Gaara x Sakura

~13~

months passed and Sakura learned to tolerate Gaara's presence better. He was still an inconvenience and enjoyed pissing her off though. Hideki, the prisoner from her mission where she met Gaara, didn't take long to blab about Orochimaru. Hideki had an idea where Orochimaru may head next. After five minutes of torture, Hideki blurted out that the former Sannin was traveling to the Village Hidden in the Rain. Why there? It was hers, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai's job to find out. It took some intricate infiltration to get inside with no one catching on to their plan.

This mission reminded Sakura of when they infiltrated Orochimaru's hideout and found Sasuke. She brushed those memories aside to focus on the task. They found the hideout, but the moment they stepped foot inside, Kakashi yelled at them to clear out. The four-man team dispersed as a large explosion rumbled behind them. Sakura could feel the heat of the blast scorching her legs, letting her know just how close she had come to being disintegrated.

Either they were not as stealthy as they thought, or Orochimaru knew they were there and destroyed the hideout before he could move any further. Still, the team searched the rubble looking for anything they could salvage for information. Sai had found remains of paper bombs. Sakura scoffed. The legendary Sannin who was notorious for his intricate plans and had a genius trailing behind him used paper bombs to blow up the hideout. She figured he would have had some amazing forbidden jutsu to do his dirty work. The night they set up camp and prepared to head back to the Leaf that morning, Gaara came to her while she was washing her hair in the creek. She almost removed her clothes to jump in because of the warmth of the water. Good thing she hadn't.

"What is it Gaara?" Sakura questioned, not even turning around to face him.

Despite the calm demeanor of her question, Sakura's heart rate still jumped. Ever since that night they cooked together, Sakura felt awkward around the One. She couldn't figure out why. The medic had never been shy... except for around Sasuke. Sakura frowned. Was she so emotionally unstable that she would keep attaching herself to males with serious issues?

"Your partner," he began. "Naruto. Has he always lived in your village?"

Sakura rung the water out of her hair before turning to sit on the ground and face him. "Yeah, we grew up together. "

"Are you sure? Are you positive he was born here?"

"Yes," Sakura answered. "Naruto's father was the leader of the village. Why are you so interested in him?"

Gaara's expression remained the same. So, the villagers believed he was born here. There was no mistaking that was former best friend. Their names matching was the first clue. He could sense the beast that Naruto harbored; however, Kurama was restless and full of putrid anger. The beast was never cordial with others, but he and Naruto had a bond. There was something wrong. Soon, he would confront Madara about the web of lies he'd uncovered.

Gaara turned his attention back to Sakura and said, "He seems familiar."

"How so?" Sakura stood to her feet and gazed at Gaara.

Gaara responded with a curt "nevermind". He and Sakura tried working on tolerating each other, but he didn't trust her. However, Gaara could admit his dislike for her lessened. Sakura had a temper that made him want to rip her in half, but other times he didn't mind her company. She helped take the edge off the loneliness he drowned in for centuries.

Sakura continued to stare at Gaara. She was hiding something, but she didn't want to press. He would just distance himself further from her if she did. Turning her eyes back to the water, she gazed at the rippling surface. The sight of the moon's reflection was calming to the tired woman, and she closed her eyes to enjoy the breeze tussling her hair. Gaara also looked at the water and it brought back something that Madara had said moments before he went to save her: