Gaara's eyes flickered between Sakura and Naruto. The three of them stood outside Sasuke's door, watching, waiting. According to Sakura, Sasuke's body was fighting off the poison quickly. He would be awake by nightfall. That meant they had to come up with some sort of plan immediately.

Sakura's eyes were glued to Sasuke's door. She worried her lip between her teeth. The slight crease between her brows told Gaara she was deep in thought. He watched her press her hand against the door and sigh. She looked defeated.

"If he finds out what I did to him, he'll never speak to me again," she said so quietly Gaara believed she was only saying it to herself.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Sakura, we don't have to tell him what happened," he said consolingly.

"Naruto, what are we going to do?" she demanded. "We have to tell him something when he wakes up. He's going to want to leave. He might even want to kill you first!"

"That's not going to happen," Naruto snapped.

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted while Naruto growled. Gaara could only watch the exchange – he had nothing to offer them. He was only even there to ensure that Suna's best interests were favored.

"Naruto, I think we just need to let him go," Sakura conceded.

Both Naruto and Gaara both blinked in surprise.

"This was your idea in the first place," Naruto hissed. "We're only in this mess because you poisoned him! Now you're saying we should just let him go? You think he'll just walk out of here without you?"

"Of course he will," she bit out, pointing a prissy finger at his chest. "He needs a medic, not me specifically. He can find a new one."

Naruto glared at her. Gaara didn't exactly understand why he seemed so heated, but he knew that their relationship with Sasuke was sticky and not something he really wanted to understand in the first place.

Before Naruto could respond, the sound of footsteps around the corner made everyone pause. They all turned to look as Sarabi rounded the corner, beaming from ear to ear.

"Good morning, everybody!" she said, her cheerful mood sucked into the dryness of everyone else's as they watched her approach.

She didn't seem to notice. "Hey, Sakura, I was wondering if you wanted to take a bath with me this morning. I remember how nice the baths here in Suna are. I could use a nice soak."

Sakura looked very put on the spot by the invitation. Gaara could tell she wanted to reject the offer and linger outside Sasuke's door all day until he woke up. She likely would, too, Gaara thought. But that wouldn't be good for her. It would be torture and pain and her thoughts would drive her wild.

"That's a great idea, Sarabi," Gaara said. "In fact, why don't you use the baths in the main part of the palace? They're much nicer and they're private."

Sarabi's smile widened, as if that were even possible. Her good mood might have been contagious in any other circumstances. "Thanks, Gaara-sama, that's very generous you," she said.

"Yeah," Sakura said dryly. "Very generous."

Gaara looked over at her to find her staring at him with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment. There was something else radiating behind those malachite eyes, but Gaara found it took difficult to look at her for long enough to determine what it was. Instead, he looked to Naruto. Naruto hadn't taken his eyes of Sarabi since she'd arrived and he wore a lecherous grin. Gaara could only imagine the kinds of perversions that he was toying with in his head.

"Naruto, you and I can watch Sasuke while Sakura and Sarabi are busy, can't we?" Gaara asked, more for Sakura's sake than Naruto's.

"Oh," Naruto said, snapping back into focus. He glanced back at Sasuke's door and then at Sakura, immediately back to being concerned. "Right, yeah. We can do that. Maybe you can come up with some other plans while you're in the bath, eh, Sakura? You know it doesn't hurt to have options."

"Plans for what?" Sarabi interjected.

Sakura shook her head. "I'll explain it to you in the bath," she said, sliding past Naruto.

Before she reached Sarabi, she grabbed onto Gaara's arm. The sudden contact startled him, and now with the closeness of her face he felt nervous – a warm sort of nervous. Her eyes were pleading as she gazed up at him and her fingers felt rigid where they curled in the fabric of his sleeve.

"You'll tell me as soon as he wakes up, right?" she asked.

"Right," he said, clearing his throat. "As soon as he wakes up."

Sakura nodded. He could see her appreciation on her face. She let go of his arm and linked hands with Sarabi. Gaara scratched the back of his head nervously as he watched them leave.

"Gaara, we have to come up with a better plan," Naruto said once the girls were out of earshot.

Gaara glanced over at Naruto to find him looking in his direction with suspicion. He was bound to notice at some point the newfound closeness that Sakura and Gaara shared now. Gaara hoped he wouldn't comment on it now.

"If it were up to me I'd have Hideki dump him at the border," Gaara muttered dryly.

Naruto glared at him, but he said nothing. Gaara watched him slump against the wall before sliding down to sit on the floor.

"He doesn't want to come home," Naruto mumbled. "I can't force him to come back to Konoha. I can't force him to be my friend. He won't stop until he's killed Itachi. He won't think of anything but that until it's done."

Gaara, feeling the tiniest bit sympathetic, moved to join Naruto on the floor. "Naruto, I don't know if Sasuke will ever come around. He might not. But even if he doesn't, he's lucky to have a friend like you. He doesn't show it, but he has to know how much you care about him."

"What good does that do?" Naruto asked. "I can't help him. I can't take away any of his pain. It's not like if I just let him go that he'll kill Itachi and be fine. Killing Itachi won't bring him the peace he deserves."

"Then he's going to need a good friend for when that day comes," Gaara said.

Naruto's scowl deepened.

"He doesn't want to be my friend," Naruto said fiercely. Then he seemed to deflate, hanging his head down low against his chest. "Maybe Sakura is right. Maybe we should just let him go."

"Naruto, I'll support you no matter what you choose to do," Gaara said.

Naruto lifted his head. The skepticism was back in his eyes.

"Gaara, what are you doing with Sakura?"

The compulsion to lie bubbled up in Gaara's chest. He knew Naruto used to have a thing for Sakura. With everything happening with Sasuke, Gaara wasn't sure it was a good idea to be talking about that. Naruto seemed to be in a fragile state and Gaara didn't want to do anything more to upset him.

"Clearly something is going on," Naruto continued, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not an idiot. Are you guys together?"

Gaara didn't know.

"It's okay, really," Naruto said, though it was rather unconvincing. "Please just tell me the truth."

Gaara felt his heart softening a little (and he already had such a soft spot for Naruto). "Fine," he said begrudgingly. "I like Sakura. I want to be with her. I know how impossible that is. I don't want to take her away from Konoha or anything. That's just how I feel."

Naruto was silent. He tilted his head to look Gaara more squarely in the eye. His gaze made Gaara nervous.

"How does Sakura feel?" Naruto asked after a moment.

It was Gaara's turn to hang his head. "I don't know."

Naruto's gaze softened. He glanced at Sasuke's door. "I guess it's not just Sasuke I have to worry bout taking her away from me," he said with a weak chuckle. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"No one's taking her away from you, Naruto," Gaara said. "She never intended to leave with Sasuke and I know she won't stay in Suna to be with me. Konoha is her home and she knows that."

"Then why are you messing around with her?" Naruto said, his voice taking on a new edge. "You're just going to hurt her."

Gaara felt his face burning so he looked away from Naruto. He had a point. Gaara already knew this would hurt her. He already knew he was being selfish.

Beside him, Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes with his palms. "Sometimes it feels like I can't protect anyone. My friends are always suffering and I can't do anything about it."

"Sakura isn't suffering," Gaara said softly, but he wasn't really sure.

"Of course she is," Naruto said. "She misses Sasuke, too. And it breaks my heart that I can't bring him back for her."

Gaara felt the words like an icy stab to his heart.

"But even if I did, it would be just like it is now," Naruto continued, oblivious to Gaara's turmoil. "He wouldn't want to be there. He would be angry. He's not the same person he was when he left. I don't know if I can ever bring that Sasuke, the old Sasuke back."

Gaara didn't know what to say. He wished Sasuke had never showed up.

The pair sat in silence, leaning against the wall together. Gaara much preferred the quiet – each word Naruto spoke only served to upset the both of them. But there was comfort to be had in each other's company, and it was a nice reprieve from his Kazekage duties.

/

Sakura and Sarabi were not in the baths for long. Hardly an hour after they'd trotted off together, they whirled around the corner to where Naruto and Gaara still sat. Naruto had nodded off, but Gaara had kept vigilant watch over Sasuke's door. He was sure to hear all manner of admonishments from Temari about his lack of productivity, but Gaara didn't mind.

His main concern was Sakura, who now wore an expression of resolve. Sarabi, too, looked less cheerful and more determined now. Gaara wondered how their conversation went. She looked like she had something to say, and Gaara was all ears. He'd been stewing in his thoughts for too long.

He nudged Naruto awake with his elbow.

"Guys," Sakura said as Naruto stirred. "Sarabi and I have come up with a plan."

"What is it?" Gaara asked, moving to his feet. He couldn't help but let his eyes linger on Sakura, who had left her hair still damp and slightly curling at the ends. She was dressed in simple civilian clothing and looked so casual and carefree. So different from the countenance that said everything but carefree. But she was beautiful nonetheless, and he hated looking at her but he couldn't look away.

"Instead of me going with Sasuke," Sakura began, "Sarabi will go."

"What?" Naruto and Gaara both shouted in tandem.

"Just hear me out," Sakura said defensively. Gaara glanced over to Sarabi and found her bright eyes to be encouraging. She nodded to Sakura.

"Sakura, what makes you think Sasuke won't hurt her?" Gaara demanded.

"Yeah, Sakura, this doesn't seem like a good idea," Naruto added. "I mean you going with him is honestly a better plan. You could at least defend yourself against him if he attacks you, but Sarabi doesn't have shinobi training."

"He won't attack her," Sakura snapped.

Gaara wasn't so sure, but he didn't say as much.

"I really don't see how this helps," he said instead. "We're trading one person out for another. I don't want Sarabi to go with him anymore than I want you to."

"Sasuke doesn't have a bond with Sarabi," Sakura argued. "He doesn't know her, so he won't care to break any bond with her like he wants to with me and Naruto. Sarabi might be good for him."

"What if you're wrong and he kills her?" Gaara demanded.

The look she gave him in return was harsh and it made Gaara flinch. "He's not going to do that," she said. "Give him some credit."

"Gaara's right, Sakura," Naruto chimed in. "Sasuke is unpredictable."

"No, he isn't," she insisted. "Naruto, you should understand more than anyone. Sasuke is hurting and he wants to break his bonds with us because they remind him of what he lost. He's not a cold-blooded killer. He's a man in pain. He won't hurt Sarabi. He only cares about killing Itachi. He can't begin to heal until he's done that."

"Are you serious" Naruto demanded. "You think it's actually a good thing for him to go off to kill his brother? You know that won't solve his problems."

"I know that," she said. "I'm just saying that Sasuke isn't going to give up on that goal until he's done it. He's obviously determined. Helping him accomplish it is the path of least resistance. Sarabi can help us help him."

"It's true," Sarabi piped up. "I want to help in whatever way I can. I know how important he is to the two of you."

Gaara frowned, unsure of what to say. He didn't like the idea of sending Sarabi away with Sasuke at all. As her Kazekage, she was meant to do his bidding and not traipse around with Konoha's most dramatic team until she was just as embroiled in their escapades as they were.

"Suna's getting the short end of the stick here, don't you think?" Gaara asked. Everyone turned to look at him. "We need Sarabi's medical training."

"Do you really?" Sakura asked dryly. "Because you've managed without it so far."

"She's a citizen of Suna," Gaara said, his voice equally dry. "She's not yours to send out on whatever mission you deem acceptable for her. Does your Hokage know that you plan to do this? Do you think she would approve?"

"Tsunade-sama has nothing to do with this," Naruto interjected.

"You only say that because you know she doesn't give a shit about Sasuke," Gaara said harshly.

The air became thick and tense. Everyone continued to look at Gaara, while he clenched his fists at his sides. It was annoying that Konoha brought their problems to Suna, and even more annoying that those problems were now his. They wouldn't even allow him the input he deserved to have.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Sarabi said meekly. "I was only trying to help, but if it's going to upset Gaara-sama this much, maybe I shouldn't go."

Gaara's expression softened, but his heart didn't. If she would agree to stay, he would snatch up that offer as quick as possible.

"How about this?" Sakura asked, her face also a little softer now. "We wait until Sasuke's wakes up and ask him what he wants to do."

Silence stretched around them.

"No, that's stupid," Naruto said.

"How is that stupid?" Sakura asked, hands on her hips. "The whole point of the plan was to appease Sasuke. What else are we going to do? Sasuke will do what he wants when he wakes up anyway."

"So why offer him something that isn't yours to offer?" Gaara asked her, unable to contain that grit that now polluted his voice. "Let him go and find another medic."

"Sarabi was the one who offered," Sakura snapped.

Gaara's eyes slid over to Sarabi, who was blushing and hiding halfway behind Sakura. "Why would you offer that, Sarabi?" Gaara asked her.

Sarabi glanced nervously between Gaara and Sakura. Her gaze seemed to linger a little longer on Sakura, whose face was impassive. Gaara knew her to be anything but.

"Naruto and Sakura opened their homes to me," Sarabi ventured, her taking on a little more determination. "They treated me like family when I had none. If this is what I must do to repay the favor, then I will gladly do it. They want their friend back, and that's what I want for them."

Gaara frowned, then he sighed. "And what about you, Sarabi?" he demanded. "What do you want? For you?"

"For starters, I think I'd like to meet Sasuke."

Naruto immediately shook his head. "I don't think that'll be quite the meeting you think it'll be," he warned.

"I have no expectations," Sarabi said patiently. "At least let me decide for myself whether or not to do this. If I don't think I can handle Sasuke, then I won't go."

Sakura looked between Gaara and Naruto eagerly. It was clear she thought this option was for the best. Her trust in Sasuke was a bit foolish, Gaara thought, but both girls had their hearts in the right places and he hated having to feel like the bad guy.

"Fine," Gaara conceded. "Let's see what Sasuke thinks of this."

/

When Sasuke's eyes flew open there was a frightening moment where everything in the world seemed weightless. The room, so cramped with Naruto, Sakura, Sarabi, and Gaara all crowded around Sasuke's bed, seemed infinitely larger. Sasuke's gaze panned the group of people around him. It was minute, but it was there – a full range of emotion from confusion to pain to pride to anger. Gaara felt uncomfortable watching all those things flicker across the usually stoic Uchiha's face. It was easier to view him as a callous monster than a human who experiences the very same things he did.

"What happened?" he asked, letting his gaze linger on Sakura. She looked absolutely petrified. Her eyes were wide, but the set of her mouth was stern. Gaara liked to think he knew Sakura well enough to be able to predict what she might say, but he had no clue.

"There was a minor incident," she said pragmatically, her voice cold and clinical and nothing at all like Gaara figured it would sound based on the way her hands were shaking. "But don't worry, it's been resolved," she continued briskly, seeing the narrowing of Sasuke's eyes. "And we've decided that it would be best if you took a different medic with you. I'm needed in Konoha, but I understand your plight and we want you to take Sarabi with you."

Sakura gestured to the demure, dark-haired girl who was standing behind her. Sarabi, having no prior experience with Sasuke, seemed to draw the same energy from Naruto and Sakura, and approached Sasuke with her hand extended. Her eyes were wide, too, exacerbated by their milkyness. She didn't look afraid, but she looked cautious.

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke-san," she said, bowing her head slightly.

Sasuke's eyes drifted down to her hand, but he did not reach out to take it. "You understand my plight?" he asked Sakura, turning to her with a new vehemence in his eyes. "You don't understand anything."

Sakura's hesitancy, her compulsion to treat Sasuke like glass dissipated. She cocked her hip out and opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto beat her to it.

"Don't talk to Sakura-chan that you, you asshole," he snapped, taking a step toward Sasuke with his fists clenched.

Sakura caught the back of his shirt and pulled him back to stand beside her. "Knock it off, Naruto," she said lowly.

Sasuke crossed his arms, unimpressed. He scrutinized Sarabi until she retracted her hand meekly. "Really?" she whispered heatedly to Sakura, though everyone in the room could hear it. "This guy?"

Sakura growled and clenched her own fists. "Alright, Sasuke, here's the deal. You need a medic and I can't go with you. Sarabi has trained under me and Tsunade-sama for three years, so she is more than capable of being a medic on your team. You can take her with you or you can find someone else on your own."

Sasuke gave Sarabi another scouring look. To her credit, she didn't wither. Gaara wasn't so sure he wouldn't have cracked under a gaze like that.

Then, Sasuke pulled a kunai out from underneath his sheet. Gaara was alert immediately, his sand already moving to block whatever attack was coming. He couldn't predict who Sasuke would attack first, so his sand moved toward Sasuke's kunai to catch it.

But instead of flinging it toward someone, Sasuke stabbed the kunai into his stomach. Sakura screamed and lurched toward him, her hands glowing.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" she screeched.

Sasuke pushed her away before her hands could touch him, leaving a bloody handprint on her arm. "Let the girl heal it," he said.

"Fuck, Sasuke, you might have hit something vital!" Sakura continued, still trying to get to Sasuke. Naruto held onto her, pulling her back away from Sasuke's bed.

"Come on, Sakura, let Sarabi do it," Naruto said pleadingly.

"Fine, fine," she said, shrugging out of Naruto's hold. "Sarabi?"

Sarabi was already pressing her hands to Sasuke's wound before Sakura could ask. Her glowing green chakra coursed through Sasuke's stomach, reknitting skin and muscle and whatever organ Sasuke's kunai might have pierced.

Sasuke watched with keen eyes as she worked. She paid him no attention, her face scrunched up in concentration. When she had finished, she pulled away and gave him an expectant, curious look. Sasuke prodded where the wound had been with his fingers, and finding no pain there, he glanced back up at Sarabi, who looked quite pleased with herself.

"That was pretty stupid, you know," she said dryly. Then a smile cracked on her features, a glimpse at a sort of brightness Gaara couldn't remember seeing on her before. "But it was kind of badass, too."

Sasuke's stony expression did not waver. If he felt any amusement, he didn't show it.

"I've been idle too long," he said, tossing his sheets over his legs. He reached down beside the bed where his pack sat and hoisted it up onto his shoulder. "Come on, Sarabi, we have a lot of ground to cover."

He shrugged past the set of dumbfounded faces and into the hall, turning back for a second to make sure Sarabi was following him.

"You want me to come with you?" she asked almost hopefully.

"Let's go," he said in lieu of a real answer.

/

Gaara stood on the guard tower with Sakura on his right and Naruto on his left. They watched Sarabi and Sasuke as they traveled across the dunes. They hadn't gotten far past the village yet, but Gaara already had a terrible feeling about it.

"Are you sure we did the right thing, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura didn't look away from the receding dots nearing the horizon. "I don't know, Naruto," she said softly.

Gaara's expression soured. He knew. He knew that this was a bad idea. Sarabi had no shinobi training. She wouldn't stand a chance against Sasuke if he turned on her. Besides, Sarabi belonged here in Suna – they had already established that. They weren't doing her any favors by sending her away with a maniac for gods knew how long.

"Don't look so upset, Gaara," Sakura said dryly. "Sarabi wanted to do this."

"Did she now?" he asked, his voice equally dry. He couldn't help but feel like Sakura had needlessly pressured her into something she probably didn't care to do.

"You wouldn't understand, Gaara," she said dismissively. It made his blood boil. "Or maybe you would, I don't know. She did it for me and Naruto. She just wants us to be happy."

"She shouldn't have to sacrifice herself for your happiness," Gaara bit out.

Both Naruto and Sakura recoiled as if they'd been bitten.

"Give Sasuke some more credit," Sakura argued, though the look of hurt on her face was enough for Gaara to feel guilty. "She's not going to die. She'll be back."

"You don't know that," Naruto chimed in.

Sakura's gaze flew to him, concerned, annoyed, and angry. "Don't say that," she snapped.

"Even if he doesn't kill her, or Itachi doesn't kill her, or whatever other danger they might encounter doesn't kill her," Naruto began, "she still might not want to come back. She might stay with Sasuke."

"Sasuke will come back to Konoha when he's finished with Itachi," Sakura countered.

"You don't know that."

The trio fell silent. Sakura looked like she might burst into tears. If Gaara had been the crying type, he might have looked that way, too. Naruto and Sakura stared at one another for a moment, embroiled in a heated conversation that took place solely in their eyes.

Then, off in the distance, Gaara felt a sharp stab of chakra nearly exploding in the distance. All three of their heads turned back to face Sasuke and Sarabi. Off against the horizon, they could see a plume of smoke and sand. Sasuke and Sarabi's forms were nowhere to be seen amongst the sky anymore, instead either gone or engulfed by whatever explosion had rendered the scene before them.

The air was deafeningly silent. Gaara could feel his pulse racing as the uncertainty of what was happening gripped him.

Then he heard a familiar and terrifying bestial screeching.