As with most any fanfiction, it is better enjoyed with complete disregard to the actual events, actions and even characters of the original story. And also a glass of milk.

Second Encounter

Sakura loved baths. She loved hot baths, so hot it felt like her skin would burn and fall off. Sometimes she wished it would. To be reborn as the entirely new and pure person who lived under her skin; that was her wish. As it was, she was stuck in this body; a body that would never be fast enough or strong enough, no matter how hard she trained. The simple, cruel truth was that she had no talent, no inherent abilities to make her strong enough.

So she had quit being a ninja. She hated the thought that she would never be good enough to be of any real use to anyone, that she would always be holding others back, so she found herself another job, something she could handle. Sakura opened up a jewelry shop, and she was surprisingly good at making her own jewelry.

She still trained, as intensely as sheplanned. She was much faster and stronger than two years ago, but it just wasn't enough.

Still, she enjoyed her life the way it was now. Making jewelry kept her occupied and she liked doing it. Making rings for happy couples, bracelets for tentative ones.

Naruto and Sasuke lived next door to her apartment, in their own two bedroom place. Sakura lived alone in her tiny apartment, the only one she could afford, and she liked it that way. It was comfortable. It was nice having those two next door, pretending to be her guard dogs. Life was… nice.

There were days when Sakura was left alone, when her friends went away on missions. And those days were okay too, she told herself. She would open shop earlier, work harder, train harder and longer, anything to keep from thinking. She had learned to appreciate silence, both in her surroundings and in herself. Of course, she still enjoyed her occasional rants.

She sighed and ducked her head under the water to rinse her stubbly hair. Almost as soon as she had returned form the desert she had hacked it all off, sick of trying to be impressive. Now it stuck out at all angles; she looked like a fuzzy pink porcupine.

As she got out and glanced in the mirror she swore she saw a face behind her. She spun around quickly with her fists out but only managed to slip on the wet floor and crack her head against the sink.

"I need a bigger bathroom," she muttered, "And calmer nerves."

Within five minutes she had dressed and was out of the apartment on her way to work. The wonderful thing about owning her own business was that she could choose her own hours. The downside was that she was dirt poor.

Sakura sat behind her counter calculating her finances when Naruto burst in.

"The conquering hero has returned!" he yelled and bounced around the room. Growing up had done nothing to mature him mentally. Sasuke walked in behind him much more quietly.

"It was an easy mission."

"Feel like celebrating?" Sakura asked, "Perhaps with some lovely anklets?" she held up a couple of flowery anklets as she said so and raised her eyebrows at the two.

Naruto landed on the counter in front of her with his tongue out, "Don't you ever think about anything but work?"

"Hey, a girl's got to live," Sakura shrugged good naturedly. Naruto was always bugging her to lighten up, but she was unmoved by his words. 'I'm happy enough dink knob!' she thought and smirked. Naruto shrugged back at her and lay back on her counter.

"Stop that! You'll scare away my customers you big pigface!" She grinned and kicked the two of them out of her shop, saying she needed to do finances, which she did.

Sakura settled back behind the counter and lugged out the black folder, but she heard Sasuke talking an unusual lot outside so she went to make sure they weren't scaring away potential customers.

She stepped outside and for a moment forgot to breathe when she saw who they were talking to. Someone who would definitely scare away customers.

"Gaara." She breathed and his clear green eyes turned away from Sasuke to stare at her.

Gaara glared at the girl, noticing she had cut off all her hair. How very practical of her.

"You're still alive," he noted.

"You didn't honestly think the desert could get me did you?" she asked. Gaara wasn't sure if she expected an answer, but he didn't need to worry as Naruto interrupted his thoughts.

"What the hell are you talking about? Since when do you guys know each other?"

Gaara stared at Sakura, who returned his gaze without flinching. He wondered how much she hadn't told them.

"What are you doing here Gaara?" Sasuke demanded. He was always such a demanding little brat.

"Mission." Gaara was quickly getting sick of talking to these idiots, so he left in a gust of sand. "I'm just passing through."