The hospital was nearly dark, lit only by the faint glow coming from patients' room. Everyone was sleeping. A figure walked across the room and took something out of his bag, placing it on the front desk. He looked around for a moment, taking in the room, and then sighed deeply and left before anyone noticed his presence.
He was stopped just outside the city by a strong gust of wind, too precise to be natural. He turned slowly to face the woman who stood just behind him, glaring angrily at him. He couldn't beat her in a fight he knew, but he also couldn't outrun her, so the only way he could see to deal with the situation was to talk with her.
"Why aren't you in chains with the rest of your misguided friends?" Temari demanded.
Luo shrugged and spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "I was just lucky I guess."
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now Luo, because I would really rather leave you alive."
"That seems like a good enough reason to me." He answered. "I promise I'm not up to anything anymore. I just want to find someplace new to live in peace. That's what we all want isn't it?"
Temari's shoulders sagged. She held out the potted plant he had left in the hospital. "What's with the cactus then?" She asked tiredly.
Luo smiled and shook his head a little at himself. Jealously sure made him do stupid things. "It's Sakura's. She'll have missed it I think."
Temari watched him in silence for a long while.
"She loves him you know." Luo said at last, and then turned to leave.
Temari let him go, hoping she was doing the right thing. It felt right. "I'm not the one who needs to know that." She answered quietly, watching as Luo disappeared in the darkness, knowing she would never see him again. "He is."