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Chapter Forty-five
Kankuro is quiet while his eyes move to Sakura's movements. With his mouth still resting in his hand Sakura can see the anxiety in his gaze as soon as she pulls a chair close to him. Perhaps he regrets his agreement; for he looks frightened and distant by the time Sakura sits and returns his gaze.
"Are-Are you sure you don't want to wait for Gaara?" he asks. "I can't really speak for him or answer on his-uh part."
Sakura offers Kankuro the faintest hint of a smile; just enough reassurance to tell him, I know this conversation may be hard but it is something we must do. She's well aware of the hard questions she may be bombarded with as well.
"I just want some answers now," she tells him, making him shuffle in his seat.
"I know but..." he trails when his eye lands on her and he sees the severity of her request
Instead of finishing his words he instead turns his gaze below him with a heavy frown. Eventually, his head hangs and he turns his body somewhat away from the rosette.
"What do you want to know?" he whispers.
Sakura only stares with a blank face; her eyes wavering when she spots the scar across the skin around his glass eye.
"Everything," she tells him
Kankuro merely shakes his head to this.
"I can't tell you everything," he admits again. "Some things I don't know because Gaara doesn't tell me..."
That comment itself makes a question in Sakura's mind, yet instead of asking for the obvious she lets Kankuro speak only what he wishes for now.
"Just tell me what's happened since my disappearance. What's been happening these fifteen years."
His head still hangs, and taking in her words he eventually sighs. Slowly, he lifts his head up and takes in a deep breath.
"Alright," he agrees. "Let me think for a minute. It's been so long that I..."
She watches as his voice stops and he begins to chew on his lip a little; perhaps deciding what all to share.
"Of course, I'm sure you know. Our old man basically started this war with Konoha. He was convinced they had sent you to Suna to kidnap Gaara."
Sakura only nods as Kankuro looks at her.
"Yeah..." he murmurs while staring at Sakura hard. "I have to confess, I was young mind you, but I thought the same thing. You know, Dad convinced Temari and I that you had taken our brother."
Kankuro pauses and sniffs hard as his eyes trail past Sakura to stare at the wall. Eventually, he begins to slowly nod as recollection surfaces more and more.
"I remember being upset. I was upset you took Gaara and not me and Temari. I use to stay up late thinking you would show up and sneak us away to where you had taken Gaara. I thought you had given him a better life and left us behind."
Sakura makes a movement, perhaps even about to say her peace. Yet, she stops when Kankuro's eye shifts back to her and slowly he shakes his head as if to tell her to remain quiet.
"It wouldn't be until many years later. Many, many years that I would learn the truth."
His stare on her is long after, almost as if he has lost himself to a memory before he shakes it away and his words become more state-of-fact.
"I've been in a war for fifteen years. It didn't matter my age, I was thrown into fighting as soon as it began. The old man made me fight to save Gaara."
His head sways for a moment, another deep recollection comes forth, and he speaks it with almost some humor in his voice.
"You know...Um-When I first saw your wanted posters, Dad always painted you as this evil being, and I just kept thinking to myself how wrong he was. How wrong this whole drama was. How you were Sakaasan, and how you weren't suppose to just abandon me and Temari like that. I fought a war to please my old man and to see my little brother again, but...I was fighting just to see you too. I didn't want to believe you had just left us like that..."
Sakura swallows hard. She wants nothing more than to explain to Kankuro how everything was out of her control, but stops when she realizes the young man has much more to say.
"I fought, because I was too young and stupid to tell my dad man no. I fought, because I wanted so bad to see you and Gaara again. I fought...until I became blind by my old man's madness."
Sakura's eyes widen then and she is surprised when Kankuro watches her with a dark, blank stare.
"Yeah," he comments, as if Sakura's facial expression says it all. "Did you know? Dad went mad searching for you and Gaara. It took too long for the world to see that he was leading a war that would destroy him and his allies. There came a point, peace treaty's swept away by his hand over the years, where the council was ready to send men in to overthrow him. His enemies thought him mad. His allies, and even his own men, could see that Dad was destroying our country. Our village, and all those around Suna, were suffering because of my old man. People lived in the streets, starving to death or with diseases our little village couldn't manage..."
He shakes his head slowly while recounting the time.
"And for what?" he asks then. "Everyone in Suna knew we did it for Gaara's sake. While everyone saw you stealing Gaara away as a blessing, my dad instead was persistent in finding you and his son."
Kankuro takes a moment and blinks as he stares still towards the wall. In time, a smile forms on him and he almost laughs lightly before looking towards Sakura.
"It's funny. I always thought my old man hated Gaara. You know, always told us to stay away, and that Gaara would kill us if given the chance. He did everything he could to keep everyone away from Gaara. We were always told not to run or he would chase us."
As if knowing she should recollect that same phrase, he looks up at Sakura for a moment before continuing with an eye on her and his head slowly nodding up and down.
"I thought he led this war for pride of his village and country. Throughout the years, I thought these battles were for his name and not necessarily for Gaara's..."
Another swallow.
"Ten years later, as I'm making my way into his office to report on a mission I just finished, I find him in his office just...uh-completely broken."
Sakura's eyes widen upon hearing this.
"He was alone in the dark. Head on the table just bawling his eyes out."
Kankuro this time closes his eyes while shaking his head at the thought of it.
"He was crying while muttering my mother's name. Asking her to forgive him for losing Gaara."
Though Sakura makes no face, Kankuro gives her a shocked expression as if the information he is giving her now she should find bewildering. Under other circumstances, she probably would. Yet, she was aware of his hidden feelings and even knew Rasa kept her around to make sure Gaara would not meet harm's way.
"Yeah," Kankuro chortles a little. "My dad. Crying for Gaara. I knew then that the rumors of his mind going were true. My old man would have never cried for Gaara."
To this information, Sakura sighs hard. She doesn't notice it, but Kankuro's wide gaze follows her movements then. Guilt suddenly takes a hold of her. Perhaps the man they claim to have gone mad truly was in a right state of mind after all. Perhaps Rasa had become so overcome with grief that he no longer cared how the world viewed his inner feelings. In the end, it sounds as though he was just a desperate father looking for his lost one. Sakura's heart feels heavy knowing that Rasa probably blamed her for his pain and internal struggle until the end.
'Gaara,' she thinks. 'You truly couldn't find your way home?'
"Ah!"
Kankuro almost coos, and Sakura's eyes are on his in a flash. Her frown hardens once she sees his eyes widen with an almost foreboding look as he stares at her.
"You know something..." Kankuro whispers almost gleefully. "Something interesting."
His appearance now mentally shakes Sakura. He looks at her much like his father once had; That she carries a thought he is starving to hear. Despite the kindness he still has in him, Sakura is reminded then that, for fifteen years, Kankuro has been raised in war and that his mentality is still trained to look for the little signs in an enemy that would give him the upper-hand. As silence lingers between the two, gazes still locked, Kankuro seems to recollect himself and his wide eyes slowly fall until he looks away again.
"Don't let Gaara see that look. Ever," he warns instead.
"Why?" Sakura asks. "Does he lead his army in search of something? Is looking for something or someone?"
Yet, Kankuro merely shakes his head.
"It's...I don't know," he quickly answers; eyes back on Sakura. "I don't know."
He repeats his words and only stops when Sakura nods in understanding. The underlying message is clear to her then. If it is something Gaara is searching for then he has not informed Kankuro of the details. Kankuro is simply blindly following his brother for a reason he may, or may not, reveal to her today. Perhaps, just the simple fact through blood and a shared home does Kankuro stand with Gaara.
"I left my father alone that night; decided to wait until morning to report and speak with him..."
Kankuro's jaw slacks for the moment before he cracks it and begins to nod his head again.
"Instead, I'm woke up by Baki. Thrown into a room with Temari and told that our old man, and the council, had all been murdered the night before. All this information was thrown at us left and right. That we would need to make the deciding factors. That it was Temari and I who called the next shot. Do we continue the war, seek a peace treaty, or retaliate with those we suspect culprit to my dad's death?"
Kankuro's eyes shake for a moment and his voice falls silent, as if the next bit he shares was impacting those five years ago.
"I think...um," he remarks. "If I remember right, I was going to move forward with ending the war. I'm sure Temari would agree...After ten years, we were both really, uh...tired. We hadn't given up on Gaara, but I think we both shared the same thought that there could be a more appropriate way. Despite all evidence, I wanted to believe my brother wasn't prisoner anywhere..."
A smile begins on Kankuro and his eyes sweep past Sakura's gaze towards the wall, and back and forth, as his smile slowly grows.
"Before we can even think, here waltz in our brother. He carried himself towards us like he owned every part of the country already. He had no pause in his stride, he showed no emotion towards us or even any recollection that he knew who we were. Gaara came to us then."
Kankuro gives off a little chuckle.
"It only took ten years but finally we found my brother."
Sakura jumps lightly as Kankuro slams his fist against the table, rocking it slightly.
"...and all that beautiful chaos he brought with him sweeps through our whole village!"
Sakura is quiet as she gives Kankuro a moment to collect himself. The brunette stares at the floor in deep thought, a smile no longer eerily plagues his face.
"Temari and I wanted to embrace our brother. We put in so much effort to get him to tell us what had happened those past ten years or what had happened to you. But he avoided us at every chance we drew near him. Running off, or hiding away in the village. It wouldn't be until later I realized he was probably focusing on his next move."
Kankuro looks back at Sakura; his face now stern with hidden emotions.
"People cheered for my dad's death while others shook under Gaara's return. Temari was pushed to take up the role as the next Kazekage, but those who would authorize such a thing so fast had been killed off that night. There was no council to vouch for her, and all our attempts to reach our Diamyo were met with no answer. The army was at a pause waiting for an order. By the time we finally found a place where Temari could call back our army, and begin a process to end the war, Gaara just swoops in and takes matters into his own hands."
Kankuro smiles again.
"Out of the three of us, Gaara was much more prepared to lead. I think Temari and I were relieved, and in awe, when he walked in one day and told us to let him handle the matter. He had convinced us that since this war had begun because of him, he would see to finish it. I was surprised how good at convincing people Gaara had become. He made speeches within the country, gathering everyone to his side with a promise that we would be all the more prosperous after the war. He let his voice be carried around the world, showing others what they would gain by joining him. I couldn't believe my eyes when the enemy we were fighting just days before were blsuddenly becoming our allies. Everything happened so fast too, you know?"
To his words, Sakura's eyes narrow. Convincing may be the word Kankuro uses but, even through his own wonderment, manipulation is the word that comes more to Sakura. As desperate for the fighting to end as Kankuro makes it sound, it speaks to Sakura that Gaara may have honed in on this, and false promises, to grow the army he leads today. Alas, the rosette grows disappointed seeing Kankuro praise his brother through all this. Does he forget that his own brother is the one who killed his father? Who selfishly pushed Kankuro and Temari aside just for his gain?
"It's been five years, and It feels like it's been longer than those ten...but finally we're so close to having it all," Kankuro whispers.
Sakura leans in then.
"Having what?" she asks softly, frowning when Kankuro turns a smile towards her.
"The world."
Sakura sneers then. She can find no prosperous joy in Kankuro's blind words. War would only continue, she knows. There will always be someone who will stand up to Gaara. This end to fighting, will never cease, despite what Gaara has pledged.
"The world is what he wants?" Sakura asks, trying to shed light onto the dark cloud in Kankuro's mind. "You justify your brother's actions? He has probably killed so many innocent people."
"Sadly, sacrifices needed for the greater cause," Kankuro retorts coldly, as if he is machine programmed for such answers.
"Kankuro!" Sakura cries, standing herself tall with reprimand in her voice.
Kankuro's eyes widen and his gaze shakes while staring at Sakura.
"Nothing about this justifies Gaara's actions! Nor your own! Why...Why did you do nothing to stop Gaara?! This is far from what I was trying to teach him…"
As she grips her hands, her fists tremble in rage. How could these kids have strayed so far from her words, did that mean everything she had tried to do had been a fleeting thought?
"You were suppose to be there for him when I was gone. You were suppose to help him continue down a better path..." Sakura whispers before she turns and cries once more at Kankuro. "Instead you've been sucked in to the darkness too!"
As she stares at Kankuro, waiting for his apology, she finds her anger growing as his stare on her is stoic and glazed. Silently, she feels as though he is a mocking her with hidden words.
"And? So?" his face tells her.
He has accepted this path long ago, the one Gaara leads him down.
Yet, perhaps her passion sparks something within this puppet-like man; for his face does fall and he sighs before sinking back into his chair.
"Sorry," he says. "I think you should save the talk of war and politics once you see Gaara. You'll see, he knows what he's doing. It'll make more sense then. I-I promise."
Sakura opens her mouth to retaliate, but stops as soon as Kankuro begins to ramble again.
"Gaara. Gaara," he repeats. "You want to know about Gaara. Um… I feel like I don't know anymore then what I learned those five years ago. Unless it's politics, a report, or a mission we need to discuss our conversations are brief..."
Sakura's heart drops to that information.
'No...' she thinks. 'You two were suppose to be at best with one another. Not distant like this.'
"He did tell Temari and I that you were probably dead when we asked about you. He did deny all accusations against you that you stole him. As to where he went, or what he did those ten years...He's never told me."
Kankuro again swallows and his eye trails to the floor.
"Maybe someone else? Even Temari," Kankuro offers. "There were rumors about Gaara's disappearance once he came back. That someone else found him and raised him to be the great leader he is today. The rebels would tell you he walked the desert, alone, those ten years and that he had gone mad throughout that ordeal. And then..." Kankuro's voice trails to a stop and he stares still.
"And then," he repeats. "There's this one. I like this one the best actually. There's a story of a little boy who traveled the world, searching everywhere he could for his best friend. Gaining his great knowledge and power through his travels."
Kankuro turns a grin towards Sakura. Meanwhile, the rosette is wide-eyed at such a tale and pleads in her heart for that not to be the case. She had wanted Gaara to grow with the people he had in his life then, not go searching for her in vain.
"I think that one sounds much more nice," Kankuro begins. "I bet he met a lot of people that way. I bet that's why he has a big army now, because people everywhere knew him! I bet he'd be so happy to see you. I bet he'll be real happy once I tell him you were here."
Sakura's eyes widen for a moment. Kankuro's speech becomes speedy and uncanny. Sure enough, as Sakura looks back at Kankuro, the young man is grinning with force, and he grips his chair tight while using it to hold himself upright. The longer he stares at Sakura the more Sakura notices his unhinged gaze in his one eye. Sakura fears, not for her sake but the brunette's own then. He is different.
Very much different than the Kankuro she knows.
'His mind has suffered greatly,' she thinks.
Though he spoke of madness with his father, and possibly Gaara, the most evident one possessing this now is the brunette in front of her.
"You haven't told Gaara, have you?" Sakura asks, putting Kankuro's words together.
She stays put in her place, even when Kankuro comes close enough to loom over her with his smile. Yet, to her question, he hisses through his grin and even rubs the corner of his eye as if she has caused him physical pain.
"I just don't want him to hurt you," he says through clenched teeth. "You're my Sakaasan. I don't want you to die too."
Even if his grin is still present; a few droplets escape his eyes. Sakura simply stares up at him. She can see now he has lost people close to him. Fifteen years he has lost someone, or many, that were close to him. He has been keeping it hidden within him, maybe out of fear or disappointment, but it has chipped away at his mind throughout the time he secluded such feelings within his own self.
It could even be this very scenario that makes his mind suddenly snap. Maybe he had been wanting, waiting, to speak about his brother and the war like this. How it affected him. Whatever the case, he cries now as if a burden has been lifted from his shoulders. Yet, the grin he still holds, tells Sakura to be wary.
"I-I don't want to see him kill you again. Every time he does...it...I..."
She keeps her feet steady, despite the way his body practically towers over her now. Through his grin and wet eye, she can see a man whose mind is imbalanced. She can see his internal struggle, a battle in his head that tells him what is right and wrong. What is appropriate for someone his age and what isn't. He looks to be suffering, yet relieved at the sight of her.
The side she wishes to win is actually losing.
Sakura becomes more aware of this the moment Kankuro inches his fingers towards her left eye. His smile trembles at the force he uses to keep his hand up.
"This time..." he hisses. "Let me be the one. I'll make it quick, I'll make it painless. I won't even leave a trace. I'll save you from him this time, Sakaasan."
'Perhaps,' Sakura thinks. 'He doesn't actually believe me when I say I'm the real Sakura. He just convinces his mind to pretend enough to make it all the more real.'
She realizes then he has asked no questions. Has not pleaded for answers like she has with him, and it's evidence that piles on along to her prior thinking. She blinks when his fingers steadily reach for her eye.
"Gaara always lets me keep the eyes. For my puppets, you know? For some reason they never stay green. Once I pull them out, they always turn back to the natural color. A bright emerald, dimming to a dull coal. I hate when that happens."
Sakura's eyes widen to this statement and instantly her gaze locks with his brown, glass eye. Her mind also falls to his puppets and wonders if she could find a pink-haired one now among his collection.
"Will those emerald eyes continue to shine, Sakaasan?" he asks with the smallest whimper through his wide grin.
Her hand quickly wraps around his wrist then and he gives a sharp gasp to her touch. Like a mother scolding her child, Kankuro's face falls instantly to Sakura's valor and he even steps back as if to pull away from her touch.
"I need to speak with Gaara," Sakura's says, her tone almost authoritative.
Despite his approach and broken mind, Sakura holds no ill-will towards Kankuro, nor fear. If anything, his acts are almost childish that he can be easily disarmed. She does feel grieved by his mental state, but must force herself to listen to all stories before she sorts out how to help him. He may be suffering, a thought that aches Sakura's heart, but she deems him harmless enough and can only hope he will be forgiving knowing she took her time before helping him.
She watches as his wide eye sways from her grip and back to her emerald gaze. She holds him, but they both know he has the more power between them and can easily break her hold. Yet, he doesn't, and speaks more to her how he views her now. Above him, authoritative, decisive between them. Almost like a…
"Sakaasan," he whispers.
Even when he whispers the nickname, Sakura takes a small step back as a hand slowly glides over Kankuro's shoulder. The pair are no longer alone, and Sakura finally releases her hold to try and view the person behind the brunette.
"What have you done, Kankuro?" a voice breaks the silence.
Yet, it is one Sakura recognizes, and of course Kankuro as well. The brunette gasps to the question and steps back to the side to let Sakura finally see who it is who has sneaked in on them. Her eyes widen at the sight, and likewise, the other gaze goes round upon seeing Sakura.
"Temari," Sakura whispers.
Temari takes a step forward while tilting her head lightly towards Kankuro. Her wide eyes stay on Sakura and she seems almost in awe staring at the rosette for a moment in silence.
"What have you done, Kankuro?" Temari asks again, her eyes showing some worry.
Kankuro only swallows hard and his eyes fall to the floor.
"I-I...Just..." he tries to answer, but is cut off by Temari's harsh cry.
"What have you done?!" she cries, turning to face her brother. "Did you make this?!"
As she points a finger at Sakura, her eyes turn back towards Sakura. Sakura only grimaces, bewildered by Temari's question. Yet, as Temari's eyes linger and notice Sakura's face, she gives a quick sharp gasp of realization.
"She's not a puppet," Temari suddenly whispers.
Temari narrows her eyes and turns them quickly back towards Kankuro.
"Is this the one from that town?!" Temari screams at her brother.
His answer is only silence; his face still fallen. It is enough for Temari though and she steps back while shaking her head.
"What have you done…?" she repeats as the finger pointed at Sakura now trembles.
Anger washes from Temari while staring at Kankuro. Instead, she looks at her brother with worry and anxiety, as if he is dying right before her eyes.
"No! No! No!" she cries before gripping her head. "You're such an idiot, Kankuro! Why did you bring her here?! What have you told her?! Do you want Gaara to hurt you?!"
"No...No," Kankuro hisses, shutting his eyes. "I...I just...she's..."
"Gaara is going to kill you when he finds out she was here! He is going to tear your other eye out when he finds out you captured her without informing him!"
"I just wanted a chance to talk to her!" Kankuro finally manages to say "I really do believe she is Sakaasan!"
Sakura takes a bold step forward, putting herself between Temari and Kankuro as her eyes narrow towards the blonde who returns a look of distaste.
"Stop this," Sakura says. "Let me just speak with Gaara. I'll tell him that Kankuro has done nothing wrong, or revealed anything secret with me. We've only just discussed the war."
Yet, instead of an answer, Temari just scoffs and sneers while raising her nose towards Sakura.
"Just because you fooled my gullible brother doesn't mean you can fool me or Gaara. Who do you think you even are? Gaara isn't going to want to sit and chat with you, he's going to tear you apart the minute he sees you."
To that statement, Sakura bites her lip, trying to hold back her anger. All this time, she convinced herself that Gaara would be as eager to speak as she. Yet, the more people she meets, the more that tell her she is just walking straight to her end, the more dishearten she now begins to feel. Can she even manage one word out to the redhead before a wave of sand buries her?
Sakura loses herself in thought but is brought back when Kankuro gently places a hand on her shoulder.
"No," he answers Temari. "Gaara will not kill her. He would never hurt the real Sakura."
To this, Temari sneers. Perhaps, for that moment, she agrees with her brother. Yet, she is not so easily convinced on other factors as Kankuro can be.
"She hasn't even aged. She doesn't even look that strong. She is not the real Sakura."
Silence follows, for Sakura feels that this would be a never-ending battle if she were to argue against Temari about who she really is. She's told so many people these past days who she reay is that the fire that continues to spread is beginning to diminish. She'll save that last spark for Gaara.
"We should just kill her now and hide her body. That way, at least, Kankuro you-"
Sakura can feel the grip on her shoulder tighten.
"No," Kankuro speaks, eyes narrowing towards his sister. "I won't let you do that to her."
"She is just going to die anyway you idiot! If you leave her to Gaara he will come after you next! You should have just-!"
"I would die for her!"
Sakura gasps and eyes shake at Kankuro's declaration. Her impact in his young life, had it really been this much she wonders? Even Temari looks taken aback at Kankuro's claim and is silent for some time looking at him.
"You'd die for her. You selfish idiot," Temari eventually mumbles. "You'd put her before me, your sister?! You'd go against your own brother who leads us to a better world?! Has she poisoned your mind?!"
Temari suddenly reaches for Sakura's arm. As the blonde does this, Kankuro's grip tightens on Sakura's shoulder and Sakura feels as though she is suddenly placed in a game of tug-of-war between these two siblings. Where Kankuro's optimistic and timid nature continues, with just a touch of mental strain, Temari seems opposite of him. She looks towards Sakura with justified suspicion. Temari's voice is also more loud than the one Sakura knows from home, yet it is clear and cut to her views...As is her mind.
"She is a fake, Kankuro!" Temari cries. "She tricked you into bringing her here. She is just a spy or assassin like the others!"
"She isn't! She really is Sakaasan!" Kankuro cries back. "She knows our mother's song!"
Sakura grits her teeth then, their argument pointless and childish.
"Quit it!" Sakura cries, breaking herself from the two.
They watch, in silence, as Sakura takes a stand to look at the two briefly with angry eyes.
"What is wrong with you two?" Sakura can't help herself from asking. "It's as if I'm dealing with your younger, bratty selves all over again. Is this all because of the war, did you not understand when you had to grow up?"
As Sakura eyes the two, Kankuro's eyes only fall while Temari sneers towards the rosette. To the sight, Sakura takes a deep breath, no longer caring how these two view her at the moment. Her goal is still the same; speak to Gaara. So, she looks towards the blonde now.
"I don't care if you have to follow me, or tie me up, or whatever," Sakura begins to tell the blonde. "I just need to speak with Gaara."
Sakura's eyes turn towards Kankuro then.
"I need you to tell Gaara that I am here and waiting for him. Right now," she finishes.
Kankuro looks away before a sigh escapes him.
"Listen, you don't make the orders here you-" Temari begins, but is cut off by Kankuro's gentle murmur.
"Ok."
His voice seems distant, but his answer is enough to make Temari watch with eyes of worry as Kankuro turns from the two women and begins to maks his way out of the kitchen.
"W-W-Wait..." Temari whispers towards him then. "You can't! If he finds out about her you'll-!"
Yet, Kankuro makes no pause in his steps as he leaves the two women behind. The last trace he leaves is merely another whisper.
"Temari, I don't care. If that's what Sakaasan wants, I'll do it."
Together, in silence, the two women listen until Kankuro's steps are gone. It is only then, that Temari marches quickly towards Sakura; her hand painfully sinking into the rosette's arm.
"You want to speak to Gaara?" she asks while dragging Sakura out of the house. "Fine, but I'll be damned if you think you can wait for him comfortably in there!"
It isn't until they are in the jungle does Sakura pull herself from Temari's grip. As their eyes meet in challenge, Sakura hisses.
"I told you, I don't care where or how it is I wait for him now, just as long as I get to speak with him."
Temari sneers to this but nonetheless makes no attempt to reach for Sakura again. Instead, she trudges forward with the knowledge that Sakura will obediently follow.
"Believe me when I say this," Temari speaks once more to Sakura. "If anything happens to Kankuro because of you, Gaara won't be the only one you have to worry about."
Sakura makes no comment, instead she silently follows as they travel the long distance. It isn't until they are near the green mountain does Sakura realize they aren't the only ones on the island. In the distance, she spots some men guarding an entrance to the mountain, and they nod at Temari before reaching for Sakura.
Their touches are not gentle, and Sakura does begin to struggle against them before Temari reminds her of her promise.
"You'll wait for Gaara in there," she smirks while nodding towards the mountain.
The guards begin dragging Sakura, and as the rosette turns one last time to look back at Temari she spots the woman's devious smirk.
"Who knows," Temari snickers. "Maybe you'll meet an old friend in there."
As Sakura blinks in wonder; Temari gives her a quick wave before calling out to her.
"This time, Sakura, just stay dead once Gaara kills you...again."
