I wish people would stop telling me to update quickly! I can't really go much faster! And who else do you know updates a multi-chapter story every single day! Yeah, that's what I thought. And today I had to work and the craft fair; guess what it was for. Yep, band. Word to the wise, the popcorn booth is not nearly as much fun as it seems.

Come on people! You need to read my poem. Seriously, I want to know what people think about it. I didn't expect it to get as many reviews or hits as this one, but come on, only like 17 hits in 3 days!

Everything above this was written yesterday. When I tried to load this chapter, the site wasn't working right so I had to wait. But for all those who actually read my bio page (I update each time I add something), I had put it a little preview of this chapter. So maybe you should check my bio once and a while, it's always changing.

Disclaimer: You know, I work really hard to think of something good as I so blatantly give all rights to Naruto to that one guy. I wonder if anyone actually reads these.

The Price of Freedom

Chapter 5

The early morning sun was just now beginning to rise in the east, bathing the dunes in the purest form of light. All was still and peaceful; the desert mice dove into their holes in hopes of slumber, the lazy lizard climbing atop the closest rock to bask in the heat of the coming light.

But lazy and comfortable thoughts had vanished for Sabaku no Gaara; sleep and peace of mind lost in the frenzy of hopelessness.

All through the previous night, he had tossed and turned in worry; not for himself but for his people. Sasuke's message had been anything but friendly. Growing weary of just laying on his cot and doing nothing; Gaara rose and dressed himself quickly, stepping out of his tent in a rush.

Glancing across the enviously oblivious camp, he spotted the tent of Shikamaru. The brilliant young general was now the only one Gaara believed could help them now. Silently approaching the tent, he pulled back the loose flap and stuck his head in to see if Shikamaru was awake. He sat at on the floor of his tent in an odd pose that Gaara found rather amusing. His legs were crossed, his eyes closed. From the looks of it he seemed to be in deep concentration, his brows furrowed and mouth set in a thin line. But what caught Gaara's attention first were the General's hands. Held upwards forcibly, his thumbs and forefinger's touched creating a large circle; the rest of his fingers curved slightly.

Having no idea as to what the man was doing, Gaara let himself in and sat on the floor across from Shikamaru. As soon as he was seated, Shikamaru's eyes snapped open, "Took you long enough."

Gaara gave him a puzzled look, "You knew I was coming?"

"How could you not." He pulled his hands apart and placed them on his knees, "You and I both know I'm the only one that can help your people. It was only a matter of time before you came."

"So that's what you were doing just now, waiting?"

The General scoffed, "No, I was formulating a plan for any possible outcome, but mainly the most probable." Then, sighing he placed his chin in his hands, "You do know that a battle is inevitable now."

Gaara looked away in anger, "It shouldn't have been. All of this is your fault; if you hadn't of helped that girl and brought her here, none of this would have happened. Sasuke has always been looking for a reason to wipe us from the face of the earth and you just gave him one."

"Don't make it sound as if I got the good end of the stick; or have you forgotten? The Emperor was kind enough to ask for my head on a silver platter." His face softened as he continued, "But that is beside the point. What we must focus on now is that Sasuke is sending troops to do away with every man, woman, and child in your tribe." At the mention of this Gaara's face paled for the hundredth time since the night before. Shikamaru noted this, "Don't look so worried. There is still hope for you."

"And what hope would that be? Are you going to conjure some mystical army that will save us?" Gaara's temper was beginning to flair. Placing his head in his hands, he sighed miserably, "What could we do? There are too few of us."

"Have you given thought to any plan?"

Gaara looked up at him and sighed, "What's the point?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the pathetic young man before him. Must he think of everything? "You aren't going to attack them, they are coming for you. This is your territory, and it is unforgiving."

Gaara looked up with interest, "What are you getting at?"

"And it will take time for them to assemble, yes?"

The nomad nodded, "Yes. But I assume they will be ready by nightfall."

"That is true. But you could also be ready by nightfall." Shikamaru coaxed him on, hoping the Suna leader could solve it for himself.

Realization hit Gaara, "Yes. We have more experience navigating the desert. We could move much faster than them."

Shikamaru nodded, "Exactly. But I believe that is what Sasuke planned for. Now what land forms surround this area?"

"Well, the forest isn't far from here, two days journey at most." Gaara's eyes widened, "He plans to corner us."

"Precisely; but we can use it to our advantage." Shikamaru leaned forward and lowered his voice, "I also know a very valuable piece of information."

"And what is that?" Gaara whispered.

Shikamaru smirked, "I know for a fact that little of Sasuke's army is actually loyal to him. Previously they all referred to me."

"So, are you saying, we just have to take down Sasuke, and the battles over?" Hope was now etched in his voice.

"I think so. This is a very educated guess."

"How do you know that Sasuke will be there in person?" Gaara questioned, doubt evident on his face.

Smirking once again, Shikamaru continued, "I always knew his big mouth would be his downfall. Sasuke always spoke of finding a way to get rid of you. I don't think he cares much for your people, just for you. He told me on many occasions that he would be the one to kill you. He wouldn't let anyone else do it."

This disturbing fact brought no emotion to Gaara's face, he merely nodded, "I suppose your right." Collecting his thoughts, he made up his mind, "We will pack up camp immediately. Will you be coming with us?"

Shikamaru smiled, "Where else will I go?"

Smiling with newfound hope, Gaara clasped arms with the now ex-General, "When this is over, you are welcome to join us whenever you like."

Nodding, Shikamaru rose and stepped towards the opening of the tent. Turning back to the still seated Gaara he spoke, "Traveling may be easier than you think. Sakura was awake through the night healing many of the sick and injured. Though, last time I saw her she looked as if she would faint. No one can get her to rest, I suggest you try. She might listen to you."

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Green light flooded from the opening of the tent. It was small, much smaller than Gaara's tent. Though small it may have been, it was big enough for Sakura to use as a medical tent. All throughout the night, sick and injured men, women and children had flocked to the tent in hopes of a medical miracle. And though Sakura was on her last legs, not having the skill to cure as many people as she already had, she stood strong and placed her hands on every ill soul that set foot in the small tent.

But throughout her ministrations, the words of her mother continuously plagued her thoughts. She had been taught that the moment she started to feel any pain or fatigue in her healing she had to stop. The pain she felt now had started hours ago. The nauseous feeling in her stomach made it increasingly difficult to work and concentrate on her task.

Shaking the warnings from her mind, Sakura placed her hand atop the broken shoulder of a wrinkled old man. Furrowing her brows in concentration, she summoned up the power in her veins and forced them into the injury. His shoulder had been painfully shattered in an accident with a donkey pulled cart, and repairing shattered bone was much more energy consuming than fixing a popped limb. Unfortunately for the miserable old man, Sakura had reached her limit.

Resisting the urge to vomit, she collapsed to the floor of the tent. The frail man reached out to her, "Are you alright?" Sakura made no effort to reply. Placing her hands down, she tried to lift herself only to fall flat on her face once more. He tried to bend low and help her up but only succeeded in causing himself more pain. Crying out in anguish, he grabbed his shoulder and called out for help.

Sakura could hear the rushing about outside the tent, but could do nothing to still their worry. Murmurs were heard as the tent flapped was pulled aside roughly. "What is going on?"

She looked up weakly to see Sabaku no Gaara standing over her for a second time. She must seem so weak to him. For a short moment she wondered why she would care what he thought of her. But those thoughts were quickly forgotten as she gagged, clamping a hand over her mouth.

Thinking quickly, Gaara stooped down and took her in his arms. Rushing out of the tent, he pushed through the crowd and ran behind the tent. Setting her down gently, he helped her to her knees. As soon as she was righted, Sakura held her abdomen as she retched once more.

Gaara held her long mane of pink hair out of the way as he looked away in attempt to give the overworked girl some semblance of privacy. Luckily, everyone else had got the message when he had glared at them as he rushed by and stayed on the other side of the tent. Patiently he kneeled next to the girl wondering why she had let it go this far.

Sitting up all the way, Sakura wiped her mouth with the hem of her long white gown. "Thanks," she said quietly as she gave a shudder.

Looking at her once more, he gave her a look of frustration, "That was foolish. You shouldn't have worked yourself so hard."

Looking away embarrassed, she closed her eyes in shame, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to help everyone. That man's shoulder is still broken, can you take me back so I can finish."

"No." He said simply.

Sakura spun to face him, "What? Why not? Can't you see he's still in pain?"

He nodded, "Of course. But that is just pain, he will live. You on the other hand, need to rest. How can you help everyone when you end up killing yourself out of exhaustion?"

Still wanting to help, Sakura argued, "But I can't just leave it unfinished!"

"Yes, you can. Like I said, he will live." Grabbing her into his arms once more, Gaara stood and proceeded to his tent.

"What are you doing?!" She shrieked as he carried her about.

Looking down at her he smirked, "I am taking you to my tent so you can rest. I'll have to have someone keep an eye on you; to make sure you don't run off and heal someone else."

Sakura pouted as she crossed her arms as best she could, "This is not fair."

"Whoever said life was fair?" Gaara remarked.

"Exactly!" She responded flinging one arm in the air. Gaara just chuckled as he stepped into his tent.

Placing her on the cot, Gaara stepped away, "I will go find some other clothes for you. In the mean time, you will sit here. And you will not move or there will be consequences."

Sakura glared at his back resentfully as he exited the tent, "What, does he expect me to just sit here?"

"Yes I do." She heard him reply as he walked away.

Sakura glanced at her surroundings while she waited. This tent was small, but still one of the larger tents in the caravan. It was sparsely decorated with trunks of various shapes and sizes. But what interested her most was the small table next to the cot. Resting atop it was a couple ink bottles and quills of diverse length. Taking closer inspection she noticed a very elegantly decorated scroll sitting in the middle of the table.

Standing on very shaky legs she made her way over to the table and knelt down. Picking up the scroll, Sakura immediately took note of the broken wax seal; the seal of the Emperor. Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened it and read in haste. Her eyes widened in horror as she reread the short letter in hopes of being mistaken.

"I thought I told you not to move."

Sakura tore her eyes away from the scroll to see Gaara standing behind her. "Gaara, is this true? Is he really sending troops to…" She trailed off, not finding the words to speak.

He nodded gravely, "Yes."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't think he would be so mad."

Gaara crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her, "Well, this is what happens when you don't think."

Rushing to stand, Sakura tumbled over, "I never meant—"

He held out his arms and caught her, "I understand that." Pulling her upright he continued, "But right now, you need to change." Helping her over to the bed, he handed her the clothes, "They belong to my sister, Tamari. She told me to tell you that you could keep them. After you change into these you should go to sleep." Sakura nodded silently as he turned from her and exited the tent.

After much effort, Sakura had successfully changed into the slightly too big, long sleeved, heavy desert robes. Tying the red silk sash, she lay down on the cot and tried to hold back the overwhelming feeling of guilt that washed over her entire being. But none the less, the silent trickle of tears turned into one loud outburst after another.

Placing her hand over her mouth, she tried to muffle the sound of her hiccupped sobs to no avail. Just as she had hoped against, Gaara walked into the tent to see what was the matter.

Sakura sat up and aimlessly wiped at her eyes. "What is the matter? Do the robes not suit you?"

She shook her head sadly, "It's entirely my fault!" Placing her head in her hands she sobbed harder.

Her head popped up once again when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Looking into his somber eyes, she saw that he was not angry or frustrated, but sorrowful. "It is unfortunate that this has occurred. But I have been discussing with Shikamaru, and both he and I believe that we will be able to make it through this."

"But how, and against so many. If I had never left this would have never happed to you." Controlling the influx of tears, she wiped her eyes.

Gaara clenched and unclenched his jaw, setting it in a firm line, "I suppose sacrifices must be made. That is the price of freedom."

Now you can't complain that this is too short. And anyways, I think when someone is striving and focusing on the length of a story and not its content, all you do is take away from the story. I would much rather have a chapter that has only necessary content than to add so much of something they don't need; it makes the story boring.

P.S.- Did you like the Shikamaru Easter egg I added in there? I felt like a genus when I thought of it!

P.P.S.-Don't ask me to tell you exactly what the letter said. I find the reaction of the characters to be far more important than what was really said. So long as you get the general idea.