Author's Note: Thank you JohnGreenGirl, Yoko89, and .3 for your lovely comments on the previous chapter, I appreciate it very much! And thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited this story so far. This chapter is a little on the short side, I apologize for that, the next chapter will be longer. Please tell me what you think :) Happy reading!

THREE

Haruno Sakura sighed, looking up at the sky as the unforgiving sun beat down on them. She couldn't believe how hot it was, especially as the sun had only been up for a little over an hour. How the Sand Shinobi dealt with the sweltering, sizzling, searing heat, she would never understand. The clear blue sky didn't seem to have any plans on offering up any clouds either, which meant by mid-morning she'd be fried. Despite her exhaustion, Sakura was grateful for one thing: spending time with Sasuke. He'd returned to Konoha and ask her to accompany him as he traveled the Shinobi world. And while she wouldn't admit it out loud, her bags had been packed and ready to go since the first time he left the village after the war.

"You just going to keep staring at the sky?" Sasuke called from a few meters ahead of Sakura. His cloak waved in the wind, his dark hair falling into his onyx eyes.

She smiled at him and walked over to him. "So where are we heading anyway?"

"To see an old friend," Sasuke replied when Sakura reached him.

Her brow furrowed. An old friend? It was unlike Sasuke to call anyone a friend outside of Naruto and herself. He didn't even claim Kakashi as a friend. She tilted her head, eyeing him curiously. "You've made friends while traveling?"

Sasuke snickered. "Is it that unbelievable?"

"No! It's just…" Sakura trailed off, wanting to word it in the least insulting way possible. "It's just unexpected. Why don't you tell me about this friend?"

Sasuke and Sakura walked along the sand, heading west toward the Land of Silk. "Before we left the Leaf, Lady Tsunade asked if I could bring back a special flower found in the Land of Silk. It's supposed to help people sleep or something like that."

"And what does that have to do with this friend of yours?"

"Kyotani is a medicinal plant dealer that travels the nations along the Land of Wind's western border. A couple years back I was badly poisoned by some sort of sap from a tree. It had me in pretty bad shape, he found me and provided an antidote."

Sakura chuckled. "You're a war hero and a tree almost kills you."

"The Land of Jungles is filled with many dangerous plants and insects," Sasuke retorted as they walked along the top of a particularly high sand dune. For miles and miles in all directions only sand could be seen. Unprepared travelers would more than likely end up lost and dead. "Seeing as the flower is probably rare and difficult to find, I assume Kyotani would be able to help us narrow down where to search."

"And any idea on where we find him?" Sakura wiped some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"I asked around in the Land of Birds if anyone had seen him. A few merchants claimed he had joined up with a nomadic group heading west."

"So we're on the right track. Now, if only it wasn't so hot," Sakura said with a small laugh.

#

Kankuro kept sneaking glances at Gaara as they stood outside the small breakfast cafe a block from the Kazekage's office. Shira was also peering at his sensei. Throughout the entire breakfast, it had been pleasant and calm. Izayoi was rather charming, complimenting the food of the Sand Village and speaking of places along their coastline that served the best-grilled shrimp and squid. She had done a great job of keeping herself out of the spotlight, despite Kankuro and Shira's efforts in getting her to open up. The young woman dodged all the questions with ease though, which was both intriguing and frustrating. Kankuro really wanted to know what she was hiding.

Gaara on the other hand, went along with her conversation and even cracked a small smile at one point when Izayoi told some story about joining some children in finding a rare cactus plant. It was probably the fact that she mentioned how much she loved cacti and how they had many great medicinal purposes as well as providing a way to hydrate one if they were ever to get lost in the desert. Since becoming the Kazekage, Gaara had started managing a little cactus…well, it wasn't little he had an entire greenhouse dedicated to his beloved cacti. Not once had he mentioned it to Izayoi though. And Kankuro didn't understand why. If his little brother mentioned his cacti gardening hobby, Izayoi would probably be interested in seeing it.

"Thank you for breakfast," Izayoi said as she bowed to them. "Now, I should really be going."

"My brother has a garden," Kankuro blurted out.

Izayoi straightened and blinked owlishly. "Oh?"

Gaara turned his attention to Kankuro, the aura of his annoyance and confusion heavy. Despite his brother's glare, Kankuro nodded and smiled at Izayoi. Gaara would thank him later. It was time he started meeting girls and dating anyways, the council had even pushed him about his future and finding a wife. Gaara tended to ignore them, explaining he was only twenty years old and had plenty of time to find someone. Kankuro could agree to that, but his brother hadn't even really spoken to girl's outside of Temari, Matsuri, and Yukata. Maybe Matsuri or Yukata could someday be his wife; they both fawned over Gaara all the time anyway.

"Would you like to see it? I'm sure he wouldn't mind showing you. Right, Gaara?" Kankuro grinned at his little brother, who had the 'I'm gonna kill you' stare burning hard. "Just for an hour."

Izayoi glanced at Gaara then to Kankuro, shaking her head. "I really shouldn't."

Gaara finally looked away from Kankuro. "It wouldn't be any trouble."

"It's not that," Izayoi explained, waving a hand in the air. "I'm already behind schedule as it is. I'm supposed to meet someone at the border to the Land of Silk. And coming here has already put me a day behind schedule."

"Of course," Gaara replied, gesturing toward the village's main entrance. "Allow us to take you to the gate."

"Aren't you the Kazekage?"

Gaara tilted his head. "Yes."

"Don't you have better and more important things to do than escort me to the gates?"

Kankuro and Shira both looked at one another then to Izayoi. She had no shame in speaking her mind, absolutely no form of a filter. Gaara stared, eyes wide and mouth pursed. No one talked to him like that. Ever. Mostly because he was the Kazekage and there was still a bit of an intimidating factor to him.

"I'm sorry," Izayoi said. "That sounded much ruder than I intended. What I mean is: you don't know me and I'm no one special, so do you really wanna waste your time on me when it could be spent on something more important?"

"Why don't you allow me to make that decision?" Gaara shot back, which impressed Kankuro. He wondered if his kid brother realized in a way he was flirting with the pretty traveler. "You saved Matsuri's life and mended Shira's injuries. You don't need to feel like a burden or an inconvenience."

Kankuro's mouth fell open. "Gaara."

Izayoi lifted her head. "Well, if you insist."

"I do." Gaara smirked.

#

Slaughtered horses, broken carts, and bodies were strewn across the shifting sand. Blood had soaked the beige sand, staining it a fish reddish-brown in color. Fire crackled from the burning wares piled around the horrific scene. Sakura shook her head as she and Sasuke stood atop a sand dune.

"Do you think this was bandits or rogues?" Sakura asked, never taking her eyes from the bodies. One of the horses was completely beheaded another had it's belly torn open. She had been through a war and hadn't seen something so gruesome. A small body lay beneath the broken parts of a wagon; a child clutching to a stuffed animal.

Sasuke descended from the dune, while Sakura remained at the top. Dark gray smoke billowed high into the sky. The dark-haired shinobi knelt beside a body and placed a hand over the man's eyes, brushing his eyelids closed. He stood and someone groaned in pain. His eyes scanned the area, a hand raised into the air, grasping for help. "Sakura!"

The pinkette ran down the dune, rushing to Sasuke's side. She dropped to her knees, eyes widening. Sasuke grabbed the hand of the man, who coughed, causing blood to bubble from his mouth. His golden eyes landed on the two Leaf Shinobi, then he smiled weakly.

"Kyotani," Sasuke whispered with a shake of his head. "Who did this?"

A splintered board jutted through Kytoni's gut. No matter what Sakura could do, it would make no difference. Kyotani would die. It was a miracle that he was even still conscious and able to move at all. The pain must have been unbearable, so Sakura moved her hands above his wounds and attempted to ease his pain. His eyes drifted to Sakura and he mouthed a thank you before coughing again.

"Red cloaks," Kyotani managed to get out before his face scrunched in pain. "Four of them."

Sasuke nodded. "Where did they come from?"

Kyotani swallowed, his eyes turned toward the south. "They were…powerful, Sasuke."

"Did they say who they were?"

Kyotani shook his head and stared up at the sky, tears welling in his eyes. He smiled and took his final breath, his hand fell from Sasuke's. Sakura closed her eyes and pulled her hands away from the man's body. She looked at Sasuke, who sighed and closed Kyotani's eyes. Caravans being attacked wasn't exactly something unheard of, but nothing special stood out about this particular group.

"Whoever attacked did so for another reason than stealing goods," Sasuke stated as he nodded toward the piles of burning items around the caravan. Sakura agreed with him on that, especially given the fact everyone was dead including the animals. Most bandits wouldn't kill everyone and everything if they were looking for goods.

"You think they just killed all these people for no reason?" Sakura asked as she stood up, counting the bodies. There were over a dozen.

"They must have had a reason, even the most twisted kill for a reason."

"What are we going to do?"

"Let's go visit the Kazekage."

"Gaara?" Sakura repeated in surprise. "You think he'll know something."

"If caravans are being killed in the Land of Wind, he'll want to know if he doesn't already. Suna is about a day that way." Sasuke pointed toward the south, the same direction Kyotani had gestured toward before his death. "Let's go."