Disclaimer: Same as always

Naruto's Challenge

Naruto and Sakura were alongside each other as they sprinted through the dense forest. Neither of them said much after she awoke the next morning and he could see she was determined to remain silent for the rest of the trip. Normally he would've bothered her by now but he felt she needed some time to collect her thoughts.

He mentally frowned. Naruto couldn't imagine the pain of a rejected love. Sure Sakura rejected many of his proposals but they hardly fazed him or his hardhead and eventually he moved on.

Glancing sideways, he allowed a small sigh to escape his lips,

"Sakura?"

Sakura's determination not to speak was starting to annoy him as five minutes passed from his uttered sentence. He tried again,

"Sakura?" Irked, he grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks, "Damnit Sakura!" He regretted his outburst when he took in her fragile face. Her gaze was wayward, looking at everything but him. "I'm sorry for what you're experiencing. But I know he'll eventually come around, if you just wait-"

"How many more years do I have to wait Naruto?" Her voice was a broken whisper as her body shook. "I waited for Sasuke to come back through our gates and as every day passed, that much more of my soul would die. I was foolish waiting for Sasuke, Naruto. I don't intend on making the same mistake twice…I wouldn't be able to take it."

His grip loosened but she made no move to pull away, "Ne Sakura, if you love him he'll-"

"What Naruto? What will he do? How could I love him anymore than I do… did? He didn't do anything Naruto…he just wanted me to satisfy himself. I'm nothing but some sex doll."

"Don't you ever think that! Sakura your worth is far more than a sex doll! You're one of the most prominent medi-nin ever. I hate it when you doubt yourself Sakura…"His voice leveled out, "I hate it even more when you fail to realize just how amazing you are and settle for things that are below your capabilities."

"Naruto-"

"Sakura, I am your best friend and I care about you so much that it hurts to see you like this. Just promise me that when we return to Konoha, you'll leave all this baggage behind."

A moment of silence elegantly passed by them until she spoke, "I promise."

Two days later

Gaara paced his office for the hundredth time that hour and it was driving Kankurou crazy. He frowned upon noticing the expensive rug attaining the pattern Gaara was walking in,

"Ya know, I bought you that rug for your birthday."

Gaara grunted in response and his older brother sighed, "Why don't you go after her? I mean, what else do you have to loose, your pride? Last time I checked, Sakura seemed more important than that."

He was met with another inaudible grunt and Kankurou rolled his eyes. Turning his back on his brother, he walked towards the door and stopped before turning the knob,

"I've seen the way you look at her Gaara and I know you love her…If it was Ajax who left, I would prance around in a dress claiming I like dolls just to get him back, and then some. Hell, I would do anything." He looked over his shoulder to see his brother stop and glare at the carpet, "Go after her Gaara, Sakura will not wait around and you'll eventually loose the greatest person to ever cross your life." With that said Kankurou twisted the knob and made his silent exit while leaving behind a heartbroken Gaara.

Gaara turned to look out the windows and clenched his fists,

"Sakura, I'm coming for you." With renounced intensity and his mind firmly made up, his swirling, blood-smelling sand engulfed him and soon after, left no living form in the empty office.

Gaara was going to Konoha to reclaim what rightfully was his.

Sakura wasn't too keen to leave her apartment anytime soon, especially after meeting Sasuke at the gates yesterday evening. Needless to say, there were a few tense and awkward minutes between the three ex-teammates. She also knew, by the guilty look he portrayed, that Naruto knew this all along and never once mentioned to her that her old crush was back. So promptly, she broke the uneasy silence by whacking Naruto on his head before turning to Sasuke and giving a nod towards the otherwise, stoic man. Whether that nod was to say welcome back or to clearly dismiss Sasuke as nothing more to her, neither she nor either of the two boys knew…but they were not about to chase her that evening to find out for fear of her well-known temper flaring to life.

Indeed she was in no mood that evening nor was she today, but knowing that she had a few more days off, she made a schedule of every minute until she goes back to work at the hospital and all of that planning was around two central points.

Point A was to fully avoid Sasuke at all costs until she was fully prepared on her impending dialogue with the Uchiha. Until then, training would suffice as the perfect mean.

Point B was to keep her mind off Gaara. Their relationship was over and she was not going to mope around like some heart broken puppy (although she really did feel like it).

Sakura quickly pulled on a white tank top and a sleeveless mesh shirt over it while donning her short, black spandex shorts and red skirt. Tightly she buckled her boots and put on her forehead protector with the leaf emblem on the left side, a quirky statement that she became fond of in the recent years.

With soft, even strides she walked out her door and took a deep breath. A graceful smile brightened her face as she felt the early morning dew clinging in the air and the lazy sun over the horizon shyly peeking over the tops of the trees. She missed this.

With that smile in place, she began her usual laps around Konoha and if Lee was still consistent, she knew their inevitable run in would come soon, but his company wasn't an unwelcome thought to the woman who thirsted for a few days of isolation. Perhaps, she would differ from her schedule of seclusion and seek his help in fine-tuning her Taijutsu?

"Yosh! Sakura-chan you're back!" Konoha's green beast fell into perfect stride with her.

"Yes, I got in last night."

Lee glanced over to assess whither she knew or not about Sasuke's return, "You've been gone for so long, everyone missed you."

"And I missed them" She knew he was trying to say that he missed her as well but knew he was trying to fall into the just friends category that she wished. "I missed you as well Lee-kun."

A faint blush tinted his cheeks and he slightly sped up their pace, in which Sakura had an easy time adjusting to.

"So, uh…how was Suna?" He saw her wince, "I mean, it seems like you received a tan so you must've been out in the sun a lot. YOSH! I hope you didn't receive a sun burn-"

"No I didn't Lee, I was inside the hospital or teaching students for most of my time." Her voice clearly hinted for them to drop the subject altogether and so Lee complied.

It was three hours later and Sakura stood opposite of Lee. Both were heaving and covered in bruises and scratches, none of which were particularly devastating but the nimble pin-prickling pain was enough to annoy the most patient of shinobi.

Green eyes flashed as Lee mounted another counter attack. She quickly caught his fist and avoided the other by bending slightly backwards. She twisted his caught hand and went to knee him in the gut when he intercepted her intended blow with his free hand and forced her back five feet, ultimately breaking the hold on his throbbing hand.

"You're holding back Sakura-chan"

"I wouldn't be under normal circumstances Lee-kun but we've had a visitor for the past hour." Sakura's jade eyes snapped towards the oak tree behind Lee and he turned to follow her gaze.

"Who dares interrupt our youthful battle?!"

"Sasuke" Sakura narrowed her eyes, "It's impolite to make others wait for you."

The younger Uchiha gracefully landed at the base of the tree with his black eyes emotionlessly staring at her. The placated face he bore was different than the coldness of years before but she wouldn't allow any leeway as far as forgiving him was concerned.

"Hn."

"Sasuke-san! I thought you were accompanying Naruto on a mission today?" Lee gave him the good guy pose, "Unless you want me to help in those endeavors! Yosh!"

Sakura wouldn't strip her gaze away from the Uchiha's and slowly Lee's ramblings became nothing more than an annoying buzz as the two faced off in the staring match of the century. Sasuke, by her assessment, seemed to have changed. His black hair was tied in a short-low ponytail still with the bangs on the sides of his face. His attire was a black sleeveless turtleneck and baggy shorts of which was black as well. Sasuke's skin tone was the same ivory color as before while his body was lean and defined. Of course she couldn't take in anymore of his attire but she noticed the minute glances he would give her as his gaze rapidly assessed how she's changed as well.

Either way she didn't really give a damn, so she broke the eye contact and refocused her attention on Lee,

"I am sorry Lee but I forgot that I must go to Tsunade-sama and give her my mission report."

"Yosh! I will accompany you-" He stopped when she gave him a pointed look, "but I remembered that Gai sensei wanted to help perfect a new move."

"I'll see you later Lee-kun!"

Lee gave her his dazzling smile and ran off while leaving the two alone. Sakura fought the urge to punch him and instead, calmly asked,

"What are you doing? Stalking me Uchiha?" She derisively snorted, "Oh the irony of it all."

"Hn."

"Still monosyllabic as ever" She began walking out of the forest and not after, Sasuke trailed behind her.

She decided to ignore it that is until he finally spoke,

"You're different than when I last saw you."

"Well time does that to people."

"Do you loathe me so much for what I did? I thought you'd wait forever-"

"Forever is a long time for deluded souls to aimlessly wander on the pretense that what they're waiting for will come out from non-existence to exist." She avoided his first statement completely and hoped he would go back to his normal haughty self so she could feel justified in her mannerisms towards him.

"If it helps, I'm-"

"An ass." She finished for him. "You're a selfish, pig-headed bastard who shouldn't be alive. Do you know how many lives were lost on the failed missions to retrieve you? Do you know how much you crippled many people's lives including my own? It's because of you that…" She trailed off as a small light of realization dawned on her. "I shouldn't blame you for my problems Sasuke."

"Wait Sakura," he softly grabbed hold of her arm, "You are justified in blaming me. I know it's my fault for every terrible thing done unto both you and Naruto and I want to make it up to you."

She gave him a skeptical look complete with the brow rising, "And what is it?"

"Allow me to take you out to dinner and explain things, please."

Sakura normally would've declined his offer but the desperate tone in his voice made a spark of sympathy ignite and true to her nature, she gave in.

"Sure, but you're paying for the food and expect to get a huge bill by the end of the day."

Sakura sat across from Sasuke. She went out of her way to make sure not to dress up. She needn't impress him or anyone else, but the snooty glares she was receiving at the expensive restaurant made her feel inadequate. Quickly she dismissed such an attitude and went on to openly glare at each one. She smiled in triumph as they turned their gazes to their menu and as she turned her head, she noticed Sasuke giving her an odd look.

She reached over and sipped the wine in her glass and afterwards, swirled it "Keep it up Sasuke and you wouldn't have to worry about a fan club with such a face." She sent him a glance, "Talk."

"I never would've expected you to act this way Sakura."

"I believe you stated something similar to that earlier in the day" she admonished.

"I meant that I expected you to throw yourself at my feet and for things to return to what they were."

"Again, I believe I answered you previously."

"Would you just listen?!"

Sakura's jade orbs narrowed "think before you speak Uchiha."

Returning her glare, Sasuke clenched the napkin on his lap while trying to seem calm in her eyes.

"I meant" he grounded out, "That you became so much more than anyone would've expected when you were twelve and I'm glad you proved us wrong."

Sakura didn't know what to say, she was completely flabbergasted by his sincerity. This behavior was completely un-Sasuke like.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who's changed."

Gaara stepped inside Konoha with a firm purpose in mind but before he could make a step further, a few shuriken were thrown at him. His sand easily blocked them and his jade orbs narrowed,

"What are you doing Naruto?"

The blonde man stepped out of the shadows with his blue eyes narrowed, "I should be asking you that question Gaara."

His voice was laced with venomous hate and Gaara fought the urge to wince under such treatment from his friend.

"I came here to retrieve my mate."

"Is that all she is to you, just some mate to warm your sheets?" Naruto towered over his friend, "She's not. She's so much more than what you give her credit for."

"I give her credit for many things."

Naruto snorted, "Then why did you treat her so horribly?"

Gaara shoved his friend against the wall with his eyes flaming, "I never treated her horribly kitsune" he spat out, "I gave her the amenities of a princess."

"Material things could only go so far Shukaku no Gaara. What about taking her out to a nice dinner? Holding her close to you while watching the fire? Those things you never gave her."

"I know my mistakes kitsune, I will not repeat them."

"Will you?" He questioned, "Or is this an empty promise? Either way I wont allow you to come near Sakura-chan until you prove to me you are worthy of her."

"What will I have to do?"

"The first task is rather simple" Naruto smiled as he saw Gaara's cautious gaze, "Babysitting."

Sorry guys, this is more or less a filler chapter for the really halarious one that I've been working on. Just imagine, Gaara baby sitting...yeah I thought it was funny as well. Don't worry about Suna either...it's well taken care of (wink )

But I want to know if you want some more maleXmale situations i.e. limes or what not between Ajax and Kankurou I've received a few messages but I still want your input before doing anything more.

Reviews are always appreciated!