A/N: Thank you guys for being so amazing and supportive with the last chapter. I wasn't expecting such a warm reception after finally updating after like… 9 months or something like that. It really means a lot to me and I appreciate you guys so much.

And as always, massive thanks to TipsyRaconteur, cosipotente, and k_waifu for beta'ing.


Sakura suddenly woke up to the feeling of someone shaking her shoulder, causing her eyes to fly open as she lifted her head from where it had been resting on her arms. When she saw that the person beside her was Kankuro, she relaxed, wiping the little trail of drool from the corner of her lips.

"Is it time to switch shifts?" She asked as she looked around the lab, her eyes landing on the vials of antidote that Kankuro had created while she'd been asleep. There must have been at least twenty.

"Nope. We just ran out of foxglove."

"Already?" Sakura asked, leaning so that she could see him better, her eyebrows shooting up as Kankuro leveled her with an incredulous stare.

"Sakura, we've been creating antidotes non-stop for the last three days. Neither of us have left this lab for anything but bathroom breaks and to get food."

"So?"

Kankuro rolled his eyes and then made a point of leaning over her, sniffing her hair and waving his hand in front of his face dramatically before stepping back. "You fucking smell."

"I do not."

"Yes, you do," Kankuro stated. "Just go back to the residence and take a shower. I'll let Gaara know you'll be escorting him home tonight."

Sakura fought off the small smile that threatened to pull at her lips as she thought about finally being able to see Gaara again. She didn't want to give Kankuro the satisfaction of being right, but she could feel her scalp itching because of the thin layer of grease in her hair.

"Fine," she muttered, stretching her arms above her head to work out the kinks in her back. She shifted in her seat and then stretched her arm on the side where Kankuro was, barely managing to hide her smirk as she punched the air to crack her elbow, making sure to 'accidentally' punch Kankuro's stomach as well.

Kankuro groaned, hunching over and stepping back with his hands over his stomach as he sent a sharp glare her way. "This is why nobody likes you."

"Aww, you're such a charmer," Sakura replied, grinning as she saw his frustration at not being able to bother her spread across his face.

After a moment, Kankuro stood straight up again, waving a dismissive hand at her. "Just go away already. I'll clean up here."

"Are you sure you don't need me to help you?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side as she unconsciously began to rearrange the beakers in front of her. "I can help prepare for when we get more foxglove in."

"There's nothing left to do besides organizing the remaining ingredients," Kankuro replied, shaking his head. When Sakura moved to do just that, he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her movement. "Seriously, it's not going to take long. I'll take care of it, so go shower before the smell kills someone already."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue but quickly stopped herself, instead reaching her hand out toward Kankuro's stomach. He instinctively flinched slightly but stayed where he was when his eyes landed on the green glow of healing chakra emanating from her palm. Sakura felt the slight bruise forming under his shirt with her chakra, and gently let her chakra patch up the tiny blood vessels beneath his skin before drawing her hand away.

"Sorry," she murmured, holding up a threatening finger when he opened his mouth to, no doubt, offer some kind of snarky remark. His jaw snapped shut, but there was still a playful smile on his lips, as if he didn't quite believe that she'd actually apologized.

Sakura stood moved to leave the lab before Kankuro had a chance to change his mind. Now that the idea was in her head, she was looking forward to showering and finally being able to see Gaara again.


Sakura ran a hand through her hair as she walked toward the Kazekage tower, sighing happily at the way the strands no longer left a slightly greasy feel on her fingertips. She'd washed it twice while she was in the shower and then soaked in the tub to get the grime off of her skin. It felt so nice to finally be clean and walking outside after spending days inside of a stuffy laboratory.

As she neared the tower, she spotted a slender form leaning against the wall by the door and smiled slightly when she realized that it was Yukime. He glanced up as if he could sense her approaching, waving at her with a smile playing on his lips.

"Are you feeling better?" Yukime asked as Sakura came to rest against the building across from him. She had to think for a moment before remembering the fight she'd had with Amano where Yukime had healed her afterward. She'd spent so much time in the lab over the last few days that the fight felt like it had taken place ages ago.

"I'm much better now," Sakura replied. "Thank you.

"I'm glad."

They slipped into comfortable silence, Yukime's calming presence washing over her as she let out a content sigh. A short while later, the door to the Kazekage tower opened beside them, and Sakura glanced over as Shin stepped out of the building first. His gaze immediately softened when his eyes landed on Yukime, and when Sakura let her eyes slip past him to look at Gaara, she knew that her expression had likely done the exact same thing.

She drank him in, her breathing slightly shallow as her heart started to beat just a bit faster. She ran her eyes up and down his form before settling on his face again, stopping when he caught her gaze, his brilliant turquoise trapping her in place. A short moment passed as they watched each other, and then a smile slowly pulled on her lips. She may have only been in the lab for three days, but she had missed him so much.

"If it's alright with you, Kazekage-sama," Yukime began, snapping Sakura's attention out of the daze she'd been in, but finding herself unable to look away from Gaara. "I'd like to take my boyfriend to dinner before heading home. Will you two be okay without Shin?"

Sakura watched as Gaara glanced at Yukime before shifting his eyes back to hers again. He smiled softly as he responded with, "I'm sure we'll be alright on our own, Yukime-kun. Please make sure that Shin enjoys himself."

"I will," Yukime said calmly.

Out of the corner of her eye Sakura noticed Yukime bow before moving away. Somewhere behind her, she heard Yukime whisper something to Shin, with Shin responding with a soft chuckle. When their voices had faded, Gaara reached out a hand to her, never once breaking eye contact.

Sakura smiled, taking his hand as they began walking in the direction of the residence, glancing down at the soft swirl of sand hiding their linked fingers. Sakura wasn't sure if it was her imagination or if it had just been a while since they'd been able to walk home together like this, but there seemed to be less sand swirling around their hands than before. When they'd first started this routine, the sand had been thick enough to hide their hands almost completely, but now it was barely even a thin layer. If one of the villagers were to glance over at them, they would immediately know what was going on.

Sakura lifted her gaze curiously, only to find that his eyes were still studying her. The expression on his face was somehow thoughtful and intense at the same time and she wasn't sure what to make of it. She could feel her cheeks heating with a faint blush as they continued through the village, the slight burn staying there until they were in the residence.

When they reached the second floor of the residence, they both instinctively began moving toward her bedroom, which had somehow become their room over time. In the far corner of the room next to the bathroom door, Gaara's smaller emergency sand gourd sat hidden in the shadows. His clothes were mixed with hers in the laundry hamper by a dresser, and he'd even moved his collection of cacti to sit on the table by the large balcony window.

Sakura began to toe her shoes off as Gaara undid the straps for his shoulder harness, letting his large sand gourd gently fall to the ground from its normal position on his back. He moved to the bathroom while Sakura unattached her hip pouch and undid her bindings, leaving them by the door they'd walked through just moments ago. She paused as her eyes fell to the locking seal on the door, a thought crossing her mind suddenly.

After a second of deliberation, Sakura followed Gaara into the bathroom, watching as he picked up his toothbrush and smiling gratefully when he held hers out for her to grab. She chewed on the inside of her lip, waiting for him to finish placing toothpaste on his brush before grabbing the tube, letting the question roll around in her mind for a moment before speaking up.

"Gaara, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked. Gaara immediately nodded in response, his toothbrush pausing in mid-air. "The other day when we had the meeting with Sai, he mentioned scrolls that would be able to be used infinitely. Why did you ask him to create them?"

Gaara visibly tensed, standing a little straighter as he watched her for a moment, his face suddenly going blank. Sakura held her breath in anticipation, not sure what kind of answer she was expecting, and let out a little sigh when Gaara shoved his toothbrush into his mouth and began to brush his teeth.

Sakura frowned and then did the same, watching his expressions change slightly while he no doubt thought about how to answer as they brushed their teeth. Whatever the reason was, it was obviously a sore subject for him, and she wondered if she should drop it. She wanted to know, but at the same time, she didn't want to pressure him into answering something he wasn't ready to talk about.

They finished their bedtime routine as normal without saying anything else, stripping down to their underwear before crawling into bed. When Gaara held his arm out for her invitingly, Sakura took his offer and shifted so that she was snuggling against his side, her head resting on his chest and her arm wrapped around his stomach.

"I'll tell you everything about the scrolls one day," Gaara murmured softly.

Sakura shifted so that she could watch his face, curiosity causing her eyebrows to furrow. She kept her voice as calm as possible, not wanting him to feel like she was being pushy as she asked, "How far away is 'one day'?"

Gaara licked his lips in a surprisingly nervous gesture, and she felt his heart begin to beat faster beneath her. "Once all of this is over."

Sakura could hear the weight of his words in his voice, and immediately realized that there was a lot more hiding in them than just the reason behind the scrolls being made. Her heart fluttered for reasons she wasn't quite sure of, and her voice was a little more breathless than she expected as she asked, "Promise?"

Gaara sat up slightly, the hand that wasn't trapped by her body moving up to run gently through the strands of her hair. He smiled, then kissed the crown of her head softly before whispering, "I promise."