Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Flower in Adversity ❯ Black Plague, White Death ( Chapter 3 )

Author's Note: As stated in the prologue and first chapter, this is set way out from the start of the series, and is so far based on about chapter 360 of the manga, no further, since that's where the manga was when I started this project. Therefore, it's probably AU. Refer to the Author's Note in the first chapter for more details. Also, for continuity's sake, I'm ignoring the filler arcs, like the final arc where Gaara goes almost completely OOC in fighting against Seimei. Also, the anime-only character Matsuri annoys the hell out of me -- she's too much of a canon-sue. As far as I'm concerned, this story is based almost entirely on canon episodes only.

About Sanami's illness: I've done as much research as I can on uterine cancers. It's not pleasant to read about, and the sheer volume of information available, nevermind the amount of medical technobabble jargon, is mind-boggling. I'm very much shooting from the hip here, even with all the research I've been doing. Therefore, if you spot something that seems inconsistent, please tell me about it, because chances are I've misinterpreted information or I'm just making something up because I don't know.  If I've made a mistake, I'd like to know about it, please.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of "Naruto" or its characters. It all belongs to the incomparable Masashi Kishimoto-sensei. I'm just playing in the sandbox of this amazing world.

Warning: Coarse language. Kankurou is falling apart emotionally here, so he's a little loose with the language. Expect F-bombs and other profanity or expletives.

"Words alone cannot express my relief that you have arrived," Gaara said, his voice heavy with fatigue. "I will transport all healers to the infirmary now; I ask that all others follow Kankurou and Temari to the temporary headquarters for further instructions. Now, which of you were dispatched as healers?"

The five kunoichi stepped forward almost simultaneously. The Kazekage beckoned them closer. Sakura hesitated, glancing back at her team, not even sure if she was looking at Naruto or at Lee for comfort and reassurance. Both of them looked back at her with complete composure and mild encouragement.

"Closer," Gaara said peevishly, removing the cork he'd just place into the mouth of the gourd. "I need you to be in physical contact with me if I am going to transport you five. This will likely use up what is left of my chakra, so be quick." Chakra-rich sand bubbled out of the gourd and cascaded to the ground, gathering around his feet.

"Can't you just lead us there?" Sakura asked. "Why do you need to use your chakra to transport us? Can't we just walk there?"

The Kazekage looked at her with his unnerving jade-green eyes. She briefly remembered, abstractly, that even Kakashi had been intimidated by those eyes. And Kakashi was one of the most battle-experienced ninja in all of Konoha; he'd seen and experienced just about everything. For even him to be intimidated by those emotionless eyes was saying something. And yet, even though Gaara was clearly displeased at her hesitation, there wasn't an ounce of malice or ill-temper in his gaze. Just sheer annoyance.

"I could, but that will take longer. My people are in need of help now. Even now some of them may be dead that weren't five minutes ago."

The Kazekage pushed up his long sleeves, exposing his pale bare arms to the elbows. "I need you five to be in direct physical contact with me, or else the sand will exclude you. That is not something I have any control over; it has always had a mind of its own. Grab onto my arms, but do not inhibit my movements."

The other kunochi all did as asked; Sakura, for reasons she couldn't explain, hesitated again. Gaara's face contorted briefly in exasperation and he grabbed her arm with his left hand, pulling her toward him so that she slammed against his shoulder. She wanted to protest, but there was something in his mannerism that forestalled her. Her face was literally inches from his, and she could see in sharp relief the toll this crisis was taking on him.

Around her, he brought his hands together in a hand-seal, and the sand beneath his feet began to spiral up around them all.

Abruptly, Sakura was consumed by panic as her imagination went into overdrive. All she could think about was how ten and a half years ago, this very sand of Gaara's had crushed Lee's left arm and leg, leaving him badly crippled and in danger of losing his career. It had also triggered a reaction in the younger Gaara, causing him to lose control and become a sand demon, or so she recalled.

She was frozen in panic, when suddenly a sharp pain in her ear brought her to her senses. Turning her head sharply, she found herself face to face with Gaara's little raccoon familiar. Suna-chan had bitten Sakura's ear, gently enough to not draw blood, but firmly enough to gain her attention. The raccoon was clearly trying to tell her something. Oddly, the little creature's vexation at her seemed to put her mind at ease.

The sand surrounding them all coalesced into a circular shell, and then it felt like the ground fell away from beneath their feet. Ino made an uncomfortable noise, and even Shizune caught her breath in consternation. The Hyuuga sisters, however, seemed both completely unfazed.

They couldn't have been suspended more than thirty seconds before suddenly they seemed to crash to the ground. Gaara held his landing, and by extension no one fell, though the five women all staggered at the sudden stop. The sand shield disintegrated to reveal that they stood at the top of the administrative building, on the balcony on the roof.

Gaara wasted no time leading them to the doorway, down a stairwell and to another door inside the building.

When he pushed the door to the infirmary open, he nearly collided with Baki.

"Hey, watch where you're -- Oh! My apologies, Kazekage-sama."

"Any more?" Gaara said without preamble, causing the kunoichi behind him to pause in confusion. Any more what?

"Lost two more," Baki said with a weary sigh. "Those two chuunin you said you didn't think would last the night. The first one went into convulsions I swear not even five minutes after you left the room. The other died here just a few minutes ago; she hasn't even started developing rigor mortis yet. The rest seem to be hanging in there; I've sent for more burdock." He raised an eyebrow at the five women that gathered around the Kazekage. "Are you all healers?"

"Yes," Shizune responded. "We were dispatched by Hokage-sama. I'm afraid we are all that can be spared at this time."

"Did Hokage-sama send us fighters too?" Baki looked at Gaara, who nodded once. "How many?"

"Three four-man-squads arrived a few minutes ago."

"Five of them healers? So that's seven fighters and five healers? Oh, bless Hokage-sama!" Baki let out a huge sigh of relief. "I should have known she'd come through for us. I admit I was a bit worried that she might not take the message seriously."

Gaara snorted softly. "I deliberately didn't encode it, so that she'd know it came from me. You heard Kankurou's reaction when I told him I'd sent the message unencoded."

"Well, it was definitely risky. But this was an emergency."

"Is this all of your sick?" Ino said with a frown. "I thought half your village was stricken." While the infirmary was crowded, it was clearly only a fraction of the village's population.

"It is," Gaara said. "These are the worst cases, the ones who need 'round-the-clock care. The rest are in their own homes, trying to deal as best they can. Now, if you will excuse me. I will leave everything in your hands, Baki. I'm going to go collapse in a corner for a while."

Amazingly, since that's pretty much exactly what Gaara did, Baki didn't even flinch at the wording. He simply nodded and watched silently as his Kazekage walked over to an unoccupied space beneath a nearby window, leaned against the wall, and slouched into a sitting position.

"Uh," Ino said as she watched Gaara slump against the wall. "There are unoccupied beds here, he doesn't need to do that if he's so tired. And doesn't he have his own living quarters?"

"The beds are for those who are ill and in need of care," Baki replied. "And yes, Kazekage-sama does have his own living quarters, but they are some distance away; this way, he can be easily roused if an emergency arises. At this point, he and his siblings are both our first and our last line of defense." Baki rubbed his shoulders wearily. "Aside from Kankurou, Temari and myself, there are five jounin left alive in the entire village, and all five of those are in this room. Two are not expected to live out the night, and one... well, she has already outlived expectation, so we have no idea how much longer she has, but the chances of her even surviving, let alone resuming her career, diminish continually. That's eight jounin, in the entire village. The ratio of shinobi deaths to civilian deaths since this plague hit is currently somewhere between three-to-one and four-to-one."

Even knowing that half of the population of Sunagakure was dead, it was still eerily silent and deserted as Kankurou and Temari escorted the seven Konoha shinobi toward the administrative building.

"Something is not right here," Shino observed. "If half of the village is dead, where are the bodies? I see no graves or pyres at all. Surely they are not being left in their own homes to rot?"

"Eww, you have some weird ideas, Shino," Naruto shuddered.

"Gaara takes the dead out into the desert and consigns them to temporary graves," Temari said. "When this whole crisis is over, he'll exume them and we'll give them all proper pyres, but until we know exactly how this epidemic has spread, we try to keep the corpses quarantined away from the living. Burning that many diseased cadavers is a health risk, and with almost everyone in the village in compromised health... well, you can understand, surely."

"So you're saying that right now he's buried the dead out in the desert?" Chouji asked. "In all that shifting loose sand?"

"Well, yes, but you're forgetting that Gaara has minute control over the density of sand. They won't be going anywhere at all until he exhumes them."

"I understand," Lee said. "I recall seeing him use a technique in which he created a huge wave of sand to bury an opponent, and then hardened it to the density of stone."

Temari paused; "When did you ever see Ryuusa Bakuryuu and Sabaku Taisou?"

"A long time ago, against a Sound ninja."

"Oh, right, that time he was your backup; he did mention having to use all his most advanced techniques against that opponent."

"I swear, if there is a god, may He condemn all stupid little brothers," Kankurou seethed. "If I thought I could get away with it, I'd beat him within an inch of his life for being so reckless. Stupid Gaara."

Lee tilted his head at the puppetmaster; "Why are you so angry with him?"

"Don't mind him," Temari said, patting Kankurou on the shoulder somewhat awkwardly. The puppeteer just glared at her. "Kankurou's taking this whole thing a lot harder than Gaara or I, because it's hitting him a lot closer to home."

"That doesn't answer the question of why he's so angry with Kazekage-sama," Shino pointed out.

"Gaara's been acting like he's some fucking kind of god," Kankurou growled. "Or like he thinks he's some kind of god. He's been going for, what, a week straight, with absolutely no rest at all. If he doesn't fall completely apart, beyond all repair, after this, I'll be fucking amazed. Soldier pills are fucking dangerous, and he's been consuming them like they're vitamins or something! That Akimichi jounin, when he sold those new ones to me, warned me about six different times to be very careful with those things, because they're still being developed; the full extent of their side-effects aren't known yet. And here Gaara's been anything but careful. Reckless asshole. He's only human, especially now that Shukaku's gone. Last thing on earth I want to deal with is that old Gaara, the one who killed for the sheer random hell of it."

"I don't think that's likely to happen, Kankurou," Temari said mildly. "He's grown up, after all."

"He's still got that instability in there, and you know it. And with what soldier pills can do to a person's mind, he could end up broken beyond repair. Fuck, that crazy silver-haired Leaf jounin's wacky eye troubles about floored Gaara several times."

They passed a building that Lee vaguely remembered housing the medicinal greenhouse. As they did, the door to the building was flung open and a ninja came barreling out of it, muttering to himself. He did this so recklessly that he collided head-on with Lee, knocking him into Naruto, who in turn collided with Kankurou, and the four of them skidded into a heap.

"What the fuck, kid?" Kankurou snapped. "There's no need to be running like that!"

"Ah, shut your trap, Kankurou," the ninja said peevishly.

Naruto froze at that voice. He knew that voice so well. Disentangling himself from the other jounin, he turned and faced one of his oldest friends.

"Konohamaru?!"

"Naruto-niichan?" The chuunin gaped. "Wait a second, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Gaara sent for them, you idiot. You know about that; you helped him strap the message to the bird!" Kankurou swatted the brunette Leaf-nin.

"You didn't get sick?" Naruto blinked slowly, trying to digest this. He'd only just recently come to terms with the possibility of Konohamaru being dead; seeing him hale and healthy and alive was something of a shock.

"Well, I threw up a few times the first couple of days, and I ran a hell of a fever. I might've been in worse shape if Gaara-sama hadn't come back when he did; he put together the febrifuge that brought my fever down. But other than that, I'm fine."

"Fine," Kankurou grumbled. "You're still a runt."

Konohamaru punched the puppeteer in the stomach. "Shut up, you. I'm still an ambassador, even if right now I'm reduced to being Baki-sama's errand-boy because there's hardly anyone around to do it. Besides," he added, holding up a small pouch in his hands, and glaring accusingly at Kankurou, "this is your wife we're trying to save. Don't yell at me for hurrying, she doesn't have any time to spare in her condition."

"Tch," Kankurou huffed, turning away abruptly. "You guys heard what Gaara said." His voice wavered. "Whatever it is that she's suffering from, it's not cureable."

"Sorry," Konohamaru retorted, "but I fail to see Gaara-sama as a medical expert. He is knowledgeable, yes, but before this plague hit, there were dozens of ninja who knew more about disease and poison than he does. Just because Gaara-sama says it's impossible doesn't mean it really is. You forget; I'm a Leaf-nin, and our Godaime Hokage is a medical genius."

"And you forget that our Godaime Kazekage is far more intelligent and literate than he seems. He singlehandedly pulled us back from the brink of financial ruin. He may not have the field experience as a healer and medic that your Hokage has, but he has the book learning of ten people. Bah, forget it, why am I even bothering to argue with you about this again?" He took a deep breath. "If I were a better man, a less-selfish person, I'd ask Gaara to end her suffering. I can't bear to see her in so much pain, and yet I can't bear to let her go yet."

"You arrogant asshole," Konohamaru said incredulously. "You think you have the right to make that decision for her? Seriously, I almost hope you do ask Kazekage-sama to do that, just because I'd love to see him slap you for presuming to know what's best for her."

"Easy, Konohamaru-san," Temari said, stepping between them, "please don't antagonize him. You forget that he grieves for more than just Sanami. His entire puppeteers' corps has been wiped out by this epidemic as well, not to mention the personal cost. And Kankurou," she turned to her brother. "Stop being such a martyr. We've all lost a lot. I don't know how we're going to recover from this, even if the healers can save the people who are still alive. With only a handful of jounin, a dozen and a half chuunin and a couple dozen genin, we're never going to be able to fulfill all our missions, not even if Gaara takes on some of the workload, which he shouldn't."

"One more thing," Konohamaru said through clenched teeth. "If you were around the infirmary a bit more, you'd know Sanami-san has regained consciousness a few times. You don't have the right to dictate whether she lives or dies, not when she's still cognizant. That's her choice, not yours. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late. Baki-sama has patients that need this burdock. This is the last of it, so I hope the patients pull through." The chuunin darted off, augmenting his speed with some body-flicker ninjutsu.

Kankurou trembled and brought a hand up to cover his eyes. "I hate this. I hate everything about this. God, if I had a fraction of Gaara's power, I'd storm Kirigakure and wipe that goddamn Mizukage from the face of this earth." His voice cracked with evidence of his grief. It was clear he was only barely holding his tears in. "For the first time in longer than I can recall, I wish Father was still alive. And if Gaara were to hear me say that, he'd probably slap me for it."

Temari looked over at him and her expression softened with pain. "We don't even know if this was in fact Kirigakure's doing alone. We can't fight a war in four directions. We can barely defend ourselves as it is. We're all hurting, Kankurou; even Gaara is hurting. He's already lamented that he wants to end everyone's suffering, that he'd take it all on himself if only he could. You heard him last night, when he said that for the first time ever, he wishes he still had Shukaku."

"What?" Lee's jaw dropped open. "But why? The demon made his life a living hell!"

"Shukaku was dangerous and made his life hell, yes, but he also had extraordinary amounts of chakra, and absolutely precise control over sand. It wouldn't cost him half the amount of chakra it does to set up sand shields if he used Shukaku's chakra to do it."

"Was he ever able to use Shukaku's chakra without that stupid tanuki getting in the way?" Naruto asked.

"He was learning to control Shukaku at the time that he was promoted to Kazekage; that's why the Council allowed him to be promoted, since they were suspicious of him otherwise. He never got a chance to master it before that whole fiasco with Akatsuki happened. I thought you knew all this, Naruto. All that information is available in public record."

"Gaara's probably wondering what the hell's keeping us," Kankurou said abruptly. "We need to get moving. In his mood, I don't think we should keep him waiting too long."

Sakura examined one of the jounin, one suspected of being poisoned rather than diseased. Shizune, a disease expert in recent years, had figured this one to be a poison incident, and had left it to Sakura to figure out the poison. Baki was standing beside where Gaara slumped against the wall, giving off the appearance of a silent guardian. Ostensibly, he was standing there so as to be out of the healers' way; in reality, it was pretty clear that he was worried about Gaara.

This poison seems to be attacking soft tissue, she thought as she looked over the chart information. Baki claimed to not be very good with medical ninjutsu or dealing with medicines, but he was extremely thorough and documented everything minutely, including a tiny vial of a blood sample drawn when he was admitted into the infirmary, something she was grateful for. She didn't want to draw any more blood from this poor young man than had already been lost. It didn't look like he had much to spare. It's not attacking muscles, it's attacking tissue, and perhaps blood vessels. Looks like he's bordering on being anemic. It's a slow-acting poison. If I can break it down and decoct an antidote within the next few hours, he should make a full recovery, if everything goes smoothly. Doesn't look like I need to pull the poison out of his system, it's not concentrated on any one area, so I don't know that I'd be able to get much out. They've been giving him a lot of diuretics and a lot of hydration, I see, so he's relatively stable, but he doesn't have much time before it starts breaking down the vital tissues.

The door clattered open, startling Sakura.

"Baki-sama, sorry I'm late. This is the last of the burdock. Oh, and the Konoha reinforcements are here! I just saw them!"

"Konohamaru?" Sakura gaped at the chuunin. "You're okay?"

"Sakura-neechan! I was hoping you'd come! Now I know everything will be okay! Uh, Baki-sama? Oh, there you -- whoa, holy crap! What happened to Gaara-sama?!"

Same old Konohamaru, highly distractible.

"Don't worry," Baki intercepted the chuunin. "He's just resting. He's had to use far more chakra today than he usually uses in a month. Don't disturb him."

"Here's the last of the burdock," Konohamaru handed over the pouch. "What do you want me to do next?"

"Have some rooms prepared for the reinforcements. They're here at our request; we can't expect them to sleep on the street like rats."

"Right, okay."

"There are twelve of them."

"Though, eleven beds will suffice, as long as one of them is big enough to fit two," Ino said coyly, ribbing Sakura playfully. Sakura gallantly tried to ignore her. Konohamaru paused to look at her quizzically, before the proverbial lightbulb went on over his head. He knew about Sakura and Lee's recent wedding, and if he'd seen the other reinforcements outside, he must've spotted Lee. Lee was rather hard to miss, after all.

"Oi, Gaara, where the hell are ya?" Kankurou called from the hallway. "I thought we were meeting in your office!" He poked his head in the infirmary room. "Gaara?"

"Pipe down, Kankurou," Baki said peevishly. "Kazekage-sama is trying to rest; he's had it, you know. That automatic sand shield he's set up around Sunagakure takes three-quarters of his chakra just to set up. I just hope it isn't necessary and doesn't activate while he's down and out like this; it'll either fail completely, backfire, or it'll drain him of his life-energy and kill him."

"Does he need extra chakra?" Sakura asked, turning around. "Naruto's got more than enough for anyone, and he's learned how to convert and transfer it. I know he'd be more than happy to give Gaara any amount of chakra he requires."

"Hmm," Baki's eyebrows knitted. He nudged the Kazekage very gently with a foot. "Did you hear that, Kazekage-sama?"

"Of course I heard it," the kage groused. "You're so damned noisy, how could I not? But chakra alone isn't going to help me right now. I need rest. You forget, my body can't take the same kind of strain that Kankurou and Temari can."

By this point, the rest of the Konoha contingent had filed into the room, though most of them stayed near the door. Lee moved over to stand next to Sakura out of habit.

"Naruto, did you see?" Sakura asked. "Konohamaru's fine, he wasn't affected at all!"

"Yeah, I saw him," Naruto replied. "He ran into us -- literally -- out on the street. I was all prepared to learn that he was dead or nearly dead, and I find him running around like he always does. Quite a shock, really. He was affected, but he's fine now. He said he got sick but he got over it."

"So did Baki," Kankurou said. "Was sick for a day and a half, apparently, and then was fine. Temari's coming down with something, but it hasn't knocked her off her feet, and I haven't felt anything yet. And of course, Gaara's unaffected by whatever it is.  That's what's so bizarre about this. Most of our top-ranked ninja died in very short order, but not all."

"Interesting," Shizune said. "Baki-dono, I can see you've been very meticulous in documenting all the medical information here; do you still have the medical records and charts for the deceased?"

"Well," Baki shrugged idly, "what ones we were able to even get charts done for, yes. Many died before we could get any kind of treatment to them. The bulk of the deaths happened within twenty hours or so of the epidemic landing. Gaara is very particular about keeping detailed records of things, so we kept as detailed records of the deaths as we could, but it was quite overwhelming the first forty-eight hours or so. In most of those cases, it was all we could do to document their names, ranks, and approximately when they died. Many of them we don't even have symptom information on, because they were found dead. But, yes, we have records of nearly every death of this plague. There aren't many who can help us in the medicinal field, but they can help us by keeping accurate records so that when this fiasco is over, we can give all the dead their proper respects and burial."

Shizune's brows pressed together in concentration. "Do you mind getting those records for me? I want to see if there's a pattern. So far no two patients I've examined are exhibiting the same set of symptoms, which means we're probably dealing with more than just one poison or disease. It could very well  be that this epidemic was released in stages."

"Have Konohamaru get them when he gets back," Gaara mumbled. "Don't you dare move, Baki."

He reached up and clawed onto the jounin's arm, using him for leverage and hauling himself to his feet. Baki, for his part, held himself solidly rooted like a statue, giving his Kazekage a firm foundation to lean on. Gaara looked wearily over at the Konoha contingent. "Uzumaki Naruto, I hear you are capable of transferring your own chakra to another?"

"Yeah, to some degree. You need some? You look like hell, after all. I mean, don't get me wrong and all..."

"I'm sorry," Gaara said, blinking slowly, "but yes, I do need some. I will need rest too, but I suppose with a chakra boost I can postpone that until things are sorted out. That automatic sand shield I set up around Sunagakure took more out of me than I expected."

Naruto started making a few hand seals as he strolled over to the exhausted Kazekage. "Hold still, this might hurt a little at first, since it's different chakra than you're used to. It's the Kyuubi's chakra, so it's more raw. I've learned that Kyuubi's chakra is more potent and it also stimulates the production of natural chakra." His hands glowed an orange-red as he placed them on Gaara's shoulders.

Sakura bit her lip, remembering the first time Naruto had given her some of Kyuubi's chakra. It had hurt like blazing hell. She'd thought that it had burned her chakra points closed, though Neji had assured her that wasn't true. It was because the Kyuubi's chakra was of a fire element that it felt like it burned.

Gaara didn't flinch as the chakra flowed into him. He didn't even close his eyes, though his gaze became vacant for a moment.

In that moment, there was a strange snapping noise and a tiny dark object split the air, hurtling toward Naruto and Gaara. Kankurou lunged sideways and intercepted it, catching it in his hand. "What the hell, Nara? You trying to assassinate the Kazekage or your own future Hokage?"

"Uh, neither," Shikamaru said, his face turning red with chagrin as his hair cascaded messily around his face. "That was an accident, I'll have you know. I guess that hairband had had enough. Trust me, I'd do something else if I were trying to assassinate someone!"

"Mmm," Gaara murmured as his eyes focused again when Naruto pulled his hands away. "That felt like Shukaku's chakra. Except it tasted like smoke and smelled like fire, instead of sand and wind."

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head. "You can taste and smell chakra?"

"It is a metaphor, Naruto," Gaara said with a slight quirk to his mouth, the equivalent of a smile.

"Er," Konohamaru poked his head into the room, "Baki-sama, we have a problem. Most of the guest rooms are unusable because of the quarantine. We've got, at best, maybe eight beds that weren't used in triage."

"Great," Baki grumbled. "I'd forgotten about that."

"I have two beds in my private suite," Gaara said. "And until this crisis is over, I will not be using that suite at all."

"I won't be using mine while Sanami's in here," Kankurou said. "And I've got a full-sized double, so it can count as two beds. As long as whoever borrows it doesn't mind the puppets on the walls. I know they're kind of freaky looking, but they're harmless."

"And mine, I've got a new mattress on mine too, but I'm too keyed up to sleep in it," Temari said. "I'm good with crashing on that couch in your office, Gaara."

"So that should take care of it," Gaara said. "You three, come with me." He pointed at Lee, Sakura and Naruto in rapid succession. "This will not take long."

"Huh?" Sakura looked at her teammates. Lee nudged her shoulder very discreetly, and Naruto nodded his head in a gesture of acceptance.

"Come on, Sakura," Lee murmured in her ear. "You can come back to this as soon as this is over. If Gaara-sama says it will not take long, it will be very brief."

Sakura reluctantly set the medical chart down on the table beside the hospital bed and followed her two teammates and the Kazekage out of the room. Lee and Naruto both moved to walk on either side of her, as if protecting her, and she couldn't quite tell if this was conscious or not. She guessed it probably wasn't, since both of them trusted Gaara unfailingly. Still, it was both disconcerting -- this display of protectiveness when there was no obvious threat -- and comforting -- the two men she cared most for in all the world were here beside her, offering her moral support and some protection should something happen.

Gaara led them down a number of corridors. Sakura tried to remember where they were going so she could get back on her own, but quickly became confused. She'd just have to rely on Lee to show her the way back to the infirmary. He knew this building very well, and he had developed a near-perfect memory for locations in recent years. Once he'd gone a route once, he could repeat it indefinitely.

Abruptly they stopped before a giant double-door that had the kanji for "kazekage" superimposed over the hour-glass symbol that adorned all Suna-nin hitai-ate. Gaara pushed the doors open without a fuss, and snapped on the lights of the antechamber, which was rather spartan in its decor. Off to one side was another doorway; off to the other was an archway leading further into the suite.

"Naruto, this will be your room," Gaara said, tapping the closed door. "I'm not sure what this room's original purpose is, since no Kazekage has ever used it as a guest room, but it is furnished as a bedroom. It is likely a little dusty, since it hasn't been tended to since the plague hit, but other than that, it is clean."

He then turned and moved determinedly into the main suite, leading the others as he did so. Off to one side was the doorway to the washroom There was a small kitchenette, not much of one, and it looked like it was hardly used. There was also a small study, complete with a small bookcase and austere desk. Another door was situated near the window.

"This is the main bedroom. It has a full-sized double bed." Gaara placed a hand on this door. "There is also a fully equipped private washroom, and a large closet, though I don't think you'll be needing that. As I said, while this crisis is going on, I will not be using this suite at all." He thumped the door meaningfully. "These rooms offer the most privacy of any available. Lee-san, Sakura-san, as a gesture of my gratitude for your willingness to interrupt your honeymoon to come to my aid, this is the best I can offer you, I am afraid."

"Gaara, we can't -- " Sakura started to say, but Lee nudged her again.

"We are very honored, Kazekage-sama," he said, bowing before Gaara. The Kazekage's face folded slightly.

"Rock Lee, do not be so formal with me in private. You know how I hate that. 'Kazekage' is my title, not my name."

"Oi, Geji-mayu," Naruto said, raising an eyebrow, "how often were you and Gaara 'in private' anyway?"

"Shut up, Naruto," Lee snarled aggressively, uncharacteristically omitting the honorific he usually used with Naruto; his aggression caused the blond jounin to back off quickly.

"Yikes, I was just... you know, curious."

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Do those rumors still plague you? Ridiculous. Two men cannot be friends without ugly rumors, it seems."

"Not when one is the most powerful ninja in his village, and can strongarm the daimyou into doing what he wants."

"You give me too much credit," Gaara said with a snort. "The daimyou is just afraid of me. My lack of social graces actually works with him."

"Oi, Geji-mayu, you ought to know that's not what I meant, geez!" Naruto complained. "I'd be right angry if you did... you know... and then ended up marrying Sakura-chan."

"Why?" Gaara turned his eyes on Naruto. "What does the past matter?"

Naruto looked like he was going choke.

"Nothing happened," Lee growled. "How many times do I need to say that? We were friends, nothing more."

"It doesn't help, I suppose," Gaara mused, seeming more relaxed and open than Sakura could ever remember seeing him, "that I don't approach other people; you remain the only ambassador to make an effort to befriend me. I am not opposed to friendship, but I know nothing about how to initiate one."

Initiate? Opposition? He talks about friendship like it's a contracted agreement!

"Anyway," Gaara folded his arms, "we should be getting back." He looked pointedly at Lee. "You know where my office is." This wasn't a question, though it could almost be construed as one.

"Yes."

"You and Naruto head there. That is our temporary headquarters. I need to take Sakura-san back to the infirmary and show her something."

"Sanami-san?" Lee inquired.

"You heard?"

"Yes. Kankurou-san and Konohamaru-kun got into an argument about her condition."

"Ah. Well, Konohamaru seems to think she'll get better. I rather doubt it. The miscarriage is the least of her worries. Frankly, I'm amazed she has lived this long. She is dying by inches. And her illness alone I don't think we can blame on Kirigakure or any of the other villages. I think it is coincidence, or maybe the epidemic triggered a reaction that was about to happen anyway because of a weakend immune system. She has been behaving strangely for months. She has gotten progressively more meek and quiet, aloof."

He started toward the door, motioning for Sakura to follow him. Sakura hesitated again, though she noticed that the little raccoon that was always with the Kazekage poked its head out of his cowl to glare at her reproachfully.

Lee planted a kiss on her left temple before letting go of her (she realized belatedly that at some point he had put his arms around her protectively, sometime during Gaara's monologue about Sanami). "If anyone can save Sanami-san, I have faith in you, Sakura."

Bolstered by his confidence and the prospect of returning to patients who needed her, Sakura followed Gaara back out into the hallway. The Kazekage moved rapidly, though his movements were unhurried.

As they strode through the hallways, Sakura paused, causing Gaara to stop briefly to look back at her.

"May I ask you a personal question, Kazekage-sama?" she asked hesitantly.

"You may ask," he said, "but I may not answer."

Well, Lee did warn me that Gaara is very literal, she thought to herself.

"I should preface this by saying that I do not suspect Lee of lying to me, I trust he is being as truthful as he can; but I need to know, did anything happen between you two? Anything at all? Anything that perhaps he didn't realize was interpreted a certain way?"

"Why do you care? Even if anything did happen, it was long ago, and any residual feelings have subsided."

"Because it still bothers him. You saw how he reacted when Naruto made a comment. He does that with anyone. He blows a gasket when anyone asks him about you. And, to compound things, you showed up for our wedding. Now, don't get me wrong, it was a great honor to have you there, and we were both glad to see you bless our marriage, but you know that fueled the rumors, don't you?"

Gaara looked confused. "They still think that? It has been, what, four years now? Good grief, have they nothing better to gossip about?"

"Why did you come to our wedding, anyway?" She tilted her head to try and indicate that she wasn't being interrogative. "That's such a long trip. Lee told me that you hate to leave Suna. Why did you come all the way to Konoha for just a few hours."

"I had more than one reason to be in Konoha at that time. I do rather dislike leaving my village, though I get tired of the people genuflecting all the time. Still, it is easier to escape that by going to my office or my suite. But I had my reasons for being in Konoha, and they are my reasons alone. You have no right to know them. But they have little to do with you or Rock Lee, if that puts your mind at ease.

"As for why I chose to attend your nuptials ceremony, it should be obvious. Rock Lee is one of my only friends. I felt that as a friend, I owed it to him to be present for such an important event, since I was in Konoha anyway. I did not travel all the way to Konoha just for your marriage ceremony."

"Can you please tell me, though, did anything specific happen between you two?"

"No, I cannot tell you. You have no right to ask me that." He didn't sound angry, just matter-of-fact. "Ask him. I cannot speak for him, anyway."

"He insists nothing happened."

"Then you must be content with that answer. You say that you trust him, and yet here you are asking me."

"Because I trust him to know his own heart, but your actions make me wonder."

"My actions?" He seemed taken aback. "What have I done?"

She couldn't answer, because she realized that anything he'd ever done, she'd interpreted a certain way, but if one just looked at it completely objectively, there was nothing untoward about anything he'd done. It had all been perception. Still, it wasn't like she was the only one to read this into those actions. And frankly, if the rumors had some truth, she didn't mind, other than she didn't like being lied to. She could accept Lee being bisexual, frankly. Konoha was very tolerant of less traditional relationships.

"Well?" He sounded annoyed. "Can you answer that?"

"I guess not. Look, I'm just... confused, I guess."

"I have never known Rock Lee to ever go back on a promise, especially one he makes in front of so many others. I do not think you need to worry about his attentions straying, no matter who you're encountering. Now, come along, I think the patients have waited long enough for relief."

As they arrived in the infirmary, Sakura noticed that the other healers were all gathered around a particular bed at the far end of the infirmary. Kankurou was crouched behisde the bed, holding the patient's hand.

It took her a few moments to recognize this as the spunky young jounin who had sassed the hell out of Kankurou in front of everyone at the summer Chuunin Selection Exams a little over six months ago. What remained of the sassy kunoichi was a shell of her old self. Her complexion was waxy and pale, her light brown hair looked like it was barely hanging onto her scalp, and her dark blue eyes were sunken into her face. Her features were gaunt, and she looked like she hadn't been able to keep a meal down in some time. At the same time, her stomach swelled with evidence of her recently-terminated pregnancy.

Hinata and Hanabi were both using their Byakugan, she could tell from some distance away. The Byakugan, when activated, caused the veins and arteries around the eyes to bulge. Both Hyuuga sisters had grave expressions on their faces as they examined Sanami. Hinata was reporting what she saw to Shizune, who was looking over the medical chart, her expression growing sadder by the moment.

"No evidence of a baby, you said?"

"No. I see evidence of the placenta, but even it is gone."

"But there's still a mass," Hanabi said. "It's just not alive, not in the same sense. There's no heartbeat. No chakra network."

"I know what kind of mass it is," Hinata said, her voice trembling. "It's not strictly alive. But it's part of her."

"That's what I was afraid of," Shizune said. "The more I looked at this, the more convinced I became."

"What is it?" Kankurou demanded.

"There's no easy way to say this, Kankurou-san: your wife is suffering, and probably dying, from cervical cancer. She likely miscarried long ago, several months even. The reason she still appeared pregnant is that the mass is situated down low and is preventing some of the fluids from escaping."

Kankurou made a noise that sounded very much like a strangled sob. Gaara put a hand on his brother's shoulder in silent support.

"Cancer?" The Kazekage said. "That wasn't something I considered. She seems too young for it. Especially of the reproductive organs."

"Cancer can strike at any age. It usually strikes older, but it's not unheard-of at all for someone her age to die of it. Especially considering her mother and grandmother both died of ovarian cancer," Shizune said, glancing through the medical history, "this isn't a surprise at all. I'm sorry, Kankurou-san."

Sanami made a soft whimpering noise.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Sakura pleaded. She couldn't bear to see that bright young woman brought so low, especially seeing how much she was adored by her husband.

Shizune smiled sadly; "There is a silver-lining to this dark cloud, yes, but it's risky. It requires a lot of time and insane amounts of chakra, which means we have to hope no one attacks, because we're going to need Naruto-kun."

Sakura looked at her sempai expectantly. Shizune sighed as she put the chart down. "Sanami, I can't save your uterus. No matter what happens, you'll never bear children. Best case scenario would be that you'll return to health, but you'll be barren. Worst case scenario, you die. Not even Tsunade-sama could save your uterus. Frankly, I won't be able to save you myself, nor will Sakura. Whatever happens, if you are to survive, we'll need to take you back to Konoha. But there's a pretty good chance even Tsunade-sama can't save you. If the cancer has spread to your liver, your kidneys or any of your other vital organs, there's nothing we can do."

"Fair enough," Sanami wheezed. "So what can you do?"

"Well, I can't guarantee this will work, since I've never done it before, but I think I can do it with Sakura and the Hyuuga sisters' help. Hanabi and Hinata can guide me, and I can probably break down that tumor into pieces, and Sakura can probably remove it. That will buy you some time and some comfort, if the cancer has not spread. We won't know if it's spread until we get that tumor out of there and flush it out. It's going to be a long process, and it's going to take a lot of chakra."

One of the other patients coughed violently, and Sakura stiffened; "Oh my god, I forgot! I have to figure out an antidote for that one jounin or he'll be in trouble!"

"Let me do it," Ino said. "I've trained like crazy these past five years, you know. I can't diagnose as well as you, but I can mix a good antidote. I know plants better than you, after all. Just tell me what you figured out from it, and I'll get to work on it."

"Go ahead, there are certainly other patients here." Shizune said. "And for what it's worth, I sent word yesterday to Tsunade-sama to dispatch the backup team, before we even were within sight of Sunagakure. I just had a bad feeling and I'll feel a lot better with Gai and Kakashi around. If we're lucky, they'll be here in two days, and Yumiya can work her 'magic' on the medicinal plants here."

Slam! The building shook with the impact of something heavy hitting the ground, and then a small earthquake shook the village. Gaara groaned and went to one knee, hands at his temples, face folded in strain.

"What the hell was that?" Kankurou was on his feet in a flash and flickered to the nearest window. "Holy fuck!"

"The sand shield," Gaara said, his voice heavy with strain. "It just went up. Something is attacking us."

Coming soon: "Part Four: Last of the Uchihas" wherein Sakura, Lee and Naruto finally come face-to-face with Sasuke

END NOTES: Terminology, for those who are a bit rusty:
"Geji-mayu" is what Naruto calls Rock Lee. It translates as "fuzzy eyebrows" or as the English dub anime calls it, "Bushy Brow" and is Naruto's nickname for Lee. He doesn't mean anything rude by it, and Lee doesn't seem to mind.
Hitai-ate are the "forehead protectors" (headbands) worn by all shinobi with symbols of their home village. Because they can be worn anywhere, or not worn at all, I have chosen to use the untranslated word rather than the term "forehead protector" or "headband"
The word "Sabaku" in Gaara's name, written as it is with the kanji that it is, actually means Sand Waterfall, though there is a homonym (using different kanji/kana) that means desert -- hence the standard translation of "Sabaku no Gaara" as "Gaara of the Desert"
A kunoichi is a female ninja. It is often used in the series as a synonym for ninja or shinobi, when talking about a female. Thus it's used here sporadically much as it is in the series.
A kekkei genkai is, basically, a "bloodline limit" -- refering to a talent or trait that is passed down genetically. The Sharingan and the Byakugan are the two most well-known kekkei genkai in this series.

Hidden Villages:
Konohagakure: "The Hidden Village of Leaves" is the principle village of the Land of Fire (Hi no Kuni), and is headed by the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade.
Sunagakure: "The Hidden Village of Sand" is the principle village of the Land of Wind (Kaze no Kuni), and is headed by the Godaime Kazekage, Gaara.
Kirigakure: "The Hidden Village of Mist" is the principle village of the Land of Water (Mizu no Kuni), and is headed by the Mizukage.
Iwagakure: "The Hidden Village of Rocks" is the principle village of the Land of Earth (Tsuchi no Kuni), and is headed by the Tsuchikage.
Kumogakure: "The Hidden Village of Clouds" is the principle village of the Land of Lightning (Rai no Kuni), and is headed by the Raikage.

Gaara's Attack names:
Gokusamaisou literally means "Prison Sand Burial" and has not yet been translated in the English dub, since it hasn't shown up yet
Ryuusa Bakuryuu literally means "Quicksand Waterfall" and has not yet been translated in the English dub, since it hasn't shown up yet
Sabaku Kyuu literally means "Desert Coffin" though the English dub calls it "Sand Coffin"
Sabaku Sousou literally means "Desert Funeral" though the English dub calls it "Sand Burial"
Sabaku Taisou literally means "Desert Imperial Funeral" and has not yet been translated in the English dub, since it hasn't shown up yet

Honorific suffixes, for those who are rusty:
-chan is used mostly towards females, and indicates a long-term, close friendship. Generally one only uses it for someone one has known since childhood. From the outset in the canon story, Naruto has always referred to Sakura as Sakura-chan.
-dono is an antiquated suffix that is less formal than -sama but more formal than -san. It is often used to express either submission (when used in place of -san) or equality (when used in place of -sama). In this story, Tsunade uses -dono toward Gaara to indicate their equality in ranks.
-kun is used mostly towards males that are younger. It is a more informal, if you will, form of -san, but less intimate than -chan. It can be used towards girls, but is not usually.
-obaachan is used to address someone who is much older. In this context, "baa" essentially means "Honorable old woman." It's sometimes translated as "granny" but is actually very respectful, as long as the addressee doesn't mind being referred to as an old woman. The male equivalent is "-ojiichan"
-oneesan is used to address a woman who is older than you and with whom you have a relatively close, familial bond, though blood relations aren't necessary. The word "nee" means older sister, "san" is a respectful suffix, and "o" is a modifier that adds respect to the word. Thus, saying "Temari-oneesan" is like saying "Big Sister Temari-san." The male equivalent is "-oniisan." Hanabi and Hinata use this with Neji, who is their cousin, to show their blood relation. An alternative, showing more affection, would be "-(o)niichan" like Konohamaru uses with Naruto, or "-oneechan" like Naruto uses with many older kunoichi
-sama is used to express great respect and humility.
-san is the most generic and safest suffix to use.
-sempai is used to address a superior within an organization. Rather like "brothers" or "sisters" within a cult or coven. Roughly this can mean "senior" versus "junior." This is the "big brother/big sister" term. Its counterpart is "-kouhai" but isn't used nearly as much, because calling someone "-kouhai" can be taken as offensive or demeaning if you're not careful.
-sensei is used to address a teacher, instructor, or an expert in a particular art. Also, -sensei is used to address doctors.
-shishou is used to address one's master in a particular art, such as martial arts, or in the case of Sakura, in the healing arts.
(paraphrased and interpreted from source: Wikipedia's entry on "Japanese Titles" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_titles)