Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters associated with it.

A One Month Bet

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh as she stepped out of the hospital. Thirteen days down, seventeen to go. Slowly but surely, her students were improving, though that doesn't go to say she hadn't felt like killing a few of them throughout the week. At one point, on Tuesday, she became so annoyed with repeating the same procedure over and over again that she used too much chakra and sliced the cadaver in two. On the upside, though, her students stopped their incessant questioning and decided to watch and mimic her techniques in silence. It was the most progress they'd made in two weeks!

Perhaps they were simply afraid of dismemberment…

A few fearful chunin passed by and gave her wary glances. She offered them a cheery smile and hopped down the steps. After the incident with Gaara and Kankuro more than a week ago, she was pleased to find that falling into a routine with her mission hadn't been as hard as she thought it would be. Gaara, as well, must've found that constantly badgering her was too demanding on his busy Kazekage schedule, because he'd neglected to call her in for daily reports all week. Not that she really minded… the urge to gaze at his handsome face was not nearly strong enough to overpower her distaste for his bad attitude. Now that it was Saturday again, she was grateful for an almost completely Kazekage-free week and was looking forward to her day off tomorrow. Hell, why not start tonight? She thought. She hadn't trained in days… it would be nice to get a workout in.

She practically skipped down the street, drawing curious glances as she did so. With the help of a friendly passerby, Sakura retrieved directions to the Suna training grounds, which she eventually found twenty minutes later. They were on the outskirts town, composed primarily of one golden sand dune after another. She watched the sand roll lazily from one dune top to the next. It really is beautiful, she thought as she gazed over one of the empty fields. Though Sakura missed and longed for the cool, green forests of Konoha, she could not deny that Suna had its own unique, exotic beauty. She felt the warm air bristle past the exposed parts on her legs, carrying sand with it that scratched her skin. It was the heat that finally brought her back to reality. If she stayed in the sun too long, she would burn, and though she could heal a sunburn easily, the tan lines it would leave behind were less than attractive and not particularly desired.

Sakura browsed the fields nonchalantly, looking for a glimpse of a familiar folding fan. From what Sakura had come to learn of Temari in the past two weeks, she was the type of kunoichi who enjoyed training nearly every day. Well, at the very least, she enjoyed beating her opponents nearly every day. If Sakura was lucky, she would find her among one of these fields.

"Hey! Sakura!"

Sakura turned to see Temari engaged in a battle with another sand nin down in field number five. She waved to the pink-haired girl quickly and then held up a single finger. "One sec, 'kay?"

Sakura watched Temari make several signs and then open her flag to three full moons. With a single push, she forced a gust of wind and sand so strong that it encompassed the entire field, burying her opponent and collapsing a nearby dune. She then folded her fan, gave an acknowledging salute to the coughing, sputtering ninja across the field, and jogged up the dune to meet Sakura. Her pigtails bounced with every step.

"Hey Sakura-chan! What's up?"

Sakura smiled and gestured to the other ninja down below. "That was impressive. Well done."

Temari winked and shot her a playful grin. "Nah, I was just warming up. That was nothin'."

Sakura smiled. She was really coming to like Temari, blunt and bold as she was. "Are you busy tonight?" Sakura asked. Temari smirked.

"Looking for a fun Saturday night in Suna?" She waggled her eyebrows and shoved Sakura playfully with her elbow.

Sakura grinned. "Something like that. I was actually looking to train… care to spar?"

"Spar? Geez. Don't you Leaf nin know how to have fun? I was thinking drinks and a night out."

Sakura smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "What, scared I'll beat you?"

"Tch, yeah right." Temari gave her a wicked grin. "Fine, you're on. Tell you what: if I win, we go out tonight, deal?"

Sakura felt the bet was unnecessary. She would've agreed to hang out with her new friend regardless, but she was itching for a workout. What could a few drinks afterward hurt? "Deal."

X

Their match was short-lived, but entertaining. Several chunin and genin stopped working to observe the battle and cheer on their Sand comrade, though Sakura felt they really didn't need to. Sakura was clearly outmatched by her opponent in this terrain. Her super strength did little against Temari's wind attacks, and the loose, shifting sand was difficult to keep her footing in. She gave Temari a run for her money, landing a couple of well-positioned hits, but by the time she'd swallowed her fourth wave of sand in her face, she held up a hand in defeat.

"I yield!"

The small group of observers cheered, bruising Sakura's pride even more. Temari crossed the field and helped her friend to her feet. "Don't take it too hard, Leafy. I had the advantage on my home terf."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura rolled her eyes. Next time she trained in these fields, she made mental notes on how she would alter her approach. Sparring was not just about the physical training of the body… it was just as much a mental exercise on adjusting to new conditions. That's what made her a good Shinobi.

"Let's head back home so we can clean up." Temari said, patting dust and sand off Sakura's shoulders. "Since I won, you owe me a drink."

"Fair and square," Sakura bemoaned.

Temari laughed. As they began walking, she added, "I know Kankuro's always down to hang out, so we can invite him. Maybe you can convince Gaara to come, too."

Sakura's smile faded. Gaara. She was always so confused by him. Last week it seemed as though he was devoting his time to scrutinizing her, purposely trying to discourage her. This week she'd barely seen even a glimpse of him. She was directed to submit any reports on the medic unit via paper, leaving them with Mitaya each evening. The Kazekage was simply too busy to bother with her anymore. She had become a speck, just another check on his to-do list. It was as if he no longer cared about his deal with her or the fact that he didn't have his specialized "team of medical nin." When Sakura had first arrived, that's what he had been so adamant about receiving. Now it seemed he'd become too busy to acknowledge her presence.

It's precisely what you wanted, isn't it? Inner Sakura chirped. Sakura frowned. A deep, secret part of her was a little sad that he didn't seem to care about her anymore… but that was beyond reason.

When they arrived at the mansion, Sakura was grateful that Temari neither mentioned Gaara again nor traveled in the direction of his office. They went straight to Temari's room so they could freshen up, just as she'd promised. Sakura even accepted Temari's offer to loan her a more casual top that was styled after a Kimono. She'd brought with her only work and training attire, but her new friend was generous. "Just give it back when we come home," Temari said, "No worries."

The two women ambled wantonly towards the front of the mansion. Sakura began towards the door, but Temari pulled her back. "Hold up. We'll go out the back. The village elders might see us. Those old farts have eyes everywhere."

Sakura was confused but didn't remain so for long. To her dismay, Temari strode quickly up to Gaara's office, without even acknowledging Mitaya. "Gaara!" she barked. There was a muffled response from the other side of the door. Temari opened the door enough to see her brother at his desk.

"I said go away." Gaara sighed.

"You work too much." Temari scowled. "Look, Sakura and I are going out tonight. You should join us."

Gaara's head snapped up at the infliction Temari put on Sakura's name. He growled low in his throat. Kankuro told her…

"Sakura," she called over her shoulder, "Don't you think Gaara should come with us?"

Heat rose to Sakura's cheeks and she turned her face away. Was Temari being intentionally intrusive? "Kazekage-sama is probably very busy," she said quietly. Temari made a face and shrugged.

"Alright, you party-pooper. Stay here with your papers." She closed the door and headed back towards Sakura. "C'mon," she said, "I'll show you the back way."

X

Gaara growled and crumpled up a paper in frustration. Damn Kankuro! He wasn't supposed to tell anyone, least of all Temari. If Sakura didn't already know how he felt about her, she would soon with Temari on her arm. He slumped back in his chair, exhausted. For the last week, he'd pushed himself harder than he had since his first year of being Kazekage. He was staying up all night again, reading and signing and approving and vetoing. His body was fatigued, his temper was short, and he'd neglected to go out training in far too long. All this mess with the medical unit and Haruno Sakura had left him frazzled. He felt desperate to see her, but he forced himself to stay distant.

How could he possibly speak to her in a conversation? He could practically see her disdain for him rolling off her shoulders every time she was in his office. He supposed he deserved it. As Kazekage, it was inappropriate to engage Miss Haruno in any other kind of relationship other than business. Not to mention he didn't even know how to do such a thing.

He sighed. Kankuro was right. Gaara had missed the important developmental stages of his teen years. He'd gone from demon to Kazekage to death to Kazekage again with hardly any time in between. He knew the girls of his village found him attractive (according to Kankuro, who jealously lamented that his little brother got more attention than he did), but he never thought or even cared to act on that knowledge. Suna was his life, his mission. He'd dedicated his time and well-being to improving his war-torn village. And even if he had the opportunity to speak to Sakura just as himself, not as the Kazekage, how would he do it? What would he say? He'd never been interested in a woman, never gone on a date…

Never been kissed.

And yet before she arrived, none of that had mattered to him.

Gaara rubbed his hands through the disheveled locks of his hair and traced his fingers over the kanji symbol on his forehead. What if he had gone with them tonight? What if he had finally relented to Kankuro and Temari's incessant demands? Sakura would've been there, not as a kunoichi, but just as a woman. And he would've been there, not as the Kazekage, but just as a man. Just a man and a woman.

Would it have made a difference, or would Sakura still hate him?

"Kazekage-sama is probably very busy."

"Sama," he echoed to himself. "Kazekage-sama." Formal and unattached. That's all he would ever be to her.

Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated.

Humbly yours,

Olly