Follow the Sun Excerpts in Time

by WiccadBaltane0501

*Sequel to Follow the Sun* After such a sudden and surprising start to the friendship between Gaara and Sakura during her time stranded in the desert, they both find themselves wondering what will transpire the next time they cross paths. Only time will tell, and time has a way of bringing them together.

4. Installment 3 (1)

Okay, guys! It's that time again! This installment is gonna be a doozy. I really love the Sunagakure Support Mission episodes because once again we get to see the vulnerability of Gaara and I think that only makes him a powerful protagonist with a little more believability. I also love the way that Shikamaru and Temari team up again and I will also be including some of that battle as well, I hope everyone enjoys it. I'm going to be putting a lot of effort into this because I feel this story arc has such potential for character development and relationship development. There's so much that happens, so many little conflicts and internal struggles, and though I love it, I won't be able to write all of it for sake of time and length of these chapters. I'm hoping to only make this installment a two-parter like the first. (Fingers crossed.)

Because there are so many characters included in this particular story, I'm going to be cutting some of them out. People like Choji and Ino won't really play much to the advancement of this fanfic's plot as a whole, so I'll be putting my energy into making the remaining present characters as well written as I can.

I hope you enjoy.

Follow the Sun, Excerpts in Time

Installment 3 (1)

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

The rooftop on which she sat was vacant, no one else to accompany her as she waited on a small bench in the shade of an overhang. The air was warmer today, warmer than it had been recently, and although most saw it as a blessing from the recent chills on the wind, Sakura saw it for what it really was. The seasons were changing, finally the creeping cold was taking a firmer grip, and this sudden warm front was merely a misleading precursor for much colder weather to follow. It didn't bother her any, she liked the long sleeves and the cozy jackets, the smell of nutmeg and warm chai, and of course the comfort food her mom made to warm the blood. This warmth to the air wouldn't last, and when it finally left, the snow would take its place.

But as it were, the weather was nice enough for her usual tunic and capris, it had even been dry enough for her sandals, too. So, intending to enjoy the last sunny days of fall, Sakura agreed to take a letter addressed the Nara house to Shikamaru personally. Well, more so addressed to his father, but it was his son who was tasked with its retrieval. It was a chance to get out of the tower, a chance to stretch her legs and feel the sun on her skin before returning to her training. It had been a hard few weeks and, even though she had been anticipating a flood of knowledge and a plethora of challenges, she hadn't been prepared for how truly extensive it all was. And she had only just begun. She had years, decades even, before she could even hope to surpass any of the masters of her freshly found trade. It couldn't be helped, it was thoughts like that which always found doubt within her, and she supposed that was why she had jumped at the opportunity for an errand. It was a chance to breathe. Though, this letter wasn't the only one she had with her and, in the privacy of the rooftop, she pulled a few folded pages from a pocket on her field belt.

She truly did appreciate the letters she'd gotten from Temari. It had been months since she'd seen her and, if it weren't for these scattered contacts she would have feared their friendship to be over. But once things had been established, Temari had proven to be a prompt and faithful pen pal. It was a good thing, too. Things had been so chaotic last she was here, when Sasuke had left and she'd been reduced to mere shambles. Sakura hadn't even seen her and only had just a few words given through Shikamaru to say Temari was thinking of her.

Sakura didn't like to think about it…she didn't like to remember what that night did to her. It was like remembering a stranger, really; a familiar face with unfamiliar thoughts and uncomfortable feelings. Those memories always hovered at the edge of her mind and sometimes they made her gut twist and her blood feel cold. The more time passed the more difficult it became to see that heartbroken and blundering mess as her own self…what she'd said in her discontent, what she'd done…she was embarrassed, ashamed even.

But the kind words of a friend had indeed helped her in such low times and Sakura was sure she was getting back to her old self…perhaps even more like herself than before. She flipped to the very first letter she'd received, the one that had been weeks late in her own opinion. Sorry! It had begun so informally. I've been swamped with my patrols recently, haven't found much time for myself. Sakura knew this was true, even in the few days she spent with Temari at work she could tell she was a hard and dedicated captain. Bad excuse, I know, but it's all I got. She had proceeded to fill Sakura in on how their patrols had been, a short briefing that left much to the imagination. There's always something going on, she had said, I wish we could actually talk about it, I don't have many people for that here. That always made Sakura's smile fade, knowing that letters simply weren't enough to cover hundreds of miles of distance. But I'll write again soon, and maybe you could come visit? Just a thought. A thought she pondered often and, as the days turned colder and the months ticked away, one that promised the warmth of the desert sun and the baking sand.

There were other letters she'd kept with her, certain lines in them always striking a chord in her and, in a way, being just what she needed at times. I miss your face. We need to plan something. Then after that; I heard about what happened on the mission. Apparently you kicked some serious ass…that's my girl. That one always made her smile, made her a little more confident. And then, of course, there was always; Gaara told me, don't you dare quit. Yeah, she'd been sure to keep that response of his, always tucked away safely with her field belt, always there in case she ever needed to read those words again. She pushes you because she believes in you, even when you don't.

She had some other letters from Gaara with her as well, just a few, and there was never much to them. But she always grinned a little wider when she saw that familiar script of his. He was so brief, so studiously to the point and selective with his words it was almost painful. She knew better than to assume there was nothing beyond what was written, he was a man of another world with a mind busier than most, there was an abundance of thought that wasn't shared with her. But without her necklace, what more did she have beyond these loose papers folded in her pocket?

Nothing…

The breeze twisted through the buildings and brushed passed her on its way, carrying with it the dry and musty air of fall. It was a pleasant distraction from those melancholy thoughts. Something followed the wind, though, something familiar as well as long overdue. Sakura scoffed, not even two steps out the door to the stairs and he'd already lit up a smoke. She slipped the letter from Temari back into her field belt after folding it with care, standing as she did so to greet Shikamaru as he finished rounding a corner to meet her.

"Hey," Sakura greeted with a short nod of her head.

Shikamaru took a long drag and nodded back to her. "Hey," he huffed, smoke leaking from between his lips with every word. "How's it going?" He punctuated his greeting with an exhale of his remaining smoke.

She shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear as it blew loose in the wind. The sudden chill seemed out of place, reminding her not to get too comfortable with this warm sun. "Fine, just wanted to make sure you actually got this." She held up the enclosed letter and he rolled his eyes as he took it from her.

"So, what's this all about?" he drawled, his cigarette hanging from his mouth as he pried open the envelope.

"First of all," Sakura started, her arms crossing and her tone turning to that usual one she scolded him with. "That letter is actually more for your dad."

"Figures," he scoffed.

"Secondly," she continued. "It's got to do with those new poisons we've been seeing lately. Tsunade was able to break down a sample we managed to get our hands on, she's confident she's got it ready for your dad."

"Sounds good," he mumbled, taking a long drag as he pocketed the envelope, flicking the burning stub of his cigarette when he finished. He shifted his weight, digging in another pocket and pulling out his pack of smokes along with some matches. Sakura sighed, knowing her words held no persuasion with him, and waited as he lit up yet another. "So," he muttered around the cotton filter between his lips, clasping his hands around the flame and protecting it from the wind. "What's up?"

Sakura shrugged and looked off to the side, out over the rooftops of the city. There used to be thick canopies of green nestled between them, they were almost all bare branches now. "Nothing much," she said, her tone casual. "Just the usual."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, a short nod to accompany his words. "I can see that."

Sakura turned to him more forwardly, something about the words he chose were not sitting right with her. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just…it's been a while is all." He took another drag from his cig, the smoke hanging in the air around his face in a way only an addict could tolerate.

Sakura felt some sort of defensive nature bubble up in her chest, her mind jumping to that same conclusion it always did, the same conclusion everyone else came to about her. She fought it down as best she could, but she was unable to hide the way her lips hardened into a thin line before she spoke. "How many times do I have to say that-"

"You're fine," Shikamaru interrupted. "I know." He sucked in more smoke, there something almost impatient about how he did it. "I'm not talking about Sasuke leaving. You should know me better than that. I'm talking about the other thing."

Sakura sighed. "What about it?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Like I said, it's been a while. It's been months, but you still think about it."

There was a pause before Sakura spoke, her tone changing as her voice grew quieter, eyes growing distant as if listening to a hollow wind and seeing an arid land he hadn't appreciated as she did. "I miss it," she admitted. "I wasn't there on a mission, it's easy to get lost in it all when you can spare a moment to look…like, actually look."

"That's all you miss?" he asked rather skeptically. "The looking?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, trying to keep back a smirk. "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean, I miss her, too." Shikamaru nodded at this, his eyes drifting to the concrete. Sakura watched him for a moment, quietly observing the way he seemed to go quiet and almost more distant at her mention. She smirked, eyeing him with hopeful suggestion. "You could always try and snag a vacation with me, you know? I know you want to see her again," she teased, enjoying how he darted his eyes up to hers, a scoff to confront her blunt assumption.

"As if," he countered, suddenly looking away as if the mere suggestion weren't even worth his time.

"I got some news from them," Sakura continued, ignoring his persistence in avoiding the subject. "Came to the tower this morning."

"Oh, yeah?" he muttered, a long drag off his cigarette to mark him as uninterested. Sakura couldn't hide the small shake of her head…as if. "What kind of news?"

Before she could even speak, they were interrupted by a familiar voice calling to them from the rooftops. Well, calling to her. "Sakura!"

They both looked over to see Naruto jump down from an adjacent roof, his chest heaving and his face was flushed. "Naruto," she answered, her voice a little dull from the shock of his sudden appearance.

He marched up to them with purpose, his hands nearly fists at his side. "How could you do this to me?" he demanded, his eyes darting hastily over to Shikamaru, turning rightfully sour as he did so, before falling back on her.

"Excuse me?" she managed to say. Shikamaru seemed content not to say anything in response to that look he'd been given.

"After all the times I ask you out you reject me –"

Oh god…not this. Why must he keep this up?

"Here I find you on a date with him!" he finished, seeming to snarl his last words as he returned his glare to Shikamaru. It was clear now, why Naruto was so upset with him, and he nearly choked on the remnants of his cigarette in his haste to explain himself.

He coughed, having sucked some smoke down wrong, and waved his hands. "Hey, no, no!"

"Woah!" Sakura exclaimed. "Watch it! Naruto, we are not on a date, I'm delivering a letter for him to give to his father," she explained, folding her arms stubbornly over her chest. She frowned at him, her brows scrunching together. "Don't just assume things or I'll start going along with it, see how you like your assumptions then."

Naruto laughed, a short and thoroughly nervous laugh as he ran a hand through his hair. He was clearly embarrassed and the tint to his cheeks only added to his stupor. "Sorry, guys…but hey," he said, hesitating a moment as he turned to Sakura. "I am leaving tomorrow…" he pressed, giving her a hopeful glance.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Honestly, he could be as persistent as Lee sometimes. "Not a chance. But, I will have lunch with you as a friend. Now," she said, leaving him dejected and refused as every other time before. Turning back to Shikamaru, she continued. "As I was saying, turns out Suna is starting up a younger training program, they're letting certain chunin take on groups for observation and training. You can only imagine who the top candidates were."

He shook his head, a smirk forming on his lips once again. "You've got to be kidding me, of all people…"

Sakura filled his short silence. "Hey, now. I think they'll do fine."

"Oh, I know," he said, almost brushing it off in favor of his previous thought. "I just can't believe they'd allow her to have students." He took a long pull from his cigarette, his mind flushing out all of those snapshots of her he had locked away. He often thought of one snapshot in particular. It was the one before their match, when he'd been shoved to the ground and she had come for him with that thrill of the fight in her eyes; terrifying and yet…in a way, stunning. "She's gonna eat them alive."

"It's only just started," Sakura clarified, always quick to snuff out such snide remarks. "All three of them are excellent candidates for the position, Temari especially since she's directed scouting teams before."

Shikamaru paused at this as Naruto seemed to burst with glowing excitement. "What!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening with wondrous disbelief. "You mean Gaara is teaching new genine now? No way! That's amazing!"

Sakura smiled at him and nodded, sharing in his excitement in the new development. She hoped it would only mean better relations between him and the people of his country, the government included.

"So," Shikamaru said offhandedly, his eyes calculative again, deep in thought. "Does this mean she's not a scout anymore? Not a captain?"

Sakura paused, unsure if she had the correct answer, but gave her honest opinion. "I don't think so. She wouldn't drop having her own patrol and her own title just to train some newbies. She's got to be doing it on the side."

There was a conflicting moment of relief and apprehension that crossed Shikamaru's face after that. As if to say he was glad, she had worked hard and should keep the gains she'd earned, but at the same time, they were all still so young, would it prove too much to bear on her own?

He shook the thought from his head and lifted the envelope. "We good?" he asked, his pale smoke slipping away on the breeze.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, everything he needs should be in there. You leaving already?" she asked, hoping maybe he would stay and catch up with her a little longer. It was often one could make him an errand boy to come see her.

He nodded, fully ignoring the way her lip tilted down to a half frown at his answer. "I got stuff to do." It was a pitifully vague excuse but that seemed to be his specialty.

"All right," Sakura sighed. "Next time?"

He nodded once more, turning as he did so, and with a final wave to Naruto, he walked away to the steps. He disappeared around the corner and soon the door to the building opened and shut behind him.

Naruto huffed. "What was that all about?"

Sakura shrugged, slipping back down to her seat on the bench. "He gets that way about her, I swear," she mumbled. Naruto peeked over at her, only half listening but now fully curious. "Never mind," she said, brushing it aside. "So tell me, how are you feeling about this traveling training thing?"

He grinned, clearly boasting his confidence before words could even be expressed. But in place of the warmth his grin normally brought her, there was only a moment of hurt. She'd lose that face too, just as she had lost his, but…at least Naruto promised to come back.

"I'm gonna kick this training in the butt! I know it, Sakura," he said, that fiery determination he always had still burning in his eyes. "This is what I have to do, I have to get stronger, and Jiraiya is the only one who can help me reach my goal."

Sakura smiled. His optimism, his confidence, it all gathered around him like a glow to his features. He burned with determined anticipation and Sakura knew that, even though she didn't know what precisely, Naruto was teetering on the edge of something grand, something waiting out in the world for him and him alone. It made her heart swell with warmth and joy for another.

"Hey," she spoke after a moment. "I still got some time before Lady Tsunade expects me back. How about that lunch?"

"Oh yeah!" he agreed with a sudden uplift to his cheeks. "Can we go for Ramen? You've got to try this new bowl at Ichiraku's."

With a nod, Sakura followed after him as he eagerly led the way off the roof and to the streets. Her feet touched the ground again, and once in the crowd she called out to him. "Hey, go on ahead, I'm gonna stop home for my money," she explained, pointing off towards the other direction, towards home. "My treat today, okay?"

Naruto nodded, happy to know his meal would be free, and walked on with the flow of the crowd. Sakura turned on a heel and walked briskly down the street, knowing if she weren't quick enough her moment of generosity would cost her more than just one complimentary bowl.

…

Damnit, of course her mother had to be home. Almost out the front door with her cash and her mom had just stepped in from the back. She'd called out for her daughter and had proceeded to insist with help in the garden, the refusal wasn't a quick discussion either. Now, finally free from the grips of home, Sakura was on her way back to the Ichiraku's stand. There was a little more spring to her step than there had been before, the picture of Naruto surrounded by empty bowls all with a place on her bill was a haunting vision indeed. She rounded a corner, almost there, only four more blocks and, sure enough, the scent of savory broth and rich, hearty meats hung faintly in the air.

It was who was waiting for her around the corner that really caused her surprise. Shikamaru was there and, though not shocked as she was, he seemed out of breath, as if he'd been running. That struck her as odd initially, but the absence of the characteristic cigarette from the corner of his mouth – well, that made it seem altogether baffling.

"Shikamaru!" she exclaimed, a hand coming to her chest as if to try and steady her heart. "What are you doing?"

"Sakura," he huffed. "I've been looking for you. We've got to get going." He began to walk past her, grabbing her wrist as he did so and pulling her along. Not at all forceful, but she could feel the urgency behind his touch, the tension of the muscle all the way up his arm. "It wasn't long after I left the roof that I got word from the tower about an attack."

Sakura sucked in a breath, turning to follow him without hesitation at the word. "Attack?" she repeated. "Where?"

"Suna," he answered quickly.

"What?" she blurted, her feet stopping suddenly beneath her.

Shikamaru turned to face her. "Listen carefully," he said, clearly not wanting to repeat himself. "The training program you told me about?" She nodded, the faces of her friends being thrust to the forefront of her mind. She resisted the urge to chew nervously on her lip. "It was attacked, one of the students was taken."

"Taken," Sakura repeated again, sounding as if his words confused her. "A student?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes, we've received a request for assistance. The target made off with the captive towards the Land of Rivers." He found no need to have this conversation standing still any longer, he turned quickly and continued down the street with Sakura close behind.

"Who?" Sakura pressed. "Who was the student?"

"An inexperienced upstart, a girl by the name of Matsuri. According to the few details on the mission file, she's Gaara's only student."

Sakura felt her chest grow cold, like one heartbeat in particular was filled with ice. She slowed again, her feet losing pace below her. Gaara's only student…only? Her lips parted around her gasp and she reached out to grab Shikamaru's attention. "Wait! If she's the one they took, his only student, then it can't be about her. It's got to-"

"I know," Shikamaru said stopping her short. He turned to look at her as they managed their way through the crowds of the main drags. His gaze had seemed softer, as if he were trying to be reassuring. "They made it clear Gaara is the primary target. Matsuri is just bait."

Sakura felt her throat start to shake, a panic bubbling up within her in response to ambiguous fear. Fear that they were too far away to help, that they would be too late, or there would be nothing they could do…

"What do we do?" Sakura asked, the waver in her voice dying back to make way for a steady determination.

"I've got a team assembling. You'll go on ahead with Shino, I want you there when things get started in case someone needs you." Sakura kept her curse to herself. She had just been home were all of her personal field kits were kept, ones more suited to this sort of mission, had she only known... "I'm sending a few pairs on ahead, the rest of us will be close behind. Here," he said, passing her a small folded piece of paper. She opened it as he continued. "It's a brief summary of the mission, I've spoken with Shino a little more in depth about it."

Sakura nodded. "Got it. Shino is waiting for me?"

With a nod from Shikamaru, Sakura split from him as he went to gather more of their team, and she left to meet up with Shino. Quickly reading over the short notes on her paper, Sakura mused over the names they had given themselves. The Four Celestials…four of them, all thinking they were godlike and worthy of the name. Takumi village…that name sounded familiar, like she had heard it mentioned somewhere, but she simply couldn't place it. Just the thought of it all sent a chill through her bones, a cold that was meant to warn her, meant to preserve her. These men would prove to be dangerous, anyone purposely going after Gaara would be, but it caused no fear to rise within her, only worry.

Gaara would not let his student perish, he would not stand idly by while someone was kidnapped all for the sake of toying with him. He was already out there, she knew it, following them, looking for her, for Matsuri. Sakura wished desperately that she still had her necklace so she could better feel the buzzing of life that meant he was close, so that he could feel her and know he wasn't alone, that help was coming. But without it, she could do nothing but hurry.

Hurry and hope.

She thought of Naruto as she reached the city limits and spied Shino waiting for her down the path. He would be waiting for her at the ramen stand, patiently slurping away at his mounting pile of bowls as the minutes ticked by. She felt bad about standing him up like this, but she didn't need to ask to know Shikamaru intended to include him on this mission and he had taken off quickly to gather the rest of them. He would know her reasons soon enough, and after Naruto was involved, those conniving Celestial bastards would have hell to pay.

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

Gaara had finally managed to catch a break, a moment to be out of reach and think, to take a much needed second look at his fresh memories. It had all happened so quickly, there had hardly been any room for thought.

Taking action as quickly as possible, he and his siblings had left the walls of Suna and entered the blistering heat of the desert within record time. Though, in truth, they could have been more prepared. When they scouted the very trails they used today with Temari's team, they adorned cloaks and goggles, scarves and reserve canteens of water, backup communications and basic medical supplies. As if to answer his rapid thoughts, the pockets on the strap of his gourd, as well as his usual field supply storage on his person, all felt much too light and much too empty for his liking. Without time to gather equipment for the trek through the desert, Gaara was left with no choice; he had to fast travel through the sand, his siblings in tow. It drained him noticeably, but he saw this as a necessity, his team had to be in fighting condition and a hard run through the desert without their supplies would surely exhaust them both.

It was a relief when, even through the swift travel he had swallowed them up in, he could feel the sandy dunes give way to rocky ground and dusty grasslands. It was a short jump from there to the forest where he materialized his siblings once again. In the thick cover of the trees he could use their eyes and their ears working with his own, and the added density of the canopy would indeed slow down the enemy. With a team like his, it didn't take long for them to catch up, splitting off into their own separate battles and leaving him to this contemplative moment he had. Though this time for reflection only caused more questions, and the answers he found were only ones to scoff and curse at. His bitter thoughts would do him no good now, however, they wouldn't turn back the clock to before he left the training yard, before he left her alone, allowing her to be taken. He should have known, he should have felt that something was off, that someone foreign was dangerously close…

Damnit, how could he have been so distracted? So careless? Saying Matsuri was a work in progress was an understatement, she was work that hadn't even begun. He figured she'd spend all day trying get the hang of her weapon and it wouldn't hurt to duck away for a little while. He'd been a fool, however, unknowingly playing right into the hands of enemies he didn't know he even had. Just who were these people? Celestials? Gaara looked at the man he shared a battleground with; large, with angular and mean looking features, and he was heavily armored though Gaara's sand barely noticed the weight of his spiked flail. The man had brute strength and surprising speed for such weight and cumbersome armor, but godlike? Hardly.

There must be something he wasn't seeing, something that posed more of a threat to the mission, to himself. It was hard to deny, after all, the unease had he felt in the conference room when receiving their orders for this retrieval could practically be cut with a knife. Kankuro had even voiced his own objection to Baki's favor of the council's choices. How could you, Kankuro had asked, you're doing precisely what the enemy wants. Gaara had wondered why Baki wasn't assigned to assist as well, his skill and prowess on the battlefield always proved very useful. The question hadn't sat well with either of them and their answer was no better; he was needed on another mission…that's what they had said. The high council intended to send Gaara straight into enemy hands, like walking headfirst into a trap, and they couldn't even be bothered to hide the obvious. Well, any more so than he was used to, at least.

In hindsight, it was foolish to give Gaara this mission with his mentor in the room, it was always so clear on Baki's face when he knew the council's intent. At Kankuro's words, there was a look of apprehension that came over Baki, a moment of hesitation that flickered away as quickly as it had come. In a man as trained and disciplined as their mentor, the look lasted no more than a moment, but of course, Gaara had noticed. He always did, after all. So, it was another suicide mission? So be it, but what had the council told Baki that wasn't meant for their ears? What secrets did these people intent on battling him truly hold? He thought back to his last trip to the forest, to his encounter with Orochimaru's puppet that almost claimed his life. He'd left his own family with chances he had soon discovered were much too slim, and the luck with which they prevailed was unprecedented.

Gaara shuttered to think of what awaited them if that was the case here as well. They'd been confident enough, familiar with the enemies preferred tactics as they appeared, but Gaara himself had been the end of many confident men, and knew the downfalls such vanity could bring. He hoped that they would be quick, that they would be safe, and that any allies to answer the call to aid would be upon them soon.

But the matter at hand was still enough to make him sweat. He scowled, frustration and anger boiling up within him as that distorted and crackled voice spoke at the back of his mind, putting words to his doubts, and giving light to all those that still wished him dead. Again...again. Had he failed to be deserving of just one chance? Just one? What had he done? Who had he crossed this time? No one had died, he had fought those ungodly urges more than he'd ever tried before, taken on challenges and missions no one else wanted, and even with their own countrymen in the line of fire the council refused to send secondary aid from their own militia. Just because of him, because of who he was, they simply left it to their allies to assist in the retrieval of an innocent bystander.

The thought caused his throat to tighten. They were the only ones to ever help, to try and show him the proper path out of that despair he had built around himself. It seemed only fitting to lean on them now.

The voice in his head cackled at this. Him? Lean on them? Nonsense, not when all he had to do was relinquish that control he struggled so hard to maintain. Tempting, he had to admit, just as it always was, but no. Gaara knew the bribe of effortless power was one of lies and deceit, it seemed to be the only language the beast could speak in, and he was determined to prove that smug and arrogant creature wrong; Gaara didn't need him.

"So, tell me," Suiko said. "That sand of yours, it's impressive. Just how much of your chakra do you waste keeping it at the ready like that?"

Gaara felt his brow twitch and, as if in response, Suiko quickly spun his iron flail and swung it back at him once again. His speed with the weapon was quick, but Gaara's sand was quicker. It sprung up from where it hovered at his feet, hardening on some subconscious and unknown command, and stopped the spikes dead in their tracks.

"Waste?" Gaara questioned, repeating Suiko's word of choice. Surely he could see how there was nothing wasted here, it was simply effortless.

Suiko smirked, seeming to enjoy his difficulty in striking his opponent. "I wonder," he mused, his arms heaving back on the long handle of his flail. The iron spikes tore from the stone like grip of his hardened sand, but there was something more as the flail swung back around to its master, a further resistance…no, a pulling. "Just how much of your chakra do you have in there?"

"Care to find out?" he challenged. His answer was another attempted blow, easily thwarted by the sand in the air, and as Suiko pulled back his weapon the sand followed it back at Gaara's command. It swirled around Suiko, gathering him up and crushing the spikes of the swinging mace to his side. The look of shock and perhaps even fear was short lived as the sand swallowed up his face.

It required no more than a moment's thought for Gaara, the technique in question was a reliable failsafe, used so repetitively throughout his missions it was like second nature. The sand twisted and convulsed around its victim, writhing as it smothered him. Gaara felt no need to waste time and he outstretched a hand. The tension, the line of energy that connected him to the grains, he felt it draw tight under his command and grabbed hold of that power. The sand hardened under his grip, his will crushing the grains until the very matter of the sand gave way and they fused into something harder under all that pressure.

It crunched, a harsh and broken sound of grinding with the friction of grain against grain, and the heat that resulted due to all that pressure…he could almost smell it in the air. Finishing the deed and dropping his hand, Gaara waited a moment, something feeling off about this particular time. The bodies would normally drop, limp and lifeless after their whole being was simultaneously crushed. But there was still some rigidity to this man. Gaara felt his brow pull together and the bridge of his nose crinkle as he scowled. He wasn't very fond of this Suiko man. The sand fell from his body as he stood from it, he rolled his head on his shoulders, cracking his neck and seeming to smirk at him.

Well, that surely pissed him off.

"My," Suiko sighed. "That sure was something."

"How?" Gaara demanded, the word jumping from his tongue before he could even think.

Suiko chuckled. "My armor," he boasted, a hand coming to smack heavily against the thick chest plate he wore. "And my mace, as well. You see," he continued, seeming no worse for wear after being smothered by the deadly grip of Gaara's sand. "It drains the chakra of anyone it comes into contact with. Every blow you block with your sand, every attack you make with it, it all feeds off the chakra used to power it and the armor drains you of it all." He chuckled again, amused with Gaara's predicament it seemed. "The more you try and strike me, the stronger my armor will become." He readied his flail, the spiked ball mace at the end swinging with deep whooshes through the air. The momentum carried the mace to straight to Gaara, soaring quickly through the air like a blur.

The look of surprise on Suiko's face was not lost on Gaara, it appeared that he hadn't been expecting his mace to be so blatantly grabbed after explaining the trickery behind the energy-sucking weapon. This didn't matter to Gaara, however, he had plenty more chakra where that came from. The sand in his gourd seeped out into the air, joining the rest in the defense of its master. That look of confidence on Suiko's face wavered, and who could blame him? The sand; free-floating and independent of any earthly tethers, churned in the air around Gaara and the stolen weapon, alien looking and altogether otherworldly, like a lifeform of its own mind and will. His doubts went deeper than just his expression though…just who was this kid? There was more to him than just that beast.

The sand piled up beneath Gaara, raising him above the ground and continuing up toward the canopy of the trees. Suiko cried out as the handle of his flail was pulled and, desperate to hold on to his weapon and the power source it provided, he held it tight as Gaara raised them into the trees. It took only moments to break the canopy and, once in the full light of the sun, Gaara raised a hand, commanding his sand as he did so, and Suiko was subsequently swung through the air. The action of his command need only last a moment and his sand would continue his will with steadfast obedience.

Gaara eyed Suiko as he rounded his line of sight again and again, clinging desperately to the handle of his flail as his momentum made him slip inch by inch to the end of his grip. Here, Gaara had time to reach out his sight into the surrounding forest, to see the status of his siblings. After all, the centrifugal force of Suiko's momentum would be enough to keep him subdued as was needed.

He closed his eyes, taking a breath to steady his heart and quiet his thoughts, a good crack of his knuckles never hurt either. Gaara could almost feel as his thoughts went down, leaving his physical form and permeating the sand on which he stood. He could feel the difference, like a distinct barrier between the familiar of his own head, and the hard, textured and grainy words spoken with the earth. Like glimpses of echoes across the land, the ground spoke in vibrations, letting him feel what it had to tell him, and it had taken years to prefect this language he shared with it. It was all there, willing to tell him everything he needed to know, he just had to know how to listen.

His listening had paid off this time, and he felt the oncoming of a familiar presence. He peered closer with his mind's eye, hoping to find his brother, or perhaps his sister back from their battle. But no, it was familiar, but not that familiar. This person was not alone, he soon discovered, and with a jolt he recognized the swiftly approaching forces. Gaara's eyes snapped open as he turned his gaze to their direction.

"Naruto?"

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

Shikamaru resisted the urge to wipe the sweat that dripped down from his temple, afraid of what would happen if he broke his concentration and his hand sign. At first, he could barely believe his eyes; Temari was just sitting there, doing nothing about that cutthroat attack coming straight for her. She'd been unconscious, it was soon obvious, but he'd never expected to see her such a way in battle, and his reaction time couldn't have been quicker. It wasn't often that he impressed himself, but when he was fully expecting to see that tree she laid on bathed in her blood, well…it was hard not to give himself a pat on the back.

Even from where he was a few paces back, he could hear her groan as she regained consciousness and tried to resist the grip of his shadow. He refused to release his jutsu, lest her feet fail and she plummet. He kept her rigidly balanced on the branch, giving her just enough free movement to look back and spy him. Recognition washed over her face, and with it a clarity about her eyes that Shikamaru found a little more comforting. The shadow released her and just like the woman he knew her to be, Temari fluidly regained her feet and stood with that confidence she carried so well. It was so effortlessly becoming of her, especially here, in a forested battleground laid to ruin by her mastery of the wind.

"Well," she sighed, that voice of hers sounding smoother than he remembered. How long had it been since Sasuke left? Even since he'd been to the desert? "If it isn't the little crybaby." Her lips pulled unevenly into a smirk that could even made the dirt on her face seem charming. "So you're the one the leaf trotted out for me, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, a roll of his eyes to accompany his words. "Save it, won't you? I've got a favor to return, and it looks like you could use the help."

His words had definitely struck a chord within her. She scoffed, throwing a sneer back his way as she turned to face their opponent once again. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Shikamaru was about to speak, about to retort one could only assume, but Kujaku moved in the distance and gained their full attention. A flash of bright light sparked against the canyon walls as her twin swords glinted in the sunlight. Temari quickly readied her fan, her shoulder still aching with a deep throb from her collision with the tree, the muscles in her neck and shoulders crying out in protest after such a throw, but she persevered. The wind was so saturated with power that it was visible, not just with debris, but in the way it distorted the picture of what lay beyond it, as if it bent the very light that traveled through it.

Temari spread her fan, the heavy iron plates sliding smoothly over one another and locking into place. She groaned as she hauled it forward, slicing the blades through the branch to support it against the oncoming wind, and she hunkered down behind it. Shikamaru, keen as always, followed her lead and made way for where the cyclone of wind would be broken and least dangerous. The wind erupted around her fan as it passed, as if it burst from the calm skies around her, and she could feel the power it held, like it carried a hard rain, needles against her skin.

With the speed it held, the wind passed quickly enough, and she looked back to Shikamaru. He seemed fine, perhaps a little windblown as it were, but he quickly closed the distance remaining between them.

"That wind is incredible," he said, his eyes fixated on the woman in the distance. "It's filled with power."

Temari scoffed, her hand gripping the end of her fan and ripping it from the branch.

The swords glinted again, more wind kicking up sticks and leaves into the swirling cyclones. She raised her fan, the pain in her shoulder searing with a heat that promised weeks of recovery if she overdid it, and poured her chakra into the iron. It resonated under her fingers, like vibrations through the very structure of the iron that she could control, and she sent those vibrations outward. They latched onto the air, dragging it along with the force of her chakra, and threw it back in the face of her enemy. The winds clashed in the middle of the battlefield, the sound of the counter-spinning currents hit the ears hard, screeching as they scraped against one another and battled for dominance of the skies.

"It's not the wind," Temari felt the need to clarify. "And it's not her either. It's those twin swords of hers. They take her chakra and amplify it, ten fold if you believe her claims."

Shikamaru sighed, looking over the chopped remains of the forest around them. Even with the added shadows cast on the ground by the fallen branches and sections of trunks, Kujaku was still too far away for his shadow to reach. "Damn," he cursed under his breath. He looked over to Temari, gaining her attention with a quick glance to her side. "Maybe I can trap her, but I need to get closer."

She nodded, the muscles in her arms pulling tight beneath her skin as she readied her fan. "I'll do my best," she said, her brow pinching together in determination, her jaw clenched tight as she heaved the fan high into the air and, with a controlled grace, swung it back around as a whirlwind – no, a funnel cloud; a goddamn tornado came to life from her swing. It burst into the air from what looked to be nothing, charging forward with determined precision.

With no time for shock and awe, Shikamaru launched forward, Temari quick behind, and they gained what distance they could before that cyclone of wind and energy, an impressive force to lash at a foe, was inevitably thrown back at them. When the wind circled back, Shikamaru and Temari sought cover behind the steadfast resilience of her fan's iron strength. He was surprised to see how calm she remained under the backlash of her own attacks. The chaotic wind whipped her hair in flurries around her face, the fabric of their clothes smacked harshly against it, and all the while she remained unwavering, unflinching in the turmoil.

Shikamaru couldn't help it, he was awed. He could remember nothing like this when he'd seen her fight before, neither with him, nor against him. With all the deadly force this wind carried she did not fear it, as if she felt no reason to. He couldn't help but muse that this woman, one who came from the desert with a poise that brought an honorable elegance to the harsh land, had made friends of that hollow wind and all the fabled spirits it hid. Perhaps he could use that, see just how much the wind favored Temari over others trying to command it.

He had an idea, some way to perhaps further the reach of his shadow, and he felt it could work as long as she had well enough aim with her cyclones. He thought his words over carefully, however, afraid to sound as though he had doubts in her abilities.

"Temari," he said, taking a step toward her as she turned an ear to him. She never took her eyes off Kujaku. "I need you to hit the waterfall with a cyclone."

"What?" she asked, her eyes breaking concentration for a moment to flicker to the waterfall pouring down the cliff behind their enemy. "Why?"

She looked back, but something had changed, Kujaku was retreating, prancing back on the fallen pieces of the forest and moving closer to the waterfall. She cursed herself, had she seen her look to the falls?

"What is she doing?" Shikamaru mumbled.

They saw the glint of her swords as she raised them and for a moment wondered if they should anticipate an attack. She had power, that was for sure, but she had put even more distance between them and they were already long range fighters. What damage could they do from that distance? Still, Temari took no chances. She readied her fan, spinning out the blades so they formed a protective barrier in front of them, and waited for Kujaku to make a move.

She hadn't been expecting her to stick her swords into the ground, and both she and Shikamaru waited with tense anticipation for something to happen. It was subtle at first, but once she noticed it, it became hard to ignore. There was a power growing under the earth, something moving beneath the ground and churning in a way she had never felt before. Just what was this? An attack? But with a wind sword? Of what possible sort?

"Temari, look," Shikamaru urged, grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her attention from the ground beneath them. She saw the shadows before she even looked up, the flickers of darkness caused by the light crackling overhead. She felt her lips part and her eyes go wide with shock.

"What is that?" she breathed, her eyes following the path of the light, writhing like lightning against the clear sky, and at its end found her brother.

She could barely see him, he was so far away, but above the trees and surrounded by that pulsating light he was clear as day. "Gaara!" she cried out to him, knowing there was no way that her voice could reach him, and could do nothing but watch as the light faded and he was taken down. Water, she thought. Somehow, it had to have been water.

"Temari," Shikamaru said again, his voice more urgent this time. "We've got to finish this before we can do anything else to help."

"But," she began, only to soon pause as if her words hadn't caught up with her brain.

"I know," he pressed, wanting her to believe him. "But I've sent teams to your brothers' aid. Lee and Naruto should be closing in on Gaara's position, he'll be fine. Trust me." She hesitated, her eyes lingering on that collapsing tower of sand in the distance. "Let's take care of things here," Shikamaru said looking back the waterfall, so much closer to Kukaju than before…perhaps better for the two of them. "You with me?"

Temari felt her face harden from worry to a mask of anger, her eyes falling hard on their opponent in the distance. That smug face of hers mocked them as she pulled her blades from the ground. "I'm with you," she said, swinging her fan in front of her and holding it at the ready. "Let's end this."

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

Water…of course, he should have known. It came from the light burning into his sand, and the light itself had come from nowhere, shocking the pillar and its internal structure as it shook roughly underneath him. That's when three waterspouts raised up from the ground between those writhing bolts of electric flame, looking like serpents…like dragons, and just as violently as one would expect, they were soon upon him.

It surprised him, when he was struck head-on and thrown from his feet, just how hard water could be. It felt as though he were struck by a brick wall, there was no give to it, no mercy. It soaked through his clothes, through the sand armor he hadn't had time to shed, and he felt his weight pull him swiftly to the ground. Gaara could do nothing but allow that bit of control holding his gourd together to give way, letting it dissolve into a soupy mess alongside the rest of his sand, and give him some semblance of a cushion to land on.

It was a hard landing indeed.

The initial impact had been a freefall met with solid resistance, a sudden dead stop that left his breath carrying on without him, his ribs aching painfully as he tried to gasp in air, and his nerves seemed to hesitate, as if unsure he could handle the pain he would feel if he tried to move. He lifted an arm, his shoulder searing in agony as he did so, and tried with all his might and the stubbornness of his will to lift his sand. It could only give a shaken struggle before falling to the ground, the watered down clumps of it were simply too heavy for his will, for his chakra, for the air itself to carry and support.

Gaara let his head fall back on the sand beneath him, a rough sigh escaping his lips. Damnit, he cursed himself. Every time he came here, every time…and he could really do without the water.

He felt footsteps on the ground beneath him and, with an almost lazy reluctance, lifted his head to greet his guest. Suiko proved tougher than he looked, he'd created quite the dust cloud after Gaara had let him fly off into the trees. He'd become bored of whipping him around as he was, he was simply weight he needn't carry any longer. Yet here he was, stalking up to him with a roll to his shoulder and a smirk on his face that spoke volumes to the type of power these people carried. Gaara could have smacked himself. Why had he left his siblings alone? How could they fare any better than he was? Had he left them to meet their end here in this forest?

Suiko chuckled as he stopped in the clearing. "Fell on a pile of sand, I see?" he jested. "You would do that, wouldn't you?"

Yet again, Gaara let his head fall back to the sand below him, a groan leaving his lips as he did so, or maybe just an exhausted sigh. "Ugh, well duh."

"Hmh," Suiko snorted, clearly unhappy with Gaara's sarcasm as most of his opponents seemed to become. "Such insolence," he sneered, raising his flail once more and swinging the mace at its end with intent to kill.

Gaara tried to sit up, tried to summon his sand to block it, or just summon his strength enough to move, but to no avail. The sand was too heavy to move, too bogged down by that accursed water jutsu, and all the same; so was his armor. Unable to shed the weighted crust around him, he could do nothing as the mace swung toward him. Whistling sharply as it split the air around it, Gaara's sand struggled desperately to lift even a few inches from the ground, trying to protect him as that spiked ball of iron made a clear path for him. A futile effort, he knew, but sheer instinct raised his arms up in defense.

Then, all at once, there was a sharp ringing of metal on metal, and the mace and chain clattered harmlessly to the ground in front of him with a single, hard thud. Shocked, he looked up to the man responsible for saving his hide and almost smirked when he spied Lee, standing confident and poised at the ready, as if blocking the mace had been mere child's play. Gaara had the experience and the sore pride of an ass kicking to know better than to doubt that confidence Lee boasted, but Suiko sure as hell didn't.

"What?" he gasped, taking a step back at Lee's sudden appearance. How had he managed to deflect his mace? And why hadn't it drained any chakra from him? What kind of technique did he use to make the kick so strong? "How is it possible?" he demanded, roaring out across the open clearing.

Lee only maintained his focus and this control he emulated over the situation was quickly explained. Springing from the trees, a man took action and caught Suiko by surprise, advancing too quickly to block and landing a solid kick square to his jaw. It was enough to stun any man and it sent him off his feet as he recoiled from the blow.

"Gaara!" Naruto called out, his expression twisted as his brow pulled tight with worry and he breathed heavily through his clenched teeth.

"Naruto," he replied, his voice strained in his chest after his fall, every breath still a painful exertion. Once Gaara had felt Naruto's approach, he hadn't given much thought to their position, knowing that sooner or later they must intercept him. He resisted breathing a sigh of relief, feeling all too well the pressures of what might have been if it weren't for that astounding speed Lee possessed.

Naruto looked over the battleground, eyes confident and clearly eager. "Don't worry," he said, his voice very assuring. "We've got this, you just focus on getting your student back."

Gaara felt that pain in his chest grow cold. Of course, Matsuri. How much time had he spent here, fighting this man and letting their leader make off with her even further? He was sure she wouldn't be killed, she was the bait and he was their target, after all, but he couldn't say they wouldn't hurt her. He felt his jaw clench, no use in pondering, he needed action.

He needed to hurry.

"Be careful," he urged, his voice sounding just as rattled as he felt. "His armor and his mace will drain your chakra if they touch you." Gaara tried to stand, bracing a hand on his shaking knee as he attempted to lift himself from the ground. Gods, he'd never felt his armor so heavy before, so constricting and debilitating to his movements. It was always such an organic thing, something that continuously moved and reformed as needed, it was rather soft really, up until it needed to harden for his defense. This was much different, however, this was stiff like mud hardening all over him, and every movement brought chips and chunks crumbling off.

It was no use. Feeling fatigued as he was and working against his very own defenses just to move, Gaara let out and exhausted huff as he sank back to the ground.

Lee was quick to turn to him. "Gaara," he said, kneeling down next to him. Really, Gaara could have smacked the man, turning his back on the opponent like that? He must have had even more confidence in his reaction time than was to be expected. "Don't push yourself," Lee insisted, his eyes trailing behind them to the dark trees they had come from. "Just wait a moment longer, Sakura will be here soon."

"What?" he breathed as his eyes went wide, the word slipping out so instantaneously he barely heard it himself.

Sakura…here?

"She has split from her group and is inbound, just stay here."

Alone? Gaara felt his blood turn to ice through his chest, every heartbeat seeming to tighten even more the last, and more so than with fatigue, he could feel his hands shaking with worry. No…no it couldn't be. Lee sprung forward, assisting Naruto as Suiko began to pick himself up from the dirt. Gaara paid them no mind. He locked eyes to where Lee had glanced, to the trees behind him, and with everything he could muster he willed the ground to tell him what was out there. Temari was instantly recognizable, she was more like himself than Kankuro…she liked to make a mess of things in battle and it made her easy to pinpoint. His brother was another he could find easily, he had remembered where he left them, after all. But searching the entire forest for one person, no matter how familiar that energy was…

Wait.

He felt his heart skip in his chest, a sinking feeling and a weightlessness that clashed uneasily with each other took over his gut; she was close. He'd looked too far out, assuming she would just have to be farther away, any closer and he would have noticed her…but he didn't. Perhaps Naruto had overshadowed her energy, perhaps he'd been too distracted with his situation in battle to perceive her even with the–

Oh, yes, that's right…she didn't have the necklace anymore…she didn't have his beacon. I'm sorry I broke it, I didn't mean to. Of course she hadn't meant to, he knew that. Do you think I could have another? Gaara felt his teeth clench in frustration, why had he told her no? Why hadn't he done something then? For a moment he looked back to Naruto and Lee, his thoughts turning bitter as he questioned who would have done this…who would have brought her here?

…Taking people close to you, until everyone you…everyone he cares about is gone. Wasn't that what they had said? That was the threat they had killed a squad of gate patrol just to get to him? A cocksure challenge of fight me, or watch me kill people until you do. Gaara was sure that this threat would have been included in whatever report was sent to Konoha. If so, then he could think of no reason for this course of action that he would accept. How could they endanger her like this? Didn't they know that–

Gaara paused, his frustration dying down as a thought struck him. Did they know? Had he ever actually…told anyone? It was a sobering moment when he realized that, no, not in all the memories of her that he'd kept so clear had he told anyone that she was…gods, had he ever even told her?

No matter, it did him no use to feel regret now. Here, in this forest, she was in danger, they all were. The possibility of death was palpable in the air, he'd nearly been done in himself had that mace met its mark on his head. Unable to go to her, unable to move much even now as the sand began to dry, he kept vigilant watch over her approach, and waited with anxious and ever-waning patience.

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

Oxygen was like fire in her lungs, every breath she took – short and shallow though they were – felt like it was stretching them to the breaking point. Her side ached, a deep throbbing pain in her muscles that had started long ago, growing sharper and more of a nuisance the more she tried to ignore it. Still, she persisted. She couldn't stop, she couldn't slow down, not even to dull that stabbing pain in her every breath; there was simply no time.

A person was in trouble. A girl had been abducted from home.

Gaara had been taken down.

The ground had shook under her as the hardened tower of sand collapsed, plummeting to the earth in massive boulders ready to crush anything below them. Gaara fell along with them, she had seen this, and within and instant Sakura had been running. He had been far, however, she could feel it, and she worried that their distance was too great for her to make it in time. She'd taken to the trees and Sakura willed her legs to keep moving even though they burned under her and begged for release from this torture. She would not listen and, instead, pumped her blood with chakra to give her muscles new life. It wouldn't last long, she didn't have the reserves to waste on this, but she had to be faster.

Focus overtook the worry and panic eating at her thoughts and at her heart, making it heavy in her chest. She felt her breathing grow deeper and more even as the act of running became less physical work and more like mental work. Her feet landed with pinpoint precision beneath her, every step a perfect spring that doubled her normal stride, and with the control she had, well…she'd beaten a few records around some of the tracks back home. Hopefully it wouldn't fail her now.

And no, indeed it wouldn't. Sakura could feel it, feel him. She was getting close, and now, not only could she feel Gaara, but she could sense his opponent as well. She didn't hesitate, didn't break pace or focus, but she felt uneased about the way that unfamiliar power rolled over her. It didn't feel proper, like something had been done to it, or it had been manipulated somehow. It wasn't much longer until she could hear Naruto through the trees, and Lee as well.

A sigh of relief left her, she couldn't help it, and all the same she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. Good, they were both still in fighting condition. She drew closer, thanking that Shikamaru had sent such talented young men to assist in this fight, and sprinted the last stretch to the battlefield. The sound of metal ringing in the air resonated through the trees, the tone was one of clashing soldiers in the heat of battle, and before she broke the secrecy of the canopy, she readied herself to draw a blade if needed.

Sakura leapt from the last branch she touched, chakra in her feet effectively absorbing the blow as she landed on the dirt below, and springing it back up, propelling her forward as she ran toward him.

"Gaara!" she called out, not to grab his attention, he'd seen her instantly, it had almost been like he'd been watching that spot. She closed the distance in an instant, kicking dirt to the side as she skid her feet along the ground to a stop. On her knees at once, she was at his side, her face flushed and her hair stuck to her neck and to her temples with sweat. She was desperate for air, her chest heaving with deep breaths that seemed to take the strength from her words. "What on earth happened?" she gasped as she assessed his condition, he couldn't assume it looked too good.

Even so, he was almost taken aback by the swiftness of her approach and it showed in his lack of immediate reply. "It was –"

"My god," she breathed, her hand reaching out touch his arm. She was shaking, her arm trembling. "You're soaked." She started batting at his clothing, trying to get the crusting covering him to crumble off quicker. "I should have been quicker…" she mumbled, her brow pinched tightly together. Fighting her lungs to regain control, her breathing began to even out, that erratic pace slowing just enough to give some more clarity to her actions and her words. She pushed the strap to his gourd from his shoulder, it was far heavier than it had been before, and pulled away the collar of his shirt as well.

"Sakura," he muttered, stopping the movements of her hand. Her breathing may have slowed, but even in his grip her hands still shook. How far had she come just to be here at this moment? How far had she pushed herself? "It's all right."

"No," she said sternly, her expression pulled tight with conviction as she met his gaze to stare him down. She hadn't wiped that hair from her face yet. "You just sit there, and let me work."

He released her hand, something about the worry on her face, the worry she tried to bury under stern demand, it made him…compliant.

She took his obedience without a second thought and began to pool chakra into her hands, intent on peering under that skin and seeing what damage had been done that she could heal. Her efforts were stopped short, however, by another layer of that accursed armor. She seemed to snort in frustration, turning it on him for a moment as she mumbled, "More? Just how many layers do you have?" He figured her question rhetorical and kept his mouth shut.

Gaara fixed his eyes on the fight before them, making sure they kept a safe distance, but maintained his focus on the sand around them. It was still falling in clumps from his body and tried his best to encourage it to shed the weight of the water. It would make it easier for her, she could be quicker that way.

Trying her best to send her focus below that dense armor that hindered him where it should have helped him, Sakura focused her chakra and tried to send it past that barrier. It was solid, fighting against her every step of the way, and filled with a power that kicked back at her own more than she had ever felt in her training until this point. It wasn't always easy to use medical jutsu, sometimes a patient's chakra rejects the medic, thinks they're a threat…but this was different, this was sheer mass of power against her own.

At her side, Gaara could feel the warmth of it all and found that the heat her chakra radiated was comforting, one feeling of safety. For a moment he peered over to see that look of concentration etching grooves between her brows. There was sweat on her skin, focus in her eyes that went far beyond anything that his could see, and just when her expression flickered with the signs of victory, he felt something give way at his shoulder.

Gaara sucked in a breath and jerked back though Sakura followed fluidly after him. She'd broken through the armor, her fingers slipping through the layer and coming into firm contact with his own skin. It shocked him, had him doubling back as if on instinct, and she did her best to calm him. He couldn't fight it, it had felt like ages since someone had actually touched him…and the last time, well, that strike of electricity had him hurting and bleeding, a lot.

"It's okay," Sakura said, her voice quiet. "It's just me. Don't fight it."

She kept her hand on his shoulder, sitting a little more comfortably at his side, and placed her other hand on the back of his neck. She peered into the muscles under the skin, the vertebrae of his spine and the things his nerves could tell her. She breathed a sigh of relief, even after such a fall he hadn't broken any ribs, hadn't cracked anything. There was some bruising that went deep, but it resulted with no internal bleeding, she was sure. He'd have one hell of a headache, and he was going to be sore for days, but she could do what was possible to help him not feel those pains now.

His heart was racing and he knew she would feel it, oh well, couldn't be helped. This energy she was pouring into him was amazing, and fascinating, so full of body, of life and also so warm, almost settling. Yet, at the same time, it caused a part of him to shrink back in hesitation. Just what could she do to him like this? To what extent could she manage to sabotage an opponent's body should she wish to? The power of her control went far beyond what she demonstrated at the surface, he began to realize. The energy pulses, the climbing trees with no hands, the walking on water…what others struggled to master she handled as parlor tricks. This was a power of manipulation, of subversion and vandalism of a foreign body, capable of destruction with such a subtly he'd never been able to grasp. But only if she desired it to be.

In a battle such as this, it was good she was on his side.

As captivating as her abilities could be, however, there was a sensation growing within him that he couldn't place. A winding ball of tension, of seemingly raw energy that twisted almost violently in his gut.

"Sakura," he began, unsure of how to put this feeling into words. Did she know? Was this from her?

"I know," she breathed, her eyes slipping closed in concentration. A bead of sweat descended from her temple, it curved over her chin and she moved to wipe it on her shoulder. "I said don't fight it, just go with it."

"Go with what?" he pressed, unsure of what it was that she was doing, wanting to understand this building sensation. She was beginning to worry him, had he ever seen her struggle this much with her chakra? No, not even when she healed her own ankle and a cut tendon. He wasn't nearly as broken as she had been, just what was she doing?

Sakura struggled to concentrate, she hadn't expected to use this so soon, she hadn't nearly mastered it yet, and without proper experience, she could very well overdo herself without intending to. But what was she to do? He was so tired, so drained after his journey thus far and the battle he'd fought. Even if she numbed his pain he hadn't the strength to continue on to fight. So she poured her own into him, encouraging his chakra to merge with hers, to accept it and utilize it. Even so, it was a long shot, she knew, but even if she could give him an edge to catch the enemy off guard, give him some strength they wouldn't expect, she'd give all she had to, gladly.

It didn't take much time for her to fall into a rhythm, synchronized pulses that flowed easily from her hands. She sighed, seeming to settle at his side, perhaps her exhaustion was getting the better of her.

"Where was your backup?" she asked, her voice was truly quiet this time, if she hadn't been so close he might have missed it.

"They are in their own battles," he replied, not favoring the way her eyes had lowered with…was it disappointment?

She shook her head. "That's not what I mean, where was your backup? Where was theirs?"

He paused, his eyes drifting from her face in thought. It had been quite obvious to him, perhaps not to his siblings, but he and Baki knew exactly why he had been sent with them alone. What was the half-assed explanation they had been given? "There was no one else," he answered. Her eyes were quick on him after that answer, blatant disbelief sparking in them as if to challenge him. Gaara simply shrugged, wanting to brush it aside. "Why do you think we're starting new recruit programs?" he questioned, hoping his drop in tone would shy her from the subject.

He should have known better.

She did pause, but it was a pause of contemplation, not one of submission. "They're doing it again…aren't they?"

Why had those words been such a shock? That cold rush through his blood seemed so out of place in response to things he'd always known, always expected. Was it her voice, so full of…could it have been sorrow? Fear? For him? He couldn't manage to say anything as she waited for his answer. To agree would only cause more of that hardship, but to deny would mean to deceive her. Would he do that? Could he?

She scoffed, looking back to her work as her worry turned to barely suppressed lividity. "Of course," she seemed to spit to the dirt. "What did I expect?"

"Sakura," he began, unsure of what it was he intended to say.

"I can't believe the nerve of them," she muttered, the hard consonants of her words hissing from between her lips. "No information of the enemy, no backup, not even for the other two. Not even for the sake of Matsuri."

Gaara nearly choked at her name. Shit. Hadn't he just been thinking he'd wasted too much time with this man, wasting precious moments on a battle he'd quickly lost patience for. But then she had come, she'd called out to him and it was as though all thought left his mind. He'd been so distracted by Sakura since she burst from the trees, how long had it been since he'd seen those emerald eyes, since he'd heard her voice scolding him with worry. Like a drug, he'd let it intoxicate and sedate him into a wondrous distraction. He would pay for this, he was sure. Gaara tried to stand, suddenly pushing against her as the sand crumbled from over him. It seemed lighter now, or maybe he felt stronger, he couldn't tell for sure.

"Gaara, wait," Sakura urged, rising from the ground with him and steadying him as he had for her so many times before. "I'm not done yet," she insisted. She was tired, it was impossible to ignore the effects of draining so much of her reserves to restore his strength, but she could do more, she could go further if he needed her to.

"Done with what?" he asked again, a little more exasperated at this point. He could feel every second tick by and every moment that he wasn't in action was a moment wasted to him.

"I can help," she said, holding steady to her convictions. He needed more strength, he needed more…

Gaara clenched his hands, the sound of popping following quickly after. "You've done enough," he said, finally feeling the control return to his abilities. The sand around him shook, quaking as it shed the remaining water, and it receded from his body. He felt considerably lighter, more vigorous than before…had this been her doing? He hadn't been broken in body, but his strength had indeed left him before she had arrived, could this be why she had been so concentrated, so dedicated to her task?

"No," she urged, stepping around to better confront him as he tried to turn from her, turn to the trees that promised another hard battle on the other side. Sakura stood in his way, the sounds of the battle beside them hardly registered to her now. She trusted her team, she could put all her focus on Gaara, just as she had intended. "Let me work," she repeated, trying her best to sound authoritative and as if she had some sort of control over the man.

Gaara thought of protesting, of just grabbing hold of her and forcing her out of his way. He didn't have time to fight her like this. "I have to go," he said, sounding surer in himself than she had been.

"Wait," she said again, the sound of desperation replacing that strength behind her voice, like a certain sorrow had taken the edge from her words. "I just got here, don't go."

Gaara nearly groaned, how could she think that was fair? To act as though she was begging him, completely reliant on what he could do to satisfy that urgency within her. It was hopeless to think he could tell her no, he knew if it were up to him he never would, but what more could he say other than, "Matsuri is in trouble."

Sakura felt her heart skip in her chest, of course…she knew that. But so was he…how could he expect her to just let him go in the condition that he was in? "I know," she insisted. "But-"

Gaara placed his hands on her shoulders, his grip firmer than she would have preferred. "Listen to me, Sakura, I have to-"

She had heard enough. She wasn't going to reduce herself to begging him to stay for his own good. Sakura swatting his hands off, bringing up her own to reach out to him. She was quick, and his hesitation at her actions only helped her swiftness. Reaching out, her fingers touched his skin, slipping back over his neck and threading themselves in his hair to keep herself close.

"Sakura," Gaara said, caught off guard by her sudden confrontation, and raised a hand to pry hers off of him. A shiver ran through his spine as he touched her, something positively vibrating with energy and life and it stirred something in response.

Despite her best efforts, there was a moment where she almost pulled back, a silent curse ringing in her head at this unexpected and momentary lapse of professionalism. There was no way she had expected the feeling of his skin – warm and smoother than she'd thought it would be – and the texture of his hair – a bit gritty at his scalp yet, but with a thickness that felt lovely in her fingers – to evoke such a reaction from her. She looked down, hoping to concentrate as well as hide her face and the mounting heat she could feel burning her cheeks. Her heart raced in her chest, each beat sending warmth through her blood, and she could only hope that her hands wouldn't shiver too much at his neck.

No matter her flustered thoughts, she had managed to stall him and she did her best to make it count. "Just go with it," she muttered quietly, encouraging him to just listen, if nothing else, then just to give her time. "Please, just stay for a little longer."

Oh, there it was again. That feeling of being flooded with life and with vibrant and foreign energy. So this was what she had been up to, Gaara concluded as he observed the look of fatigue on her features…at least, he thought that's what it was. Surrendering her own lifeline to him as she was, giving him whatever she could to see him go on, to see him continue this fight to its true end. She looked flustered, perhaps pushing herself too far, and he could see that she was draining herself as she wavered on her feet. Swaying just a bit, Sakura groaned in response to the faltering of that steady flow of chakra, her own body was fighting her now, not wanting to give any more of those precious reserves. Gaara was quick to hold her steady.

"Sakura," he said, quieter this time. "Enough of this." He reached for one of her hands, to pry it from his skin and end her self-inflicted exhaustion. He was tempted not to, of course, what with the way her hands felt so warm against his neck, not just the power gathered there but just the feel of her, the heat that lived on her skin, the softness of it all…why must she always be so fleeting?

"No," she said, her voice airy as she breathed heavy to keep herself steady in that trancelike state of concentration. "I can keep going, I can do more."

Gaara nodded, taking her hands from his neck, from where they poured life and power into his spine and throughout his body. "I know," he said, his sincerity meeting that look of confusion in her eyes as she looked back up to him. "Save it for the rest of them."

It was strange, she seemed to look at him differently and her hands went tense in his. Unlike many times before, Sakura had taken his initiative and had chosen to take a step away from him, to swiftly take back her hands and end their contact. Her eyes found the battle at their side, to Naruto and Lee fighting bravely and successfully against Suiko, but Gaara thought they looked distracted. He wondered for a moment, had he said something to offend her? To upset her?

"Sakura," Gaara said, the sound of her name on his voice gaining an instant reaction from her as her eyes snapped back to him. He found that same difference in them, but what exactly had changed? "I have to go," he said, his words only meant for her alone and not the other two that shared his battleground. "Those two can finish up with this, but," he explained quickly, looking off to the direction the enemy leader had disappeared with his student, to where he assumed it possible he had taken her.

"Wait," Sakura said again, the words tumbling off her lips and coming as a surprise to her, or so it looked. Wait, she thought, wait for what? What more could she do for him, what more could she give him and still do her duties for the others as well? "Gaara, just –" Just…what?

"Stay here," he insisted.

She grabbed his sleeve as he tried to pass her, the action subconscious and her grip tighter than she'd expected. "Just wait!" she exclaimed. "Temari or Kankuro will be here soon, just wait for them, for one of them!"

Gaara resisted to urge to groan at this behavior of hers. "Sakura," he pressed, his voice demanding and insistent as he tried to make it around her again. "I can't –"

She didn't back down, taking a step back every step her took forward, blocking his path to a fight he would surely suffer through on his own. Her heart raced painfully in her chest, panic began to take hold. "Please," she begged. "Please, just don't go alone."

Gaara paused, he couldn't help it, those eyes of hers; so filled with emotion, he could spend hours searching those depths and never see all there was to see of her. The sand beneath them moved, slowly piling up against her sandals as all of her attention rested on him. "I'm sorry," he said, taking a step back and moving around her. "There's no time."

He stepped passed her, keeping just out of reach as she tried to grab for him again. A sharp gasp of surprise left her lips as she was held fast in place, almost stumbling over as her feet failed to follow her. She looked down to her feet, to where the sand had hardened and kept them locked in place. "What?" she breathed, stunned at the sudden confinement. She looked back to Gaara, but he was already going, signaling quickly to Naruto that he was continuing with the mission, and then he was off. Without so much as a glance back to her he was running into the trees, his mind only on his enemy, only on his student who needed him.

Sakura sucked in a breath, a sudden surge of worry chilling her blood as gained distance that she couldn't close, and she cried after him. "Gaara!" she yelled. He didn't turn to look at her, didn't seem to listen. "Gaara wait! Please!"

"It'll be okay, Sakura," Naruto called out to her in response as Gaara vanished from the battlefield. "He looked confident."

Sakura said nothing back to him, her eyes fixed on that empty space left by Gaara by the trees. Had he seemed confident? Had she done enough for him? Was she confident in his abilities to handle this ominous and ambiguous threat on his own?

No, she wasn't.

The sand began to loosen as he got further from her, and soon it slid from her sandals and her feet, yet she found herself unable to move. She knew she couldn't recklessly chase after him, she had other people to think of, to help in their time of need. She was needed here, and gods – with her heart still heavy yet her blood feeling weightless, with her hands still warm from his skin, with the texture of his hair so fresh in her mind – how she wished he had stayed here with her.

Her fingers found her lips in hopes of ceasing their subtle trembling, the echoes of that nervousness finally leaving her nerves. Just what had that been? "Gaara?"

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