Sakura sulked as Hideki led her back to the oasis, grinning like an idiot over his second victory.

"You know the only reason I beat you is because you're distracted," he said, though it didn't mollify her much when he kept that smug look permanently adhered to his face. "That chakra-enhanced strength of yours is truly something else. I'd love to see the devastation you'd inflict on an actual enemy."

Sakura glared at him, in a worse mood now than she was when she had woken up. She had certainly been distracted – she couldn't stop thinking about the way Gaara's body had felt underneath hers as she'd drifted off to sleep in his arms. She had never shared a bed like that with anyone before, and it had felt so comfortable, so secure and safe to be cradled by him all night.

So why did he have to go and ruin all those good feelings by being an ass today?

"Have you thought about what you want to say to Gaara-sama?" he asked as they found a place to sit underneath one of the fan palms near the edge of the water.

"I'm not sure there's really anything to say," she complained. "It's not like anything can happen between us. Maybe just going home is the best option."

Hideki cocked his head curiously. "Why can't anything happen between you?" he asked. "It's clear the two of you have great chemistry."

"My place is in Konoha and his is in Suna."

"That doesn't seem to matter to Shikamaru-san and Temari-san," he argued.

Sakura gave him an incredulous look. "You know about them?"

"Everyone knows about them."

Sakura sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, letting her eyes fall shut. "It's not just the distance. He's the Kazekage."

"Why should that make a difference?" he asked. "It's not like he would ask something of you that you aren't willing to give. Gaara-sama is kind and generous. I'm sure he'll work with you on whatever you're concerned about."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you want us to be together?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be an impartial party instead of pushing me one way or the other?"

"Sorry, Sakura-san," he laughed, "I'm not impartial. I like seeing Gaara-sama so worked up over you. At least I do now that I've gotten to know you a little better."

"That's a bit cruel, don't you think?" she asked. "Gaara's heart is probably more fragile than most."

"Better to have loved and lost, right?"

Sakura wasn't sure she agreed. "We're not in love," she argued.

"Not yet, anyway."

She gave him a wry look, but the sincerity on his face deflated her a little.

"I thought whatever was going on between us was purely physical," she said with a sigh. "I can't help them I find him really attractive. I didn't really expect him to reciprocate the feeling."

Hideki was silent in response, and Sakura didn't blame him. He had really gone above and beyond to help her figure things out, but this wasn't really something he could help with. And he probably shouldn't help her, anyway – this was between her and Gaara.

"I think I'm going to go pack," she said to him. "Maybe some time back at home will give me more clarity. Will you meet me at the gates in an hour?"

Hideki frowned, but after a moment he nodded.

/

With her pack hitched high up on her shoulders and nervous trembling in her fingers, Sakura made her way to Gaara's office to tell him goodbye before she met Hideki at the gates. He might not have felt it appropriate to say it to her this morning, but she didn't feel comfortable just leaving without some sort of finality.

So in spite of the nausea brewing in her stomach, Sakura knocked sharply at his door. She heard him say something, though it was muffled by the door. She opened it anyway and found him sitting with his head in his hands, buried beneath various files and scrolls that were piled precariously on his desk.

He looked up at the sound of his door opening and blinked. His face was unnaturally pale and his eyes were dark, rimmed by purplish shadows.

"Sakura… I thought you left this morning."

"I'm actually leaving now," she replied, proud of herself for the lack of trembling in her voice. "I just wanted to say goodbye first."

Gaara stood up and Sakura was pleased by the worried expression on his face, the nervousness that seemed to seep from his pores. He took his lower lip between his teeth as he circumvented his desk, moving closer to her, but still well out of arm's reach.

"The only storm in this region is moving away from you, so the weather should be fairly nice for your journey," he said. His uncertainty was palpable and Sakura almost wanted to just bolt now and put him out of his misery. Saying goodbye was obviously not something he felt comfortable doing or he would have done it this morning before he left her bed.

"If only I could teleport back to Konoha and skip the journey entirely," she said with a tight-lipped smile.

Gaara seemed flustered and not amused by her casual joking. She shouldn't have been so annoyed knowing that he was just as inexperienced with this sort of thing as she was, but she had half expected a proper goodbye. It seemed that this was the best he could give her and she wasn't going to fault him for it – not when she was secretly flattered by his apprehension.

"Well, I should get going," she stammered. "Hideki-san is waiting for me by the gates."

Gaara nodded curtly. He made no move to approach her – not for a hug or a kiss, nor did he even curl his lips up in a smile. A little awkwardly, he thrust his hand out, extending his arm for a handshake. Sakura eyed his hand skeptically, but seeing that this was the best goodbye she was going to get, she grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Goodbye, Gaara-sama."

"Bye, Sakura."

/

Sakura tried not to let her mind drift to Gaara while she trudged through the sand. The blistering sun was enough of a distraction, at least for the first few hours as Sakura did her best to stay hydrated and keep her skin covered, protected from the brutal rays. Eventually, her mind always found its way back to him, unable to cast out the unnerved way she felt about the whole situation.

Hideki was mostly silent save for an occasional joke or comment here and there. He seemed to understand Sakura preferred silence and allowed her to stew in her own thoughts as they made their way to Konoha.

But by late afternoon, Sakura no longer wanted to be miserable in her silence.

"Tell me something about you I don't know, Hideki-san," she said.

Hideki peered at her through his head cloth, nothing but his eyes visible to her underneath the length of his garment. He slowed his pace and moved closer to her so that they were walking side by side.

"What do you want to know, Sakura-san?"

She shrugged. "Tell me why you wanted to become a shinobi."

Hideki was silent for a moment while he mulled over his answer. When he turned back to face her, there was a crinkle in his eyes that denoted a smile. "I wanted to make my father proud," he answered, "and I wanted to be able to protect him and my mother and sister."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"She's ten," he replied, "and she wants to be a kunoichi, too. Although her reasons are a little different than mine."

Sakura raised an inquisitive brow.

"She's boy crazy," he explained, "and apparently there are a ton of cute boys at the academy this year." Sakura chuckled, because she could certainly understand that. She was fairly sure she hadn't quite outgrown that stage of her adolescence yet, if this trip was any indication. "Truthfully," he continued, "I think Gaara-sama is the object of her affection. You'd be surprised by the amount of girls at the academy who are head over heels for him. Or maybe you wouldn't be."

Sakura glared at him, dismissing his teasing grin.

"I'm joking, of course," he said in a weak attempt to mollify her, "but Gaara-sama has legitimately inspired a lot of people to join the shinobi ranks. It's nice to see him so respected and admired after everything he's been through."

Sakura clenched her jaw and looked up at the sky, looking for any kind of distraction. Gaara was the last person she wanted to think about.

"Come on now, Sakura," he said after seeing the tense look on her face. "It can't be that bad just to hear his name."

"It isn't," she lied.

His narrowed eyes told her he didn't believe her.

"Did he give you the farewell you wanted?"

"I got a very pleasant goodbye handshake," she answered bitterly.

Hideki snickered into his hand. She sent a harsh glare in his direction, already regretting that he was the one escorting her instead of Temari. She knew for certain that Temari wouldn't tease her about Gaara like this.

"You know I never thought I'd see the day when Gaara-sama found himself smitten with a beautiful girl," he said. "I also never expected I'd spend so much time with said girl."

"He's not smitten," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, you don't know Gaara-sama well enough if you really think that," he replied. "Perhaps this distance will be a good thing for both of you. It isn't good for him to be so distracted while he has Taiyo and Sarabi-chan to deal with."

Sakura grunted her acknowledgment, inclined to agree. She couldn't attest to Gaara's feelings, but she welcomed some time apart. She needed to clear her head of him and think things over. Distance would give her the clarity she needed. And hopefully, once she came to her senses, she'd already be right where she needed to be – in Konoha.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san. We don't have to talk about Gaara-sama anymore."

"I don't mind talking about Gaara-sama," she insisted. Again, he did not look like he believed her.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your Hokage?" he suggested.

Sakura grinned. Where to begin, she thought.

/

By the time the sun had begun to dip below the horizon, Sakura had talked off Hideki's ear, regaling him with tales of Tsunade's crazy antics and her adventures with Team 7. If at any point during her chatter Hideki grew bored, he showed no signs of it.

They set up camp in amicable silence, and though Sakura still felt slightly uneasy about the whole Gaara situation, she was comfortable enough to feel relaxed as she and Hideki hunkered down at the base of a dune and took some time to enjoy the peace and quiet before sleeping.

"I've never really been a fan of the desert," Sakura said, "but it's grown on me after this trip. It has a certain charm to it."

"I'm glad you enjoyed your time in Suna, Sakura-san," Hideki replied with a warm smile.

"You should spend a few days in Konoha once we get there," she suggested. "I can show you around. Konoha has its own charm."

"I'm sure it does, Sakura-san, but Gaara-sama gave me strict orders to return immediately," he said. "There's just a lot going on right now in the village."

"Not even for one night?"

Hideki laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you'd taken a liking to me," he joked. He was right, though, and Sakura felt a surge of affection for him.

"Don't get a big head," she warned.

"Okay, Sakura-san," he said with a grin. "Maybe just one night."

She grinned back at him.

/

A couple of days later, the pair arrived in Konoha. Hideki had stayed for one night, eventually giving in to Sakura's adamant demands. She had showed him around Konoha, introduced him to Naruto and Ino, and sent him on his way the next morning.

Life returned to normal for Sakura. She kept her rigorous hours at the hospital, trained with Tsunade, and even took a handful of missions with Naruto. She didn't let her mind drift to Gaara, or even Sasuke in that time. She didn't want to forget, but she wasn't quite ready to remember either. She recognized her infatuation for what it was – something temporary, a pain to be dealt with and moved on from.

She thought she did a good job of hiding her budding feelings for the Kazekage. Naruto and Tsunade both were unsuspecting, asking no probing questions.

It was Ino who proved to be Sakura's demise.

The two of them sat perched on high stools at a bar, sipping beers and eyeing the risk-free, vanilla civilian boys that were constantly trying to catch their attention.

"I think something might be wrong with me," Ino said, flicking her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm starting to find Kiba attractive."

Sakura peered with amusement at her best friend, glad to find herself back in her company. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her, and being back at a bar with her was comforting.

"Hey, Kiba's not unattractive," Sakura replied. "He's just a dumbass."

"True," Ino responded, "but he can be kind of sweet sometimes."

"I thought you were still hung up on Sai."

Ino shook her head before downing the last bit of beer from her bottle. "Nah, he's too much work," she said. "He's great an all, but his social skills need help that is far beyond my level of expertise."

Sakura shrugged and finished her own beer. She was used to Ino's fickle romances by now, but she wondered whether Ino really, truly liked any of the guys she found herself with. Sakura had found it hard enough to move on from Sasuke even when there was another perfectly acceptable replacement right in front of her. Ino seemed to move on from guys like they were outfits for her to try on.

"Hey, you haven't mentioned Sasuke once since you got back from Suna," Ino said, her voice teasing, but also vaguely accusatory. "Don't tell me you've given up on him."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I don't want to talk about Sasuke."

Ino swiveled on her chair, her eyes wide as she now refocused every ounce of her attention on Sakura. "Am I hearing this right? Sakura Haruno doesn't want to talk about Sasuke?" she demanded. "What gives?"

"I've just moved on, that's all," Sakura replied defensively. "Who knows when I'll ever seen him again, and even if I do, it's not like his feelings toward me have changed. He doesn't love me and he never will. There's no point in getting hung up on him. There are too many other great guys out there."

Ino squealed with delight and leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "So there's another guy?" she asked. "Who is it? Tell me!"

"No, Ino, there's no other guy."

"Don't lie to me, you fool," Ino sassed. "I know you better than that. The only way for you to have gotten over Sasuke is if you got under somebody else. Now spill or I'll have to drag it out of you."

"Knock it off, Ino," Sakura said irritably as she flagged down the bartender for another beer.

"I'm serious," she insisted. "Come on, are you really over Sasuke now? You've been pining after him since you were twelve."

"I've decided it's in my best interest to move on," Sakura said calmly. If she showed Ino how irritated she was, it would on spur her on more.

Ino's roving eye was suspicious, and Sakura felt nervous under her gaze. But after a moment, Ino sighed and placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. "If that's true, then I'm really happy for you," she said. "It means we can pick up civilian boys together now."

In spite of herself, Sakura grinned. That didn't sound like a bad idea.

/

Two weeks after Hideki left for Suna, he arrived back in Konoha with Sarabi in tow. She kept her eyes wide and her face turned up toward the sky at nearly every waking moment, taking in the new landscape, the trees, the intense greenness of everything. Sakura smiled brightly when she greeted them at the village gates, delighted by Sarabi's wonder and excited to see Hideki again.

"Sakura, this place is amazing!" Sarabi breathed, rushing to pull the pinkette into a hug. "You didn't do it justice at all!"

Sakura laughed as she pressed her cheek against Sarabi's. "Welcome home, Sarabi," she said. She turned to Hideki, allowed her grin to widen as he raked his gaze over her, checking to see the state of her, no doubt, to return to Gaara with the knowledge that both Sakura and Sarabi were safe and sound.

"Hideki-san," she began, "will you be staying with us another night?"

"I'm afraid not, Sakura-san," he said with a wry grin of his own. "I have another mission so I need to head back to Suna straight away."

"Don't let Gaara-sama overwork you," she warned.

"I won't, Sakura-san."

She gave him a quick hug and watched him immediately disappear back through the trees. She really thought it was better for him to have stayed and rested for the night before he headed back, but Hideki was smart and capable so she trusted he would be fine.

Sakura spent the rest of the day showing Sarabi around Konoha. They ate at Ichiraku's and spent some time wandering through the civilian district. Eventually, Sakura brought her to the Hokage tower and introduced her to Tsunade.

The Hokage had been warmer than usual, happy to see Sakura with a new student. Sarabi seemed enthused by Tsunade, much to Sakura's relief. She had worried that her mentor's harsh demeanor could be off-putting, but Sakura was delighted to see them both get along with one another.

It wasn't until the pair showed up at Naruto's apartment that Sakura felt Sarabi had been truly welcomed to Konoha.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?" he asked when he answered his door. Seeing Sarabi peering around Sakura's shoulder, his eyes widened and a slow grin spread across his face. "Is this Sarabi?"

Sakura's grin mirrored his own as she nodded.

"Sarabi-chan!" he exclaimed, pulling the surprised girl into a hug. "I've heard so much about you? You're going to be Sakura-chan's student? She's the best medic-nin out there, so you're definitely in good hands. Where are you going to be living? Have you guys eaten dinner yet?"

"Slow down, Naruto," Sakura laughed. "Aren't you going to invite us in or should we just stand out here all night?"

He laughed as he ushered them inside. They spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other. Sakura was happy to see Naruto getting along with Sarabi and she had a good feeling about having her as an apprentice.

After spending all night with Naruto, Sarabi and Sakura headed back to Sakura's apartment, feeling exhausted, but happy. Sakura showed Sarabi to the room she had prepared in advance for her. It was a temporary solution, she told her. Eventually, once she had adjusted to life in Konoha she could get her own place.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me, Sakura," Sarabi said, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "After everything that happened back in Suna, I never thought I'd feel whole again, but it's nice to know I can always rely on you and Gaara-sama. I only hope I can repay you for your kindness someday."

Feeling like she would cry herself if she didn't somehow staunch Sarabi's tears, Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Sarabi," she said. "We're all so glad that you're here. Now go on and get some sleep. We'll start your training in the morning."

"Okay," she said, taking a step back into her room, "but before you go, Gaara-sama asked me to give something to you."

Sakura watched as Sarabi reached into her pack and procured a sealed enveloped, the white paper marred by the Kazekage's bright red wax seal. She pressed the envelope into Sakura's hands and gave her a warm smile. "Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight."

/

Sakura sat cross-legged on her bed, holding her pillow tightly in her lap. The envelope sat perched atop her pillow, blinding her with its brightness. She was conflicted, unsure of whether or not to open it now and read it. She was certain whatever the contents of the envelope were would ruin all the work she'd done to forget about Gaara, but that didn't make the prospect of opening it any less enticing.

But she knew herself well enough to know that she would eventually open it or die of curiosity, so she decided to rip off the bandaid and open it now.

She lifted the wax seal from the paper and peered inside at the contents of the envelope. She pulled out the letter inside, bringing with it a slew of sand. Sakura grimaced and wiped it away from her lap, but it clung to her pillow before gathering into a neat pile the size of a marble and hovered in the air near her head.

Curiously, Sakura touched it with the tip of her finger. The sand spread apart before joining itself together in a ball again. Somewhat hesitantly, she dragged her eyes away from it and back down to the letter in her hands.

Dear Sakura,

I'm glad to hear that you've made it safely back to Konoha. Though I'm sure you're happier now that you're home, you should know that your presence is sorely missed here in Suna. Perhaps I should be embarrassed to admit that I've spent most nights since you left thinking of you. Regardless of whatever happens between us, I want you to know how grateful I am to you that you could even think of me as someone to love and I appreciate everything you did for us during your time here in Suna.

Taiyo decided to stay here in Suna and become a scholar. He's begun learning a thorough history of our village and seems enthusiastic about it. I believe his actions are somewhat inspired by you, seeing how much Sarabi wanted to learn from you. His goal is to become a teacher at the academy. I'm still wary of him, but I'm pleased with his progress so far. He believes that Sarabi will want to come back to Suna one day, which is why I believe he's so adamant on staying here. I'm not sure he realizes how susceptible Sarabi will be to your charm.

She's not the only one, of course. Temari and Kankuro send their regards. Now that you're gone, Temari has loosened up enough to admit that she actually quite enjoyed taking baths with you. Kankuro says next time you visit you'll have to give him a taste of that experience. Crass as it is, I understand his sentiment.

By now I'm sure you've noticed the sand I've sealed in the envelope. The sand is from my personal collection. I wish I could say it does something interesting, but without my presence it's mostly just for show. Unless you close it inside something, it will always stay near you. Perhaps this was inappropriate to give you as it denotes intimacy that we've not shared before, but I wanted you to have it. We've built our friendship on inappropriateness, so it seems oddly appropriate for you to have it.

Stay safe, Sakura. And visit Suna again soon.

Cordially,

Gaara of the Sand

Sakura blinked away the tears she felt forming in her eyes, ignoring them as they fell down onto the letter, smearing the black ink. The ball of sand hovered near her face, wavering slightly. It almost looked like it was peering at her, understanding her somehow. She wondered if what Gaara said was true about it being benign. She knew Gaara well enough to know it could do more than just stay near her, but she didn't really mind.

She couldn't deny feeling both elated and heartbroken by his letter. She could already tell that getting over Gaara would hurt much worse than getting over Sasuke. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to anyway.

She reached over and yanked the chain on the lamp beside her bed, casting darkness over her room. She leaned back against her headboard, hugging Gaara's letter to her chest. She couldn't see the sand anymore, but she could hear its gritting movement beside her and it reminded her of the nights in Suna when she fell asleep listening to the sounds of the raging storms.

It helped lull her to sleep, carrying her into dreams of red hair, turquoise eyes, and impossibly tender kisses.

/

AN: So, like, who cares about what Sakura is doing in Konoha now? Like, let's just get to the juicy stuff, am I right? So yeah, Sakura is moving on, blah blah blah, time is passing, just pretend like I'm a good writer and I did a good job on this chapter.

Also, I feel kinda bad for how shit this is. I know I could have done better, but I ended up rewriting a lot of this section of the story after I decided to keep it going and not end it with this chapter. So because I feel guilty about how terrible it is but not enough to properly do a good job, you can have this chapter today and I'll upload the first chapter from Gaara's perspective tomorrow at the usual time.