Hm, someone asked me how old they were now, so let's see... Sakura and Gaara are around thirty I think, but not quite. Late twenties, and Benji is fourteen.

"First stop." Sakura murmured to herself as she stood outside Temari's door. She couldn't really understand why she felt so nervous now, but then again she felt a lot of things she didn't understand. Like insanity.

'Gah!' She shook her head vigorously to shake away those thoughts and knocked on the door.

A small woman in a dress answered the door. Definitely not Temari.

"Oh, um, hello… Is Temari in?"

"Temari?" the woman had a confused look on her face for a moment but quickly recovered, "Oh, she moved a few months ago! Just down the street; would you like her new address?"

Sakura nodded and took the woman's directions down the street to a smaller house. She knocked before giving herself the chance to think her thoughts.

Temari answered the door this time. "Sakura! What brings you to this part of the world? And why haven't you come before with Gaara? Have you come to tell me he won't see me anymore?" she asked teasingly, shocking Sakura into silence for a moment.

"Wait… You mean, he… He came to see you?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you." Temari shrugged, "Well, I suppose I shouldn't have expected him to tell you; it would be rather out of character."

"Have you seen him lately?" Sakura asked suddenly, grabbing Temari's hands.

"Um, no… Not for a while actually." She eyed Sakura's crazy look, "Has he done something to you?"

Sakura slumped back, "No… I did it to myself." 'I went and fell in love with him. Stupid, stupid me.'

Temari frowned and put her arm around Sakura's shoulder, ushering her into her kitchen. "Don't say that; I'm sure it's more his fault than yours. He is kind of a jerk if you haven't noticed."

Sakura smiled weakly, "Yeah, he is." She looked around at Temari's new kitchen to distract herself from thoughts of him. "I like your new house. It's much…"

"Smaller."

Sakura smiled, "I was going to say cozier, but it's that too. I think it suits you much better. That old house felt so lonely."

Temari laughed, "Any house I live in would feel lonely." She looked at a clock on her wall. "Speaking of which… I'm really sorry Sakura, but I have to meet the Kazekage in a little while, but if you want to stay here I'll be back later tonight."

"Oh. No, that's fine, I was just passing through. It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too." Temari said.

They went outside together. Just as Temari was leaving Sakura had the urge to hug the other woman. And so she did.

Temari was so surprised being ambushed from behind she just stood there.

"It really is nice to see you." Sakura said, "Maybe I should come see you more often?"

Temari nodded, "Yeah, definitely. Pass through this way more often." Temari said and grinned at Sakura before turning and walking away.

Sakura watched her go and when she turned the corner turned and walked the other way.

Benji closed the door behind him, and then turned slowly to face the empty room. The empty house. He felt strange, feeling so lonely; he felt that maybe now he understood how Sakura felt when she told him she didn't understand herself.

Benji was getting sick of this empty house. And he told the house so, every day when he came home. "I'm getting sick of you house."

He looked down at the postcard that had arrived today. Slowly he bent down to pick it up and brought it into the kitchen to read.

Hey Benji! Hope you've opened the shop, because you're going to need to soon if you haven't yet! ('Way ahead of you.') I'm in the Hidden Waterfall Village, and yes it really is as pretty as the postcard looks. ('It's quite pretty, true.') I found a friend outside who brought me here blindfolded, can you believe it? Anyhow, I'm off to the next country tomorrow. You better be eating right!

Sakura

Benji put the postcard on top of a pile of postcards that sat on the counter once he had read it twice, looking for any sign, some hope that they would be coming back soon.

Exhausted from training all day and then working in the shop he collapsed into bed without even eating a supper.

This is the flow of his time:

Nothing.

Nothing.

Thoughts of the last place he's been.

Sadness. Wonder why she hates him. What about him?

Anger.

Nothing.

And there's more of nothing.

The wind is so cold here.

Wonder why she hates him.

Nothing.

There is nothing. Without her.