New story info at the bottom...
Chapter THREE
The moment the signal had been given, the Sound shinobi had withdrawn. Three of the original four snakes had been killed, and the last one, the single brown one, had vanished in a puff of smoke.
At once, shinobi had begun moving around, carrying the injured to the hospital and moving the debris out of the biggest and important of streets.
Gaara forced himself to remain where he was, to overlook the general damage done to the village and help out with the damage control. He sealed up the holes done to the walls, until they could be rebuilt properly.
Once that was done, Temari joined his side and quietly told him that she would overlook the rest, and that he should go back to the village and take care of things there.
"I don't trust Kankuro to be able to do anything." Temari grinned. "And Sakura's there too, right?" She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Gaara looked away, on instinct, and vanished before Temari had finished opening her mouth.
Kankuro instinctively moved forward and he stood beside Sakura, watching the last of the dusk fall back to the ground.
"That guy...Kimimaro?" Kankuro asked.
Sakura nodded.
"Who...who was he? What did you mean by source of like?"
Sakura opened her mouth, but a burst of sand interrupted her.
"What about a source of life?" Sakura dropped to her knee, a second before Gaara appeared.
"Sakura." The redhead nodded at the girl, then at Kankuro. "Kankuro. I am glad to know that you are both safe."
Kankuro sighed dramatically. "I sound like the extra." He said.
Gaara grunted, but didn't say anything. He turned to Sakura, eyes narrowed a little. "What was Kankuro talking about?"
"Hey! I asked the question, so you could ask me, you know?" Kankuro asked.
Gaara glanced at him dismissively. "I doubt you would tell me outright."
Kankuro grinned warily. "I won't lie about something important."
Gaara nodded after a while, then turned back to Sakura. "What happened to the guy you were sent back to fight?"
Kankuro instantly spoke up. "His name is Kimimaro, and he was freaking strong."
Gaara raised an eyebrow. Kankuro raised her hands.
"Kimimaro-san was...always strong." Sakura said slowly. "He still is."
"You know this Kimimaro?" Gaara asked.
Sakura nodded. She raised her arm and hardened her bones. Gaara could see the faint shifting of her bones.
"Oh!" Kankuro's eyes widened. "Source of life...you mean..." He looked pointedly at Sakura's arm.
Sakura nodded. "I was created using his DNA." She said. "Though I cannot control my bones to the extent Kimimaro-san can, my ability to harden my bones can match his."
Gaara crossed his arms, deep in thought. "I will hold an emergency meeting once most of the damage has been contained." He said. "This was a planned invasion, and though I do not yet know what the reason behind the attack was, I believe it is safe to assume that it wouldn't be Sound's last act against Suna."
When he received two nods, he continued in a brisk tone. "Kankuro, you are to go and find Sasori and he will assign you to help with either the tending of the wounded or containing the damage on the streets." He said. "Sakura, you head over to the hospital." He hesitated, and this pause did not go unnoticed by Kankuro.
The puppeteer smirked, then jumped up onto the closest roof. "I'll be going then, Kazekage-sama." He wriggled his fingers, then ran off before Gaara's sand could grab him.
"I shall be going as well." Sakura turned to Gaara and lowered her head.
Gaara's had shot out and when his brain finally caught up to his actions, he had her wrist in a light grip.
"Gaara-sama?" Sakura asked softly.
Gaara stiffened at the sound of his name, called out in that soft spoken way of hers.
"Are you-"
Gaara yanked at her arm, twirling her around so that she was facing him. He planted a light kiss on her forehead, then burst into sand not even a second later, leaving behind a confused Sakura.
Gaara appeared in his office, his face a bright red that put his hair to shame.
He knew that there was no one around, but he brought his hands up and covered his face anyways.
If all the plants in the vicinity died due to climate change, only he would ever know the reason for the sudden raise in temperature.
His face was burning.
When Sakura returned from her shift in the hospital, Temari and Sasori were in the house. Apparently, Gaara and Kankuro were still out, and they had promised to buy take out.
"Temari-sama, may I ask something?"
Temari looked up from the scroll she had been looking through. "Sure. Also, it's Temari."
Sakura blinked innocently, then hesitantly sat down when Temari sighed and patted the space on the couch next to her. "So, what did you want to know?"
Sakura bit her lip, then slowly opened her mouth. "My chest hurts."
Temari quickly sat up. "Your chest hurts? Where? Since when?"
Sakura quickly shook her head. "Since after the battle...I mean...I'm not hurt. I've checked."
Temari sighed in relief. "It hurts, but you're sure it's not an injury or an illness or anything."
Sakura nodded.
"What were you doing when your chest started hurting." Temari asked.
"I was with Gaara-sama and Kankuro-sama." Sakura said. "I was to head to the hospital to look over the injured, and then..." She trailed off and she placed a hand on her chest almost unconsciously.
"And then?" Temari pressed gently.
"And then...Gaara-sama kissed me on the forehead." Sakura clutched her clothes. "And my heart started beating really fast." She winced. "It hurt."
Temari stared at the girl for a while. "It started hurting...after he kissed you?"
Sakura nodded slowly.
Temari leaned back, unsure of how to go about this.
She was glad that Sakura had come to her to talk about this. If Kankuro or Sasori found out, they would no doubt give her the wrong information, then go on to tease Gaara about it too.
"Sakura...what do you think of Gaara?"
Sakura blinked, looking confused. "Gaara-sama is a wonderful Kage-"
Temari shook her head. "No, what do you think about him? What is he to you?"
"What do I...?" Sakura trailed off. "He's...kind." She began. "And nice."
Temari nodded encouragingly.
"He's patient...Being with him makes me feel safe and warm inside." Sakura's gaze became more firm, now sure of what she wanted to say. "He gave me life. Had I not had the fortune of meeting him all those years ago, I would probably still be a lifeless doll. He is my savior."
Sakura placed her right hand over her heart, a faint smile on her face. "He is someone I swore to protect, even at the cost of my life."
So, a slight change in their relationship?
We don't really know...Meh...
Darque: I have maths and Biology tests tomorrow.
Raven: I know. You've been complaining about it for the past few days.
Darque: I was telling our readers. How many times do I have to tell you that?
Raven: As many times as I have to tell you what algebra is.
Darque: What's that again?
Raven: It's the f(x)=-
Darque: Ah! No! Stop!
Raven:...
Darque: I know that one! It's where this dude called 'algebra' is looking for his 'x'. Jeez, he really should give up.
Raven:...
Darque: Don't ask 'y'. I bet he was caught cheating, or something.
Raven:...You should stop revising.
Darque:...?
Raven: I'm worried about the state of your brain.
Darque:...
(Sakura x Multi) A Wish upon those Eyes of Green:
Born with a power considered both a blessing and a curse, Uchiha Sakura, younger sister of Madara and Izuna, grew up hidden within the compound. When Izuna is mortally wounded by Tobirama, her gift heals him of his fatal injury. However, one event leads to another and the Uchiha and the Senju agree to a truce, and Sakura is thrust out into the world she had been shielded from.
(Shikamaru x Sakura) The Beauty of Life:
Having been born at a Jashin temple, Sakura had been exposed the the Jashinist ways since she was young. A few days after her ritual of choosing and obtaining Immortality, her temple is attacked, where she is the only survivor and is taken in by Konoha. There, Sakura struggles to fit in and understand the value of life and the beauty in living, instead of simply surviving.
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