A/N: Beta'd by Errihu.


Chapter Eight


He kept his distance from her.

Despite his silent agreement to follow her through the village for a sweet treat, his walk was slow and feet behind her. At times Sakura would stop in her tracks, turning around to make sure he had not run from her but instead followed through the night. She did this also in hopes that he would finally catch up to her, that this walk between them could be taken with matching steps. Instead though, when Gaara noticed her standing there and waiting for him, he too would halt his movement, waiting on her to continue so that he may as well.

Persistent as she was before, the fifth time of this happening had Sakura puffing out her cheek in annoyance.

'Brat,' she thought.

She glanced at the giant gourd he carried on his back, bigger in size than his entire body. At first she offered help in carrying the item. He had whipped to face her before her fingers even touched the object, his eyes angry and silent in saying, do not touch. She had backed off then, respecting his property. However, as his tiny body hunched more during their walk, she worried for his back. Why did he feel the need to bring this anyway? Maybe he thought her intentions ill, that she was going to strike him down at any moment. This was his precaution, perhaps. That, or this was routine for him. Where he went, so too the gourd. Sakura didn't have an answer, and simply shrugged trying to think of one. He still waited on her to move, and so taking one more glance at the gourd, Sakura finally turned from him and did exactly just that.

The village around them was dark, save for a few street lights, but despite the dismal appearance night gave the area, the sky above was like a painted picture. Beautiful, detailed, and vibrant; she had to admit the stars and moon did not twinkle and glow this brightly back home, and despite the small cool breeze that would pick up from time to time, the night was surprisingly warm.

They both had been fortunate. They came across no one, and Sakura was surprised the village was so desolate this early into the night. It did not flourish with activity like her home; at least there she knew there would be vendors and shops still open like the one they were headed to. Instead, here most people took refuge into their homes. Perhaps it was just a slow night, or maybe they hid themselves for a reason. Not that it mattered to her, she simply felt grateful no one had crossed their path yet and let an aura of fear sweep over them like earlier today.

Of course, luck was only on their side for the few minutes of walking. In the back of her mind she knew their destination held at least one person in their path, and as soon as she caught eyesight of them, and them of her and the child following behind, she could already sense their discomfort in the air.

Sakura had brought Gaara to a small street stand. Noticing it earlier from her search for him, she suddenly couldn't get it out of her mind thinking how much more delicious this treat surely tasted in this hot desert. Though cooler now, the air in the sky was still thick with heat from the day, and the rosette smiled the closer she came to the shaved ice stand. For her, it had been a very long time since she indulged in such a sweet.

Her smile faltered as she drew closer to the vendor, the tension in the air simply grew the more Gaara came to the man. His eyes were settled on the boy, no matter how much closer Sakura was, and the old man shook lightly and stood frozen in his spot. Just a few feet away, and the young woman could see his downright fear, and her eyes could even perceive the cold sweat that was trailing down this man's face.

In her heart, Sakura felt for the boy behind her. Gaara had done nothing at the moment, given no reason for the man in front of them to shake behind in his stand. It was unfortunate, she realized then, that Gaara had to suffer the anxiety, hate, and much more these villagers had for the tailed beast inside of him. In a way, it made Sakura want educate the old man in front of her, to tell him Gaara had no choice or say in the matter what was decided for him before his birth. He had asked for none of this, and that all this animosity for the boy should instead be held against his father. A man who so far had been praised by almost all she had met here.

Instead, Sakura kept her lips pursed as she stood in front of the stand. On the other side, she gave the old man a minute while he continued to stare past her and worryingly towards Gaara. She gave the vendor a little more time, for she hoped cordiality would come back to this trader and his eyes would turn to her, the customer. Yet, the minute came and went, and Sakura was forced to clear her throat to get his attention. He had actually jumped to her sound, not at all aware of her presence, to which Sakura frowned more. Still, they were here for a snack, not to scare away this man, so she took the liberty of showing him what friendliness looked like, and nodded her head in silent greeting.

"Can we get two-"

Sakura stopped her voice when she felt Gaara literally draw up next to her. It surprised her that he finally came so close to her, she had expected him to linger back while she ordered for the both of them. Not to mention, he drew up so near to her, his hair brushing up against her, that he perhaps didn't even realize how much of a gap he closed off between them. She watched him peer over the counter of the stand, glancing at all the displayed sweets with interest. It made sense to her then why he drew close, and that was because he wanted to take in the colorful display and watch his dessert be made. To this, Sakura smirked at the child.

During their walk, he held back in fear of her, or perhaps just cautious of her motives, something very mature at his age. Yet, with the colorful stand, food, and promise of a treat hitting his eyes, that innocence returned to him, and he couldn't even stop himself from drawing near; and it was rightfully placed, Sakura knew, for he was a child. This was his time to enjoy himself like any other kid. These years belonged to a young mind and pure heart, for soon he would be thrown into the cold, ninja world where there, his wishes to be young once again could never be granted.

Sakura leaned down towards Gaara's level, looking at the displayed sweets as well.

"Which one do you want?" she asked.

Of all the questions she had asked him today, of all the responses he had granted her, Sakura was finally given an earnest answer from the boy.

"That one," Gaara said without hesitation, pointing to one of the displays.

Before Sakura could fully stand herself back up, before she could even utter a peep, the old man in front of them had begun working fast on the asked sweet. Sakura could only watch him work frantically, and sloppily, on the dessert. Even with her calm demeanor and boy's innocence thus far, the vendor shook and worked with obvious fear in his eyes.

"Two of them, please," Sakura reminded him as he began finishing the first.

In no time, shaved ice and money were exchanged, and Sakura offered thanks for both her and Gaara to the vendor before strolling away from the stand with Gaara by her side still. With distance between them and the stand, Sakura turned once more to look at the old man when she heard a bit of commotion behind her. She watched him work with haste and panic suddenly, putting everything in the display away, along with his ingredients before closing his small shop and rushing in the opposite direction from the both of them.

To this sight, Sakura grimaced in thought. It was still early into the night, and it was painfully obvious this man didn't close shop and flee for another reason besides the small boy next to her.

'I don't understand,' Sakura thought.

Gaara had done nothing, or said nothing threatening, how was it he was perceived so ill right then and there? Sakura stood there in deep thought, eyes locked still where the man had run off, and had forgotten the boy below her. Her attention was brought back to him only when she felt sand suddenly snaking around her arm, the grains aiming for one of the cups of ice she held.

"Hey, stop that!" she cried, pulling her arm back and watching the sand fall.

Though in no danger, she knew the boy below her simply wanted his treat, but she grew upset at his impatience and use of sand. Looking back down at him, she saw Gaara's gaze was narrowed once more towards her.

"Give me," he ordered, no indecisiveness in his voice.

To his broad display, Sakura's eyes widened some. It was not his place to order, or demand. anything of her. She was the adult, and he was the child, and she was going to make him realize that sooner or later. Despite whoever had raised him before, the uncaring way people treated him instead of with affection, she was not going to humor his spoiled side.

"Listen," Sakura said, kneeling down to his level once again."You don't demand for things like that, alright?"

His eyes were angry once more, and he said nothing, to which Sakura sighed.

"I know you don't know me, and I know you don't like me, but you have to believe me when I tell you I'm not here to hurt you."

Still nothing, but Sakura at the moment didn't mind. As long as he processed what she was telling him, that's all that mattered to her.

"It's alright if you want to hate me, I can live with that, but no matter what I'm here to take care of you right now. So if you are kind to me, I'll be kind to you back. We can take care of each other."

Sakura watched Gaara's narrow gaze lift up some, almost like he was now curious of her and her words.

"I think of you as a friend, even if it's only been a day," Sakura smiled softly, watching the boy's gaze morph into surprise. "Please, if you want something just ask, don't demand it. Try to use your words instead of your sand."

Not wanting to overdo it, for he was still just a kid, and probably had a hard time processing all that she just said, Sakura handed over his cup of shaved ice. The boy stared down at the red-dyed crystals for some time before Sakura spoke one more time on the matter.

"And please, no more running away like earlier."

Sakura stood, brushing the grains of sand off her knee.

"If you want to go out, that's fine, but I have to come with you."

Turning back to Gaara, she wondered if he would acknowledge this, but instead she found him eating his treat instead. Her words probably sweeping past his head. However, from the display in front of her, a small Gaara gulping down his dessert and staining his lips red from the syrup, Sakura couldn't help but smile.

'Gaara,' she thought, thinking of the older man from her time, 'I wonder if you will be amused at the stories about your younger self I am going to share with you once I return.'

Sakura began thinking of the Gaara of her time, wondering if he would believe her when she told him what she was seeing, and experiencing, the the next time she saw him. She wondered if anyone would believe her words when the time came. Surely they had to, by now the Kazekage of her time was probably sending his men to the desert, and sending word to Kakashi that her expected arrival time had passed. By now, it was probably hitting both leaders that something had gone amiss with her mission.

Sakura blinked once more, staring at the child in front of her. He had ventured a little way on his own, sitting down on a bench while he ate his dessert, and Sakura slowly followed suit. Through her steps, she could once again hear Kakashi's voice, reminding her of the importance of her mission, how Gaara specifically asked for the scroll to be delivered to his hands only, how tension was probably going to be built up between the two villages because of her careless act.

Sakura shook her head as she stepped next to Gaara.

'No use dwelling on it now,' she thought. 'I have bigger problems to worry about at the moment.'

Still, thinking the child next to her was one day going to be upset with her, she couldn't help but find humor in that. The reason being, an older Gaara struck a respectable fear in her, whereas the child next to her had been harmless thus far. With that, she couldn't stop herself from ruffling his hair and chortling lightly.

"Promise not to be too mad at me in the future, alright?" she joked.

To her touch, the boy emitted a low growl, a noisy warning to leave him be to enjoy his food, but it was at least better than him pulling away or swiping at her hand. For that reason alone, the small step forward, Sakura smiled at his eating form before taking a seat on the same bench. She gave him his space, planting herself on the edge while he sat on his own side. She stared at her red shaved ice, lost in thought before taking a spoonful of the dessert.

She nearly gagged.

It was way too sweet for her liking; any sensible person would find it too sweet, honestly. Taking another look at the food, she realized how drenched in red syrup the ice actually was. The old vendor had been too hasty, the food was ill-prepared, and Sakura knew all this was because of his speed to get away from the child sitting next to her. She sighed at this thought, her eyes turning once more to Gaara. For him, the sweet tooth every child carried probably adored the syrupy goodness.

'He's probably going to be a handful tonight. All that sugar…'

In her mind, she wondered if at this point a mother would pull that sweetness away. Sakura wasn't sure how to feel in this scenario though. Gaara wasn't her child, he was just a friend. A friend who she now had to watch over, and it made her ponder how she should honestly feel at the moment. He ate in silence, hastily, and though he had no emotion on his face, Sakura could tell he enjoyed what was in his cup, despite it being over-indulged with sugary syrup. That image and thought, of Gaara enjoying himself, warmed her heart some and made her smile. It had been a rough few days.

For both of them.

Seeing him finish his ice, Sakura nudged her cup towards the child. His eyes landed on what she was offering quickly before looking up at her in question.

"Here," Sakura smiled softly, nudging the treat again. "You didn't get to eat much today."

Slowly, Gaara reached for what she offered. He pulled it towards him without any hesitation, holding it in his hands for some time while staring at the red ice. Sakura watched him for awhile, wondering what was going through his mind as he stared down at the food. As cautious as he was of her, his distaste of her he had shown thus far, Sakura couldn't help but smile and find humor once again in this scenario.

'He probably thinks I did something with it.'

As the silence grew, save for the whispers that came with the night, Sakura closed her eyes. She relished at the sudden tranquility, the way the cool breeze kept sweeping at her warm skin, the muteness around her, how at ease she was finally feeling after all that had happened thus far.

"...Thank you."

Sakura's eyes snapped open then, and they were focused entirely on the boy. Had she just heard him speak? Had that quiet gratitude actually come from him? Whether he had, he gave her no indication he had spoken, instead staring at the ice still before taking another bite. Sakura stared at him, baffled and in wonderment for awhile until a smile came to her. She was still unsure if this spoiled child had actually shown her some gratitude, or if those words had just suddenly been a voice fabricated in her mind, whatever was true didn't stop the young woman from replying.

"You're welcome."

At least she knew somewhere deep inside of him he had been taught proper manners. She just had to continue to break his ill-natured shell to get to it. Again, she smiled as she watched him eat.

'Gaara's not a bad person.'

Like his other cup, the soft, red ice disappeared fast behind the young boy's tongue. He eventually settled the empty cups next to him, brushing off whatever sticky residue was left from his lips onto his hands before sensing Sakura's stare on him. For her, she found it cute he had lost his sudden sense of awareness of her and his surroundings while he ate, instead focusing on the treat and its taste. Though, in the future, he would be taught that loss of awareness at any time was not a ninja way, Sakura still couldn't help but smile when his eyes met with hers.

These were his years to enjoy, so she allowed him this moment to do so, for he would soon be thrown into a cruel world where dwelling in the past, like now, may be his only source of comfort. Yet, when a smile of his own didn't match with hers, and instead his narrowing gaze had returned, Sakura knew the shelter a young, simple mind could give any child was already lost to this Gaara. This boy had already found the cruel world most parents tried to shield their children from.

'Not found,' Sakura corrected herself. 'Thrown into.'

He hadn't been asked whether he was ready or not to be shown how cold the world was, instead he was born into it. And there was no pulling him out of it by his father, siblings, or anyone else in his life that she knew of. Sooner or later, he was going to learn of the world's darkness, it was unfortunate to Sakura that time came for him the second he entered this world. Yet, at the same time, this young boy seemed all the stronger in her eyes. And not because of his sand, or how cautious he had learned to become of others, but simply because he had endured thus far. At least to the best of his ability at his age, and with time it would pay off with the day he won the hearts of his village and others. Stronger, and a little more interesting, to her eyes, and it made her smile grow. Which made his eyes smaller.

He was still unsure of her, and her growing smile probably confused him.

"What's wrong?" she teased him lightly. "Never seen a smile?"

A silly question, she found humor in it, but only for a second until she realized the truth behind her words. Smiles he had seen, yes. Were they thrown in his direction? Probably not. Very few, if any, were likely to have stared down at him with a grin like she had now. It was no wonder why those angry eyes of his settled on her that way now. A bigger understanding of him hit her right then and there.

He was confused by her, just as much as she was of him.

Where she was unsure how to care and watch over him, he too didn't understand where her kindness came from, or why she showed him any at all. It dawned on her then, how she had seen others talk about him today and look down at him with fear, and how she may have just shown this child the most kindness now than he had ever received in his lifetime. It was no wonder now why he kept turning an angry look her way, or why he called her a liar earlier and demanded she let him be.

He didn't understand her. He had no idea that her kindness meant well.

He didn't realize what love was.

And somehow, that thought rang like a constant bell in Sakura's head. Similar with Rasa and Gaara's relationship, as little as she knew about him, the story suddenly sounded a little more familiar. Probably from Naruto himself had Sakura heard a tale about Gaara and his misunderstanding of what the word etched into his head meant. It made her heart ache thinking the boy next to her didn't understand her kindness today, and her smile fell when she realized her goodness only came because of forces out of her control. She was somehow reliving the past, appointed to watch over Gaara simply because his father ordered her to. She wasn't even supposed to be here at this moment. The genuine care she had showed him now, and earlier today, technically did not happen in the past. If not for that unknown force that brought her here, Gaara would be living another day without a smile pointed in his direction.

'That's just too cruel,' Sakura thought.

To her frown, his piercing eyes began to let up. A smile, he was unsure how to interpret, but a frown in his direction he was more accustomed to. Thus, his body seemed to relax a bit before turning his teal orbs and head away from Sakura, simply staring out into the night in front of him. Meanwhile, Sakura was still battling these emotional thoughts in her mind. For when she remembered she was not meant to be here, another uncertainty came to her.

'Is this alright?' she asked herself. 'Is me being here going to mess with the future?'

She still was unsure if she really was in the past, still wondered if this was some vivid hallucination or jutsu. But, there was also the possibility time had shifted around her picking at the back of her mind. She had read stories with this same scenario, seen movies where the protagonist is suddenly thrown back in time. It was that usual cliché these stories and movies held that suddenly came into her mind.

Altering the past never turned out well.

She tried to shake off that thought. It was out of her control, she didn't ask to come here, and doubted her presence would suddenly shake the world in a negative way. She still had doubts whether she really was stuck in the past, but reminded herself she would take whatever means she had to in order to survive and reach her way back home.

'Taking care of Gaara for a short time won't do anything. If anything his humbleness can maybe blossom a little more earlier.'

No matter what she told herself, there was still doubt. To this, she sighed and stared down at her twiddling thumbs. She would have to endure, and luckily for her she had a reason to preoccupy her time and thoughts to something else other than her own predicament. And this reason still sat next to her, staring silently out in front of him. She turned her head once more towards him, taking him in for a moment before remembering how uncomfortable he was of her smile.

'Too damn bad.' she thought, letting that small smirk return. 'He's gonna learn that people can smile towards him.'

She nudged her head slightly in his direction

"Hey," she softly called.

He turned once more to look at her, his eyes shifting slightly and dropping to look at her smile before meeting with her eyes. There was still an aura about him that Sakura understood now as him being uncomfortable at her look, but that didn't stop her from grinning.

"Did you know the sky is smiling at you right now?"

Her words were playful, a joke she had learned about around his age with her own family. And despite his opposite upbringing than hers, how cold and rough everyone treated him whereas she was always welcomed with open arms and hearts, his eyes whipped just as fast towards the sky as the first time hers did when hearing such a statement. Like her, when she was his age, his eyes searched the sky for the grin she claimed the world above them to have. Like her, everything to that child was forgotten at the moment, his distaste for her, his angry eyes, his hostile aura, his cautiousness of her, all lost as curiosity overtook him. Despite everything, he looked up the same way any child would after being told such a thing.

'His heart is in the right place,' Sakura decided, her smile growing while she watched his pupils slide all over the sky.

Despite the differences, he was a child through and through. No matter how evil the world around her painted him, he looked up with the curiosity and wonder every child had. Like her first time, it didn't take him long before his eyes returned to hers. In them she could see uncertainty, curiosity still, and a little anger towards her. He probably thought her to be mocking him now, playing some sort of twisted joke with him, that's where his anger stemmed from. People had mistreated him thus far in many ways, and to him, Sakura was probably no different.

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence. "Can't you see its smile?"

Her voice was playful, meant to joke. To any child, her tone would sweep past their heads, to Gaara though, he understood the jest in her voice, and narrowed his eyes all the more towards her. Before, where his anger seemed to rattle her slightly, she this time chuckled lightly. Her teasing was innocent, but to the spoiled boy next to her, he simply glared all the more as she tried to stifle her laughter. After a minute of settling her giggles, Sakura turned back to him with a smile.

"Look again," she said, nudging her head slightly. "I promise you it's there."

He glared at her, unbelieving, still thinking her to be making fun of him. Yet, whether the strong wonders of a child's mind took hold of him again, or if he found her promise to actually be genuine, he gave her one more glower before slowly turning his eyes back to the sky.

Sakura sat there still while watching his eyes travel the sky a little more slowly. He was being much more precise with his search, trying to catch anything abnormal it held tonight than he had seen these past years. For her, it was a little bit of an awe to watch him so invested in his search. Unsure of the reason why, but maybe it was because she knew his older self to be much different. If asked, Gaara of her future would probably deny that he wasted his time as a child falling for such simple tricks, she thought. It just made her smile warm up all the more, and sure enough his eyes returned to hers.

"Found it?" she asked.

His narrowing gaze answered her question, but she still waited on the little boy to speak his own words. Minutes began to pass them again in silence, the cold breeze hitting them once more while they waited on the other to speak first. With that time, Sakura half wondered if he would grow bored of this little game. Like before, he would probably turn his head away with lost interest. Yet, he surprised her once more, his curious mind controlling him once again.

"No," he answered plainly.

His eyes wavered from her smile to eyes for a quick second before he spoke again.

"Where?"

Sakura's grin grew then, and she took a daring move by scooting her body closer towards the young boy. Though he did not protest, she stopped the second she saw his eyes shift to her body. She did not want to push her luck, and was simply happy he allowed her to close off a little space between them. She smiled down at him once more, earning his eyes back up on her before she looked straight up ahead towards the night sky. Gaara's eyes followed hers, and she pointed high up.

"There," she beamed. "Do you see it?"

He followed her finger pointed towards the moon. It was bright in the sky, crescent shape, waxing; and as soon as Gaara was sure that she was pointing to exactly that, his mad eyes were once more back on her.

"That's not a smile," he said with a hiss, upset she had toyed with him. "That's the moon."

Though she could hear animosity in his tone, Sakura still turned to him with a smile. To which, she saw his face contort slightly. He was unsure how to take in her grin. In his mind, it should not be placed so proudly across her face after catching her in a lie. He was still unsure what was going through her mind just now. Was she perhaps mad?

"Look," she said before tracing her finger across her lips. "This is my smile."

She turned back to the sky, her finger now tracing the air and shaping the crescent moon.

"You see?" she asked again. "That is the sky's smile. It's happy to see you."

He was silent, but Sakura could sense his wonderment peaking once again. He even drew his body a little closer to hers, hoping to catch her line of vision just to be sure he wasn't the delusional one. Minutes passed in silence, and the young woman took a moment to peek an eye towards him, curious to whether he enjoyed this charming tale as much as she did at his age.

"Stupid," he finally mumbled.

She wasn't sure if he mocked the scenario or was labeling her, but whichever case, she still held her smile proud and turned it once more towards him.

"Don't be so disbelieving," she said with a playful wink. "You wouldn't believe how mysterious this world is."

Moments again passed in silence, but Sakura was surprised it was the young boy again breaking it.

"...Why is it smiling?"

A silent chuckle escaped from her lips. Contrary to what he just said moments before, he was still hopeful what she said was the truth. Children liked mysteries, liked wonder, wanted to believe in magic beyond sense. She was happy to see that his cold upbringing had not tainted his mind completely. Glad she was, that he still held onto his childhood.

To his question, she hummed for a moment. He watched her intently then, for she was the first in such a long time to consider what he asked. Quick replies, whether out of fear or to please him speedily were often what was tossed his way.

"It must be happy you made a new friend."

She smiled down at him, and he returned his eyes to hers. While he didn't seem happy or thrilled to her words, his eyes showed that he held no ill will towards them either. He simply looked at her with a poker face, and as unsure as to what he was thinking, Sakura thought him more to be curious of her words than anything.

"You know..." she added after some time. "It's the same reason why I'm smiling too."

Gaara glanced at her grin for a quick second. Again, he was neither amused or displeased from her words, and instead turned his eyes slowly out in front of him after seeing her smile. And Sakura, happy with the small revelation, did the same.

With her smile, of course.

They stayed like that for some time before Sakura decided they should return home. And while he walked behind her, keeping his distance from her still, he trudged a little more closely towards her.

The gap between the two just a little bit smaller now.