Chapter 16 – Heart To Heart

It was so hot!

Sighing, Sakura fanned herself with a leaflet she had found on Gaara's coffee table, trying her best to cool down. She'd only been in the desert for a few hours and already the heat was getting to her. Suna was beautiful, there was no denying that, but Sakura knew she wouldn't be able to go outside much without bathing in the highest factor sun lotion first. Apparently the temperature dropped to freezing at night, too. She couldn't wait for night to come.

"So, Sasuke really contacted you?"

Gaara smirked at her red and sweaty face. "Twice, actually."

If she hadn't been scared to stop fanning herself, Sakura would have frozen with shock. "Really?"

He nodded and stood up, walking over to the air conditioning settings and turning it up for her. As amusing as it was to watch her melt, he couldn't let his friend suffer like she seemed to be at the moment. "The first time was just after what happened in the elevator," Gaara told her and sat back down. "The second time was last night to tell me you would be coming to Suna today."

Thankful for the breeze that was suddenly blowing down on her, Sakura placed the leaflet down onto the table and smiled softly, her heart melting. Sasuke had really done this for her? "What did he say to you?"

"That if I no longer wanted to be friends with you, then I should tell you to your face."

Sakura froze and wide green eyes clashed with icy blue. "…What?"

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't abandon one of my friends, Sakura. It's like I said earlier: you make choices I don't agree with, just like you don't agree with some of my own choices."

Good. She was glad that they were still friends because Gaara meant a lot to her. He was one of her best friends. If there was ever anything she needed, if she ever needed comforting or for somebody to fight her battles and protect her, then Gaara was there. The same went for him – she would always be there for Gaara.

Of course, they'd argued in the past. Like Gaara had said: they made choices the other didn't always agree with. For example, her relationship with Uchiha Sasuke. She knew that Gaara didn't agree with it and his silence over the past several months only solidified those assumptions. When they disagreed on something, they always argued about it. This was the longest they'd gone without making up, though. Living so far away from each other made it difficult.

"I really missed you." She smiled sadly. "Oh and Naruto told me that you'd better come and visit him soon."

He smirked. "I will."

Sighing, Sakura stood up and stretched, trying her best to ignore the cracks she heard and the stiffness of her muscles. The journey to Suna was so long. "You don't mind if I take a shower, do you? I'm all sweaty and it feels horrible."

Gaara also stood up and gestured for her to follow him up the stairs, where he then pointed at a door. Earlier, when they had first arrived at the house, he'd taken her straight to the guest bedroom and put her suitcases down for her. Fortunately for her, the bathroom was just across from her room.

"There should be clean towels and anything else you will need in there," he murmured, pushing open the door for her. "Temari and Kankuro won't be home until later tonight or early tomorrow morning, so you can have as much privacy as you want to get cleaned up and unpack."

She nodded. "What are you going to do?"

There was a pause as Gaara seemed to think about it. "We need more food since Kankuro cleared out the refrigerator this morning. I should be back in an hour."

Again, Sakura nodded and gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks for letting me stay with you, Gaara."

He merely shrugged. "We're friends."

Her shower had been so refreshing and was enough to cool her off for a while. Just in case there was a limit to how much water people could use in the desert, however, she kept it as short as possible, quickly yet thoroughly washing herself before getting out.

And now there she sat in her room, unpacking and hanging her clothes up into the otherwise empty wardrobe. The room was plain and nothing like her room back at home, but it would do for the next three months. What made it better was that she would be staying with her friend, one she was completely comfortable with. That was so much better than staying in some foreign hotel where people could be sneaking into her room while she wasn't there and stealing her things. Or worse, sneaking in while she was in there, but unaware of their presence.

Shuddering at her overactive imagination, Sakura placed a set of pyjamas onto the bed, waiting until she had dried off before putting them on. At that moment in time, she was still wrapped up in a towel with another one around her head, although she soon removed that when she began to get too warm again. The air-con helped a lot, but Sakura knew that it would make Gaara cold after a while. He was used to the heat, after all.

Once her clothes were sorted out and either hung up in the wardrobe or folded neatly into the dresser, Sakura put her shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe and her toiletries and makeup on top of dresser, soon followed by her hair accessories and styling kit. All that was left was her bag, which she soon grabbed and placed onto the bed, unzipping it easily.

It was a big bag to say the least, big enough to hold her laptop as well as accessories for it, along with books, her phone and an emergency toiletries bag. There was no telling what would happen during the flight.

What time was it now? Looking over at the clock, Sakura decided it was time to get dressed. It didn't sound like Gaara had returned yet, but just in case he had and was waiting for her to come downstairs, she thought it would be best to hurry up.

And by the time she was dressed, Sakura heard the front door opening and closing only a minute later and at the sound of rustling bags, she put her slippers on and made her way downstairs to help with putting the shopping away.

"Do you want any help?"

Gaara looked over his shoulder at her as he put the shopping bags onto the counter and nodded once. "Did you manage to find everything you need?"

She nodded with a smile, emptying a bag. "Yeah. I unpacked as well while you were gone."

"All three suitcases?"

There was a teasing smirk on his lips, one that had her rolling her eyes. "And my bag."

He chuckled and pointed over to a certain cupboard when Sakura asked where the rice and pasta went. They unpacked the shopping in silence after that, but it wasn't uncomfortable and as soon as it was done, Gaara made them both some sandwiches, leading the way into the living room once they were made. Sakura followed with tall glasses of cold drinks. Thankfully, he let her sit under the air-con because already Sakura could feel the heat creeping up on her again, although it definitely wasn't as bad as it had been before her shower. As they were getting on in the afternoon now, the temperature was slowly decreasing, much to her relief.

"When do you start at the hospital?"

"Not for another few days. I was told to get used to Suna first before starting there."

He nodded. That was a good idea. If Sakura was to start working there tomorrow, she would find it unbearable. She thought it was hot now? She should try being outside for a good half an hour (walking there and then another half an hour walking back) as well as being on her feet in a busy hospital all day.

"Make sure to keep a bottle of water on you," Gaara advised her. "You're not used to the heat and you'll need to keep hydrated. There will be coolers in the hospital, too."

After taking a bite of her sandwich, she gave him a small smile. Honestly, Sakura had no appetite and she wasn't hungry in the slightest, but it would be important to keep her strength up and to keep herself at top health. Any less would be dangerous in the desert.

"Do you miss Konoha?"

"Yes."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, quite surprised by his honesty. "Really? Why? I thought you missed the heat?"

It was only after finishing one of his sandwiches that Gaara answered her, sighing as he did so, "People avoid me here."

She frowned, folding a leg beneath herself and leaning back against the arm of the sofa. "You told me about some girl, though. One who followed you around."

"Yes and you will see her at some point." Icy blue eyes rolled at the thought of her. He could already see an argument breaking out between Matsuri and Sakura, because the former was the kind of girl Sakura just could not stand. "But other than Matsuri, Temari and Kankuro, I don't speak to anyone."

Her frown deepened and Sakura dropped the sandwich in her hand onto the plate they were sharing, looking genuinely upset. "Why?" He shrugged. "Gaara… There has to be a reason."

"Was there a reason why you were bullied?" he retorted. "Was there a reason why Uchiha told you to fuck off? Or why Yamanaka ditched you?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"It just… is."

He simply shook his head. "You're smart, Sakura. You know deep down that there isn't a difference. Those things happened to you because one day, Uchiha decided you weren't good enough for him, that he didn't like who you were as a person and because of that, everyone else avoided you. It was more or less the same thing for me in both high schools I attended."

Used to Gaara's rants and his blunt way of speaking, Sakura knew to listen without interrupting. Their conversation was long overdue in her opinion and what was being said, needed to be said. He was always the one who made her see sense. Like she just had, Gaara would listen patiently and let her say her piece before then breaking everything apart and making her understand why it was wrong.

"They don't like you because of who you are."

A single nod was all he replied with.

Once again, Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her damp hair. It was because of the heat that she hadn't used her hair dryer. "Have you tried getting a job? You could make friends there." The look he gave her was blank. "Okay… What about college? You could always go somewhere other than the college here in Suna."

There was a small smile on his lips. "That is what I'm hoping for. It takes a while for mail to get here and I have yet to hear back from a few colleges. For now I am leaving my options open."

"It's really that bad here?"

Gaara sighed. "It could be different for you. But for me: yes. It is that bad. I don't connect with anyone like I did in Konoha. I don't get on with anyone. Being here… Both Temari and Kankuro have told me that it's not good for me."

Mentally, Sakura silently added. She knew what they meant and could see the differences in Gaara now that she was truly looking at him. When he picked her up at the airport, it hadn't really clicked in her mind because Sakura had known he would change a little, but the changes hadn't been extreme so she hadn't taken much notice. Now, however, they were very obvious to her. Despite the glaring sun, Gaara was paler than usual and the dark circles around his eyes were much darker.

He really wasn't happy in Suna and it broke her heart, because he'd been stuck in this place for years now. How had that affected him? Gaara had always had a bad temper and when angered, he was violent. Had Suna made that worse? So far, he seemed calm, but it was only a matter of time before his anger showed. It could rival her own anger, in a way.

That was one of the reasons why it never worked out between them. As friends, they could handle each other's anger because there weren't any expectations or whatever. As more than friends, though… Well, they clashed too much. They found too much to argue about, to the point where they were unhappy in the short relationship. It would have damaged their friendship if they stayed in it.

It wasn't that she didn't care for Gaara, because she did. She cared for him a lot and he was her best friend. The feelings didn't go any deeper than friendship, though. An example of it could be the fact that when they were together, they had kissed. She didn't feel anything like what she had with Sasuke. With Sasuke, Sakura got lost in the moment and they could be kissing for hours, when it only felt like minutes. There was a sharp, burning heat between her and Sasuke. It was a feeling that scalded her and excited her. He could make her stomach flip with anticipation and nervousness with a single look. As bad as it sounded, with Gaara, nothing like that happened to her. Their relationship, their friendship, was comfortable and that was all.

In a romantic relationship, Sakura believed that there needed to be excitement. Not constantly, but most of the time. She enjoyed spending time with Gaara and she loved that she could open up to him without hesitation, but… Her feelings for Sasuke and Gaara were so very different. Just like they were so very different.

In her mind, there was no comparing to Uchiha Sasuke.

"Maybe you should come to Konoha for a while?" Sakura asked softly with a small smile. "You know my mom always had a soft spot for you."

He smirked. "Only because she knows I keep you out of trouble."

"Out of trouble?" she repeated with her own smirk. "I'm sorry, I think you're forgetting about that time in the park where you started fighting a group of guys."

His smirk widened. "They looked at us like we were freaks."

"We were freaks!"

At her laugh, he chuckled. "Yes, but that didn't give them the right to treat us that way."

This was what she meant. With Gaara, she could be herself and relax. She could make some of the most unladylike noises and he wouldn't even bat an eyelash. One time Sakura had even had him coming into the bathroom while she was on the toilet to pass her more toilet paper and her sanitary towels. Like she kept saying: he was her best friend.

He'd seen her at her best and at her worst, just like Sakura had seen Gaara at his best and at his worst. That was where they'd slipped up. They tried to make more out of their friendship by pushing the boundaries and limits and in the end, they knew they had to get out before they ruined their friendship. The romantic relationship between them had felt forced. Sure, Gaara was a good kisser and she liked his hugs, but he didn't make her feel the way Sasuke did.

"You're so lucky I got involved," replied Sakura as she sat back on the sofa and picked up another sandwich. "You would have gotten your ass kicked otherwise."

"I doubt that."

"Oh?" She smirked around her sandwich, eyeing him with a challenging look. "Are you sure about that? If I'm remembering correctly – and I have a great memory – then I jumped in just as they had you on the ground."

His eyes narrowed with his own challenging look. "I still took on more of them than you did."

"True, but I inflicted the most damage."

"Are you sure? I could have sworn that one of the guys I took on had a broken wrist once I was done with him."

"That is because you're a sadist."

They couldn't help but laugh at their banter and the warm, light conversation continued until it got later into the night. Once the temperature began to drop, Gaara switched the air-con off. Goosebumps had been breaking out all over Sakura's skin and she had even grabbed the throw off of the sofa to wrap around herself.

It was when he sat back down that Gaara started the conversation she'd been waiting for. "Why did you give him a second chance?"

"I…"

When she trailed off, unable to find words, his brows mashed together. "I can still remember finding you hiding under the stairs, crying to yourself and I can remember how badly you were bullied. Why would you risk that happening again?"

He had always looked out for her since they became friends. Many had pegged him as a bad guy, as somebody who didn't give two fucks about anybody else. His only friends had been Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto. Also, because Sasuke hated Gaara, Sakura had decided that she did, too, just to stay in the Uchiha's good books.

However… Despite what people said about him, he had stopped on his way to class and sat by her side, waiting for Sakura to calm down before he asked her what had happened. Gaara kept telling her that the only reason he had stopped was because she was important to Naruto, but there had definitely been something more in his expression. He genuinely cared about other people. Seeing her (or anyone else) in pain was something he despised.

"He's changed, Gaara." When he pulled a face, she leaned forward, catching his eyes with the sincerity in hers. "Seriously. He's changed. Sasuke… So far in our relationship, he's done everything he can to make me happy. When his fan-girls ambushed me, he was there. He's taken me on beautiful dates and to meet his family. He bought me this." She showed Gaara her necklace. "And he just… listens to me when I need somebody to talk to." Smiling, she added, "It's not like in the past. When we were younger, I was scared to be myself around him. I always wore makeup and made sure my hair was perfect, that my skirt was short and my bras always had to be the ones that push my breasts up."

"And now?"

"Now…" The smile on her face widened. "Sasuke always tells me to be myself. This morning, I looked awful. My hair was sticking up in so many different directions and I had a huge spot on my chin as well as morning breath." She blushed. "He still told me I looked beautiful."

He watched her for a while, watched her emotions. It had been quite a long time since he'd last seen that happiness in her eyes. There were things going on with Sakura that even he didn't know about, things that weighed her down but because she was such a good friend, because she cared so much for others, she hadn't wanted her problems to weigh anybody else down, no matter how many times they told her to just share. Those things had stopped her from feeling happy but somehow, Uchiha Sasuke had managed to bring her happiness again. Not just the superficial kind of happiness, but the genuine kind. He hadn't seen Sakura so happy in a long time.

In a way, Gaara was almost jealous.

He wanted that happiness too. She looked so free.

"He hasn't hurt you?"

"Not physically, not emotionally and not psychologically," replied Sakura with a warm smile. "Everything Sasuke does, he does to make me happy. He contacted you for me. Sasuke knows how much you mean to me, Gaara. Even though you don't like each other, he still contacted you for me. Twice!"

That was true, he supposed. Part of him felt so very happy for his friend and wanted nothing but the best for her, but… Gaara could remember exactly what Uchiha Sasuke was like, even if it was years ago. What if he hurt her again? He wouldn't be there to put her back together again if there was a next time.

"It's been five months–"

"Seven months," she corrected quietly.

"And he still puts you first? Still does everything he can to make sure you're happy?"

Sakura nodded, giving him a smile. "He does. Honestly, Gaara. You should come back to Konoha even if it's only for a week or so. You can see for yourself that he's changed."

Going back to Konoha sounded like a very tempting thought, although he couldn't say the same about meeting Uchiha Sasuke again. They had never seen eye to eye and would rather rip chunks out of each other than talk. However, it seemed they had something in common now – or something to stop that urge to beat the shit out of each other. Sakura. If anybody could stop a fight or put people such as himself and Sasuke in their places, then it would be her. She was the toughest girl he had ever met.

"You should try and get some sleep," Gaara told her with a small smile. "You look exhausted."

"I am." She grinned tiredly and rubbed her eyes. "But we haven't seen each other in years and–"

"You're going to be here for three months. We can catch up in the morning while I'm showing you around Suna." At her wide eyes, at the mixture of excitement and dread, he smirked. "You'd better get some rest if you're going to be outside tomorrow."

The look Sakura gave him could only be described as unimpressed as she stood up and stretched, walking around the sofa. To get him back for his teasing smirk, she ruffled his already messy hair, grinning when he muttered under his breath and swatted her hand away.

"Night, Gaara."

"Goodnight."

Entering her room and shutting the door behind her, Sakura walked over to the window and watched the darkness outside for a moment before closing the curtains. They were thick, heavy curtains, ones made to keep out the natural light – which she was grateful for. Sakura planned on having a long lie in tomorrow morning. Sighing, she fell backwards onto the bed, groaning when she fell onto her books. Apparently she had forgotten to put the items from her large bag away and at the sight of her laptop, she bit her lip.

Perhaps she should video chat Sasuke before bed and then thank him again when she returned? There wasn't too much of a time difference. If anything, Konoha should be behind them, so it would be fine.

Nodding to herself and switching her laptop on, Sakura stood up and put her books on the dresser beside her makeup, though left one of them on the bed so that she could read before going to sleep. It always helped her unwind after a long day and calmed her mind, making it so much easier for her to fall asleep.

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and grimacing at the fact it was still damp, she signed into the instant messenger, watching the online contacts for a few minutes before she was sending a single text to Sasuke, telling him to sign on. It would cost too much to constantly text or call him and they had reluctantly accepted that, but fortunately because of Gaara's generous offer, she now had an internet connection (which he had given her the password to earlier for her phone).

It was only a minute later when she got a notification at the bottom of her screen.

Avenger–S has signed in.

Sakura grinned to herself and immediately video called him, unable to hide her smile when it instantly connected.

It was obvious Sasuke had just come from the shower, as his usual spikes were more or less flat, making him look so much more like his brother. Also, it appeared as though Sasuke was shirtless. Something fluttered in her stomach.

"I thought you would have no internet connection?" Sasuke drawled, biting back a smirk.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Sakura told him softly, genuinely. "Thank you for getting in touch with Gaara and just… Thanks for all of this."

He smirked this time, unable to hide it. "What time is it over there?"

Glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table, Sakura murmured, "Just gone eight o'clock. Gaara thought it would be best that I got an early night since I'm a little jet lagged and I wanted to speak with you before I went to sleep."

There was a pause in his movements of drying his hair with the towel and after a moment, Sasuke glanced at her face on his laptop, eyebrows knitting together. "You're staying at Sabaku's place? Is there only the two of you there?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're friends, Sasuke. I know you heard the rumour of Gaara and I being together – not really a rumour, since it was true – but it didn't work out. We're better off as friends and we both agreed to it. Please trust me." After a moment, Sakura sighed. "And yes, for tonight, there's only the two of us here but his siblings will be home either later tonight or tomorrow morning."

Like she had, Sakura heard Sasuke sigh and he dropped the towel. "It's not that I don't trust you, Sakura. You know how possessive I can be."

"I know." She smiled at him. "But I promise that you have nothing to worry about. We were just talking about you, actually. I think Gaara's starting to understand that I really like you and that you've really changed since we were younger."

This seemed to surprise him as he raised an eyebrow to her. "He accepts our relationship?"

"I wouldn't go that far just yet, but I hope he does. He's one of my best friends and I don't want to lose him because of our relationship. But I also don't want to lose you because of my friendship with Gaara."

He smiled at her. "You won't lose me."

She returned his smile and butterflies filled her stomach. "Good. You won't lose me either."

"Good."

"Anyway." Sakura yawned and covered her mouth, though soon wiped her eyes when they watered because of her yawn. "I'm really tired. I just called to say thank you for contacting Gaara for me. I'll thank you properly when I'm home."

Unsurprisingly, he smirked at her. It was such a sinful smirk that it had her feeling so very warm on the inside and her heart began to pound. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Pervert." She laughed. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

His eyes warmed. "Goodnight, Sakura."

Logging off, she shut down her laptop and placed it down onto the stool in front of the dresser and as soon as Sakura switched out the lights and climbed into bed, she was asleep.

"You're finally awake, then."

Sakura yawned and fell onto the sofa, leaning heavily against the arm of it. "How long was I asleep for?"

"You've been upstairs for fifteen hours, although I don't know if you've been asleep for that long."

Damn… "Most of it, yeah." She rubbed her face tiredly, like she was trying to wipe away the exhaustion that was still weighing her down. It was ridiculous, in her mind, that even after fifteen hours of sleep she was still so tired. "Are Temari and Kankuro home yet?"

He nodded. "You just missed Temari. She's gone to work. Kankuro is still asleep and probably won't be up until later this afternoon." When Sakura raised a curious eyebrow, Gaara rolled his eyes. "He was out drinking last night and didn't come home until gone five in the morning."

Her shock was obvious. "You were still awake?" He nodded. "I thought you looked more tired than usual yesterday. Why haven't you been sleeping?" There was no answer, prompting Sakura to lean forward ever so slightly, her eyebrows knitting together and features showing her concern. "Is it something to do with your depression?"

The look in his eyes as they locked with hers was guarded, heavily guarded, but as Sakura kept eye contact and refused to be intimidated, refused to stand down, slowly, ever so slowly, those guards slipped away. "Apparently so."

"Did you speak with a doctor?" He nodded. "What did they say?"

"I was given antidepressants."

"And?"

"That is all."

Sakura frowned. Back in Konoha, if somebody was diagnosed with depression then they would be offered counselling, or possibly even group therapies. In fact it was encouraged instead of immediately putting somebody on antidepressants. She understood that Gaara wasn't the most emotionally open person out there and it took a while to wear him down, but… He was no different from anyone else.

It was with a sigh that she stood up and smiled down at him. "I suppose we both have things we need taken off our mind. Let me get dressed and then you can show me around."

There was only a brief pause until Gaara nodded once with a small smile, grateful that she didn't nag.

"You must be Haruno Sakura."

The hand that reached out for hers was old, wrinkly and covered in age-spots, but Sakura was quick to accept it and shake the hand firmly. "Yes."

The woman who was speaking with her was old with thinning grey hair and dark eyes. Those eyes were harsh, distant, yet at the same time they gave Sakura a strange sense of warmth. She hoped she would be sticking around the woman.

"Here, they all call me 'Chiyo-baasama'," she chuckled and released Sakura's hand. "So I expect you to do the same."

Sakura nodded once, smiling. "Yes, Chiyo-baasama!"

"I have heard many great things about you from your sensei. Iruka, I believe his name to be?" When Sakura nodded again, Chiyo gestured for the girl to follow her into the hospital. "Do not let those people down, Sakura."

"I have no intention of doing that."

She nodded, seeming pleased to hear the words. "For the duration of your stay here in Suna, you will be shadowing me. Just because I am the head of the hospital, it does not mean that I don't see my fair share of the gore."

The head of the hospital? She was shadowing the head of the freaking hospital? Sakura tried her best to suppress the grin threatening to split her face in half and thankfully, only a smile showed itself. "I would be honoured to shadow you."

"Normally, others don't receive these kinds of offers," stated Chiyo as she guided the way to an elevator and once they were in it, she pressed the top floor button. "Only those who have proved themselves are offered a position such as this. They need to have great potential. And when your sensei sent me your file, I knew I would be a fool not to give you such a position."

Sakura bit her lip. It would do no good to let Chiyo's compliments go to her head. "And I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity."

The old woman smiled and as soon as the doors swung open, revealing a calm corridor, she began walking once more at a slow pace, leading the way to her office. It was equally as calm and silent as the corridor, so much so that it almost caused Sakura to pause. In Konoha, their hospital was chaotic. There were people on every corridor and every ward. Doctors, nurses, patients and visitors. It had only just occurred to her that it was the exact opposite in Suna's hospital.

"Why is it so quiet?" she couldn't help but ask, looking around with wide eyes as they entered Chiyo's office.

Like everywhere else in the hospital, it was basic and plain with nothing more than what was needed. In the corner of the room, hiding in the shade, was a water cooler with a tall stack of cups leaning against it.

"Completely different to Konoha, right?"

"…Just a little."

Chiyo gestured to the chair facing her desk as she sat down, silently telling Sakura to do the same. "Out here in the desert, you have to be tough to survive. You have to have your wits about you. One wrong move and you could die," she told the young girl simply. "It is because of these things that people know not to wander or break any of the rules. In my hospital, we have order and there are a set of rules that everyone must abide by."

Seeing that Sakura was listening intently, she continued, "No visitor is to get further than reception without a pass. These passes change with every visiting hour. Sometimes they're a specific colour and other times, they have a unique code on them. If you are found wandering around with the wrong pass, you will be arrested." Giving her a moment to absorb the news, Chiyo then added, "Another rule is that patients must never leave their wards without a nurse or doctor with them."

Sakura frowned at this. "Not including the pass scheme, that's the same as in Konoha, isn't it? Why is it so effective here?"

Her question seemed to please Chiyo for some reason because she leaned forward ever so slightly, making sure to keep eye contact and there was a small, proud smile on her lips. "That is a very good question. Despite your intelligence, I'm certain you don't watch the news much."

She grimaced. "Studying all the time keeps me locked away in my room. Even if it didn't, I prefer to be ignorant to all the suffering in the world."

"Which is fine," Chiyo assured her when she saw the uncomfortable look in her eyes. "That is your opinion. However, if you had watched the news, you'd know that there has been many attacks lately."

"Attacks?"

"Not actual attacks. More like kidnappings. Many times now an intruder has entered the hospital with the intention of kidnapping the children. This is partly why we have moved the children's ward up a few floors and brought down the crazies."

It took a lot to hold back her frown. Nobody had said anything to her about kidnappings. "The crazies?"

"That is another rule. Do not enter the ward on the third floor."

This time, Sakura's frown was obvious. She was hoping with all of her heart that Chiyo hadn't just labelled mentally unstable patients as 'the crazies'. It was hardly respectful towards them, was it? Not to mention it wasn't their fault. Those who were mentally unstable didn't ask to be that way. In a way, it reminded Sakura of her anger. She didn't ask to feel that way, did she? No. But it didn't change the fact it was always there, burning away in her gut.

Apparently, Chiyo caught onto her thoughts because she cackled. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. That's what they call themselves. I've been working here for well over forty years now and even though patients have come and gone, they still stick to that name."

They did? But why? Knowing that Chiyo wouldn't personally be able to answer such a question, she nodded once. "I'm sorry. I thought you were…"

"It's fine, it's fine," she told her with a laugh, waving her hand. "I would have thought the same if our positions were reversed." Then, she grew serious. "Do you understand about entering the third floor?" Sakura nodded seriously. "Good. Not only could it put you at risk, but also the other patients should they get out of that ward."

Again, Sakura nodded.

"Tell me," Chiyo wondered, her smile slipping away ever so slightly, "how do you feel about Suna so far?"

It was rather unnerving how serious Chiyo seemed to be. "Um…" Sakura smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "It's going to take some getting used to," she replied honestly after a brief pause. "Everything here is so different."

Already knowing this since she had travelled to Konoha before, Chiyo sat back in her seat. "Remember to always keep your canteen filled with water and try not to stay in the sun for prolonged periods of time. You'll find several of these coolers-" She indicated to the water cooler in the corner of her room, "-around the hospital."

Sakura nodded understandingly. It was pretty much exactly what Gaara had told her, minus the part about water coolers. Or had he mentioned them? She tried to remember, but Chiyo was speaking again before she had the chance to.

"I want to warn you now that this will be no easy task." Once more, Chiyo's voice and expression were both serious. "You will be working weekdays from nine in the morning, until four in the afternoon with only two breaks and a lunch. You may leave the hospital during those breaks to do whatever it is you kids are doing nowadays, but you must make sure that you return before your break ends." Again, when Sakura nodded in understanding, she continued, "You will be treated as the other members of staff are treated and that includes our three strike system."

"Three strikes?" Sakura frowned.

"Yes. If you receive three strikes, you will lose your place here and will be sent back to Konoha."

She refused to show her worry, because Sakura was determined not to earn even one strike. No, she would complete the summer without earning herself a single strike. "What gives you a strike?"

"The things I have already mentioned, for starters. Along with this, here at the hospital, we will not tolerant any form of bullying towards our patients or our staff. Any inappropriate behaviour of any kind will result in a strike. Being late will earn you a strike. Being untidy and a reliability will also give you a strike."

As Chiyo continued to list off the many, many rules, Sakura felt both dread rising within her and a strong determination.

Like hell she would be sent back home!

"I don't know…"

There was a low chuckle on the other end of the phone, making a shiver run up her spine. "Are you alone?"

Her instincts were telling her all kinds of things. Hang up the phone. Lie and say no, she wasn't alone. Tell him yes, she was alone and yes, she really wanted to do what he was suggesting. What was she supposed to do?

"Sakura…"

Memories flashed to the front of her mind, reminding Sakura of the night she and Sasuke had shared just before she left for Suna. It reminded her of the feeling of him being on top of her, of his eager hands exploring her body, whispering and moaning into her neck and ear when she brought him to orgasm.

"Yes," she whispered before clearing her throat, demanding herself to speak louder. "Gaara and his siblings are out for a short while." A pause. "What are you doing?"

Another chuckle, this one sounding breathy. "Do you really want to know?"

Her heart was pounding away in her chest and the rise in temperature had nothing to do with the fact she was in the desert. "Yeah."

"I'm laying in bed, imagining that you're next to me."

Ever so slightly, Sakura shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable. "What would we be doing?"

"For somebody who didn't want to do this, you're very into it already."

"I'm… curious," she murmured, glancing over at the window before she got up and shut the curtains, flopping down on her back onto the bed. "And it's not like I'm breathing heavily down the phone, asking what you're wearing or what colour your underwear are."

She could almost hear Sasuke's smirk. "I wouldn't be able to tell you a colour."

"…What?" Sakura breathed into the phone, tensing. "You're… You're not wearing any underwear?"

"Correction: I'm not wearing anything."

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she breathed deeply, trying to calm herself and ignoring the sudden warmth that flooded her stomach. It was impossible.

"You're remembering it, aren't you?"

She brought the phone back to her ear, just about catching his words. "Remembering what?"

"Our last night together. You're remembering what it was like to have me on top of you."

Even though he couldn't see her, Sakura felt herself nodding.

"I can't stop thinking about it," he muttered and at his next words, her eyes slipped shut. "Just thinking about you makes me hard."

"How…" Sakura swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak louder so that Sasuke would actually be able to hear her and as she spoke once more, she opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling. "How long has it been? Time seems to go by so slowly here."

A pause. "One month, two weeks and a day."

Tears threatened to fill her eyes. It had been over a month since her night with Sasuke. Why did it feel like so much longer? It felt as though she had been away for years and not a single month. It felt like it had been decades since she last saw her mother, who regularly sent her a video chat request because of how much it cost to call somebody abroad. The only reason Sakura was on the phone now was because Sasuke had a sudden bonus feature in his contract. She was so glad that he did, because Sakura missed his voice terribly.

"I want to come home," she whimpered into the phone and covered her face with her free hand, catching the tears before they fell.

"Don't you like it there?"

"I do. I love it here. Working at the hospital is harsh, but it feels amazing being able to help people. Chiyo-baasama is so kind to me – like a grandmother. Being here with Gaara, Temari and Kankuro is great, too. I just… I miss you all so much."

On the other end of the line, Sasuke sighed. "I miss you, too."

It was difficult trying to calm down, trying to stop the tears from falling. Today had been a stressful day due to not much sleep the night before. Kankuro had brought a girl back with him and had woken her up halfway through the night and since then, it had been close to impossible to get to sleep. Not only that, but in the morning Temari had been in a foul mood, snapping at Kankuro to keep his whores quiet, which resulted in an argument between Temari and Kankuro's girl of the night, one that had been escalating quickly into a full blown fight.

In the end, Gaara had to get involved as he had been able to see how stressed Sakura was getting and how close to snapping she was. It was in the tick of her eyebrow, in the shaking of her fists and the hardening of her eyes. That was partly why the three siblings had gone out for the evening – to give her some space. It was so wrong that they left their own home for her, but Sakura was grateful for it.

"How is everyone? My mom? Your mom? Naruto? Hinata? Itachi-san? Lee-san? Shis–"

"Sakura, calm down." Sasuke sighed again and she could hear him sitting up in his bed as the headboard creaked ever so slightly, like he was leaning back against it. "You have worked so hard for this opportunity. Don't give up now because you miss us here in Konoha. You're just homesick."

"It's not just homesickness," Sakura told him, just barely holding back a sob. "Suna is just… It's completely different from Konoha. I wake up in the morning pretty much drowning in my own sweat unless somebody is up before me and switches on the air conditioning. Or sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, shivering and having to grab extra blankets because it gets so cold. They have weird food here. Gaara was eating lizard the other day, Sasuke. Lizard! And they don't even have dango here and… and…"

"And you are homesick."

Realising that it was the truth, she released a deep breath, whispering, "Yeah."

"It's understandable, Sakura. You've never been away from home for so long."

"I feel so bad," she whispered into the phone. "They're all being so kind here and I feel so bad for being unhappy. I love them and I love working at the hospital, but…"

"But it's not Konoha."

Sakura took another deep breath, grateful that the tears were coming to a stop and the quivering of her bottom lip was no longer there. "I wish you were here with me."

"If I could, I would get the next flight out there, but my father won't allow it."

"How do you know?"

"I already asked."

His words had her heart warming and a gentle smile pulled at Sakura's lips, effectively pushing away the rest of her negative feelings. Only Sasuke was able to do that. With just a few words, he managed to calm her down, to make her anger fade away into nothing and he could bring a smile to her face so easily.

"Did he say why?"

"Something to do with whatever is happening on the news. There's been a few attempted kidnappings, mostly children who belong to rich and powerful families, but there's also a few ordinary children who've been targeted."

Sakura gasped and her eyes widened. "Chiyo–baasama said something to me about that on my first day."

There was the sound of him shifting, most likely getting more comfortable and it was like her body copied his, because Sakura also shifted. "Yeah. Itachi and Shisui offered to accompany me, but he refuses to risk it. Too many people know who I am and who my father is. Allowing Itachi to go also would just add to the risk."

"It's understandable. If it's that huge of a risk, even though I want nothing more than to have you next to me right now… I wouldn't want you to be in danger."

Yet again, there was another pause and when he spoke, there was definitely a hint of a smirk in Sasuke's voice, "You want me next to you?"

A breathy laugh escaped her before she could stop it. "Yeah."

"And why is that?"

She decided to be daring. "So we could repeat what happened on our last night together."

He sighed and at the sigh, Sakura lifted her legs, bending them at the knees. There was a difference between that sigh and the others she'd heard during their phone call. The one he'd just released sounded almost exactly like the one from that night, when she had been pleasuring him.

"Would it be too much to say that I'm aching for you?"

"No," Sakura murmured and unknowingly, her hand began stroking just above the waistband of her pyjama bottoms. "I'm aching for you, too."

"What are you doing right now?"

She closed her eyes, doing her best to imagine that Sasuke was right next to her instead of all the way in Konoha. Or, better yet, she tried to imagine that she was next to him and they were both in Konoha. "Stroking my stomach. You?"

"Touching myself."

Her eyes snapped open and a blush swept across her cheeks. "Y-You're…?"

"Masturbating?" There was definitely a smirk in his voice. "Yes."

Breathing became shallow and her hand shook as it slipped beneath her pyjama bottoms. Like the night they had spent together, she hadn't put any underwear on beneath her pyjamas, mostly because it was uncomfortable. And once Sakura reached her opening, she was surprised to find that she was already wet. It had never happened so quickly before, at least not when she was alone.

"Tell me you're touching yourself like I am, Sakura," Sasuke's voice was low and throaty and his breathing was quicker than before. "Tell me you're thinking about how it felt when I was the one touching you."

She swallowed hard and after a moment of thinking about it, she pushed her finger inside of herself, releasing a shaky sigh. "I'm… I'm imaging that it's you who's touching me instead of it being my own hand."

His breathing hitched, much like hers suddenly did at his next words, "I want to be inside you, Sakura."

Oh Gods, did he have to say her name like that? Like it was the most sensual word in existence? It was making her heart pound harder than it had before and by the smallest amount, her thighs quivered. "I want that, too."

"If I were with you now, I would have the both of us naked and I would pin you against the bed."

The pace of her finger increased. "Sasuke…"

There was a low grunt on the other line. "Do that again."

"Do what?" she breathed, eyes slipping shut once more.

"Moan my name."

"Sasuke…" she did as he asked, moaning his name for him despite feeling a little silly doing so. It was coming naturally to her because she was pleasuring herself, so Sakura refused to focus on the fact another could hear her. "Sasuke!"

A groan. "As soon as you're home, I'm locking you in my bedroom and I'm going to make love to you over and over again."

Make love. Not fucking, but making love. Another moan tore from her, this one breaking off at the end. "Y-You can't have people… over–"

"Fuck my father's rules," he muttered, his voice sounding strained and very quietly, Sakura could hear the sound that the movements of his hand created. "I need to be inside you, Sakura. I want to push myself up against you and make you moan louder than you just did. I want to feel your body against mine, moving with mine. I want you underneath me. I–"

When his voice broke off and he grunted again, Sakura decided to add some of her own wants. So far, it was only Sasuke who was saying the dirty stuff and she thought it was about time to say something too, "I want you to pin me down and prove that you're the only one who can dominate me."

Having Sasuke dominating her was something Sakura secretly thought about constantly. Every day, at least a few times, something would flash through her mind. A scene, in some ways, yet it was in a way that made it seem like a memory. She would imagine him pushing her face down into his pillows, with his hips slamming against hers and–

Her moan went up an octave.

"You're close," Sasuke breathed.

She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her. It felt like he was right next to her! "Yes."

"Only I can dominate you, Sakura," she heard him growl and at his possessiveness, another finger joined her first. "Nobody is to touch you the way I do and when you're back home, I'm going to do more than just touch you with my fingers. I'll use my tongue. My cock."

Another moan and she threw her head back. "I… I want to taste you."

His breathing hitched once again. "Fuck… Only you have this effect on me."

Her eyes opened slowly, weakly as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm. "What effect?"

"You drive me crazy, Sakura. I can't think of anything but you. Compared to you, all other girls are unimportant and boring. You stand out from them all and just knowing you're mine…" Another grunt and in response to his sound of pleasure, her hips bucked. "I couldn't think of a better person to give myself to entirely."

Sakura's breathing stopped and orgasm finally captured her.

"You're looking much better this morning, Sakura."

She smiled shyly at the old woman and forced down her blush. Unfortunately, it hadn't been stopped in time at the Sabaku residence and Temari had immediately pounced on her, demanding to know what had happened. All Sakura did was mention that she'd had a phone call from Sasuke and the blonde understood exactly what had gone on.

"Thank you, Chiyo-baasama. But…" Sakura looked around with a frown. "Why are we standing outside of your office?"

"Because you have a visitor inside of it."

Her eyes widened. Somebody from home, possibly? Her mother? Was it Sasuke? Naruto? Hinata? Who the hell was it? At the displeasure on Chiyo's face, Sakura decided that whoever it was, was not somebody the old woman liked and at this realisation, her heart skipped a beat and fear swell inside of her. In her mind, there was only one person, one man, who could be disliked by everyone who crossed paths with him and that was…

Her father.

Not giving Sakura the chance to say anything (even though the girl wanted nothing more than to run down the hall and catch the next flight back to Konoha), Chiyo opened the door to her office and allowed it to fall back against the wall, unimpressed to find that the other person had sat down in her desk.

"This is my rival, Sakura," Chiyo informed her as the other person stood up from the desk, knocking the breath out of Sakura at the sight of her. "Senju Tsunade."

The blonde behind the desk raised an eyebrow at her. "So you're the girl who's already on her way to surpassing me, eh?"

A/N - As you can all tell, I suck at talking dirty!

Oh and don't you worry! This won't be a love triangle and I hope I made that clear in this chapter. I'm a huge fan of GaaSaku, but I love SasuSaku too (and ItaSaku and KakaSaku) and I decided to make this story all about SasuSaku for once, without the love triangles.