Knee Deep in Sand

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Sucked into is what I am, happy about it is what I'm not. I have about fifteen stories ongoing, and this is the last thing I needed: another obsession. But! Thank you for all your support, and I will definitely finish this for all of you!

Also, I was never very good with memorizing the Hokages/Kazekages/etc., so I didn't name who the Kazekage or Hokage were. Hooray for side-stepping!

--------------------

It certainly hadn't been a coincidence that her team had found out about her and Gaara's little "meeting," if one could even call it that.

Sakura sighed and slumped in her chair, the scolding sounds of her teammates now droning on and almost becoming repetitive. Kakashi had questioned her as soon as they had arrived at the inn, drawing important pieces from her answers and making her unconsciously slip bits of information out occasionally that she didn't want anyone to know. Then again, Kakashi was a cunning, conniving, manipulative bastard if she'd ever seen one, and she probably should've foreseen it all coming.

And come it had, like a wave of unexpected horror all washing over her in one moment of climactic realization: she had mentioned Gaara. Frustratingly and angrily, she remembered just how Kakashi had managed to wriggle it out of her. "Where did you visit?" Kakashi had asked. "You've never been to Sand."

"I know," she had replied, absently fiddling with her headband straps. "I saw Kenji's shop."

Kakashi's eyes had taken on a new sort of twinkle, one that made her raise an eyebrow in question. "Kenji—the man we escorted here? How did you find it?" he continued, unfettered with her wary expression.

"I just stumbled upon it, okay?" Agitation plagued her voice. "Besides, I only waved to him through the doorway. I never went in."

"He doesn't just sell canteens, you know. He sells other things in that shop."

By then, both Naruto and Sasuke were watching her and Kakashi inwardly bicker and outwardly converse.

"Yes, Kakashi, I know that."

"Oh? How do you know if you never went inside? He doesn't display his other contents on the shop windows—"

"Dammit, I saw Gaara buy a canteen and caught a glimpse of all the other stuff!" At first she had been annoyed beyond belief, temporarily letting her inner, more instinctive side take over, but when she had realized what she said, a hand had clamped over her mouth.

At this Kakashi had smirked behind his mask triumphantly, Naruto had gasped, and Sasuke had blinked in shock, his eyes sharpening with interest.

And that was the fateful conversation that brought her where she was currently trying to disappear into the chair, eyes downcast as she attempted to ignore her friends' lectures. Even Sasuke, the ever-indifferent Sasuke, had joined in on making her feel like a total idiot for seeing Gaara. It wasn't like she had planned it, anyway.

"Listen to us, Sakura," Sasuke hissed, staring straight through her, it seemed. "Don't just block us out. Gaara is dangerous. What would make you want to talk to him, let alone follow him around all day?"

"All day? I was only with him for about a half an hour!" she shouted lamely in her protest, only to be shot down by Naruto's shrill voice in her ear.

"You lied to me! You told me you saw Sasuke and was going to bring him back!" He crossed his arms and turned away, harrumphing. "I waited for so long after I finished eating, and I even had to restrain myself from eating your portion, too."

Kakashi had since migrated over to a loveseat, and he lounged on it lazily, holding his perverted book over his face, though he kept his eyes on her. "The point we're all trying to make is that you shouldn't dive head-first into things. You know how Gaara of the Sand is. He could snap you in half with just a fleeting thought."

She snorted to herself and straightened her back, shifting her eyes from her comrades. "He didn't seem like it when I talked to him."

"Looks can be deceiving," Sasuke coolly added, apparently done with reprimanding her. "One thing to make him angry and he could've turned around and killed you right on the spot."

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, pouting.

"Well," Kakashi said, standing up and replacing the book to its spot in his vest. "We're leaving early tomorrow, so it's time for sleep." He moved towards the exit, Sasuke behind him, before he stopped in the doorway and looked back at her slouched, sighing form. "Oh, and Sakura? If I find any sand in your bed you're in big trouble."

He laughed as Sakura tossed a pillow at his head, watching as it hit his mark. Sasuke just shook his head and followed out.

She hadn't noticed the one presence in the room that stayed in the corner, so she stood up and stretched, shutting her eyes tight. When she was finished, she mumbled, "For my sake, I really hope sand doesn't end up in my bed." She turned to possibly try and stomach her cold food, but spotted Naruto standing there, arms over his chest. "Naruto?"

The scowl on his face loosened into a weak frown, and his arms dropped. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

He turned his head to the ground when a faint sort of red tint stained it. "You do things that make us worry."

"Naruto…"

He looked up at her, probably expecting a sad, sympathetic look, but stuttered a little when she displayed a face of light anger. "Sakura?"

Sakura clenched her fists and frowned. "Do you really think I'm that weak?"

"No, that's not—!"

She slapped a hand to her chest for emphasis. "Every time I go out somewhere on my own, does it tear you up?"

"Yes!"

"Because you think I'm not strong, right?"

"No!" Naruto growled in frustration and leapt forwards, grabbing her by her upper arms. Blue eyes bore into green ones, and Sakura was shocked into holding still. "You make us worry, Sakura—you make us all worry." The grip he had on her arms slipped a little, but he didn't let go. "You're a girl, so for Sasuke, Kakashi, and I to worry is normal, I think."

Sakura once again found her composure and she ripped away from Naruto.

He blinked for a moment before cursing himself. "That's not what I meant… I mean, you're not any less because you're a girl! You're just…not as strong. You're really strong, though!"

She backed up into her bed and leaned against the footboard. "Not as strong as one of the guys…"

He diverted his gaze from her to the floor once more and put his hands gently into his pockets. "I'm sorry, but…I wanted to tell you how much I—we all—worry about you." He scuffed the ground with the toe of his sandal. "Since the incident with Orochimaru and Sasuke, I can't stop wanting to protect and help you."

"You're not going to help me by telling me I'm weaker than you."

He stared at her, mouth agape, before pulling his hands out of his pockets to scratch at the back of his neck. For the second time that day, silence engulfed them, and he waited a while before speaking again. When he did, he changed the subject and indicated that he was leaving her for the night. "Your food is on the table… It's cold by now, but it's still good." He motioned to the doggie bag on the nightstand. "I'm going to bed now, okay?"

She nodded and listened to him mutter "good night," but didn't respond. When he was out the door, she fell back onto the bed and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

- - -

Morning came swiftly and without notice, and it leaked into Sakura's curtain-less window to jar her awake. The room had heated up by only the morning light, and her blankets now felt like heavy strips of hell. She kicked them off and sat up, groaning and mussing her hair.

Shortly after she had gotten up, used the restroom, and fixed herself properly, a knock followed by Kakashi's voice made her jump. "When you're finished meet us in front of the inn," he said, and then his footsteps signaled that he had left.

Hair combed and cleaned up for the day, Sakura left, meeting Kakashi and the others outside as promised. She stopped and stood near Sasuke, dumping the old leftover contents of her lukewarm canteen water as she did so. "When are we leaving, Kakashi?"

Her teacher dumped out his canteen, too, and the other two followed his lead. "As soon as we refill our canteens."

"It's so early…" Naruto mumbled, screwing the cap back on his canteen. "I don't think I've ever woken up this early in my life."

"Early?" Sakura questioned. "It's probably about eight o'clock right now; it's so hot."

"It's actually five forty-five," Sasuke said. "The sun rises unnaturally early in Sunagakure and sets unnaturally late, too."

"Right," Kakashi said. "They have plenty of daylight here."

Sakura scanned the streets, noticing that only one or two people roamed the streets. These people were either officials from the city or elderly men and women, and she mentally reminded herself that most inhabitants of Sand weren't active until the sun set or had yet to rise—whichever way one could look at it.

"We'll head out in fifteen minutes," Kakashi said, slowly making his way away from the small group. "Fill up your canteens, grab some breakfast, and then meet me at the front gates."

Sasuke was the second to leave the group, and he went straight towards a water station. When the dark-haired boy was out of sight, Naruto turned to Sakura and fidgeted nervously.

"Sorry…" he finally managed to say, not looking at her. "About last night, I mean. But I just wanted—" Before he could finish, Sakura had put a soft hand on his shoulder.

She smiled. "It's alright. I…I probably shouldn't have been so harsh, but Kakashi made me stressed."

Naruto nodded and grinned. "Hey, did you ever get around to eating your dinner last night?"

As if on cue, her stomach growled.

The blond boy laughed and grabbed her wrist, leading her towards the heart of the marketplace. "Let's have breakfast together!"

She was about to refuse, she really was, but somehow she felt that having breakfast this morning with a friend didn't sound so bad. After all, she needed some amiable human interaction after being scolded to hell and beyond for seeing a maniacal little demon boy.

Naruto stopped at a different stand from last night, shouting a "Yes!" into the air when the outside menu displayed that they did carry ramen. "Sakura, what do you want to eat?"

She shrugged. "I guess…" she smiled and shook her head. "Ramen sounds fine."

Naruto, going into determined mode, pounded the counter with his palms. "Come on! Bring it on!" He laughed to himself and grinned wide, closing his eyes tight.

Sakura just sighed and leaned against the side of the stand.

- - -

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, as Sakura and Naruto soon learned, and they both appeared at the front gates right on time.

"I can not believe this," Sakura said, scowling and rubbing her temples. "He does this every time! Even on an important mission like this, he's running late!"

"He's dead when he gets here!" Naruto shouted, throwing a fist into the air.

Sasuke just growled under his breath, looking out at the desert horizon beyond the gates. "If we don't leave soon," he commented, "It'll be too late to set out. We can't travel fast or efficiently in this heat."

Sakura agreed. "Besides, I don't want to get more sunburned than I already am."

"Being sunburned shouldn't be your number one concern," Sasuke replied, not taking his eyes off of the desolate landscape. "Worse things could happen. Heatstroke, fainting, being attacked by rogue ninja and being too weak from the—"

"You talk too much."

Kakashi's voice made everyone jump, including Sasuke. "Miss me?" he asked with a calm sort of tone.

"Kakashi!" Sakura wailed. "Now it'll be too hot for us to leave!"

"I spoke with the Kazekage, and it looks like we're not going to be alone on our trip."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, trying to regain what had once been his cool, apathetic exterior.

"I'm talking about Gaara," Kakashi went on. "The Kazekage needs a letter to be sent to the Hokage, but he doesn't trust just us to deliver it."

"Why not?" Naruto complained. "We're trustworthy enough, aren't we?"

Kakashi sighed. "No, believe it or not, you're not. You have no prestige, and though this letter was a split-second decision, it's still important. Since we're the only Leaf ninja available at such short notice…"

"Why Gaara?" Sakura asked? In all aspects, she sincerely did not want Gaara to tag along. She was still slightly afraid of him, she didn't want to face him after the events of the night before, and she absolutely knew Naruto would do something stupid in his presence.

"Because nobody wants me here."

All but Kakashi turned to the source of the voice—a boy with red hair and a dark glare approaching them from the left.

"They rid themselves of me every chance they get," Gaara continued, folding his arms. "This was an opportune time to get me out of their hair."

"Are you a troublemaker?" Kakashi questioned good-spiritedly. Gaara just ignored him, though, and walked up to Sakura.

Sakura swallowed, and Naruto tensed behind her, ready to attack if need be.

The Sand boy's arm was outstretched in an instant, and she flinched, shutting her eyes. When she opened them, she found her bandages folded in his palm. He shoved them towards her. "These are yours."

She took them gently, unbelieving of how he was acting. "Um…thank you?"

He nodded before turning to Kakashi, completely disregarding the other teammates. The Copy Ninja towered over him in his lithe, tall form, but Gaara didn't seem fazed. "We leave now."

Amusement showed brightly in Kakashi's eyes, and he nodded. "Would you also like to lead the way, or would you leave that to me?"

Gaara just scoffed and walked forwards.

Kakashi turned to Sakura, or more specifically the bandages she was quickly stuffing into her pouch. "Sakura?"

She groaned softly. "Yes, Kakashi?"

"You didn't tell us the whole story, did you?"

"No."

He shoved his hands into his pockets and went forth, his three students following behind him. "Well, you might as well start now."

"Yes, Kakashi."