Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor will I ever.

Summary: "Haruno Sakura, you have been ordered to guard the prisoner Uzumaki Naruto." After a strict order from the Hokage, Sakura has been forced to conquer her greatest fear—the rumored beast of Konoha. The tragedy is slowly revealed, piece-by-piece.

Pairing: Naruto X Sakura

AN: …heh heh, things will get interesting back at Konoha…well, onwards to the story!

Edited as of March 23, 2009

Broken Leaf

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04. Frozen Sun Dessert

Haruno Sakura hugged her pillow tenderly. Her internal clock told her there would be at least five more minutes until she was due downstairs, where her mother would greet her with a lovely plate of breakfast. But today, she was especially hungry. Scratching her head, she pushed aside her blankets and walked towards the door.

That was when an alarm sounded in her head. There was something wrong with this room. It felt hotter than usual; there was none of the cool air that greeted her in the early morning. Rubbing her eyes, she forced them wide open and yawned. The image that greeted her was shaky and unclear. She turned the doorknob.

"Haruno-san!"

The voice pierced through her ears like a bolt of thunder, jolting her awake. Her vision slowly stabilized, revealing walls made of dirt cement. The windows here were definitely less delicate than the one in her room.

"Uzumaki?" asked Sakura. That was when she realized her surroundings. She was in Suna, with the supposed murderer of Konoha. It hadn't been a figment of her imagination after all. Everything that had happened had been real.

"What time is it?" she asked, adjusting her focus.

"Afternoon."

Sakura tensed; she had not expected her body to have grown that much tired from the trip. She watched as Naruto learned against the window, "From what Temari-san and Kankurou-san said, the rescue squad has been out two days already…"

"They'll be okay," Sakura said, not entirely convinced by her own words. "I still have to heal your eye." She walked over to him. "Stay still, alright?" She was already looking at his eyes. The bright blue always surprised her. It was such a lithe color. She frowned. It was expected that some of the bruising to go away but… She moved her hands away.

"It's…fully healed. It's like the bruise was never there."

"I heal fast," declared Naruto with a shrug.

Nobody could heal that fast, unless he had a secret bloodline. She didn't persist in the topic, allowing to slide. Everything would be stated in his profile.

"Since we were never ordered to go after the Kazekage, we probably should be returning to Konoha," said Sakura.

Naruto moved away from the windows and nodded slowly, arms slightly limp. He stretched his arms up to the ceiling, "When do we leave?"

"Right now," she answered, walking back to her room. The door closed with a soft slam. Haruno Sakura leaned against the back of her door and sighed. It was up to Gai's group whether the Kazekage be rescued or not, not them.

She wasn't sure if they could manage.

"We can't thank you enough for saving my brother," said Temari, expressing her gratitude.

"I was doing my duty," stated Sakura. Two groups stood on opposite sides, one of Konoha and the other Sand.

"Good luck with your other brother," said Naruto, smiling once more. It reminded Sakura vaguely of a kitsune.

"Y-Yeah," Temari nodded, trying for decent smile. "Th-Thanks…"

From the rigidity of her expressions, Sakura could surmise that the girl was trying to refrain from asking them for any further help. It would overstep the boundaries of their treaty.

"We'll go now," Sakura bowed again, a small one. Naruto remained standing here, clutching tightly on the straps of his backpack. He was not moving, just staring at the ground.

"I'll go now, then," Temari stated. She muttered a brief farewell and disappeared from the view.

"Let's go then," said Sakura.

"…Yeah." Naruto jerked slightly as he turned Sakura and nodded.

'What's he thinking?' Sakura raised an eyebrow, furrowing her eyebrows.

In the afternoon, the desert was hotter than yesterday with its white waves of scorching sand washing across the ground. The sun sat on top of the sky, basking in glory over its reign at the desert.

"Can you hear it now?" he asked, out of the blue.

"What?"

"The footsteps!" he urged, almost whispering his words.

Sakura glanced around the area. Wouldn't that be impossible? Suna's security was pretty decent. If a stranger had entered their village, especially with those four overly suspicious guards patrolling the entrance, the Sand would have known.

"There is no stranger," insisted Sakura, "I'm sure it's just your imagination." She casted a reassuring smile on her face, "We should be hurrying back to Konoha now."

Naruto skidded to a stop, face looking down at the sand, "This is the second time."

"Uzumaki," Sakura said placidly, "You're seventeen, this is not a time to be fooling around like a child! We have to get back to Konoha before that Danzo-

"You go back then," said Naruto, digging through his backpack. He tossed a pair of earphones to her, "If you want to follow me, use that…" He clipped his earphones on. "Otherwise, leave me alone."

"We have to get back to Konoha, now!"

"You know, I really hate people that don't trust me…you're just like one of them." With that, he dashed off, leaving Sakura to stand by herself. She gritted her teeth. How could she believe a near stranger? Konoha was the main concern. Their village needed more people now, especially after that last encounter with the Sound. She kicked the sand. Naruto acted so much like a brat; it was amazing he wasn't a five year old. She couldn't understand his sudden outburst.

"The Uzumaki is an extremely unstable weapon, don't let it escape."

Sakura tried her best to conceal her chakra. Her fate would be set if they found out she was eavesdropping on their meeting. It was totally unintentional. She had only met to pick up their cups, but as fate would have had it, she managed to land in a very compromising spot.

"He's not dangerous." Tsunade spoke.

"What will you do if he escapes, Hokage-sama?" asked one of the elders, "Can you be certain that the Uzumaki will not cause another commotion."

Sakura couldn't read the expression on Tsunade's face.

"I believe in Naruto."

"Fine, your decision will be accepted on one condition…"

Tsunade cleared her throat, "Sakura, please get out from under there."

Sakura winced. Found out.

"Um, nice to meet you all…" she waved weakly.

Tsunade certainly trusted him. She sighed."Naruto, are you here?" she tapped into the earphone.

"Ah!" A voice returned, "Don't do that! It's too loud…"

"Sorry," she grunted. A loud shrill sound passed through her ears. She realized it was from her earphones. "Don't do that!"

"Now we're even," said Naruto. She could feel his playful grin, somewhere out in the desert.

"Where are you?"

A long static pause.

"I couldn't hear that," said Sakura.

"I…" A longer pause, "I…don't know, but I'm catching up to our stalker."

"What!" Sakura shouted.

"Ah! You're hurting my ear!"

Sakura apologized, cursing under her breath moments later.

"Sakura?"

She stayed silent, letting him to go on.

"Wait for me at the borders of the forest. I'll be there. Trust me, it's a promise!"

"…" What if he chose to escape?

"I believe in Naruto." Tsunade had sounded so certain

"You know…I really hate people that don't trust me…you're just like one of them."

"I…I'll be there," she stated, "You better come back or you're dead."

"Yeah!"

The earphones went dead, cutting off communication. Sakura wondered if she was a fool.

Sakura clapped her hands again for amusement.

The forest was not a wonderful place..

"Dull," she sighed, carving pictures on a tree trunk.

"That's where you are Sakura." A shadow swung down from a branch, landing.

"Where's whoever been following us?"

"They got away. Maybe it really was my imagination so we should go back to Konoha. Sorry."

"Are you okay, at least?" she asked. He nodded.

Sakura lifted her head from her cupped hands. "Liar," she proclaimed, "What's that wound doing on your hand then?"

"Huh?"

Before Naruto could object, Sakura grabbed his wrists and examined them closely.

"These were made by some type of weapon," she commented, releasing them, "What happened?"

"…he got away," he said, "I couldn't catch up with them."

"I'll look for the stranger," said Sakura, "If there is really somebody, it'd be best if we track them down."

"Didn't we have to get back to Konoha soon?" asked Naruto, a scowl on his face appearing on his face. It surprised Sakura. It was the first time he showed that emotion.

'He doesn't want to chase after the spy and seems eager to get back to Konoha now…'

"We're late already," pointed out Sakura, "Why not take the time?"

"It's really nobody important," repeated Naruto. His voice sounded firm and resolute. Sakura wanted to protest; why wouldn't want to prove himself right, when he go so angry at her for not trusting him today? She could feel the anger course through herself. What was wrong with him?

"Fine," she said, voice cold, "Still, it's too late to travel. You stand watch first. Walk me up during the second half and I'll stand watch then." She said nothing more as she prepared her sleeping bag, climbing in and closing her eyes within a matter of seconds, never once looking at Naruto.

"Nighttime sure is boring, that's for sure." Seven words that broke the unspoken silence.

Noisy crickets chirped loudly in a steady rhythm. The ground below was wet and moist from the sudden rainstorm that had occurred midday. An occasional stray wind would find its way into the depths of the forest and shake the leaves of the trees. Today was not a full moon. The crescent moon sat comfortably on its spot. Buckets of stars were dumped, filling the skies with millions of sparkles.

"At least it's not quiet. That would be no fun."

Sakura fidgeted on the patch of grass. She turned to her other side, oblivious to what was happening in the outside world. Her eyes remained closed, still in deep slumber.

"Never liked to sleep outdoors," mused the blonde. He paused. "Never really like to sleep. Too boring." A couple of leaves shuffled under his feet as the blonde shifted his weight. He turned to the sleeping kunoichi.

"I'm jealous of you. You're sleeping like a rock," he whispered, knowing that the girl couldn't hear him. The blonde waved his hand around in the air, catching the mist that had formed around. It was bitter and wet. "When's morning going to come?" he leaned on the same rock he had been sitting on a few hours earlier. No answer except the silence that followed after his every sentence.

"Hey Haruno?" he asked, pausing for the girl. She made no movement to respond. "You're really different from the others," he stated, "Little by little…it feels like you're accepting me…if only you knew…Too bad I can't see how you look, Sakura-chan. I really wanted to see your pretty face."

The medic turned again, adjusting to her sleep.

The blonde made no more talk, jumping up high in the trees. The only noise remaining were the crickets chirping quietly in the forest.

The radiance of the Sun rained down on Sakura's face, sending warmth to her cheeks. She got up quickly. It was her turn to stand guard. She opened her eyes, awaiting the darkness, but only saw the light instead. She sighed. Naruto must have fallen asleep and forgot to wake her. "Naruto?" she called out. He didn't reply. "Naruto?" she yelled out, louder. A shout of surprise came from above the canopies followed by a long drop and a thud.

"You surprised me," Naruto brushed off his jacket, "Good thing I landed on my feet…"

"You didn't wake me up," she stated bluntly.

He laughed weakly, "I fell asleep myself. I guess I was tired from the chase."

Sakura sighed, "Yeah…" She grabbed her backpack and took out their breakfast. "I only brought out lightweight food. Don't expect anything too fancy."

"What did you get?" asked Naruto.

"Let's see…" she read the labels, "Special flavored Konoha ramen."

Naruto gasped. "You…I can't believe it…"

"No big deal if you don't like it," Sakura quickly fished through her backpack, "I still have these snacks bars, so you don't have to eat the ramen if you don't want to."

"Don't want to?" Naruto burst right then and there, "This is the ultimate ramen flavor combined with beef, crab, fish, pork, and all different kinds of meat! They also have the TASIEST ramen! Konoha Ramen makes sure that the noodles are perfect! And the soup! The soup…"

"That's…great," said Sakura, fumbling with her words. Uzumaki had always seemed so distant, but when he was talking about something as simple as ramen, his true self seemed to radiant through. It scared her a bit, for no apparent reason. "Water…" she juggled her water pouch. "Not enough…Be right back," declared Sakura, "I need to get more water to cook the ramen."

"Okay…"

"Just a bit," said Sakura. She reached a river soon enough and got down to the edge, pouring river water into her pouch. 'He's weird.' Sakura couldn't help but think again. The water swished around her pouch as she entered camp again.

Sakura rubbed her hands together again. The water sat in the pot, boiling as slow as ever. The water did not even show signs of bubbles.

"Did you know that the old hag and pervert used to treat me to ramen on my birthdays?"

"Hm?"

"Tsunade and Jiraiya. We used to eat at Ichiraku's, the best restaurant on the planet!"

Ichiraku. Sakura remembered Chouji had told her about.

"I've like ramen ever since," he smiled, "My birthday was the only time the old pervert was nice enough to treat me to a meal…"

Before she could comment, she was interrupted. "Look, the water's boiling!" grinned Naruto, "Time to eat!"A burst of bubbles surfaced up the water.

"We haven't even poured in the water."

"Close enough," said Naruto. His face, to her amusement, showed numerous expressions of delight as she poured in the water for ramen.

"Now comes the great part of this type of ramen," explained Naruto, "You don't have to wait for the three minutes of hell to pass, its eatable the moment you pour the hot water in!"

'Crazy ramen expert.' Sakura thought it would be a fitting second nickname for the Ramen loving blonde. He slurped up his noodles quickly, pushing the noodles up his mouth as fast as he could swallow with a pair of skinny chopsticks.

"Oh yeah, do you remember where the person you were following yesterday went?" asked Sakura, digging in her bowl of ramen but slower than Naruto.

"Mm-Yeah," he said in-between bites, "Imm-remember-mmwhere-mmthey-mmwent."

"Okay, so you'll lead later," said Sakura, hoping that he'd agree this time.

"MmOkay," said the boy.

The climate had almost reached its highest temperature of the day. The scene shifted back to the hot desert of hell and despair from the dark depths of the forest. Two shinobi from Konoha dragged their feet along the hot crushed rocks of sand. The air was a humid steam along with the scent of dust and salt wrapped together. The wind was neither cold nor breezy but a hot wave of breath brought forth from hell.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" She suppressed a angry sob. Four hours into the desert again with no sign of civilization. Unlike before, the desert had somehow raised a few hundred more degrees.

"We're close. Trust me."

"We're lost," stated Sakura, not even bothering to form it in a question. Her legs were killing her, her hair felt like it was on fire, and she was sure she could peel off her cooked skin that had been baking in the sun for the last few hours.

"No, I think you're too dramatic. We're in the right spot."

"Called the middle of nowhere? Oven of death?" suggested Sakura, an impassive look on her face.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Naruto, bouncing away into the depths of the scorching orange desert.

'Impossible,' thought Sakura. No one could be that energetic all the time, right? She readjusted her backpack and continued walking. The sand sank before her weight, sinking her sandals in every time she walked and giving her a burning sensation on her feet. White blisters had formed on the soles of her feet and were slowly aching their way up. Uzumaki, he was prancing around so normally. The boy barely broke a sweat except for the time when he thought there were rattlesnakes around but other than that…

"Come on Sakura! You're dragging behind again!" he hollered, a few dozen feet away. He jumped up and down, waving two hands towards the pink haired medic.

"…Wait…up," she wheezed, panting loudly. With a final wheeze, she dropped to the floor, exhausted."I'll…just lie down here," she said, using her backpack as a pillow. It wasn't soft. The books in the backpack were jabbing at her head while the sun just added to her headache.

"You okay?"

She opened her eyes, shielding her eyes from the sun with a hand. A black shadow loomed over her, partly crouching. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and later on theirs, comparing.

"You got a fever," stated the shadow, "Don't you know how to take care of yourself? You're the medic."

"Even medics…get sick," Sakura groaned out, feeling a sick feeling at the pit of stomach. Pushing herself up with the palm of her hands, she got up and wobbled a bit.

"Why don't you just heal yourself?" asked Naruto.

A novice question.

"You think I can heal myself in this condition?" Sakura raised both her hands. They were both shaking, "Besides, medical techniques are usually used for emergency or surgeries only. Other situations should be healed naturally or by medicine," stated Sakura. "I didn't bring any medicine for headaches or fevers so that's a no too. Just go on for a while, I'll catch up."

"You just said wait up a few seconds ago," said Naruto.

"Well, it can't be helped right?"

"I'll just sit and wait till your headache's over?"

"I don't know when my headache's going to go away though," said Sakura. "I don't want to trouble you."

"Its nothing," Naruto waved a hand, "Compared to that cell, this is a piece of cake." He sat down a few feet away from her, immediately leaning both sides of his cheeks on the palm of his hands. "Get better."

Sakura doubted that would happen. The Sun was doing her no good, constantly sending rays of hot light and pain, which added more to her headache. Even with closed eyes, she could still see the blood-red color of the blazing star. She felt a sour liquid rising up her throat, threatening to come up. Sakura took deep breaths, hoping to calm her upset stomach.

"It's…so hot," she moaned, covering her head with both hands.

It was like the hot sun had rained down.

A dead and steady stillness with nothing but the crackling of a fire. Slowly, the silence was replaced by the waves of breezes and the flying particles of sand. For a moment, Sakura thought her back had finally cracked under the pressure of the sand. Releasing her numb fingers from her face, she wiped away the dust that had formed over her. It then occurred to her that it was night.

Suddenly the sand was not hot, only warm.

Once again, she attempted to push herself up in a sitting position. The headache in her head had dispelled, leaving her with an upset stomach. "Wouldn't it look nice if it was one of those ice deserts?" mused Sakura. Instead of sand, there would be miles and miles of white snow.

As she said that, a flake of white crystal ice drifted down to the sand.