Naruto stared at Sakura with disbelief. Why is Sakura Chan with Gaara? He asked the Kyuubi how should I know kid? All I understand is that you messed up big time with pinkie over there. Sakura was running wildly through the market, swinging a stoic kazekage by the arm behind her.
"GO GO GO!" she screamed at him loudly "WE HAVE TO GET HIM! NOW!" with a thump she ran smack into someone's chest. Sakura fell onto her butt gracefully and looked up. Sasuke stood there, looking slightly disgruntled- or was it deranged?
"AHH!" she yelled, pointing a finger at him. She looked at the silent Gaara, a small twinkle of humor in his eyes. Then she scooted back between his legs and pushed him forward " GO, KILL, ATACK! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
"Sakura" he growled, scowling at her. She looked up from pushing against his leg. this was the scowl that had sent grown men running for their lives. Sakura just ignored it and focused on what was important to her
"You said my name"
A barely perceptible blush started to tinge the red headed teenager's cheeks.
"OI-SAKURA CHAN!" Naruto yelled, waving his arms as he approached the trio. Gaara felt Sakura stiffen against his leg. She looked up at him "I'm not ready" she whispered, eyes locked on Narutos face. He nodded slightly. Sand encased them both as Naruto arrived. Sasuke just stood their eye twitching
"Hey, teme, what happened to sakura Chan?"
Sakura and Gaara arrived in a flurry of sand. They were standing in the middle of a sakura tree orchard. Sakura gave a small gasp of awe. The sakura blossoms had formed a thick carpet on the grassy hill. A small cheerful stream ran down the side of it. A view of the mountains completed it. She laughed joyfully and flopped down onto the blossoms. Patting a space next to her, she indicated for Gaara to sit down. He sat down carefully. Sakura sighed, "What are we going to do?" he raised an eyebrow (well, Sakura thought he did, but wasn't sure) "about this situation?"
She snorted, "Yes, about me being a prin- thing and you being a prince? That situation? Nah, its not very important is it? I mean, deciding what's for lunch is much more important."
"Hn"
"That was sarcasm, by the way"
"Princess"
"I know what it is- I just- I just cant say it, I don't believe it, that's all"
He looked at her, she was lying surrounded by blossoms, and her emerald eyes were gazing at the sky. She was in a dirty hospital gown, with her pink hair surrounded her face like a freaky bubblegum colored halo. Ho coughed and looked away, fighting the rising blush.
"Ignore them," she decided, Gaara flicked his eyes towards her "we're just going to ignore them and every else until we- or I, you can decide- feels better about the whole situation"
"Hn"
"You agree?"
"Hn"
"Is that a yes?"
"Hn"
"I'm taking this all as a yes" she punched her arm into the air "woohoo! Operation ignore is ago!"
"Hn"
"I'm getting better at this- in gaaranese that meant woohoo right?"
"You should get some new clothes," he said. She looked down at what she was wearing and giggled, "Did the great kazekage just offer to take me shopping?"
"Hn"
"Okay! But you're paying"
"And then he and Sakura chan disappeared!" Naruto finished his narrative with a great deal of arm waving.
"I'm worried about forehead- we should have told her"
"yes, sakura would not have spread our seret"
"Yeah- hey! There's sakura!"
"What? Is she going shopping?!"
"Troublesome, a girl becomes a princess, what does she do? Go shopping"
"With GAARA!?" ino yelled at him
"HOLY SHIT!?" shikamaru screamed
The gang looked across to see a very cheerful sakura pulling a very uncomfortable Gaara into a shop.
Sakura gleefully dove in among the racks of clothing while Gaara wandered over to the wall of antique weapons. He stopped in front of a pair of sword handles. They had no blade, and were covered in strange markings and symbols. He reached out a hand and stroked the strange material; it wasn't wood, or metal. A tiny jolt ran up his arm as he brushed them.
"The handles of justice" a voice issued from behind him. He turned around and his jade eyes widened when he saw what Sakura was wearing. She had on a black and white wrap around tube top, black on top, white bottom that brought out her pale skin, green eyes and pink hair. A leather belt with a pouch on it hung diagonally from her hips. She had on a skirt with no sides, just two flaps of red fabric tied together with white strings. White leggings started below her belly button and ended before her knees covered up her legs. A pair of black leather lace up boots, starting at her calf covered her feet. To finish off the whole deal she had tied a red velvet bow around the side of her neck, and had added a string with the Haruno symbol on it as well. On her arms she had wrapped white, red and black bandages, starting from her elbow to her fingertips. On her upper arm she had placed two white gold bracelets. She continued staring ahead, tracing the kanji for justice on the handle, ignoring his stare. "These are my second favorite, there's a legend about them, saying only the dispenser of justice could wield them, or something like that, no one remembers or knows what the symbols mean"
"Which are your favorite?" he asked.
"Right here" she lightly touched a pair of handles made exactly like his, only silver instead of a bronze- gold and the different markings "the handles of peace" she breathed out. "I promised myself, the second I get enough money, I'll buy them" He looked at her eyes, they were burning with a quiet determination and will. Gaara plucked the four handles off the wall and proceeded to the cashier
"Were are you going?" Sakura called
"I'm buying these," he answered, "hurry up and get your clothes"
A couple of minutes later they exited the shop, sakuras cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment
"You baka! I was joking! You didn't have to buy me the clothes!"
"Hn"
"Don't "Hn" me!"
"How do these work?" he asked, interrupting her tirade. She blinked at him, gobsmacked he had interrupted her rant. then Sakura burst out laughing, "no one knows, you idiot! You mean you bought them without knowing what they did?" she wiped a tear from her eye
"Come on, I'll buy you lunch- sushi?"
The gang watched as sakura burst out laughing at something Gaara said.
"What the F?" kiba asked, "Has she officially cracked?"
Naruto shook his head dispiritedly "sakura chan is trying to kill herself"
"While eating sushi, apparently" tenten remarked
"Come on guys, we're here to apologize, remember? And then we'll get some sushi" chouji chided
"Hn" neji grunted, blank eyes following the couple's path.
"You've never eaten sushi before?" sakura goggled at a silent Gaara, who was fiddling with his chopsticks
"Naruto only wanted ramen, and seafood isn't exactly in abundance in suna"
"That makes sense"
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, which Gaara broke by grunting in surprise
"What?" sakura asked, curious? Gaara handed her one of his handles, and pointed out a hole in the top
"This is where the blade would go" he said "but there are no marks to suggest the blade was removed, or even put in in the first place"
"Yeah so?"
"Its hollow" he continued, flipping it over. He pressed a hieroglyph and there was a small click, it opened, revealing a hollow inside. They looked at each other
"Almost like something was supposed to go in it. Like sand"
"Or water"
They looked at each other again, then at the weapon, then each other
"Holy crapsicles" sakura mumbled.
"Foods here!" the waiter announced.
Gaara stared at the rice, cucumber and seaweed on his plate in front of him.
"This would mean, someone either used a jutsu in the past and saw us, or there were other sand and water controllers before us" sakura deduced. Gaara poked one of his pieces with a chopstick, sakura rolled her eyes "just eat it, it won't hurt you, you know" he looked away from his food and peered out the window crap he thought then he cleared his throat
"Sakura, Naruto is coming"
She looked up, mouth full of sushi. Sakura swallowed painfully "where?"
"Door"
"Oh- well time to test out operation ignore, ready?"
"Hn"
Sakura nodded and stuffed another sushi piece in her mouth. With a start Gaara realized it was one of his. She smiled an apology "haven't eaten for two weeks, sorry, you mind?"
He shook his head no. How is she still standing? I mean, two weeks? He wondered, reconsidering the girl next to him. She attacked his plate.
"Hey! Forehead!" Ino called "we have to talk to you"
Sakura kept eating, showing no sign shed heard the loud blonde at all. Silently they wondered how exactly she was still alive, considering she was eating off of the kazekages plate.
"Sakura Chan!" Naruto called. Gaara watched with worry as her shoulders stiffened and her chopsticks snapped in half. She looked at him "ignore not working- cool disdain?"
"Hn" she chuckled
"Right I forgot, your middle name is cool disdain. Or Eustace- cause I can totally understand the killings if your middle name was Eustace"
He gave a snort of laughter
"Sakura chan!" Narutos voice was coming closer. Sakura bared her teeth in a feral grin
"Showtime"