A/N: I thought I should clear something up: Sakura has been in Suna for about 10 weeks or so by now, including this chapter. In months, she's been there about 2 and a half. So, she only has 3 and half more to go. I lost count a while back so I'm assuming. I'm just too lazy to go and make sure I'm right. And yes, I did change the summary. I felt the other one didn't really go with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the other characters.

Summary: Sakura is sent to Sunagakure on a mission to train the medic ninja there. Yet, there is one little problem…She'll be living with the Kazekage and his family. Will her emotions get in the way of her completing her task?

Chapter 9

4 weeks later—116 days left…

Sakura slid out the door of the medical room, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as she was outside. Her students had begun a debate about whether using a certain type of herb in a medicine affected how well it worked or not. It had started out innocently enough until they started to get more and more defensive. You could practically taste the hate in the air. Sakura had been suffocating and she had to leave.

The pink haired kunoichi left the hospital, which was empty except for the medic nin, her students. The streets of Suna were deserted since it was noon, the time when the sun was highest in the sky. The merchants closed up their stalls and went home to eat while the normal villagers, even workers, slept comfortably in their cool homes, out the heat.

She sighed and stopped in the shade of a house porch. She wiped the sweat off her brow and took off her blouse, staying in only her light, cotton undershirt. She sat down on the porch, sure that the sleeping villagers inside wouldn't mind. She closed her green eyes and leaned against the wall.

Her thoughts strayed to the Kazekage. He had been gone for a month almost. Temari was in his place for now but that wouldn't last long. Since he had left without consulting the council, Gaara only had a few more days until he was declared a missing nin and ANBU were sent after him.

Stupid Gaara…Thought Sakura idly as she felt a breeze blow by. She just wanted him to come back. Her dreams had been plagued by him practically every night. She kept on imagining him rotting away in some cellar, his pale skin marred by bruises and cuts.

She must have dozed off at some point because when she woke, the sun wasn't in the same place. The merchants had opened up their stalls again and the villagers roamed the streets. She got up and stretched. Her students must be wondering where she was but she didn't really care.

Sakura leapt onto a nearby roof and set off, heading back to the hospital. She had a feeling that an emergency room needed to be prepared. But there was no need for her to worry about preparing one. They were all ready. She just needed something to do, something to get her mind off more worrying matters.

&&&&&&&&&&

She was sitting in a chair in a waiting room, just staring at the ceiling, her head against the wall, when one of her students burst in.

"Temari-sama is looking for you. She's waiting in the lobby." The boy was breathless. It seemed he had run the entire way.

She stood up quickly and thanked the boy before disappearing, reappearing in the lobby a few seconds later. The anxious feeling in her stomach had gotten stronger and they were confirmed when she saw the desperate look on Temari's face.

The girl ran to meet her halfway across the room. "Gaara got back!" She shouted, her panicked voice echoing in the lobby.

Sakura blinked in surprise. He was back? "Where is he?" She asked.

"He's at home. But he's not in a good condition. I need for you to come and see him."

"O-okay…" Sakura stuttered, still shocked from the news. She collected her things and ran out, being dragged by Temari.

He was back and not in good health…The stupid idiot! What if his wounds were too severe for her to heal? What if he died? It would be all her fault. Konoha would be ashamed. She wouldn't be able to show her face ever again. But was that what she was really worried about?

Gaara would be gone… She shuddered, not wanting to think about the possibility. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. She needed to stay calm. A medic couldn't work if she was distressed.

The house appeared and she quickened her pace. About a dozen ANBU guards surrounded it. A feeling of dread filled her stomach. The house was dark and cold. She rushed upstairs, following Temari. Walking down the familiar hallway, she spotted Kankuro sitting just outside Gaara's room, his chair propped up against the wall. The puppeteer looked troubled. He flashed Sakura a weak smile before moving aside to let them in.

The curtains were closed so the room was pitch black. Sakura had to blink several times before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She spotted Temari and walked to her. She turned on a lamp that gave off a dim light. Sakura glanced at the bed and froze.

"Is that him?" She whispered.

"Yeah," Choked out Temari, her eyes watering.

Gaara was a mess. He was super pale, his red hair contrasting horribly, giving him the look of being dead. In the dim light, it seemed as though he wasn't breathing but Sakura knew better. Bruises and cuts covered his arms and legs, just like she had imagined. She couldn't see any more, but something told her that wasn't the worst of the injuries.

Sakura approached him and reached hesitantly to feel his pulse. It was weak but still there.

"He's still alive, right?" Asked Temari fearfully.

"Yes," Replied Sakura absentmindedly, ripping open his shirt to assess the damage. It was worse than she had thought.

There were three long gashes across his chest that were bleeding and seemed to be infected.

"Not good…" She mumbled. Turning to Temari, she said, "Please leave the room and stay outside unless I call you in. Healing him might get ugly and I don't want you present."

"What if he lashes out?" Asked Temari.

"I've handled worse."

She hesitated before walking out, closing the door behind her. Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She rolled up her sleeves and set up her equipment. She injected him with an anesthetic and set up the IV. The slow 'beep beep' of the heart monitor comforted her, knowing he was still alive. Barely but still there.

She looked around and grimaced. Healing him at the hospital would have been easier. She was going to have to make the best of her surroundings.

Sakura took out a scroll and, with a few quick hand seals, executed the jutsu. Seals appeared all around the bed. They would help channel her chakra evenly through his body so all his wounds healed.

She took out two others and set them over him. She did the appropriate hand seals and they began to glow a light pink. The scrolls helped the patient breath and kept them calm in case they woke in the middle of the healing process. She stepped closer to him and healed his minor injuries first. The cuts closed and the bruises faded.

Sakura placed her hands over him and began the jutsu. It was a long string of hand seals and would leave her drained afterwards but it would be worth it. The life of the Kazekage was more important.

She watched as the gashes stopped bleeding and the skin began to close as though an invisible needle were stitching it together. Color began to flow back into his face. She smiled, glad that everything was going so well.

Suddenly, her chakra stopped. Her smile faded. She increased the flow but her chakra was stuck. She stopped and watched, with growing horror, as the gashes appeared again. They were bleeding more than before and were deeper and wider.

Gaara's back arched and he let out a shout of pain. The anesthetic wasn't working well. She injected him again and let out a sigh of relief as he sank into the bed. But the gashes were there and the bleeding was intensifying.

She grabbed several soft towels and cleaned the wounds. But they kept on bleeding.

Sakura was now covered from the elbows down in Gaara's blood. She tried healing them again but they just reappeared, faster than before. The bleeding just wouldn't stop. Gaara had lost a lot of blood. He was still unconscious but Sakura was sure he felt the pain. She felt bad every time he cried out.

She wiped her hands off on a towel. She watched the monitor. The line went up and down consistently, beeping as it should. She tugged on a stray lock of hair before pushing it behind one ear. She felt frustrated, so powerless.

Suddenly, the room fell quiet. Her gaze snapped to the monitor. The line was starting to go slower and straighter. He had stopped breathing. She jolted and ran to his side. She began trying to get air into his lungs.

"Temari!" She called. The door burst open and the girl rushed in. "Help!"

She began the jutsu, adding power, hoping it would get his lungs working.

Several seconds passed. Nothing.

His heartbeat was fading.

"Damn it Gaara!" Shouted Sakura. She increased her chakra flow. "Breathe!"

She stepped back, also stopping Temari. She watched the monitor. She found it was getting hard to breathe as a loud beep filled the room. The line went straight. He was gone.

She fell to her knees. She held her head in her hands, tears spilling over her cheeks. She didn't know where they had come from. She heard Temari back into the wall, sobbing.

It was like her nightmare. She only hoped she would wake up and he would still be alive. But she knew there was no chance of that happening. He was gone. Too much blood loss plus those gashes had put a strain on his body. He just couldn't hold on anymore.

"It's all my fault." She whispered. The intense pain she felt in her chest wouldn't go away. Was this how you felt when someone you liked—she wouldn't dare say loved—died?

Gaara…

Please don't hurt me! (cowers behind chair) I had to do that in order for the story to work. Remember to review!