Shee couldn't believe it.
As soon as he arrived to the sensory department, he was sent out on the battle field, since the team out there had trouble locating some revised Akatsuki members.
He was running fast, thinking to be done with it soon, when he saw a man with face paints and a puppet attached to his fingers by chakra strands. He was looking startled at a point, and Shee almost wanted to question him, of why is he not trying to find the enemy, when he felt the ground shaking under him.
Shee had to jump in the air to avoid it, and instantly looked at the direction of the force. That's when he saw something pink flying in the air.
The blonde shinobi landed, while still following her with his gaze.
The girl was fighting a red haired enemy with puppets, who had a mad grin on his mouth, trying to catch her.
Shee found the previous face painted shinobi standing next to him, so he looked at him with a questioning look.
"She is fighting Akasuna Sasori. I tried to help, but he keeps me away."
"Akasuna Sasori?"
"Yeah, Sakura killed him, so I guess..." said the man next to Shee, and he suddenly found himself looking at her again.
She was fascinating.
Her jumps were equal destructive and elegant, her face was flushed from the fight, and somehow Shee even saw a small smirk on her lips, her pink locks flying in the air.
Shee remembered Oteire's words from maybe more than a year ago. She mentioned how Haruno Sakura killed the first Akatsuki member, an S class criminal from Suna, and how she came up with the antidote of one of his famously difficult and cruel poisons in less than a day.
At that time, the only thing Shee felt was a certain proudness towards another shinobi, who did something for the greater good, but now he couldn't even pinpoint what he was feeling...
The man turned to Shee and gestured towards an opening, to which he nodded and they started to run for the attack.
Shee did the hand sings and started to blind Sasori, while the man used his puppet and chakra stings to wrap the revised man in a hold, having a sharp knife on his throat.
"Stop" shouted Sakura, when she landed "You can not kill him like this!" she was looking at the man next to Shee, but he could only follow her, while she slowly walked in front of the Akatsuki member, standing just a step away from him. Sasori seemed to stop moving under the hold.
"Sasori, I need to tell you something." she said, while looking into his eyes, which missed the usual whiteness, Shee could still tell that the redheaded man was focusing his attention on her.
"I thought about you a lot...for you our fight might be recent, but for me it was more than 1 and half year ago" she said, and Shee could hear a gentleness in her tone "You were the first person who acknowledged me, without knowing me...it was a great praise that still gives me strength to fight today"
"Hmph" was the only sound he heard from Sasori
"I didn't kill you...you let yourself be killed...I think because I reached you then" Sasori's eyes widened "On your last breath you helped me...an enemy...I think because I could reach you...something changed then..." she said, and he saw her palm lift up, to touch the face of Sasori
"You changed me that day too...your story...was the final push for me to start actively working on a future where this never happens again..." she said, and Shee saw the small tremble on Sasori's arms
"Your legacy will be happy children under my care...you'll always be remembered...not just as the best puppeteer shinobi...but as someone special to me...and a reason for the kids to have a happy life in all of the hidden villages" to this a single tear traveled down on Sasori's cheek, while he touched her face in return.
"Sakura...thank you..." he said, and Shee saw how his body started to deteriorate until it was gone in the thin air.
The sun was shining behind the trees, illuminating the scene in front of him, how Sakura was standing there, arm still lifted up the the place Sasori's cheek was just a few moments before.
Shee felt a shiver run down on his spine
He finally knew the feeling he felt while watching her
Mesmerized
A few moments later Sakura shook her head and stepped closer to them
"I think Deidara should be close"
"Sakura, how did you...?" started the shinobi next to them
"I didn't, just wanted to tell him that" she said, starring at the ground
Later that day they captured Deidara and killed some Zetsu clones, so the three of them were put to have a four hour rest in one of the tents.
Shee woke up 10 minutes before his due time, but they also needed to wait for further notice on which department should they head in. Before Shee could lift up the blanket he saw two feet standing next to his sleeping bag, and when he looked up, he was faced with jade colored eyes. He took a moment to look at her, study her. She changed, her face looked grown up, the childish puffiness was almost gone completely, yet her eyes were still bright, that and her short hair was what reminded him of Oteire again.
"Hi Shee." she said, with a small smile, and he got up, evading her glance "Do you...?" she started to say
"Yeah, you are an impressive kunoichi" he said with not much emotion in his tone, while he slowly put on his tan Kumo west.
"I'm happy that I could see you again, you haven't changed" she said, and Shee almost felt like smiling
"Can I ask something?" he asked, ignoring the look Kankuro gave him, while getting up, Sakura just nodded "Do you think Sasori had feelings for you?"
Sakura shrugged and sighted before answering
"I think he certainly did" Shee felt his eyes widen "Not sure what nature they were though" she said, and he understood what she meant.
"What you told him, was it true?" he asked, while looking out from the tent at the descending sun on the dunes
"Yeah" she answered with closed eyes, and Shee suddenly felt a kind of calmness that did not fit into a war
"Sakura" started Kankuro from the back, while he walked next to them "What you told Sasori was really...intimate" he said with an alarmed look, and Shee was a bit thankful he asked, because he himself wouldn't have
"And not romantic" she answered with a grin, and Shee, without knowing let out a sigh, as if he suddenly felt better.
"Okay, thank god" said Kankuro with a smile "Where will you go next?"
"Probably to the healing division, you?" she asked
"My guess would be another hunt for Zetsu clones" he said and she giggled "After all this, I'll need to properly thank you"
"Come on, I was just doing what I could" she said, and maybe she wanted to continue, Shee couldn't tell, because someone walked in on the tent.
"Sabaku no Kankuro, you are waited on the battle field 4, to the south."
"Hai" he replied, and with a wave, started to walk out "Don't forget it" said to Sakura and Shee saw the small smile on her
"Yeah, you neither, be careful" Shee found himself again thinking of his mother, and how similar was her demeanor to Sakura's
"Haruno Sakura, Shee, you two are wanted in the Medical Division, be there before 8." ha said and walked out