Previously on Shattered:

Temari could feel the knot in her throat tighten. She could lose her own life. She could handle Kankuro being in a coma. She could deal with Gaara's constant mood swings had their correspondence been one sided, but she could not take losing Sakura like this.

She raised her deep green eyes to level Sakura with her gaze as countless emotions, unbidden, flashed across her own face. There was only one question forever drumming in her thoughts, and with a soft, barely audible tone, she voiced it.

"Why?"

In that moment, a change occurred in the other kunoichi. It was fleeting and small, but the depth of the emotion Temari had seen behind those beryl orbs struck a chord within the fan master. It was not just pain. There had been a deep anguish that she would ponder for hours after Sakura, so obviously broken now that Temari wondered how she had missed it before, voiced a simple reply before she turned and walked away.

"All of you are better off without me."

Updated: 11/15/15

A special thanks to: Far2addicted, for betaing this fiction.

Once again, you make me look like a pro.

Disclaimer: Naruto, in all facts and facilities belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I just borrow them for a while. All emotional rollercoasters, heartbreaks, and pent up suspense, plotlines and what have you belong to me. Enjoy.

Comatose

It was early morning, and the sun had barely broken over the horizon as Sakura ventured inside the house to make her usual rounds. If she had to guess, it was probably about five or six o'clock. Her eyes, well adjusted to the darkness, made out the shapes of furniture as well as doorways and the halls that lead from them. Everything was still and quiet, a good sign. Nothing had changed in the hour that she had been absent.

The ninken were posted methodically around the estate's exterior as a warning system while Sakura patrolled the border or stationed herself at the best vantage point: the roof, where she could see all exits and entrances as well as any approaching person from the street or village wall that had the potential to get too close.

It had been a quiet night. Other than the occasional drunk that passed through and been redirected, there hadn't been any significant disturbances or intrusions upon the estate's ground. However, Sakura knew not to lower her guard. That was when one became vulnerable, and when mistakes were made. She'd already had her share of that in this lifetime.

Quietly, she made her way down the main hall, passing three bedrooms, two of which were occupied. The intended occupant of the third room was currently residing at the village hospital, fourth floor, right wing, room 445: Sabaku Kankuro.

She glanced at the door to the empty room, her expression unchanging, but feeling an emotion skirt around inside her chest as she raised a hand to press against the cold wood of the door, and when her fingers gently caressed it, her chest tightened.

Sakura knew something was very wrong with Kankuro to be in a coma this long. According to a conversation she had overheard between Neji and Temari, Kankuro had been unresponsive for nearly four months, which was the hypothesized time span for major injuries to heal. Thus, he should have been awakening by now, but he wasn't...and it was nearing the fifth month.

Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. What was wrong with him? Suddenly, as if realizing her compromising position, Sakura jerked her hand from the door and turned from it swiftly, trying to cut off all the memories she was starting to remember. No, that wasn't right: trying to stop herself from beginning to feel more of the emotions that she had, once, normally harbored and then locked tightly inside of her.

Yes, being in Suna had awakened not just a part of her she thought she'd forgotten, but also the strength with which her emotions and memories used to course through her veins. It was alarming, to say the least, and now the kunoichi was struggling to keep them nonexistent. The battle was proving to be a taxing one, but one she would win nonetheless. Sakura had made her choice. She would not falter.

Venturing forth from her post by the door, she moved next to the Kazekage's door, sending a minute pulse of chakra through the floorboards. The only signature that registered was Gaara's. She'd made sure to tone down the strength of her own chakra to allow her the upper hand in the case there was an intruder, although the Kazekage was more than capable of handling himself and would have made her aware of another presence in the room, and also as to not disturb the Kazekage himself by jabbing her chakra into his in the middle of night.

She paused as she turned to leave this door, momentarily feeling as if she couldn't move. She could barely stand to be in this man's presence during his waking hours due to the whispers of emotional torment he caused her. Mere glances could set off the small crack that he had somehow caused, threatening to break her resolve. She sighed softly as she pried herself away, going to check on Neji before returning to the roof.

Once outside, Sakura felt like she could breathe once again. The cool desert air soothed her skin, flushed from stress, as she took in the wonder of the never-ending, starlit sky, the clearest view in Suna. Even in Konoha, things always seemed impede its splendor, but not here.

Tearing her eyes from the beautiful sight, Sakura molded her body into the lotus to meditate, a precaution to keep her control. Whenever she felt stretched thin, it was her means to regain balance, and she could allow losing herself, albeit very little, alone in the quiet of the night. This was not something she could allow daylight to see. Them to see. For the most part, it worked; during the day she was able to maintain her emotionless state in their presence, and even during most nights she could also keep her control. However, a few nights like this had happened since her arrival in Suna.

It had been four days since her spar with Temari. She hadn't been surprised about the question Temari had voiced, but what she had not expected was her own potent reaction to the blonde's emotions. Sakura had felt her control slip momentarily in Temari's presence, and that was not acceptable. It had set her at such unease that she had forgotten her vest on the field, which had later been returned by Hyuuga.

Another sigh escaped her and into the cold, early morning air, and not for the first time she reconsidered her coping decision, her choice not to feel. She could feel the muted ache in her chest, like scar tissue, that the loss of Junsuino had left her with, throbbing just beneath the surface and threatening to take her over once more.

To a civilian, her decision may have sounded crazy, but to a shinobi, emotions were dangerous...even fatal. In her line of work, she could not afford to be swayed by grief, especially now that she was assigned a security detail to the Kazekage. His life depended on her clarity of thought. Sakura had broken rule number twenty-five of the shinobi handbook more times than she could count in the past, and each time had thought nothing of it...until it became more than she was able to bear.

Sakura had loved her teammate, Uchiha Sasuke, more than most at points, but losing Junsuino...that was something entirely different. Sasuke may have shattered her heart when he left, crippling her emotionally and leaving her with nearly non-existent self-esteem, but she had come back from that stronger and better than before. This was not just crippling. This was… there were no words to describe her deeply seated loss that would be forever ingrained into her being, into her soul. It was not something she could ignore or outgrow in time; it was permanent and everlasting and would never leave, just like the pain never would. Thus, she had to maintain control over her emotions at all times, because if she didn't, they could destroy her...as they almost had before.

She was broken from her thoughts with the soft sounds of padded feet reverberating off of the estate's walls. That was a perk of this 'bond', as the canines called it, that she now had with Kakashi's ninken. They had heightened her sense of hearing, smell - which was unfortunate at times - and sight. It had been unexpected at first, but she wasn't entirely surprised. Pakkun, the dog that still used the same shampoo as her, had explained everything upon questioning during her second summoning of him.

Uhei, the Greyhound, and Akino, who looked like a mixture of a Shiba Inu and a Collie, padded up to her, slowing down significantly. Akino sat down before her, seeming to studying her visage.

"Well," Sakura said flatly, but the canine knew it was more of a question than anything. He'd known her long enough to figure that out. He noted the fatigue in her posture and the barely noticeable dark circles that her half-mask hid the majority of. Something was bothering his leader.

"Nothing to report," his tenor sounded against the darkness. "All is clear."

"Hn," was Sakura's reply as the sun broke further across the horizon, igniting her features with its golden tones when she turned to gaze upon it. It was a beautiful sunrise. Soft sounds were heard from the building below her and she turned to Akino.

"Tell the pack to go rest. I'll finish out watch." She made to stand, as did Akino and Uhei.

"Aye Sakura-ue," the canine said as he turned to leave, Uhei following quickly behind.

Sakura peered after their retreating forms before bowing her head. Her shift was almost complete. Rising slowly from the lotus position, she jumped from the roof, landing directly in front of the door to the estate and pausing momentarily to steel herself before opening it.

She could pick up on the telltale signs of someone stirring in the kitchen and quietly made her way to the doorway to spot a shock of red moving about swiftly. He was lost in thought, clad in a casual, black yukata, mindlessly completing a routine of tasks that would grant him his meal.

He seemed relaxed in his own home, which was, at this time, deadly.

The "organization" had infiltrated Konoha seemingly unnoticed, hiding themselves amongst its citizens. It was like an infestation, a few bugs infecting the entire colony. People had been killed in secret, disposed of, and impersonated with henges, even the children. That was how their forces had been so vast and how the Konoha ninja had been overwhelmed so easily.

'Vermin.'

"Sakura?"

Mentioned kunoichi was broken from her reverie by his airy, quiet tone. She could feel that the muscles of her face had morphed into an expression of near animosity that had been leveled on the Kazekage as she zoned out.

Inclining her head ever so slightly Sakura greeted the man. "Kazekage-sama. My apologies."

His eyes held a deep concern while his face remained neutral. Those eyes would be her undoing, but her gaze never faltered, refusing to admit defeat or be seen as weak.

Gaara had never seen an expression so volatile in her eyes in his entire time of knowing her. It was bloodthirsty, almost hungry, even. Intense. He'd only ever seen that expression marr one other's face, and that had been Uchiha Sasuke at the Five Kage Summit.

Seafoam orbs narrowed slightly as he stood alert and focused intently on her. If she was nervous she didn't show it, nor did she look like she cared at all that he was openly analyzing her body language. That was aloof at best. Perhaps he should heed Hyuuga's advice and spar with her; it might open some doors.

There were so many things bouncing around in the red head's mind. Questions. Concerns. Worries. Fears. He closed his eyes briefly in thought before opening them again to see the tangy, orange sun glinting through the window, its rays resting upon the kunoichi before him, igniting her visage.

The light brought out all the varied colors of pink that made up the pigment of her hair and gave her skin a warm, healthy tone that it was missing as of late. It was enough to make his eyes soften. A memory, one thought to be long faded, was brought forth as such a sight met his eyes.

"Sabaku-san?"

The Kazekage had been focused on the reports that, even in the midst of war, were stacked high on the table before him. No longer holding refutes over property or civil disorders, they were now scribbled on hastily with battle information and tactics, plans and schematics of other battlegrounds that housed numerous shinobi under his, remote, command. Some even held the little information garnered through skirmishes in the shadows.

His shoulders wanted to slump slightly with the pressure laid upon them by the rest of the world, but he would not show weakness. He would not falter, but her voice, a much-needed distraction, was welcomed warmly.

The Commander glanced up at his companion, who was leaned against the doorway of his personal tent watching as the shinobi around them walked back and forth with purpose, some to complete menial tasks, and others to save lives. The mixture was astounding in diversity. However, he wasn't focused on that.

What had caught the young commander's eye was the posture of his companion, arms wrapped around her torso as if trying to comfort herself, and his eyes narrowed significantly. Something was bothering the woman who was his personal medic, and the head medic of the camp. He knew he could not afford to have her so distracted, but his humanity made his reason for wanting to reassure her personal. Not that Sabaku no Gaara would admit that to anyone, and he'd deny it to any who accused him of such a notion.

"Haruno," he responded after setting his weapon of choice, a pen, down. He realized too late that his tone had come off as irritated, but that emotion had not necessarily been directed at her. He inwardly winced, hoping she would understand the reason.

She had flinched. Inwardly, he chastised his carelessness and spoke again to correct his error. "What is bothering you?"

Seafoam eyes studied her intently as he steepled his fingers before him, his normal pose for thoughtfulness. There was a slight tremble to her body that he hadn't noticed before now. It made his eyes widen slightly because it almost looked like she was scared. However, he knew better.

She was the Godaime Hokage's apprentice, feared by all for her violent fist and the insurmountable strength that accompanied it, and that wasn't even considering her genius in the medical field. She could be truly intimidating if she wanted to, but here before him stood someone entirely different than the strong-willed Konoha kunoichi he'd grown - begrudgingly - accustomed to sharing his space with.

With these thoughts circulating in his mind her next words stunned him.

"Do you think we'll make it?"

She wasn't scared, he realized, taking in her form properly. She was terrified. It showed in the way her voice quivered when she spoke, her trembling torso, the softer pitch in her voice as if she was afraid someone would discover her. As he had.

The thing he liked most about Haruno was that she never asked anything of him. She kept to herself, doing her duty, speaking to him when it was necessary for communication, and only interrupting his work when he needed to be given supplements or given instructions on a medical protocol. She wasn't hanging around him like a hawk, nor did she abuse her station as his personal medic for any reason at all. She had performed, until now, spectacularly, without ever asking or needing anything from him.

Not once in her entire time of being on the front lines, which by this point was nearly four months, had she shown any sign of breaking under the pressure or succumbing to any sort of mental trauma. She was steadfast.

He could replace her. She was showing signs of the pressures of war, minimal but existent, but so were they all at this point. They all had seen much in those four months. He couldn't blame anyone for being slightly off, and he didn't want to replace her. She fascinated him in the way that a summer breeze fascinated a blind man, and it left him wanting to discover who Haruno Sakura really was, this revelation perturbing him because he had no clue why.

Closing his eyes he decidedly spoke. "In times like these we need to have faith in each other." Sakura turned to look at him as he spoke, her beryl eyes shining with unshed tears. "In struggle and strife bonds are forged. Unbreakable, everlasting bonds. In this situation, if you look to the man on your left and on your right, it no longer matters what headband he wears or what land he hails from. Even his skill in battle is irrelevant" Seafoam rose to meet beryl as he opened his eyes pointedly. "All that does matter is that he has your back, because you have his. Both of you support each other, motivate each other, learn from each other, and live because of each other." He paused before continuing. "The man on my left is Godaime Hokage, and on my right is Naruto Uzumaki. I believe in Naruto. Therefore, I will live as will he." Gaara paused one last time, making sure his message was clear. "We must have faith in each other, faith that we will survive. If we don't, we are bound to perish."

There was a still silence that resounded in the small space. Seafoam clashed with beryl orbs in a staring contest while each pondered the words said.

Minutes later, Sakura bowed her head slightly, a small smile adorning her features. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama."

When she rose, the sun spilled into the crack of the tent, painting orange on her skin and igniting her hair. She was breath-taking, unwittingly so, and ignorant to what the sun was doing to her features. Gaara stared in wonder, taking in the woman before him.

He had pondered that moment many times since that day, and now he knew it was the moment that his love for Konoha's Cherry Blossom began.

Realizing he'd been staring for far too long, Gaara averted his gaze before speaking.

"Tell Hyuuga you both have the day off. You've been on duty for nearly a month straight; take the day to rest yourselves. Temari will accompany me throughout the day. I should be fine," he added rather quickly.

Sakura was silent, and if she had noticed his change in attitude or that he'd been staring, she didn't mention it. He stared down at the pan on the stove intently until he heard soft footfalls maneuver through the room and exit in a slow cadence.

Internally he cursed himself for getting worked up over a memory, and then his reaction following it. He'd been nearly cold to the kunoichi, and that wasn't going to help him get any closer to her.

Closing his eyes, he sighed, shoulders slumping in temporary defeat. Saddened orbs lowered as red hair fell to cover his eyes. A slight tremble could be detected in his posture had anyone been around to see it, a subtle shake that was evident in his shoulders. However, the Kazekage stood alone in his kitchen.

Upon hearing of their day off, the Hyuuga decided that it would be best if they scouted the village to get a better feel for the lay of the land, so to speak. Sakura had been to Suna many times before and knew it nearly as well as Konoha, but she hadn't complained when he'd made the decision hours earlier and was currently walking beside the Hyuuga prodigy amongst the citizens of Suna.

It was a semi-busy day. Stalls were open for bartering, the public park was alive with the voices of children, and the downtown bazaar was chock full of people of equal genders. It was circumstantially normal. A typical day.

"We should check for any weak points in the village walls," Hyuuga intoned off to her right.

"Hn," was her reply, her body set in a relaxed stance.

Her eyes scanned the streets in constant vigilance. However, they paused when they settled on a huge building off to her right: the hospital.

The next words of the Hyuuga were drowned out as she paused in step, riveted on the hospital. Sakura almost stepped forward, then she hesitated. Should she go see him? Since arriving she hadn't once gone to visit the hospitalized man, and for some reason that brought her guilt.

"Haruno?" The questioning tone of the Hyuuga sounded behind her.

Neji hadn't seen her so conflicted over something since before the incident. There she stood, stalk still, in front of Suna's only hospital with the Kazekage's brother no doubt on her mind.

It was astounding,if only for the fact that she hadn't entered a hospital since the day her brother died, deeming herself an unfit medic since she hadn't been able to save him. Was this progress?

"Haruno?" He tried one more time.

"Forgive me," she started as she turned and walked away from the hospital. "There is something I must do, Hyuuga. I will meet you at the northern wall in an hour."

Neji was stunned, to say the least, as he stood there watching her receding figure, but he left her to her own devices, knowing that if there was anyone who could heal the puppet master, it was the beryl eyed AnBu operative.

After assuring the Hyuuga prodigy had indeed left the area, Sakura stood once more in front of the hospital, one she'd gotten to know well over the years. She had been no stranger to requests from the Kazekage, before the war, to train Suna medics. In fact, she knew this hospital perhaps as well, if not better, than she knew the one in Konoha.

Beryl eyes were focused as she came to a decision, placing her hands into her pockets as she walked at a slow pace toward the building. It was almost painful as the ex-medic was acutely aware of every step she took toward the looming structure.

Upon reaching the door, her pulse skyrocketed. She could practically hear the blood rushing through her body in her ears as she removed her right hand and placed two fingers on the handle of the door. There she paused again. Hesitating.

'Hold him down! I said hold him!' Sakura criedas she braced her arms against a brunette man's torso.

'Hang in there Kankuro!' She yelled, focusing on the man's body with hands glowing green.

'There, that's all of the poison. He should be fine,' she said softly, smiling at her patient.

'Thank you Haruno-san,' sounded an airy voice.

As if she were burned by the object, Sakura withdrew her hand swiftly, staring with widened eyes at the door. Another memory.

She was about to turn around and walk away when a man exited the hospital and held open the door for her with a smile. Sakura blinked a few times before nodding at the man in thanks and quickly twisting her body to move past him and inside the building.

Her feet moved on their own volition through the halls that she had memorized, even now. She couldn't count how many procedures she'd performed in this building that saved numerous lives, but even now that wasn't enough.

Her shoulders hunched in a protective manner as she was assaulted with memory upon memory that seemed to haunt this building, of patient after patient that she'd treated and saved. Keeping her head down she unconsciously walked toward the front desk of the hospital, only noticing when a bored voice addressed her.

"Can I help you?"

Sakura looked up to see a very bored looking brunette who was reading something akin to a fashion magazine and chewing on what seemed to be gum. Two health code violations in three seconds. The medic she once was attempted to rear its head and demand to see this woman's supervisor, but she refrained, instead replying in a monotone, "I'm here to see Sabaku Kankuro."

This seemed to catch the woman's attention, who was now regarding her openly with woman was new, simply for the fact that she didn't recognize Sakura by her outlandish hair and chose to say the next words to her.

"Hospital Policy: Only immediate family and close relatives are allowed to see Sabaku-san," her bratty tone said as she scrutinized Sakura openly.

Turning from the disgusting woman, she began to walk away.

'Hey, Sakura-chan! Spar with me!' Kankuro demanded as he came running up behind her.

She had originally been on her way to the hospital tents to check up on a few recovering patients. Nothing too pressing.

She smiled as the brunette threw his arm over her shoulder in a very older-brotheresc manner. No matter what the situation, especially stressful ones, he always managed to diffuse the atmosphere altogether. In that way, he reminded her of Naruto.

'Kankuro, don't you remember what happened the last time?' Sakura teased, seeing him visibly flinch at the memory of his shattered puppets around the sparring grounds.

To be honest, Sakura had felt really bad about that one, but after going head-to-head with Sasori it was hard for her to tone it down. Perhaps it was a sense of PTSD from the battle itself, but she'd never underestimated a puppet master since.

'Hah! You won't get anywhere near my puppets this time!' He declared with a mischievous smirk.

'We'll see about that...' Sakura replied smirking back at him as they changed course, set destination: the sparring grounds.

Five seconds later….BOOM!

The ground was once more littered with wooden pieces of puppets that surrounded a very guilty looking Sakura.

Kankuro's eyes were wide in disbelief. Then the realization hit him that he'd have to recraft his weapons...again…

'Awe, man...'

'Sorry Kankuro,' Sakura started as she looked down guiltily, but a hand on her head stopped her words. With widened eyes she glanced up into the brunette's eyes. He was smirking at her before he ruffled her hair.

'Nah, forget about it.'

A slight smirk, hidden behind the mask, adorned her features at the unexpected words from the past as her eyes softened infinitesimally. 'We are family.'

It had been an hour since she left the hospital, but that did little to deter the determined kunoichi who had canvassed the outside of the building. She was currently standing behind the hospital on the right side near the end of the wall. Room 445 should be nearby.

She waited until the height of the day when most people were inside to escape the sun before she began scaling the wall. It was hot to the touch, seemingly scalding her from just being near it. The medic registered the fact that there were no burns on her palms, and filed it away as a side-effect of her undeserving notion toward her medical abilities.

Masking her chakra, she stopped beside the window she deemed to be room 445, and was not disappointed when she saw three armed guards stationed in various places on the wall in corners of the room. They appeared to be bored and one of them sleeping. Her eyes narrowed. It would be easy for anyone to sneak into this room. Luckily, it was just her that was attempting to do so.

Reinforcing her footing with chakra she weaved several hand signs, ending the sequence with the word, "Kai." She looked back into the room before opening the window slowly as not to disturb the ambiance of her genjutsu.

Once inside she strategically hit pressure points on the back of each of the sand nin's necks, effectively knocking them out, she mercifully lowered each of them to the floor to prevent further injury. She wasn't here to hurt them.

After this was complete, she weaved one more genjutsu, casting it on the entire room. If a member of the staff walked in it would appear as if Kankuro was alone, and the guards were standing watch as per usual.

Relaxing slightly, she looked in the direction of her objective, the one location she had neglected looking at throughout the whole ordeal: Kankuro.

He was without his 'body-paint', as he called it, clad in one of the hospital gowns and tucked snugly into the bed. A heart monitor was to his right with an IV hooked into his arm on the left. Her eyes held no emotion as she approached him, just taking in his visage.

She stood there for several moments, not daring to touch him or move at all, almost as if she was in a trance. It had been awhile since she'd seen the puppet master. In fact, it had been at the very last battle that she'd seen the man who deemed himself her brother at one point. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, thinking he was very fortunate to not be.

A sound of crashing pans from down the hall woke her from her reverie, and she jumped before blinking several times and moving toward him, lifting her hands on impulse. It was habitual, really.

She stood there staring at him now, her glowing green hands hovering above his body ready, even if she wasn't, to heal him.

What if she failed?

Her hands were shaking as she turned her palms up studying them intently. Should she be allowed to touch someone, who was so precious to others, with her blood-stained hands, the hands of a killer? Could she still turn them into tools for healing instead of weapons of death? Was she still capable of achieving something greater than stealing breath from an unnamed individual? Could she still save a life?

Her expression was nearly unreadable, but it would have been something the Hyuuga attributed to uncertainty and pain, as she lowered her hands turning them to his chest letting her chakra flood his system. She was edgy and uncertain, ready to pull away at a moment's notice, but her chakra seemed to know what it had to do without her having to direct it.

Searching his system methodically, the chakra finally butted against the problem. Encircling his heart in a barrier was a ring of poison. Not enough to kill him, but enough to make him comatose for the next year or more, and his body had shut down completely to diffuse the substance that had invaded his blood and, almost, heart.

Glancing to the right, on the table, Sakura found a bowl of water with a cloth in it. She stared at it, reminded of a time when she was much younger and had performed a procedure to withdraw poison from Kankuro's veins before. She hesitated before withdrawing her hands from his body, and walked over to the bowl of water.

Could she do it again?

She picked up the bowl.

'How dare you!?' Her mother's voice screamed in the recesses of her mind.

The voice made her pause before she turned toward Kankuro, dragging the table behind her.

'You couldn't save him! What makes you think you can save anyone else now?' Tsunade chided.

Closing her eyes, Sakura sent chakra into the water, withdrawing a small ball of it and concentrating as she gently sent the water into his system near the poison.

'Why try? You'll only fail. Like always.' Kakashi drawled disappointedly.

Allowing her chakra to assist her, she formed a ball around the poison and began to draw it from his body.

'What makes you think you're so special? Why could you, of all people, help him when you couldn't even save your own brother?' Sasuke's voice scoffed at her.

Sakura faltered slightly. One hand hovered over the bowl of water as she braced herself over Kankuro with the other. Her shoulders, which had bunched defensively at her mind's assault, were now trembling but there were no tears.

She glanced up at the brunette with uncertain beryl orbs. His breathing was labored and his heart monitor was registering a higher speed, which was normal under the given circumstances of such an invasive procedure. Her eyes softened slightly as the muted spot in her chest began to ache. She raised her right hand and rubbed the spot gently, not knowing why she was doing this. She hadn't healed, much less performed a procedure, since Junsuino had died, but now she understood.

In her mind's eye she saw the gloomy faces of Temari and….Gaara. She closed her eyes, feeling the muted throb in her chest once more as she saw the face of a dying Junsuino below her, and she gritted her teeth.

'Because... because no one deserves to go through that.'

And with that thought, all other voices in her head were silenced, and she vowed, "I will not let you die, Kankuro."

With a renewed focus, Sakura lifted her hand and hovered it over his chest, withdrawing the rest of the poison from him. A fire could be seen in her eyes in that moment, one which had been thought long dead.

Sighing, Sakura placed the poisoned water in the bowl before setting it on the counter near the sink. Hopefully, the hospital staff would empty it, thinking it was dirty.

Righting the room as she went, Sakura stopped when she reached Kankuro's side. Placing two fingers to his temple, she pulsed chakra gently into his mind to stimulate activity.

She stole one more glance at him before turning toward the window again.

Bracing a hand against the frame, she was about to push off of it when... "Sakura?"

Mentioned kunoichi turned abruptly back toward the bed where Kankuro stirred. His dark eyes blinked several times before taking in her visage as he sat up on his elbows. The medic in her yelled at her to make him lay down while her other half screamed at her to flee the scene. No one was suppose to see her here.

Kankuro couldn't remember much of anything at this point, how he'd gotten here, why he was there, but he did recognize the shock of pink hair that could only belong to one person, in his time of existence, that he knew all too well.

He blinked again to will away the haze marring his vision, and when he did he was shocked to see her clad in a black AnBu uniform with a half mask in place. However, that wasn't what shocked him the most. Her face didn't hold a smile, and it seemed like it hadn't for awhile. She looked like a walking deadman, emotionless and cold. His eyes hardened. This couldn't be Sakura.

Sakura noticed his change in expression and turned from him, the only words she could manage to explain her current condition ding, "It's been awhile Kankuro. Things have changed." She mentally cursed herself for the softness that her voice held even in its monotonicity.

"Are we at war?" Sakura would have laughed in the past at such an assumption, but with her AnBu uniform and obviously sneaking out of his room via the window it was something she could understand.

"No," she replied patiently.

"Are we going to be at war?" He asked again guardedly, and she couldn't help the slight flinch in her posture.

"You've been in a coma, Kankuro," she supplied, hoping to jog his memory. Being accused like an enemy by him twisted something in her gut that she couldn't pin point. All she knew was that she wanted it to stop and hoped that information would help that along.

Kankuro's eyes narrowed slightly as pieces of his memory resurfaced. Rogue nin, daggers, puppets, comrades falling left and right, and then he had been stabbed. It had been an ambush on a regular guard patrol somewhere close to the border of wind and fire, but it definitely had not been any Konoha nin. He would have recognized them.

Relaxing slightly, Kankuro untensed his body and leaned back against the pillows on his now uncomfortable bed. He was surprised she hadn't made him do so already. Something was definitely off.

"How long was I out?" He asked curiously, staring at the ceiling.

"Nearly five months," Sakura replied evenly, still turned from him.

He glanced in her direction. She was tense, like prey that was about to flee from the predator, but something was keeping her grounded to the floor of his room. Perhaps it was out of duty to answer his questions? Maybe she was uncomfortable in the hospital, but why would Sakura, of all people, be uncomfortable in a hospital?

His eyes narrowed in concern for her and then he asked one last question. "Did you bring me out of my coma, Sakura?"

There was no reply.

Moments later the door opened and glimpses of red, blonde, and brown registered as three individuals entered the room.

"Kankuro?" It was Temari's uncertain voice that had the other two, who he recognized as Gaara and the Hyuuga - now a man - raising their heads to look at him.

A slight sound was heard from his left and he glanced at the window to see the curtains shifting slightly, and a smile graced his features. Sakura had healed him.

Gaara hadn't originally decided to visit Kankuro, but something had told him he should. This feeling was reinforced upon entering the hospital where the woman at the front desk had told him that a strange person in all black had come asking for Kankuro earlier. It was strange, but Kankuro had friends in his own AnBu organization that Gaara didn't know about.

With Temari and Hyuuga at his side, who had returned hours earlier without Sakura, saying she needed to meditate, he had ventured forth to his brother's room for the depressing visit, only to find him fully awake and functional, and that wasn't all. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd seen a glint of pink leap from the window as they had entered.

Seafoam eyes narrowed as he disregarded his brother and strode over to the window, concentrating as he laid his hand against it. It was faint, but he was sure there was a chakra signature here. He ran his hand along the edges of the window, finally pulsing his own chakra against it. He was met with a soothing sensation, one he recognized all too well from the many times it had infiltrated his own system like a secret lover, calming and gentle. A small smirk graced his features as he bowed his head, daring his body not to tremble at the torrent of emotions threatening to overtake him.

"Gaara?" Was the call of his concerned sister as he stood frozen in place, his hand still on the sill of the window.

He chanced a glance at them out of the corner of his eye. Temari was kneeling by Kankuro's bedside while the Hyuuga, a silent sentry, stood on the other side. He had negated to see all the unconscious bodyguards upon entry that were so visible now. Allowing a slight slouch of his shoulders to show, he turned back to the window.

"It was Sakura…"

A single tear fell from his eyes and hit the windowsill unbidden.

'Thank you for giving me my brother back.'

Sakura appeared on the roof of the Sabaku estate in a swirl of petals, her eyes wide and her breathing haggard. That was close. Too close.

Immediately she fell into the lotus position and closed her eyes, desperately trying to find her center. Breathing deeply, her pulse eventually calmed and her walls, that had threatened to crumble in Kankuro's presence, were reforged and strong as ever.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to reason out why she'd had such a reaction, and, after over-thinking it grandly, found the answer to be simple. She had transferred her emotions about Junsuino's death onto Kankuro, and since she saved him the transference had a greater impact than normal.

The ache in her chest renewed tenfold as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly, almost drawing blood from her palms as she asked herself that same question she had been asking wicked that fateful day. Just this once, she gave into her emotions slightly, a tear falling down her face and staining the rooftop below her.

'Why… Why couldn't I save you… Junsu?'