1As the day dawned, Sakura roused Sasuke and they left within a few minutes, deactivating all the traps they had set up and leaving barely any trace of their stay. As the day progressed they made good time, until lunch. They encountered a Konoha patrol fighting with a group of rogues and were attacked before anybody realized who they were. After helping the patrol drive off the bandits, the leader apologized to them and time was taken to bandage the minor wounds sustained during the battle.

In the end, Sakura and Sasuke's delay with the fight ended up taken what little lead in their travel plans they had gained. This time taking shelter in the roots of a great tree, Sakura once again pinpointed their position, they weren't behind schedule, and insisted on taking the first watch. The night was peaceful, periodically interrupted with the hoot of an owl or the howl of a creature of the night somewhere in the distance. Sasuke perched in the branches of the tree Sakura was sleeping under and felt the breeze across his skin. Naruto hadn't given up on him. Sasuke was going to return the favor, no matter what.

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The next few days were filled with memories that Gaara never wanted to forget. Waking up the next morning with the person he'd longed for for so long in his arms and the nightmares he'd experienced every night since his childhood gone, the world seemed right. Even when he opened his eyes to find Caius standing over him with a raised eyebrow did nothing to shake his happiness. Gently disentangling himself from Naruto's lanky form, he tucked the gothic boy back into the red silk sheets and without a word, straightened his robes and walked out of the room, turning around only when he reached the hallway just in time to see Caius closing the door quietly behind them.

"Honorable Kazekage-sama, why is–"

"He came to me, Caius. He knows now of the connection and how I feel and he does not fear it or me. We did nothing but sleep during the night."

Caius' eyebrow managed to somehow raise itself higher. "And the nightmares?"

"There were none. Dark Angel's have also left him."

Caius nodded, averting his eyes as he thought and following Gaara as they began to walk down the hallway to the first of their daily appointments. While his counselor thought, Gaara manipulated some sand into the form of a rose on his desk for Naruto to find when he woke up. He wanted to make sure that he didn't think that Gaara had played on his confusions the night before.

"So you are...together, now?"

Gaara stopped and turned to Caius, making sure to look into his icy eyes with his own forest and sky ones. "I have no idea. Dark Angel is still emotionally fragile and how I proceed will depend on how he holds up. And while I'm thinking about it, I think we should use a code name for me as well. I like the sound of Guardian Angel. It suitably replaces my title and rank and still maintains enough anonymity for one to use in casual conversation. Please make sure that everyone knows and distribute the new orders accordingly. That will be all, Caius."

Bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment, Caius continued down the hall at an even pace while Gaara stopped and regained his temporarily lost composure. Emotion was new to him and he had to learn to control it. If he didn't find a balance, he could begin to lose the respect and trust of his staff. He could not let that happen. If those he was trying to lead weren't confident in his judgment or ability to keep a level head, he could lose his position. He couldn't let this get too out of hand. Too much was at stake.

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Sakura and Sasuke had made good progress. A close call when they passed through the edges of the wave country was the most exciting part of their journey thus far, but they'd successfully avoided any direct confrontation with the ninja there.

Because of the heat during the day in the desert of the sand country, most travelers made their way during the hours when the sun hid its face and stayed in large groups to prevent bandits from attacking them. The mission to retrieve Naruto required the utmost haste in both Sasuke and Sakura's minds, so to keep from being slowed down by defensive travelers who would ask questions, they now sped across the dunes on either side of the road in the dead of night, choosing to stay off the well-beaten path in favor of secrecy.

As the sun kissed the horizon with its light, Sakura stopped and let out a low whistle. She listened for Sasuke's answering signal. She didn't have to wait long. The call of a desert bird rent the air and as she scanned the other side of the road, saw Sasuke launch himself high over the path from his side, turn a few somersaults, and land next to her with barely a shift in the sand. They looked around to make sure no one saw them before trekking a bit farther into the desert next to the road.

While Sasuke kept watch, Sakura summoned water from deep beneath the earth using a jutsu that Tsunade had taught her. Aiming the water at a particularly large hill of sand, she soaked the sand until the entire dune was completely wet through. Now it was her turn to stand watch as the sun peeked over the distant mountains. Sasuke, using Kakashi's earth technique, dug and hollowed out the dune to create a suitable shelter for them during the day, virtually indistinguishable from the other dunes throughout the desert.

As they entered the cool space, Sasuke scooped a shallow bowl out of the sand in the floor and Sakura quickly deposited the extra water within it, creating a small pool of fresh water. The normal camping routine began again. Sakura pinpointed their location while Sasuke prepared the food and bedrolls.

"We're only about 70 miles from the capital," Sakura said, rolling up the map and putting away the compass.

"How do you know without any real landmarks?" Sasuke asked, rummaging around in a pouch for a sharingan.

"The road is distinct enough in its path and shape that it's easy to track a location. It wasn't hard to figure out."

As Sakura stood up, she turned to find herself looking into Sasuke's dark brooding eyes. Grasping her shoulders, he kissed her, keeping her firmly in place for a minute before breaking it and holding her to him. Sakura placed her hands on his chest and nestled her head into his shoulder. It was a moment both would treasure til they reached the capital.

First update in months. Now that school's out, I've graduated (yay me!), and I'm sitting in my new college dorm, I can work on this a lot more. No promises though. Look for updates but don't count on them being consistent. I got classes ya'know.