CHAPTER FIVE

Gaara's eyes momentarily left the stack of papers as Sakura entered the room, and his breath hitched. Even though he knew Sakura was attractive, seeing her casually strolling in with that face and body, left him mometarily stunned. He made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was shamelessly checking her out, his eyes lingering on her form.

Sakura, feeling the intensity of his gaze, cleared her throat to refocus his attention. A faint blush stained her cheeks as she tried to convince herself that Gaara was definitely not doing what she thought he was doing. When their eyes met, Gaara's expression remained unreadable, normal guys would show a bit of embarrassment at being caught staring.

A hint of a smirk played on Gaara's lips as he noticed the blush on Sakura's cheeks. She was undeniably cute, and Shukaku, ever the mischievous force within him, couldn't resist suggesting activities that could intensify her blush.

"Keep them to yourself thanks" …Gaara replied inwardly. He was tired, Shukaku was already making his hormones run wild so he definitely didn't need any of his nefarious suggestions especially in regards to Sakura.

"So, how was your first night here" Gaara inquired, rising from his seat

Sakura was flummoxed, was he seriously going to act like she didn't catch him checking her out, or maybe she had imagined it.

Sakura, still trying to gauge the unusual scenario, replied, "It was…nice"

"Glad to hear that" he said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Shall we?" he added as his hands motioned towards the door

"Of-course" she nodded, turning to toward the door.

"Wow…it's really huge" Sakura exclaimed as she regarded the large spherical building with the kanji for doctor right at the top of the building.

Gaara smiled at her reaction "Naturally, a lot was invested into it but it doesn't seem to be yielding the expected results."

Sakura muttered a silent "ohhh"

"Suna has always been lacking behind Konoha in the healthcare sector, I thought it was time for Suna to step up their game, the burden on Konoha will be lessened and Tsunade agrees which is why she sent you". Gaara finished, looking at Sakura.

Good thing he doesn't know I literally volunteered.

Sakura thought about what Gaara said, since the war Konoha had made tremendous progress in the healthcare sector, so much that other lands relied on them for help. In between helping the more prominent lands like Suna and helping the smaller lands the strain on Konoha's staff was a lot. It would change a lot if Suna could pull their own weight in that department and stop relying entirely on Konoha, It would also help the smaller villages as well. Maybe her decision to come here had been noble after all.

What problem could this huge hospital have though…it looked perfect. Sakura thought to herself as they approached the hospital entrance.

"Let's go in so you can assess what the problem is" Gaara said as if reading her thoughts

Gaara led the way as they stepped through the sliding hospital doors that opened and immediately shut behind them.

Sensor door huh…Konoha needed to get one of those, honestly she was impressed , the change was evident from the last time she was here, Gaara really put a lot into this obviously.

Gaara led the way as they stepped through the sliding hospital doors that opened and immediately shut behind them. Sensor door, huh? Konoha needs to get one of those, Sakura thought. She was impressed; the change was evident from the last time she was here. Gaara had clearly invested a lot in this project.

The familiar smell of antiseptic hit her, and she smiled in anticipation of starting her new job here. Sakura's gaze swiveled around the waiting room, taking in the new environment. White walls and tiles, chairs arranged on both sides of the entrance, and the chill from the AC—she didn't mind. It was better than the heat outside. Something that struck Sakura as weird was the sparse number of people in the waiting room, which was a bit strange compared to the bustling Konoha hospital. Even in peaceful times, a hospital is still a hospital and it should have a steady stream of visitors regardless.

The people seated didn't seem to notice that she and the Kazekage had walked in, ahh must be-

"Genjustsu" Gaara completed her thoughts

Okay she was beginning to think Gaara was a mind reader because this was the second time he was completing her thoughts.

Sakura took deep breaths while clutching the metal handrail hard. She had never been fond of elevators as they made her feel dizzy. She had avoided them even in Konoha, always opting for the stairs. Sakura stared at her reflection in the elevator's metal doors and was embarrassed by her frightened expression.

"Are you okay?" Gaara inquired. He could see from her body language and aura that she was uncomfortable and somewhat frightened. He wanted to help but didn't know how.

"Of course, I am," Sakura lied. Her voice came out a bit high-pitched, which was a telltale sign of her unease. She cringed at how she sounded, but she didn't want to come across as a wimp. Her inability to lie effectively had always been a weakness.

She really sucks at lying. Gaara smiled at the realizationbefore doing something that shocked her

He placed his hand at the small of her back and started rubbing small circles, Sakura stiffened at first contact. This had to be a clone, the Gaara she knew would never do something like this, but she couldn't help feeling relaxed.

"I'm sorry …I should have asked if you were comfortable with the elevator first" Gaara interrupted her thoughts while still rubbing her back

Sakura turned sideways to look at him, he looked really concerned "It's fine Kazekage ,really"

"Gaara"

"What?" she replied confused

"Call me Gaara"

"Y-yes, um, Gaara," Sakura stuttered, her cheeks ablaze. "Not fair, you always address me as Haruno Sakura," she mumbled through her blazed cheeks.

Gaara chuckled, like actually laughed, the rare sound resonated through the confined space. Sakura couldn't help but notice how his smile transformed his usually stern features. She couldn't help but smile as their eyes met.

"Okay then… S-a-k-u-r-a," he drew out each syllable of her name as he said it, keeping his eyes on hers.

As if her face wasn't red enough, Sakura turned away from him to hide her tomato red face. There was something about the way he said it that made her shiver inside, she didn't expect the charm from Gaara. She just realized how close he was standing and his hand still on her back. She had long since stopped feeling frightened from the elevator and was now frightened due to something else entirely.

Gaara decided he liked when she blushed, perhaps a bit too much

Sakura glared at her reflection, internally urging the elevator doors to open. If the elevator didn't open in the next 5 seconds she was going to punch a hole right through the metal doors.

Finally, with a screech, the doors opened at the fifth floor. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, stepping out of the modern-day vacuum as fast as she could.

They passed by several closed doors before stopping in front of a door that read "Administrator".

Gaara knocked, and the door opened to reveal a tall, tan, and lean man with brown curly hair and the kindest brown eyes Sakura had ever seen. His smile reached his eyes, reminding her of Naruto.

Gaara cleared his throat before making the necessary introductions. "Sakura, this is Keita Miyoshi. He's the hospital administrator and oversees the organizational side of everything regarding the hospital." Sakura nodded in acknowledgment.

"Keita, Sakura Haruno," Gaara said, with no further introductions. Sakura was a well-known name, and they both shook hands with smiles, before a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come in" Keita called out

The door opened to reveal two anbu members .Sakura wondered what the problem was … they stepped in and whispered something into Gaara's ears who was seated right beside her and if Sakura hadn't been intently studying him she would have missed his eyes widening a bit before going back to normal , the anbu left immediately.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura inquired

"Everything is fine, but unfortunately, I can't continue the tour with you, Keita will have to take you" he finished apologetically.

"Oh…That's fine" Sakura nodded in understanding, although she wondered what message the anbus had for him to make him suddenly opt out.

"Aww, are you disappointed that Handsome Gaara won't be our tour guide? Cause same," Inner mocked.

"I'm not disappointed" Sakura internally gritted her teeth.

The door shut behind him as he left. Alone with Keita now, Sakura took in the room's ambiance. "I'm not the Kazekage, but I'll give you a better tour," Keita quipped with a tone lightened by humor.

Sakura laughed

"Don't tell him I said that"

"Your secret is safe with me" Sakura promised jokingly.

"I've heard a lot about you Sakura-chan and believe me when I say I'm honored to meet you" he had a look of pure admiration on his face.

Sakura modestly deflected the praise "Oh you flatter me and I'm honored to meet you as well. It's not easy to run a hospital especially one as big as this"

Keita, with a somewhat bored expression, responded, "Not much to manage when there is a lack of people to manage."

She nodded in understanding "Does that have something to do with the lack of staff in the waiting room?"

"You have a keen eye, as expected. How embarrassing for us, it is a major problem here — a lack of nurses, doctors. No one is qualified enough to teach the ones willing to learn, so yeah, it has just been a hot mess," he finished flatly.

"But—" he continued, "You're here now, and I believe if we work well together, we'd achieve great things," he gave a bright smile before standing and adjusting his coat.

She was genuinely happy that Keita seemed like a great person to work with, and his words fueled her determination.

"First Gaara now a hot and fine co-worker…why didn't we leave konoha sooner" Inner joked.

Sakura and Keita continued to talk as he led her out for the tour, revealing that he hadn't been working in the hospital for long—just two months. Keita was easy to talk to and had a great sense of humor that made the tour engaging. Sakura was shocked to discover the truth behind the lack of staff. The hospital, despite its size, only had five medic-nins. She speculated that when Lady Chiyo passed away, there was no one left to train others. She made a mental note to ask Keita about it later.

They were currently in the last leg of the tour and the one Sakura anticipated the most

"So this is our little green room…" He yawned before continuing "We store a number of medical herbs here and poisons alike that would normally not grow in Suna due to the hot, desert climate"

Sakura walked around the room, absorbing the information. She couldn't wait to compare the herbs she brought and test them against the ones here. Most of them were familiar to her already.

"As you already know, Lady Chiyo was a poisons expert, bested only by your master, Tsunade Senju. So, a lot of the rare herbs we have here now are due to her storage," Keita explained.

Sakura nodded, a tinge of sadness crossing her face. "Yes, lady chiyo was really incredible." Recalling their fight together, it seemed like such a long time ago. Memories of her battle with Lady Chiyo resurfaced, but she shook her head, not wanting to dwell on such thoughts.

Keita, sensing the shift in her mood, tried to lighten things up. "I'm absolutely famished; I could eat a whole lion. What about you?"

Sakura smiled, causing Keita to mirror her expression. "I could eat," she replied simply.

"Let's go then; we can finish the rest later," Keita suggested.

Sakura nodded.

"Ah finally the exit" Keita twisted the handle and opened the door

"Temari…" he started

Sakura was surprised to see Temari at the entrance of the door, it seemed like she was about to open the door as well and she looked surprised to see them both too

Sakura was the first to speak because the both of them were just silent for some reason

"Temari, what brings you here? Is everything alright?" Concern etched across Sakura's features as she speculated that perhaps Temari wasn't feeling well. That was probably it Sakura concluded

Temari fidgeting nervously, responded "Yes of-course I'm fine, very fine actually, just uhmm… came to see someone"

Sakura was sure that was a faint blush on her cheeks which was weird cause Temari never fidgets nor does she ever stumbles on her words, ever…

Sakura was sure there was more to it but she didn't want to seem nosy even though she loved a good mystery. She made no show that she suspected anything though and only nodded her head.

"Sakura and I are heading out for lunch. We'll be back soon." Keita finally spoke calmly his expression giving away nothing.

Sakura was studying Temari's face and noticed the brief change in Temari's expression as Keita said those words, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, something was or is definitely going on between them.

"Okay then" Temari replied flatly and she coldly brushed past them through the entrance

Interesting...Sakura smiled she had an idea of what was going on.

She and Keita had a wonderful lunch after which they headed back to the hospital to continue the tour and discuss other terms. She and Keita finally settled with the decision that she would be in charge of training the students that were willing to learn medical ninjutsu while also helping out in the hospital.

The training was supposed to commence on Monday and while she was excited about working at the hospital, there was also a bit of dread because it was definitely going to be a lot of work.

Sakura yawned wearily as she pushed opened the door to the mansion she shared with the sand siblings. It was dark already and her feet hurt from walking around too much. She stumbled straight to the fridge and chugged down the first liquid she could find. Thankfully it turned out to be orange juice. As she turned to take the stairs, her eyes stopped at the hallway leading to kankuro and Temari's room, should she still talk to Temari or just ignore it.

She stood there second guessing before muttering "fuck it" under her breath, deciding to confront whatever had been gnawing at her. She approached Temari's room, hesitated for a moment, then knocked.

'she probably won't even be around'

"Come in," Temari's sultry voice responded

"Great…" Sakura muttered under breath as she swung the door open, revealing Temari in an unusually casual state—propped on her stomach, donned in an oversized tee, and with her hair cascading freely. Sakura couldn't help but stare.

Temari was looking at her from above the magazine that she had been reading.

"Well are you going to come in or not?" Temari questioned bluntly as she closed the magazine she had been reading and sat up.

Sakura flushed briefly in embarrassment, realizing that she had been staring for long.

"Of-course" she replied as she stepped in and shut the door behind her "It's just, I never saw you this casual or with your hair down, so it kinda took me by surprise" Sakura admitted as she walked towards the bed "Can I sit?" she asked.

"Sure"

"Nice room" Sakura was trying to make conversation or at least make the atmosphere lighthearted, it was a bit stiff in here.

"What do you want, Sakura?" Temari's direct question cut through any attempt at small talk.

"Is something going on between you and Keita?" Sakura blurted out…might as well just get it on, since we're all being direct today.

Temari sharply turned to face her, a furious blush now decorating her face.

"Wow, way to go about it. You really... what's the word? Hit the nail on the head," Inner Sakura mocked.

"W-what? How? W-why do you think something is going on?" Temari stuttered in response.

"I don't know, maybe because you never stutter or blush furiously like that," Sakura pointed dramatically at Temari's face. She continued, a realization dawning on her, "And the few times I happen to witness it had been with Shikamaru, and now Keita." Sakura's eyes widened as she unintentionally let Shikamaru's name slip, and she glanced sideways at Temari, who was suddenly looking the other way.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…"

It's fine, I'm over him now... I think," she said the last part so softly as she turned to face Sakura that it seemed like she wasn't meant to hear it.

"Oh, Temari..." Sakura began, sensing the pain her friend had been through. She wanted to offer comfort, maybe a hug, knowing how tough breakups could be.

"As for Keita" she sighed "…I don't know what we are now to be honest everything got so complicated" she scoffed frustrated

"You can talk to me, we're the only two girls in this house, so we should look out for each other, right?"

"I guess you're right" She smiled at Sakura in response as she began her story.

After she was done with her story Sakura couldn't help but exclaim, "WOW! That was a lot."

"Ughh... tell me about it," Temari groaned in frustration. "But it felt good to finally tell someone about it," she added. "Thanks, Sakura." Her genuine smile conveyed a sense of relief.

To be honest Temari had gone to the hospital to seek out Keita so when she saw him heading out with Sakura for lunch she'll admit she had been very jealous.

They had both agreed on a non-exclusive relationship which she had suggested because she didn't want her heart broken again, but it seemed to be failing on her part already because she couldn't stand seeing him with other women.

Anyways, let's save my rollercoaster men problems for later. There's a party later tonight at 8; go get some rest because we're definitely going," Temari clapped, standing up and pulling Sakura with her.

"But..." Sakura started to protest, only to be cut off by Temari.

"No buts. You'll find some really hot men there; you'll get to make your choice," Temari said with a wink, playfully pushing Sakura out the door. "Wear something extremely hot," she added before shutting the door.

Sakura could only stand there in disbelief, WTF just happened

Sakura couldn't believe this she had run from the clutches of one party monster in Konoha , just to jump right into another one, Temari seemed even worse than Ino. Just great…