A/N at the end.

Chapter 3

Trudging out of the gates of the Konoha hospital, Sakura stretched her arms into the air and immediately cringed at the cracking noise of her stiff joints. Crease formed between her brows, when she thought about the last three hours she'd spent hunching over the lab table to fine-tune a healing technique that she used to perform flawlessly. Being quite the perfectionist, she was disturbed to no end to see her skills deteriorate even the tiniest amount. Even though she knew that her excused hiatus from hospital duties was the cause, she had no solution. As much as she would've loved to dedicate more time to her passion for medical ninjutsu, her family came first and foremost.

With a resigned sigh, Sakura straightened herself. She began in the direction of her apartment, while mentally noting down the chores that awaited her at home. Though she didn't get very far on that list, when her thinking was interrupted by her sighting of a familiar figure amid the pedestrians in the busy afternoon streets.

Isn't that… Sakura squinted. Red and maroon. She'd recognize that trademark color scheme anywhere. Something jolted her memory at once—she still had unfinished business with the person in view!

"Gaara!" Picking up her pace, she jogged toward the individual.

Sakura came to a halt before the Kazekage of Sunagakure, just as he turned around to meet her. Shifting his jade eyes to focus on her, he greeted, "It's been a while. I hope all is well."

"Not too many complaints, I guess." She smiled a polite smile. "What are you doing in Konoha? Work?"

"Yes." She realized that she'd just asked the obvious.

Sakura waited a second more in case he wanted to elaborate on what business he had with the Hidden Leaf this time, but his matching silence conveyed that he had no plan to do so. She shrugged. It was probably some top-level, classified stuff she wasn't privy to. "Oh okay. How long will you be here?"

"I anticipate a few days."

Not a man of many words, Sakura thought. Then again, she'd always known that facet about Gaara: Getting more than a paragraph out of the redhead could be like pulling teeth. There was mystery to this man. And in a way, he reminded her of Sasuke…

As the exchange of general pleasantries came to an end, Sakura initiated a switch in the direction of their conversation to touch the subject on her mind.

"By the way, I still have your shirt."

Gaara tilted his head in confusion.

"I made it dirty, remember?"

He answered her question with a minute shaking of his head.

"Umm… when was it… maybe two months ago? When I had too much to drink and you helped me?" Crinkling her nose, Sakura tried to aid the man's memory without reliving the finer details.

She caught a flicker in his teal orbs. "Yes… I recall."

Sakura forced an awkward laugh. She wasn't sure if she should be glad or ashamed that he hasn't erased the whole fiasco from his memory yet. "Well, anyway, I cleaned your shirt. It's at my home. Would you like to come with me to get it, if you are not too busy?"

"That would be fine," he accepted.

"Great."

A couple rounds of mostly one-sided mindless chitchats about the weather later, Sakura reached her apartment with the red-haired Kage in tow. She unlocked the front door and motioned for her guest to enter. "Here we are! Please come in."

She led the taller man into the living room and played her part as the hospitable host. "Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea?"

Gaara obligingly found himself a fitting spot on the couch. "If it's not too much trouble, tea would suffice. Thank you."

"Of course! I'll be right back." Sakura sprinted into the kitchen to begin her task of tea-making. As she gathered the materials from her pantry, she stole glimpses at the redhead, who seemed to be leisurely browsing the layout of the space. Her mouth set into a thin line, Sakura knew she owed him a proper apology for the inconvenience she'd caused him last time.

When the kettle on the stove whistled, Sakura lifted it off the heat to pour the hot water into the already prepared teapot. She then arranged the tea set onto a tray before bringing it into the living room.

Setting the tray on the coffee table, Sakura filled Gaara's cup with tea and proceeded to do the same for herself. He nodded in appreciation, as she sat down on the adjacent loveseat. Settling herself into a comfortable position, she made eye contact with him. She was pressed to get that inevitable apology off her chest.

"Gaara—" she started, but her opportunity was abruptly stolen when a loud announcement, coupled with the slamming of the front door, interrupted her.

"I'm home!"

In walked her daughter.

Sakura angled her head to see Sarada pausing mid-step. Her onyx eyes darted toward Gaara; her mouth hung open.

"Umm… Mama, why is the Kazekage in our living room?" she blurted out.

"I invited him for tea. Don't just stand there. Come and introduce yourself to our guest." Sakura ushered for her daughter to come closer.

The young girl obediently stepped forward. Bowing slightly, she spoke with perceptible reverence, "Kazekage-sama, I'm Uchiha Sarada. It's an honor to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." The ends of Gaara's lips turned up.

"Kazekage-sama, you and my mom are friends?"

Sakura wasn't expecting the follow-up question from Sarada. She glanced over to Gaara, whose attention was wholly rested on her daughter. Sakura tapped on her chin. Sure, she and Gaara knew each other, but to call each other "friends" was a rather broad use of the term. Gaara and Naruto were friends—there was no ambiguity there. Her little interactions with Gaara throughout the years constituted more closely to the level of acquaintance, really. With that interpretation, Sakura wondered if she should clarify their nuanced relationship on his behalf.

"Yes." Gaara's answer swiftly dismissed her intention, surprising her somewhat with his clear affirmation. Maybe she was over-thinking it in the first place.

"What about my dad? Are you friends with him too?"

Sakura suddenly felt a prick in her chest.

"We are acquainted."

Sarada's face lit up. She promptly plopped herself down next to Gaara on the couch. "What's he like? Mama never tells me anything."

Sakura's hands balled in her laps. She swallowed. What would Gaara say? There could be so many things said, given her husband's rather colorful past. And for this precise reason, she'd withheld all the objectionable information about Sasuke from Sarada, leaving sadly little for her daughter to construe the persona of her long-time absent father. As for Gaara's perception of Sasuke... Sakura knew they've crossed paths on several occasions, but she remembered none being on friendly terms. Her confidence in the redhead, or anyone else for that matter, to give a favorable opinion dwindled.

So before Gaara could reply, she chose to deflect. "Sarada. That's enough. Your dad and the Kazekage don't know each other that well."

Her assertion earned her a measured look from Gaara. She didn't want to acknowledge it. Instead, she opted to give her daughter a stern stare.

Sarada fought her scowl with a pout, but decided to yield on the topic. "Kazekage-sama, is it true that you were the youngest in history to become a Kage?"

At her subsequent question, Gaara brought his focus back to her. "I believe I was fourteen when I assumed my position."

"That's so cool! We learned about you in school…"

Now Sakura hadn't seen it coming. Just like that, her daughter hijacked her chance to talk to Gaara and address the issue she had in mind. Nonetheless, it warmed her heart to see Sarada become increasingly animated in her conversation with the older male. The last time she'd seen her this excited was during her graduation from The Academy. So if a chat with Gaara was all it took to get that precious smile on Sarada's face to stay longer, Sakura was content to let her monopolize the Kazekage's attention for the time being.

"You were also the commander-in-chief of all the combat divisions of the Allied Shinobi Force during the war!"

As Sarada began gushing about the countless feats that the Kazekage has accomplished, Sakura shook her head resignedly. She just hoped that Gaara wasn't put off by her daughter's impromptu interview of his lifetime achievements. With a quick scan of his face, she was glad to see that the calmness in his expression revealed nothing of the sort.

Sakura, now willingly left out of the conversation, directed her attention to her neglected cup of tea. Some snacks as an accompaniment would be nice, she decided as she sipped on the warm liquid. Quietly excusing herself from the scene, she sauntered to the kitchen. In the background, she could hear snippets about the Fourth Shinobi War being exchanged between Gaara and Sarada.

As Sakura searched in her pantry for the particular biscuits and crackers that she was craving for, she overheard Sarada inquire, "Kazekage-sama. Will you train me please?"

Sakura went owlish. That just came out of nowhere? How could her daughter make such a request to a person of Gaara's stature? He was the Kazekage of Sunagakure. He had his village to lead, people to protect, meetings to attend, and deals to negotiate. Among the duties he shouldered, he was by no means an instructor at someone's whims and fancies. She didn't know what had possessed her daughter to come up with this ridiculous idea.

"Sarada!" A box of confections in her hand, Sakura cut in from the kitchen.

Sarada ignored her warning call and carried on, "Mama never has time, and Papa is always away. I want to be strong, like you. I want to be Hokage someday."

"Your goal is to become the Hokage," Gaara reiterated.

"Yes, I want to be able to make connections with everyone and protect the village, like Nanadaime."

"I see."

"Sarada, you can't train with the Kazekage," Sakura reentered the living room with a plate of cookies.

Her daughter argued, "Why not? I asked Kazekage-sama. I didn't ask you."

"It's not appropriate to ask such things. He's too busy!"

Sarada huffed and crossed her arms. She scrunched up her face at Sakura, who gladly returned in kind.

"I have time to spare." Gaara's voice resonated in their ears, effectively putting a stop to the glaring match between the mother and daughter.

Sakura blinked at the red-haired male, so did the young Uchiha. "Eh?"

"You can train me?" Sarada clasped her hands together hopefully.

Gaara gave a firm nod.

"Yeah!" Sarada exclaimed, throwing her hands up in joy. She stuck her tongue out at Sakura, not making any efforts to hide her victorious grin.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked Gaara incredulously.

"Indeed." He did not waver in his confirmation. Setting his empty cup down, he mentioned to his host, "I should get going."

"Already?" Sakura looked between the plate of sweets in her hands and Gaara.

"I have a function that I must attend this evening." Turning his head toward the youth beside him, he said, "Sarada, we can commence your training tomorrow."

"Yes!" The young girl beamed.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Gaara rose from his seat, meeting Sakura at eye level.

"Ah, Gaara, let me see you out." She hurriedly set the plate down to follow him.

Gaara watched as Sakura pulled the door to her apartment close behind her and fell into steps alongside him. She had politely offered to accompany him on his walk back to his lodging. He didn't need an escort, but he didn't protest her company, for he sensed a purpose in her self-invitation.

"Sorry about Sarada. She oversteps her boundaries sometimes. You don't have to take her request too seriously," she told him over the thuds of their matching footsteps.

"She aspires to be the Hokage one day. She will require the proper support and guidance to help her realize her goal." He gave her his honest input.

"I know. It seems like Naruto's had a lot of influence on her." A ghost of a smile graced her countenance before she continued, "I appreciate your willingness to train her, but the last thing I'd want is to burden you."

"It's not a burden."

If it was, Gaara would not have hesitated to let it be known. The fact of the matter was he did have time in his schedule to accommodate a few training sessions. Having Naruto in charge of the Hidden Leaf's affairs made his official visits easier; it meant fewer unnecessary meetings. He appreciated that his best friend too had little patience for superfluous formalities and protocols.

On a personal level, he welcomed the opportunity. He'd been indebted to Naruto and several of Konoha's finest for saving his life more than once. He thought he'd pay it forward by mentoring the young Genin to be the next possible Hokage candidate.

"Gaara, listen. I…" His female companion drawled, her tone marginally somber.

He glanced over to see her craning her neck so to face him fully. The corners of her mouth dropped, as she asked for understanding. "I want to properly apologize for what happened last time. I hope you don't think what I did was a reflection of my person."

Gaara knew the reference. He admitted that he hadn't paid much thought toward the incident at the time. In between the endless mission reports, council assemblies, and negotiations, he had filed it away deep within his memory for later analysis should the occasion arise. That occasion, perhaps would be now.

He surveyed her features. Her expression stayed hopeful as her eyes probed him for empathy. Their previous encounter ran afresh in his mind. If her lackluster appearance were any indication, she looked the same now and then: Worn down like the weathered cliff in the harsh desert wind.

Gaara noted out loud. "You are not as I remembered."

"Really?" The pitch in her voice elevated.

Although their past interactions were limited, two events replayed vividly in Gaara's mind at the thought of her. In the aftermath of his rescue from the Akatsuki, he remembered waking up from literal death to see her tearfully mourning over Chiyo's lifeless form. During his subsequent briefing, he learned that the pink-haired Konoha-nin, despite all odds, had defeated the notorious Sasori of the Red Sand and also saved his brother when all other efforts were to no avail. Then, there was their brief teamwork during the war. The extraordinary extent she'd gone to keep their friend alive had left him in awe.

Yet, it was that unfaltering defiance in her glistening eyes during those moments that stirred him. Etched in the depth of his memory were those vibrant green pools that reflected passion, determination, and fierceness. She was no simple kunoichi.

But now, she seemed unnaturally mellow, the fire in her vacant eyes non-existing.

His brooding silence prompted a defensive posture from her. She briskly waved her hands before her and insisted, "I swear that was an one-time thing only. I was really stressed about some things and needed a break. I usually don't drink at all!"

Gaara took in the sight of her agitated state. She misread his observations. He never pegged her to have a penchant for liquor; he thought she'd have her reasons.

"The things you stressed over… still persist?" he questioned.

Her gaze became downcast, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

"No. I'm fine now…"

Her response lacked conviction. But if she didn't want to share, he didn't want to pry.

"Sakura." He called her by her name.

"Hm?"

"Take care of yourself." That was all he could offer her for now.

Seemingly startled at first, Sakura soon smoothed her frown into a smile.

"I will."

A/N:

In reviewing these recent and upcoming chapters, I'm a little peeved by the uneven tone of the narratives. It seems that my humorous side (not that I'm that funny) always tried to take over and make some descriptions too light-hearted at times. I was hoping to make this story more... somber. Anyhow, I'm working on finding a more uniform tone in the future chapters, while giving a distinct voice to the characters in their respective POVs. So please bear with me, as I'm trying to get my writing mojo back and improve.

In case anyone is wondering about my upload schedule, I'm trying to get a new chapter up for this story every 1-2 weeks. Ideally, I was shooting for weekly updates. But my schedule got busier. :'( Plus, I got a little distracted by the MultiSaku month thing and decided to participate for GaaSaku day. ;) So I'll do some shameless plug here and encourage that you check out my GaaSaku one-shot on June 19. Likewise, I hope to see works from whoever would like to contribute to the fandom!