Oh boy.
Here comes the good part. :D
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I sure as hell wouldn't be writing this right now.
[Present; Back to Sakura's View. Location: Konoha/Sakura's Apartment]
[Two weeks later]
Soon the days that passed seemed to last forever. I had lost the ability to keep up to date with anything; each second seeming like a minute, and each minute seeming like an hour. I found myself spacing out at work, my eyes glazed over and my mind off in the memories of the past. A past full of warmth, sand, and him.
Konoha was so moist and green compared to the dry, tan colors of Sunagakure. My home had been replaced in just three months, and this same feeling I'd felt for Sasuke was exploding in my rekindled heart. I never thought this could happen again.
The problem was it's twice as bad this time.
The other nurses were beginning to get frustrated. Tora had actually managed to hit me over the head, and I hadn't noticed it. Literally. That was impossible for a ninja, I would have sensed it. More like I should have. My instincts were being worn, I was losing my touch.
Other than that, I wasn't eating, and I was losing a lot of weight I couldn't afford to lose. I noticed when I'd jumped on my scale at home, only to realize I was ten pounds lighter than normal. I'd re-weighed myself three times, and then gone to the Hospital to make sure it was right. Unfortunately, it was very right.
I stopped going to Naruto's after the fourth day back. I'd gone there every night, choked up, almost in tears and venting wildly to him. There were a few times I'd actually gotten sick as well, and even though many people threw up as it was, I don't puke hardly ever. I'd slipped a few times and almost spoke of the night we'd made love, and each time I did the look in Naruto's eyes would turn to one of jealousy. He was my best friend, and his huge heart could only handle so much... He didn't deserve it. I had to stop and talk about something else.
And thanks to a certain sneak that had gone behind my back, I wasn't allowed to do surgeries until approved by Tsunade. I was a high level Medic-Nin, and I was more than just furious when hearing the news. I couldn't argue with Naruto, he'd asked Tsunade to do it. When I'd found out it was him, I was pissed. I was guilty before, now I could ignore him without regret. He didn't even give me a warning, or tell me why.
Now I was back at my home, and since I wasn't allowed to go to the Hospital, I was locked inside. Whoever dropped by was ignored, except for Tsunade. I'd lost a lot of earned respect, and disappointed just about everyone. Why would I want to leave? I'd let everyone down. I'd let my emotions in the way, even though the mission was completed. At least that much I could take credit for, my last mission was a success.
I scrubbed the noodle that had hardened on the plate angrily, trying to scrape it off without having to soak it. Snapping the plate, it cut my palm, and with a few colorful words I tossed the third broken china to the garbage and healed the wound with a quick brush of green chakra and talented medical skill.
The blood that dwelled in the sink soon disappeared with the rest of the water once I pulled the drain. Giving up on the other dishes after breaking so many of them sounded like a good idea. I was dressed in the same outfit I wore in Sunagakure almost daily. I had no reason to, I wasn't planning on training or going anywhere, and many of my friends and fellow teammates had said the trip changed me. They were right. Now those friends were blocked out.
All the free time around the house allowed me to keep this place spotless, and finally it had gotten to the point that I was running low on house supplies. Too low. I had one roll of toilet paper left, my conditioner was just about empty, and I had nothing to drink but water. A week locked up would do that to you.
Desperate, I reached for my phone and dialed Ino's number. After two failed attempts to reach her, I then dialed for Hinata. Then after that, Sai. I shouldn't have been surprised to find each one of them were unavailable, they had caller ID. They didn't want to talk to me, and I wasn't going to go as far as calling Naruto.
I should have answered the "doorbell" a couple days back when Kakashi gave me a lecture outside the window while I was laying in bed. He'd been the only real contact I had, but he would have broken in if I hadn't opened the window. At least the curtain had been in the way, and I know I'd let him down, too, just by how he acted. I couldn't call him, he was always busy. A had no choice now.
I guess it was time to leave.
I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and to replace my headband was a thin, stretchy piece of maroon cotton, which was used for pushing your hair out of your face. I had a maroon shirt on and a black skirt with some slip-ons, I didn't plan on being out long. I would have worn my Suna outfit, but mostly everyone knew the reasons for me wearing it, and shook their heads at me. I'd stopped wearing my Leaf Village headband after being banned from the hospital, and since I no longer went out in public I never cared to wear it.
Konoha would always be my true home, I was a leaf ninja for life. But life held little meaning now a days, and due to the condition I was in, everything held little meaning. Well, almost everything.
I didn't bother checking my reflection in the mirror before I opened my front door. I know what I looked like; Complete shit. But when I did open the door, it was blinding. I should have left later in the day, when it was darker.
I cast my arm over my face to block as much light as I could, squinting as I did. It took a minute to adjust to the light. Finally, I tightened my purse around my shoulder and began my shopping adventure down the bustling street.
I had my gaze to the ground in front of me almost the whole way there. I knew the way to the market by heart, and even though Konoha was a big place, I was completely used to it. I knew where almost everything was, and unfortunately, everyone knew who I was. I was almost positive people were giving me looks and whispering things behind my back. Eventually I would get sick and tired of this, but for now, I just wanted something to drink. Desperately.
When I got there I snatched a cart quickly, darting to the cold drinks section and finding my objective. A small bottle of my sparkling blue raspberry drink, which I'd been obsessed with at a young age. When I popped the top off and took a swig, I could feel the memories and flashbacks come flooding back to me. It was almost strange, I'd hated the drink ever since-
"Sakura," an urgent voice broke through my jumbled thoughts, and someone had grabbed my arm. I looked over to see a familiar face, and instantly felt regret.
It was Tsunade. Anyone else I probably wouldn't have cared too much about, unless it was Kakashi or Naruto, and maybe Ino, but Tsunade and I hadn't talked since the day back from Suna. The motherly look on her face was overwhelming, and after a few seconds of staring her hard in the eyes, I looked away.
"You know very clearly why I'm here. I was planning on breaking down your door this afternoon to finally talk to you, but it seems like I won't have to do that. Just tell me, what in the hell are you thinking?" her hard words slammed down on me, and the guilt continued to take over my emotions.
"I don't know." I muttered subconsciously.
"You don't know? Sakura, where did I go wrong in your training?"
"Lady Tsunade, you didn't-"
"Obviously I must have. Don't toy with me. I was certain I taught you damn well, but you're proving me wrong. You're a lot stronger than this, damnit. You've gone through this once before, I can't believe you're letting it get to you again. You need to let it go. Or what do you want me to do? Give in and send you back? No." she continued, officially skinning my hide and hanging it up to dry.
"I don't know what you want me to say." I murmured, putting the drink in my cart and continuing through the isle.
"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to be yourself again, instead I'm seeing the weak little girl I took into training years ago. I'm seeing me when I gave up on everything after I lost the two most important people in my life. No one died, Sakura. You just made a foolish mistake. Let it go."
I pushed the cart down the isle and she followed. People from afar watched, shocked to see the Hokage out of office, upset to see me in public, and concerned to see her chewing my ass out. They were probably expecting a fight, I don't know why they weren't keeping their distance. But it wasn't like I was going to fight back anyways.
"I have every intention to find Naruto right now and have him do this for me. Talk to me, or I'll make you talk." she threatened, not backing down.
"Maybe if you gave me my position back at the Hospital I might act more lively."
"Sakura, within about a six day period you went from the top ranked Medical-Ninja to I would have to say the worst. And I know you have the skill and potential, you're letting your emotions get in the way. What do I have to do to make you think clearly?" she asked.
I snatched a gallon of apple juice and put it in the cart. She continued following me as I weaved through the other isles, grabbing whatever looked good to me without thinking much on the cost or what it was. I tried to be quick about it, but everything looked really good.
"Just give me some time. That's what worked last time, and a swift kick to the head." I said with a dead chuckle, and she sighed.
"You need a skull bashing beating, in my opinion. And I'd do it myself, here and now, if I wasn't afraid you were going to shatter at a simple punch. You look awful." she muttered, shaking her head.
"Thanks," I heaved under my breath, throwing some canned soup into the pile of food and avoiding the ramen section.
"Do you even have enough money for all this?" she asked after a while.
"Yes, I don't spend much on anything else." I lied, biting my cheek nervously. I had no idea if I could afford this, and if I couldn't, I was screwed. Finding a huge case of toilet paper, I threw that on top. It was enough to push a laugh out of her.
"That's why you left. Here, move. I'll push the cart." she unfolded her arms, putting the toilet paper back and throwing a better brand in. Motherly, of course.
"I'd say no, but you'd probably get it for free." I muttered, following her obediently. I wasn't up for arguing anymore.
"Sakura, I could get all of it for free. Just get what you want, it's on me. You need help, and even though everyone else has offered it, I'm forcing it." Tsunade snickered, and I rolled my eyes.
"What happened to being mad at me?" I asked my bipolar teacher.
"Oh I'm still furious. Once you're back to normal I'm going to break every bone in your body, and make you heal it all." she snapped darkly, and I went silent. She probably would.
Once we got to the checkout, she put all the food on the belt and I watched the cashier scan everything little by little. I began helping, but Tsunade pushed me away, so I decided to lean back against the cold wall behind me.
My mind was always off in some different dimension now, and I knew exactly where and why. Part of me was left behind in Suna, and I haven't been normal ever sense. I'm sure if I went back I'd be perfectly fine, but not here. It would take years for me to be normal again, I could promise that.
Suna seemed so comforting to me. I felt like I could do almost anything there, and the closest thing to a family was there. Kankuro, who'd helped me through a lot. Temari, who acted like the big sister I never had, and... him; Who'd become the most important person in my life. I felt everything for him, and what was so stressed was the fact he felt everything back. He loved me. And I loved him. It was so simple, it was terrifying.
I never though it was possible.
After Sasuke I realized where I'd gone wrong. I'd fallen for someone that I desperately wanted to be mine, regardless of the flaw. I was used to flaws, especially since his biggest flaws was his revenge and hate towards me and everyone else. I'd actually looked passed that, somehow. I was crazy. Yeah, Gaara has some flaws, but it was nothing compared to Sasuke-
"What's with you and cinnamon all of a sudden?"
The wall behind me was cold, but Tsunade's words made me freeze. I looked over at her with terrified eyes, for some reason afraid that she'd found a soft spot connected to Gaara. How she found it, I needed to know. I went to her side, and looked at what she was staring at.
"Half of your cart has it in it. Cinnamon pop-tarts, cinnamon oatmeal, cinnamon cake, cinnamon air fresheners...? You even got just pure cinnamon from bulk." she named everything off, prying apart the cart to find several other cinnamon flavored food. I stood there shocked.
Tears weld up in my eyes instantly, and I brought my hand to my mouth, covering it shakily. I reached back to find something for sturdy support, feeling myself begin to fade from consciousness. When she picked up the cinnamon spice, the smell went wafting by my nose.
All the memories flooded back to me. Standing in his back yard, dancing with the fireflies, stealing the cinnamon stick from his bathroom, laying beside him at night and breathing in his distinctive smell. It was too much.
"Sakura? Shit, Sakura!" Tsunade asked, and I saw her drop whatever she was doing and lunge towards me, grabbing my arm. I didn't feel it. The edges of my sight began to darken.
Then, the world went black.
~**~
"... Come on, just wake up. I can't sit here all day every day, I already tried. I'm sure somewhere in there you can hear me, and you have this whole time, and you're sick of my rambling, and.... Yeah. So, just wake up already!" a familiar voice echoed near me. As soon as I awoke, I knew instantly what had happened.
It was Naruto next to me, I was pretty positive. Which wasn't terribly bad, but what was worse was I was in a Hospital. And I was the patient, again. Fucking again.
Tiredly, I forced my eyes open, seeing his blue ones immediately. They lit up when he saw mine open, and that wide grin plastered to his face. I couldn't help but sigh, and smile, even if it was just a little.
"It's about time. I was worried you weren't ever going to wake up, but I guess it's a good thing you didn't for a while. You needed sleep, apparently, from what Granny Tsunade said." he continued, leaning closer to me and showing off that intoxicating behavior of his. It annoyed the hell out of everyone, and I'd give anything to stab him right about now.
"How long have I been out?" I asked immediately.
"Well, about a week-"
"A week? What? Get Tsunade in here, now!" I cried furiously, sitting up from my spot and getting light headed. My hand went to my face instinctively, and I exhaled sharply from the migraine that had suddenly pulsed painfully through my head. And without warning, I suddenly turned and vomited over the bed and into the pan I'd seen at the corner of my eye.
"Whoa, Sakura! Relax, lay down!" Naruto lurched forward, pushing me away from him and grabbing a cloth that must have been laying nearby and giving it to me. I wiped my mouth once, but started pulling the sheets off.
"No you don't, lay your ass back down." he hissed, forcing me down. I glared at him, forcing the chakra to my hands and trying to push him away. He struggled for a second, but in the end I was the one struggling. And for the first time since my trainer, I failed in a strength contest.
The shocking defeat was enough to make me lay down. If I couldn't push Naruto away, I was obviously in pretty bad fucking shape. Breathing heavily, I forced myself to take deep breaths, and suddenly I found myself with my hand over my face and tearing up quickly.
"Sakura, relax, it's alright. I don't know what's going on, but, you're fine. Tsunade already figured everything out, you're going to be up and out of here in no time-"
"Actually, no." Tsunade's voice came from the door. I looked over at her, my eyes red, and my hands shaking.
I was officially defeated. The little strength I had was used to push myself into a sitting position, and to curl my hands into fists angrily. I didn't understand what was going on, but I was going to find out soon, even if I had to make them.
"Just tell me exactly what's going on, because there's more to this than there should be." I snapped, glaring daggers at my old mentor and best friend. No one dared to speak this rudely to the Hokage, but due to the relationship I had with her and this situation, I didn't care. She stared at me, and after hesitating for a moment, she turned to shut the door. She was dressed in her usual attire, but also with a hospital scrub. She hadn't acted as a Medical-nin since she had to heal Lee. Tsunade moved over to where Naruto stood, grabbing his chair he'd been sitting in and using it for her own use.
And suddenly, she grabbed my hand.
"Sakura, listen to me. You're very, very sick. You've lost almost thirty pounds since your mission in Sunagakure, and you're down to a threatening seventy-five pounds." she spoke gently, and Naruto watched her intently, horror written on his face. My jaw dropped.
"You're staying where someone can take care of your for a while. I can't allow you to be living by yourself for a while, do you understand me? You're going to die if I don't force this. And I know you're going to be pissed, but you're staying in the hospital for a while. A long while." she continued, and I instantly squirmed in my spot.
"Can't I just go home, and have someone there monitor me?" I asked desperately.
"Usually, yes. But I need you here for a while." she pushed, staring at me hard in the eyes. She was hiding something, she never acted this way.
"I don't understand." I breathed stressfully, looking at Naruto for a second.
For a second, Tsunade continued sitting down, but then she got up to move to the counter. Naruto and I exchanged expressions for a moment, but she was back in the chair no more than twenty seconds later with a large folder in her hands. Digging through the papers, she grabbed one and showed it to me.
"Tell me what this is." she demanded, and I leaned forward slightly to read it. They were numbers and information on someone here in the hospital, and I looked at the name. It was my name, but the data there was completely wrong.
Then, it clicked.
"T-Tsuna-"
"Sakura, relax. Breathe." she muttered, closing her eyes, and squeezing my hand. The color was draining from my face, and my hands were numb.
"What is it? Is she sick? Is she dying?" Naruto asked desperately, looking at the paper and obviously unable to read it.
"She'll recover. But if she doesn't do something soon, she has more problems to worry about." she muttered. Naruto growled.
"What are you talking about?!" he yelled, trying to grab the paper.
"Look at this sheet. See this? The information here looks weird, doesn't it? Everything seems a bit too small compared to her size. Do I have to explain everything?" Tsunade continued. Tears were flying down my face, and I felt my emotions explode inside of me. I grabbed a pillow and clung to it, trying to calm down.
"And so what does that me-"
"Naruto, I'm fucking pregnant, alright? That's what the sheets says. The information is small because it's not me, it's what's inside of me!" I cried, burying my face in my pillow for a second, breaking out into violent sobs that shook my entire frame. When I was finished, I looked back up to my mentor and best friend. Her expression was full of sorrow, and his was complete panic.
No matter how mad I was at Naruto, I could always let it go and forgive him. He was always there for me, and always would be.
"Tsunade, I want Gaara here. Please Tsunade, please. Get him here in anyway possible, as soon as you can. Please, I'll do anything! I don't care anymore! He deserves to be here, and you damn well know it!" I begged. I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed into the pillow, rocking back and forth. My heartbeat on the monitor was racing. I felt like breaking something. I needed someone next to me to make sure I didn't, I needed my strength.
"I know you're dying for a mission right now, Naruto, but now with this the only "mission" you're going to have is taking care of her. Do you understand? I can't watch her all the time, and I need someone I can trust." I could feel her stand and turn to him. He didn't reply, but I assumed he'd just nodded his head or something.
"You fail if Sakura-" Tsunade began.
"She's not going to die, and you better believe it." he suddenly snapped, and after a long, awkward pause, I could hear faintly the sound of Tsunade leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. It's strange how much Naruto had matured.
No more than a couple minutes afterward, I decided to talk.
"Naruto," I muttered into the pillow messily. Somehow he understood, because instead of feeling emptiness I suddenly felt his hand on mine where Tsunade's had been, and he was brushing my hair back.
"Yeah?" his voice said above me. My hearing was muffled. I raised my head tiredly, my eyes sore and wet, and my entire body weak.
"I need to eat something. Anything, everything. Now." I demanded. I squeezed his hand shakily, and he squeezed it back.
"What do you want me to-"
"I know I'm in a Hospital, but Tsunade knows what I need just as well as I do. And you getting it would be a lot easier than asking another nurse who should be helping others." I muttered tiredly. I sat up slowly, and pushed the pillow off of me.
Running my hand through my hair, and looking outside at the light for a second, I turned to look at him. I'm sure I looked horrifying, and like a complete mess. I had to change that. Everyone was right, I must be a huge disappointment. If they hadn't found this out sooner, who knows what could have happened. But, any second could be too late. I had no time to waste.
I looked down at my stomach.
"I'm not sure if I'm the best person to shop for you." he muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"Listen to me. I'm going to give you a list of things to get. Get paper and a pen if you have to, I don't care. Just remember everything, and get them. Go to Tsunade before you leave to get Hospital money, I know you don't have any. I don't have the power to give it to you. Alright, ready?" I demanded, and he hesitated, and suddenly jumped from his seat to retrieve something to write on and a pen. When he returned, I made him write everything down. From organic juices to some semi-fattening healthy food, vegetable chips and fiber packed energy bars, the list was ridiculously long by the time I was finished.
It may have been too much, but when he came back, I had my own little pantry of food. Once the nurse came in, she practically had a heart attack. Outside food was strictly forbidden, but, I was a loophole. It was strange. I was able to do whatever I wanted as long as I didn't leave.
After a couple days passed, I became used to Naruto being in the room almost constantly. It was a bit awkward though, I really did enjoy my solitude. I couldn't do anything without being worried someone would see me. You have no idea how uncomfortable it is to hold in gas for hours on end until you finally had the courage to go to the bathroom. What's worse is when you finally do have the courage to get up, you might pass out.
I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night. I kept Naruto by me constantly, and he finally put me to sleep by talking, which is what I think I needed. I was terrified the entire time that the baby was going to die, and that I'd fucked everything up. Hell, I terrified that there was a baby inside of me. The realization had finally hit me that night as well, and once I'd accepted the truth, I'd pretty much went into silent hock.
Gaara had gotten me pregnant. I had his child in me. He, or she, was alive, and growing, and soon to be healthy. It has to be healthy, it can't die. I won't let it.
But the most important thing was, it was our child.
What scared me the most was the fact that it could die any second, and with that, so could I.
[Half a Day Later; Back to Gaara's View. Location: Suna/Kazekage Office]
~***~
Arguing had always been a waste of time to me, and once Kankuro had attempted to pick a fight with me for the third time today, I finally silenced him. The innocent way. Just the lack of oxygen to the brain trick, and he passed out unconscious outside the door. I don't understand why he never gave up. I made a clone take him to his house, but his house was actually inside this giant building. It was cut in thirds, with mine in the middle, Temari on one side and his on the other.
Never would I set foot in my room other than to shower or change clothes, or possibly take a break from work. Now, it's the only place I wanted to be. It was where I could be truly alone, the office didn't cut it for me anymore. Too many people.
And sometimes it still felt like she was laying behind me, sleeping, almost as if her presence were still here. I knew she really wasn't, and I think that's what made everything worse.
The whole damned city knew, too. I could hear the whispers, and the constant pestering from Temari made me avoid her completely. Kankuro always irritated me, and his attempt to speak with me earlier was just like it was every time. A failure. If I wanted to be alone, I was going to be. That was that. Except for the exceptional times the city was in a crises or there was urgent news.
I fell back onto the sheets of my bed, upturning the smell of my sickeningly sweet laundry detergent and probably a tiny mixture of sweat. One of the house keepers had washed the sheets almost instantly after... She left. I wanted to kill the maid. It took a lot of effort not to kill her, and the only satisfaction I'd gotten out of it was her terrified expression. She didn't faint or anything, she just ran. I haven't seen her since.
There was nothing to do for a while. Ever since She'd come and left, there's been a lot of extreme weather. Rain, and even snow. Like now, there was snow on the ground and the villagers were finding it awkward to work and move around in. They just shut themselves in and waited for it to melt.
Of course, it would be after She left that I had all the time in the world. It gave me a little extra time to take care of the cactus plants in my Greenhouse that were beginning to slowly wither, but that wouldn't satisfy me after a while.
I'd debated on going to find Kankuro or Temari after a few hours, make sure everything was in order and chaos wasn't strewn across the city. But I hated cold weather as much as I hated sugar, I wasn't going outside for a while.
It was times like these I wish Shukaku was still inside of me. At least killing passed the time, instead now it gave me a disturbing feeling afterward. No longer satisfying, unless I was furious. I was fully human now, with a poisoned mind. I looked up to the mirror on my wall.
The black circles around my eyes were as dark as ever, my blood red hair messy and strewn about, and the look in my icy blue eyes had completely changed. Years ago when I'd fought the Uchiha, our eyes were the same. Pain, anger. Now they'd changed. It's shocking to see something so new and foreign in your reflection, you almost can't accept it. It was no longer pain I saw.
The reflection in my eyes was a mixture of yearning for the love I'd lost, and caring for my people in this city. Regardless of how cold I looked, or acted, or thought... I knew who I was. And it wasn't at all like it was three years ago. What I couldn't understand was how could She love someone who looked like this? I looked like a monster; She must be insane. I just don't fucking understand how or what she saw about me. It was so doubtful, it was times like these I worried the most.
She was miles away, and there was nothing I could do. She could be with someone else right now, forgetting about me. Maybe She'd simply just used me as a replacement for the Uchiha, and as soon as She'd gotten home She would try to hunt him down again like she used to.
I shook my head, avoiding my stressed expression, trying to shake the poisonous thoughts from my head. They were almost convincing.
I sat up as soon as the thoughts came pouring back, and I knew this time I probably wasn't going to be able to block it out. Darting to the door and yanking almost too hard on the handle, I exited my room and out of my house. I decided it was finally time to write to Her. I raced up the stairs, people on the lower level of this building staring and bowing as I went, but most were slightly concerned as to why I was in such a rush. I ignored them.
Ignoring my secretary's greetings, I lunged towards my office and shut myself behind the double doors. I practically teleported into my chair, and instinctively I grabbed a pen and a blank sheet of paper. My hand hovered over the page, my head tilted forward like I'm about to write a ten page letter to the Kage of another land. This was such a huge deal, it was completely nerve wracking. I put the pen to the paper, and suddenly realized something when my hand wouldn't write.
My mind was completely blank.
On my rushed journey up here I didn't even stop to think of what to say. How typical, and what was even more ironic was there was a million things I wanted to say. But how to put them down on paper, I had no idea.
I blinked, and dropped the writing utensil, leaning back against the chair and releasing a huge sigh. How disappointing. I smirked where I sat, knowing somewhere Shukaku was laughing at me. The demon may have hated me, but I know he got some entertainment out of events like these in my life.
It was then I heard a small tapping on the window behind me, like some little kid was knocking on it. I turned from my seat to look, and hovering on the other side of the thick glass was a tiny ivory bird. It pecked at the window again, urgently, and I squinted my eyes at it.
Then I saw on the front of its chest an all too familiar sign of a leaf.
Lunging forward, I opened the window, and it fluttered in quickly with lightning speed. It landed on my desk, a small scroll in its beak. It extended its wings, making a long trilling sound. The longer I looked at it, the more I noticed how unique the bird was. Then, it clicked. This was a summoning bird, its unique breed used for emergencies to deliver papers because it could travel at ridiculously fast speeds.
It dropped the paper and repeated its unique call, and without any second thoughts I unrolled the parchment and began to read.
Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure,
This is not a business related letter. For personal reasons, I request your presence is Konoha. Immediately. This concerns Sakura; It's an emergency.
Tsunade, Hokage of Konohagakure
P.S: Gaara, you have to hurry. It's possible she might not make it through this.
I felt reality slip for a second, just like a glitch. A second later, my heart was hammering, and fear was the only emotion I could feel. My mouth was forced open; My body demanding more air than I was currently breathing, and my chest was moving quickly.
Hyperventilation.
The letter didn't have to persuade me any more than it did. I snatched the paper I was going to use for Sakura and scribbled down a quick response, rolling it up messily and giving it to the bird. As soon as the bird took it and was in the air, I vanished from my spot. Appearing downstairs and in the middle of Temari's home, I looked around furiously, desperate to find her as fast as I could. My senses finally caught up with me, and I knew she was in her room.
I busted through the door, it was faster than teleporting. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, examining her damned fan like she did almost everyday. She probably expected me this time, she didn't try and kill me.
"Gaara, what the-"
"I'm leaving for Konoha. Take care of Suna." I stated, and without giving even a second to see her reaction or reply, I turned away.
"Wait! What's going on?" she cried, putting her fan down and reaching forward to try and grab me. I gripped the side of her door for support, clenching my other fist nervously. I didn't want to delay this anymore than I had to.
"I can sense your fear, Gaara. It's completely engulfed you... That's not like you. I know it has to do with Sakura-?"
I turned around in my spot, throwing my hands on her shoulders and shaking her. My voice trembled more than it ever has in my entire life.
"She's dying, Temari. I have to go. Now." I hissed, the tone of my voice changing drastically. It was almost normal. Her eyes widened, and she put her arms down.
"Read this. Show it to the Council. Tell Kankuro what happened, and you call the shots. I can't stay here and wait anymore, damnit!" I demanded, and without waiting for a response this time, I darted from my door and towards my side of the house.
I replaced my single Kazekage robes with my main outfit. Grabbing my gourd that I hated to be without, I attached it to my back, running out of my back door and leaping across the building tops.
Except, I'd completely forgotten about the snow.
I'd almost slipped when I landed on the icy rooftop, but I ordered my sand to covered the bottom of my shoes like nails, that way it gripped it. Flying towards the gates of Suna, I flew through them and my guards throughout the village disintegrated. Without sleep and anyone else slowing me down, this would be a quick travel. Even faster now that my motivation was Her.
To even think that she was dying was almost unbelievable. She just had to go and almost kill herself, didn't she? Tsunade didn't even say what happened. It ate away at me faster than I noticed, and I found myself running faster and faster. She could die any second. Die.
Sakura may not be able to come back to me, but I sure as hell was going to go to her.
I'm trying to speed things up.
And this chapter is REALLY short, so I'm sorry.
I have a lot going on irl.
I hope I'm balancing everything well.
I need to delay some parts so it's not rushed, but not making everything drag on forever.
Let me know if it's like, "Uhh. Fail."
Also, please let me know your opinion on Gaara's view.
And if it's annoying switching back and forth.
And, yes. I know. I wrote Gaara's view hella shitty this time. D:
I'm sorry. I was trying to hurry. u__u
I got a shitload of reviews last time.
Thank you. Seriously. That made me really happy. c:
There won't be a sequel to this, I'm sad to say.
But I'll throw in towards the ending a little "Ten Years Later" thing. xD
Review! :D