Gaara watched the woman in front of him, hardly comprehending that she was actually there, and now she was demanding answers from him. He shook his head.
"Oh good!" Sakura sat back and observed him, "But they still suspect you of course. Well actually, they're all convinced it's you and they want you dead."
Gaara snorted, "Doesn't everyone."
Sakura shook her head. He wasn't sure if she was shaking her head because it was the truth or because she was disagreeing with him.
"I know you can take care of yourself, but…" here she grinned at him, "You meditate too deeply. And they're going to send jounin after you and… well I just thought you should know."
Gaara glared at her, "What's it to you?"
Sakura's eyes grew wide and she leaned back. She started picking at her clothing as she did when she was nervous, or had something to hide. "I just wanted to be sure you knew, so you can prepare in case they find you and they will. I mean, the sandstorm isn't exactly the best hiding place for you."
Gaara realized he was keeping the sandstorm going and let it drop. The sudden silence made him feel he had gone deaf. "I don't need to hide."
Sakura's shoulders drooped forward a little and her hair dropped over her eyes. She should really cut it again. "I know that…" she said, "I just… I worry about you." She spoke so quietly he wondered if he had imagined it, then she looked up and spoke louder, "And it's not like there's just going to be a few jounin after you. They know you're strong and they want you dead. And there's probably a price on your head by now."
Gaara almost believed her when she said she was only here to warn him, but he knew better from years of hate from others. She couldn't be telling him everything. He decided to be nice to her anyway, "Alright. Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked, hoping she would say yes, even if it was all just a plot to get him to go back with her. He didn't really care what she wanted anyway; life was just too boring to spend it this way.
Sakura nodded, "But you can't come all the way with me," She bit her lip. Not a plot then. She looked around at the sand now entirely covering the village, "Why do we always end up back here?"
"It has sentimental value," Gaara offered sarcastically.
Sakura laughed, "Do you know that I actually miss living with you? It took me eight months to come to terms with it and I still don't understand why."
'Eight months? It's been eight months?' Gaara thought. What had he been doing in all that time? Sitting here? Well at least he hadn't been bored.
"You could walk me part of the way home, if it's not too much trouble." Sakura said, turning to face him.
"I'm the one who offered in the first place," Gaara pointed out, "No need to be so polite."
They stopped to camp just at the border of the desert. This was where they would part ways once again. But tonight they would spend together.
Sakura stopped Gaara before he could go into a meditative state. "I'm sure you've had enough of that to last you a few years by now." She said, "Why don't you join the living tonight? Or one of them, a rather pathetic and half alive excuse for one."
"Good!" she said when Gaara sat back and did not attempt to get away. She wondered why he meditated so often anyway. "So what was it like? All those months?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" she echoed, a bit disappointed, "Weren't you even hungry?"
He shook his head, "I'm not much like you." He really had become quite sarcastic.
"So where will you go?"
"I shouldn't tell you that. You'll give me away."
If he had been anyone else (mostly just Naruto) she would have given him the smack down right then, but she was still a little afraid of him, though she hated to admit it. "Fine. I'll just change the subject again, but I can't keep this up all night."
"I can." Gaara said, and Sakura almost wished he would have winked. 'But that would just be creepy.'
"So, have you heard about the new Kazekage?" she asked, hoping he would actually talk about this.
"He can't be that new, considering how long I've been gone."
"Well, ok, but have you met him?"
"No."
Sakura leaned back on her elbows, "He seems a pleasant enough fellow. I think he'll do a good job, so does Temari I think."
"You saw Temari?" It was too bad he spoke with such indifference or Sakura would have thought he actually cared for his sister. Instead it seemed he asked more for Sakura's sake than out of any genuine interest.
"I stayed with her for a night. She wants to see you."
Gaara snorted, "You don't know my family."
"Fine." Sakura shrugged, knowing it was useless to push him. They sat in silence; Sakura knew that if she didn't speak he wouldn't either and the silence was comfortable.
"If they come after you, please don't kill them." She said suddenly, quietly. She almost felt bad for breaking the silence.
"You said yourself they want to kill me."
Why did he seem to feel the need to contradict and refuse all of her requests? "I know but it will help me." She was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words, "You have to prove them wrong as well as you can until we can really prove them wrong with evidence." Please.
What a fool. Sakura should know that if this 'they' she spoke of thought he was a murderer, they were right. Even though he hadn't killed those ninja, how many others had he killed? He had lived all his life knowing that everyone wanted him dead. Knowing how much easier it would be for everyone if he would just give up and die.
He agreed to her plea anyway. He was rather disgusted with how weak he had become with the woman, but so it was. "Fine."
She lay back, apparently satisfied. Soon she was asleep, leaving him in the waking world.
'No point in staying here.'
When Sakura woke up she was alone. 'Figures,' she though bitterly and went on her way.
She arrived in the village a few days later in the late afternoon. Before going back to her apartment she stopped at Ino's place, but she wasn't home. She was feeling low as she walked home, and, of course, it started to rain. She lifted her face to the sky and opened her mouth to let the rain fall in.
Sasuke and Naruto were out as well she noticed as she unlocked her door. Sighing, she opened the door and made her way to the bedroom. 'A nap would be nice' she thought, but she never made it to her bed.
Gaara sat on the roof and watched Temari's door. Sakura seemed to think Temari wanted to see him, but it was just so unlike his family…
He burst into a cloud of sand as the door opened and Temari came out with a man dressed in black; the Kazekage. He watched as the man walked away and Temari turned to look up at the place where he had been sitting moments ago. She looked so strange… old.
Gaara let himself drift away. It was useless. He might as well not hide. He should just do whatever he wanted, and right now he wanted to find Sakura and tell her not to bother. He wasn't worth the trouble she had said she would go through for him.
It didn't take him long to reach the village. He traveled so much faster without her there to slow him down.
Before he entered he could tell something was wrong. He went in to her apartment through the window. No one was there and her apartment was a mess. Sakura didn't like her space to be messy. So where was she?
He jumped out onto the roof, checking everywhere, but she wasn't in the village anymore.
He stopped running when a shuriken glanced off his back. He turned to see Sasuke jumping at him.
"What did you do to Sakura?" he demanded as his hands formed shapes in the air.
Gaara wrapped him in sand before he could do anything. "Where is she?"
Sasuke glared at Gaara, but Gaara knew he was better at it. How he would love to kill Sasuke right then and there, but he had promised Sakura he wouldn't.
"I don't believe you!" Gaara dodged four more shuriken as Naruto joined them, "If we find her body too, all crushed like the others I will kill you!"
'Why wait, when you're so determined to kill me now?' Gaara thought angrily. 'Why am I so plagued by my promises to her?' And why should he waste time with these two idiots when he could be out finding her?
Gaara squeezed the air from Sasuke until he passed out and raised a sandstorm around himself before leaving. He had more important things to do.
Many thanks to any and every one who has reviewed. You're all lovely chickies.
KageAi and DrkMooNGrl: I'll try my best to update as often as possible