Blue Monotony.

Number of words in chapter: 4251

Rating: T

Bright blue, boundless sky stretching for miles upon miles, unbroken and utterly untouched.

This was beautiful. The view of ceaseless sky and glinting golden sand dunes was worth the sweat and the endless claustrophobic heat of the desert, for the first few hours anyway. Now her sandals were filled with heaps of the beautiful, golden sand, her skin was dotted with itchy grains and her hair was filled with it despite the cloth she had wrapped around her head. Sakura raised her slightly battered canister and downed a gulp of stagnant, warm water. It was almost empty.

Naruto noisily guzzled more water from his container beside her and proceeded to loudly complain about how damn hot it was out in the desert, how he just couldn't stand the heat and would really love a freezing cold shower right now. She angrily kicked the sand in his direction which only caused him to yelp and whine loudly. She would never hear the end of it if she passed out now and one of them had to carry her.

Kakashi and Sasuke were completely silent and trailed at the back of the group. Neither seemed bothered by the heat at all. How they managed to look so cool, calm and collected was beyond her. Especially when they were both completely covered in dark clothing, which would trap heat and was bound to make them uncomfortable. Yet, the both of them looked perfectly at ease. The image of Sasuke pulling off his top to try and cool himself down came to her mind unbidden.

But she was used to this. They would always try and portray an outwardly uncaring demeanour.

Now, if only the sun would just hurry up and set. They had taken shelter at the hottest part of the day and then started to travel again after the worst of the heat was over. They would probably continue travelling to well after midnight. The coolness of night had to be used wisely. She had no idea how people in Suna managed to function normally in this atrocious weather, how ever beautiful it was. The barren emptiness and simplicity of the desert drew her in. It was such a nice change from all things green in Kohona.

Her throat was so dry and she wanted a drink so badly. Sakura lifted the canister and shook it gently. She was disheartened to hear only a slight tinkling noise signalling how little liquid there was left. Was it worth it? She drained the very last drop and sighed heavily. Every step seemed to be draining her strength even more. Sasuke would mock her if she asked for a rest. She wanted nothing more than to show him that she was strong and able to cope with difficult conditions.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm out of water." She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow again.

"There's an oasis about a mile or two from here, Sakura. We'll be there soon, I promise." The silver haired nin gave her a smile from beneath his mask.

Her green eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded him, but she turned away a moment later and bowed her head in hope of shielding her eyes from the sun without lifting her arms. The heat made every movement excruciating.

Some mission this was. Naruto had complained to the Hokage -yet again- about the meagre amount of difficult missions they had been receiving. As a result, they were granted a very low-level B mission- deliver a scroll to the Kazekage, be nice, friendly, and polite to the Sand nins, and then come home without dying in the middle of the desert and being eaten by the buzzards that had suspiciously started to circle them.

After another hour Sakura couldn't take it. Her mouth was now devoid of any moisture and every time she attempted to swallow she was met with a harsh, rasping feeling and the urge to gag. Beside her Naruto hummed one of the annoying jingles from a cereal ad. This time she kicked him in the shin. She was starting to think she would lose her mind before they reached Sunagakure.

She forced down the urge to bury him up to his neck in the sand and leave him there. His loud, obnixious humming echoed though the silent landscape and mingled with the slight hiss of moving sand.

The heat was making her angry; she was about to pummel him into oblivion. Kakashi wasn't helping the situation at all- he just stood at the back of the group and giggled like a little schoolgirl over that stupid orange Icha Icha book. One of these days she would have to read it and see what all the fuss was about.

Sasuke picked up the pace and moved to walk in front of her. As much as she tried to speed up and keep up with him her muscles simply wouldn't respond. She couldn't go any faster, no matter how hard she tried. It was even hard to raise her hand and wipe the sweat that kept building up on her forehead. No one else seemed to have to be doing that as much as her.

Maybe because it's so big it's like a magnet for the heat. She thought sullenly.

Another half an hour passed and even Naruto seemed to be losing spirit, which was a feat in itself.

It was safe to assume that seeing multiple shirtless Sasukes wandering around the dunes nearby did not bode well for her mental health. No matter how enjoyable it was to watch them wander about exposing all that muscle. Sakura closed her jade eyes wearily and rubbed her temples. It couldn't be long now. The sun was beginning to set. Sakura would have to find out what Kakashi regarded as 'soon'- it was just past midnight when they caught a glimpse of something other than sand dunes on the horizon.

"That's it?" The 'Oasis' was more of a clump of pathetic half dead trees and bushes.

"Yes, Sakura, that's it." Kakashi said with an eye crinkling smile. She could tell that he found her reaction amusing. They all seemed to find her fury amusing.

"Why did it take so long anyway, Kakashi-sensei? You said we'd be there soon. We must've travelled more than a mile." Naruto whined.

"The answer to that is very simple. I lied."

Naruto keeled over when she smacked him in the stomach.

oOo

Her feet throbbed when she flopped down onto the hard earth beside her bedroll. Sakura wiggled off her sandals and lifted her aching feet so that she could focus on digging the grainy sand from beneath her toes. She felt filthy and the sand that covered her skin was irritating, but just wouldn't shift. It was a desert, but how it managed to get into every nook and cranny of both her hair and her clothing was beyond her.

Every ounce of her strength seemed to have been sapped. She couldn't even be bothered to tell off Naruto when he unfurled his bedroll about half a centimetre away from hers. He normally tried that but usually she simply moved further away from him during the night when he settled down. Tonight would have to be an exception. She was to take the third watch.

The moment she set her head down darkness washed over her vision and she saw no more. Naruto moved closer to her during the night and when Kakashi shook her awake to take her shift she noticed the concealed mirth in his single black eye immediately. Her legs were entangled messily with Naruto's, and his arms were wound around her waist, and his head was resting on her shoulder. He was clearly oblivious to the fact that they were so close, because he didn't even murmur when she slipped out of his embrace. He just kept sleeping like a rock with his mouth slightly open.

Sakura gave up on the thought of hitting him. She didn't want a semi-conscious Naruto annoying her all through her shift when she was supposed to be defending their camp. Well, that was until she felt the patch of saliva on her right shoulder. He rolled over to face her and give a soft whine of some unintelligible word - completely unaware that she was thinking of stamping him into oblivion - he looked too peaceful in sleep for her to wake him.

And she really didn't want a semi-conscious Naruto whining at her in the early hours of the morning.

Kakashi settled down nearby and soon enough she heard his breathing begin to slow. He was never off guard but while she was watching he could at least take a little rest. It would be a long boring three hours until sunset... You can only ogle an Uchiha prodigy's back while he's sleeping for so long before you have to find some other source of entertainment.

The stars out here were beautiful. Nothing obscured their shimmering glory. She simply sat there with her back against one of the withered trees, staring out into the sky for what felt like an eternity. She picked out the various constellations that she was familiar with until she became bored staring at the same unmoving shapes. No matter how beautiful the stars were to look at you could only stare for so long.

Sakura turned her attention to her team mates after that. They all had a certain way of sleeping. Naruto liked to sprawl out over all the available space, and he snored. Very loudly. It was probably bad for a ninja to sound like an earthquake while they were asleep, but Naruto was never really that subtle about anything. His choice of clothing was a bright orange jump suit for Kami's sake. Not that she was much better.

Her bright pink hair stood out, and her red dress didn't exactly blend in.

Sasuke was almost completely silent when he slept. He barely ever moved once settled down and never snored at all. Sakura was glad of that fact. She wasn't sure if she would want to share a bed with a man who could wake the dead with his snoring. She always secretly loved the way his black hair looked all crumpled when he had just woken up. How many times had she wished that she could run her hands through that black hair and see if it was as soft as it looked...

He would never love her.

She pushed back the horrible crashing emotions that always came with that statement and turned to the last member of their group. Kakashi slept similarly to Sasuke but she knew that he liked to be sitting up while sleeping for some weird reason, and he always folded his hands across his chest. If he was in a really deep sleep - which she had only seen once - he breathed very loudly but apart from that he was a very still.

Ino had often told her that she talked in her sleep and shifted back and forth a lot. She was not entirely sure if that was true but she really hoped that she didn't say anything too incriminating while in the land of slumber.

There was nothing to keep her occupied any more. The stars had lost their spark, her team mates were just the same as ever and Sasuke had his back to her with the covers wrapped around him so tightly that she couldn't see anything. Her life had gotten dull. You would think that as a ninja she would always be on the edge - always see new sights and meet new people. She had slipped in to a monotonous routine.

Sakura supposed that the desert reflected how her life was now. The same scenery, looking the same all the time. She had thought that it was beautiful at first, but had quickly grown bored of the dull, unchanging landscape. The one thing that she was looking forward to ended up being nothing more than a tiny, ugly little difference that wasn't great in any sense of the word and probably shouldn't be paid that much attention to.

The more time passed the more she grew accustomed to the events that kept coming no matter how hard she tried to find something new. She always ate lunch with Naruto at the ramen stand on a Friday. She was always early to the bridge and Kakashi was always late. The missions were always unfulfilling and she always wished that she had just stayed at home and went out to train. She was even used to Sasuke always rejecting every kind gesture and attempt to make him like her. Stuck in a rut was probably an appropriate phrase here.

She twirled a kunai on her finger idly and waited for the approaching dawn. Her senses fanned out and she waited for even the tiniest spark of chakra that could mean an approaching enemy. To be honest she would have welcomed an attack from some low life bandits right now. An hour later and she still felt nothing it was safe to say they were probably very alone in this god forsaken desert.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm just going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." He was asleep but she was sure that his mind had probably registered what she had just said and he would not come charging through the bushes looking for her if he happened to awake before she returned.

Truth was, she just wanted a little walk by herself. If nothing else, it was very peaceful out here with not even the soft sounds of animals to be heard. It surprised her that anything could survive out here. Her little wander brought her to the centre piece of this wonderful little desert retreat. A water hole. Well, more like a mud hole to be more accurate.

She leaned down and cupped a small handful of the lukewarm, murky water and splashed it over her face. It did not bring her any reprieve at all, and she simply slumped down onto the brick-hard dirt that surrounded the dingy water hole. There was no one to see her, so she would just rest here for a moment and then return to her team. Slipping her feet into the water she sighed.

"Are you that weak that you cannot stand on your own two feet?" A cold voice questioned.

Leaping to her feet she whipped out a kunai and looked in the direction of the voice. Her long pink hair blew in front of her face and obscured her vision. It was deathly silent then, and the attack she was expecting didn't come. Instantly, she searched once more for chakra but found nothing. Whoever this was person was they could hide their presence extremely well. Perhaps it was the hours of trekking through that insane heat and the boredom that made her a little more reckless than she should have been.

She was still afraid though. Every nerve in her body was tingling with fear and she shifted into a slightly readier position in case she needed to make a quick escape. A trickle of cold sweat trailed down her back as she swallowed, hard, and prepared to speak. Her hands shook on the kunai, which she was painfully aware of, and her heart thundered in her ears making it difficult to concentrate.

"What is the harm of someone taking a little rest when they think they are alone? I did not sense you." She should have run as far and fast as she could at that point, but something held her back.

"Then you are weaker than I thought." The answer was swift and cold. Obviously dismissing her. She did not feel like taking that. Fear and anger were not a good combination; they made her thoughtless and foolishly proud.

"Who are you to judge me?! You do not know me."

"I do not have to know you to see that you are worthless." She was sick of people thinking that she was weak and pathetic. She should have paid attention to the sand that was beginning to shift around her.

She was utterly terrified now and her body showed that. She gave up then and flopped back onto the ground almost on the verge of tears. Sakura shook and closed her eyes with her head lowered slightly; a submissive position. Her knees were drawn up to her chest in a subconscious act that showed she was trying to protect herself. Only her pride and anger kept her in place. The strange thrill that this encounter was causing made her pulse rate skyrocket.

"At least I have the courage to show myself. Whereas you simply cower in the shadows," she muttered, regretting her words the moment they left her mouth.

"The art of concealment is part of being a ninja. Evidently you are too weak or incompetent to understand that." The voice was male and coming from the shadows at the other side of the pool.

Her eyes drifted over to the darkness where he was and she discreetly swept her eyes across the area but still saw nothing. She couldn't bring herself to run when this strange meeting was making her feel more than she had in weeks. Besides, if she ran he would probably kill her. If she yelled for help he would probably kill her. Her chakra was flaring violently because of all the caustic emotions raging in her head.

She did her best to resign herself to being calm and tried to smooth her agitated and probably fearful expression. His deep, husky voice rang through her ears and her instinctive self-preservation side eventually ran over the brash primal side of her thoughts. One wanted her to go on the offensive, the other; defensive.

Sakura sighed heavily. "I do not want to fight you. Will you come out?"

Silence.

Sand.

Sand wrapping around her ankles and wrists. It slithered across her skin with smooth rustling movements. She froze and did not struggle. Was this his doing? There was no one else here and sand certainly does not move by itself. This was chakra controlled. She could feel the buzz of the unfamiliar aura tingling through her system. She quelled her fear and experimentally moved her arms. The slack hold tightened instantly with bruising force. She was still again. Breathing calm. If he was trying to get a rise out of her then she would not give it.

"You are not fighting." A statement whispered in an angry hiss; just loud enough for her to hear. Her heart pounded in her ears as she licked her lips and prepared to answer.

This was so frightening and yet she was still actually enjoying it. Sakura really did not understand herself.

"Is your life that meaningless to you? I will put you out of your misery then." That statement caused her volatile anger to flare again and smother the fear.

"I just wanted to talk. All I did was speak to you and then you decide to kill me." The emotions were rushing forth and, suddenly, she was sure she had never felt so angry. The sand contracted, causing a wave of pain- she ignored it.

"Shut up." He cut off her with a single, harsh statement. .

The sand stopped moving and the bone-crushing hold lessened ever so slightly.

"You are afraid." The sands movement stopped again and she began to wonder if he was simply toying with her. She closed her eyes.

Of course, of course,she was afraid. How could he not realise that? Did he want her to admit it just to get some kind of thrill from her admission? Her mouth clamped shut and she refused to answer him. Her entire body was tense, every fibre of her being waiting for the tell-tale whistling of a kunai flying through the air. Nausea coursed through her in waves as she considered the chances of her getting out of this alive. They were very slim.

"No."

Pride, foolish pride. There was no answer from him, but she could almost feel the anger and spite radiating from where she thought he was. She really wished she had thought before she spoke. It was not like her to not consider the possibilities of her words and actions. This boy combined with her current mental state was a bad mix; they both made her reckless to the point of being almost suicidal.

A sudden burst of heat made her emerald eyes snap open but she couldn't see anything in front of her. She couldn't sense anything other than her own chakra, but some innate knowledge told her that he was behind her. Her heart gave an irregular beat as her breath caught in her throat.

She didn't dare move, but realised that she couldn't anyway.

She couldn't turn her head because of the sand holding it in an iron grip. Sakura knew he was there when she felt someone else's body heat radiating onto her back and a breath ruffled her hair. Fear doused her anger like a cold wave and the nausea returned with a vengeance.

Now she was truly afraid, but she did not want to show him that. Adrenaline pumped through her body in preparation of what was to come next. It was a terse silence between the two, but she waited for him to break it and answer the question. She was too shell-shocked to do anything other than wait. Something told her that if she did speak, the precarious line between life and death she was walking would suddenly tilt away from her favour. He was deadly. She was foolish to challenge him. Her breath came out in shot bursts as she felt his ruffle her hair.

"Not even worth killing. My sand would not accept your weak blood and it would be a shame to poison that drinking water with your pathetic essence," he said, letting out a short, humourless laugh.

The nerve. She opened her mouth to challenge him but the sand holding her abruptly disappeared and she toppled back without its support. The space where he had been was empty and she missed the heat that the close proximity of his body brought. The adrenaline was still pumping fast. She hadn't felt this alive in what seemed like eons. Throwing herself at a strange ninja and challenging his obviously strenuous hold on his anger and control. She had just thrown herself into the lion's den for kicks. Laying her life on the line because she was bored and under-stimulated.

And she had gotten away with it.

Taking a deep breath Sakura stood and glanced around. The sand was completely still and she could not detect any movement. She hadn't noticed him until he decided to make his presence known, but she was pretty sure that he had left. Just in case, though...

"That was one of the most interesting conversations I ever had. Thank you for being such a stimulating conversationalist." Note the sarcasm. He probably had left because no sand jumped up to strangle her after that last comment.

Sakura wondered vaguely what he looked like, although she would probably never see him again, and even if she did she wouldn't know that it was him anyway. The fear had evaporated as surely as a puddle of water beneath the burning sun.

She felt alive, exhilarated.

She felt sick with her own actions.

Blood pooled from the multiple cuts the sand had left on her pale skin and she wondered, vaguely, how she would explain that to her team-mates.

My first Naruto fanfic on this site! Man my fingers hurt. GaaSaku simply has to be one of my favourite pairings and I simply couldn't resist writing this. I hope I got Gaara's character alright. He is difficult to portray well.

Thanks for reading!

Silver xxx.

Edited 28th Feb 2009; storyline will be changed slightly, things added and deleted.

With thanks to my wonderful Beta Reader - Sort of Ambiguous.