That was the most awkward train ride of Sakua's life. Sakura had taken her usual spot in the rows but Gaara chose a seat across from her. That was fine, part of had been nervous that he would have just taken off once she got on the train. If he wanted to sit away from her, that was perfectly fine with her, he could keep that scary aura to himself.

Most of the other people seemed to have the same idea and gave him a wide berth. All except one person, a middle aged man who decided it would be a good idea to sit right beside him with a book. Sakura noticed a change in him immediately. His immediate exit was blocked, and Gaara started to seem antsy. It was a subtle change, most people wouldn't have noticed it. His fists tightened just a little, his eyes narrowed a tad. He was acting like a caged animal but was trying not to show it.

The man was taking a longer route than them, or maybe just wanted a train ride, because once her stop came up and she motioned to Gaara to get off, the man didn't move. Gaara stood up and looked down at him, but the man was engrossed in his book and didn't seem to notice him. "Excuse me, sir," Sakura said as she got up from her own seat. "He needs to get off at the next one." Again, the man didn't even acknowledge her. Did he have hearing problems? Gaara's eyes narrowed, more visibly this time. The sand in the gourd he carried around was starting to shift around, causing the gourd to move slightly on his back. Annoyed at the man but also worried for his life, Sakura reached out and poked him. "Excuse me!" By this point they were just coming up to the stop, others were lining up near the door. The man waved her off.

In a flash, Gaara grabbed the book and threw it. It landed with a thump on the other side of the car. The man's eyes lit up angrily, and he opened his mouth to yell at them. That is, until he saw Gaara and finally realised who he was sitting beside. "S-sorry," he said quickly, suddenly very eager to move out of the way. Gaara wordlessly stepped past him.

People were in a rush to leave, especially those who just witnessed the encounter. So when the doors opened, others cleared out quite quickly. One of those people lost their balance and fell into him. The impact was almost immediate. Already annoyed from the past encounter, sand shot out from Gaara's gourd.

"No!" Sakura had never ran so fast in her life. She threw herself in front of the person and held her hands up to protect herself and them. The sand stopped just millimeters away from her. "Gaara, stop, please."

No one in the train car was moving now. He looked at her and the person she was protecting rather darkly. His mood actually seemed to get worse after she protected the other person for some reason. For a moment, Sakura thought he was going to attack her. Oh Gods, what if she died right here on the train? Her heart suddenly felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. No, no please, she had so much to live for. She wanted to move, say something, do anything. But she felt frozen in place. Was Baki sure he couldn't harm her?

Then, as quickly as it came out, the sand retreated back into the gourd. Gaara turned away from her and abruptly walked out of the train. Sakura silently blessed whatever deity existed as she slowly stood up. She had never been so scared in her life, she really thought she was going to get very hurt or worse. That look in his eyes...All over someone with a book and another person bumping into him by accident. What was his life like, where he was willing to injure someone over that? Oh Gods, what had she gotten herself into? Why couldn't her Oplo be a nice person, or at the very least sane?

The door to the car began to close and Sakura was very tempted to stay inside, to get away from him. To let him be someone else's problem. But he would probably be found and get killed. Or he could really harm somebody else. And as much as she would like to avoid him at the moment, she'd like to avoid either of those scenarios, especially the latter. It seemed like she might be the only one who could talk him down, and just barely at that. And she told herself that if was going to be a great mage, she couldn't run away from difficult situations, easier said than done. So just as the doors were about to close, she rushed out after him. The doors nearly shut on her as she left. He had been standing still with his head tilted back, waiting to see what she would do. Once she caught up with him, he wordlessly started walking with her, though he kept a healthy distance between them. She certainly didn't complain about that.

As they walked, she saw that others around them were staring, some were whispering about them. They stopped when she glanced at them, but continued when she turned her eyes away. She heard snippets of their conversations. Did you see that? What a demon. No control over him. Monster. If Gaara had heard them, he didn't acknowledge it, he kept his eyes facing forward. Was he used to hearing this? Despite what had just taken place, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little bad for him at that thought. She couldn't imagine having people constantly whisper about you everywhere you went. Was that why he left Suna? Well, that and the death sentence.

While they continued to walk, Sakura felt compelled to make small talk, to try and cut the tension that she felt between them. Maybe if they got to know each other better he wouldn't be as scary, and would listen to her more. "So...got any hobbies?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. No response, didn't even look her way. "Baki mentioned you have siblings, what are they like?" He shifted a tad when she mentioned his siblings, but didn't do anything beyond that. Whelp, she tried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thankfully the hospital was close by. Konoha General was the biggest hospital in the city, as well as the busiest. There were always many people in the emergency room, which was where Sakura worked. It wasn't her ideal place, she wanted to be a specialist, but it did let her see a wide variety of cases and situations. And she was never bored. The familiar scents of sanitizer and cleaning products filled her senses as they walked in.

"Welcome," Sakura said to Gaara in an attempt to make some conversation. Hopefully if he was more relaxed he would be less inclined to bring his sand out. "It's not the fanciest hospital ever, but it's got a lot of good people working in it." He didn't respond to her.

They walked past the main entrance where guests were checking in. When she walked farther into the building, she was quickly faced with a problem, what she should do with Gaara? He couldn't help her with her work, in fact he might make things worse by scaring her patients. But what else could she do with him?

Her thoughts when interrupted when she was approached by her mentor. "Sakura," Tsunade said. "Welcome, who is this with you?" Tsunade wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Sakura.

"This is Gaara, he's my Oplo," Sakura said, deciding to ignore the implication of Tsunade's actions. While Gaara was nice to look at, he was too scary to look at for too long. After she said it, she realised that it was her first time introducing him as such. It felt...odd. She didn't feel the immense amount of relief and pride she thought she would feel before meeting him. She used to imagine that once she finally got her Oplo she'd be yelling about it from the rooftops. Maybe she would one day, but it really depended on how this month would go. He was definitely not what she had been expecting.

Tsunade smiled. "Congratulations! I knew you were waiting for them for a while, I was starting to think you might not get one. Gaara," she looked at him, he stared back at her. "Tell me, are you a healer like Sakura?" Gaara shook his head wordlessly. "That's too bad, but it's not unheard of. Tell me, what can you do?"

Gaara still didn't say anything, Sakura was starting to wonder if he was mute. "He can manipulate sand," Sakura spoke up, gesturing to the gourd on his back.

"Interesting," Tsunade said. "Earth magic isn't that common in Konoha, where are you from?"

Again, Gaara said nothing. So Sakura spoke up for him. "He's from Suna," she said.

"I see, welcome to our city," Tsunade said. "I'm glad Sakura was able to find her Oplo, I was starting to think she was going to be alone forever. Now we just need to find her a boyfriend."

Sakura froze then immediately turned red at the comment. "...Thanks Tsunade." Then, in an attempt to change the subject, she said. "So I was wondering if I can bring him with me during my rounds."

Tsunade thought about it for a second and then paused. "I'm sorry, but no Sakura."

Sakura frowned a little. "I know he's not a medic, but I thought Oplos were allowed to accompany their Hosts when they worked?" She knew of a couple of other medics that had their Oplos follow them around.

"They can, after their Oplos are approved," Tsunade said, looking at Gaara. "I have to get to know them a little first. Gaara can wait in the waiting room as you work. Don't worry Gaara, there are plenty of books to read in the waiting room and there are many interesting people who come to our hospital, you won't get bored."

Once again, he said nothing. Maybe he really was mute after all. He turned away and made his way towards the waiting room. "Tsunade," Sakura said in a quiet pitch once he was out of hearing distance. "Are there security guards there?"

"Of course," Tsunade said. "Why, are you worried for his wellbeing? Or," her eyes narrowed a little. "The wellbeing of the people waiting to get in?"

Something about her gaze made Sakura feel like she was getting in trouble. "The latter," she admitted. "I-I don't know him very well, and you saw the kind of aura he has," she said.

Tsunade nodded. "I did, and I'll keep that in mind. Now start your rounds."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Man, these shifts are so boring," Shin said, leaning up against the wall.

Usen tried to not complain at work, at least not vocally (he swore that Tsunade could hear things through the walls), he found himself nodding. Nothing happened on these midday shifts. When you were a bodyguard, that could be a good thing because if things weren't boring, things could get messy very fast. But so many shifts with nothing happening got to you after a while, it made the days feel very repetitive. There also weren't that many people in the ER today compared to normal, so you couldn't even really listen to gossip to help make the day go by faster.

"Not one interesting person in the ER," Shin said as he scanned the patients. "No interesting injuries either, looks like everyone just has a bad cold or something. Oh wait, whose this?"

A redhead with a large gourd walked into the room. Despite his loose clothing, it was obvious the man was in good shape. One glance on his face showed that he did not seem to be in the best mood. Usen noticed it immediately and judging by how quickly some others looked at him and shifted in their seats, so did everyone else. He, Usen decided, was someone to avoid during his shift. As long as he was quiet and kept to himself it should be okay, give the guy a some space and-

"This should be fun," Shin said with a grin on his face that suggested he was up to something.

"Wait, what you are doing?" Usen asked. By the time the first word was out of his mouth Shin was already making his way up to the redhead, who was currently sitting in a worn out seat with his eyes shut.

"Hey there," Shin leaned on the seat next to the man. "What brings you in to our lovely hospital?" The other man didn't even acknowledge him, just kept his eyes closed. But Shin was undeterred. "Hey, I'm talking to you. Are you deaf? Lost your hearing maybe?"

"Shin, that's enough," Usen said from his spot on the other side of the room.

Shin pretended that he didn't hear Usen. "Hey, I asked you a question." He poked the man's shoulder. The man opened one eye and looked at him with an expression that made Usen's insides churn a little.

"Shin," This time Usen walked forward out of his concern for his stupid coworker. "Come on, knock it off."

"I think this guy doesn't know how to respond, Usen," Shin said, that stupid grin staying on his face. "He's either deaf and mute, or just stupid. Which is it, bud?" Shin lifted another hand, Usen assumed to either tap or push the guy.

Either way, Shin's hand never made it to its target. In about 3 seconds Shin was suddenly on the ceiling, glued there by strains of sand. The redhead was now standing up, his arm raised as he anchored Shin up. "Ah-let me go!" Shin said, his grin quickly gone and replaced with a look of fear. "Please! Let me go."

The redhead shifted his hand and the sand tightened. "Please," Usen said, too scared to move. "He's an idiot, but he's harmless." The redhead didn't acknowledge him.

By now everyone in the waiting room was staring up in shock. Tsunade also came running into the room. "What's going on here? Gaara, let him go! Now!" She went right up to him, her own magic gathered around her and she lifted her fist. "Don't make this worse than it needs to be."

Gaara looked at her, then back at Shin, then dropped his hand. The sand went back into the gourd and Shin came crashing down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You really need to stop taking so many risks, Misawa," Sakura said as she did a soothing spell after popping the man's shoulder back in place.

"But then I wouldn't see you anymore," Misawa protested, "And you're so nice, and so pretty."

Sakura would have more open to the compliment if Misawa wasn't over 40 years old and married. Why did men feel like they needed to act so creepy? He had already asked her out on a date once, she had pretended he was kidding. She forced herself to give a small smile. "Thanks."

"Sakura!" Another medic came running into the curtain. "Come here, you're needed." Sakura looked over to Misawa and his file. She'd love a reprieve from him but- "Forget that, you're needed in the waiting room."

The waiting room? Gaara, Sakura realised with her eyes wide. What happened? What did he do? She dropped her spell then came out running.

The scene that she ran into was tense. One of the security guards, Shin was his name if she remembered correctly, was on the ground looking like he had just jumped off from a short cliff. A quick scan told her at least his wrist and left knee was injured. Others were huddled together, visibly shaken but whatever had just happened. Tsunade was looking at Shin as he was loaded onto a gurney but a couple of other medics. Gaara was standing still with a security guard who really did not look like he enjoyed standing beside her Oplo. Whatever happened, she really didn't look impressed. "What happened here?" Sakura asked.

"Follow me," Tsunade said, indicating with her hand to the far corner of the waiting room. Sakura knew better than to question her and quickly followed her. Once they were out of the hearing distance of others, Tsunade said. "Your Oplo dropped the security guard from the ceiling."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Oh no."

"Sakura," Tsunade had never talked to Sakura in this tone before, like Sakura was furious with her. "Your main duty as a medic is to help patients, heal them and keep them safe. I did some research on Gaara during your shift and found out about how he was wanted up until you agreed to take him on. He's dangerous, his actions today confirmed it. You should have never brought him to the hospital." Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't make any words come out. She just felt embarrassed and ashamed. "Take him and go, don't bring him again until you have him under control."

With her head down, Sakura nodded. "Sorry," she mumbled. If today was any indication, it was going to be a long month...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Usen wasn't the type to tattle on his friends. He prided himself on keeping his nose to the ground and minding his own business. But he just couldn't do that today. It was about half an hour after the incident, Shin went from employee to patient and complained to the whole unit how he wasn't a fan of it and how much of an asshole that Gaara was. Usen could only stay by his side for half a minute until he got sick of hearing it.

"Tsunade, are you busy?" Usen asked. Tsunade was sitting in her office, five flours up from the emergency unit. She was pouring over papers, probably documenting what had just taken place today.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's about today," Usen said. "It really wasn't Gaara's fault. I mean the guy terrifies me and I definitely don't want to see him anytime soon. But he didn't start the whole mess, Shin did. He was trying to rile Gaara up, cause a scene."

"I thought as much when I went into the room." Tsunade said.

"Wait, you did?" Usen asked, surprised by her statement. "And you still ordered him out?"

Tsunade nodded. "Shin was an idiot, but there are always going to be idiots, people who try to poke the bear. Gaara needs to accept that and learn how to deal with that. Until that happens, he can't endanger my patients or my staff."

"That makes sense," Usen said, leaning on her doorframe. "Poor Sakura, saddled with a guy like that as her Oplo. She's such a nice girl."

"Sakura has a temper of her own, takes after her mentor that way," Tsunade said with a smile and a small chuckle. "She'll figure out how to handle him, it will just take time. I think they'll be good for each other, she needs someone to keep her on her toes. Now get out of my office, I have paperwork to fill out."

Gaara wasn't the only one in the hospital who could be intimidating.