Dedication

Weeds. The whole kami forsaken garden was full of weeds. Sakura knelt, knees planted in the dirt, surrounded by the endless sea of weeds. With a frustrated cry she suddenly grasped a handful of the pestilent weeds choking the garden out and threw a whole clump, dirt and all, off the edge of the plateau. Afterwards she looked down to her dirt stained fingers releasing a heavy sigh. This is Chiyo's garden. If you were ever going to discover any new desert plants it would be here. Patience. You just need to be patient Sakura. She worked to talk herself out of the burning rage growing inside as a deep laugh broke into her inner dialogue. Startled she snapped her head around as her fingers found their way to her kunai.

"Sakura it is just me." Gaara's voice was clear and as she shaded her eyes against the blaring sun she could see his shock of red hair and those bright green eyes of his.

"Gaara! How did you..."

Her words halted as she looked down to see his wheelchair levitating upon a cloud of sand. The rough hewn steps leading to the living quarters just behind him. All she could do was let out another heavy sigh as she pulled herself to her feet. Hands wiping dirt away on her shorts without care. His treatments had been going exceptionally well as of late. Sakura had been able to return movement and feeling to his whole upper half and with his new wheelchair the man was able to finally move about on his own. Though she knew it was time for another lecture on excessive chakra usage during his recovery. The man was always pushing himself to see just how far he could take his body as of late.

"You are going to burn dressed like that." His voice was stern as his eyes fixated on her bare shoulders and legs. A smirk crossing his lips as his sand gently set his chair down upon the ground.

"It is too hot to not wear this!" Sakura protested crossing her arms over her tank top as she waited for his scrutinizing gaze to leave her.

He held up a simple straw hat from his lap suddenly and tossed it over to her. He grunted as he began to push forward over the remnants of her work with the weeds. Sakura caught the hat and placed it on her head not wanting to argue with him. She couldn't help but notice the lightest of smiles as he wheeled into the sunlight, his head tilting back as his eyes closed in the gentle breeze.

"I came to ensure you were not about to smash the mountain down on me. I could feel your anger all the way down by the pools." His voice was laced with mirth.

Sakura blushed not realizing she had been that angry earlier. She kicked at a pile of weeds at her feet and shrugged. "Well, there are just so many...I have been at it for days now."

Gaara cracked open an eye and turned his chair to face her. "Weeds? How can you even tell what belongs here and what doesn't?"

It was a valid question considering the majority of desert plants were merely weeds of some form.

"There were scrolls left behind picturing all varieties of weeds needing to be removed. It seems Chiyo had her apprentices tending to such matters for her previously."

Sakura wiped some sweat from her forehead and planted her hands on her hips looking about the garden with sharp eyes. She was about to fall back into her weed killing frenzy when a hand of sand suddenly gripped her wrist. She looked up shocked over to Gaara with questioning eyes.

"Go bathe and meet me in my quarters."

"I know better than to stay in the sun for too long. I have at least another two hours of work ahead of me!" She protested as she stared defiantly back at him.

"No there is a storm coming." And with those simple words he ended any arguments as he began to push off to the stairs.

Sakura stopped just outside of his chambers. She needed to take a deep steadying breath before she entered as the next portion of his treatment was something she had assumed would be taken over by someone else. It would be delicate work to say in the least. Having fully restored his whole upper half she now needed to tend to his body below the waist. It was a procedure she had performed once before. Though then it had been on a stranger in the operating room. She could not even remember the mans face if she tried to. Also what she needed to do would take days not just mere hours as the last patient had not suffered such extensive damage as Gaara had. Damage he took saving her life.

After collecting herself she opened the doors and crossed the room to his bedside. Gaara already lay in the bed, striped down and resting comfortably beneath his sheets. His piercing gaze already boring into her. She noted that his clothes lay folded neatly in the wheelchair backed up to the bed. Not even a speck of sand on them.

She started with the recording of his vitals for the evening. He merely sat there in stony silence watching her work. He would perform whatever request she had for him as she tested his reflexes and ensured his condition was not regressing. Though he rarely spoke to her while she worked.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat. "I will just get started then. Lay back and relax please."

She went to pull the sheet lower as he laid back. Her hand shaking for just the briefest of moments but her face not giving away a single emotion. She was a medical professional and this was just a part of her duty.

"Wait!" Gaara said grabbing onto her hands.

Sakura glanced up in shock, her careful expressionless facade cracking ever so slightly beneath his hard gaze. She gulped unsure what to do next.

"Gaara...please I need to work." She pleaded with her eyes for him to just lay back and stop staring at her.

"No. Start at the toes." His voice was gruff and his eyes refusing to leave her wavering gaze.

Sakura shook her head a sad little smile breaking through her otherwise blank expression. "I have to keep moving down Gaara. I...there is no other way."

The man's fingers slipped from her hands and with a deep breath he threw his arms up over his face. "Then I will pretend to sleep. For you."

Silence filled the room as she sat back in her chair. She nodded firmly and began to work. She pulled down the sheets and stretched her glowing palms over his pelvic area. For the first time since the treatments had begun Gaara did not keep close watch on her nor did he tell her when she was done for the evening. He did his best to sleep and left the decision on where to end the nightly treatment to Sakura.