Follow the Sun Excerpts in Time

by WiccadBaltane0501

*Sequel to Follow the Sun* After such a sudden and surprising start to the friendship between Gaara and Sakura during her time stranded in the desert, they both find themselves wondering what will transpire the next time they cross paths. Only time will tell, and time has a way of bringing them together.

2. Installment 1(2)

Follow the Sun; Excerpts of Time

Installment 1; Part 2:

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Gaara stood from his perch on the towering old oak, the bark cracking underfoot as he did so, and his eyes set hard on the horizon. Actively tracking the advancing team of ANBU, he'd felt them on the move again, and closing distance. Over the past hour or two, he'd been tracking their time as well, trying to figure motive by the speed of approach. Helped only by the slowly setting sun, and so easily distracted by his company, Gaara was sure he'd lost track of time somewhere and now the ANBU were indeed closer than expected. He looked down to his side, to where his companion sat oblivious and unaware. It surprised him for a moment, to see that she hadn't noticed the sudden advance of powerful foreign life, but he knew he couldn't blame her. He was here, after all, standing so close and drowning her in the never-ending current of energy he put forth, washing her senses of anything else in place of that overwhelming power he was burdened with.

"You need to go back." His words were firm, no room for question, and the sudden break in his silence caused her to jump.

Sakura turned to him, having been distracting herself with the little plants that grew about the trunks and branches of these ancient beasts, and stood in question. "What?" she asked, her eyes drifting to the west. "What is it?"

"They're advancing," he confirmed, a sudden haste to his voice as he quickly gathered her field belt she'd removed, forcing it into her hands.

"From where?" she tried to clarify while struggling to fasten her belt; so awkwardly weighed down by the supplies it carried. "How fast?"

"Fast," he answered. "I'm going to send you back to camp."

He stood a step back from her, the sand from his gourd seeping out into the air and slithering in wispy tendrils around her feet. It took a moment for her to realize what he was doing, he'd only ever done it while standing close to her before, always with him, never on her own.

Sakura's heart leapt into her throat. "Wait," she pleaded, stepping into the swirling sand as it parted around her, the grains just barely brushing her skin. "What about you?"

He shook his head. "I'm going north, to lead them away from camp." He persisted in trying to send her off, the sand still hovering eagerly in the air around them. She only scoffed and swatted it from around her face.

"You don't know they'll follow you," she countered.

"They will, they've tracked me this far."

She refused to listen. "You should come back with me," she insisted, stepping up to him and trying to emphasize her point. "You can't be running off to do things on your own, you'll get yourself killed." Her eyes shifted to the west again and he could tell she was trying to sift through all that was suffocating her to feel what he had felt.

He scoffed, unable to help it, and shook his head. "Come on, Sakura, I'll be just –"

"Fine?" she snapped, those hard emerald eyes of hers turning back on him. "Yeah, maybe this time, maybe next time, but not every time."

Gaara sighed and his lips thinned into a stubborn line as he took hold of her shoulders. She didn't react, not a flinch, not a jerk; she just stared him down. "We discussed this," he reminded her, his voice low and serious. "You stay out if it, I take care of it."

"I'm not helpless, you know," she sneered as she stubbornly looked to the side, her brow pulling together as her lips turned into a frown.

He sighed as he studied her face; surely not the most becoming expression he'd yet seen. "I know," he said, completely sure of his words. Upon hearing this, at least, she offered him eye contact. "But both of your teachers would have my head if I let something happen to you." He hadn't been intending it, but this brought a smile to her face – even if only for a moment – and he was glad it had. "Stay by Kakashi," he pressed. "I won't be long, you'll know when I'm back," he assured her. He knew it was true, after all, he couldn't very well get too close before she pegged him for a dead giveaway. It wasn't the greatest tactical weakness to have…he'd have to find a way to work on that.

She thought for a moment, repeating to herself how she had agreed and she had promised to trust him. Her own stigma against these oncoming men aside, Gaara sought no bloodshed on this mission, she could play along. "Fine," she agreed. "But I'll be waiting."

He almost chuckled at this; the way she peered up at him through the worry, as if to scold him with those eyes of hers. "I'm counting on it." The sand started about the air, trying to finish the work she'd so rudely interrupted, only to be paused again.

"Wait a minute," she said, reaching out to clutch the fabric of his sleeve. "I…I don't think I want to…go alone," she admitted, looking down to the sand as it churned around her feet, knowing full well what type of malice lay beyond those innocently misleading grains. She'd always clung to him before, a way to solidify herself as separate from the beast… but how could she keep straight, keep together, all alone?

He nodded, cursing himself a moment for assuming she'd find no ill intent from the void by herself. She was a stubborn woman with a sharp mind and a tenacity that – somehow – seemed to rival his own, but the beast was not hers to deal with and the anxiousness she presented was entirely warranted. "Of course," he said, freeing his sleeve from her grasp so he could more comfortably step closer. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, perching herself loosely at his side when he slipped an arm around her waist. He could feel her heart race again, fluttering like little bird's wings as she waited in anxious excitement. "No, it's…" she muttered, her tone giving away her slight embarrassment. "It's silly."

The forces in the west were drawing ever closer to his chosen lookout, if Gaara wanted to get them away from the direction of camp, he had to hurry. "It's all right," he assured her, the sand thickening in the air and swallowing the daylight. Gaara pulled her closer and Sakura took a deep breath, settling herself against him as the world fell away. It was then that Gaara caught himself wondering when – if at all – he'd first noticed how well the curve of her waist fit into his hand.

The thought was short-lived, however, for soon there was nothing left of either of them as they fell to the earth as grains of sand. Then, slithering swiftly along the ground like deadly serpentine tendrils winding about the trees, he raced her back to camp. For her, there was no sense of the outside world as they traveled, only what she could still make of him, and what reached out to her from the darkness. For him, however; he saw it all through a crude set of eyes, speaking in the deep groans of the land and the low creaking of roots locked tight in their soil. Even in the void, though, even as that beast whispered doubts and echoed laughter in his head, he could still feel her, a pressure at his side that…perhaps, he'd missed more than he realized.

It was thoughts like this that stuck with him, made his heartbeat feel labored and heavy in his chest, and it felt like he'd reached her destination all too quickly. The sand gathered on the ground, swirling up and churning about as they arrived. In a sense he was torn; he preferred her in the flesh, but in the void, he shared her with no one. There was only that sickening chuckle from behind his mind to answer him.

Well…almost no one.

He could have smacked himself, knowing such impulsive thoughts would only bring him ruin, and the constant berating from the screeching in his head proved him right. He held back his grimace and the urge to crack his knuckles, releasing her from his side and letting her find balance on her own. They had materialized a little ways off the main path, the one they'd taken to their camp. She wobbled a bit, her legs still shaky and unsure of their ability to bear weight, but she managed just fine, taking in her new surroundings as the sand settled beneath the grass once again.

"Camp is that way," he said, pointing off to the east. "Just keep going straight and you'll find the trail soon enough."

Sakura looked off into the trees, nodding to herself. "Okay," she complied. "Don't be gone long. Do you have a radio?" she asked, already trying to dig hers from the belt hanging around her hips. He nodded and motioned to hand hers over. She surrendered it and waited a moment as he switched her channel, the receivers hissed in response and she was given her radio back. Sakura fiddled with it a moment, securing it around her neck and flipping back to the channel of her team, them tuning back to Gaara's. She smiled and turned the small mic away from her lips.

"What should I say to them?"

Gaara shrugged. "What did you tell Yaoki and Korobi?" he asked.

She paused, a breath caught between her lips as her eyes grew wide. "Oh, shit. I forgot my share of the firewood! I said I'd get it after my walk."

Gaara chuckled, shaking his head. "They took it back for you, did you really think they'd leave your things sitting alone on the trail?"

Sakura shrugged, clearly upset with herself. "But how would you know?" she demanded with a quirky upturn on her lips. "Where you spying on them?" she jeered.

"Yes," he answered simply. She openly gawked at him before turning to a mad grin. He shook his head with a sigh. "They never did quite get the hang of the water."

Sakura chuckled, unable to hold it in. "And just how long were you watching that?" she asked through her laugh.

He shrugged again. "Since I left camp."

"Wait," she said, pointing a finger his way. "You were watching us ever since you left?" He nodded. "And just why exactly?"

Gaara only paused, at first unsure whether her words were a joke or not. "I've got a squad of ANBU on my trail and I figured it would be good to keep an eye on my team. Then, of course, Naruto sent my two inexperienced subordinates out into the unknown forest with the intent to just aimlessly walk around looking for dead wood, so…yes, I kept an eye on them."

Sakura thinned her lips trying to keep back her grin, the way it pulled her cheeks and glowed in her eyes wasn't at all lost on him. "Aw," she teased, giving him a nudge of her elbow. "You were worried about them, that's so sweet."

He really could have groaned at this, though he definitely did roll his eyes. "Camp," he urged, physically turning her towards the trail and giving her a nudge in the right direction. "Go."

"Fine, fine," she relented, turning to quick look over her shoulder at him. The sand was already on the move, just waiting to whisk him away. She smiled and waved a quick goodbye with one hand as she tapped the mic on her radio with the other.

He nodded to her as the sand swallowed him up and quickly vanished into the trees. She paused a moment after he left, watching the tall grass and the leaves shake in the wind he caused.

Turning back to the direction of the trail, she did her best to reach out her senses and follow him. He was fast, very quickly gaining distance as she sifted through the densely tangled undergrowth leading to the main path. She paid no mind to the branches pulling at her locks and snagging her shirt, focusing instead on tracking the fading energy racing off into the deep woods. She supposed she could liken it to the shoreline as it transitioned to low tide; the ebb and flow of the current getting softer, weaker, and further away with every passing pulse. Before she could even reach camp, that enigmatic force that pulled her as much as it pushed, became nothing more than a buzzing at the back of her mind. It still worried her, to send him off on his own like this, but she couldn't refuse him either.

Brushing it from her mind, she saved face for the others and straightened herself as best she could before breaking through the trailhead into camp as casually as could be. Yaoki and Korobi had heard her approach and nodded to her in friendly greeting.

"Sakura," Korobi said. "Glad you made it back all right."

"Thanks," she said with a smile, taking a seat on her mat near the fire pit. The two had begun making a fire, it was getting darker now; the sun starting to sink below the trees and shadows would soon overtake these woods. "And thanks for getting my things," she said, giving her pack a good pat as it sat safely next to her mat.

They shrugged, looking coyly into the fire. "No big deal," Yaoki muttered before turning to look at her more directly. "So where did you go off to?" he asked.

"Oh, you know," she sighed. "Here and there, just…around."

He nodded. "Did you see any sign of Gaara? He's been gone a while."

She dug through her pack and retrieved her canteen, shaking her head as she unscrewed the cap and took a refreshing swig. "Nope, sorry."

They shared a look, neither quite believing her and both unsure of how to press the matter, but they were interrupted as she gave Naruto a rough nudge with her foot.

"Hey!" she barked at him. "Wake up."

"Huh?" he snorted, jerking awake and yanking the headband from over his eyes. "What's going on?" His eyes found sky between the leafy canopy, a darker shade of blue than he'd remembered, and proceeded to notice the fire beginning to crackle to life before him. "Oh," he said, suddenly stiff and needing to stretch. "Hey, guys."

"Good morning," Sakura replied with a sarcastic sweetness. "Nice of you to join us." Naruto merely shrugged and reached for his canteen. He took a drink as he riffled through the pockets of his pack, grinning as he pulled out a protein bar. "I expect Kakashi and Sasuke will be back soon," she continued. "They've been gone quite a while."

"Any word from them?" he asked before taking a bite of the bar. Sakura shook her head. "They're fine," he muttered, clearly not at all worried by their long absence.

She nodded, knowing he was right and laid herself back on her mat. She scooted her feet closer to the warmth of the flames as the growing shadows chilled the forest air and watched the branches and leaves rustle overhead. She could hardly feel it now, the way the sand in her pendant only slightly shook in response to the energy reverberating through the trees, and she knew that Gaara was long gone, possibly even miles away trying to put distance between the ANBU and their team.

She definitely couldn't feel any other signatures she might consider an ANBU in the near vicinity, taking that as a good thing, and trusted that Gaara's plan was working. She repeated his words to herself; "You stay out of it, I take care of it."

Sure…she could do that.

For now.

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It wasn't the chill that had woken her – though she definitely didn't care for it now that she noticed – and it hadn't been that annoying snoring she'd had to get used to when Naruto slept on his back. Sakura turned in her sleeping mat, propping herself up on an arm and quickly looking around the camp clearing. The fire had died hours ago, unattended by any nighttime watch, and the clearing of their camp was black to her unadjusted eyes. But she didn't need to see to be sure of what had awoken her.

Something was coming.

Her heart was racing within a moment, clashing haphazardly with the weariness of her limbs and the heaviness behind her eyes. Refusing the urge to jolt up, she carefully pulled herself from her sleeping mat, doing her best to make as little disrupting sound as possible. To her right, Naruto choked on a breath before returning to that slow snoring. To her left, Sasuke stirred in his sleep, always easily roused. Once free from her confines between them, Sakura stood and focused on what she could feel as her eyes adjusted.

It only took a moment to know that Gaara had moved since she had fallen asleep, his energy practically saturated the air, marking him much closer than he'd been when she'd fallen asleep. Perhaps the ANBU had chosen to rest for the night as well, favoring their chances when they could better see and he was able to slip back to camp for the night.

Wait…no, that couldn't be right…then who was coming closer?

"Sakura?"

She nearly jumped, startled by just a whisper from the darkness, and quickly turned to find a familiar shadow silhouetted against the dark trees. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, trying in vain to steady her racing heart, she stepped carefully away from the two sleeping at her feet. "Gaara," she spoke in greeting, her voice hushed between them.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly and quietly. She'd been startled awake and with the necklace hanging just over her heart, of course he'd noticed. "I'm fine," she breathed back. She took a chance to look at the canopy but was unable to see any starlight beyond the dense leaves. Walking up to him, she hugged her arms around herself to suppress a shiver. "What time is it? Do you know?" she whispered.

"It'll be dawn soon," he confirmed, nodding over to the other side of the clearing. "Kakashi is already gone."

Sakura followed his direction and was better able to see the empty mat as her eyes adjusted. "What's going on?" she asked, looking back to him. "Where did he go?"

He took steps toward the tree line and waited for her to follow, insinuating his intent. No need to disturb the others, it seemed, better just to talk elsewhere. She nodded, and after grabbing her field belt from her spot between her teammates as silently as she could, Sakura followed after him into the seclusion of the trees. "Kakashi left to ensure safe trails for the mission today," he explained, a little more strength behind his voice once in her company alone.

"I don't understand," she interjected quickly. "He and Sasuke spent all day doing that yesterday. Why wouldn't they be safe?" she asked, wishing there hadn't been such an obvious tension to the question.

"The ANBU continued to move throughout the night," he answered. Sakura sighed, looking to the ground in thought. So her initial assumption had been wrong; Gaara hadn't come back because it was safe to, he came back because he hadn't been able to completely draw them away. "I had to tell Kakashi, it was better to be sure…they're a little closer than I'd like," he admitted, looking off into the trees, towards the west she assumed it was.

"Gaara," she said, her voice insistent as she stepped closer. "They're coming towards camp." It was clear now that she'd been awoken by the swift approach of foreign forces, strong in both their numbers and their power. It wasn't just anything that snapped her from sleep so suddenly when on the road, it had been wistful to assume otherwise.

"I know that," he responded quickly, his voice practically hissed through tight lips. She could hear him take a breath in the darkness and only then did she realize the tension in his posture, the sharp edge to his energy.

"You asked us to stay out of it, but…you don't think they'll let us, do you?" She could see him shake his head. "Oh," she breathed, looking down as she contemplated a confrontation with allied ANBU. She didn't know their numbers…couldn't figure their chances. "I see."

"They had every opportunity to track me down through the night when I was alone, but they never did."

Sakura nodded. "Of course," she said with that blunt casualness to her voice once again. It made him pause, thinking back suddenly to all those times she'd used this tone with him in the desert. "It would be suicide to take you on in the dark. It's hard enough dodging your attacks as it is, let alone not being able to see them coming."

He smirked, unable to help it…perhaps her confidence in him wasn't entirely healthy for his pride. "Regardless…they only continued to scout closer to camp. Checking traps and snares no doubt, figuring the lay of the land."

"Makes sense," she said with a shrug. "They need daylight to take you on, which means they need to account for us. They've got to know what we know." He paused, mulling over the way he could tell her shoulders were tense by just her dark silhouette against the trees. Her heart had slowed, but it still thumped with a heaviness she could feel in every single beat. "You think they'll strike on the mission, don't you?"

There was a moment of silence before he spoke, Gaara wishing dreadfully that he didn't have to involve anyone else in this. "There's a chance."

"What do I do?" she asked, securing her belt around her hips as she did so. "Just tell me what to do."

Once again he was almost taken aback by her brazen tenacity. Here was that fire again, that spark of bravery and fortitude that he hadn't been able to forget. Only this time it wasn't against him, it was on his side. "We'll split up," he said, brushing past how she stopped instantly and jerked her gaze back to him. "Your team will go one way, mine will go another."

"What?" she gapped. "No!"

"Yes," he countered quickly. "They'll follow me."

"How do you know they'll all follow you?" she challenged.

"I don't," Gaara admitted casually. "But I know most of them will."

Sakura sighed, her breath coming out in an angry huff as she stalked up to him with hard steps. "Gaara, this is crazy," she insisted. "Don't separate yourself from the group."

"It's better this –"

"No it isn't!" she hissed, having to remind herself to keep her voice in check. There were soldiers sleeping in these woods, after all.

"Sakura, listen to me," he said, his voice dropping to something lower and more commanding. She merely rolled her eyes in response. Just who did he think she was, one of his subordinates? Though it was still quite dark below the shadows of trees, Gaara noticed this and chose to forgo the annoyance it caused him. "Just do it. Stop asking questions, stop trying to get in the middle of this."

"I'm on the mission," she replied simply, crossing her arms and squaring up to him in a stubborn display. "I'm already in the middle of it."

Gaara sighed, knowing that she was right but refusing to admit it. "You know what I mean," he said. "I've already spoken to Kakashi about it, he knows to be on the lookout; you should be, too. You'll probably notice before he does, anyway."

Sakura thinned her lips, almost not catching the last words he spoke, more so muttered to himself than to her, and she fought back the grin they caused. She knew her powers of perception were to be admired, especially for her age, but still…it was nice to have him acknowledge it. But the off-handed remark aside, she wasn't about to let her worry slip away. "Have they ever attacked with such numbers before?" she dared to ask.

He shrugged. "Not necessarily. They probably figured I wouldn't be out for blood this time."

This time… Sakura nodded. "If that's the case, then…the more the merrier." She huffed, strained and disappointed breath flaring her nostrils as she shook her head of such nonsense. It was still beyond her, the sheer audacity of these actions, but she pushed it aside. "Watch yourself, Gaara," she said, her voice quiet and low between them, emphasized with caution.

"I will," he said, the stern tone of his voice solidifying it as a promise meant only to satisfy her, and he turned to view the sky. There was a lightness to it now that contrasted with the dark canopy of the forest. Dawn was quickly approaching, as were the ANBU. "Kakashi will be back to gather you soon," he said turning back to Sakura. "You should go back to camp."

She nodded, noting how her stomach ached for food and how her mouth was unpleasantly dry from thirst. "You'll be back for Yaoki and Korobi?" she asked. He nodded. "All right, I'll see you then." She turned back to the camp and stepped with silent feet across the ground. He called after her before she vanished into the black shadows amidst the trees. "Don't worry, I know," her soft voice spoke back, he could practically hear the smile behind it and he could feel it when she clasped the glass pendant between her fingers. "I'll keep it on me."

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Leaves whipped by in dark green blurs as they traveled swiftly about the thick trunks and branches of the forest canopy. It was safer up here than traveling along the ground, more inconspicuous and harder to track, and they needed stealth on their side. Sakura glanced at Kakashi, thinking over what he had said to her when he'd arrived back at camp. The other boys had still been sleeping and Sakura had gathered her things and prepared herself for the day. She was rolling up her mat when her teacher stepped into the clearing. He'd instructed she follow him, and at the edge of the clearing, they spoke in hushed whispers to each other.

"I take it you know," he had said. She only nodded in response. "I know this must be frustrating for you – the words had sounded strange spoken from him as if he didn't really understand them – but just keep your cool out there. Remember; these are still our allies." The roll of her eyes hadn't been a favored reaction, but she had agreed nonetheless. "However," he had continued after a moment's pause. "Keep an eye on them. Don't let them think they can knock you around."

She grinned as she repeated her teacher's words to herself once again, happy that at least Kakashi was being realistic. They couldn't just stand idly by, how could Gaara even ask it of her? She'd avoid injury as best she could, as always, but that didn't mean she would play nice. He'd been right about one thing, however; the majority of the ANBU had indeed continued on after Gaara and his team while only a small splinter group diverged to pursue them. They were insurance to make sure no Fire country soldier took part in their deed, no doubt, and Sakura was keeping close tabs on the persistent shadowing of their group. Kakashi looked vigilant, but she doubted he recognized the threat closing distance behind them, he'd been more focused on the trail ahead.

Kakashi had explained Gaara's plan as his own; send himself and his team to take on the 'bandits' from the front, while Gaara and his team approached from the rear; effectively cutting off escape routes and ensuring a quick capture. Naruto hadn't questioned it, happy to take on the brunt force of the operation if it meant some action. Sasuke had immediately looked to Sakura in suspicion, maybe he had heard something earlier when she assumed him asleep…maybe he'd assumed something from the start, still sore over her friendliness with an old enemy. She pretended not to notice, only giving him a small smile in return.

Sakura quickened her pace, soon matching stride with her teacher and trying to gain his attention. "Kakashi," she said, trying to keep her voice between them, but the exertion of her lungs she ran made it difficult. He looked over at her, slowing just a bit so she could easier speak to him. "They're here."

He hesitated in response, taking a moment to try and feel what she felt. Try as he might, he couldn't pick out any signature of foreign life, meaning the threat wasn't yet close enough to break their façade of ignorance, but he trusted the abilities of his student. She had never made a habit of being wrong about these sort of things. Kakashi nodded to her, a silent thanks for letting him know to get ready.

Returning to her normal pace within the group, Sakura pushed past the oncoming threat, reaching out her senses further into the forest, to where the stronger, heavier force rippled out over the land. They'd gained plenty of distance from Gaara's group and at this distance, it was impossible to pinpoint where exactly they were, but she took solace knowing that she could feel proof he was still out there. She wondered when they would intercept with the ANBU… or if she would be able to tell, or when Korobi and Yaoki would appear from the woods after being sent away from danger…

Her heart thumped deeply in her chest, she could feel her worry give way to chilled adrenaline, and she couldn't shake it. He insisted on going it alone and, in the presence of the entire group where she was sure he might actually hold his tongue, she'd almost called him out on it. But she couldn't…everyone had agreed to the plan and she'd just shrugged, looking at the ground and refusing to offer any verbal approval. She had thought she could feel eyes on her, though she didn't know who's, she didn't care. At least someone should notice she wasn't happy with it if he refused to acknowledge –

A hand grabbed her shirt, bunching the fabric of her collar in a tight fist before yanking her to the side. The swift motion caused her to yelp, a sudden breath stolen from her lungs. Stopping on the trees, Sakura quickly found solid footing amongst the towering canopy. With a sharp breath, she looked to where she had been – or to where she had almost been before the trusted hand on her shoulder pulled her away – and saw a knife embedded in the thick bark, still quivering from the throw.

Naruto released her shirt but didn't let go of her. He snatched her hand, quickly sprinting them off toward Kakashi and Sasuke. They had stopped, drawing their own weapons in response and stood at the ready for their team to join. "What was that, Sakura?" Naruto gawked.

"Sorry," she breathed, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before reclaiming it and straightening the neck of her shirt. "I was…distracted."

He seemed convinced, though not at all pleased with the answer. "But not by the knife coming straight for you?"

"Naruto!" Kakashi hissed. "Eyes ahead."

Swift as could be he had a blade at the ready, eyes scanning the trees for whoever threw that knife or anything else they might hurl at them from the shadows. It didn't go unnoticed, however, the way that Sakura's eyes were fixed in place, and she chose to draw no weapon from her utilities. He turned, wanting to confront her, but was silenced when a man appeared from the trees. The sun was higher now, the day above was brighter and casting all sorts of confusing shadows about the dense and ancient branches.

Not a moment later another appeared, then another…and another.

Their country of origin was clear and obvious, they hadn't gone to any sort of lengths to hide it, and Naruto cursed under his breath, his mind suddenly racing with memories of their last encounter with ANBU from Wind country. Memories of that siege didn't bode well for their current predicament. Sakura could feel him tense at her side, as though all his energy was suddenly pulled taught at the site of those men.

Sakura held back the quivers of panic in her breathing as best as she could. There were six of them, all standing confidently before them…but she knew that wasn't all of them, it couldn't have been. Where were the others? And how many more were there?

"What's this then?" Kakashi asked, throwing the question to the wind, not favoring the silence from this threat.

One of them stepped forward and spoke in a low voice from behind his mask. "We've got business here," he offered simply.

Kakashi mulled this thought before tilting his head toward the knife still stuck in the tree. "That kind of business?" His only response on the matter was one of the ANBU, a scrawnier man near the back of the group, shifted and crossed his arms.

"I'll get straight to the point," the first man spoke again, likely the captain of this little entourage. Sakura felt his words settle within her like rocks in her gut. "By word of the leaders of Wind, Gaara Sabaku is not to return to the desert after this mission. We have precise orders to follow and can't afford involvement of a second party. He did you a favor by splitting you up, don't ruin it by getting involved."

"Involved?" Naruto questioned, his brow twitching above those intense blue eyes. "How exactly do you suppose you'll convince Gaara he can't go home anymore?"

"No, Naruto," Sakura whispered at his side. He seemed expectant of an answer, but her following silence was telling enough. She couldn't watch when the look of realization dawned on his face; causing his eyes to widen and a look of shock to cover his expression.

"What?" he breathed before his brow pinched deeply over his eyes and he turned his forthcoming rage onto the ANBU.

"That's right," the masked leader spoke again, a grave certainty in his voice. "We intend to illuminate the threat he poses to our people."

For a moment, even as the words left her lips, they surprised Sakura. She wasn't used to this tone of voice from her, so dark and uncharacteristically deep – it even caused Naruto a double take. "You won't try a damn thing if you know what's good for you."

The man only scoffed at this, crossing his arms and looking to the side as his fellow men shared in the quiet chuckle. He set eyes on her again after that – even through the mask she could feel it – and his voice turned deadly serious. "You haven't lived with the beast as we have, you haven't watched a mere child able to lay waste to your home and city, or had to comfort those left to suffer in his wake. He's a mistake, a miscalculation, nothing more than chaos reborn in human flesh…if one could even call it that."

Naruto clenched his teeth, his arm shaking as he gripped the knife as tightly as he could. A mistake? A miscalculation? Nothing he hadn't been called himself…but when spoken about another, about someone else who shared his deeply seeded pain…it just pissed him off. "Oh, yeah?" he said, his voice seething between his teeth. "Then…just what does that make you? Following orders based on fear? Sending a kill squad after a team with innocent bystanders of your own people? Listening to leaders who wanted to kill children–"

"Watch your mouth, boy!" An ANBU advanced forward, quickly held at bay by their leader, but Sakura could feel the spike of his adrenaline at Naruto's words. "You will not speak blasphemy of the high council! He was a monster –"

"He was a child!" Sakura spat suddenly. "He was a child just as you once were but he was burdened by a power and an evil that we cannot understand!"

"You! It is you that does not understand!" the leader spoke, his voice going deep and booming through the trees.

"My god," she breathed, her brow pinching together as she analyzed these men. She stepped forward, standing flush with Naruto and demonstrating herself as his unified team. "Do you all feel this way?" she challenged. "You had so quickly put him on your front lines when it was convenient, but now…?" There was no response, no shift in the energy of the men, nothing to signify doubt or misgivings…just steadfast loyalty to the mission. "Do none of you think this is wrong!?"

"You do not decide what –"

"But they get to?" she spat back, her voice nearly cracking in her throat. "Look at you," she said. "You're all brainwashed."

The man paused at her words, seeming to chuckle given the slight bounce of his shoulders. "Says the Basin girl?" he jeered, earning another scattered chuckle from his entourage. "No, my little wanderer," He continued, taunting her with that knowing tone as he waved a disapproving finger her way. "That would be you."

She felt her lips seal shut as they pulled down into a deep frown. She didn't care if she was obvious, they all expected it of her anyway it seemed, and she blatantly reached for the knives tucked away in her belt. They didn't even flinch, she wasn't a threat, not to them…right?

"Wait a minute," Naruto muttered, something clicking in his brain through the anger. He turned to her though she didn't look at him. "Sakura," he mumbled to her, his voice urgent. "Are they saying Gaara knew? That he sent us away?" A single nod from her and his eyes were back on the ANBU, something sparking a new intensity to his eyes.

"Don't interfere," the man repeated in response to that look. "I won't say it again."

Sakura scoffed, feeling herself becoming consumed by the heavy-handed energy Naruto sprung forth when his adrenaline and temper got the better of him…when evidence of that fox began to show through. She was becoming daring…more so than usual. "What makes you think we'd listen?" she challenged. "You have no authority over us or this mission, and yet you insist on attacking our teammate and ally. Just save your breath."

"Sakura," Kakashi hissed from behind her, a soft touch against her shoulder to tell her that perhaps feeding off Naruto wasn't the best idea.

"You forget your place in matters of state," the ANBU captain growled back. "We won't hesitate to use force."

Whether intending to or not, this was taken as a cue from his men and, with a flash, a knife was snatched from the air, finding itself between Sakura's fingers before it reached between her eyes. It was a lousy throw, just meant to scare her, and she made a show of keeping the knife. Couldn't have enough against these numbers.

She took a breath, her eyes flickering to her team for a moment, as if hoping for some sort of approval. She found it instantly in Naruto, Sasuke had simply been waiting for the first strike, and she could feel that static that built when Kakashi prepared for battle.

When she looked back to the group and prepared to speak, she noticed one of them suddenly snap his attention to Kakashi while the others merely starred her down in mock implore. He was suddenly on edge, his shoulders tense and wary. "You don't have to do this," she said, hoping that some sort of sincerity shown through in her voice since she hadn't really heard herself. Sakura was fixed on that man, on the way he had tensed and how that tension seemed to ripple through the group. She knew those movements, she knew that disruption of focus…could it be that he was like herself?

The men systematically readied their weapons in hand, following some signal from their leader. "Oh," he spoke gravely with a shake of his head. "But we do."

It was moment's like these; when knives flew quickly through the air only to be dodged and snatched when the enemy instigated battle, that she saw the true speed of her teacher.

Kakashi was gone from the group within an instant, Sakura could feel the static charge to the air left in his wake, and he seemed to crackle as he appeared behind the leader, a hand firmly gripping the man's shoulder. This shocked him clearly, but he seemed paralyzed by the pop and sizzle at his ear as sparks flew from Kakashi's fingertips.

As cool and relaxed as ever, Kakashi sighed, sudden arcs of electricity bouncing across his hand and onto his opponent. "Can't say we didn't try."

His students were well versed in this and knew that the oncoming flash of blinding light from such a discharge would be the perfect cover. With a powerful and violent burst of electrical charge, it summoned even the static from the overhead clouds and – in a stunning display – a writhing tower of pulsating light surged through the forest. It singed against the skin and sent trees shivering with smoldering leaves, but this was nothing new to the young team, and the enemy quickly found themselves sprung upon.

Naruto was able to tackle two of the ANBU into each other and send them careening to the ground. He hadn't waited to see if they hit, he was already on to another, planning on disbanding them and breaking their formation. Brute force always seemed his go-to tactic after all. Sasuke took his flank, the two of them strategically taking down the big and the bad, leaving the scraps for Sakura to clean up. The flash still blinded the ANBU, as did their unsuspected speed, and in those first moments of confusion Sakura drew her knives and followed closely after Naruto and Sasuke. This was their home, the trees were where they were trained and where they lived on the road, who were these men to think they could overtake them here?

She sprung from her branch, landing on the opposing tree and following after Naruto. She slid low, only the cracking of bark to mark her position as the ANBU fought their eyes for sight. She readied her blade, her eyes focusing on the knees of her enemy…just one deep slice, back of the knee…they'd be down, probably for good seeing as none of them carried adequate medical supplies. Perhaps their preference for firepower would be their undoing.

But no, Gaara had said mercy, he had said no interference, and with a curse, Sakura pulled back her blade before it could slice too deep. The air filled with shouts and yells from the sudden forceful assault, some men crying out in pain as their attack was inflicted. She took a breath as she sprung and caught another man in the thigh, blood following her blade as she pulled it from his muscle. She pirouetted away from him as he curled over his bleeding wound and seemed to dance out of the reach of another, her knife slipping from her fingers and gaining her distance from her attacker.

Couldn't aim to kill…not even to maim. These were still soldiers sworn to protect the innocent…she knew that. But still…there were more coming. The others she had felt, the ones hiding in the darkness of the trees, they had rushed their squad to assist, effectively doubling the ANBU numbers and slashing Sakura's small confidence in their chances.

One of them grabbed for her and with a sudden arc of her arm a new blade was pulled from her belt and she slid her razor-sharp edge across his palm, causing him to recoil and curse. "Urgh!" he cried, holding his bloody palm as his breath seethed behind that mask. "You bitch!"

No matter, her eyes were already on another, slipping around him as he charged her and focusing power into her arm. Sakura snatched the collar of his field vest, her muscles pulling tight as she wrenched him back and sent him hurling into his approaching squad. She slipped away further into the trees as they cursed after her, strictly adhering to their form of divide and dismantle. She looked at her weapon, the small dagger looking so very unassuming as it grazed the skin, opening long shallow cuts along her slashes. The blade itself was nothing special, but the slick salve lining the bottom of its sheath certainly was. High dose and fast acting muscle relaxer supplied by her other mentor. Nothing like a tranquilizer, she couldn't afford to miscalculate a dose and kill an 'allied' ANBU – though it had been meant for the bandits – but it was something that would cut the curve of that adrenaline rush of battle and make them sloppy, easier to dodge, easier to predict…easier to subdue.

She wasn't going for power or show, she was smaller than these men and that made her fast between them…lots of little cuts added up quickly if placed correctly.

Naruto and Sasuke were almost in reach, almost through the entire squad's position, but her attention was suddenly pulled from before her. Something latched to her brain and rolled over the land like a wave building force before it crashed against the shore. Her heart sank, her gut clenched, and she searched desperately for the mask she had tried to remember. Thinking she found it, she kept him in her sights, waiting for that cresting wave of energy to break over them as they continued to dodge the advancing attacks. They couldn't have maintained the element of surprise for long, and these soldiers were very well trained.

It would only get harder from here.

She thought to Gaara, to god only knew where in the forest, and as that wave broke over their patch of trees she felt the air go thick and heavy, she felt a weight dropped on her shoulders, and she saw the same in the man she'd been watching. She had been right…he could feel it too.

Gaara had finally joined the fight.

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

He couldn't blame them, Gaara mused as his sand ripped through the air and darted between the two timid young men now stopped and cowering before the power of his beast. He hadn't told them of the ANBU squad, hadn't wanted them to worry, but he hadn't expected the ANBU to so directly attack them. Blades had flown from the thick foliage like birds scattering to the wind, only this flock was pointed at his team. It barely took thought to intercept the barrage, knowing precisely where the throws had come from. Close tabs were kept on the advancing team and he'd been waiting for them to strike, to get him distracted, to get him focused on others and off himself.

Did he have a choice?

His head suddenly surged with the pain of that ghastly cackle, and with a sudden weighted chill to his bones it forced him down to stop on the gnarled branches of those ancient trees. He cursed that twisted calamity in his head, always watching and always mocking. He'd heard the whispers seeping through the trees as they parted ways from Kakashi's team, the tempting beckons to just lay waste to them all…it would have been so easy. Much easier than this.

Gaara had pushed back against the will of the beast as best as he could, fighting himself as much as his monster. The more he beat that creature into submission the more he freed himself from it, the more he felt human. It had been Naruto that showed him his ways of egotistical arrogance were dangerous and he discovered fear in face of danger was a very human thing indeed, but still…he wasn't sure he'd ever get rightfully acquainted with it. Instead of giving in to the urge of self-preservation, however, he simply waited with waned patience for the ANBU to show themselves. He was sick of this long distance back and forth, he wanted to end this.

But to what end?

His eyes caught his team, first thing's first. "Yaoki! Korobi!" Gaara barked to the two still shaking in their shoes. They looked up at him, very clearly frightful, and he fought back the deep frown trying to pull down his lips. It was too perfect a reminder of exactly why he was even here, cornered in a foreign forest where he was supposed to die lost and forgotten to the world; he deserved this. "Run."

Yaoki looked desperately to his partner, still unaware of the knives caught in that writhing sand. Korobi had at least heard their captain. "What?" he muttered, confusion mixing with the fear in his eyes. It was then that he noticed Gaara hadn't much attention on the two of them, his focus lay past them…behind them. That's when he heard the footsteps, a large force quickly approaching, and he turned to face it. The familiar masks of Wind nation ANBU were unfamiliar sights in this distant forest and…wait, just what exactly was this?

The sand recoiled, retreating back to the defense of its master, and once freed from its iron grasp the affronting knives clattered to the ground. Yaoki and Korobi sucked in shocked breaths, both taking steps back from the gathering soldiers. Had those been meant for them?

"Gaara?" he questioned, his eyes darting back to his captain for a moment as he urged Yaoki to react. Something was wrong here, terribly wrong. He could practically see the tension spark and sizzle in the air.

"Just tell me this," a masked ANBU spoke, stepping into clear view, a twisted smile and dead hollow eyes hiding his true face. "Do you plan to make this difficult?"

"Don't I always?" Gaara replied, crossing his arms laxly over his chest as his sand writhed and seethed in the air around him, grain slipping over grain in a thundering chorus of hisses and snarls, like the voice of that beast itself. His unusual sense of calm in the midst of such a hellish calamity was always a disturbing sight.

Korobi shivered, deeply rooted fear welling up within him with just the precursors to Gaara's power…to the Shukaku's power. Just what were these ANBU doing here? Make what difficult?

"Now tell me," Gaara bartered, holding the wicked intent of his sand at bay for a moment longer. "My team," he began, nodding to Yaoki and Korobi as they flinched from the peering eyes of the ANBU. "They were just a distraction, weren't they? Leverage, a means to your end."

The ANBU shrugged, his mask tilting towards the two in question. They visibly swallowed as they froze in place, no longer able to tell if Gaara were the enemy or…or not. "You know how it goes, don't you, boys?"

No…no they didn't.

A sudden light erupted from the trees, the harsh white slicing through the branches and painting the battlefield in a confusing patchwork of bright light and dark shadow. Everyone turned to the disruption, their eyes finding the sky above the trees, finding the pulsating column of lightning tearing open the clouds. The following quake rocked the trees, a shock carrying static and spark, and Gaara felt his heart clench tight in his chest, the scar on his shoulder burning with the memory of the pain such an attack inflicted.

Chidori; blistering hot charges that could destroy anything in its path from inanimate matter to melting the flesh from bones. For a moment he was awed, unable to turn away from the pure vibrancy of that light, even the breeze following that shock held an almost mesmerizing tingle as it brushed against his face. He'd never seen such power behind the attack, not even when Sasuke had torn him open in that arena, this was someone else…this was Kakashi.

They'd been engaged.

Sakura…

"Run!" Gaara barked back to his team, snapping them from the blinding spectacle of such intense power. "Both of you! Now!" By the time his words reached their ears, his sand already had them. It yanked them back, tossing them to the trees, back toward Kakashi's team. They caught footing and glanced back to see the sand churning the air between themselves and the ANBU, more knives jutting from the mass of grains, and they needn't be told to run again.

Adrenaline pumped through their veins, throwing their steps through the trees into long strides on swift legs. They could hear battle behind them, they could hear it fade as they gained safety in distance, and they did the only thing they could; they searched for Kakashi and his team.

Gaara watched as they retreated, making sure they slipped away unmarred, and once out of sight he turned full attention to the squad of men. More had appeared from the trees, looking more like a battalion with each passing moment, if he could just get them subdued, knock them out and detain them…but how to get them back? How to get himself back? He'd never spared the lives of his assassins before, was there a procedure to this? Gaara cursed as the sand danced independently around him, sheltering him from the enemy onslaught as it always had, and he decided he had no choice but to figure out the details later.

He used a fist to push his chin to the side, his neck cracking and his knuckles popping as he did so, and he took a moment to roll the tension from his shoulder. He needed quiet from that cackle in his mind to properly take these men down without being tempted to maim and to kill…to paint the forest red like all the other times before.

The ANBU surrounded him in a well-coordinated and tight unit and, in response, he summoned his strength and surged his sand outward, breaking their form and sending them retreating into the trees and away from the deadly energy that riled beast sprung forth. He'd spare them as best he could, but – though crude – he knew the demon was right; death was so much simpler.

×愛×▬▬▬×愛×▬▬▬×愛×

Sakura felt her back hit the trunk of her chosen tree, a gnarled thing draped in moss and hanging tangles of roots and vines, perfect hiding places. She clutched her knife, her last knife, and listened intently to the trees around her. She could hear her team, Naruto cursing the soldiers and always keeping them busy, Sasuke being tactile and methodical to his approach, swift and precise execution, and Kakashi needn't any attention, he could take these ANBU one handed and on his own if he had to. But through the familiar sounds of battle from her team, she heard the hard crunch of enemy footsteps on crumbling bark.

She held her breath, coating her blade in a thick layer of the relaxant, and moved in. Like a cat on the ground, she chose her steps carefully and quietly, gently pushing vines and hanging mossy roots from her face. The ANBU had seen her disappear into the foliage, she had seen to that, and he had followed her in here just as she intended. She was almost upon him now, having taken a shallow breath to hold as she moved in for the final, silent approach.

"Come in!" the radio around her neck burst to life with a panicked voice. "This is Yaoki!"

Sakura jumped in fright as her hand whipped up to smother the mic, almost forgetting she even had a radio and cursed as the ANBU whipped around to face her. She tackled him through the roots while she still had some surprise, pushing with sudden reinforced strength to send them tumbling to the branch below. Her unexpected strength had baffled him, giving her an edge that wouldn't last long. She pressed the receiver around her neck, speaking coarsely. "This is Sakura, we've been engaged!"

"As were we," Korobi's voice spoke in response. "What's your location?"

"Got it!" Sakura called out through the radio as she danced away from a slash of the ANBU's blade. She spun around him and, in a fluid motion within her veins, her chakra surged in her feet; kicking the man from the tree with a force that had him crying out in shock, only to continue through her blood as it traveled; gathering then in her arm as she turned and slipped a flare from her belt, popping the cap with quick fingers, and hurling the smoking signal to the sky. It broke the tree's high canopy and continued higher, arching over the battlefield as it crested before falling back to the forest below.

Sakura kept moving, never stopping, and slipped back into the cover provided by the thick growth of vegetation that choked this tree. She used the cover to pause, to search the forest for their incoming energy and…there it was, faint and coming closer…but they were alone.

Before she could even think her fingers pressed the receiver, her words spoken swiftly as she tried to hide the shake in her throat. "Where's Gaara?" The sound of battle echoed through the trees around her but the radio remained silent. Seconds could feel like hours out here, could feel like an eternity. "Yaoki! Korobi!" she barked. "Where is he?"

An ANBU landed on her tree, searching the cover for that voice he'd just heard and she hissed a curse to herself, the radio would only give her away again and he already knew she somewhere close. She burst from the trees, shoving him to the ground and straddling him in the dazed moment that followed. Hoisting him up by the collar of his field vest, Sakura delivered a quick and hard jab to the mask that covered his face, splintering the plaster as well as his nose. His head lolled back, arms went limp at his side, and he was done. She stood, letting him fall to the branch and sit the rest of this fight out in the safety of a little nap.

"He told us to run," Yaoki finally spoke over the radio. Sakura felt her heart sink in her chest. Of course, he did. "They came from nowhere, he just said to run." Her hand went to her throat, her feet already sending her back to the heart of the battle, but Naruto took over the channel before she could speak.

"And you listened to him?" he growled, the pained grunt of his opponent could just barely be heard over the crackle of the channel. "He's your captain and you just abandon him?"

Sakura looked up higher into the canopy above her, through the crisscrossing branches to where she could see a flash of bright color amongst the dark green. Naruto's jacket was always an easy thing to find.

"What were we supposed to do?" Korobi retorted. "What could we do? They were our own ANBU…"

Naruto had made sure to include his scoff over the radio as he threw another opponent to the forest floor. Sakura slipped to the side as he fell passed her, crying out as he failed to catch himself on anything to break his fall. "You guys? Probably nothing."

"Naruto," Sakura interjected over the radio, waving an arm over her arm above her head. "Down here!" She could see him stop and look down, a wave to show he'd seen her. "Go," she instructed. "We've got this, you have to go." He didn't respond right away, obviously torn between helping his brother in demonic arms and staying with his team…with his family. She paid this no mind, already clicking the receiver again. "Yaoki, Korobi, turn around. Intercept with Naruto and show him the way to where you were attacked. Get him there as fast as you can," she urged desperately, a yelp cutting off the transmission as she was jumped by an opposing man, only her smaller stature and quicker steps to keep her out of his hands.

"But…" Korobi started. "The ANBU."

Her blood boiled, her face twisted into a sneering frown of discontent. As she chucked her remaining knife towards the advancing enemy, Sakura turned and fled, gaining distance to plan her next attacks. She barked into the receiver at her neck. "The ANBU are not your team, Gaara is! You don't abandon your team! Now hurry!"

There was a pause in the radio chatter, Sakura only able to hear the swiftly approaching footsteps of the ANBU on her tail, before the timid voice of the sand soldiers spoke through the static. "Right…You're right."

It would have to do. Sakura ran, keeping her distance from the perusing man as best she could in the thick trees, and found the harshness of the wind against her eyes had made them water. She wiped a tear from her eyes as she flew through the forest, frowning and confused as she felt the wetness on her palm…what?

Why had it broken her so much, to send Naruto instead of herself? Why had she fought back such an urge to show him the way to the other battleground where Gaara faced his threat alone? Why had she felt such displeasure sending Korobi and Yaoki and not herself? She pushed the feeling from her mind, burying it under the immediate need and necessity of the matter at hand. Though she hadn't seen Naruto leave the battlefield, she knew he had, could feel that chaotic energy seeping away into the forest, and she thanked whatever god that was listening for Naruto's sense of haste.

But she had her own haste to make.

The ANBU was chasing her from the battlefield, clearly unhappy with the orders she'd given against their plan, and she couldn't allow him to separate her from her team. With every passing step she lost the safety of what few numbers she had on her side and figured this was the man's plan. Sakura had no choice but to turn and face him.

So she did.

Stopping quickly and staring him down, she was painfully aware of her lack of weapons, only her fists and her brain to keep her safe now. He observed her for a moment, perhaps wondering if she'd been leading him into a trap…but sadly for Sakura, no…they were alone in these trees, far from the immediate aid of her team.

He rushed her, coming in low and looking to knock her into the thick trunk of the tree. She dodged, trying to topple his balance and give her distance again, but he was a little quicker than his bulkier counterparts. The more she tried to slip away the closer he kept her, always on the defensive, never a chance to make a blow to stagger him back, he'd been watching the way she fought it seemed, knew about that sucker punch trump card she kept up her sleeve. Her eyes settled on that mask, that stagnant and unmoving expression with a twisted smile, and for the first time noted the color of the paint, the shape of the mouth and chin…was this him?

A fist came for her and she ducked, staggering back until she collided with the tree trunk, her hands fighting desperately with the collar of her shirt. He closed in, drawing his weapon for attack and – while she still had some distance from the man – she ripped the chain from her shirt. It was a small thing, but the urgency of her movement caught his attention. It wasn't a weapon so he almost dismissed it but he paused, taking a second to glance at what she could possibly pull from her shirt to defend herself, and it was the curious nature of the object that caught his eye.

A necklace?

There was a low chuckle that echoed from behind that mask. "What is this supposed to be?"

Sakura swallowed, hoping she had been right about her presumptions, and spoke in the straightest voice she could muster. Her adrenaline shook in her throat, barely kept in check, the exertion pounded blood through her heart and through her lungs, a painful throb with every beat, but it was the worry she struggled with most. "You know what it is."

He drew back a step, seeming content to put up with her distraction if it meant making a fool of her. "My, my," he jeered. "Look who's suddenly so tough."

"You know what it is," she stated again, changing her look to a softer, more analytical one. "You're not like the rest of them," she said, her voice a little softer too. This made his shoulders tense, something she'd been actively looking for, and in response, she gave him a queer sort of look. "You're like me."

He scoffed, very much expected, and stifled a laugh. "Like you? What on earth could you possibly –"

"You can feel it too." Her words interrupted his own and he didn't seem inclined to finish them. "You've been tracking him for the group, haven't you? Anything like me and I bet you can feel that power from miles away. I saw," she said lightly. "The way you anticipated Kakashi before his Chidori even struck, the way such pulses of power pulled your focus. I bet you're even here as a warning in case the other group fails." She took a step closer, holding up the little glass sphere once again. "Go ahead, take a closer look."

Though she couldn't see his face, she was damn sure of the moment when his eyes really looked at that pendant. He changed. She eyed the black holes of his mask, peering through to the hidden gaze that lurked beneath.

"You know what this is."

There was a quiet, but sharp, intake of breath. He stepped back but only just a step, and even though his face was hidden she could see the realization ripple over his figure. She held back a sigh of relief...if she had been wrong, if it had been anyone else, her distraction would have warranted no merit for thought.

"If I were you," Sakura started again, her tone dropping to something a little darker, and more confident. "I would back up."

"Where did you get that?!" he demanded, taking a threatening step forward.

Her response was a quick one, to break the chain from around her neck and hold the sphere tightly in her palm, her nails digging into the glass, pressing it to the breaking point. "I said back up!" The sudden harshness of her voice seemed to catch him off guard. "Get back," she repeated slowly. "Or I break it."

"Oh, yeah?" he laughed, the challenge clear in his voice. "And what happens then?"

Sakura merely pinched a brow in response, her lips pulling into a serious line as she spoke through clenched teeth. "What do you think happens then?"

"How did you get that?" he demanded again, she could tell he was eyeing her a little more cautiously now. Good.

Sakura shrugged. "He gave it to me," she said simply, the quirk of her brow the soft smirk to her lips daring him to play with the information as he pleased. "You think he didn't know you were coming here? After us? Thought you were so sneaky, huh? This is insurance," she said with a grin. "To make sure you don't do anything stupid."

He chuckled at this. "Oh, I see. The weakest of you gets the beacon, of course, he'd assume you first to fall."

First…to fall? She was inclined to point out the trail of unconscious men she'd left in her wake before he'd arrived, inclined to make an example of all those that had fallen at her hands in this fight. "Assumptions aren't very becoming of you," she spat back, her nose wrinkling as it twitched. "Throw down that knife and we'll see who's the weakest."

He complied, much to Sakura's honest surprise, and dropped the blade at his feet. His stance widened, his fists raised in both defense and perfect strike position, and before she could properly prepare, he rushed her.

A right hook was easy enough to anticipate, easy enough to dodge, as was the countering left as she stuffed the necklace into her field belt. True, he was faster than his teammates had been, taking practicality over brute strength against a rather unassuming opponent such as herself. But he'd seen her take his men down, knew she needed a different approach. She cursed under breath as she continued to block and dodge his fluid attacks, never a break in movement to give her an opening…it was like sparing with Sasuke compared to Naruto, brain over brawn. He'd grabbed for her, snagging the front of her shirt and pulling her close as he sharply raised his knee for her gut. Sakura pushed back as best she could, still being struck and losing her breath, and as she tried to gain distance she misjudged her steps. Her right ankle flared with pain and her leg almost crumpled under her. She yelped out at the sudden pain, curling over the weakness it caused it her, and her opponent saw this as a rightful opportunity. He swung a leg up for a kick to the head as she curled over, but she only ducked lower, swinging her left leg out and reinforcing the blow.

Her superb control not only made her stronger but faster as well.

His foot was swept out from under him and he was knocked to his back. Like a panther on its prey, Sakura quickly spun on him and pounced. He surged forward, intent to throw her off, but she pushed him down, throwing his shoulders hard into the branch under them. He huffed out a groan, the breath knocked from his chest, his back would bruise, as would his lungs probably. She surged power into her right arm, feeling it swell and pull tight in her muscles, and even in the faint darkness below the canopy, the green glow of the chakra in her veins was evident. She went in for the blow, aiming square for the center of that mask, another swift blow to unconsciousness, but she was surprised by his quick actions. Before her fist could do damage, he grabbed it, diverting the flow of her energy away from his head and, instead, down through his hand to his arm. His elbow hit the branch and she felt the bark crack underneath it, felt the bone shiver as the force went through it, and he seemed to growl in pain before altogether throwing her off of him. He continued forward but she refused to be pinned, crawling back and gaining her feet as he snatched for her.

He stopped suddenly, that same falter in focus she'd seen in him before, and as the crest of some looming wave waited to break over them, she was caught in it too. A surge of energy burst through the trees, thick and palpable in the wind that carried it, and it weighed heavy on the shoulders and on the lungs, seeming to thicken the very air they breathed. Both she and the ANBU paused to stare at the vacant trees of its origin, their finely tuned senses able to catch the hellish fire and smoky toxic breath of some unknown malevolent force. For a moment, she thought she could truly smell the smoke…smell the raging blaze.

Sakura sucked in a quiet gasp, suddenly recognizing this sizzle in the air and fiery scent it placed in her brain. Naruto…it was that foxes power. He'd made it to the battleground, he must have. Her eyes hardened then, finding her opponent as well as her chance. She grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down till his head hit the branch and before he could collect himself – which proved very quickly for this man – Sakura spun atop him fisted a hand in his hair. It was sweaty and gritty with dirt, evidence of a hard few days on the road. She surged power into her arm, throwing his face into the bark once, twice, and on the third time, the mask finally cracked, the blood from a broken nose splattering forth and leaving the mossy branch speckled in bright red droplets.

She let his head fall to the ground and, for good measure, she struck the base of his skull with a well-placed blow. Subsequently, he went limp, his shoulders going lax as his whole body relaxed underneath her.

Sakura sighed in relief, a faint smirk pulling at her lips as she took a steadying breath to quiet her nerves. He wouldn't be a bother to her for a while, she could get back to her team without his persistent badgering. She moved off of him, her quick fingers working over his utility belt to snatch whatever might prove useful. Using some field rope to properly subdue him, she secured him to the branch, intending to fetch him later. She permitted herself to the rest of his knives, finding a fine looking danger that seemed more ornamental than anything, like a sort of medal or family heirloom. Still running high on adrenaline and anger she was desperately tempted to keep it, as much to leave him weaponless as to leave an impression…but, no. Field supplies were easily replaced, treasures like this simply were not.

She rolled her eyes at herself, letting out a heavy and exasperated sigh. She placed the dagger back in the belt, securing it well, and spoke sharply to the unconscious man. "Don't make me regret this."

A quick pause to sooth her ankle, to lessen the flare of pain it brought about when she least expected it…when it was least convenient. She cursed the man that did this to her and, although knowing she could manage a field soldiers life with such an annoyance, it irked her to know she'd never be the same again because of him. He was long dead but she'd always be reminded of what he did…what he tried to do. But she needn't be reminded long, the soothing power of her chakra banished the pain and ushered in a sense of pleasant numbness and with that, she was on her feet again, back to the aid of Sasuke and Kakashi.

She felt a shallow smile pull at her lips as she flew back through the trees. Now that Naruto was with Gaara, the end of this whole mess was finally in sight.

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Gaara gritted his teeth together, trying with failing might to subdue the boiling anger within him. It had been so much easier before, when he just relented and let it wash over him, let the wickedness of that creature bathe him in enemy blood, deliver him to victory. Now, he simply felt heavy, felt burdened like never before, and the crumbling barrier of sand only made it worse.

Fucking water…this is why he never liked leaving the desert.

He had to admit, the ANBU were getting innovative, getting smart with their approach. Never one to like admitting to weaknesses, he'd wondered when they would figure out that he had such a kink in his armor…literally. He did his best to will his sand to remain strong, but the weight of the water was too much for the individual grains and, unable to support themselves, the structure as a whole would soon collapse.

The beast cackled at him, mocking his foolishness for taking on these soldiers alone and allowing them to live. It sneered and begged for blood, for Gaara to slip and let this incessant madness loose upon the world yet again. It was the usual pitch; they all abandoned him – his team, his allies, his own ANBU – none of them cared, no one came to his aid. They just sat back at let it happen, simply glad that he'd let them do so, and were content to watch his demise from the sidelines.

He loathed that creature, that sickening way it took whatever hope or goodness he could possibly cling to and turned it against him. Even Sakura…even those stubborn and worried eyes she'd turn on him and been twisted against him. She'd left him out here, the beast insisted, sick of his presence, sick of his touch, wishing he would just disappear. God, how he hoped the beast was wrong.

A pained grunt reached his ear, followed by another that caused him to look up and see one of the ANBU soldiers flying into another, knocking them both from the branches. Confused, he followed the course of the tossed man and saw a familiar sight.

Naruto stood at the edge of the battlefield, Korobi and Yaoki standing at his flanks. There was a mad grin on the man's face, a devilishly wild gleam in his eyes as he spied the odds of this battle. He cracked his knuckles, a clear beckon for the other ANBU to try and take him, and to Gaara's honest surprise, it seemed his two young subordinates had indeed found some bravery in themselves.

"What is this?" one of the ANBU yelled.

"Naruto!" Gaara interrupted, earning the blonds attention over the masked man. "What are you doing here? I told them to leave!"

Naruto only laughed. "You think I'd let you have all the fun?" he implored. "Not a chance!"

Korobi nodded at Naruto's side. "Sakura sent us back," he called out. "We couldn't just leave you to this!"

The ANBU captain charged forward, intending on meeting this distraction face to face. "Don't be stupid," he yelled. "We've got you outnumbered five to one!"

Naruto simply shrugged as he threw up his hands with the flash of a sign. The air around him seemed to spin, a sudden vortex that flapped open his jacket and caused the two at his side to take smart steps back. A tension built faster than Gaara had ever seen in Naruto and before he could even properly read into it, something broke with such a snapping jolt that even the persistence of that beast in his head shied away from it. Sudden bursts of smoke appeared in the trees, the breeze wafting it across the battlefield like a haze that only parted to reveal an army of clones perched throughout the branches. Naruto's signature devious and toothy grin was evident on all their faces as was that excited and energetic gleam in his eyes. Gaara was shocked speechless at the fluidity he'd managed such a fleet of clones, by the sudden ease he could produce such a one-man army. It was easy to forget how much of the fox's power had been sealed away at his birth, what secrets were still kept inside of him.

"Outnumber us?" Naruto jeered as he stared the ANBU down, his grin turning into a daring smirk. "Oh, I don't think you do."

Gaara used his chance, the attention of the ANBU suddenly turned on the oncoming siege, and he broke the restraints keeping him in place, the remaining power he had in his sand surging outward and freeing him of the weighted sludge they'd turned it into. With the others of the squad entirely engaged with Naruto, Gaara was free to confront the leader of this team, free to attack as he pleased without needing to restrain how his sand chose to defend him. He let his armor fall from his skin, shedding it as he walked with even steps up to the captain of the ANBU squad. Naruto and his clones surrounded them in the canopy, Yaoki and Korobi fought against the enemy with their growing mastery of the puppets; there was battle all around them and there was nowhere to go.

"Wait," he pleaded, taking shaken steps back as he saw the tide of their battle shifting. "Please…they were just orders!" He turned and tried to run but Gaara used what little dry sand he had left to trip him. The ANBU turned as he fell to the bark below, a knife appearing in his hands as he threw it at Gaara. He snatched it from the air quickly enough, saving his sand the difficulty of doing so as it slithered heavily along the branch after him. It clumped along the bark, unable to bear its weight to rise to his defense, but Gaara didn't always need its help.

Gaara tossed the knife to the side, using his other hand to block a blow the desperate man had tried to land. There was shock and fear clear in his voice as he tried to scamper away, perhaps he hadn't realized that Gaara wasn't entirely inept at close combat. Even if he couldn't spar with anyone he still read plenty of material, still trusted his instincts and his quick reactions.

"No," the man gasped, turning to the aid of his team only to find none. Naruto was keeping them busy in their own battles. "I don't understand…your sand-"

"Is just sand," Gaara finished for him. He stood over the man as he cowered on the branch before him, so suddenly trembling with fear when the misfortune pointed his way. "I am not helpless without it, but make no mistake…with it; I can do anything."

The small tendril of sand coiled around the captain's collar, hoisting him up and hanging him in the air. "Please!" he choked out, the collar of his shirt pressing harshly into his neck. "Have mercy," he begged.

"Mercy?" Gaara stepped forward, a casual hand lifting the mask from the man's face as he shook in the sand's grip. He could practically see that frantic heartbeat in the man's throat, he could almost taste the fear in the air as he removed the mask of secrecy to reveal his true face…the one he couldn't hide in his normal life, the one he couldn't change. "When you return to the council," Gaara spoke gravely, forcing the man to look him squarely in the eyes. "Be sure to tell them of the mercy you saw here today."

The ANBU was ripped off into the trees, crying out in vain as he tried to pry himself from the sand's grip. Even such a tiny amount, even those few hundred grains left unwashed by the water of their attacks was all he needed. It sent the ANBU captain careening into another, only to continue on and knock another from the trees, sending more flying into each other and leaving their delirious and unconscious bodies behind to deal with later. He cracked his knuckles, silencing the voice screaming for bloodshed and revenge for what the ANBU had tried to do, and instead turned his senses to the forest, to where Naruto had come from.

More so than any ability to perceive her over such distance, Gaara felt that beacon of his sand as it called out to him. He could tell that it was moving, which meant Sakura was still moving too. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, thankful she hadn't met any serious ill intent from the hands of his country's men and, for a moment, Korobi's words replayed in his mind.

Sakura sent us back…

He almost sneered at the creature in his head, shoving its face in the evidence of its lies, it was wrong after all…Sakura hadn't forgotten about him, hadn't grown sick of him, she had been worried…just as he thought she would be. A shaken breath pulled him from his thoughts, suddenly aware of how a new and strange feeling blossomed to life within him, both heavy and weightless, both warming and chilling at the same time.

This distance was suddenly too great, he needed to end this to see her well again, to properly thank her for sending help back his way…it had probably saved his ass had he the humility to admit it.

"Naruto!" he called out into the trees, almost instinctively knowing which of these dozens of clones the real man was. One of them stopped, turning to him and waiting for him to continue. "Let's end this," he insisted, the feeling winding in his gut matching that smirk on the blonde's lips.

"You got it! We've got a bandit settlement to raid!"

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Sakura stood across a small clearing from Gaara, silently studying him as they waited in the quiet of the forest. The wind was mild, making the creeping chill of the night a little more bearable, and the rustling quake of the leaves in their branches filled the air between the tweets and chirps of the birds. She had leaned herself up against a tree, her feet sore and her ankle still flaring with pain every so often, and she couldn't help but smirk, though she tried to hide it. She didn't think she'd ever forget that sight when they first regrouped after the ANBU fight. He'd been positively soaked, his clothes hanging off him with the added weight of water, his hair plastered in strange and obscure angles from the wind as they raced through the forest to meet them, and the fact that he looked none too pleased about it was what initially made her laugh.

She hadn't meant to actually laugh at him in front of everyone, but truthfully she was just happy to see that his sourness was the only negativity the ANBU inflicted him with. They'd gathered the ANBU and detained them for the remainder of their mission. The bandits, however convenient for their misguided cause, were a real threat to the people out here and even in the midst of this mess they couldn't be overlooked.

If she were being honest with herself, the attack on the bandits had gone so well it was almost boring, especially so after their fight with the ANBU. The bandits were untrained and sloppy, dull-witted with hardly any sense of strategy. After an easy ambush on the hideout and quick scout of the area for any stragglers, the local powers that be were called in to decide the fate of the lawbreakers. As for the ANBU, the team had returned to camp only to find them well kept by a clone left to guard them, a rather angered looking sand clone of their previous target that seemed to lord over the men sat restrained on the ground.

With their weapons confiscated after a thorough search – in which Sakura had pocketed the ornamental dagger off her previous attacker – they weren't very worried of the threat these men posed. Especially with Gaara watching over the exchange from the back, keeping a good distance and a watchful eye. As Kakashi spoke to the ANBU captain, bartering terms for safe returns home on all fronts, a man approached Sakura. More so than the man himself, Sakura noticed the sudden tension of the force that washed over the camp. She waved a hand behind her back to Gaara as if to say; it's okay, I've got this. It hardly seemed to calm him at the time, and he still seemed on edge over whatever conversation he'd observed between them.

The man was one of the taller ones, one of the leaner ones, and given the sore roll to his shoulders as he approached, and the deep purple bruising across his nose; she felt confident enough to identify him even without the mask. Before he could even speak as he stopped in front of her, Sakura had pulled the dagger from her belt, flipping in her palm to present him with the intricately carved hilt.

He had paused then, eyeing the knife a moment before cautiously taking it from her patient hand. "I had intended to leave it," she confessed with a shrug. "I only needed the others. This one looked important."

"I know," he had said simply in response, his voice sounded considerably different when not muffled behind that mask. He had been younger than she expected him to be, too. "And thank you – he smacked the hilt against his open palm as if for emphasis – It is important."

She had stirred in her stance, a little uncomfortable with speaking casually with a man that had tried to take her down not even a day prior. "What is it?" she had asked, feeling the need to fill the silence. It had been his grandfather's, she discovered quickly, a medal of honor for his bravery in the service to the country, only passed on to him when he'd died. Those bruised and swollen eyes had found Gaara then, and it was a whisper seethed passed his teeth that made Sakura's breath hitch in her throat.

"Five years ago he'd let that beast out to destroy everything," he'd accused. "I wasn't the only one to lose someone to that monster, and we won't be the last."

"But –" she had countered, her voice turning insistent. "That wasn't him. Don't you understand that?"

He had merely shrugged, again rolling his shoulder in protest to the deep bruising she'd given him. "I guess not."

"A child," she had muttered to him, unable to understand how some had no room for forgiveness, for empathy to the pain of others. "He was just a child."

The man paused, his eyes drifting back to Gaara again and, for a tense moment, they seemed to lock gazes. "I see no difference anymore." His eyes found hers again and there was such steadfast sincerity to them that she didn't even second guess the hand he placed stiffly on her shoulder. "Look, you're smart, you've got guts and you got skill, hell…you kicked my ass and I'm damn sore to admit it. Just don't be stupid, watch your back."

He had left then, joining back into the ranks of his squad as they prepared for their defeated return home. Kakashi had made it clear, Gaara was to return safely to the desert and return word of the team's safe arrival. Otherwise, he'd tell Tsunade of what the Suna high council was doing with their soldiers and see how well she reacted to the mistreatment of allied men. Not so much a threat to the ANBU as it was a threat to the council, hopefully, it would prove a temporary deterrent until Gaara established himself as more of an asset to the needs of his people.

But now with the bandit's thwarted and the ANBU preparing to depart, there wasn't much time for goodbyes. They had to make headway back toward home while they still had daylight, but even so, Gaara had found a spare moment to slither his sand along the ground, unnoticed by all, and pull at the soles of her shoes. She'd slipped away after him unnoticed in the commotion of the ANBU gathering their things, there had been plenty of them sent on the mission, after all, had to make sure all were present and accounted for one last time.

But now that she stood across suppressing that laugh – at his own expense, he was sure – he just looked annoyed. "What?" he demanded, his brow pulling together over his azure eyes.

"Nothing," Sakura sighed in response, he merely rolled his eyes. "But I'm glad you're all right…I was worried," she muttered, her eyes drifting to the ground for a moment.

He only shrugged, looking down to the foot she favored she as leaned against the tree. "Your ankle still bothers you?"

She looked at the ankle in questioned and tapped her heel against the tree, seeing how her tendon decided to absorb the shock of impact. It only protested a little. "Not always, it's usually just stiff every now and again. It'll be fine," she said lightly, looking back up at him. She took a breath to speak, but his words were sudden and unexpected, effectively silencing her.

"The ANBU was right," he said as he looked to the side, unable to squarely meet her eyes. She waited for him to continue. "You're smarter and more skilled than anyone expects of you…and you did kick his ass." She couldn't help it, the shy – almost awkward grin following his compliment just couldn't be suppressed. "You should be watching yourself."

Sakura paused to look up at him, wondering just how much of her conversation with the man Gaara had actually heard and gave him a quizzical sort of look. "But, not around you, right?"

Though she couldn't hear it, that beast chuckled low and quietly in his mind, finding her hopeful words so very endearing. How naive she was to the creature, how delightfully and temptingly naive. Gaara drew a breath, slow and steady as he stifled that voice in his brain. "No," he managed to respond. "No, I suppose not."

Sakura nodded, smiling at him as she pushed herself from the tree. She took a few cautious steps on her right foot but seemed happy with how the pain had dulled with some rest. She listened for the sounds of the others in the forest, still able to hear all that commotion she'd slipped away from. "I should probably get back." Gaara merely nodded. "Just…" she began, trying to find whatever words had been so ready to string from her lips. "I hope you get back okay." Well…that definitely wasn't it.

He paused before nodding. "I will," he said, his tone of voice always so assured. "You'll be careful?"

She smiled as she nodded, trying to look assuring through all the bumps and bruises she'd acquired on this trip. "As always." She walked up to him fully then, fluid strides that only ended when she could pull him into a hug. He seemed more prepared for it this time, less stiff in his movements and less rigidity to his shoulders. "I'll see you," she promised simply, feeling the pressure to return to her awaiting team. They wouldn't go much longer without noticing her absence. "And tell Temari I expect her to write to me, okay? I'll be waiting."

"Okay," he agreed, letting her slip from his grasp as she pulled back, turning those bright eyes up to him and basking him one last time in that radiant smile she somehow saw him worthy of. So here it was again, the goodbyes that he found so strangely difficult. He'd only just been able to be in her presence again and it was already time to part ways. Too soon, it felt, much too soon.

"Sakura?!" Naruto's voice boomed from beyond the trees. "Come on, it's time to go!"

She quickly turned to call out back to him. "Coming!" she yelled into the trees through a cupped hand. There was a bitter edge to her voice as she spoke. "I had to pee, God!" Turning back to Gaara to let out a nervous little chuckle as she fiddled with her fingers. "Sorry," she muttered. "I…I should go." He nodded and waited patiently as she began taking steps toward the camp. She waved him a goodbye, an odd sort of smile on her face as she did so, and with a nod in return, she seemed satisfied with their parting of ways.

He wasn't, not at all, but he knew he'd see her again. It would only be a matter of time.

From the trees, she heard as she joined her team, listened as the ANBU departed and felt the growing distance she gained as the team fled to the east, back toward home. She'd return home safely, he knew that, but he didn't yet know what kind of life awaited him back in the desert city…a lot of powerful people expected him to be dead. He didn't expect they'd take kindly to his face showing up with the mission report.

No matter, he had no choice.

Gaara soon returned to the company of his team, instructing them to move on for home. As much as the forest could be secluding and convenient to disappear into, he still yearned for the barren beauty of his sands, for the way the setting sun set his world ablaze in breathtaking spectacles of color. The endless expanse of sky looking down over an ancient world shared only with him and those strong enough and smart enough to survive, that's what he yearned to get back to. It was practically the only thing worth going back to. Though…maybe not.

His two subordinates both seemed eager to return to the city after such an ordeal, but much to Gaara's surprise, they had lost that edge and that hesitance they had been shrouded with on their journey here. They were simply more relaxed, eagerly speaking with one another about the events of the mission. Even throwing some words back his way as he paced behind them on the trail. Perhaps his dreams of forgiveness and of becoming a necessity to his people weren't as farfetched as that voice and plenty others would have him believe. He hoped so, at least.

It had been a long way on the road until sundown when they stopped for camp in the scattered forest bordering the desert. In the shelter of the trees, the two had built a fire while Gaara kept silent watch from distance branches. He'd been ignoring their quiet conversation until he'd heard Sakura's name arise. So sweet, they had said, unexpectedly warm and inviting, even to strangers the likes of themselves. Korobi had chuckled as he asked Yaoki if he'd heard the ANBU men, so many of them sore not only in body but also in pride after their encounter with her in the trees. Gaara had smirked at this, remembering well how a few of the ANBU had thrown glares and as well as bewildered glances her way. They hadn't expected her agility, hadn't expected her strength and extent of control.

It was Yaoki that had paused, looking thoughtfully into the flames of their campfire. "She was pretty, huh?" he muttered to his friend. Korobi had nodded.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Sure was."

Gaara shifted in his seat against the trunk of the tree on which he sat, reaching briefly into a pocket kept safely on his gourd strap. He retrieved a small piece of photo paper, holding it in the light of the moon through the canopy. The penmanship scribbled on the back was like second nature to him now and he'd quickly lost track of how many times he'd read over the simple address. Flipping the paper he stared at the photo that he'd kept safe and secret ever since she'd permitted him to. He'd given that face of hers hours of his attention when he sat alone during the long nights, waiting for the sun to come to mark another day, he'd pondered over everything she'd said to him that he could remember, turning it over in his head until he was sure he'd looked at it from every plausible angle.

Still, he studied that face again, somehow it seemed different now. The words of his team sounded in his head again, suddenly ringing a familiar bell. He recalled the southern wall, when they sat in their secluded company for hours before her team arrived to take her back, recalled the little note left to him in his food.

Pretty little thing, isn't she?

Those bright and confident emerald eyes stared up at him from that photo and – even if only to himself – he had to admit that, yes, she definitely was.

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