Ohhhh this and an ending chappie then I need to concentrate on wedding planning again for realsies. Next tribute fic better be a oneshot, (hear that brain?). :x Hope everyone had a good time with this so far. I was tempted to take this in a more M sort of direction, but I think I'm happy sticking in the T sort of area. I've gotten surprisingly bashful recently. Oh my. Too much Victorian literature. Thank you so much to those of you who embraced this madness!
Disclaimer: See Part I
The mail was supposed to arrive any day, and Sakura became glum. Not only had Gaara's mood become more severe as he noted her apparent misery, but the almost companionable interactions they had had after the baker incident had devolved back into tense avoidance.
Two days ago she made a terrible miscalculation, thinking him gone for the whole day scouting out some territory (as Temari had told her), only to have him return while she was oiling her skin. There had been shrieking on her part, something she was not proud of, and Gaara had turned as white as wool before turning around on his heel and exiting the tent. She hadn't seen him for nearly a full day after that, and when he did return he was looking at her warily, like she had sprung some sort of trap on him.
It didn't matter how much of her had been covered when he had come in, because no amount of clothing would make her feel the same around him.
Temari found her concerns about Gaara seeing her under-garmented quaint. Once she understood what had happened, being the only person Sakura felt like she could talk to about it, and she had stopped laughing, she said simply: Gaara has been to war. That had taken further elaboration, which Temari actually blanched at explaining to someone like Sakura who had not ever gotten close to a battlefield even if she had seen soldiers with injuries when she was at home and they came to her father for treatment. Gory breaks and deep oozing wounds were all Sakura knew of a soldier's life. By the time they had finished talking Sakura had learned the word for "prostitute" in a new language and was just more confused by Gaara's reaction to her since now it didn't even seem logical.
There was public art less decent than she had been, but he was acting like she carried a disease communicable by looking at her. More upsetting to Sakura was not that he was acting like a child about this but that by being the offended one he had robbed her of the ability to be indignant! Annoyed, slightly churlish, Sakura decided to press her advantage while she had it. If he became aggravated to the point he didn't want her around then maybe she'd be put on the road to Rome without a struggle, (though the idea that he tossed her out due to physical revulsion was highly ego bruising.)
Catching a man's attention was not something she had been trained to do directly, but she was smart enough to have observed how it worked. Ino had been practicing feminine wiles with an eye to making an advantageous marriage for a few years now, and Sakura wondered if attractiveness weren't its own sort of weapon in a war she had kept well out of in favor of a family first ethic. Looking pretty wasn't enough when the target was keeping their distance, so after a silent breakfast Sakura began to strategize. The best chance would be in the evening when he returned and couldn't avoid her, and Sakura gathered her courage throughout the day for what seemed like a spectacularly bad idea, (but the only idea she'd had therefore deceptively tempting).
"You moved things." Gaara, with his uncanny attention to detail, stared at her in accusatory displeasure upon returning at sundown.
Sakura's face twisted into a scowl only briefly before she forced herself to smile. "I thought maybe a nice meal tonight would be good for both of us. I spent my own money to purchase it, so I insist."
He couldn't refuse that, no one could, though he managed to look even more displeased. Shifting on the balls of his feet as if he were preparing to fight as she approached, Sakura brought a basin of water over to him and set it on the small table she had moved from near the bed.
Swallowing hard and reminding herself to breathe, Sakura took ahold of one of his hands and plunged it into the bowl between them to clean up before the evening meal. Dumbstruck, he just watched her wash off his hand but snatched it back dripping when he came back to reality.
"Stop." He hissed.
As she retreated towards the table where she had laid out the food she felt little jolt of triumph. It seemed to be working! She'd be out of this place in no time at all! With a more genuine smile, she beckoned him to the table.
Gaara sat, back straight as a column, regarding her with deep mistrust and evaluating the spread before him. Sakura had gotten roasted pork, an assortment of winter vegetables, and dried fruit (the only truly pricey thing she had found in the village) all of which she had supervised the preparation and presentation of so that it would look both appetizing and artistic.
"I promise you won't need your sword at dinner." She wasn't sure if that oversight had been intentional on his part when he looked at her with narrowed eyes.
Once he returned Sakura began to engage in prattle, trying to think of every amusing story she could think of about home. She lead with the time she and Ino had been caught stealing pears from the larder, and how the cook had chased them around hitting them on the head with a spoon until they had promised never to steal anything again. Her friends and their quirks followed from Hinata's debilitating shyness to Ten Ten's obsession with all the latest brushes and tools she used in her artwork. Chouji's terrible food experiments were next as Gaara made his way through the food as if she had assigned him a mission to eat.
"You must have had childhood friends," she led, sipping wine to wet her dry throat.
"We're not talking about my childhood." He stabbed the carving knife into what was left of the pork and left it there, sticking out sideways.
Sakura cleared her throat. "What about your friends now? You must have someone you can talk to."
"No." He hesitated after delivering the definitive with conviction. "Not here, anyway."
"So what about me?" Sakura felt his gaze practically burn a hole in her from across the table. "Am I your friend?"
"I don't know what you are." He admitted, his voice sounding strained.
Emotions were his weakness, she reminded herself. Time to make him squirm. She fortified this foolishness with another deep drink of wine, and put on what she hoped was a sexy expression. Picking up a shriveled brown thing that used to be a fig, she nibbled it and felt her stomach churn as his expression became stormy.
"You haven't had dessert yet." Her inner voice gave something between a laugh and a groan when she added "Don't you see anything you want?"
Maybe she had gone too far or even read the situation wrong, she admitted to herself, when with a sudden lurch Gaara upended the entire heavy dining table and deposited all the food on the ground in a clatter of serving trays and utensils. The table landed on top of what was left of the food with a thunk, and Sakura squished the remains of her fig in one hand as Gaara stood up and strode over to her across the space the table had occupied moments before.
Her heart was in her throat as he lifted her bodily by her upper arms and brought his mouth down forcefully on hers. This close she could see the deep tired lines in the dark skin around his eyes, and his skin felt impossibly hot on her own. Once she got the presence of mind to struggle, he responded by clamping down on her arms more tightly and pulling himself off of her mouth with a shuddering breath.
"I want…" the words seemed to bring him pain, and she never would have guessed the tremor running through him except for how close together they were made it impossible to ignore. "Nothing," he said it harshly, an intense whisper throwing blame at her for something she didn't understand.
The next kiss was less suffocating as he released her arms and buried his hands into her hair, practically cradling her cheeks with his palms. Her eyes began to close on their own as she leaned in just barely, reacting on instinct now that logic had been erased by shock.
When he let her go she dropped boneless to the seat still underneath her. She was convinced the softness she had just experienced was an illusion when he looked down on her with such pure hate she thought her days on the earth were done.
"Get your things and go to Temari." She didn't know what the consequences of staying meant, but any eventuality was frightening. He turned on his heel and left the tent, taking nothing with him but obviously unwilling to be there with her one moment longer.
She was tearing up on the walk through camp, but by the time she had crossed the border into the village she had bottled up her emotions with the same steely determination that kept the memories of that horrible day with the caravan largely unacknowledged. What she couldn't deny was that she had won the day and succeeded in gaining freedom, but that it felt Pyrrhic.
"Scouts spotted the wagon up ahead. It's being accompanied by a small force, which is ideal for you." Kankuro brought her the news with a smile.
Sakura had already traded a very nice ring to Temari for a horse, with the intention of riding near the mail wagon, but if there were soldiers escorting the wagon then she could know she'd be afforded all the protection of a Roman citizen. It was like fate was smiling on her departure, with Sakura grumping back at it.
"You look like him," Temari said, in her own tongue and Sakura gave her an extra sour look. Temari said something she couldn't follow and laughed to herself. There was no need to elaborate who him was and Sakura just wanted to put the whole thing behind her. Going back home to rebuild was her future.
Laughter was coming from down the road, and multiple wagons were creating dust as they made their slow way in. A weird feeling of familiarity tickled at the back of Sakura's brain and as she nervously made doubly sure everything was packed securely for her journey it finally hit her.
Merely suspicion folded into disbelieving realization as the only man she had ever known who could light up a room like a sun with his smile came into view.
"Sakura?!" Naruto stopped in his tracks, practically leapt off his horse and ran towards her to sweep her up into a hug. "I had read something horrible from Hinata not long ago, but I'm glad she heard wrong. What are you doing here? Are you travelling to Rome? Where's your father?"
He punctuated each question with a squeeze before letting her down to get some air. Temari had somehow disappeared when she looked to her for support from the onslaught of cheerfulness that was her oldest friend and brother in every sense but blood.
"What are you doing here?" She dodged the answers to his questions she didn't want to even broadly outline without some time to compose herself. "I thought you had been sent east!"
Naruto made a face, "I've pulled messenger duty for a little while now, but it has its upside. I've seen a lot of fantastic places and fought next to dozens of infantry units. They won't be able to keep me from a promotion much longer if I keep it up!" The world had never seen a volunteer cavalryman like Naruto, and Sakura was happy he was alive and chasing his childhood dream, emphasis on alive.
"What possible message could you need to deliver here?" Sakura looked around the village which seemed as placid as ever. "There are practically no soldiers here."
"This village probably has a dozen field units out at any time. Standing forces are small but that's because it's a pretty obscure location, and unlikely to be attacked. You know, hidden." He clapped her on the back. "Besides, even if someone found it, it would be suicide to attack anything under Praefectus Gaara. Might as well slit your own throat and get it over with. This is one of the safest places in the whole empire. Are you heading straight to Rome or can you stay a few days?"
"I, uh…" It was like they had seen one another only yesterday, and not years ago. Naruto was so tall now, he actually seemed like a man and not a boy. However, what would never seem adult is how he ran at the mouth when he got excited, and the conversational left turn had her stuttering.
"If you can hold on a bit I'm sure I can have Gaara order me as escort back home. It would be nice to see Hinata and everyone." The glimmer in his eye told her the 'and everyone' was probably optional. "We're friends so I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
Naruto, who assumed everyone was basically good sometimes even when provided evidence to the contrary, must have been mistaken. They might both be cavalry, but Gaara wasn't exactly collegial.
Her doubt permeated her voice as she repeated to him, "You're his friend."
"You'll see," Naruto said, "If you haven't met him yet I think you'll find him kind of silent at first but he's a good guy. I saved his life once, you know, let me tell you about that…" His chest puffed up and he clapped an arm around her shoulders, stopping her protests simply by talking over them.
"Out!"
"I told you so."
"Gaara, I don't understand, Sakura said you saved her life."
"Uzumaki, you may stay but she," the word slid through his mouth like something distasteful, "Has to go."
Naruto, confused and caught between his oldest friend and a superior officer, pleaded with her by way of puppy eyes to just wait outside again. Voices rose and fell in the tent as Naruo and Gaara talked it out, and Sakura was suddenly glad she had at least told him a little bit about what had brought her here even if she hadn't mentioned anything about what had kept her here this long. Mental distress and inclement weather had been her way of brushing away the last few months of her life, finding it too weird to explain her twisted romantic involvement.
"Sounds like you're stuck until the blond idiot decides to leave, eh?" Kankuro had fallen in step with Sakura and she wandered back to Gaara's family home. If he was trying to make her smile, he wasn't succeeding.
"Sounds like it."
Kankuro continued on with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying his own jokes. "Well, you don't eat much and whatever it is that makes you organize things has benefitted the house so I suppose Temari and I can tolerate you."
Upon entering, Sakura walked back to the empty room she had been occupying in Gaara's family home. It was some sort of closet that they had brought a bed into, and her small bundle of stuff sat in the corner, letting her know that someone (either Temari or Kankuro) had probably stabled her horse and moved her things. For acting like they were above everything they certainly helped her out a lot, and Sakura liked them well enough. There had been too much emotion to deal with recently and she found that, despite being midday she was incredibly tired but not at all sleepy.
There was a lone window, and in the puddle of light on the floor she spread out a blanket and began to meticulously polish and lay out all of her father's medical tools which had now become hers. The world, and one man in particular, may have lost it but medicine always made sense. Sakura had a decent idea on how to fix people's bodies, but it turned out she was pretty terrible at some of the less tangible things.
"You're sad." Temari, catching Sakura by surprise, stood in the doorway to the room and surveyed the neatly displayed instruments.
"Yes, I guess I am."
Temari struggled with the Latin but clarified, "No. You are pitiful."
"HEY."
"Our druid said he would speak with you."
Sakura, who mistrusted what she knew of druids, didn't look as excited as Temari felt she ought to be. Some of her nervousness was alleviated when Kankuro joined them, saying he had been recruited as translator. As the siblings led her outside of town to a small clearing that contained a lone hut, Sakura was even less sure of everything. There were skins outside the hut, drying in the sun, and a pungent smell that seemed like herbs with underlying rot. If anything was against the gods she had grown up with, surely this must be.
Temari took up what looked like a guard post near the door, and Kankuro knocked and waited. Sakura had never seen Kankuro knock so she figured this person must either be scary or important. The door opened and she arrived firmly at scary. He wore a long brown robe tied with leather at the waist, and the red hair looked spikey and silky over a pretty, boyish face. The man smiled, showing lines around his face that gave away his age a little at last, and gestured them in.
He spoke in a lilting tone, the rise and fall of it somewhat entrancing, and Sakura looked around the hut as Kankuro and the druid conversed. Dried animals, pelts, and bundles of herbs all hung from the ceiling and swayed slightly. There were spider webs in the corners, fat black spiders catching the bugs that were circling the carcasses. It was the combination of things that seemed wrong, she arrived at. Seeing skins at a leatherworker or herbs with an herbalist was the way of things, but seeing the strange sharp knives mounted on the wall next to hooks and sickles made her feel like this was a tiny piece of underworld.
"Sasori said he is happy you came to see him at last."
"Has he been asking for me?" Sakura hadn't heard anything about that.
"Ever since you arrived, Gaara has barred him entrance to see you."
A warm glow of appreciation sparked unbidden in her chest before she stomped on it. "I'm not important, and I'll be leaving soon."
Kankuro repeated her words to the druid. Sasori smiled his peculiar smile and said something for Kankuro to translate while looking her in the eyes, unblinking.
"Sasori says that your knowledge of medicine would be valuable for the village. He also says that his knowledge would be valuable for you, too. If you stay." Kankuro possibly had not known what Sasori was thinking because he didn't seem happy to relay this information.
Even repulsed by the idea of spending more time here in this hut than strictly necessary, she was curious. "What kind of knowledge does he mean?"
Kankuro, clearly and visibly uncomfortable now, didn't need to confer with Sasori for that one. "He makes poisons and their antidotes. Medicine sometimes, but not always." He shifted his weight from foot to foot, while Sasori stayed unnaturally still and continued to watch Sakura. "He doesn't mean teaching you any of the druidic secrets, but he wants to know more of your modern Roman medicine and in return he will offer you similar knowledge."
"Tell him I'll think about it. I need to speak to Naruto before I do anything." Get me out of here! She didn't need to talk to Naruto; she needed out of this hut immediately and permanently.
Sasori and Kankuro conferred a bit longer and as she left the druid took her hand and ran impossibly cold and smooth fingers over her knuckles before waving them out with another smile, showing the hint of a dimple in one cheek. For being so beautiful and kind she couldn't shake the feeling like there was something wrong with him. Sakura didn't feel like she could breathe again until the hut was out of sight.
None of them spoke about the visit: Kankuro didn't approve, Temari couldn't articulate anything Sakura could understand, and Sakura was lost in thought. It would be an in, a place among the villagers sanctioned by the old gods. It implied that she had an expertise no one else possessed, and they would let her use it. No one in Rome would see a lady doctor, not officially, but out here among barbarians who would know or judge? In Rome she would be a bride, run a household, have children, and live the same life she saw her mother lead. That life had been easy, monotonous, but not without good points, assuming she married a nice man. Practically without family of any kind there was no guarantee she would marry at all, and living alone would be unbearable and very likely impossible. She'd have people who counted on her here if she stayed. But to leave Rome, and her friends, forever…
"How old is the druid?" Sakura needed to shake off all the heaviness today, somehow.
"Old enough to be our father." Kankuro said finally, then uncertainly. "We think."