A/N: Beta'd by Errihu.


Chapter Nine


It was ridiculous idea, Sakura knew, that she even try to coordinate with Gaara's schedule. The boy never slept, it was a trait that practically defined him, and she found it ironic that they had even bothered placing a bed in his room. Yet, upon their return, as soon as he again took refuge in the high window, she found herself sitting on top of the comfy mattress thinking it was placed not for his sake.

'Maybe it's not for him,' she thought. 'It's not like Rasa can expect me to watch Gaara all night too.'

Sakura looked up towards the window, spotting the boy staring out blankly towards the village. Despite her late start today, she would try her best to find sleep now, she decided. That way she could have an earlier start the next day.

"I'm going to sleep now," she called out towards the child.

His attention went to her, and he blinked a few times down towards her as she did the same looking up at him. A smile found her again, and a poker face on his.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" she asked.

He said nothing as he kept his eyes on her, almost as if he was curious of her words. His head tilted some, but besides this the young child kept his lips sealed. Sakura would just have to assume he would be alright in the dark, if anything the bright moon illuminated the room some. Even when she flipped the light switch off, he did not protest. She looked back up at him one more time while nestling herself under the sheets.

"If any scary monsters come out, you can wake me up, ok? I'll chase them away for you," she said while smiling playfully. "Otherwise, I'm counting on you to take care of them while I sleep."

She winked at the child, hoping that like earlier he found her playful words fun. In the dark, she could only see his silhouette, so whatever expression he had, if any, would forever be a secret to her. Yet, as she buried her head into the clean, puffy pillow, his small voice echoed in the room.

"Monsters scare you?"

Sakura smiled into the pillow. She was happy the boy was opening up a little more to her.

"Of course not," she boasted. "I beat up monsters, and protect my friends from them!"

He made no reply, and Sakura was soon drifting in and out of sleep. When sleep finally found her, she was stirred out of it from time to time throughout the night. Though, nothing to completely rouse her, and she didn't sense any danger each time it did. Just random noises throughout the night that she thought may come from Gaara. She knew with certainty he couldn't find entertainment staring out of that window all night. He was the definition of restless, and represented this word all the more with his constant small steps throughout the room. He would walk past her, back and forth. There were times there would be some clatter in the room, what the young woman assumed to be him playing with his toys, and from time to time complete silence, as if he actually respected her and her wish to sleep.

There were only two times where she found herself waking completely. The first came late into the night, she swore she could hear a small child whimpering and crying. It shook her, not only because no child's tears should be left unanswered, but because there was something that sounded familiar in this child's crying. She swore she had heard these tears once before, somewhere recent, in a place that should have been forbidden to her. Yet, when her eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, the room was dead quiet.

'Just a dream,' she assumed while resting her head back down.

The sounds of distress never returned, and she was able to find sleep again without any issue.

The second time she was torn away from the world of dreams was when a sunrise was breaking across the horizon; but it wasn't the light of dawn shining into the room that awoke her. No, it was a foreign, itchy feeling that suddenly spread across her body. She groaned with dislike when the soft sheets and blankets were slowly pulled away from her frame, the cold air making her shiver and bind her body into itself to find warmth. A small hum, almost like a hiss, made her ear twitch suddenly, and soon enough, something rough and grainy began wrapping itself around her body.

Her eyes shot open then.

It took her less than a second to shake off the sand that was on her, and instead of the earth racing for her again, hoping to encase her, it slowly retracted to the boy standing at the end of her bed. Sakura's eyes met with his, but again, she was unable to understand his empty stare.

Questions now poured into the rosette's mind while watching his sand slide from the bed back to his gourd, but above all of them, she couldn't stop from asking a same one.

'Why?'

She had showed him kindness thus far, treated him like a friend yesterday, even told him that she was there for him. Yet, he had cast all of her words aside, instead trying to take her at her most vulnerable. There was no doubt in her mind what it was he was trying to do just now.

'Why?' she asked herself again, watching his eyes light up curiously for a reaction from her.

Yet, instead of asking this question, she would feign ignorance for the moment. For his sake, she would still treat him with kindness, for she always fell back to the older man she knew he would become when she had doubt. He was misunderstood now, but that would change, and hopefully she could make that occurrence happen sooner in his life.

He was a good person, even if he would try over, and over, and over again to end her life. Even if he couldn't realize it just yet, she knew better days were in store for him. Lucky for him, Sakura decided, she was there to show him change now.

She forced a smile, and his eye twitched to her expression. That was not the reaction he was clearly expecting, but his stare remained heavy and cold.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, her voice still tired. "Morning already?"

She stretched her arms and back, sighing when her bones popped and cracked back into place.

"I appreciate the wake-up call, but..."

Her smile fell then, and her stare became as deep as his while gazing into his eyes.

"...Don't use your sand on me while I sleep. The last little boy who did that didn't get any sweets for years."

Her voice was cold, and even if her words were a lie, for she had never watched any other little boy besides Gaara, there was an underlying message in her tone and stern eyes. It almost rivaled with his gaze every time she tried to touch him. To any other, her voice would probably make a child tear up, or her words would go in one ear and out the other. Yet for Gaara, who knew almost no other tone but hostile ones, understood her threat.

She knew he could, and their eyes were locked for some time.

Surprisingly, it was Gaara breaking the silence, and even more shocking, he broke it with a small giggle. His laughter was light, and Sakura was baffled that that was his reply to her. Yet, the more time passed, the louder his giggle became before Sakura sat there wide-eyed and confused at his cackle. He grew loud, a sinister smirk formed on his face, and his eyes were ominous and set entirely on her, as if he suddenly drowned himself in her puzzled orbs.

Before Sakura could react, he drew in a hearty breath and spoke.

"You're funny."

Sakura's face fell then, still puzzled, but she studied the boy with a heavy frown.

'What is going on in your mind right now?' Sakura wondered.

It was clear to her now, behind his laughter and the empty expression he used to try to hide his feelings, that his mindset was not the same as it had been yesterday. The child in front of her was the cold-blooded murderer she remembered during their Chūnin Exam.

She was quiet for some time, studying him, and him her. His smirk was still plastered on his face, and he didn't shy away from her pitying look. Instead, his eyes twitched, and his head tilted side to side before his smirk turned into a grin. Outwardly, she did not show it, but inside a small shiver ran up her spine.

"Have you ever killed someone?" he asked.

It was her turn to put on the poker face, while he now adorned a sinister smile. She was unfazed by his question; the answer was obvious to anyone who knew her to be a ninja. Yet, for the child in front of her, who should never allow his mind to dwell on such a thing let alone ask her that question, had eyes clouded with curiosity.

She knew for certain then, that he was suddenly out of his mind. This, was probably the danger Rasa, and so many others had warned her about, and familiar words echoed in her mind.

"Do not run. If you run, he will chase you."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of those words. She would not run from Gaara, for the sake of his future self. But she did have to wonder how this Gaara came out suddenly. Was the Ichibi to blame? Was he perhaps a little unstable through a quiet night? Perhaps, while she slept, something had happened. She wouldn't know the answer unless the boy in front of her suddenly became compliant, and she knew something like that was not going to happen anytime soon.

Instead, she answered him with her movement. It was a bold act, and she only did this in certainty that he could not harm her. He could protest, that was his worse, so Sakura was willing to take the risk. She slowly reached for him while expecting him to resist, or swipe at her, but he surprisingly let her arms lift him up to her chest before she wrapped them around his small frame, carrying him towards the bathroom. He probably allowed this, for he was not right in his mind, Sakura decided, and she hoped this small contact would ease his mind.

"Let's clean you up, you're way overdue for a bath. Then we can have breakfast."

Her words, as uplifting as they might be to some, was spoken with a frown, and his reply was just as cold.

"I've killed a lot of people."

Sakura said nothing more. Instead, she let her focus fall on the task at hand, taking care of Gaara, and if any doubt came, she would remember his future self.

'He is a good person,' she kept telling herself.

She tried to speak louder in her mind than the imaginary screams he painted in her mind.

The two were quiet while Sakura prepared Gaara for his bath, tossing his dirty, ripped clothes in the trash and scouring for a bit of soap she could find. Gaara, too, seemed to have lost his voice, and his smirk. Turning back to him, Sakura could see his distant and quiet demeanor returning.

"Cover your eyes," Sakura said, before spraying him water.

He obliged, but his hands fell as soon as the bath wand left from his head and down his back. Sakura was thorough with her rinsing, for she remembered how long it had been for him since his last wash. So, it was no surprise that the water draining below him was discolored and with little debris. However, when the water seemed to turn a deep crimson, and not let up for some time, she grew worried. His head was scarred now, sure, she understood there would be some dried blood she would be rinsing off of him. Yet, from the looks of it, the red water was not letting up.

'Did he hurt himself somewhere else last night?' she wondered, tearing her eyes from the drain and to the boy's eyes.

That's when she noticed something off with the boy's face. She pulled back the wand then, tilting her head side to side and trying to figure out what these new scratches on his face were… And the ones on his arms… and leg's… and stomach.

...Wait a minute.

"Ah!" Sakura suddenly cried, forcing Gaara to face her fully. "You have your sand armor on!"

As if her words were like a cue, patches of wet sand began plopping from his body. Her frown was heavy again seeing this, and even more so when Gaara did not meet with her eyes. He chose not to dwell in her pitying look, this time.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "You're just going to tire yourself out..."

Even when he said nothing, the answer was painfully obvious. Gaara still did not trust her. So, instead of sitting there and dwelling on the thought, or trying to convince him otherwise when Sakura knew he was stubborn and set on his ways, she sighed.

"Let me clean you first, then you can put it back on if it makes you feel better."

She waited, half-expecting him to refuse. Yet, with time, she watched him sigh and relax his body, patches of wet grains falling off of him. She realized her mistake then.

"Wait, wait, wait!" she suddenly cried, reaching for him. "Not here! You're going to clog-"

Before she could finish, it was like his entire body peeled from the weight of the wet sand, and Sakura sighed when she saw the immense pile covering the floor.

"-the drain," she finished her words, a groan following right after.

Her head fell then, trying to bury her light frustration. It was way too early into the morning to be dealing with something like this.

'Patience, Sakura,' she repeated over and over in her mind.

Once she had her moment, she raised her head back up, surprised Gaara's eyes were on hers. She studied him for a moment before a smirk drew up on her.

"The great, mighty Gaara. They claimed his sand to be the best defense. Little did they know that just a little water added in would be his downfall."

Her voice was playful again, but only she found humor in it while Gaara turned his head away in distaste. Her use of downfall probably irked him, and maybe even the beast within his mind. She smiled at his scowling features, finding this grumpy side of him cute in a way. At least now she was beginning to understand when he was dangerous, and when he was just annoyed with her. Right now, she was in no danger. Unlucky for him though, Sakura was feeling playful.

"Hey," she called to him while reaching for the rinsing cup behind her.

Its contents were splashed right into his face the second he turned to face her. Through his sputter, and wiping the water from his eyes, Sakura took the opportunity to nab him. Against her hold, he struggled, but the second he slipped from her grasp, she had already positioned him where she wanted him to fall. The small tub erupted with a splash of water, and Sakura was laughing wholeheartedly at the sight while Gaara growled with anger, his angry eyes on her again.

"I'm sorry," Sakura giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "I just couldn't resist."

The young woman reached next for the soap, but her eyes went wide when she saw Gaara trying to exit out of the tub.

"No, not yet!" Sakura whined, blocking him from doing so. "We need to clean you in here. Since the drain is out of commission for the time."

"I want to get out," was Gaara's protest, still trying to climb out to the side of her.

He growled again, and even swatted at her arm when he felt the cool, liquid soap suddenly poured on top of his head.

"There!" Sakura beamed with a smile. "Now you have to stay! Let me wash your hair at least."

Gaara glared at her, but Sakura kept her smile strong as she knelt down, digging her fingers through his red locks. He flinched from time to time, not used to her touch in the slightest, and his eyes were locked on her like a hawk's, waiting for the ill-intent. Yet, it never came, and after a good scrub, his head now white with suds, Sakura sighed with content.

"See?" she asked. "Was that so bad?"

Sakura watched his hand slowly reach up towards his hair. He nabbed some of the soapy suds into his palm before staring at the bubbles. It was if this was a foreign substance to him now, and he studied the froth for some time.

"I want to get out," he repeated, still staring at the substance.

"Not yet," Sakura answered, pouring soap into a cloth this time. "Turn around, let me wash your back."

His eyes whipped from his palm and back to her stare. He was silent, studying her with curiosity and anger. He did not speak, he was frozen, but in a sudden, quick instant, his hand came flying towards her face.

"Gah!" Sakura cried out, feeling his palm trace her face with the foam he had in his hand.

She wiped her eyes quick, but not before hearing the boy once again making an exit out of the tub.

"You brat!" she said through a small chuckle. "Get back here!"

She had to admit, it was pretty clever of him to use another element to blind her since his sand did not mix with water, and she also knew it was fair payback to what she had done earlier. However, she still was not ready to call it quits yet. The young woman knew a few minute soak was not going to suffice after his long weeks without wash. So, once she was able to see again, she turned and was about to give chase, but stopped when she noticed Gaara stood frozen in the bathroom doorway.

Taking in his face, his eyes were suddenly wide, and his jaw was lightly agape, staring at nothing in front of him.

"Gaara?" she asked, noticing his silent shock.

She reached for the boy, but stopped when he flinched and ran back to the tub.

"Gaara?!" she cried, surprised and confused. "What's wrong?"

His eyes still did not settle on hers, and it puzzled her greatly why he chose to return when he had been fighting with her to get out. Again, she made a reach for him, expecting to get his eyes back on hers, and even hopefully an answer, but she stopped when there was a sudden rapping at the door. To the noise, Gaara sunk his head lower in the tub, yet his eyes were like a hidden animal's, watching for the danger. Sakura meanwhile turned towards the source of the noise, bewildered. Everyone, as far as she could tell, feared the boy. This knocking was surprising; she didn't imagine anyone coming on their free will to the lion's den so to speak. The child's reaction just seemed to clarify this all the more.

The wooden frame was struck again, shaking off Sakura's surprise.

"It's alright," Sakura said and turned towards Gaara with a reassuring smile. "Probably just someone bringing us our food or something."

His eyes went swiftly to hers while Sakura spoke, but fell back to the door out in the room the second she finished. Despite her incentive, Gaara still glared at the door all the way to the point where the rosette marched forward to open it.

"Good morning," the man on the other side said, nodding his head.

Sakura nodded back.

"Morning."

Taking in his appearance more, Sakura deciphered the man not to be that much older than her. He wore the basic ninja attire, save for a distinctive feature, a cloth hiding the left side of his face. Though she couldn't properly place it, the tanned man in front of her was no stranger. She had seen him somewhere before. Even more surprising, to her, he stood in front of her with no hesitation. His eyes were set solely on hers, and did not peer behind her in search for the little boy everyone grew anxious when seeing.

"Kazekage-sama has summoned you."

A sense of dread suddenly washed over the young woman. It made her eyes widen for a brief second, and memories flash in her mind trying to pinpoint the trouble she may be in.

'Shit,' she cursed in her mind. 'Did he find out about Gaara running off yesterday?'

Still, if that was the reason Rasa had wanted to see her, the dilemma was trivial at best.

She hoped.

"Right now?" Sakura asked, earning another nod from the man.

Sakura turned her head, eyes peering past the room and into the washroom where Gaara still hid himself, his eyes glaring at the man.

"Heh," Sakura mumbled. "I might need a little time to convince Gaara to come. He can be just a little stubborn..."

Sakura finished with a shrug, eyes back on the older man.

"I will watch him for the time being."

Sakura's eyes were wide again. It was like this man, like her in the beginning, didn't realize all the trouble he was suddenly being thrown into. Or, if he did, didn't seem fazed like the way others so far had been with Gaara. It was then the young woman realized what he was.

A true ninja.

He took his order's from his lord without question, without hesitance, without the dread of knowing this could be his last moment alive.

"A-Alright," Sakura agreed. "Just let me get him dressed and explain what's going on."

Another nod from the man, a silent agreement, and Sakura softly shut the door before stepping back towards the bathroom and Gaara. His stare was still strong, but it was curious-like the second Sakura knelt down to his level and spoke.

"I need to step out for a bit. This man is going to watch over you while I'm gone."

Gaara's eyes widened then, and they went back and forth from Sakura to the door.

"You can get out now, and get dressed. Please be sure you don't-"

"I want to go with you!"

Gaara's voice suddenly drowned out her own, and she was taken slightly aback with his bidding. She said nothing while staring down at him, and he looked shaken while staring back up at her. Through his eyes, though his voice thus far had been commands, she could see him pleading with her now. Even if the word was lost to him, his silence still held a please.

"I… I want to go with you," Gaara repeated.

His voice shook then, but Sakura could see him accentuate every word. He was trying to leave her without option, that she simply had to take him with her. For her though, Sakura understood his underlying message.

I trust you more than I trust him.

A compliment in an odd way for her, yet knew deep down that it wasn't only her he would need to trust with time. However, she could be a good start, she decided, and smiled softly at the boy.

"Alright," Sakura said, nodding her head to the side. "Hurry up and get dressed then."

There was no dawdle from him then. Gaara quickly climbed from the tub for new clothes while Sakura explained the situation to the man. Luckily, he did not argue.

"Very well," was all he said, before leading the two of them out the home and outside.

Like the night before, Gaara did not leave his giant gourd behind, and still refused Sakura's help with it.

"You're going to strain your back with that giant thing, you know?" Sakura commented with her hands on her hips, watching the weight of the gourd sink the boy's back.

Gaara made no reply, he just returned a blank stare as soon as he was able to straighten himself back up and look towards her. While his look was long, Sakura couldn't help but smile and shake her head lightly.

'Stubborn,' she labeled him, before offering him her hand.

His eyes fell to her silent motion, for he was still cautious of new gestures. Her offering her hand was no different, and he stared at her palm for a brief second before looking back up at her with his usual poker face.

"Here," she said, nudging her hand again. "You can hold my hand if you want. Though, I might make you chase for it."

She playfully winked, hoping the boy would reach for her. Yet, even at her age, she realized then this was just another one of her hopeless desires, that where the boy asked to come with her earlier, she thought maybe their relationship was a little closer, that he would actually take her hand. She was reminded, as soon as he turned his eyes away from her, that he was just same cold, stubborn, scared little boy she, supposedly, met the other day.

He did not take her hand. Gave her no indication that he even cared for that contact, and instead waited on her, and the man, to walk ahead of him.

"Alright," Sakura sighed. "Maybe another time."

She would not give up just yet. She was just as stubborn as him, maybe even more so. Her friends back home could vouch for her on that, telling anyone who asked how she chased after a man for years. She turned from the little boy then, walking in step instead with the man that looked familiar to her.

"My name is Sakura, by the way, "Sakura introduced herself.

"Baki," the man replied, keeping his face forward and set towards their destination.

Now it was all the clearer to her who he was. She knew this man, remembered him from brief moments time to time throughout her entire life. While she didn't know him on a personal level, she did know he would eventually become the three Sand siblings' teacher.

"Baki-san, huh?" Sakura mumbled, turning her head to make sure Gaara, behind them, still followed.

To her glance, Gaara looked up at her, as if expecting her to speak to him. Instead of words, she gave him a giant grin, which in turn had him snapping his head and eyes to the side, a click of his tongue revealed his dislike and confusion to Sakura's random affections.

"You may see me from time to time at Kazekage-sama's home."

Baki's words were what tore Sakura's face back around and towards the tanned man, curious of what he meant.

"I assumed today wasn't your first time coming up to Gaara's room. You seemed unfazed. Yesterday, it was the exact opposite when people saw him."

Baki nodded again, understanding what Sakura was telling him. For he, like everyone else, had witnessed the same scenario. Like a true ninja though, he kept his personal feelings on the matter in check.

"Kazekage-sama has appointed me already to be Gaara-sama's teacher when he comes of age. Temari, and Kankuro-sama as well. I already work with the two older children in training."

Sakura's eyes widened, surprised the trio's teacher, and squad, had been formed this early on. Usually it wasn't until after graduation that a team and teacher was assigned. It baffled her lightly, yet it wasn't as if this news did not come into fruition. Gaara and his siblings were indeed in a squad, and Baki would eventually become their teacher. It just made her curious this had been decided so early on.

"Isn't it still too early to decide all of that yet?" Sakura asked.

Baki was quiet, trying to figure out the right words.

"A three-man team it has to be, yet there would be an outrage if two random children were forced to work alongside Gaara. People would view it as a death sentence."

Sakura frowned hard at these words.

"So, Rasa sacrifices his own children instead?" Sakura mumbled, not liking this logic.

Baki was quiet again, and Sakura knew he wouldn't reply to her question. He wouldn't perceive his lord in a bad light, despite Sakura's point.

"And why does he, everyone, assume Gaara will forever be unstable? Children grow, they change. If he has the right people in his life, has the correct teachings, he could grow to become a great man. Maybe even great enough to take his father's role one day! I don't understand why people expect him to be bad forever," Sakura said.

"Maybe that's just it," Baki spoke in a low voice. "Maybe you just don't understand. Maybe after speaking with Kazekage-sama, you'll see why our thoughts on Gaara are set the way they are."

Sakura huffed lightly, turning her head and eyes to the side and clicking her tongue in the same manner like Gaara had. And, like him, she was just as stubborn to take Baki's words seriously.

"I highly doubt that," Sakura mumbled under her breath. "I know of the kind person hidden under that shell you have all created with your neglect."

Whether Baki had heard her or not, he remained silent. Like most of the Suna men she had met, Baki was just as stoic. Walking along the golden sand with an unreadable expression, and like the others, he kept his opinions quiet and expressions hidden. The rest of the walk was silent, up until both Baki and Sakura began up the steps towards the spherical building the Kazekage worked in.

"Wait."

It was Gaara who suddenly called out, who stopped both adults in their tracks. Yet, as Sakura turned to face the small boy, she was surprised to actually see a readable expression in his wavering eyes.

Fear.

His teal orbs darted from the building's entrance to Sakura, and back and forth between the two. He was silent now, as if suddenly tongue-tied, but held a look on Sakura as soon as he noticed her attention on him. Again, he gave her a pleading gaze, even taking a step back from them before his trembling voice whispered.

"Don't make me go in there..."