A/N: Hey well as you should no (if you read Chapter 1) this is gonna be multiple chapters long, the odd chapters(1,3,5...) are gonna be the story of Shika/Ino and the even chapters(2,4,6...) are gonna be the story of Kanku/Saku! Enjoy and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE R+R! it would just really make my day if you did!!!

I'll try to write a new chapter every week or so. If i get behind please don't hate me, it probably just means im having some bad days - it actually happens a lot...haha!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, as much as i wish i did :(

Chapter 2

Poisoned Again

"Well, Gaara's already in Konoha, so who do I report to?" Sakura asked Kankuro. She was in Suna, working in the hospital as a favor to Gaara, because they were low on medic-nins after the war between Sand and Grass. She had been there for five months now, training new medics and healing anyone who needed it. But now her duties were finished and it was time to return home.

"Baki is playing the substitute Kazekage while Gaara is in Konaha for the for the Chuunin Exams, so I guess you should tell him you've finished you work here.

"Sakura, you are free to leave when you wish, but Kankuro, you will be accompanying her back to Konohagakure."

"WHAT?!" Both Sakura and Kankuro were surprised by this news. Sakura was fed up with Kankuro. He acted as though she had never saved his life. (It's not like she was going to hold that over him forever, but he never even thanked her.) And Kankuro just wanted the house back to himself. He didn't really mind Sakura's presence, but he felt confined while she was staying with him.

"Baki-senpai, why can't I just stay here?"

"Because she needs an escort; plus Gaara-sama sent for you. He says he needs your aid in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"What about Temari? She's there with him, isn't she?"

"My word is final. Dismissed."

A day out of Sunagakure, Sakura and Kankuro found themselves back to back, fighting four Grass ninja who had been disappointed with the outcome of the war.

As Kankuro was cunningly maneuvering Karasu, Sakura was dodging attack after attack from the two ninja she was fighting, while trying to get close enough to hit one of them with her chakra-induced strength. But from the corner of her eye, she saw a fifth, undetected grass ninja who had been masking his chakra, throw a poison soaked kunai at Kankuro. She couldn't make him aware of the weapon speeding towards him, and watched in wide-eyed shock as it hit him square in the stomach.

"Kankuro!" she screamed as she saw her partner fall to the ground, completely vulnerable to attack. The fast acting poison already had him paralyzed, unable to use his puppet as a defense.

Now Sakura was pissed. She grabbed Kankuro's limp body and punched the ground with such ferocious strength that all five grass ninja were caught off guard and fell the through the cracks, fifty feet into the earth. Sakura laid Kankuro down on the hard, broken ground, and went to finish off the five ninja whom had angered her so badly.

After she tended to each one, she hurried back to Kankuro's twitching body. The poison had already reached his nervous system, causing painful muscle spasms to occur all through his body. Sakura ripped open his shirt and immediately set to work, removing as much of the poison as she could: using the water in her canteen to perform the same technique she had used on him two years previously, when he had been poisoned by Sasori of the Red Sand.

After the pinkette had extracted most of the poison, the puppet master's body had grown still, except for the steady rise and fall of his chest. Sakura got into her medical bag and removed a simple poison antidote that she hoped would help stabilize Kankuro a little better. She removed the cap and plunged the needle into his arm. After about five minutes of nervous watching and waiting, Kankuro stirred and opened his eyes.

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder as he tried to sit up, "You need to stay lying down. The poison is still in your body; if you move too quickly, the defenses in your body wont be able to contain it and it will flow back into your bloodstream, and I'll have to start the process all over again. And I definitely don't have enough chakra left for that. So, please, just don't move. I don't want to lose you." Wait, did I just say that? *Shakes head* Whatever.

(But it was true. Ever since her parents had died, she had a real soft spot for her patients. Now, it was almost unbearable to lose someone, even if she wasn't close to them. When she lost her parents, she cried for a week. Since then, the four patients she has lost have cost her many sleepless nights.)

Kankuro sighed and just lay back down. "You know, you should get some rest, too. You don't look so good."

"Well, yeah, that would be because I just saved your life...again!"

"Yes, and I am grateful for that, for both times, but you seriously need to rest."

"Yes, I know. But we're still out in the open. We would be an easy target to get attacked again, and neither of us can fight in the state we're in. I suppose we are only about an hour from the Land of Fire border; if we can get there, we can set up camp under cover of the trees."

"I've got an idea of how we can do that." Sakura looked at him questioningly. "Get my scrolls. The bottom one will help. Bring it about ten feet away and release the seal."

Sakura did as she was told. When she released the seal, she jumped back in surprise. A giant Salamander puppet was looking at her.

"That's Sanshouo," said Kankuro from behind her. "With my control, he'll be able to carry us to the Land of Fire. I'm just gonna need to sit up in his back, instead of lie down, so I can see and control where we're going"

"Fine, but you do not get to walk over to him, or do anything physical at all for that matter, to get onto his back."

"Are you saying your going to carry me to him?" he asked in a sarcastically skeptical tone. He didn't actually believe she would, or could, do it. He was just joking around. But then again, how else was he supposed to get onto Sanshouo's back?

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying."

What?! "And how exactly do you think you're going to do that?"

"Um, excuse me, look around. Do you remember the terrain looking like this when we started the fight?"

"Oh. Well, no—"

"Exactly'" she cut him off. "And I did that…" she paused for dramatic effect, "…with one hand."

"Fine, let's just get a move on."

Kankuro was sitting against a tree, watching Sakura sleep. She had her arms wrapped around her upper body, with her head resting on one of her hands; and although he couldn't see it, Kankuro knew she had a kunai in one hand and shuriken lacing the fingers of her other.

"Tut, tut; sleeping on the job. Now, I thought I trained you better than that, dear Sakura."

Sakura jolted awake, wasting no time in throwing all five weapons she had in the direction of the voice: to the left of the tree Kankuro was leaning against. The weapons flew into the shadows; she thought she heard them collide with something, but wasn't sure.

"Now there's the Sakura I know." The owner of the voice stepped out from behind the tree. He had dodged all five of her attacks.

"Kakashi!"

"Saaakkurrraa-chaann!"

"Naruto." Sai then walked out of the trees and nodded at his teammate. "Sai. Wait, why are you guys here?"

"Grandma Tsunade sent us on a mission, and now we're on our way back to the village! It's so awesome we ran in to you; and lucky by the looks of it. What happened to you guys?"

"Well, we ran into a little trouble. Five Grass ninja attacked us as we were crossing the desert-you know Suna just got out of a war with them. Kankuro got hit by a poisoned kunai, and I depleted my chakra while pulling it out of him."

"Again? Jeez, how many times is Sakura gonna have to save your poisoned butt?!"

"HEY!" Kankuro's remark was barely audible over Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura's howling laughter. Even Sai was chuckling a little.

"But anyways…" Sakura explained what else had happened between saving Kankuro again and, "…And then you guys showed up and here we are now."

Kankuro felt weird, being helped along as he was: Naruto supporting him, with Sakura to his left, keeping a watchful eye. It was not unlike the time he had once carried Gaara through these woods, with Temari keeping the watchful eye. But that had been more than four years ago, and they had been heading in the opposite direction.

Kankuro was pulled out of his thoughts by Sai's question. "It's starting to get dark. Shouldn't we stop and set up camp somewhere before night really falls upon us?"

Sakura's reply surprised them all, "No, we're going to keep moving through the night. You all better have enough stamina because Kankuro needs to get to the hospital and I have something I…need to…do…"

"OoOoOoOoo! Do you have a date with Kiba-kun, Sakura-chan?!"

"NO! Ugh. I broke it off with him before I left on this last mission."

"Oh. Well, that would explain why he's been spending so much time with Temari…. So, what do you have to do anyways?"

"Just something…personal. Okay, Naruto?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay."

But Sakura wasn't fooling Kakashi. He knew why she wanted to get back to the village so badly. Tomorrow was the anniversary of her parents' death, and she had never once missed visiting their graves on that day. And Kakashi was always there with her, acting the father figure she no longer had, with a wreath of flowers and a shoulder to cry on.

They continued along silently through the quickly darkening forest.

Just as day was breaking, they stopped. There was only about an hour left to their journey, but they need a little rest. Kankuro had passed out in the middle of the night from lack of energy, and Naruto needed Kakashi's help to drag him along.

After a short break, on which they all ate food pills, (Sakura shoved one down Kankuro's throat) they made their way back to the village, but moving at a slightly slower pace than before. As they reached the gates to Konaha, Sakura commanded, "Get him to the hospital. I have somewhere I need to be." Naruto and Sai made their way to the hospital with Kankuro, Sakura to her home, where she showered and changed into nicer clothes, and Kakashi walked into the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

"Today's the anniversary of the Haruno-senpai's deaths."

"Yes, I wondered if you two would make it back in time. Hold on, I have the wreaths already made up in the back." After a few moments, Ino emerged from the back of her mother's shop with two giant flower boxes. "It's on the house today."

"Funny. It seems it always is on this particular day, but not when I come in to get flowers for a date.'

"As soon as you come in for flowers for a woman that you plan on keeping, they will be on the house, too."

Kakashi stifled a laugh. "Yeah, that'll be the day. Thanks anyways."

"Your welcome." Ino smirked, but then her face turned serious again. "Giver her a hug from me."

"I will, but you should stop by and see her later. I know she'd like that."

"Yeah, I will. See you around Kakashi."

As he was walking out, Ino suddenly remembered something. "Hey, wait!" She hurried out from behind the counter and grabbed a single red tulip. Handing it to him, she started, "For –"

"Yes. I know." And with that, he turned back to the door and walked out, heading for the Konohagakure memorial grounds where Sakura would be waiting.

A/N: Haha cliffy!!! Guess you'll just have to wait 'til chapter 4 to find out what the red tulip was all about!

Red Tulip: Undying love

This scene with Ino takes place the day after Shikamaru carries her home, which was involved in the last, and will also be involved in the next chapter :) hope you liked! R+R