Chapter One: Reunion

Sand.

Sand was everywhere, in every direction. And frankly, if she didn't have a natural sense of direction, and hadn't been here many times before, she would have easily gotten lost.

Granted, it had been several years since she'd been here, but that was beside the point.

She'd reached the desert hours ago, and by Kami, it was hot. The sun shone brightly down upon the terrain, relentless and unforgiving. It was so hot that she could see the fumes rising up off of the hot sand. She was used to the pleasant, mild weather of Konoha, so the heat that was consuming her now was making her uncomfortable. She was dirty from days of travel, and the heat was making sweat form in areas she didn't even know she could sweat. Her clothes were damp with it, and her feet slid around in her shoes because of it.

Sakura Haruno had forgotten how much she hated traveling to Suna.

She didn't have to worry much longer, however, because reaching the desert meant she was almost there. She only had a few more hours and she'd reach the entrance to the village. So, with a resolute nod, she continued on through the sand, keeping her footsteps on the sand light and quick.

As she thought, she arrived at the walls of Suna a mere few hours later. However, in that few hours, her clothes had gone from damp to soaked, and her hair clung to her neck, which was soaked with sweat. It ran down her face and into her eyes and every inch of her was filthy. She felt like the swamp monster, or worse. She could tell she looked pretty haggard, too, from the looks the guards at the entrance gave her as they asked her what her business was.

"I'm a kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato. I have business with the Kazekage."

The guards stared at her with narrowed eyes for much longer than she was comfortable with. Sakura had heard about the old tensions between Suna and Konoha, and how some Suna natives were stuck in the old ways, but she'd had yet to see it for herself. It seemed prejudices did still exist here. "We've been expecting you," one guard finally said gruffly. "Make your way to the Kazekage Mansion. You can't miss it."

Sakura thanked them, entered the village, and ran down the main street, stirring up sand in her wake. She was too tired to do anything other than run at this point. Some civilians stopped to stare at the foreign kunoichi as she darted by, a blur of colors. Her breath came in short pants, and the sweat blurred her vision, but she didn't need perfect vision to know where she was going. The Kazekage Mansion was the biggest building in the village, making up its center. Every other building in the village surrounded it in a giant circular structure. The huge spherical building loomed over her as she ventured closer, casting shadows that were a relief from the sun. This encouraged her to move faster, eager to reach her destination before she collapsed. Sakura was a kunoichi, so she'd been trained to endure harsh environments and long amounts of time without sleep, but she definitely wasn't used to Suna, and even though she'd dressed for the sun, wearing a halter-top and short shorts under her skirt, she was still weary.

She opened the door at the bottom floor, and the temperature inside the building was a huge relief compared the sweltering heat outside. Without stopping, she began climbing the seemingly endless stairs, hearing nothing but her footsteps and the sound of her own breathing as she climbed up floor after floor. Soon, after she reached the fourth floor, she began hearing signs of life, and seeing something other than walls and windows. The stairs kept spiraling upwards, but now a walk-way with a railing circled around the stairs as a sort of hallway for each floor, and doors lined the walk-way. Different rooms had different purposes: meeting rooms, work rooms, different departments for different orders of business. It was the same for the Hokage Building at home.

But she wasn't here for the translation department or the science department or the missions department. Her destination was the office at the top floor: the Kazekage's office. She was here by order of the Kazekage, and that's who she was to report to. And as she mindlessly traveled the spiraling staircase, she wondered how much, or if, he'd changed. It had been over two years since she'd last seen him, during the Fourth Great Ninja War. She was about nineteen years old now, and she'd become a Jonin due to her actions in the war. She'd proven herself a capable kunoichi and had been promoted. He was supposedly doing very well, according to Naruto, who visited often on his vacation days. He was lifelong friends with the Kazekage, and while Sakura was cordial with him, she didn't truly know him, at least not well enough to call him a close friend. She wondered what he looked like, how he'd grown. She wondered if he'd finally gotten that connection with the village that he'd longed for.

Sakura finally reached the top floor, so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed that the door that led to her destination was currently opening, and a person was leaving the room.

WHUMPH!

"Oof!" As Sakura accidentally slammed into the stranger, her legs buckled weakly and she fell into them. They caught her by the shoulders before she could fall, and held her steady with a strong grip.

She opened her eyes blearily, about to apologize profusely, when she lifted her gaze and locked eyes with the person she'd run into. Jade met sea-foam, and she froze. She'd practically attacked the Kazekage. After a long moment of silence, she suddenly gasped and straightened up, pulling from his grasp and blushing furiously. Apologies of every kind flew from her mouth as the kunoichi attempted to dust him off.

Gaara silenced her and stopped her actions with a simple wave of his hand. Merely giving her a stern look, he shook his head. "No need for apologies, Haruno-san," he said smoothly. "Please, have a seat inside." He motioned to the door he'd just come out of. "I was just about to deliver a scroll to the translation department. I'll return in just a moment." And just like that, he swept past her gracefully and headed down the hallway.

Sakura watched him go, before numbly moving to step inside his office. Like the rest of the building, it was cool, and the walls were made of the same mud-like substance as every other building in Suna. His office was neat and sparsely decorated, with only a desk and a few chairs, including the large, comfortable one he sat in. Paperwork was neatly stacked on his desk, and it made Sakura wish that her own teacher kept up with her work so precisely. The blond woman usually just let papers litter her desk in unruly piles, making her office look unkempt.

Seeing nothing to catch her interest, Sakura's thoughts turned inward, and she was suddenly ashamed of her appearance. She hadn't thought about it before, because she was so focused on just getting there, but now that she looked at herself in the mirror on wall to her right, she realized just how awful she looked. Her pink hair was damp with sweat and clung to her face and neck, and her clothes were wrinkled and soaked with perspiration. She looked rough, and she smelled awful too. She had clumsily fallen onto the Kazekage, looking and smelling like this? Was her luck so bad?

The pinkette didn't have long to sulk over her appearance, because he'd returned, deftly closing the door behind him and approaching his desk. As Gaara sat at his desk, he motioned for her to join him. All Sakura could think about as she stiffly sat was how much she hated him seeing her like this and how humiliating it was. However, Gaara seemed to take no notice of her scruffy looks and instead untied and opened a scroll sitting on his desk. He glanced at her briefly as he read over it silently. Finally: "Haruno Sakura, have you been briefed on why you're here?"

Sakura nodded her affirmative. "Tsunade-shishou told me what I was going to be doing here. She said that I was going to be training Suna's medical corps in advanced medical ninjutsu."

Gaara nodded back. "Yes. You'll be working at the hospital and teaching classes there. At 8 A.M., you'll report to the hospital and teach classes until noon. You'll have a lunch break, and then you'll work at the hospital, organizing and lending a hand until five. Then, you have the rest of the day to do as you please. You'll also have one day off a week to do as you please. While you're here, you'll be staying in a guest wing here in the mansion, and you'll receive some meals as well as pay."

Sakura nodded again, absorbing the information and storing it for later use. She had questions, but she saved them for when he was finished speaking.

Gaara continued. "Since you're not very familiar with the village, I've given my brother Kankuro time off of missions to escort you around and make sure you know what to do and where to go. In fact, he should be here any time now to show you to your room and to get your I.D. made."

"I.D.?" Sakura questioned.

"Since you're a foreign shinobi that will be residing here for a while, it's village policy that you have an I.D. made while you stay here. It's mainly a formality."

Sakura only had one more question. It had been burning in her mind since the moment she'd left Konoha. This was a mission and she had no qualms about doing her duty, but she was going to miss home, that was for sure. She wanted to know how long she'd be homesick. "How long am I going to stay here?" she asked quietly.

"Perhaps a few months," Gaara said brusquely. "When enough progress has been made, you may leave." It was clear to Sakura that Gaara hadn't understood the reason behind her question. She wasn't surprised; from what she'd been told, Gaara didn't pick up on body language or speech patterns all that well.

There came a knock upon the door, and Gaara said, "Enter."

Kankuro, clad in his usual black outfit, burst in through the door. "Is she here? Am I late?"

Sakura stood up and turned half-way between the brothers, a big smile coming onto her face. She hadn't spoken to Kankuro since the war, but there was always that bond between them, due to her having saved his life years ago; plus, he was fun and easy to talk to. Seeing him brightened her mood considerably. "Kankuro!" she greeted cheerfully, lifting her hand in a small wave.

Kankuro lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head, grinning roguishly at her. "Well if it isn't Pinky," he said, using a completely unoriginal nickname he'd coined for her back during the war. "You look as good as ever. How's it hangin'?"

Sakura laughed, about to come up with a witty reply, until she remembered that they were still in the presence of the Kazekage. She bit back her retort and shifted her eyes to look at Gaara, waiting to see if he'd say anything.

Finally, he did. "Kankuro, show her to her room, and then take her to get her I.D. made on the third floor."

"Sure thing little bro," Kankuro said, before turning back to the door and opening it. He motioned with his finger for her to join him. "Let's get goin', Pinky. Follow me."

Sakura made to follow him, before she stopped at the door. As she turned to glance back at Gaara, she met his gaze. His voice was calm, level. "I'll see you soon, Haruno-san."

Sakura nodded, giving him the smallest of smiles, before following Kankuro out the door. She caught up to him as he walked, following him down the stairs. "I have a name, you know," she mentioned playfully.

Kankuro laughed. "I know it all too well, Sakura." A smirk curled his lips as he glanced sideways at her. He mocked being hurt, clapping a hand to his chest. "You don't like my nickname? It's a sign of affection!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Affection, my butt. Since when have you ever been affectionate?"

"Only when it comes to youuu," he replied in a sing-song voice. Then, he gave her a genuine smile. "I really am glad to see you," Kankuro said sincerely.

He led her down to the bottom floor, the two making casual, light-hearted conversation. When they reached the bottom, Sakura looked around, confused. "I thought he said I was going to stay in a guest wing here in the mansion."

"You are." Kankuro chuckled, pressing a small, unnoticeable button on the wall - which then opened up into another long hallway. Sakura, gaping at this point, followed, and only after the door closed behind them did she find her voice.

"Why on earth do you guys have a secret passageway?"

"Well, since Gaara became the Kazekage, we've kinda had to add this here," Kankuro said. His tone was light-hearted, but Sakura thought he seemed kind of bitter about his next words. "The fangirls… he has a lot of them."

Sakura made a face. "Fangirls? Well, I'm not really surprised, now that you mention it," she said, rolling her eyes.

Kankuro made a face as well. "Tell me about it."

He led her down the hallway and passed by two doors. Stopping at the third door on the right, he gestured for her to go ahead. She did, brushing by him and opening the door.

She shouldn't have been surprised at how nice the room looked, but she was. It was probably made for foreign politicians and important people to stay in while they were in Suna. The room was decorated in rich red and gold colors, and was spacious and neat, with a king-sized canopy bed in the middle. Sakura was awed that they allowed her to stay in such a nice room. "It's beautiful!" she commented, turning to Kankuro, who stood in the doorway.

He smirked. "It's alright. It's normally for foreign government people when they come to Suna."

"I figured as much," Sakura commented, looking around the room once more before returning her gaze to Kankuro, suddenly embarrassed. "I, uhm… traveled a long way. I-I was wondering if I could… bathe first."

Kankuro arched a brow. "Sure thing," he said. "There are spare clothes in the closet. Or, at least there usually are." He shrugged. "I'll be waiting in the hall."

He turned to leave, but Sakura called out to him. "Kankuro!"

The puppet master turned back to look at her.

Sakura smiled sincerely. "I'm glad to see you too."

His lips quirked into a coy grin. "Hurry up, Pinky."

Sakura couldn't help the giddy smile that curled her lips as he left the room.