A/N: Beta'd by DistractedStudent


Chapter Forty-three


Sakura felt as if her choice was already condemning Baki to prosecution. Kakashi's army was huge; even if she concealed herself in a cloak, the calls of others were heard as he and Sakura ran from the mountain, from Konoha, and away from the parade of men who guarded the gates.

"Baki, where are you off to?!"

His reply had to be simplistic and quick, for he and Sakura did not stop.

"Mission!" he would call to them, his steps treading on.

"Just you two? Now?!" they would call back. "The enemy may be out there still!"

Not a word returned, Baki and Sakura just raced on. They pushed themselves farther away from Konoha, and the men who would soon no doubt ask Kakashi what mission he decided to send Baki on. From that point, the truth would come crumbling down. Thinking of this, Sakura worries for the man next to her.

"Tell them it was genjutsu," Sakura tells Baki, trying to think of plausible options to give the man.

She is grateful for his help and does not wish for him to be persecuted anymore than Chiyo had mentioned those from Suna already are.

"Tell them I offered you your men in return or-"

"Do not worry for my sake, Sakura," Baki tells her instead. "It's yours I'm more worried about now."

At that warning, Sakura simply grimaces. She has no fear approaching Gaara, but as more and more people tell her that this line of thinking is wrong on her part, she wonders exactly what is in store for her.

'Damn it,' she thinks as she turns a gaze back to the forest in front of her. 'What could have happened to make you this way, Gaara?'

She is convinced he will not hurt her. He probably has questions of his own and needs assurance from her again like his younger self. As she races, even if she knows she is running to a man now older than her, the little boy is all that comes to mind when she thinks of Gaara.

"Right here should be alright," Baki says with a sudden stop.

Sakura nods an agreement, making sure no one is witness to her and Baki except the tall forestry around them. She wraps her arms around Baki's neck as he kneels for her to climb onto his back. As soon as he readjusts both her and him, he leaps into the trees. The speed and progress then becomes a swift change.

"I'm sorry for this," Sakura tells Baki through his leaps. "Chiyo-baasama and I aren't quite sure what's happening to my chakra right now."

Baki nods to show he has heard the woman before adding his insight.

"Be wary, Sakura," he says with an eye peeking back to the rosette. "I wouldn't approach Gaara revealing something like that."

Sakura shakes her head this time.

"I know," she agrees. "I can still do some damage without my chakra."

She narrows her eyes ahead of her.

"Besides, I have no interest in fighting Gaara. I just want to speak with him, to convince him what he is doing now is all wrong."

She knows Baki's line of thinking falls to the same as Chiyo. That her determination and actions now will be meaningless against Gaara. In a way, for Sakura, it reflects on the past. She had walked around the village holding hands with Gaara while trying to convince everyone around him that all he needed was teaching and friends to rely on. Now, she does the same by trying to convince everyone that she can get Gaara to stop his army while they all tell her otherwise.

'There is good in him,' she thinks.

Words she told him and others in his past and words she would tell now. His future was suppose to be so much greater than this. She had started his steps down the right path, and praised him with sayings she knew his older self to be. She is the one not in the wrong here, she thinks.

'I can fix this,' she believes. 'That good in Gaara is in there.'

Again, she falls back to the small boy and all their interactions and exchange of words. Though everything had happened just days prior, there is some distance in her heart remembering the little boy is truly gone. The more she recollects, the more times she sighs. Yet, as her and Baki travel, an instance pops in her mind, and her eyes actually widen that she didn't recollect this earlier with Chiyo.

"Baki-san, your team was able to apprehend Sasori all those years ago?" she asks.

Baki raises an eyebrow as he glances back at Sakura. He is quiet for a moment, and Sakura wonders what it is she has said to make him look at her like that.

'Ah, damn it!' she thinks when she realizes the name she has used.

Throughout that whole ordeal in the past, Baki had referred to Sasori as a person of interest.

"W-wait! she fumbles with her words. "I mean...Um...uh..."

She is at a lost since she has no idea how to correct herself now. However, in time, Baki turns his eyes back ahead of him, and chooses to disregard Sakura's knowledge.

"The mission was a success," he tells her. "Thanks to the antidote you and Chiyo came up with, we were able to gain the upper hand. Unfortunately, capture was not possible. Sasori was killed in battle."

Sakura nods her head slowly. It seems Sasori's fate had not changed so much drastically than from her own world. As Baki chooses to continue to speak, Sakura is surprised at what she hears.

"Before his death, he spoke a bit of the organization he was with."

Though she can't see, Baki narrows his eyes as he tries to recollect that time in the past. Sakura does this as well as she remembers the name.

'Akatsuki,' she thinks with wonder.

"I can't recall if he did this as recompense towards Chiyo-baasama, or if he viewed it as some sort of prize to us for defeating him. He called them Akatsuki."

The wonder in Sakura's mind grows, and she leans a little closer to Baki to make herself easier heard.

"What of them? Did Sasori give any details explaining the organization and their purpose?" Sakura asks.

She feigns ignorance, but only so she can learn the fate of the group in this world. It strikes her interest now seeing as Shukaku is still within Gaara. Was an attempt still made on Gaara in this world for Shukaku, or does the group still seek out the moment to strike within this war? Perhaps, with his army beside him, those that come for Gaara, including Akatsuki, have fallen to his many men.

"What details Sasori had to give were handed over to Rasa. At the time, he did put a team together to learn more about the group, but his main focus was of course on finding Gaara and you," Baki explains. "As time went on, the weight of the focus on finding Gaara perhaps clouded Rasa to other enemies around him, including Akatsuki."

"So, then..." Sakura begins. "You're saying Suna made no attempt figuring out Akatsuki."

Baki nods.

"Whatever Sasori spoke of, whether true or not, seems no longer a threat now after all these years. The last I spoke with anyone about Akatuski was over ten years ago."

To this information, Sakura swallows again as she questions the world around her.

"Is Akatsuki still out there?" she wonders. "Sasori was killed, but what of the others. Is Itachi still alive? Is Obito still leading that group?"

Sakura opens her mouth to ask Baki more, but quickly stops once her body senses another presence.

"Baki," she speaks, about to warn him.

"Ee," he whispers back to her. "I know."

Able to sense more than her, Baki turns an eye behind him. His actions make Sakura listen to the area around her while trying to establish her next action.

"It's just one," Baki tells her.

His speed never falters, but his voice falls silent for a few moments before telling her more.

"It might be Gaara," he whispers.

The young woman's eyes widen in surprise.

"How can you tell?" she asks Baki.

"I'm familiar with his chakra from his younger years," he tells Sakura. "I'm familiar with all three of Yondaime's children. I spent quite some time with them."

It's almost too perfect, Sakura thinks. Even though she wasn't sure Gaara and his army were even still be around the general area, here Gaara approaches them. Alone, nonetheless. There is time to speak between them without the hollers of an army, and the threat of a blade around her neck.

"Drop me off here then," Sakura tells Baki. "I'll speak with him here. Thank you, Baki-san."

Still, despite her words and the plan, Baki finds himself conflicted.

"I should stay with you," he whispers. "If he tries anything I can at least be here."

Baki jumps back to the ground and turns to face Sakura as soon as she hops off of his back. He is surprised to meet her soft smile, and with a simple shake of her head, she rejects his offer.

"If he has the decency to meet me alone than I think him and I have the same mindset right now. There's a lot him and I need to discuss. We both need answers."

Both their heads turn as the figure lingers back, hidden in the trees. Sakura and Baki don't hide the fact that they notice Gaara, as they are sure he is aware just the same that they know of his presence.

"I don't want him to feel threatened or speak to me cautiously just because you're around."

To Sakura's words, the man nods in understanding. Baki, it seems, may be the easiest going man Sakura has had the pleasure of getting to know. Mentally, she makes notes to maybe spend more time with Baki next time she is in Suna and back in her world. That doesn't stop him from voicing his opinion however.

"This is a dangerous plan, Sakura," he warns her once again. "Whatever mutual understanding you two share, if any, I don't find it convincing you'll return to us anytime soon."

Another grateful smile on her part and it grows as she brings a fist up to show her arm muscle off.

"Don't worry about me. I dealt with his sand years ago, a few grains don't bother me," she tells him.

In time, she nods towards Baki who still looks out towards the enemy in the trees.

"Thank you for your concern. Tell Chiyo-baasama thank you as well."

As Sakura speaks these words, her smile falls some and she looks towards the ground in thought before looking back towards the tall man.

"It's been quite an adventure for me, and I'm glad you and Chiyo have been a part of it."

Baki's eyes widen for a brief moment before another nod from him.

"The way you speak now is like a goodbye," as he says this, his eyes turn towards the trees again. "This isn't goodbye, Sakura."

Sakura smiles when his gaze returns to her.

"Chiyo-baasama and I will anxiously wait for your return."

"Thank you so much, Baki-san," Sakura whispers.

As she does this, Baki leaps back into the trees. His eyes tread to the side of him, and it is a clue to Sakura to where Gaara hides now. She watches as Baki's eyes slide and linger to an area, and in her mind she wonders if the two now share a glance.

'Teacher and student,' Sakura had once thought of the two.

In her world that was Gaara and Baki's relation. If she remembered right, that relationship had deepened as she knew Baki played in important role in Suna with Gaara as an adviser. In her world, the redheaded man turned to Baki for guidance. In this world, they are enemies. Their mindsets and end goals so different from one another where they would be ready to strike the other down without question. These thoughts dishearten Sakura, and she wonders what the two think as their eyes meet. She even wonders if their gaze will spark a sudden fight between the two. She is relieved to see Baki move on without interruption, and even lets out a breath she was holding.

As her transit disappears, Gaara quickly drops from the trees.

A distance away, Sakura knows he doesn't hide his presence as neither does she, but wonders why his approach is so far. He is shadowed by the many leaves above, and Sakura squints hard to try to catch a familiar physical trait of his. The only indication that this is Gaara is the shadow of his messy hair, and Baki's word that the chakra is familiar.

Sakura takes a slow step in his direction but stops when she sees his silhouette take a step back.

'He's being cautious. Why?' Sakura's thinks.

She wonders for a moment before reminding herself that her thinking is wrong. She wants nothing but to approach him the same way she approached his younger self. With trust and friendship between them, Sakura literally would embrace the boy as he welcomed her with open arms. Actions that had happened to her less than a day before. Her mind struggles with this drastic transition, but she has to remember where she held Gaara yesterday, it has been fifteen years for him. His silhouette of an older man should be evidence enough to her of that.

'They used my face to send people to kill him...' she also remembers with a hard frown.

It may not be right for her think, she knows, but a part of her is happy that Gaara was able to sense the fake Sakuras. An even more heartbreaking thought for her would be hearing Gaara was killed by someone he believed in the end was her.

'I'd never hurt you,' Sakura thinks as she stares at the shadow.

She realizes she has been silent for minutes, him as well, as she lost herself to her thoughts. Where to even begin, she wonders. As she continues to stare at his still figure, her heart races and she shuffles on her feet for a moment with anxiety building up inside of her. She wants to rekindle that friendship they share, but also tries to remember that he had just murdered a town, and torn many others apart through this war his leads. Her mind is fighting with what her heart wants versus Gaara's disappointing actions.

'A fake...' she remembers in her mind.

She was believed to be a work of someone else, and told that Gaara would maybe view her as one too. Perhaps convincing him who she really was would be a good start.

"Gaara," she calls his name.

Her voice wasn't as loud as she had hoped, but as the young man moves a little in his spot, Sakura is certain he has heard her.

"Gaara," she calls again. "You remember me, don't you?"

She waits on him, but instead of a voice there is only light movements in his body and the sway of his hair against the small, forest breeze that sweeps by every so often. He is silent, but Sakura finds his actions justified. He has a right to not want to speak with her. She was taken away without choice, but the consequence of abandonment is still the same. She feels she owes him an apology for not giving him his goodbye and accepts his muteness for now.

"It's me, Sakura," she says.

She shows him the faintest of smiles, to show him that she means well for the moment.

"I heard you've met with a few with my same face," she says as her smile falls. "I guess they used my appearance to get close to you… To kill you."

The idea of such shakes her again. She is grateful that she is here now with Gaara instead of leaving this world without even a goodbye.

"But..." she whispers to the ground at first.

As happy as she is with this chance, meeting the little boy she took care of, the scenario around her is still dark. There is still a killer in front of her, who uses his power to seize her home and destroy her friends' lives. The future here is all wrong, but she won't blame herself for this nor is she ready to blame it entirely on Gaara. She is determined to fix this mistake as the only mutual between Gaara and Konoha. She brings those eyes of resolve to look up at Gaara's silhouette.

"But, please..." she bites her lip before calling out to him. "Believe me! I'm the real Sakura!"

She places a hand on her chest then to emphasize her genuineness. She also takes a careful step forward. She thinks her movement is a mistake as Gaara's head tilts to look at her small step, but retracts that thought as the shadow of his head picks back up to look at her. He stays still, and allows the gap between them to shorten by that one step.

He shows her just the faintest of trusts, maybe even believing her words, that a rush of emotions suddenly race through Sakura that make her mouth rush along with them.

"I'm sorry!" she tells him. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Her apology makes her eyes heat up. The story of the little boy lost in the desert tears at her heart again. Worst, she worries someone with ill-intent may have snatched young Gaara up. Whatever truths she hopes to learn from him, the ideas that stick now make her eyes water.

"I know this is hard to believe, I probably wouldn't even believe it if I heard it myself..." as she says this another step is taken.

His silhouette doesn't move. The shadow of his head keeps his gaze with hers, her steps to draw in closer don't faze him.

"I was forced to leave you there. If I had a choice I would have never left you all those years ago right then. I'm so sorry I left you without even saying goodbye."

Another step. Sakura makes the movements to close the gap, and Gaara does his part staying still and allowing her closer and closer.

"I would fix it if I could," she tells him, "but there's nothing I can do but ask you to forgive me."

Her tears break the wall of her strong will, but she does nothing to wipe them away or hide them. Instead, she watches Gaara, still waiting for him to speak. His muteness is justified, she still believes as minutes roll in silence, but it stings at her heart now as she pours out her apology. To the unknown, how Gaara is viewing her now is painful. Is he silent because he scoffs in his mind at her apology? She wonders if his silence is a mock to her tears. Yet, despite the doubts, she presses on. She has to convince him.

She has to fix the wrongs in this world.

"Please," she asks now. "I just want to talk to you. I want to know why you're doing all of this. This war, these killings..."

Her arms stretch to emphasize what she means.

"This isn't you, Gaara," she tells him with a hard stare. "The little boy I know would never have wanted all of this. You were so set on making friends, at everyone looking up to you. You were so kind to me. We were both so happy...What made you change…?"

She waits on him again, her wet eyes widening just a little as his silhouette shuffles in his spot. Like her, he takes a small step forward before his shadow gazes back up at her. Minutes pass, and Sakura shakes her head slowly as he again chooses to leave her questions unanswered.

Is she expecting too much, she wonders. For him, fifteen years have passed, and Sakura tries to remember the little boy in him has become a young man with a mindset that has changed. Yet, for her, she is growing frustrated at his silence. Again, she worries how this man looks at her now. She almost wonders that, if she were to run back to Konoha now if he would just simply let her.

'No,' she thinks. 'You can't go back empty-handed this time. You have to get your answers!'

She takes one last step and presses her hand against her heart.

"Despite everything around me, everything I have heard, I still want to believe in the good that I know is in you," she is telling him now. "I want to hear your side of the story. I want to know what made you this way."

Her shoulders sag when Gaara still stays silent to her. Yet, her wet stare on him never falters even if she feels defeated. What more can she say, she wonders. If she can't convince him to speak, then what more can he get out of her. As she asks herself these questions, she tries to put herself in his shoes. If she had been a little girl, with Gaara looking after and taking care of her, what would she want to hear after fifteen years without him?

The answer to that comes surprisingly fast, and she blinks rapidly as she searches in her soul. Gaara has turned into a killer, an enemy of her home, yet the little boy she loves has to still be in him, and despite the tragedy around her, she realizes she has no dispute in her telling Gaara what she would want to hear if she were him now.

"It's been fifteen years..." she tells him before swallowing hard. "But…But, just know. I still love you as much as the day I first told you I did."

Yesterday for her, she finds that she indeed still loves that little boy. How could she not, for they cared for one another for so long. Yet, fifteen years for him, Sakura wonders if he can even recall that moment between them that she speaks about. She watches as his shadow shuffles again on his feet, obviously affected by her words.

"Gaara," she calls to him, earning back his gaze set in her direction. "I love you."

Her heart races as he stares at her for a moment. Silence again, but not even a minute passes before Gaara lifts his arms up. Her eyes widen to this act, his silhouette inviting her for an embrace. Her mouth goes agape at his invitation, and she almost wants to cry again as she spots that little boy once more reaching up to her for a hug.

"Gaara," she whispers, before accepting his offer and racing towards him.

She can see that little boy desperate for her affection again, and it blinds her to being cautious and wary. Yet, if he is willing to let his guard down to her approach then Sakura will do the same to his invitation. After all, all she can think about is how much Gaara has probably been wanting to hug her again.

By the time she recognizes his head of red hair, her tears have broken through.

"I'm so sorry, Gaara!" she cries as she leaps for him and wraps her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry I left you behind!"

His arms wrap tightly around her waist as Sakura buries her head into his shoulder. Yet, it is that brief second that she realizes she has fallen for a trap. Her eyes widen and she gasps at the hard, wooden feel of Gaara's frame and limbs. As she tries to push and back away, she can feel Gaara's grip almost suffocating her and he continues to tighten his arms and body around her. Once she finally takes a moment to gaze up at his face, her eyes widen and face flushes.

The odd looking face she stares at had once probably replicated Gaara's own, but the skin of the face now cracks and falls into small parts, revealing something inhuman underneath. As the frame twists and limbs tighten and move around her, a snapping noise echoes from the figure. She stares at its teal orbs before meeting her own reflection at the glass eyes that threaten to fall out of the wooden sockets.

"A puppet!" Sakura seethes.

As if to emphasize on her words, the puppet's crooked teeth suddenly chatter. Before Sakura can place a name on the culprit she knows is behind this, she quickly musters her strength to break the puppet's hold around her. To her flexing and raw strength, the puppet's arms begin to bend and break as it tries to hold Sakura against it. Within a split second, as one of its limbs cracks under the pressure, its mouth opens wide.

Sakura narrows her eyes at this and her gaze unconditionally looks up to its open mouth. She takes in a gasp as a cloud of gas is suddenly released into her face. As the cloud envelops both her and puppet, Sakura squirms one last time with the puppets arm finally breaking from the body and falling towards the ground. She rushes back then, away from the puppet, and away from the cloud.

Sakura is quick to take in a breath of fresh air, but stiffens as the scent of gas still lingers within her nostrils, and the odd, chemical taste is potent on her lips.

'Damn it!' she thinks, before the world around her begins to tilt and wobble.

Her eyes try to scan, her senses still are on the lookout for the puppet, and she tries once again to bring forth her chakra to eliminate whatever resides in her body now.

'It's not a poison...' her mind is able to analyze.

The world spins more, her weight grows heavy and head light before she realizes her body has already hit the ground. Despite her knowledge on toxins and drugging, she tries her damnedest to convince her body to fight whatever is inside of her now. Even as her eyes grow heavy, and she feels the grass now sweep against the side of her head, she struggles to stay awake and coherent.

Her eyes sweep up as she spots the shadow of a real man suddenly approach her. Even if the leaves keep his face shadowed while he draws ever closer to her, his works now give Sakura the knowledge to know his name.

"Kankuro..." she whispers, unsure if she has even spoken.

The man just pauses, staring down at her in silence.

"Please, help me."

Again, she is unsure if she has made a sound. She is taken by the effects of the gas, and her mind forgets to view Kankuro now as the enemy than a comrade. Yet, as she closes her eyes, her mind tells her then that it matters no longer. Just sleep.

Kankuro kneels to her unconscious frame and checks her pulse. As soon as a minute passes, the young man gently hoists Sakura into his arms and takes a moment to stare at her sleeping face. His frown is heavy as he takes in her features.

"You don't look any different," Kankuro whispers to Sakura.

His eyes narrow, yet the longer he stares, he finally makes one more claim to her sleeping form before racing through the trees.

"I believe you, Sakaasan."