AN: Raina1 and Madartiste, thank you for the reviews, they're much appreciated. This is the second part of four. Hope you enjoy.

Part II

The kunoichi of Konaha had a designated training ground near the hospital. Gaara realized it as, daily, the high-pitched shouts and seal commands of women shinobi at work filtered through the open window of his room. He spent long hours listening to the sounds of their training, their voices—the hesitance of the young girls from the Academy, who made their seals tentatively, almost fearfully, the eager determination of the genin, the deeper-voiced confidence of the chuunin and jounin. He thought he heard, once or twice, the commanding voice of the Hokage, Tsunade, mingling with the younger, higher voice of Haruno Sakura.

She continued to tend to him. Her discomfort with him seemed to ebb, and she eased into a serene bedside manner that was, in its way, reassuring. He knew it was simply part of her job to talk to him, to assure him that he would get well, but it drew him in nonetheless—her female warmth, her almost motherly comfort. No woman had ever offered him anything like it before, except for Temari, who was sparing in hers out of her worry of offending him. Sakura's treatment might have offended him at one time, but the seriousness of his injury and his gratitude for her willingness to treat him like any other patient led him to try to be as easy a presence on her as possible. He had no wish to scare her away. The sound of her voice carried him through the horrible process of changing his bandages; he latched onto it, not caring what she said as long as she said something, to focus his mind away from the pain.

That was how he ended up hearing the stories of her youth—her's and Naruto's, and Uchiha Sasuke's, from their time as a genin team together, before the Chuunin Exam. She tended to steer around the subject of the exam altogether, which was perfectly fine with Gaara—he had no desire to relive that time in his life. Better to hear about her life. She seemed happy to have a willing audience, and so he learned more about her and Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke than he ever thought he would, and it was all a little strange and alienating, how different their lives were from his, and how similar as well. Sakura's stories—probably without her realizing it—became more and more personal as the days went on.

"How could he leave it?" he asked her once as she sat on her stool by his legs.

Sakura stilled momentarily. "Who?"

"Uchiha." He stared rigidly at the ceiling. "You and Naruto—your village—everything. How could he leave it?" His voice was tight with pain. Sakura must have heard it, for she put her hands on him and murmured a jutsu, and coolness sank into his legs, numbing as much of the hurt as possible.

He thought she had forgotten his question in her concentration, but a few moments later she said softly, "I don't know. I suppose it wasn't…I suppose we weren't enough."

Gaara stared at the rusty fan on the ceiling, so he wouldn't have to see the mess of his legs as she unwrapped the last of the bandages. "He wasn't happy here?"

"I think maybe he was, sometimes," she said hesitantly. "But he couldn't stay happy, because his brother…his brother is still out there, somewhere. And nothing's enough, I guess, until he makes his brother suffer the way he has."

Gaara understood that, but still, if he had been born in a place like this…

"Naruto's determined to save him, and bring him back," Sakura said after a moment or two. "But I don't know…it's been so many years already…"

"He will," Gaara said. Sakura looked at him. "He'll save him. Naruto will."

Sakura reached for a fresh roll of bandages, her face contemplative. Slowly and carefully she wrapped his legs, taking care not to jostle them too much, and took a breath when she was finished.

"Do you want to go outside?"

Gaara blinked. "Outside?"

"Yeah. You've been in this room for nearly two weeks."

He hadn't realized it had been that long. "I can't walk," he pointed out.

"We have wheelchairs," she said.

Gaara looked at the window. The sky was clear and blue, and he could hear the shouts of the kunoichi at their training. "All right."

It took the help of Sakura and a second medic to get him into the wheelchair Sakura brought. They lifted him under the shoulders, trying to put as little weight on his legs as possible, but for all their care, agony shot up his legs the moment his feet touched the floor, like knives stabbing into his flesh. He gritted his teeth as they lowered him slowly into the chair, and only when he was seated did he let out his breath, feeling cold sweat on his face.

Sakura knelt beside him anxiously. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, we tried to be careful. Do you need something for pain?"

He breathed slowly, trying to relax. "I'm fine."

She put a hand on his shoulder, a gesture which surprised him into looking at her. She didn't flinch anymore when he met her eyes, and he was glad for that.

"You need to let me know if you're in pain," she told him seriously. "You don't have to suffer. It's pointless when I can help you."

"I'm fine," he said again, wanting to reassure her. "It was just for a moment."

She squeezed his shoulder and then let go, straightening. "Where do you want to go?"

He hesitated. "There are kunoichi training near the hospital." She nodded in confirmation. "I'd like to watch them."

She took him down to the training ground, which was nearly right below his window, separated from hospital grounds only by a wooden fence. They stayed close to the fence, out of the way of the trainees, watching them at work. Most of them seemed not to realize they were being observed, they were so absorbed in their training, but some of the younger girls took notice of them, or rather of him. They watched him when they thought he wasn't paying attention, and glanced away quickly when he looked at them, whispering to one another.

Sakura, standing at his side, noticed as well. "I think they think you're kind of cool," she told him with a grin.

"They do?"

She nodded. "Definitely. Girls like the quiet, mysterious type."

This was new and unexpected information. Not knowing what to make of it, he put it aside and watched the women his age and older, genin, chuunin, and jounin, their strength and grace as they went through training exercises, occasionally pairing off to spar. Watching them made him feel even more keenly the loss of the use of his legs. He had never fought like they fought, in that fierce, lithesome, leaping way, evading as much as attacking, taking advantage of a full range of motion.

Naruto believed his Hokage would repair him. For the first time since he'd woken in the little room in the hospital of Konoha, Gaara wanted him to be right.

"Do you think she can help me?" he asked Sakura, after a long pause.

She glanced at him. "Who?"

"Your Hokage."

Sakura seemed to consider it. "I think she can," she said at last. "It'll be very difficult, but she's the best of the best."

Gaara nodded, and watched the kunoichi. One young female, wearing a Konoha forehead protector to keep her black hair out of her face, was fiercely and repeatedly attacking a wooden dummy, sneaking glances at him in between rounds. She was long-limbed, dressed in black, moving quickly and with a supple grace.

"Your Hokage…she fixed him," he said slowly to Sakura. "Lee."

He saw her glance at him out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, she did."

It was a difficult question to ask, but he had to say it. "Will she be…willing to fix me?"

Sakura didn't hesitate. "Of course she will. You're the Kazekage, and besides, you're in our care. A medical-nin doesn't turn her back on patients in need."

The black-haired kunoichi finished her exercises and gave Gaara one last, long glance before heading off the field. "Do you know that woman?" Gaara asked Sakura.

"Not personally. A lot of girls use these grounds."

Gaara watched the kunoichi's retreating back without speaking.

"I'd like her to try," he said at last.

"I'll bring her to you," Sakura promised.

Sakura kept her word; when she came the following day to tend to him, the Hokage was with her. "Sorry I haven't come sooner," Tsunade said by way of greeting, her hands planted on her hips as she surveyed him. "Sakura said you weren't ready 'til now."

He glanced at Sakura, who shrugged apologetically.

"Mind if I have a look?" Tsunade asked, grabbing Sakura's stool and planting it by his legs. "Try to hold still, all right? I'll be gentle."

He set his jaw as she began to unwrap the bandages, but she was gentle, and her pain techniques were stronger than Sakura's. Tsunade gave a low whistle as she pulled away the last of the bandages. "Sheesh. You've made quite a mess of yourself, Gaara."

Tsunade, much like Naruto and Sakura, didn't bother addressing him by his formal title, which was more of a relief than anything else. It made him feel young, and unencumbered by the burden of responsibility for Sunagakure.

"Can you repair it?" he asked her quietly.

"I think I can. You're actually not as bad off as Lee was, believe it or not, and my techniques have improved since then. It's not going to be easy, though." Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a glow around her hands as she ran them over his legs. "I notice you're staring at the ceiling. Have you looked at them at all?"

"No," he admitted.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to see them."

"Gaara, look at me for a minute." He did, and she leaned forward on the stool, her elbows on her knees. "I need to know that you have a stake in having this surgery done. I know that sounds obvious, but the fact that you haven't even looked at your legs since they were injured worries me. You're not detached from them. They're a part of your body, and your body's been pretty badly mangled. If you don't want this surgery to be done, if you don't face what's been done to you and truly want it repaired, then the outcome isn't going to be very good no matter what I do. Do you understand?"

He nodded.

"It doesn't have to be today," she went on. "There's no infection; Sakura's been doing well with you. But we can't wait all summer. You need this surgery, soon, and you need to be ready for it." She got to her feet, stretching. "Sakura, you can finish up, right?"

Sakura nodded, coming forward to take her teacher's place. Tsunade looked down at Gaara for a few moments. "Think about what I said," she advised him. "And let me know when you're ready."

That evening was mild and cooler than the day, a warm summer breeze coming through the window, carrying on it the scratchy voices of cicadas. Gaara listened to the rustling of the tree outside his window and watched as the sky turned from blue to violet, fighting against his growing drowsiness. Sakura had put a sleeping jutsu on him as she did most nights; he didn't sleep soundly enough without it, out of habit from the old days when he'd had Shukaku's influence to fear. Normally he was grateful for the peace it gave him, but he wanted to be awake tonight. He was waiting.

"Naruto," he called to the darkening twilight.

The leaves rustled as though in reply, and then the jutsu took hold of him completely, and he slept.

A hand was shaking his shoulder gently, drawing him toward wakefulness. "Gaara. Gaara, wake up."

He opened his eyes. Naruto stood over him. The sky outside his window was completely dark, the room lit only by a sliver of moonlight.

"Naruto," he said slowly.

"Are you all right?" Naruto said worriedly, his voice a whisper. "Sorry to wake you, but I had a feeling like I should be here."

"I'm fine," he said groggily. "I was trying…I wanted you to come. I need you to…" Gaara reached out a hand. "Help me sit up."

Still looking concerned, Naruto put an arm underneath his shoulders and lifted him, settling him back against the pillows. "What is it? Do you need Sakura-chan? Should I—"

"No." He felt as though he were still half-asleep, as though he were dreaming. Everything was slow and dark, and he couldn't entirely think straight. "I need you to help me."

"What is it?" Naruto whispered again. "What do you need?"

He gestured vaguely in the direction of his legs. "The bandages. Help me…help me unwrap them. I want to look."

Naruto looked nervous. "Are you sure I shouldn't get Sakura-chan?"

"She'll be sleeping."

"Another medic, then—there's some on the night shift—"

"No. No. Not them. Just you."

Naruto hesitated. "All right," he whispered at last. "Tell me what to do."

"Just start at the top, there, where the…where the metal piece is." Gaara gritted his teeth as Naruto began. "Go slowly."

"Sorry," Naruto said anxiously. "Let me know if I hurt you, okay?"

It was a long and torturous process. Naruto was as gentle as he could be, but he didn't have the techniques to ease Gaara's pain every step of the way. His fingers curled hard into the sheets of his bed and he stared anywhere but at Naruto, trying not to gasp when the last of the bandages were pulled away.

Naruto took a breath and slid back. "What do they look like?" Gaara whispered, staring at a point somewhere above Naruto's head.

"They're…kind of bad." Naruto hesitated. "I think you should see them for yourself."

He let his gaze wander slowly downward to the red, mangled flesh that lay uselessly atop the sheets, where the skin was raw and still oozing in some places, and the bones were twisted in shapes that never should have been, and there was white standing out amid blood and angry purple bruising on his right knee. The bandages lying beneath them were stained red with blood and yellow with pus, and if the wounds weren't getting worse, they were not getting better either. There was no setting to be done, no closing, no healing; his legs were splintered apart like broken toys, and ever would be unless painstakingly put back together.

Gaara retched dryly, bending double and gulping in air, silently at first, then harsher, louder, gasping brokenly at the pain that slowly overtook him and flared into raw agony.

"Gaara!" Naruto sounded panicked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he panted, groping blindly with one hand until Naruto's closed around his. "Hurts."

"Do you—I can get Sakura—"

"No! No! I have to—I have to feel this." He retched again and almost cried out, gritting his teeth to stop himself, and he gripped Naruto's hand and Naruto held his so hard the bones creaked. "These are my legs," he gasped out, rocking back and forth. "These are mine."

To be continued.