A/N: Beta'd by Errihu.

Chapter Four

Sakura squirmed in her spot, curling herself tighter into a human ball when she realized how cold, and hard, the ground under her was. It was that movement, that shuffle after long hours of sleep, that made her arms and legs ache and cramp up slightly. To the pain, she hissed and knew that sleep now left her completely. She forced her eyes open, gasping and shooting herself into a sitting position when she realized she was in unfamiliar territory.

She stared at the empty bed behind her, the ugly, yellow walls surrounding her like a prison, and the mountain of toys and objects that littered the floor around her. She stared and blinked at the items, her memories of yesterday rushing back into her mind. In her head, she could hear many voices, both familiar and new, and it made her head spin trying to take in all that was told of her yesterday.

"Gaara's caretaker."

"He kills whoever he wants."

"The Ichibi rampaged through the village."

"He killed our mother."

"The ruins around us was Gaara's doing."

"There's a monster inside his head."

"...Back in time."

"Far from home."

"I can help you with whatever it is you're looking for."

"What secrets do you hold?"

"Father's favorite."

"Because he is dangerous."

"You know I won't let you leave."

"Then I could be father's favorite."

"Do not run from him."

"I wish he would have died."

"If you run, he will chase you."

Now she remembered.

A cold sweat broke out on her, and her breathing was heavy. She remembered who this stranger's room belonged to, knew the sun that shone through the windows was lingering above her in a new village. She remembered what had been asked of her, what she was expected to do; and of course, she remembered how all wrong this was. How time was now playing a sick joke on her. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep yesterday, but cursed when she realized all of this had not just been some tormenting nightmare.

She really was lost in the past.

To that panic, that anxiety, she did not care who heard her. She did not even second think it as she opened her mouth. A deafening scream left her body, and she carried it as loud and as long as her lungs allowed her. If able, she would have carried that sound on for hours, for she was frustrated, scared, and all alone. However, her breath only allowed her a few seconds, and after that time she simply sat there, wide-eyed and heaving for the breath she just let out.

To the scream, the few minutes to herself, she felt her anxiety begin to slowly leave her. This dread hadn't been with her yesterday until coming into this room, and she knew she couldn't allow herself to succumb to madness despite the unreal situation she was in.

"It's just some jutsu," she told herself. "Just go along with it. You're smart, you have your ways."

She clenched her fists tight, refusing to let tears fall from her many emotions.

"You can do this. You can find your way out of this."

Determination. She was not weak; she didn't need to hide behind someone while they searched for her answers. She had grown, become strong, she would figure this out somehow. So with that, she stood tall. Even if her knees shook, even if her mind was fuzzy, even if her body ached for sleep still, she stood herself tall and proud. For she was Sakura.

She glanced around the room, trying to familiarize herself with it, and also trying to spot the redhead she was tasked with taking care of.

"My skills and medical knowledge have led me to be a permanent babysitter," Sakura said with a bit of humor.

In truth though, she thought the position to be a slap in the face. Bitter as she was towards this Rasa guy for keeping her, it seemed now to grow knowing he tasked her far away from the hospital. Then again, he had his secrets of his own to keep from her, much like she did with him, and wondered if he placed her far away for that reason. Or maybe he spoke the truth when he mentioned she was one of the rare few able to crack Gaara's defense. Was the child truly that bent on attacking people? Was she really going to have to stand between him and others?

Again, she glanced around the room, sensing no one, including the child. In her mind, she pictured him differently than the Gaara she knew. She was familiar of a young man, a proud leader, one who would cause no harm to those close to him, including his villagers. Yet, now she was being told she had to be the one to stop him from doing such acts. It was odd to process that thought completely, she felt conflicted.

'He did seem like that type of cold person at the exams.'

She tried not to dwell so much on those memories, for she didn't want to believe this child was as crazy as his teen self had been.

'He's just a kid,' she kept telling herself. 'Most kids are pure. Innocent.'

An image of young Temari appeared in her mind, speaking the words she told Sakura yesterday.

"He killed our mother."

"Right?" she asked herself one more time before walking towards one of the many round windows.

She stared at the bright sun, and clear blue sky before looking down at the village below her. She could see ruins, but above that, people still continued their business like she expected every village to. A little more desolate than what she was use to seeing in her home, but nonetheless, people walked the streets and ran their shops despite the destruction around them. There was definitely more cleaning up to do though. She took another glance at the sun, noticing how high it was in the sky. She had slept well into the afternoon.

To that fact she again peeked and looked around the room. She could see and sense no one still.

"Hello?" she called out.

Nothing answered her back, and the deafening silence was both a blessing, and a curse, in her mind. Blessing, for perhaps the child had gone out to do his own thing, and she needn't worry about him until his return. A curse, for she wasn't sure if he was actually allowed out on his own, she was unsure if she would be reprimanded later, or not, for this. To these contradictory thoughts, Sakura grimaced when she remembered her skills at hand.

"I do not know how to care for a child."

She had never been asked to watch anyone's kid, never tasked to play the role of babysitter until now. She definitely was at a loss, not even the closest of her friends had a child of their own yet she could familiarize with. It was odd to think, but she felt like a new mother. In her mind, it was Gaara's older image that kept coming to her, and inwardly she told herself he was free to do as he wanted. However, when she remembered the child she was to be watching, she wasn't sure how much freedom he was allowed.

Sakura groaned the more she thought about it, and soon scrambled her hands through her hair.

"I don't care!" she finally admitted. "I just need to find a way out of here."

Finally, she was given a reply. An answer she wasn't exactly looking for, though it carried loudly within the room. Her stomach called with need, and Sakura blushed at its loud cry before placing a hand on it. Late into the day as it was, she finally realized Gaara had probably gone looking for his breakfast long before she woke up. To that thought, a starving child, the young woman chuckled to herself.

"I really don't know how to take care of a kid."

Her needs were usually ones that came first if allowed, and she thought nothing more of Gaara before walking out of the giant room and down the flight of stairs. As she walked, she studied what the home contained, but was surprised to find it simple, and with many closed doors. She wasn't even sure if her direction was leading her to the kitchen, and she was even more surprised to find the place completely empty.

That, or they hid behind those doors, and secret rooms.

At the bottom of the house, her feet met with marble floors instead of red carpet, and she cocked her head at the extravagant look.

"Nothing is too much for a lord's home," Sakura whispered while staring at the floor.

Economically, Sunagakure was always struggling, and she thought the tribulation even more prominent during this time in the past. At least, that was what she assumed, or had read somewhere in her youth. Other villages and their ordeals weren't taught much in her class. The only worries and troubles that were embedded into their young minds was of their home ones. Of course down the line, when peace was finally achieved, the allies' problems became everyone's. That didn't mean Sakura took the new revelation to the extreme, and sat to learn of each village's struggling past. She merely assumed. Assumed this grand home and its structure did not represent all of Suna, for the land out there did not look as flourished as inside this home.

To this, more distaste for this Rasa grew, and she narrowed her eyes at the beautiful floor. The urge to drag her boot across the marble and scuff it grew, but she turned away from the idea when she remembered it would be another's duty to clean up after her. Whoever that someone would be hadn't earned her dislike, so she instead walked towards an open-way, hoping this led to a kitchen.

At first sight, her eyes caught a fridge, and she was happy her instinct hadn't led her astray. At a second glance, she realized she wasn't alone in this room. Two young kids, who hadn't noticed her presence yet, were currently scrambling to reach the top of the fridge. A young boy, face red, was using all of his strength to hold and balance the taller, blonde girl on top of his shoulders. She was reaching for a jar, but her stretched arms were still too short.

"Hold still, Kankuro," the girl chastised, kicking him lightly on the head.

"I am!" the boy whined. "You're too heavy, Temari!"

It was an odd sight for Sakura, for she still hadn't grown accustomed, nor did she think she ever would, that those older than her were now somehow younger. She stepped more into the kitchen, and finally the young boy took notice of her. His eyes grew wide, and with worry much like he looked at her yesterday, perhaps he feared an adult's reprimand, and he stuttered at his sister.

"T-T-Temari..."

The girl paid no heed, still reaching for the jar.

"Be quiet, Kankuro. Obaasan will hear you," Temari warned. "Lift me higher!"

To this, Sakura finally brought herself closer to the two and reached over the kids, pulling the jar off the fridge, and towards herself.

"What is it you two want so bad?" Sakura asked, unscrewing the small jar in her hand.

Sakura stopped though when Kankuro yelped lightly to her closeness. She watched in surprise as the boy jumped back in his spot, dropping his sister to the floor before running out of the kitchen and far away from the two females. The fall had been small, but Sakura still bent down towards Temari.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, watching the young girl rub her bottom before growling.

The annoyance was evident in Temari, for she narrowed her eyes where Kankuro had run off to before following suit.

"Kankuro, you idiot! That hurt!" she called after him before disappearing out of the kitchen.

Sakura couldn't help but smile lightly. The kids themselves were comical, but to the thought of it being Temari and Kankuro, two ninjas she knew to be extremely disciplined, the whole show was funnier than she expected. She turned back to the jar in her hand, unscrewing it before looking at the contents inside.

"Oh," Sakura said to herself. "It's just cookies."

Innocent, though not to the eyes of naughty children, and Sakura wondered if that had been the reason why Kankuro ran off. She thought of the two, and where Temari seemed to emit, and carry the confidence that was noticeable in her older self even now, Kankuro was opposite.

'He seems really timid,' Sakura thought, staring still at the jar in her hand.

Only did she lift her head up when a new voice entered the kitchen. It had caught her by surprise, and her eyes whipped to that of a young brunette haired woman.

"I was wondering when you were going to come down for the meals!"

The girl held a large smile, and she carried it all the way while she strolled over to Sakura. The rosette simply stared, trying in her mind to grasp at a familiar picture from her memories that was this woman. She tried to find a name for her, but only drew a blank. Sakura did not recognize her.

To Sakura's silence, the young girl's face contorted slightly.

"You are the new caregiver, aren't you?" the girl gave a small chuckle. "The house has been buzzing about you like bee's all morning."

Sakura shook off her thoughts, returning a soft smile of her own to the young woman. For the rosette, she knew this was a new person in her life, the reason she had no name for her, and was a little relieved to be welcomed with a genuine smile finally. Still, she was surprised she was the gossip of the hour.

"I suppose that is me," Sakura said.

The young woman nodded at Sakura before pulling out a pan and some ingredients.

"The meals I prepared are cold now, let me make you something new and warm."

Sakura opened her mouth, about to protest that she could do so herself, but the quirky girl beat her to the punch.

"My name is Annaisha."

"Sakura."

There was a nod between the two as they locked eyes.

"It's a pleasure, Sakura-sama."

Again, Sakura opened her mouth to speak, to object to this girl that she not label her so highly, but again she was beaten by the brunette.

"I'm one of the cooks here. I'm new too! I started about a week ago," the girl smiled towards the pot under her. "Though… I'm not the best. I'm still trying to improve my culinary skills! Please, be patient with me!"

Sakura watched the young girl spin the ladle in her hand as if it were a weapon, she made a few swooping noises of her own before returning the spoon to the pot. Taking in more of the woman's appearance, she didn't think the girl any older than sixteen. It baffled Sakura a little, why Rasa would bring in someone so young, and inexperienced like she claimed to be. Surely as Kazekage he had better pickings. Still, the girl was kind to her and prepared her a meal, she was alright in Sakura's book, so she complimented the girl.

"Kazekage-sama must see talent in you to bring you into his home."

To her words, Annaisha let out a hearty laugh.

"No way! I think he just took pity on me."

Sakura's eyes went wide for a moment, surprised to hear this. She couldn't help from asking.

"What do you mean?"

"All I had was my mother growing up. She was taken away from me, and Kazekage-sama was kind enough to let me work in his home. He said he didn't mind, just as long as it doesn't get in the way of my ninja training! With my mother gone, he gave me a way of my earnings. He is such a good man."

Again, Sakura's eyes flinched. She was surprised the man she labeled evil in her heart was praised by this warm girl, and also from learning the fate of Annaisha's mother. She stared at the brunette's back, letting silence fall before asking again.

"When you say your mother was taken away from you, do you mean she was kidnapped, or-"

"Killed," Annaisha finished for her.

Sakura frowned, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew the answer might be just that.

"I'm so sorry," Sakura whispered.

Silence again. The quirkiness the girl had brought into the room had suddenly disappeared, and Sakura simply stared at Annaisha's back while she continued to cook. The pain evidently was still fresh.

'Then again,' Sakura thought, 'losing one's mother is probably a wound that never heals.'

Grateful Sakura now was, for even though she was lost in time, she was content on the thought of her mother still alive in her own world. She let thoughts swim back to her parents until Annaisha began pouring the contents of her cooking into two bowls, finally speaking up with her back still turned to Sakura.

"You're brave, Sakura-sama."

Sakura watched as the girl brought the dishes over to her.

"To do what you are doing. I can't imagine what hardships you'll endure."

Sakura tried to catch the young woman's look with her own eyes, yet the girl still looked towards the bowls, lost in thought.

"Let's just do our best here," Annaisha finished.

Sakura was silent, letting the girl silently sulk in her own way. Sakura instead turned to the bowls, she studied the hot rice porridge in them before looking back up at Annaisha.

"I only need one bowl," Sakura said, earning Annaisha's surprised look. "I'm not hungry enough for two."

Sakura worried she had suddenly said something wrong since the girl now looked at her with confusion. She gaped for a moment before speaking.

"T-The other one is for him."

'That's right,' Sakura reminded herself. 'Children have to eat too.'

Sakura quickly shook her head, surprised she was already slipping up at her job.

"Sorry. I'm just tired. Thank you for the meals."

As Sakura began reaching for the bowls, Annaisha spoke.

"No problem! It's my job. I usually prepare the food early morning, but I've heard that your routine might be a little off from the rest of us...like today. At least, that's what they say it was like for the last caregiver."

To this information, Sakura's hearing picked up a little. The rosette set the food back on the table before turning once more to Annaisha.

"You'll be preparing our meals?" Sakura asked, a little surprise of all the help that was in this home.

Annaisha grinned, playing with the ladle in her hand still.

"Of course! There's a lot of help here. I make meals, others do cleaning, someone will do your clothes. Those sort of things."

Sakura's eyes widened, she didn't realize how much would be done for her, and her first instinct was to accept none of it. She was an adult, she could take care of herself. So, with this information learned, the young woman let out a small chuckle.

"Makes my job seem simple."

Another chuckle, but that laughter stopped when her eyes met with Annaisha's wide stricken ones. Her jaw as well, had dropped some, and to that look Sakura knew she had said the wrong thing again. In her whisper, it was obvious the new girl was thinking just that.

"Sakura-sama… You are wrong."

Sakura could only turn away from Annaisha's questioning look, and there was silence between them before the young girl whispered again.

"Are you from here? Do you even know…?"

Sakura turned her head quickly then, opening her mouth to answer that she was, and did know about Gaara. Well, an older Gaara truthfully, still she didn't want the girl to question or be suspicious of her. However, before to peep could even be heard, a wailing scream filled the entire floor. It was a child's cry, and while Sakura flinched and panicked to the sound, Annaisha simply winced before chuckling.

"The princess is upset again."

Sakura didn't have a moment to question as Annaisha walked past her and began cleaning up after her.

"You should go before the food gets cold."

The screams of a child were still filling their ears as Sakura reached for the bowls of food.

"Thank you!" Sakura cried over the wails.

Annaisha smiled to Sakura before picking up the giant pot, and carrying it away.

"Just be careful, Sakura-sama!" Her voice was pitched loud so Sakura could hear her. "I don't know if anyone told you, but you're not suppose to run from him! He'll chase you if you run!"

Sakura watched Annaisha disappear, wondering why more were warning her of this. Was this some sort of instinct of Gaara's? Did people fear him and run away from a child? Would he chase them? Or was this some sort of metaphor? Maybe they were secretly telling her not to be afraid, or to not show Gaara fear. To that thought, she eyed the bowl of porridge in her hand before looking up at the jar of cookies from before.

'I have nothing against Gaara. He hasn't harmed me in years. He will be a good Kazekage some day, a good friend of Naruto's. I have nothing to fear, especially when he is just a child,' Sakura thought.

Reaching for the cookies, Sakura pulled a few out. It would be her apology to Gaara once she saw him for missing his breakfast, and she hoped it be some sort of leeway to have him behave with her. Hands full of food, she exited the kitchen and back to the main hall. Once again, her eyes were caught by Temari and Kankuro in the middle of the room. The young girl was currently screaming and crying, flailing about on the beautiful marble floor. Kankuro looked down at her, his eyes full of uncertainty as he too bridged between crying, and not. There was another who looked down at Temari, an old woman that Sakura did not recognize, and from her gaze the rosette knew the woman was not keen at Temari's display.

"I can stand here all day, Temari-sama!" the old woman huffed. "Your father will be upset once I tell him you disobeyed!"

Her voice was lost to Temari's screams and wails, and Sakura winced more when that sound became louder in her ears. Sakura drew close to the old woman, looking down at Temari too in wonder. Perhaps there was an understanding between the two women, for neither introduced themselves, just instead standing there, and waiting for the screaming child to stop.

"Did she hurt herself?" Sakura asked the woman, her voice loud so she could be heard.

The old woman shook her head, frown heavy.

"She wants to wear her hair down. I cannot let her."

It was Sakura's turn to grimace. This small tantrum was simply caused by a hair style? Again, it confused Sakura, and she remembered how she knew very little of children.

"She seems really upset," Sakura commented, noting how Temari was still not tiring from her screams. "Maybe you should just let her wear it down."

The old woman sighed.

"Kazekage-sama has asked that I start putting her hair up," the old lady spoke angrily.

Sakura's frown intensified, it was an odd order.

"And why's that?" Sakura asked.

"She has a resemblance to her uncle that Kazekage-sama finds worrisome."

Now Sakura turned to the old lady in confusion, even a little shocked. Was this woman serious? That was the reason for this child's distaste? This was why Temari couldn't let her hair down? Because her father saw her uncle in her? It baffled Sakura. Of course the appearance was to be similar, they were family. Sakura couldn't help herself from voicing her opinion.

"That's ridiculous! So what if she looks like him? Is it really that terrible of a crime that she cannot longer wear her hair down?"

The old woman's head and eyes turned to Sakura. She studied the rosette's stern look before replying in a low voice.

"Kazekage-sama asks of this, for he fears if Gaara-sama sees her as his uncle, then it may trigger something within the boy."

Sakura's eyes were wide and questioning. She hoped the old lady would explain more, like how his uncle's appearance made Gaara upset, or what sort of triggering this woman meant. Would Gaara simply be disgusted? Or would he lash out? Was his uncle evil, is that why Rasa did not want Temari to resemble him? How could the child not grasp the concept that Temari was her own individual, not her uncle? Perhaps, Sakura could speak to Gaara about this, shed some light onto the situation. Because of him, through Temari's evident crying, she was forced to go through things she did not want for his sake.

'Your concerns are misplaced,' something in the back of her mind told her. 'You should be finding a way home, not enlightening children. These things have come to past already, let them be.'

It was the old woman's voice again that drew Sakura away from her mind, and again her eyes went round in surprise.

"This is also why we paint Kankuro-sama's face. The resemblance he shares with his father is something we do not want him to see."

Her eyes then turned towards Kankuro, seeing the familiar purple stripes fresh on his young face. To this sight, Sakura's stomach flipped. Their signature looks, the paint and hair, the very things Sakura was familiar with of these two siblings had been something started against their will? This was all for the sake to keep Gaara content?

'It should be enough that they are siblings to hold Gaara back,' Sakura thought sadly.

She wanted to believe the looks that the two older siblings wore into battle had been a concept of their own, that this was what they wanted their enemies to dread upon seeing. Instead, these signatures looks had been misconstrued. They were simply a means to keep the children safe should they cross paths of their youngest brother. Sakura was now learning that something in Rasa, and Gaara's uncle, made the youngest sibling anxious. Those thoughts drove all the more into her to ask Gaara why this was, and to remind him his siblings meant him no harm. Yet still, her mind told her to hold back.

'He figured it already on his own.' She kept reminding herself.

She wanted to reassure the crying child in front of her. To ask her to dry her tears and smile, for these were her years to do so. Sakura leaned down towards the young girl, wishing she could say these comforting things, but held back for the sake of her father's wishes. The rosette also didn't want to be the cause of triggering something inside of Gaara should he see Temari with her hair down.

'There's a lot I don't understand,' Sakura thought. 'Should I even bother to? What's the point? This is all in the past…'

Despite that thinking, that her reasoning's were pointless, Sakura still fell to one knee and offered a cookie to the crying girl. Immediately the tears stopped, and Temari sniffled and bubbled while staring back and forth between the small treat, and Sakura.

"Here," Sakura nudged the dessert again. "If I give you this, can you wear your hair up for us?"

Again, she wasn't sure why she was doing this. She knew there was no benefit to helping those who had already been helped, or moved on from the problem; but for whatever reason, she wanted to comfort the young one in front of her. Maybe it was because in the future they were allies, maybe that was the reason Sakura set to please.

To her question, Temari's eyes began to swell with water again, and her face fell red while trying to hold back her tears to speak.

"I-I-I don't want to!" she cried. "It's too tight! It hurts my head!"

A loud scream erupted again, and Sakura flinched being so close to the source of it.

"What if I put it up in a ponytail?!" Sakura spoke over the girl.
"I promise it won't hurt. I'll make it look very pretty."

The tears ceased and Temari mulled over Sakura's offer. Her young eyes eyed the cookie before she pathetically whimpered, and nodded at Sakura. The rosette smiled warmly before turning back to the old lady.

"Ponytail is alright?" she asked, reaching for the tie in the lady's hand.

"Anything," The old woman sighed. "As long as it's up."

Sakura handed off the cookie to Temari's greedy hands before scooting behind her and reaching for her hair. The young girl whined some as the rosette worked, but kept mostly silent as she continued to chew on her treat.

"Alright," Sakura said in no time. "Stand up, let's see."

Sakura smiled as Temari stood and turned towards her. With her short hair, Sakura had made the ponytail high up, and was reminded somewhat of Shikamaru's own hair style.

"Looks cute," Sakura said before winking.

"Thank you..." Temari mumbled, her voice soft and eyes on the floor as she walked to stand by the old lady.

The old lady let out a heavy sigh, as if the whole ordeal had been ever so draining, before reaching for Temari's hand.

"Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama, let's go finish your work. We have a lot to do today."

The old lady said nothing more to Sakura before turning and walking away with Temari in hand. In her mind, as Sakura watched them waltz away, she continued to wonder why Rasa had asked of his children to conceal themselves from Gaara. It still baffled her lightly, and she sat on the marble floor in wonder. However, her thoughts vanished while Kankuro sheepishly walked past her and, followed for his sister and caregiver.

"Hey," Sakura said, her voice so soft that she was surprised to see Kankuro jump to her call.

She had only seen him, and his sister, so briefly at this age, but already she guessed this boy to be bashful and reserved. Something Sakura was surprised to see, for his older self was quite opposite.

Kankuro turned to her, eyes full of worry, and steps ready to race from her should he feel the need. Because of this, Sakura was quiet, studying him for a few moments and wondering at what point in life did this demeanor change, or what in fact had made this child so afraid. Was it her alone? Was it because she was new to his life? Or perhaps he feared most adults. To her silent stare, she could see the young boy begin to tremble lightly, and she spoke before he ran from her in some misplaced fear.

"Here," Sakura said, offering a cookie to him this time.

His eyes still wavered, he still held fear and didn't reach for the sweet. So, Sakura put on her warmest smile.

"I like the paint on your face. Makes you look strong. I bet you scare a lot of bad guys away!"

It was a success, and Sakura's smile grew when she saw the boy's smile turn into a shy chuckle. Now instead of worry, there was wonderment in his eyes, and he took the cookie from Sakura before the old lady called out to him.

"Kankuro-sama, come!"

He turned hastily from Sakura and ran down the marble hall, and she continued to sit even long after the three had disappeared.

'Children are strange,' was Sakura's thinking, all that she got out from this small ordeal. 'I do not understand them.'

Her eyes narrowed when she thought of Gaara, how everyone perceived him, and how they would look up to him in the future. She wondered if her role now once belonged to someone else.

'I do not know how to care for a child.'

Her last thought before she turned back to the bowls of food on the floor. She stood up and scooped them into her hand, walking back up to the top floor of this giant home.

"I suppose not letting him starve would be a good start," Sakura whispered to herself.

Though, as she entered back into his room, their room she supposed now, the emptiness from before was still heavy in the air. Sakura let out a heavy sigh as she placed the food down on a small table, turning and studying the huge room again.

"Where is he?" she asked herself.

She still wasn't sure where he had wandered off to. Maybe he went looking for food, she thought. She imagined him maybe roving the giant home searching for food. It was a possibility, perhaps she should start her search here. Or perhaps he had ventured outside, to which Sakura wasn't sure if she should scour the streets for him or not. She wasn't sure how much freedom was given to Gaara. Usually children of his age were accompanied with a parent. An unnerving feeling came to her at the thought of Gaara outside. What if he were kidnapped, what if he had run away again, she knew she would be in trouble then.

What if he was out there hurting people? That idea made Sakura's stomach sink. It was without a doubt her responsibility to keep him from harming others. This was truly all the Kazekage had asked of her. What if she was already failing?

Worry came to her, and she quickly marched towards the door to see if there was any new commotion outside. However, a faint sound hit her ears as she reached for the handle, and she stopped dead in her tracks to the familiar noise. She paused in her steps, ears straining to hear that sound again. Minutes would pass before the sickly noise faintly echoed in the room again, and her head whipped immediately towards another door within the room.

She wasted no time making her way over to it, opening the new door that led into a small bathroom. That discovery fell however when she caught herself staring down at the little boy sitting in there. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were shut closed as he rested his back against the cool acrylic of the bath.

"Gaara," Sakura whispered.

Her presence must have gone unnoticed from her entering, for his eyes opened fast and narrowed towards the rosette in front of him before she even finished saying his name

'Those eyes…' Sakura thought, taking a step back. 'Just like all those years ago…'

It was sad to think, upsetting if she could realize right at that moment, that this child still instilled the fear she had of him during their teenage years. She remembered the pain he brought her, the hurt he had done to others, the intent he had of killing her, Sasuke, and everyone dear to her. At that time, his eyes then matched the ones she was looking into now. The fear she held for him once long ago was now resurfacing, and the first instinct that came to her was now pounding into her with every beat of her heart.

Run.

Another step back, and boy's eyes twitched lightly to her movement. Like some sort of predator, he watched and studied her every move, no matter how small.

'Do not run,' Sakura's mind was saying, reciting words she had been told by others. 'If you run, he will chase you.'