A/N: Beta'd by Errihu.
Chapter Two
Sakura jumped back from her spot and away from the fallen child. This revelation, a young Gaara laid out before her, was just too surreal. She stood there, frozen, jaw hanging, mind racing, heart pounding. She studied the boy again, taking in the same features she knew the Kazekage and this kid to share. She tried to find a flaw, something that would etch logic back into her brain. Reason had to present itself to her before a panic attack did.
'Gaara's child, perhaps?'
Sakura tried to think back on a time when Naruto may have mentioned his friend to be expecting. To an instance when rumors would have spread in her village of Suna welcoming the Kazekage's first child. Yet, she could think of no period of time. She knew little of the Sand Lord, but it wouldn't faze her if the disclosure of him being asexual hit her ears. He just seemed too cold, too distant, and too awkward to find a lover. Still, this kid as his offspring was the closest, dianoetic explanation she could think of. As fresh blood traced down his raccoon eye, a darker question came to her mind.
Who had carved into this young one?
She studied the kanji character once again, her face flushing when she read the word love.
'Like father, like son,' Sakura thought morbidly.
She cringed at the thought of the sick, twisted person who had done this. It was unwholesome to scar a child like this. Had he been kidnapped, Sakura wondered. Was this child stolen from the great Kazekage and possibly going to be used for ransom? If so, how had he ended up here? Alone and battered? She had many questions now racing in her mind that she simply stood in her spot. The child's asthmatic, struggling breath was what drew her back into reality, and she reached for him.
Sakura knew she was already going to be in deep trouble from Gaara for losing that important scroll. She couldn't even fathom the rage he would hold for her if he were to learn she had an opportunity to save his kin, but instead stood frozen in a stupor.
"Just hang on," Sakura said to the young child. "Try to stay awake. I'm going to pump some chakra into you."
Sweeping her hands in the air, Sakura took a moment to focus her energy to her palms. The familiar, green aura radiated from her fingers before she gently brushed them against the boy's chest. Immediately, to her touch, the child seethed and flinched. She had almost pulled her hands back when she saw his pain ridden look, but reassured herself that this was to help, not hurt.
"Shh," she whispered, trying to calm him. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I promise."
Though his body stilled, Sakura watched him as he continued to struggle to open his eyes. He only managed one eye to part slightly, and meet her gaze before shutting them tight again.
"Just relax," Sakura murmured. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Sakura felt reassured when his breathing became normal, and with quiet sound. She was also happy to find no broken bones, or organ damage, in the young boy. He seemed to be only malnourished and dehydrated, which in turn made the rosette wonder how long he had been stranded in this barricaded room. She also knew her chakra couldn't pump into him the nutrients and water he needed to survive this ordeal, so instead, she simply hoped the energy she was putting in him would give him the strength to hold on a bit longer to life. She needed to find a village soon if this child was to survive.
'Just a little more,' Sakura thought.
Suddenly, a crack echoed around them, and Sakura didn't even bother to look behind her to examine the noise before picking up the boy in her arms and sweeping them both into a corner. Once she turned, her heart dropped at the sight. Sand was now pouring into the room like a cascading waterfall. The only source of light, the hole above her, had somehow given way, and the room was quickly filling with the hard grains. They would be buried alive, crushed to death, if the rosette didn't think of a plan quickly.
'Shit.' She thought, clutching the young boy tighter.
She turned towards every wall, hoping to find a surface she could walk on. However, with the roof now gone, sand swam down each and every wall. Bricks were something her feet could hang onto; sand was not something her chakra could grip. She could feel the sand burying her to her ankles by the time she spotted a hanging vine latched onto one of the walls, and slowly she trudged towards the vegetation. Her only wish was that this be their ticket out of here, and that it wouldn't snap to their added weight.
Sakura took one last look at the child. He was still out cold by the looks of it, so she maneuvered him over her left shoulder and held him in place with her left hand.
"Looks like I'll be climbing with just one hand."
Sakura wasted no time tugging on the green, making sure it wouldn't give out. Once she had a sturdy grip, she swung her feet towards the sandy wall. She was going to try her best to walk up towards their only exit, and clutched the child harder with her left hand. Her feet at times would slip while sand continued to pour down on her legs, but she remained undeterred. They were going to get out of here, she refused to let this be the end for both her, and the young boy.
As time passed, and she drew closer and closer to the edge, Sakura thought she had this filling tomb beaten. When she neared to the edge however, the pouring sand grew heavier until both her feet slipped and she was left holding onto the vine with one hand. Below her, the golden grains were racing up to catch her.
"Damn it!" Sakura cursed, trying to swing her feet back towards the brick.
When her shoes slipped again, she felt panic rising in her. However, as she hung there and contemplated on what to do next, she felt the tiny hands of the boy grip her shoulder hard.
"Hey!" Sakura wasted no time calling to him.
"Are you awake? Can you hang onto me while I try to climb us out of here?"
If she could rouse the child to wake, then hopefully he could find the strength to latch onto her while she got them out. If she could just free her left arm from holding him, than she would be able to hoist the two of them out by using the vine as a rope.
"Can you hear me?" she said again, feeling the boy stirring awake in her hold.
She shifted her head towards his way, trying to catch a glimpse of him when suddenly she felt him begin to push himself upright against her shoulder. When she saw his head rise, her heart skipped a beat. She waited for him to answer her, but instead he stared down at the sand rising below them. With no time to spare, she shook him lightly.
"I'm going to let go of you now. Just be sure to hang on tight!"
Sakura was about to loosen her clutch on him, to make sure he had heed her warning before completely pulling her hand off of him. However, she stilled her movements when she heard him seethe and fumble an arm over her shoulder and down her back. He looked to be reaching for the deadly sand below them.
"What are you doing?!" Sakura cried, bringing her hand back up to grip him lest he slip from her.
Before Sakura could even fathom what was happening, she heard a roaring sound below her. When she felt sand begin to twirl around them, she gripped the child closer to her. She wondered what air current was making the grains swim around them like this. Her attention returned to the kid when he again pushed himself up against her hold and peered at the exit above them. Before she could ask him anything, she suddenly felt herself being launched quickly up. The sand scratched at her skin while it shot her up like a rocket towards the surface.
From the speed, Sakura held onto the child tighter. She be damned if she drop, or lost, him to the sandy grave below. His stare, however, stayed glued upwards with determination, and only did he shift his body when the rosette tucked him close to her chest before they violently rolled across the desert around them. She did her best to use her body to shield him from their rough landing. The minute their tumble stopped, she stood and backed away from the crater and swimming sand that threatened to throw them back into that death pool.
As soon as she positioned herself on a safe, steady spot her knees began to shake, threatening to fall. Instinctively, she pulled the child closer to her body, reassured that they had both made it out safely. Her focus and sight remained on the giant hole a distance away from them. She couldn't help but watch it fill more and more like water to a tub.
"Ha," she sighed, almost wanting to laugh at the near death experience. "That was-!"
Sakura was silenced when a giant claw hit her peripheral vision before tearing into the side of her face. Immediately, she let go of the child in her arms to clutch at the wound that burned across her cheek and eye. The pain was horrendous, yet she forced her eye open just to be sure she hadn't been blinded. When she saw her vision still there, she hurriedly wiped what blood she could before scrambling to find the source that did this damage. Her eyes went round when the boy in her arms stood before her a few feet away. His tiny arm was now bulging out as a giant limb of sand, and immediately she recognized the blue etchings that laced up his new, grainy sleeve.
'Ichibi,' Sakura's mind pounded into her.
Sakura could only gape in shock as she remained staring at the boy. The child swayed in his spot, struggling to keep himself upright. He stood with his chest out to intimidate her, to frighten her away, but he was quickly losing this battle due to fatigue. His eyes kept crossing, and rolling as he tried to focus a narrow gaze at the rosette.
"Don't..." he rasped out, barely in a whisper. "Don't touch me. I'll kill you."
Sakura gulped at that dark speech. She no longer stood there in awe, but with curiosity instead. She was again plagued with many questions. Who had done this to this child? Who had captured Shukaku and forced him back inside a human? What was the motive and purpose behind all this? Was this some sort of mockery towards Gaara? Was Sakura about to return his child to him just to inform him that he had a tailed beast inside of him now? Had it been this child wielding sand that helped them to escape?
Sakura swallowed hard once more, her heart sinking for the boy in front of her. What hell had someone put him through? Slowly, she took a step forward. Like an animal, no matter how much the boy staggered, his angry orbs focused on Sakura, and her sudden movement. His glare only intensified when her hand reached out towards him.
"It's alright," she tried to coax him. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now."
Despite her reassuring words, his angry gaze went unmoved.
"It'll be okay," Sakura spoke, stepping closer towards him. "I'm a friend."
The child's eyes seemed to widen for a second at Sakura's mention of friend. So, she waited, hoping he would perceive her as no threat and allow her to help him. However, it didn't take long for the child's legs to finally give out, and she watched as his eyes rolled into the back of his head before collapsing face first into the heap of sand. Once again, she raced to him and fell to her knees. Slowly, she rolled the boy over once more, studying him as his chest rose and fell with short breaths. Sakura grimaced as she stared at the child. It was cruel to think someone was toying with Gaara by turning this boy into a mockery.
"Poor thing," she murmured, cupping his cheek.
In time, Sakura focused her chakra back into her hands. Hoping to push a little more energy into him so he could make it through the journey back home, but before her hands reached him, she noticed the sand on his claw begin to spread and envelop the child's body. She was puzzled by this, allowing the sand more time to swallow him up before a dark realization hit her hard.
"No, no, no!" she cried, trying to frantically brush the sand off of the child.
It had slipped her mind, but she now remembered what she had learned about Gaara back when they were children. That when he slept, the Ichibi would take a hold of its host. Naruto had released the creature, along with his kind, years ago. Yet, she knew nothing about whether the monster hoarded any ill-will towards humans still. Surely the beast was not happy knowing he was put back into a human, a child at that. Despite her possibly having nothing to fear from Shukaku, she worried he would perceive her as an enemy if they were to come face to face.
No matter how much she had grown, the fighter in her was no match for a tailed beast.
Despite how frantic she was to brush off the grains, the sand did not let up as it tried to swallow the boy whole still. Bringing her palm high into the air, she forced her eyes off of the child before she swung a hard blow across his face. She knew she had no other option, but the thought of beating this already worn out child tore at her heart that she had to look away.
'I'm so sorry!' Sakura thought when her palm slapped across his face. 'Please don't let Gaara find out about this...'
She only turned to face him when he let out a loud groan to her hit. The sand on him quickly fell back to the ground, and Sakura couldn't help but smile knowing her idea had worked. Even his giant claw fell back into the earth as nothing but grains. Still, this was no time for celebration, and she quickly reached for the boy. His eyes were still closed, and she knew fatigue threatened to pull him back to sleep.
"Hey!" she called to the child, shaking him lightly. "Open your eyes!"
While the boy stirred lightly to her words, his gaze did not open to meet with hers. Wasting no time, she held him close to her chest and focused her chakra back to her hands to give the child some adrenaline. When she could sense sand trying to wrap him in its blanket, she was left with no choice but to pull back on his eyelid and let go. As cruel as it seemed, it was her only way of ensuring the boy would stay awake in her arms. For despite the help the chakra was at keeping him alive, he was still too battered to completely wake.
'What did they do to you?' Sakura wondered, staring deeply into his beaten face.
She wasn't sure what she needed to be worried about the most here. Shukaku was trying his best to claim his host, but death was also knocking on this child's door. Sakura's eyes scoured the desert around her. Hope was inside her once more when she saw the silhouette of Suna off in the distance. She traveled twice as fast towards the village than when she carried that damn scroll. As she ran, she continued to pump her chakra into the boy, glancing down at him from time to time so as to be sure he had not succumbed to either death, nor slumber.
At times, she could feel the grains chasing after her to steal the boy. That would be her cue to pull back on the child's eye to wake him.
Her huffs grew heavy over time. Again, she stifled for a relaxed breath while she ran fast. She knew she was pushing herself beyond her limit by sprinting at her full speed, and pouring her energy into the child. When she saw the guards of Suna's only entrance and exit, she called out to them despite her weary state.
"Hey!" she cried, racing towards them.
Immediately, they took their defensive stance when they saw her approaching. They tried to decipher who she was, as well as what bundle she carried towards them. When Sakura saw it was only two of them, she wondered what had happened to Gaara's elite defense. Last time she was here, the young lord had littered the walls with ninja. As she drew nearer to the two guards, she shook off her thoughts. Now was not the time.
"State your business!" one of them demanded once she was in ear-shot away.
To this, she slowed her pace. Now walking to meet the two guards who studied the body in her arms more closely than her.
"Please," Sakura said between heavy breaths, "I think I have the Kazekage's child. He's in pretty bad shape!"
Sakura halted her steps when the men raced up to meet her. As they studied the boy in her arms, she tried to express how serious the situation was.
"He is barely alive," Sakura spoke. "He needs medical attention, now!"
She pushed the boy towards the two men in front of her, thinking they would waste no time taking the child and rushing him to a hospital. Yet, as she offered the kid towards them, both men jumped back in obvious fear. Their action made the rosette pull the boy close back to her chest. Her expression was puzzled. Who were these cowards? Surely what she held was no threat to them.
Right?
Sakura took a step towards the men, offering the child up once more. When their pitiful shrieks of terror hit her ears again, and they both jumped back to her advance, her eye's narrowed angrily.
"Take him!" she practically barked.
Did they not understand that time was of the essence for this worn-down child? She knew they could see how close to death this kid was, yet they refused to offer any sort of help.
'What kind of ninja are you training here, Gaara?' Sakura thought bitterly.
She stared at the two shaking men before her. When a minute went by, Sakura could no longer stomach their obvious, broken spirits.
"Bring me to his father then!" Sakura's anger rose her tone high. "Take me to the Kazekage, you pathetic excuses!"
Her orders had the men jump back another foot, but as reluctant as they had been to take the child, they were silently grateful to Sakura's offer.
"Follow me." one of them offered immediately.
Wasting no time, the two of them jogged towards the giant crevasse that led inside to Suna. Sakura continued to pour her chakra into the child while passing the long trail. In front of her, the man turned his head slightly back to meet her eyes.
"Despite me bringing you in so easily, If I sense you as a threat to our Kazekage, your life ends then."
Sakura scoffed at the brave front the man was now trying to pull. He looked ready to wet himself the second his eyes fell onto this child, yet he was now threatening her life like he could take it so easily? He had already left a bad impression for the rosette, so she sneered at his words. She opened her mouth to reprimand him, and to remind him that she was someone the Kazekage was expecting. She was about to tell him she came from Konoha, and that he could trust an ally, but lost her voice when she stepped into the light that was Suna.
Her eyes went round while she took in the incredible damage around her. Rubble was littered everywhere, homes were crumbled to nothing, and buildings were missing layers. The town was cluttered with battered, dirty villagers. A look of loss, and defeat, in their eyes while they attempted to clean the mess around them. Sakura had almost tripped while trying to take in the giant, mess around her. She turned her eyes back to the man in front of her, to call out to him and ask him what had happened to the village. Had this been the reason Gaara was so forward with Kakashi about how important that scroll had been? Why hadn't the Kazekage asked for the help of Konoha in any way?
Before Sakura could question the man jogging in front of her, she caught a glimpse to the side of her. Then to her other side, and then another presence behind her. Turning her head, she watched as men with cloth around their faces now escorted them.
'Anbu,' Sakura thought, finally happy to know how serious these ninja were handling this situation.
However, there was still no offer to take up the child. They only shielded her from each side as they raced for the Kazekage's palace. Sakura sighed when they reached the giant, dome. Somehow, looking past the damage around her, the village seemed a little off. The town around her looked a little decrepit, as if time itself turned backwards here. Granted, it had been years since her last trip to Suna, so the rosette simply shrugged off the idea. Instead, she stood in her spot as she was asked to wait outside for the Kazekage.
The coward in front of her wasted no time racing inside the giant building. The Anbu next to her merely formed a shield around her, as if masking her from wandering eyes. Precautions, Sakura assumed, surely they did not want this child to be stolen once more under their noses. Looking down at the child, the young woman shook him lightly, hoping he would open his eyes. All that came from him was a small groan, and a small shuffle around her arms.
"Don't worry," Sakura murmured for the child to hear. "You're safe now. They'll have you feeling better in no time."
Sakura couldn't help but smile lightly when the boy's eyes fluttered to her words. She imagined if he had the energy, he would thank her. Her eyes remained fixated only on him until she heard the sound of footsteps racing towards them. The rosette turned towards the Kazekage when he drew near. She had so many questions for Gaara that she wasn't sure where to begin. However, when her eyes met with auburn hair, and dark eyes, she took a step back from the approaching man that don the Kazekage wear. This wasn't the red haired, pale eyed man she expected.
'Who?' Sakura questioned in her mind.
Her eyes went round as she took in this new person. Where was Gaara? Was this man perhaps a decoy to enemies? Was this a way to keep Gaara safe? Her ears could hear nothing while she stared at the cowardly ninja and this new stranger speak back and forth while staring down at the boy in her arms.
"Who are you?"
Her question was so faint; she hadn't meant to speak her thoughts. However, shock was plagued and riddled on her look that she couldn't help but ask. Despite her small voice, she earned the eyes of the man in front of her. He suddenly studied her as much as she studied him. His look was stoic, and yet somehow familiar to Sakura. It was an expression Gaara was most notable for, and she was reminded greatly of the young lord while taking in this older man's features.
"My name is Rasa. I am the fourth Kazekage."
Sakura's breath was lost, and she took a step back from the stranger and clutched the boy in her arms tighter.
'Fourth?'
Sakura wasn't sure what to say, or how to fathom what was being said to her. She had wanted to correct the man in front of her, to remind him the fourth was dead, and that Gaara ran this village as the fifth now. However, her voice was lost with the breath that had left her. She was beyond confused at the situation around her, and the serious look this Rasa was giving her made her all the more flabbergasted.
"You have my gratitude for returning my son, Gaara, back to me," Rasa spoke, studying the woman still.
Sakura's legs shook to his words, knees threatening to fall once more. She suddenly felt very faint, and clutched the boy closer towards her, just to reassure herself that what she was holding was very real.
'Gaara?' she thought, eyes falling back to the child in her arms.
She took in his distinguishable features. Red hair, black eyes, no eyebrows, and most obvious of all, the scar that read love on his head. She could feel her grip on the boy slipping. Somehow, she wanted to just let go of what she held and turn around, and run back home. To run back to the reality she knew and was familiar with.
This fantasy she could not handle.
"And your name?" Rasa spoke, noting the woman's lost expression.
Sakura only ignored the man in front of her while staring down at the child still.
'Is this really Gaara?' she wondered. 'Why are you a child again? Why does this man call you his son?'
It wasn't until the boy let out a loud, wheezing breath did Sakura gasp. Her eyes quickly shot back up to the man in front of her. Panic was in her look now.
"The Ichibi!" Sakura cried at Rasa.
"He is inside of Gaara! Someone put the tailed beast back into him!"
Rasa's eyes widened lightly to Sakura's sudden cry. She was a new to him, to this village, he was aware of that. Yet, she had notable knowledge of Gaara being his son, and the monster that made home inside of him. Something he had been careful not to let the world outside these walls know.
"What other knowledge do you hold?" Rasa eagerly asked.
To his tone, and peculiarity, Sakura returned her emerald eyes back to his stoic look. She studied him for a moment before glimpsing at the Anbu around her. She could sense their sudden caution of her. She was a stranger with too much information. She was being perceived as a threat, and would probably be detained if she let more secrets slip out. She needed to compose herself and evaluate the situation more before she announced to Rasa all she knew.
Luckily for her, Gaara was the perfect distraction.
Sakura raised the child up towards his father, and Rasa's eyes fell back onto him.
"I've put as much chakra as I can to keep him alive. If we don't assess him further and help him, he will die."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched Rasa contemplate her words. He studied the boy as if considering the option of death. To this, the rosette brought the child back close to her chest. Her teeth practically snarled at the Kazekage in front of her.
"If you will not help him, then allow me to leave with him so that I may!"
The men surrounding her were quick to box her in, and take their fighting stance. It was a warning, she knew, that she was not going to be allowed out of this village with Gaara in her arms. Not unless their leader had a say so.
Despite her temper, Rasa looked down at her with his passive stare.
"You have had medical training?"
As Rasa asked this, Sakura was unsure whether to answer or not. She worried how much, and what, info to let this man in front of her know. In time though, she nodded. There was no reason to hide this fact from him when he could see the chakra pooling from her hands into his son.
The older man looked amused to this revelation, and he rubbed his chin while poring over the woman. He would keep it to himself, but he was intrigued by the girl in front of him. She spoke little, and lingered here for not long, but was a curious being to him. Very curious. In his village, medical ninja were rare. And whatever scarceness he could find also seemed to lack just the basic of medical knowledge. His curiosity took the better hold of him, and whispered at him to see what more she could do. For him, if she failed in any way, there would be no loss.
Just another body to bury, and a nuisance taken care of.
"In that case, follow me."
Rasa turned, heading towards the hospital. However, Sakura was reluctant to move, unsure what would happen behind closed doors. She eyed the men around her again, looked at the boy in her arms, and then back up at the man who called himself Sand Lord. He was new to her, everything around her was. The only thing familiar to her was the child in her arms, Gaara. Even then, she couldn't fathom why he had been changed into a young being. She suddenly felt very trapped, and very alone.
She gave the young boy another squeeze before following after Rasa, reassuring herself that at least one thing to her was well-known. She had fought to keep him striving, and she would fight to keep him alive. Despite the cold look Rasa gave the child, Sakura would rather bring a fist to the older man's face than let Gaara slowly die under her watch. Her hands on Gaara shook as she stared determinedly at the man's back.
The hallways were empty as Sakura walked behind Rasa through the hospital. She followed some distance away from him, trying to catch glimpses of the odd details of this place. Last she had been here, it seemed like a completely different building; full of busy people, and much more work to be done. At times, she would glance at a nurse or doctor heading towards their direction, but when their eyes met with the child in her arms, they suddenly had urgent business in the path opposite of them.
Sakura's nose wrinkled at these notions. She wondered when the Kazekage in front of her would speak out and call for someone to heed his son. Yet, all he did was lead her higher and higher in the tall building. She tried at times to find something familiar in this place, maybe a face she had met once before. She wanted, no, needed, someone or something to help her grasp that this was in fact reality. She clutched the boy in her arms again. His presence was her only reassurance that she wasn't a stranger here, despite the fact he had un-aged over ten years backward.
'What is going on?' she thought.
As much as she wanted to investigate the unknown, the men following closely behind her ensured she kept up with her steps behind Rasa.
"What has happened to this village? To Gaara?" Sakura asked in time, finally hoping for an analytical answer.
Her questions were met with silence for some time. The man in front of her kept his pose, and pace, strong and forward despite her questioning. With hands behind his back, he didn't even turn towards her when he finally answered.
"The ruins around us was Gaara's doing."
A pause, and a moment for Sakura to look down at the boy. Doubting this destruction as his.
"The Ichibi rampaged through the village."
Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck stand. Surely Gaara would cause no harm to the place he called home.
"His attacks led him out towards the desert, where we eventually lost sight of him."
Another pause. It occurred to Sakura now that the Kazekage was wary of what information he shared, and what was best to keep secret. This was why he stopped before continuing.
"Gaara was missing for almost two weeks."
"Two weeks?!"
Her steps stopped then, gazing once more at the child in her arms. Was she to believe he had survived that long alone? Resources were scarce in the wild. It was no wonder why she had found him so weak.
Sakura began her steps again when the two men behind her ushered her to keep moving. Her eyes stayed glued to the child at hand, awed at his strength while trying to understand what all this information meant. Only did she look up when Rasa finally led her into a room. Behind her the Anbu men did not follow, but instead guarded the door from outside. She stood rooted on her spot, turning a full circle around when she took notice of some familiar, but also odd, instruments.
She turned to see the operating table and laid Gaara gently upon it, once again looking at the medical instruments on a table next to her.
'Old,' was her first impression of them.
Just like this village, buildings around them, this hospital included, this Rasa claiming to be the fourth, a young Gaara, everything here seemed to have regressed backwards in time. She had to ask herself, were these instruments old because of an economic crisis happening, or were there other reasons? She suddenly sensed an uncomfortable air around her. Without even turning to him, she knew Rasa was staring at her, and that in turn made the rosette want to flee. To flee from him, from this backwards place and back to home, where surely she would feel safe and find answers there. Surely time was as she remembered it to be in Konoha.
"You may begin."
Sakura tensed to his words, and whipped her eyes quickly up to Rasa. Despite her confusion, she narrowed her gaze to his stoic look. She knew when she was being sized up.
"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, though had a vague idea where he was going to direct the conversation.
As she had thought, Rasa slowly gestured his hand towards Gaara
"You may begin," he repeated before passive eyes were back on her.
"You want me...?" Sakura asked, anger in her tone.
"You told me you have had medical training, did you not?"
Sakura bit her tongue before replying, she could feel her temper suddenly rising. He spoke with no emotion, yet the way he talked to her bothered her. Besides, who was he to decide Gaara's life rest in her hands? She was a stranger to Rasa, an enemy she could even be to him if she wanted, yet he offered his son's life willingly to her. There was no urgency in his voice, no pleading from his words, not even kindness graced him when he asked her to save Gaara, and that itself daunted her all the more. Every parent was different, but when it came to their child's life, the young woman was almost always asked with tears and serene words to save their kid. That they would offer anything just for their child to be spared. Yet, this Kazekage stood there as if this was an act as pressing as afternoon tea.
"I did," Sakura answered. "Surely you wouldn't want an outsider handling your own son though."
Sakura spoke to reason with him, for she feared his underlying premise if she aided Gaara. She knew his eyes would be glued to her like a hawks.
"Everyone here fears Gaara. They will not come to his aid unless I ask."
Sakura's eyes went round to this news. Even if Gaara here was suddenly not Kazekage, the man before her spoke of him as his son, wasn't that enough urgency to beckon the top doctors of this village here into this room?
"Why is that?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Rasa did not answer her, but instead turned his head towards the ticking clock. She followed his gaze, staring at the time, and taking a moment to think of the reasons. When the most obvious one finally came, her eyes flinched lightly before looking back down at the Kazekage. His eyes were already back on her.
"The Ichibi," Sakura whispered.
"Time is of the essence."
Sakura glared at the man. Angry at him for his taunting words. It was apparent to her now this Rasa didn't care for Gaara in the slightest, this was just some sort of test for her. His attention was on her now instead of the life of his son. Somewhere in the back of her mind, this story seemed familiar. She couldn't remember the details now, but she learned from someone, somewhere, that Gaara's father treated his life as if it were as precious to him as an ant's. She couldn't be too sure of that tale though, just something she thought she may have heard. When it came to Gaara, stories of him and his past usually swept past Sakura's head, she had little interest in the redhead. Gaara was Kazekage, a good one, and Naruto's friend, that was as far as her mind told her she needed to know. Never did she find it beneficial to indulge herself in his past and learn of his secrets, until now, that is.
"Why should I help you?" Sakura snapped. "What benefit is there of this for me? For you?"
His stare suddenly became cold.
"None whatsoever."
Sakura flinched lightly to his words, if she was doubtful before, it was painfully obvious now to see Rasa thought very little of Gaara's life.
"How do I know this isn't some sort of trick? My medical title is on the line here," Sakura spat.
Rasa took a step towards Sakura, his eyes on her before back on his son.
"The only thing I can offer you at the moment is my word that, if Gaara dies, I will not hold you responsible for it."
"You speak as though his life means nothing to you," Sakura said, her eyes drifting towards Gaara as well.
The silence that followed stung at her heart, his answer all the clear. Despite how distant Gaara and her were, Sakura felt her heart ache knowing this father cared nothing for the great man this kid would become.
"Let me take him," Sakura's plead was quiet. "Let me take him then if he means nothing to you. Give him to me."
Rasa scoffed at this, once again striding away from her.
"And how would you stop it?" Rasa asked, his eyes intent on Sakura's reaction. "How would you stop the Ichibi?"
She couldn't. Only Naruto had. She knew if the Ichibi escaped from his chains, that hell would come about once more if the monster wished it.
"Besides, Gaara may be dangerous inside these walls," Rasa spoke. "But he is an even bigger threat outside of them."
Sakura did not speak, instead listening to the ticking clock and staring at the small boy, pondering what to do next. Her urge to protect him was now wavering. She was walking on a thin line between saving Gaara, or running away back to Konoha. She wanted so much to help the young boy, but worried she was waltzing herself into Rasa's trap.
"Well?"
To his words, Sakura took one last look at him before drifting them back to Gaara. A sigh escaped her as she took in the boy's beaten look. Frail he was, with burnt patches of skin all over his flushed body. His breathing was erratic once more, and his body fidgeted lightly. She walked closer to him, brushing his hair off to the side and placing a gentle hand on his forehead. It came to her as no surprise that his skin was burning, yet no sweat perspired. Back home, this condition was rarely brought to her in the hospital, yet in Suna, she assumed this sort of thing more common. Nonetheless, she recognized his ailment with ease.
It was as Rasa had said, time was of the essence, and a lot of it had already been wasted by their conversation. Her only hope, as she lowered herself to the boy's ear, was that some internal damage hadn't already been done.
"I won't let you die," She whispered into Gaara's ear, knowing he probably couldn't even hear her. "Your life is much more important than he thinks."
