CHAPTER 3

In a booth filled with laughter and alcohol, four girls sat, each with a drink in hand. Sakura took another swig of her whisky, feeling the familiar sting in her throat. She was starting to feel a slight buzz. Ino, seated beside her, was noticeably drunk, evident from her slurred words. Hinata, on the other hand, never drank much. Someone had to be the voice of reason and make sure everyone got home safely. Tenten was almost as drunk as Ino. They had been chatting for a while, mostly about the latest gossip, a subject Ino never seemed to be short of. As Ino's best friend, she had the privilege of hearing all the town's latest news.

"This one is going to shock you all," Ino drawled, making them curious. They waited, eager to hear.

"Kakashi and Shizune," Ino whispered, as if she were sharing a top-secret revelation. Well, technically it was.

"No way," Tenten said in disbelief.

Sakura had to admit she was just as shocked. She never saw that combination coming. Shizune didn't seem like Kakashi's type at all, but then again, the man was long due for a significant other. She made a mental note to tease Kakashi mercilessly the next time she saw him, though it wouldn't be anytime soon as he was currently on a mission. She chugged another shot of whisky.

Sakura turned to Hinata, who had been quiet for a while. Hinata was always shy.

"So, Hinata, how's it been going with Naruto? Do you two have any plans yet?" Sakura wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Hinata.

Hinata blushed deeply, as she often did. "A-actually, Naruto-kun and I are planning on getting married," she said quietly, fidgeting with her glass.

Of course, Sakura had known this already, so it came as no surprise to her. She had simply wanted to hear her purple-haired friend say it. "What!" Ino and Tenten exclaimed at the same time, both already a bit tipsy.

Suddenly, Sakura found herself being dragged onto the dance floor by a stumbling Ino, with Tenten and Hinata not far behind. She wasn't the one getting married, so she wondered why she was being pulled onto the dance floor.

"Let's dance to celebrate!" Ino shouted over the loud dance music as she pulled on Hinata and Tenten, who joined her on the dance floor. Maybe it was the combination of alcohol, the pounding dance music in her ears, and the sound of her friends laughing for no apparent reason, but as she danced with them, Sakura felt incredibly happy.

She woke with a start, her head pounding. As she sat up, she glanced around, her room slightly out of focus. She was sure she was in her own house, but she couldn't remember how she got there.

"Hinata…" she mumbled as she massaged chakra into her head to ease the pain. "That's better," she said to no one in particular. She checked the clock and realized it was already 7 a.m. Sakura groaned as she got out of bed. She needed to prepare in case the escort arrived early.

Stepping out of the steamy shower, she applied some lotion and sunscreen. Her hair was pulled into a low, tight bun. She examined herself in the mirror, wearing a pink fitted tank top with slits at both sides and black spandex shorts that stopped mid-thigh, accentuating her hips. She was satisfied with the result.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. She quickly secured her emergency medical kit on her belt and grabbed the scroll where she had sealed everything she packed. She nodded knowingly to the ANBU member, who informed her that the escort had arrived and was waiting at the gate.

Sakura gave one last look at her cozy home. There was a heaviness in her chest; she knew she would miss her safe haven. She shook off the mounting feeling of trepidation. She had made the right decision; there was nothing to fear.

At the gate, she found Tsunade, Naruto, and Ino, the latter looking hungover. Her eyes welled up; they had all come to see her off, even though it was still early.

Ino hugged her first. "You better write regularly," she began, still in the embrace. "And also, don't be a hermit. Go out and have fun, okay?" she added softly.

Sakura nodded with a wry smile as Ino released her from the embrace. "I'll try. Also, you look like crap." They both laughed.

She hugged Naruto, who told her to take care of herself and that he'd miss her. "You and Hinata better not get married without me being present," she warned playfully.

"Hinata would kill me first if I tried that, Sakura-chan..."

"Naruto, tell Hinata I said thanks for getting me home safely. You've got a good one, Baka," she added with a pat on the shoulder and a small smile.

"Alright, enough now. Sakura is not living in Suna forever; you're keeping the escort waiting," Tsunade cut in sternly.

Sakura took the chance to look at the escort now. She hadn't even noticed him because she had been preoccupied with her friends. All she could make out was brown hair and an ANBU mask. Great...

Tsunade engulfed her in a shoulder-crushing hug while whispering in her ear, "Make Konoha proud," to which Sakura nodded in response.

She turned to leave. Well, this is it...

As her feet crossed the gate with the escort in front, she didn't know exactly how she felt. She spared one last glance to wave at her friends before jumping onto the trees with the Suna ninja, matching his speed. It seemed like they'd be traveling at full speed, and at this rate, they'd reach Suna by evening.

The Suna ninja never spoke, except when he needed to indicate they should stop for a short break, which usually lasted for no more than 10 minutes. They made a total of three breaks throughout the journey, during which Sakura replenished her strength with energy bars and water.

She was parched and felt sandy and sticky, not the best combination. She needed a shower pronto, a steamy shower. She could already imagine it. The gates of Suna were visible already, and they were almost there. As they got closer, she could see the outline of two people at the gate. It was too dark to make out who they were from the distance. How did they guess the exact time she'd arrive? The sneaky ANBU must have sent a message.

As they approached the gate, they slowed down to a walk, and Sakura could see who they were now—the two Sand siblings, Kankuro and Temari. When they finally reached the entrance of the gate, the escort left immediately, and Temari and Kankuro welcomed her.

"Welcome to Suna," Kankuro began with a polite smile and a handshake.

"Thank you! I'm happy to be here," Sakura replied, reciprocating the handshake with a smile.

"How was your journey? Not too stressful, I hope?" Kankuro asked.

"Honestly, not as stressful as I thought," she replied. It had been a while since she had traveled long distances, so it was a bit uncomfortable for her, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"We appreciate you for volunteering to help our health center," Temari continued as they both led Sakura on a slow walk through the city gates.

"It's nothing. Our villages are allied, and we should help each other in any way we can."

They both nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately, Gaara couldn't be here to welcome you. Late meeting with the council," Kankuro said.

Sakura waved her hand as she shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. You two are here; that's enough."

"Haha, you sound a bit too relieved," Kankuro teased, while Temari gasped.

Sakura flushed in embarrassment and giggled. "We get it, our brother can be a bit scary," Temari continued as they both laughed.

She joined them in laughter, and as they walked her to her would-be residence, she thought that maybe her time in Suna would actually be fun. Temari and Kankuro were so nice and easy to talk to.

They finally stopped in front of a huge two-story building. All Sakura could think about at this point was a relaxing bath and some food; she was famished.

"This is our family house, so we live here too," Temari began. However, Sakura wasn't really listening; she was too tired.

"A room has been prepared for you upstairs. Let's go in; you must be tired."

Finally…

Sakura was currently dressed in an oversized T-shirt, feeling content. The bath and food had been everything she needed, and she didn't feel like unpacking just yet. She stood and gazed around the room. She had been in such a hurry to shower that she hadn't really taken in her surroundings. The room was quite spacious, with a queen-sized bed, a study table, and a chair on the right. She walked over to the window on her left, opened it, and felt the chilly breeze hit her face with force. The wisps of her still-damp hair flew about. "This is nice," she smiled quietly.

As the room grew colder, Sakura decided it was time to go to bed. Tomorrow would be filled with a lot of introductions. She would meet Gaara and new people at the hospital. She closed the windows and walked to the bed, plopping down face-first, and closed her eyes in the hopes of a peaceful sleep.

However, groaning in frustration, Sakura sat up. She couldn't sleep; instead, she had been tossing and turning for the past 20 minutes. Maybe it was the excitement of being in a new place or the struggle to adapt to her new environment. For some reason, she was instantly thirsty. She got out of bed and trudged to the door.

Opening the door of her room, she peered into the dark hallway. She stepped out and closed it behind her. It was so dark, but she could make out some light downstairs where the moonlight seeped in from an uncovered window. However, the light failed to reach the hallway in her wing, and she couldn't find the light switch.

As Sakura descended the staircase, she noticed the light coming from downstairs grew slightly stronger. With each step, the feeling of being in an unfamiliar place seemed to grow. The mansion had an eerie quality at night, and the silence seemed to amplify every creak and rustle. She made it downstairs without tripping and rolling down the stairs, thankfully.

In the dimly lit living room, Sakura finally located the fridge. She opened it and grabbed a bottle of water. After satisfying her thirst, she turned to leave. Staying in this place alone was beginning to creep her out; it was deadly silent, and she truly hoped she wasn't alone in this huge house.

As she walked slowly to the stairs, she wondered what Ino and the rest were doing. Probably out somewhere getting wasted, she thought with a wry smile. Just then, her thoughts were interrupted when she came in contact with a hard chest.

"Owww..." she groaned. "Kankuro?" she mumbled as she rubbed her forehead. When she didn't get a reply, she looked up, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Well, shit," Inner Sakura chuckled.

Different thoughts ran through her brain as she stared in stupefaction, while seafoam green eyes stared back at her.

"Gaara?"

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