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Chapter Four: Festival

The next morning, Sakura awoke with her alarm blaring in her ears, making her headache even worse. With what had happened between Kankuro and herself, it had been next to impossible to fall asleep, and when she finally did, she tossed and turned. She didn't even dream – which wasn't good. Sakura had studied sleep extensively and knew very well that REM sleep – the stage of sleep in which one had dreams – was very important to being well-rested for the day.

No wonder she felt like shit.

With an angry grumble, the pinkette threw her covers off and scratched her head. In mere minutes she was dressed and grabbing her small bag of toiletries, making her way to her door. Poking her head out of it, she found that the hallway was empty – good. After what had happened the night before, she had no desire to see Kankuro's stupid smug face. How could she have thought – how delusional was she that she'd actually thought he was going to kiss her? Remembering the flush of her cheeks and the hammering of her heart was both embarrassing and frustrating and… disheartening. Perhaps he really hadn't been going above and beyond and she'd just made a mountain out of a mole-hill. Perhaps now he thought she was a stupid, emotional girl and she wouldn't see him for the rest of the time she was here…

… That prospect was most discouraging of all. Sakura was bound to stay in the village for at least another month or two, and so far Kankuro had been her most valuable friend. Sure, she was a friendly person and had no trouble meeting new people, but none of the locals she'd met thus far had made her feel as at ease as the puppet master.

She found herself in the bathroom – the last door at the end of the small, hidden hallway – and grimaced at her reflection. Despite her shower the night before, it was very clear that she looked exhausted and there was no amount of make-up or face-washing that would fix that. Resigned to her fate, she brushed her teeth, washed her face and left, opening the door and walking – right into the last (and somehow first) person she wanted to see.

Kankuro looked down at her, rubbing the back of his neck before stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Morning, short stuff."

Sakura narrowed her jade eyes on him. "Don't you have a different outfit or something? Looking at the same thing every day gets boring."

He didn't flinch but his expression changed minutely. "Ouch. Rough night? Drink too much?"

Normally she would have bantered with him, but she was not putting up with it that morning. Her migraine alone was bad enough to put her into a bad mood, but after what had happened last night…

Her hands clenched into fists and she nearly crushed her toiletry bag. "Look – I'm not in the mood for your smart ass comments. Why are you here? Don't you have anything better to do? Like play with your dolls? You said your job is to give me what I need; what I need is for you to leave me the hell alone."

Kankuro's eyebrows raised, but if he was hurt by her words, he didn't show it – except for the slight narrowing of his dark eyes. "Alright, Pinky. Got the message loud and clear."

And he turned and left.

XXX

A dark cloud hung over Sakura's head for the rest of the day. She did her absolute best to keep up appearances and smile for her students' sake, but it was difficult. A smile may be the easiest way out of a situation, but that certainly didn't mean that the act of smiling – especially when you had no reason to – was easy. But what was worse, she wasn't just irritable – she was downright distracted. Her lesson had gone to shambles after the first fifteen minutes and so she spent the rest of the class answering questions (or trying to) to cover up her blunders.

When lunch time came around, Sakura entered the front lobby of the hospital, taking off her lab coat, and gave pause when she noticed Kankuro's presence – or lack thereof. Stopping in her tracks, the pinkette stared at the front doors for a long moment, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Guess I'll have to figure out where I'm going to eat," she muttered to herself.

A voice behind her made her look back. "Alone today? I thought Kankuro-san would be with you."

"Oh, Setsuko," Sakura greeted with a nervous smile. "W-Well, he has other things to do, I'm sure. I'll be fine."

"Nonsense!" the woman insisted, shedding her long white coat and joining the pinkette in the lobby. "I know this village like the back of my hand. What kind of food are you in the mood for?"

"I-I, ah… dumplings, maybe?" Sakura's face flushed when the taller woman took her arm. Perhaps this was just a part of Setsuko's personality, but she was certainly getting up close and personal… the Leaf kunoichi didn't know what to make of it. "Erm… Thanks, Setsuko. You really didn't have to."

"I was going to lunch anyways." The woman's sharp silver eyes peered at her. "What's on your mind?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"I noticed that you seemed very distracted during your lecture this morning."

"It's that obvious, huh..?" Sakura sighed. "I don't know. I feel stupid."

"Don't feel stupid. I know we're not the closest of friends – we've only just met – but you can tell me what is wrong and I can try to help, Sakura-san."

Sakura glanced over at the tanned woman. Her silver eyes were warm and inviting and the pinkette suddenly had a hard time not spilling the beans. Finally, as they exited the hospital and found themselves on the streets of the village, she did talk. She told Setsuko about what had happened with Kankuro and how she felt about the whole situation, even going so far as to briefly explain her relationship with Sasuke and how it factored into her emotions. She finished by explaining her homesickness, and it was here that Setsuko nodded in understanding.

"All of what you said makes sense. Homesickness can't be cured, but making new friends and surrounding yourself with good company helps a lot. I suppose that's where Kankuro-san comes in. You've known him for a lot longer than pretty much anyone else here, so it makes sense you'd feel more comfortable around him. I don't want to tell you what to do, Sakura, because all of this is your choice: but if Kankuro's friendship means a lot to you, then it might be in your best interest to get him back."

Sakura looked up at the bright blue sky, a frown on her lips. The Suna native had a point, but those flustered, mixed feelings welled up in her again and her brow set angrily. "Yeah," was all she could muster.

After lunch, Sakura began her overlaps and it went smoothly, for the most part. She was still distracted and irritable, even after a nice lunch with Setsuko, and her mind remained muddled until about two hours before the end of her shift, where she was met with two pairs of bright eyes and expectant smiles. "Tetsu, Fushigi," Sakura greeted, plastering a smile on her face.

"Sakura-nii! You look so pretty today!" the short, fuschia-haired girl gushed. Tetsu only chuckled at her forwardness and said hello to Sakura as they began their rounds together. It all went successfully – with the exception of when Tetsu had asked Sakura what was wrong because she'd looked "very upset" – and they turned down their last hallway, rounding on the last five patients of the day. The two interns followed Sakura into the room of a patient she'd performed surgery on the day before.

"Hello Kyoku-san, we're here to – " Sakura began, but paursed when she looked up from her clipboard. The man in the bed was stiffened, his face pale and his eyes wide with fear.

"Go," he croaked.

"Kyoku-san, I'm not going to harm you," Sakura said softly, figuring that he was showing his usual racism once more. Perhaps Fushigi's words hadn't had any effect on him after all. As she came toward him, he cowered away, but upon closer inspection, Sakura noticed that Seishin's eyes weren't on her – they were staring behind her.

"Her!" the man pointed, his body shaking. "G-Get her away from me!"

Sakura glanced back and saw he was pointing at – Fushigi. Her brow furrowed in confusion and she tried to ask what was wrong, but his fear escalated and his words became incoherent. All he could do was blubber and point his shaking finger at the young girl tearing up by the door.

His cries rose into screams and Sakura had to force a sedative into his IV. Fushigi excused herself from the room and, compassion in his eyes, Tetsu joined her. Once the pinkette was done with her examination, she made a few notes in the patient's file and joined the interns in the hallway. Sheltering the folder under her arm, Sakura turned her green eyes on the pair, a frown on her lips. "What on earth was that about?" she wondered aloud.

Seeing the distress on Fushigi's face, Sakura stooped to put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's very possible he was having visual hallucinations, Fushigi. An unusual side effect, but it happens occasionally. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Tetsu set a hand on the girl's other shoulder and smiled sadly down at her. "Don't look so glum. It's okay. Remember how angry he was at Sakura-sensei yesterday? That's bound to happen. Patients don't always like their doctors."

Fushigi wiped her tears and looked up at her friend with glowing blue eyes. "R-Right! Sakura-nii handled it so professionally!" Her gaze turned to Sakura. "I-I'll do my best to be more like you!"

After rounds were over, Sakura was still preoccupied with what had happened. Seishin had showed no signs of any sort of mental troubles – hallucinations were very uncommon without some sort of precursor. That train of thought brought her back to the day before. Fushigi had been alone in the room with the patient… Had she said something to scare him? Had she… no. No. Sure, the girl was odd, but she wouldn't threaten a patient…

… Right?

XXX

As Sakura made her way back to the Kazekage mansion to give her report for the day, she grudgingly noticed that there was still no sign of Kankuro. It hadn't even been a full day; why was she still thinking about this?! About him?! She was driving herself crazy, her brain going in circles, and by the time she opened the door to her destination, she literally wanted to rip her hair out.

Making her way up the stairs, she knocked perhaps a little too loudly on the door to the Kazekage's office. When she heard his voice, she entered the room and plastered a smile onto her face. God, this was getting difficult. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. The red-head at the desk was staring at her evenly, his expression indecipherable.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Today was fine, sir."

"There's a cloud hanging over you," he said softly, his hands clasped together, elbows propped on the desk.

Sakura's smile faltered, an eye twitching. The laugh that came out of her sounded hollow and unfamiliar. "W-What do you mean?"

"I may still be new at forming bonds with other people, but I'm no stranger to emotions," Gaara spoke again. "The worst time of my life was when I was alone with my demons… I don't want someone else to go through that. Tell me what's bothering you, Sakura-san."

Sakura tensed up, her smile fading from her face. Finally, she straightened her shoulders and looked at him levelly. "I don't want to burden you with my problems, Kazekage-sama."

"Just Gaara… please."

"I don't want to bother you with personal problems… err, Gaara."

They stared at one another for a long, quiet moment, and finally Gaara's expression changed: his lips curled into a half-smile. And for some reason, Sakura's breath went right out of her and it took several moments for the pinkette to remember to fill her lungs. "Remember what I said yesterday… about bonds?"

"Alright, alright!" Sakura threw her hands up, exasperated. She opened her mouth, prepared to spill the beans, when her stomach rumbled loudly enough to cause a flush to spring to her pale cheeks. Glancing away, she avoided his gaze. "G-Gomen, aaah… I usually eat dinner with Kankuro by now."

Gaara's brow line furrowed. "Where is he now?"

"I-I don't know," she admitted sheepishly, more embarrassed about her empty stomach than angry at Kankuro. "I'm sure he has more important things to do than hang around with me all the time."

Gaara took a look at the short stack of papers on his desk, then stood. Arms lifting over his head, he stretched thoroughly, and Sakura hadn't noticed until now just how limber he was. She had to look away so he didn't catch her staring. She made a point to stare at the wall until his voice broke her concentration. "I haven't had anything to eat yet, myself… I can fill in for Kankuro tonight."

Sakura blinked. He was… he was taking her? For food? She thought she might've misheard him but he stepped around the desk and walked smoothly by her, holding the door open and waiting. She had to shake her head, dumbfounded, before she could quickly move to exit the room.

The streets of the village were practically glowing with the orange and yellow light of the setting sun – and somehow, despite only half the sun being visible in the sky, it was hot. But then again, it was the middle of April, and the desert was pretty much the hottest area in the shinobi nations. Sakura walked alongside the Kazekage, and as she glanced sideways at him, she couldn't help but admire the way the sun warmed his face and made his dark-rimmed eyes glow. "Where are we eating?" she finally managed to ask.

"Where would you like to go?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Kankuro just sort of led the way. I like dumplings. They're my favorite."

Gaara looked sideways at her. "There aren't many dumpling shops here. You've narrowed it down quite a bit."

Sakura opened her mouth to apologize, but they were stopped in the street by a villager – an old, toothless man, grinning so widely at them both Sakura could see his gums all the way to the back. At first, she was surprised, but remembered that the Kazekage of the village was standing next to her. The sudden thought that the leader of the Hidden Sand was taking her for dinner – it made her face flush and she had to glance down at her toes. She was sure there were plenty of women who'd love to be in her place.

The man spoke in mumbles that were barely coherent. "Kazekage-sama! Are ye comin' to the festival next week? I'll bet the young ladies're linin' up to be yer date!"

Gaara, surprisingly, looked rather flustered. "E-Erm, well – I… I don't think…"

The old man was unyielding. "Don't tell me yer gonna hide away in that office o' yers!"

The red-head looked so nervous, so cornered, that Sakura couldn't help but hide a giggle behind her hand. Then realization hit her: festival? What festival was the old man talking about? She made the decision to ask Gaara about it, but first, she needed to save him from the villager's amusing harassment. Once again, she fell back on old reliable: a smile. With surprising confidence, the pinkette took Gaara's arm and pulled him closer, giving the old man a cheeky grin. "I'm his date, so don't worry!"

The old man looked between them, his beady eyes analyzing, before a smile crooked his lips. "Wise choice, Kazekage-sama!" he chortled. "I better see yer two at the festival then! Otherwise, I might have ter find ye a date meself!"

With a laugh, the old man hobbled away, and Sakura waited until he was gone before she let the red-head go quickly. "I-I'm sorry about that," she apologized, giving him an awkward smile. "You just looked like…"

"… Like I needed help?" his gaze was intense, and Sakura faltered, her eyes averting. When she glanced back up, she found a small, yet serene smile on his face. "Thank you."

They continued walking. "What festival was he talking about?" she questioned.

"It's a festival held every year to honor the desert spirits," he answered, his gaze straight ahead. Several different villagers stopped them to greet Gaara, but other than that, their progress down the street wasn't hindered. "I don't usually go… Actually, I've… never gone."

His eyes grew sober and Sakura resisted the urge to reach out and comfort him. Instead, she racked her brain for ways to help. Finally, her face lit up. "Why don't we go, then?" she proposed. Realizing what she was insinuating, her face flushed. "I-I mean, we don't have to go as… a date, or anything. I-I just mean we could –"

"Gaara-samaaaa~!"

They were stopped yet again; but this time, two girls raced up to them with hearts in their eyes. The two practically fell over themselves trying to get close to Gaara, who once again looked flustered. "Gaara-sama, do you have a date for the festival yet?" one asked, clasping her hands together hopefully.

"No way! I was gonna ask him first!" the other insisted, trying to shove her friend aside. Gaara looked at the two like a cornered animal, backing up one step, then two. The girls were so busy arguing with each other that they hardly noticed his attempt to escape.

But Sakura was surprised to feel herself getting increasingly irritated – who the hell were these two idiots falling all over themselves when it was clear he wasn't interested? Again, Sakura felt the urge to save him from these bimbos, but she wasn't sure how Gaara would react to her claiming to be his date for a second time. She looked between Gaara and the two fangirls, at a loss, and finally, the two girls' argument increased and they began fighting. Gaara wisely took the chance to get away and discreetly side-stepped them, rejoining Sakura. They hurried away, and only when the pair was a safe distance away did they slow down. Gaara looked frazzled and it showed in the narrowing of his eyes and the furrowing of his brow line. "That's why I never leave my office," he grumbled.

A moment of silence followed before Sakura began laughing. First it was a soft, bubbling laughter but then it grew to bellows that made her clench her stomach. She had to gasp for air amidst her chortles, and only when she calmed down somewhat could she look at Gaara. What she saw made her heart swell:

He was laughing too.

XXX

The week flew by; ever since her dinner with Gaara, Sakura's mood had lifted considerably. Although she hadn't seen or spoken to Kankuro the whole time, his and his absence hurt, it was made a little bit better the times when Gaara had the time to join her again. She'd had dinner with the red-head three more times that week, and each time she got to know him a little bit better. And it really was amazing just how much he'd changed… Gaara was… well, a good person. Naruto had been right to have faith in him.

The night before, when Gaara had joined her at the dumpling shop for dinner, she'd brought up the festival once more – and to her surprise, he agreed to go. With her. The thought of being the Kazekage's date and dancing with him in front of the whole village brought a blush to her cheeks. But somehow… that thought wasn't nearly as flattering as the fact that she was Gaara's date.

Finally, the day of the festival came, and she went to the small closet in her room to pull out the lovely kimono she'd purchased the night before. It was a forest green with a white trim, form fitting and ending at her ankles. As she put on the kimono and set to work on her hair in front of the mirror near her bed, Sakura wondered if Kankuro would be attending the festival. What if he didn't show up?

Or worse… What if he did show up… with a date?

The thought made her insides burn and she clenched the comb in her hand so hard that it snapped in half. With a frustrated sigh the pinkette threw the broken pieces down on the small vanity table and walked away from the mirror. It was up in a loose bun; that would have to do. Trying to calm herself down, Sakura grabbed her small wallet and left the room, her sandals scuffling against the floor as she took delicate steps. She was used to the mobility and comfort of ninja sandals; these wooden ones would take some getting used to.

Gaara met her at the foot of the stairs and the look in his eyes made her blush self-consciously. While he said nothing about her kimono at first, the sudden flush of his cheeks and the widening of his eyes said it all. They left the mansion in silence; immediately the smell of food and sounds and lights flooded Sakura's senses and excitement replaced her earlier jealousy. Her green eyes lit up with joy and it took all she had not to race forward into the streets. Instead she patiently walked alongside the red-head, who hadn't dressed up for the occasion with the exception of running a comb through his wild red hair. His voice broke her gaze from the carts lining the road and the villagers bustling through the decorated street. "Thank you for coming with me."

She glanced up at him and a smile curled her lips. "Don't thank me. I think we're going to have fun."

He heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I don't leave my office for a good reason… The women… They don't leave me alone."

Sakura smirked, a new fire in her eyes. "Don't worry about that. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. And we'll have lots of fun if I have anything to say about it!"

Arriving at the festival, the pair browsed a few carts, politely greeting every villager that approached them. Of course Gaara was approached by several girls throughout the night, asking him to dance or be their date, but Sakura dismissed them with a forced smile, her arm curling around his as she tugged him close, bringing an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.

And just like Sakura had promised, they did indeed have fun. They tried all different kinds of foods from the different vendors, bought matching festival masks, participated in many game booths, and she even got him to dance with her.. once. Sakura was all smiles and laughs – until later in the night… when she saw Kankuro. He was on the dance floor, wearing a dashing black outfit, dancing with much more energy with Gaara had. And Sakura's earlier fear had been confirmed: he was dancing with a girl. She had plain brown hair and matching eyes, but she looked very lively and happy to be with him. And… he looked happy too. Whether it was because of her or because he was simply having a good time, Sakura didn't know, but the sight instantly soured her mood.

Coming back from a dessert vendor, Gaara stopped next to her and followed her gaze. "I thought he might show up," the red-head commented softly, handing her a cotton candy cone without looking away from the dance floor. "I'm glad he's enjoying himself."

Sakura didn't respond. She was too overcome with a mystifying anger to say anything. After a long moment of silence, Gaara glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. "You look upset."

Sakura finally tore her gaze away from the scene and looked up at her date, suddenly feeling terrible for her behavior. She frowned. "I-I'm sorry. No, no, I'm fine." She forced a smile. "Thanks for the cotton candy. How did you know it was my favorite?"

"I didn't." Gaara shrugged. "You said you haven't seen my brother all week… did you want to say hello to him?"

"No," Sakura responded, a bitterness in her tone that she hadn't intended. With a soft sigh, she looked down at her treat. "I'm really sorry, Gaara… I'm glad to be here with you. I really am."

His lips curled into a hint of a smile as he met her eyes, and suddenly, she felt a little better.

XXX

The end of the night was drawing near, and Gaara had unwillingly gotten into a conversation with a middle-aged villager about inter-village politics. Sakura had been waiting patiently on him, munching on a dessert he'd gotten for her, when a shadow from behind blocked out the lights overhead. Turning defensively, the kunoichi prepared to attack, then hesitated when she saw the familiar face. A flurry of emotions passed through her, and finally her face contorted into an angry expression, her eyes darkening and her brows furrowing. "Having fun?" she demanded, sounding even snottier than she'd intended.

Kankuro's brows raised, a frown on his lips. He was bare-faced and dressed casually, but looked very nice. "Still angry at me? After a week? I don't even know what I did."

She growled and looked away, not knowing what to say. Because really, why was she angry at him? And was this really about him – or herself? Sakura had sworn she'd wait on Sasuke Uchiha forever. She'd loved that man since they were little. She'd known from the moment she'd laid eyes on him that there was no one else for her. He would be the man she married. But then he'd turned on her – and everyone else. And after years of trying to get him back, she'd finally succeeded… only for him to make her wait again. After that, she'd given up. She'd been so angry at him that she'd refused to even say goodbye when he left to "atone for his sins." What kind of bullshit excuse was that?

She'd been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that she'd crushed the bag of chocolates in her hand. She felt a hand on her's and she jerked her head up to meet Kankuro's gaze. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, concern radiating from his eyes.

"It's none of your business," Sakura snapped, but didn't move her hand. "Look, is there any reason you're talking to me…?"

Kankuro moved his hand away, shoving it into his pocket. "Sorry to bother you. Look, I just wanted to run something by you and haven't seen you until now. You mentioned something last week about two interns in your class, and I didn't recognize the names? Yeah, well I looked into it, and there are no ninja registration numbers attached to those names. I don't know if they're new transfers and haven't been added to our systems yet, or what, but…" Kankuro's expression was serious, almost grim. "Be careful. And even if you don't want to see me anymore… Please tell Gaara, or someone, about this. If anything out of the ordinary happens, please, tell someone."

Sakura bit her lip. What he was saying made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Not registered? What the hell was that supposed to mean? This whole situation reeked, but she was too upset to talk to Kankuro about it right then.

Sakura watched the brunette walk away, shifting uncomfortably.