Sakura woke up facing the tent wall, to the feeling of coldness. It wasn't until she was fully awake that she realized that her sleeping bag had slipped down to her mid-thigh exposing some of her skin.

She let out a sigh and decided that it was probably almost time to get up anyway. She sat up and was surprised to see Temari and Tenten still sleeping. Sakura quietly undid the tent zipper and snuck out. Lee and Gaara were sitting watching the fire, Lee had last shift and probably since Gaara was still having a hard time getting used to the sleeping thing he came out to sit with him.

They both turned around when the heard her coming. "SAKURA-CHAN," Lee yelled.

"Shhh!!"

"oh, sorry. How did you sleep." He whispered.

"good you?"

"I had a very good sleep. Gai-sensei says that sleep is one of the most important parts of a mission. You have to have sleep to have a successful mission." Lee gave her the thumbs up position and smiled at her, his tooth giving off a small sparkle.

"Yeah, that's great Lee-san." She answered not really listening. Sakura felt that something was missing. She realized that they didn't have any food yet. "I'm gonna go get some fish for us, K."

"I'll go with you." Gaara answered monotonously and stood up from where he was sitting on a log.

"Ok." Sakura hoped she sounded like she didn't care, if he came or not. The truth was she wasn't sure if she did care or not.

The silence was deafening. Sakura felt like it was advancing towards her, getting ready to suffocate her. She had nothing to say to Gaara to break the silence, why would he even want to talk to her. It didn't look like the silence was bothering him, he was probably glad that she had nothing to say. Why did he come with her then?

So caught up in her thinking she almost walked right into the small creek, thankfully though she saw him stop out of the corner of her eye. Getting out her kunai she was about to get ready to catch the school of fish that was coming down stream, but saw the sand hovering over top the water. Sakura felt a string of panic shoot through her until she realized he was fishing in his own style.

Sakura watched as he threw a kunai in front of the school of fish. About 4 or 5 of them jumped and he quickly caught them with the sand. The fish wiggled for a bit struggling to get back to the water, but their effort was wasted for only a few seconds later they stopped moving. He set the fish next to Sakura and she picked them up, wiping of a bit of the sand.

This continued until they had more than enough, likely Naruto or Lee would want seconds. As on the way to the creek, the silence was starting to become unbearable. Sakura thought she might have to jump into the trees just to get back to camp faster, but that would be rude. 'sigh' how difficult this was becoming.

"Sakura,"

His voice made her jump and she almost dropped the bag that the fish were in. "Y-yes." She stuttered.

"Did you want me to take the bag?"

"Uh… sure." She handed the bag over to Gaara and noticed that he looked right into her eyes when she gave it to him. The same feeling that had overcome her the night before began to form again. She unconsciously dropped her head to the ground trying to hide her blush. Why are you blushing Sakura, get a grip.

"OW!" Sakura sat on the ground rubbing her forehead. She had run into a tree while not paying attention. Get a grip, Get a grip, GET A GRIP… AH!

"You okay?" Gaara was bending in front of her, his light teal eyes examining hers.

"Yeah, I just bumped my forehead a little bit." She brought her hand away and saw a red smear.

"It's bleeding." He stated obviously.

"I'm a medic, I'll heal it."

"Shouldn't you save your chakra for the real battle?" she thought about his question and decided he was probably right, she would need every ounce of chakra she had if there was going to be a battle.

"Yeah, wait what are you doi—." Gaara had leaned in closer and taken his hand and wiped it across her forehead to get most of the blood off. It had stopped bleeding just as quickly as it had started since it was such a small wound. He stood back up and waited for her to get up too.

"Watch where your going." His tone changed backed to its low pitch, i-don't-give-a-shit voice.

In some way Sakura thought she had offended him. "Sorry," she blurted out quickly before he could get too far ahead. He stopped in his tracks,

"Why?"

"Well… I feel like I offended you in some way." Kami help me I feel like I'm twelve again.

"I should be apologizing to you." He started walking again. His back still turned away from her.

"Where's Sakura." Neji asked trying to sound like he was just curious. He had been awake for almost an hour and a half and hadn't seen her around anywhere in the camp.

"I don't know when I woke up She was gone." Tenten answered his question.

"OH, HER AND GAARA-SAN WENT TO GET FISH!!!" Lee yelled.

"Don't yell you idiot you might attract unwanted attention." Tenten smacked him upside the head while scolding him and giving him death glares whenever he seemed to want to yell again.

"SAKURA-CHAN AND GAARA-SAN WENT OFF TOGETHER!!!!" Naruto yelled.

"Didn't I just tell lee to be quiet." Tenten gave naruto a bonk on the head.

"Ow, tenten that hurt."

"well shut up then."

"I just wanted to know why they were together."

"like lee said they were getting fish." Tenten rolled her eyes at him.

"well it shouldn't take more than and hour to get fish." Naruto muttered under his breath.

Neji heard what Naruto said and agreed with him. Who took more than and hour to get fish. Neji walked over to Shikamaru, trying to engage in conversation about the mission with him. He was trying to keep his mind off of Sakura. Why was she out so long with Gaara of all people.

Neji tried focussing on what Shikamaru was saying and suddenly remembered Shikamaru whispering something in Sakura's ear the night before. His eyes narrowed and decided he was going to find out what happened.

Shikamaru caught Neji's glare and asked "What,"

"What were you talking to Sakura about last night?"

"We, were just talking about the medical part of the mission." He said a little too quickly.

Neji saw something flicker in his eyes and knew there was more. "There's something else too, I know it."

"This is so troublesome, why do I have to tell you if there is something else."

"because,"

Shikamaru's 200 IQ seemed to figure it out quick and he smirked.

Neji intensified his glare even more seeing Shikamaru smirk.

"You like her don't you." Shikamaru whispered. Neji's glare disappeared and was replaced with shock he quickly replied.

"No I don't."

"I see why you're giving me the glare now, man your troublesome."

"What do you think happened." Daring him to figure it out.

"I think you saw me and Sakura leave together into the woods where you couldn't see us. You got jealous went in the tent, activated your byakugan. You saw me whisper something in her ear."

"Damn, that 200 IQ." Neji muttered.

"Don't worry, I don't like her, but he might." Shikamaru nodded his head in the direction of the two arriving people. Neji turned his body so that he could see what Shikamaru was pointing at. He found Gaara walking a step behind Sakura, staring at her with curiosity and amusement. This was going to be a long day.

The team assembled into their new travelling formation. Since the sand siblings had joined the team, Shikamaru had formed a new travelling position. Neji had shot him a glare when he found out that he wouldn't be close to Sakura and Shikamaru had sent and apologetic look back. Although Neji knew he was just trying to do the best thing for the team he didn't like Gaara being so close to her.

Sakura was still in the middle of the newly formed polygon since she was the medic and needed to be unharmed if there was ever an attack. Naruto and Gaara were on either side of her and Tenten was on the other side of Naruto. Shikamaru, Neji and Kakashi led the way while, Kankorou, Lee and Temari brough up the rear.

Even though he was in the front every time he need to check the area he would check and see what was happening behind him. He started to get paranoid with himself after the first few checks. What the hell am I doing? She can take care of herself. Don't say that, the last time you said that she had her tongue down some guy's throat. Do I really like her, no I don't like her. He noticed movement about 150 yards away and immediately told Shikamaru.

"Are they rogue or from a village?" he asked Neji.

Neji searched for forehead protectors but didn't see any. "There rogue, but were outnumbered. Maybe about 25 of them."

"Can we avoid them?" Kakashi asked, he had been reading his Icha Icha book, but put it down to join the conversation.

"No, they seem to already know were here."

"I guess there's no choice but to fight them." Kakashi looked to Shikamaru for any other options.

"Yeah, we'll have to fight them. They may be rogue ninja but don't underestimate them." Shikamaru told the group what was happening and everyone became more alert.

"Let's get this over with." Neji said to himself as one of the ninja's jumped from the bushes. He used basic attacks on some of the weaker ninja's to kill them, but others he used his kaiten no jutsu on. He looked around quickly to see what everyone else was up to. Most of them were rapidly killing off the rogue ninja's, but he didn't care what they were up to. He needed to know where Sakura was.

He found her, she had just punched some guy in the face with one of her chakra powered punches and knocked him out. It would be a while before he would wake up and he'd probably have a concussion. Neji fought off a few more, they were almost finished. He turned back to watch her and noticed that she never killed her victims just hurt them enough so that they would be unconscious for a few days. He also noticed that some she almost did kill and it wasn't until he saw a few of them take advantage of her, that he understood why.

They had made it to the camp area where the sand siblings would take a different route than the rest of them. It had been decided that Tenten would go with them for extra help.

Sakura sat down on the ground watching the fire once again. Nobody had gone to bed yet, Temari and Shikamaru had engaged in what looked like and interesting conversation. Kakashi was up in a tree reading his book while Naruto and Kankouro tried to peek at what was inside the porn book. Tenten sat by the fire sharpening her weapons and lee was helping her. Gaara, herself and Neji stared uninterested into the fire.

Gaara stood up and started walking deeper into the forest.

"Where you going?" Sakura asked looking up from the fire to his back where he had stopped.

"Firewood." He said as if that was enough explanation and it was because when Sakura looked over at the woodpile there was nothing but a few twigs left. Who knew that they had used so much firewood in such short time. Oh wait they hadn't Naruto and Kankouro just got sidetracked.

Sakura stood and followed him deeper into the woods. The sun had set so it was fairly dark and they tried to stay close enough that they still had light from the slowly dwindling fire.

They hadn't gone very far when Sakura heard Gaara call her name.

"yeah."

"why did you come with me."

"I guess I was bored." The silence covered them again but this time it didn't seem so suffocating, it was more relaxed and content.

"Sakura," he called her name again.

"Yeah,"

"Sorry." She stopped and stared at him, barely grasping what she had collected of firewood.

"I don't understand." she warily watched him as he walked towards her.

"This morning, I meant that I should be the one saying sorry to you. For all those years ago."

Sakura had a flashback of guarding Sasuke from Gaara when he was in his true form. Then she was flung against a tree and everything went black. "Gaara, I've already forgiven you." She smiled at him.

Gaara's face was full of surprise and shock, "How can you forgive me so easily, when I almost killed you."

"you didn't kill me though Gaara," Sakura said emphasizing with her hands that she was standing in front of him. "you were just fighting for what you thought was right. You didn't know anything else except loneliness and anger until you met naruto."

"you've grown,"

"really, how so," she asked surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"mentally and physically" and before she knew it Gaara had softly pressed his lips to hers. Sakura was stunned at his action, but felt some sort of relief in the back of her mind that told her that somebody still loved her.

She felt him start to pull away when he didn't get a reaction from her, but she desperately pushed forward pulling him back into the kiss. She felt his tongue move along her lips and she gave him access. They roamed each others mouth's with their tongues. She felt her back it a tree and his body pressed against hers, she let her hand move up to his neck and into his hair. Finally in desperate need for air they let go of each other.

Neji's eyes could have looked like sharingan from his place in the trees.

Hope you liked it RxR pay your respects to the veterans because i made this chapter on November 11, best chapter yet

Kisata-chan