Neko: Well, I have returned with yet another chapter… I don't know why this one has kept in my head for so long, but it has… oi… -looks around and notices that none of the characters are around- Oh… yah, Sakura's tending Neji in the hospital for being a pervert… I'm so proud of him!

ATTENTION: I AM IN NEED OF A BETA READER! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT ME! I'M IN DESPERATE MODE HERE PEOPLE!

Cherry Blossom in the Desert

By: Neko-Girl Lara

Chapter Three: War and Peace

"PERVERT!" Sakura screamed at the man who had just grabbed her ass. She slapped him silly, infuriated. The man sighed happily at having gotten to touch his nurse's cute little butt. Neji ran into the room, he had been down the hall in the therapy room when he'd heard her scream. Lee, Gaara, and Naruto followed him. The man laughed nervously at the young men who had gathered at her scream.

"Sorry, guys, really," the white-haired man said.

"Ero-sennin…" Naruto sighed. Gaara and Neji glared at Naruto.

"That is the tenth time, and tenth male, who has touched my sister in an inappropriate way in just one week, Naruto-kun," Gaara growled. "If this does not cease soon we shall leave and your hospital will suffer at the loss of a building…" Sakura sighed; Gaara had been using the same threat for the past three years since they had been Konoha.

"Gaara-kun… they can't help themselves…" she said, grabbing the hentai's hand before it reached her backside again. She broke his fingers making him yelp. Naruto and Lee cringed at her strength. Gaara looked at his adorable sister as she pouted. "And this is the best hospital to perfect my techniques…" She grabbed his other hand, as it yet again reached for her backside, and broke his fingers.

Naruto grabbed his sensei by the ear and drug him out of the room, only to take him to Tsuande. Lee's eyes shone at Sakura.

"Sakura-san will-?" She beat him over the head, sighing.

"Of course it could be beneficial to my stress level if I were to go home for a short while…" She said softly. Temari and Kankuro, after the whole Uchiha fiasco, had gone home to run the country. Gaara nodded turning towards the door, his maroon overcoat rustling at his movement. "Or, at least, some time off from here…"

"Kazekage-sama!" A frantic messenger-nin yelled running up to the group. "News from Suna! It's under attack!" Gaara growled before running off to the Hokage's office. Sakura, Lee, and Neji followed.

When they arrived Tsuande had already ordered others to help. "I wish for you to take Gai's team, along with Kakashi and Naruto. They will assist as where I can not," she offered. Gaara nodded and the group ran to collect their packs before heading out an hour later.

"I hope we aren't too late…" Sakura prayed as they all pushed themselves to reach Suna as soon as possible. Neji looked over at the worried girl, then turned back to the branches they were jumping over.

Sakura cried as she watched her grandmother use her life to save Gaara's. "Baa-chan!" She screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Gaara still lay lifeless next to her. Turning to him she began to heal him as best she could. "Gaara-kun! You must live! I can't live without my family!" Finally she felt a pulse under her shaking fingers. With that she passed out into the darkness of sleep.

When she awoke all she saw was white eyes. "Hmm… Neji-kun?" She blinked as she sat up. She saw that everyone had gathered around the siblings. Temari cried out as she embraced her sister.

"Sakura-chan! Thank Kami you're okay!" She cried into Sakura's shoulder. Kankuro mussed her hair.

"Glad you're okay, baby sister," he said gruffly, also thankful that his baby brother was alive. Sakura turned to face her brother. Gaara looked as fazed as she felt…

"Gaara-kun… Gaara-kun, Baa-chan, she…" Sakura began to cry again. Temari hugged her baby sister close, also sad at the loss of their grandmother. Gaara looked at his sisters, feeling empty. His eyes widened when he didn't hear that lazy raccoon's voice.

"Sakura-san…? What happened?" Kakashi asked the girl. She turned tearful eyes to the silver haired ninja.

"Baa-chan… she died to revive Gaara-kun… He- He had died…" She said softly.

"I… was dead? Maybe that's why it's so quiet in here…" He pointed to his head. Sakura laughed softly.

"He's gone then?" He nodded.

"We'll let's get back to Suna for a nice relaxing period after such a long battle," Gai said to all the young shinobi surrounding him. Nine sets of eyes looked at him and nodded.

Back in Suna the large group went to Kazekage Tower and went to sleep, even Gaara. He slept for the next two weeks, catching up. Sakura had attached a feeding tube so he didn't starve. "Sleep well, my dear brother…"

As the Kazekage healed in sleep, Sakura took to running everyone around with gusto. She sent the Konoha ninja off with the thanks of Suna and Wind Country. The two teams waved goodbye, even Neji. When Gaara finally awoke the rings around his eyes had lessened, but was still there, and probably always would be. He regained his strength, sparring with his siblings. He had loss a great power, but was still strong in his own right. Soon after he went back to work as Kazekage Sakura left Suna for Konoha, to train to be a better medic-nin.

"Neji-kun!" Tenten yelled at the fifteen year old boy. "Pay attention! Jeez! This is so unlike you!" The weapons expert sighed, putting away her weapons, fed up with his lack of concentration. Neji sighed as he walked over to his teammate.

He had one thing on his mind and it wasn't training. He needed to get his head back in the game. But a tear-streaked face, with soft pink hair surrounding it had captured his attention and wouldn't let go. Gai looked at his young students.

"Ah, such youth, how I miss my own…" He said more to himself than Neji and Tenten. "Now," he said speaking up, "What had gotten our prodigy's head all in whirl?" Neji mumbled something before walking off.

"Did he just say, 'Sakura'?" Tenten asked. Gai nodded, just as confused as his student.

Neji sighed as he sat down at his favorite mediation spot. For the past three years he had come here and slowly worked on lessening his blind spot. Now Tenten could barely get him. But today he sat to focus his mind, to steer them away from the doom that love was… no not even love, it was pure lust for the pink haired girl of Suna. Sighing again he sat in his pose and closed his eyes. Focusing on the darkness that was slowly becoming his thoughts. He felt a rush of wind sweep by him.

"Sorry!" It called as it moved on. Naruto… He focused again for another half hour before someone stopped by, sat next to him and just relaxed in his peace. He looked to see Kiba. An hour later Kiba left, satisfied with his nap. Two hours later the wind swept by again, but in the same direction.

"Sorry!" A female voice called. Sakura… Sakura? He opened his eyes and watched the beautiful shinobi girl run towards Konoha. His mind turned to mush. Laying back in the grass he took a deep breath and daydreamed. At first it was innocent. Him training with Sakura, him taking her to dinner, her giving him a kiss at her door, her dragging him to a bed stripping off their clo- He growled at his thought.

Stupid teenage hormones… Did liking a girl have to be so complicated? He whined softly in frustration. Why couldn't his life be as easy as, oh let's say, Shikamaru's? Or Choji's? But even he knew their lives weren't easy as some… Everyone he knew, his teammates and the Rookie 8, had had hardships in their lives. Naruto, having been shunned since birth; Sasuke, having his clan killed by his brother; Hinata, having the dislike of her father; Kiba, always being underestimated because he used a dog in battle; Shino, for using his bugs; Shikamaru's home life; Choji's weight problems; Ino's not having any close girlfriends; Tenten for being an orphan; and Lee for not being able to use genjutsu or ninjutsu. Even their jounin leaders had had hard lives…

Such depressing thought made the white-eyed nin scowl. Even his own life had been hard. The loss of his mother at his birth; his father's death at age seven… Not being accepted into the Hyuuga's main family until he was thirteen. Sighing again for the hundredth time that day he stood and made his way home to Konoha.

Walking down the shopping district's main street Neji stared at the ground, shuffling his way through the crowds.

"NEJI-KUN! Yo! Neji-kun!" Naruto yelled from the ramen stand. The Rookie 8 (except Sasuke, who was still with Orochimaru), Lee, Tenten and Sakura were with him. "Come on! We're about to eat!" Neji grinned as he made his way towards his friends. All the girls had clustered into a little group while the boys talked over each other as they all took their seats. Shikamaru told a joke, while Kiba and Naruto raced to see who could eat the most ramen. Tenten played with Hinata's hair, while Ino told Sakura about everything that had gone on in Konoha for the pass few months. Sakura listened intently, while sneaking bites of food into her mouth. Lee punched him in the arm as he told an embarrassing story about Neji.

Sakura turned as he began the story, the rest of the girls listening in, too. Neji blushed and tried to shut the boy up but it was too late.

"Now we all know what control Neji-kun has over himself, but last year on a mission…" He then told a story of where Neji, as Tenten was ill, had to dress like a woman due to his long hair. Everyone laughed as Lee said that Neji had had to use Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu just to fit into the dress. "I must say that Neji has perfected that little number Naruto-kun!" Naruto laughed himself right out of his chair.

"Lee-kun, I am going to kill you," Neji promised. Sakura put her hand on Neji's shoulder, making him blush more.

"You think that's bad? Temari and I were having a slumber party back when we were young, and Kankuro tied up Temari, putting her in a closet. He then turned himself into Temari, just to feel up the girls!" The guys laughed. "But something he didn't plan on was Gaara finding Temari and spoiling Kankuro's fun. Temari screamed like a banshee and all of us girls beat the daylights out of him!" Everyone laughed. Neji calmed some.

The night went on with everyone telling funny stories of some sort, before they all went their separate ways.

"May I walk you home, Sakura-san?" Neji asked her. She smiled brightly.

"Okay! But call me Sakura-chan! We've known each other long enough!" She was still chuckling over Choji's story of Shikamaru and Ino being caught kissing. "Say, Neji-kun?"

"Hmm?" He looked at the girl who occupied his every thought.

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" He blushed brightly.

"No… I haven't found a girl yet that I would like to…" She grinned at him before tugging on his hand, his body bumping hers. She kissed him as he neared. His eyes shot open wide.

"Now, you have…" She said before entering her hotel. He stared after her, a small grin on his lips.

Neko: Well that's it for this chapter! –glares at Neji and Sakura who are making out nearby- HEY! What did I tell you two! Don't make me get the hose! – they laugh and run off-

Lee: -tears running down his cheeks- Sakura-san! –he cries harder until Tenten drags him off-

Neko: Anyway… I'm sorry the chapters are getting shorter, but hopefully better! I'll have the next chapter up soon, promise!