up. You don't have to do a watch tonight, I will cover you."

Sasuke's gaze started bordering on violent and his jaw looked set to punch something.

Sakura started protesting but Kakashi cut her short. "Go to sleep Sakura, we need you to be at your best."

Without her usual amounts of energy and her mood still quite low because of Sasuke's actions, she simply rolled over in her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

"I'll take first watch then," she heard Kakashi say to Sasuke.

"Fine," spat Sasuke.

"Is there something wrong Sasuke?"

"No," came his sharp response.

"Teenagers..." Kakashi mumbled to himself and he jumped out of the little campsite to find a good place to keep watch.

Sakura was just nearing the brink of sleep when she was roughly shaken awake by Sasuke.

"What the fuck is going on Sakura?"

"Huh?" She said, completely disorientated.

Sasuke's fingers cut painfully into her shoulder and he said furiously, "Don't play the innocent act here. Kakashi asks me at lunch if we're together and then this evening you two are snuggling up cosily next to the fire!" his words practically had venom dripping off them and his usually unreadable face was full of anger.

Sakura's famous temper started to boil and she sat up, pulling Sasuke's tight hands off her shoulders, feeling bruises start to form. "He wanted to see if I was ok! What's wrong with that?"

Sasuke laughed disbelievingly and moved his hands to her wrists so she couldn't push him off. "I thought better of you. Really I did Sakura. But you're nothing but a cheap whore!"

Sakura struggled against Sasuke's strong hands, determined to slap him hard. "How dare you?!"

He smirked sadistically and his face came inches in front of her own. His voice dropped to barely more than a whisper, yet it felt more chilling and dangerous than when he had been shouting. "Just remember Sakura, that while you're dating Kakashi I will not stand your presence. I will not be your friend and I will not be there for you."

"But Sasuke, Kakashi and I aren't dating! He was just concerned that I seemed a little down and tried to cheer me up!" Sakura said desperately, tears welling in her eyes. Sasuke's grip tightened and she felt a second pair of bruises being formed on her wrists under his grasp.

"Well from my point of view it looked like he was only doing it so he could end up fucking you. Why else would he offer to take your watch? There's nothing else he could want from you." He watched carefully for her reaction and then continued when he had seen the tears beading her eyes. "The thing that angers me the very most Sakura is that you went a long with it! Is that what you do every time I reject you? You look for a guy who can fuck you like the cheap slut you are?"

Sakura was openly crying now. She couldn't keep it in anymore. "Sasuke, your killing me! How can I ever sleep with someone else when the man I dream about won't even give me a second glance? I don't know any other way to prove to you how much I love you, you just don't understand it."

Sasuke paused, the anger frozen on his face. "So there's defiantly nothing going on between you and Kakashi?"

"Nothing!" Sakura said desperately. The anger faded from Sasuke's face but he still glared down at her. He released her wrists roughly but continued staring into her eyes fiercely. Sakura took a deep breath and asked the question that had burned its way through her mind and out of her mouth. "Why would you care if I dated Kakashi-sensei anyway? It's not like you're that bothered about me."

His cold steel eyes contracted slightly but his gaze never left her face. "Because he's our sensei and much too old for you. Even if I'm not interested in you and I find you annoying, you are still my friend and I look out for you." His voice started losing its passion, reverting back to the usual monotone he favoured. He got up slowly, then stalked back to his own sleeping bag.

Sakura started shaking going over everything that happened at lightning speed. She wiped the tears away from her eyes but they kept falling. She pulled the sleeping bag over her head and wept into it as quietly as she could. Everything that she had kept in since they had been on the mission, she poured it out now into her sleeping bag that was quickly becoming too wet to actually sleep in. After she had let it all out, she closed her tired eyes, begging for sleep to take her quickly so she didn't have to feel anymore. But for the second time that evening she was woken up, this time by Kakashi who was a lot gentler than Sasuke had been. "We're about to be ambushed!" he said urgently, "Wake up Sakura!"

A/N: I'm getting really excited about this story now. I promise that soon the drama will not just rain on this story; the characters may actually drown in it. I have also added bits into the draft so it's even longer than I had originally planned, so it looks like this will run over to three books rather than two. This chapter was slightly more difficult to write than the other two but the stories still at the tricky beginning phase. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.