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A Flower In The Sand
Chapter 4- Leave Him Alone!
Lady Tsunade grasped Sakura's hand as Sakura tried walking without the crutches. She managed one full step before tumbling down, saved from hitting the ground by Tsunade's hand.
"This is great progress, Sakura," Tsunade complimented her, grinning.
Tsunade grabbed Sakura's crutches from the ground, and gave them to Sakura. Sakura dusted some sand off them, and balanced herself with them.
"Lady Tsunade!" Temari whined. "Are you done with her now?"
Tsunade turned to give Temari what Sakura liked to call the 'evil eye'.
"Yes, Temari. I'm done with her." Tsunade ground out.
Temari paid no mind to Tsunades glare and grabbed hold of Sakura's right crutch.
"To the park, yes? "Temari asked, grinning at Sakura.
"Do you want me to get there so bad?" Sakura asked.
In truth, Gaara ordered me to get Sakura to the park today...but she doesn't need to know that
"Yes! And maybe Gaara will be there."
"Gaara-kun?" Sakura asked, her happy mood falling slightly.
"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Temari asked, walking down the road.
Sakura followed her quickly with her crutches.
"It's just...Gaara-kun wasn't there yesterday. I...think he was avoiding me."
"Oh Sakura-chan!" Temari cried, hugging the girl.
The crutches fell to the ground, and Sakura flailed her arms around.
"T-Temari-chan..." Sakura said.
Temari let her go, and she fell in the dirt.
"Ow, Temari-chan," Sakura complained.
Temari helped her up and grabbed her crutches, walking beside her.
"Trust me, Sakura-chan, Gaara wasn't avoiding you. I know my little brother." Temari said.
Sakura nodded and they entered the playground. Sakura immediately brightened up when she saw her favorite red head in the sand box. Temari stood at the edge of the playground and watched Sakura amble her way to the sandbox with her crutches.
"Hey," a small boy said, intercepting Sakura's path.
Sakura was never one to ignore someone or turn them away, so she smiled at the small boy with green hair.
"Hello," she said.
"Did you just move to Suna?" The boy asked.
"No, my..." Sakura trailed off.
What should I call Tsunade-sama? My teacher? My...mother?
The boy looked at her, awaiting an answer.
"My mother and I are here just so I can learn to walk. Then we'll leave for our home, Konoha." Sakura answered.
"Do you want to swing?" The boy asked, shyly.
"I'm sorry, I wish I could, but my friend is waiting for me," Sakura said.
"Who is she?" The boy asked, looking around.
"It's a he. He's in the sandbox."
"You mean Sabaku no Gaara? He's your friend?" The boy asked.
Sakura nodded, and the boy immediately shied away from her.
"He kills people, and he's evil!" The boy whispered furiously.
"No, he's not," Sakura said, shaking her head.
"Yes he is. Don't say I didn't warn you."
The boy rejoined his friends at the swings, and Sakura ambled her way to the sandbox, dropping down beside Gaara.
"Hi, Gaara-kun," Sakura said.
Gaara turned to look at her, sadly.
"I saw you talking to the boy. Are you gonna tell me that you won't play with me anymore?" Gaara asked.
"Oh, Gaara-kun!" Sakura exclaimed.
She hugged him and sighed.
"I don't listen to other people's gossip. And besides, if I was here to tell you that I didn't want to play anymore, I wouldn't have dropped my crutches and sat in the sand." Sakura explained.
She let him go and smiled at him. Gaara looked at her, analyzing her face, before he smiled a little.
"I thought you were avoiding me yesterday," Sakura murmured.
Gaaras eyes widened.
"Oh...uhm...Sakura-chan, I wasn't avoiding you. I was staying away from everybody...there are things that you don't know about. Things that haunt me." Gaara said.
"I want to help you, Gaara-kun, but I can't if you don't tell me," Sakura whispered.
"Sakura-chan, I don't want to get you involved. You're already...hurt enough as it is. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."
Sakura smiled at Gaara. "Thank you."
"For what?" Gaara asked.
"For caring about me. No one has cared about me before, minus my parents and Lady Tsunade."
Gaara gave a small grin. A small rock came flying across and hit Gaara in the head. Gaara rubbed his forehead.
"Huh. That's weird. Doesn't your sand usually block that?" Sakura asked.
"I'm afraid to use it. You're here, and I don't want to hurt you."
"Hurt her, Sabaku? You ruined her legs too didn't ya?" A kid asked, his shadow large across the sandbox.
"Yeah, Sabaku. You monster. And yet she still hangs out with you. She has a large heart filled with pity for you." A girl called.
"No, he didn't hurt my legs...I was born with a sickness," Sakura protested.
"Stop trying to help him. He doesn't deserve it." The green haired boy Sakura talked to proclaimed.
The children pulled rocks from behind their backs and began throwing them at Gaara, but he wouldn't raise his sand. He would not put Sakura in danger.
"Stop it!" Sakura called.
The kids ignored her and continued their rants of 'monster' and 'freak', along with hitting him with rocks. Sakura grabbed Gaara's shoulder and hoisted herself up in front of him.
"Leave him alone!" She said, standing in front of him with her arms out.
The kids hit her with the rocks instead, and she took the rocks defiantly. She wouldn't let Gaara be hit with them.
"Hey! Get out of here!" Temari called, running towards the kids.
Seeing the big girl, all the kids scrambled. Sakura sighed with relief and fell to the sand again.
"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Temari asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Sakura said, wincing.
"You'll have some cuts and bruises. I'll go get the Lady." Temari said rushing off.
Sakura looked at Gaara, and gave a small smile.
"Why did you do that? Why did you stand in front of me?" Gaara asked.
"We're friends, right?"
"Yeah," Gaara replied.
"Friends help other friends. I didn't want you getting hurt."
"Thank you. No one has ever done that for me before."
"I'll do it everyday if I have to," Sakura said.
"Sakura!" Lady Tsunade came running.
"Hello Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura called.
She smiled at Gaara, and he gave her a reserved smile as well.
"Are you okay?" Lady Tsunade asked.
"Of course. It was just rocks. I was protecting Gaara-kun." Sakura explained.
Tsunade took note of the bruises forming on Sakura's cheek and arms. The scratches on her legs and face were small, but they wouldn't cause any pain.
"I see. Do you have any bruises or scratches, Gaara?" Tsunade asked.
"No, Lady Tsunade. Sakura took most of them for me." Gaara answered.
Tsunade turned to Sakura, who smiled at her sheepishly.
"Well, come on then Sakura. Let's get you all healed up." Tsunade said.
She threw Sakura over her shoulder, and Temari grabbed her crutches.
"Bye Gaara-kun!" Sakura yelled waving.
Gaara gave a small wave and smiled. "Bye Sakura-chan."
A whole week passed for Sakura quickly. She trained to walk in the mornings with Tsunade-sama, played with Gaara in the sandbox after lunch, then went home with Temari for supper. The kids never bothered her or Gaara anymore.
"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Is today the...twenty-seventh?"
"Yes it is. Why?" Tsunade asked, facing Sakura.
"My birthday is tomorrow."
"Oh! Really?" Tsunade asked.
Sakura nodded.
"You've really excelled with your training. You've even walked without the crutches. I was thinking of heading back to Konoha tomorrow. What do you say?"
"As long as I get to say goodbye to Temari-chan, Kankuro-san, and Gaara-kun. Then, we can head home," Sakura smiled at Tsunade.
"Fair enough, Kid. Fair enough."
And, so what happens when Sakura goes home?
Hell! Yeah, basically in a nutshell, but you have to wait for the next chapter for the goodbyes and the presents. Maybe they don't want to! I will lock you in a box! But I'll still be with yooh! Dear Kami, save me. Blah! Please review!
Reviews are love!
BG.C and Raven.