Sakura was not a fan of the heat, nor was she even the tiniest bit appreciative of sand. Dry, dusty air invaded her mouth, clinging to her tongue, dragging its way down her throat as she swallowed. It was a particularly gruesome summer in Sand, which was unfortunate for Sakura. She would much have preferred a mission in Stone or Cloud. Hell, even Rain would be preferable to this horrifying climate.

But duty called and Sakura was in no position to refuse her Hokage, nor could she deny the Kazekage his specific request for her help. No, Sakura was obligated to make this uncomfortable journey, no matter how much she would rather be somewhere far, far cooler.

"How much further do we have to go?" she asked Shikamaru, who possibly looked even more miserable than she did.

"A couple hours, I'd guess," he answered, squinting off toward Suna with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun's brutal rays. "Looks like there's a storm coming, so we're going to want to keep a quick pace."

Sakura sighed and hefted her pack further up onto her shoulder. A storm. Great. Sakura was the type who could usually maintain a good mood even in the worst conditions, but today... Well, today she wasn't having it.

It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the opportunity she was being presented with. For the second time, she had been asking to come analyze a poison that had affected several Sand shinobi. It was her area of expertise - a place she could really show off her skills. And for the Kazekage, no less!

But then again, that was part of the problem. Sakura respected and acknowledged the fact that Gaara had drastically changed since the first time she had met him. Naruto liked to pretend that the old, violent Gaara never even existed. And given the fact that Gaara's tailed beast was gone now, there might have been some truth to that.

Still, Sakura was a little nervous to see him again. The last time she had seen him he had been unconscious, used as a cushion by that blond Akatsuki member. Another terrifying situation that being in Sand reminded her of.

Sakura swallowed hard some of the dryness in her throat, trudging on toward Suna. She stumbled forward, her feet sinking into the sand where there should have been chakra to act as a buffer.

Shikamaru caught her, his fingers wrapping around her elbow to steady her.

"You're near exhaustion," he said. "Maybe we should stop and try to find shelter. We'll still reach Suna by early morning."

"No," she replied. "I can make it. We'll never find shelter out here."

"But your chakra is already so low," he argued. "You won't be able to run on the sand for much longer."

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "I'll be fine," she insisted. "Let's just hurry."

He gave her an irritated look, but didn't argue with her. They both resumed their pace, running as efficiently as possible toward the setting sun. Sakura pretended not to hear when Shikamaru began to mumble about troublesome women.

Nearly an hour later, just when Sakura had reached her limit and felt the last vestiges of her chakra stores deplete, she spotted an ominous dust cloud moving quickly toward them. But just ahead of them, she could see the village gates, the long wall that lined the perimeter of the village.

Tired and a little desperate at this point, Sakura used one last burst of energy she summoned from deep, deep down inside her and sprinted the last leg of the journey without chakra, her feet adjusting to the sand as she ran.

Shikamaru followed suit and soon enough they had reached the village gate.

The guard at the kiosk nodded to them as they approached. He wore a black mask over his face to keep the dust and sand out of his mouth, so Sakura had to lean in close to hear him over the whistling, whipping winds.

"Haruno-san. Nara-san," he said. "You're just in time. This storm looks pretty nasty. Come quickly. Let me show you where you'll be staying."

Grateful that she would soon have a bed and a bathroom and maybe a drink of something cool and refreshing, Sakura followed the guard, keeping close to his heels.

"Temari-sama should be here soon to welcome you," the guard said. "She had something come up that required her immediate attention, but our allies from the Leaf are top priority so she will not keep you waiting for long."

"Oh?" Shikamaru asked, his ears perked up like a dog's now that Temari's name had been mentioned. "What was it that came up?"

"Forgive me, Nara-san," the guard said. "It's not my place to disclose that information."

Shikamaru gave a noncommittal shrug and continued to follow the guard in silence.

"These will be your rooms," the guard said once they had reached the center of the village. It appeared they were staying in a wing just off the main palace. Sakura was pleased to see that they were in walking distance of the medical ward. The guard led them to a set of two doors across from one another. "You should find your rooms very comfortable," he continued. "There is a bath just down the hall if you need it, though I suggest using it quickly and getting right back to your rooms before the storm sets in."

Sakura flung open one of the doors and peered inside at what would be her new home for the next couple of weeks. It was simply decorated - an ornamental rug under the plush bed, a small writing desk, and a rather large chest of drawers. Satisfied, and relieved to finally be able to rest, Sakura tossed her pack onto the bed.

"That's a good plan," she said to the guard. "I think I'll take a bath now while we wait for Temari."

The guard nodded and took his leave.

"You coming?" Sakura asked Shikamaru after she had fetched a change of clothes from her pack.

"Nah," he said. "I'll wait here for Temari."

"Suit yourself."

Sakura sank deep down into the warm water, letting it relax her muscles and calm her mind. The fruity scent of her shampoo made her feel more at home, and having the dirt and grime of the treacherous travel off of her felt so good.

Suna'a bathhouse was much more luxurious than the ones in Konoha, Sakura noted. The baths were carved from white marble, the mahogany wood that lined the floors rich and deep. Even the paint on the walls seemed more decadent somehow - a lush green that nearly hummed with a sort of vibrancy that almost made Sakura feel as if she were out in a dense, fragrant forest.

Of course she expected the palace to be nice - she remembered how nice it was. It was still just a bit overwhelming to find such opulence when Konoha usually shied away from overindulgence in such things.

But that certainly didn't mean Sakura couldn't enjoy it while she was here. She hummed contentedly before dripping a few drops of essential oils into the water and reclining back against the marble.

She heard the door creak open and peeked up to see Temari sidling through the narrow opening. She was covered in sand and dirt, her blonde hair tangled and windswept. There were several cuts and bruises on her arms and chest, but nothing that looked serious, Sakura thought thankfully. Whatever it was that required her immediately attention must had been the root of her disheveled appearance.

"Shikamaru told me you were in here," she said. "You know the storm has just hit so we won't be able to leave the bath until it passes."

"That suits me just fine," Sakura said with a warm smile. "You look like you could use a hot bath, too."

Temari pursed her lips, giving Sakura wry look as she contemplated whether or not she wanted to do that.

"Come on," Sakura urged. "Otherwise I'm the only one naked in here. Who knows how long that storm is going to last?"

"Approximately two hours," Temari replied.

Sakura gave her a look she hoped was inviting, jerking her chin toward the seat in the tub beside her. She even wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay, I was going to join you, but not if you're going to look at me like that," Temari said pointedly.

Sakura raised her hand up and placed the other one over he heart. "I swear I won't even glance in your direction," she promised.

With a roll of her eyes and an un-amused glance toward Sakura, Temari set aside her giant fan and began to undress. Sakura busied herself with staring at the ceiling until she felt Temari slip into the water beside her and relax back against the marble with a contented sigh.

"I forget how much better that guest baths are," the blond said, reaching up to loosen the ties that held her hair together.

"Yes, this is definitely nicer than any bathhouse in Konoha," Sakura replied.

A silence followed as Temari began to wash her hair in the steaming water. Sakura closed her eyes, listening to Temari's movements, the water lapping against the edges of the tub. The journey might have been rough for Sakura, but the bath definitely made it all worth it.

"I already briefed Shikamaru on your mission," Temari said, breaking the calm silence. "I guess I should go ahead and brief you as well."

"Can't it wait until our bath is over?"

"I think it would be more efficient to do it now."

Sakura gave Temari a side-glance, pursing her lips in annoyance. She had no right to complain, of course. She was a guest in their village. Not only that, but she was here on a mission. It would be far too rude to complain.

"Okay," Sakura said. "Lay it on me, then. Let's hear about this mysterious poison."

"Several weeks ago, we had a squad of four shinobi come back from a mission a few miles west of here sick with something we couldn't identify," Temari began. "Their symptoms are sweating, double vision, and muscle weakness."

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath. "That sounds serious," she said. "What condition are they in now?"

"They are still in the medical ward," Temari answered. "They haven't improved or regressed. I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing."

"If their condition hasn't worsened, that's definitely a good sign."

Temari hummed in response. "So far as we know, they were not poisoned by an enemy," she continued, glancing at Sakura before returning her attention to her soapy hair. "Their mission was routine and non-combative."

"So what do you believe the cause of their illness is?"

"Based on analysis from the medical labs, we believe this is the result of a plant based poison," she said. "It appears they inhaled some sort of pollen or dust."

"But you haven't been able to find the source?"

Temari shook her head.

"Well, that will make creating an antidote much harder," Sakura said.

"We have narrowed down the area in which it is most likely that the plant is to be found," Temari said. "It's a seven square mile area just to the west of the village. We've sent a few shinobi out to look for the plant that caused this, but they've all come back empty handed."

"I see," Sakura said. "Well, I'll go out there myself and see if I can't find the plant. I may be able to come up with an antidote without it, but it will certainly be a much faster process if I could find at least one."

"There will be more storms coming this week," Temari said. "So if you insist on going out there yourself, we will lend you a squad of shinobi to assist. We will try to schedule your outings around the storms."

Sakura reached back behind her back for a towel and rubbed it gently on her hair. "I'd appreciate that," she said. "And in the meantime I can take a look at those who've been poisoned so far. Have the other shinobi who went looking for the cause come back sick as well?"

Temari nodded.

"Alright, then," she said. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me."

"You could try to look less grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," Shikamaru said, giving Sakura a mean look.

"Well, stop looking like you are," she hissed. "He's going to be here any minute."

They were sitting around the table in the Kazekage's main dining room. Breakfast had been prepared for them, steaming rising from the dishes in the center of the table. The smell was incredible, Sakura thought. It had been a while since she had tasted Suna food – one of the few things she remembered liking about the village.

Her stomach gurgled and she curled forward, wrapping her arms around her midsection. She felt the blaze in her cheeks, but she tried not to be embarrassed by the perfectly natural sound.

Temari, who sat opposite of Shikamaru and Sakura, looked annoyed as she fanned herself far too aggressively with a small paper fan. "Where is he?" she asked Kankuro, who sat to her left.

"I don't know," said the puppet master as he scratched the back of his head. "I haven't seen him since last night."

With a groan, Temari pushed herself away from the table, gripping the edge with white knuckled hands. "I'll go find him," she said.

"No need."

Four eyes swiveled to look at the man who had just entered. He was perfectly poised, dressed in his Kage robes. His hair was neatly combed and his eyes were bright and determined. He looked regal enough, Sakura thought, though it was hard to believe that this man was the same one who had tried to kill her during the chuunin exams.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, nodding to Shikamaru and Sakura. "Welcome to Suna. Please, dig in."

Not needing any more encouragement than that, Sakura reached forward and began piling food onto her plate. Greedily, she shoved a few bites into her mouth, groaning at the delicious taste, the savory, the sweet, the decadent treat that was this foreign and intriguing food.

A sharp thwack against her ankle made her send a glare in Shikamaru's direction. But when she glanced around the table, she saw that all the sand siblings were watching her with various amounts of amusement. Kankuro looked thoroughly entertained, while Temari's eyes glinted with merely a hint of humor.

Gaara, on the other hand, was watching her with a furrowed brow, his posture rigid as he took his seat at the table.

"I apologize, Kazekage-sama," she said after she'd swallowed the massive bite of food she'd taken. "I was ravenous."

He eyed her with curiosity. His scrutiny made Sakura feel another blush rising to her cheeks.

"I shouldn't have kept you waiting for so long, Sakura-san," he answered, the grating timbre of his voice somehow soothing, though it seemed as though it shouldn't have been. "No apology needed."

Sakura merely bowed her head in response and continued to eat, taking much smaller bites this time.

"I trust that Temari has filled you in on the situation," Gaara continued, looking at Shikamaru now.

"She told us about the squad that came back sick," Shikamaru said. "And that you've isolated the region the poison must have come from."

"That's correct," Gaara said. "Our top priority right now is to find the cause of the poison. If it's a plant, it's going to cause us a great deal of strife when going west. Right now we have all squads avoiding that location, but that's simply not viable long term. Luckily no trade routes go through that area, but it is certainly a hindrance to ANBU moving in that direction."

"Sakura-san said she would be willing to go out and look for the plant that's causing this," Temari said, her voice much quieter than it had been the night before when she had been in the bath with Sakura. There was a meekness to her tone now that conflicted with the gritty reputation she usually had.

"Shikamaru-san should be able to handle that," Gaara said firmly. "Sakura-san will need to look after those who have been poisoned so far."

Shikamaru looked like he wanted to groan with frustration, but thought better of it. Sakura knew for a fact that he thought this trip would be more like a vacation for him. He didn't know hardly anything about poisons or plants. He was here to be Sakura's escort and to assist with the more diplomatic things Sakura had no mind for.

"With all due respect, Kazekage-sama," Sakura said. Kankuro and Temari both gave her a sharp, warning look. "Shikamaru doesn't have the knowledge required to find a plant like this. And while I may be able to treat symptoms of the poison, I cannot create an effective antidote until I've discovered the plant."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her, propping his elbows up on the table. "You were able to create an antidote for Sasori's poison from the microbes you pulled from Kankuro's blood," he argued, his voice authoritative and resolute, though Sakura couldn't detect a hint of ire coming from the former jinchuriki.

"That was a manmade poison," she countered. "One I was able to provide myself with a full sample of. At this late stage in their illness, I doubt any of the shinobi affected will have a pure enough sample of the poison to work with."

Gaara frowned, looking down into his lap. Sakura wasn't sure if she should have argued with him. She was right, of course. She was the expert and he had specifically asked for her help, so it would have been quite silly to deny her correctness. But she remembered who Gaara was. The village had been terrified of him and now he was their Kazekage. He must not have been used to people challenging his orders.

"Very well," he said finally. "Today you may go look for the plant yourself. But I expect you to tend to the sick as well."

Sakura smiled.

"But, Gaara, there are storms moving toward us now," Temari said. "They should be on us by this afternoon."

"Then you will take her this morning," he replied. "And she can look after her new patients this afternoon after she's returned."

"I'm taking her?" Temari asked. "What if I get poisoned as well?"

"Wear a mask," Kankuro said, holding back a sniggering grin.

"That's a good point," Gaara said. "Sakura-san, how will you prevent yourself from being poisoned once you're out there?"

Sakura smiled again, cocking her head to the side. "I've developed an elixir that will make us resistant to poisons for a short time. It's not effective against every poison, but it should be able to handle a plant based one like this with no trouble," she said. "I'd be happy to share with Temari-san."

Gaara's eyes honed in on her again, gauging her confidence, the grin on her face. Sakura knew she had a propensity for arrogance when it came to poisons. They were her specialty, after all. Still, she dropped the smile from her face. It wouldn't do to boast in front of the Kazekage, even if that was exactly was Tsunade might have done if she were here.

"That settles that, then," Gaara said. "Temari, please take Shikamaru-san and Sakura-san out to find these plants as soon as possible."

"Yes, Gaara," Temari said, though it was painfully clear that she did not want to be saddled with the task. Kankuro help his hand over his mouth to hide his grin.

"And you," Gaara said to Kankuro. "Wipe that grin off your face. We have a meeting with the council today."

Kankuro frowned and crossed his arms. This time it was Temari's turn to hide a grin.

Sakura paused, hands on her hips as she surveyed the desert before her. The desert air was dry in her mouth, but the protective mask she had been given saved her from breathing in the sand. To her left, Temari was scanning the horizon, looking for any sign of a mysterious looking plant. To her right, Shikamaru was nonchalantly leaning against a guard post, using his flattened palm to cover a yawn.

"You could help, you know," Sakura said to him, fixing him with an irritated look.

"Okay, here's my advice," he said. "Let's go back to the village so you can create an antidote from the poison in the squads' systems."

She impatiently tapped her foot and flicked his ear with her forefinger. "I can't do that, you dolt," she snapped. "I need to find the plant it came from. The faster we do that, the faster we finish this mission."

"Alright, alright," he said. "You don't have to nag."

Still annoyed, but slightly mollified, Sakura turned back to Temari.

"Any luck?" she asked.

Temari gave her a wry look. "With the wind whipping and the sky darkened by the coming storms, it's too hard to see," she said with a regretful shake of her head. "It's hard enough to find any plant at all, let alone one we've never seen before."

"That's another thing I find odd about this," Sakura said. "A plant that excretes a poison that can be inhaled is usually a tall, flowering plant. I haven't seen anything like that in Suna."

"Could it possible that it isn't a plant?" Shikamaru asked.

Sakura tapped her lips with her forefinger. That could certainly be the case. If that were true, though, they would have an entirely different problem.

"Maybe," Sakura answered. "But the poison's symptoms seem congruent with a plant based poison and we haven't checked this entire seven mile radius yet. I think we should keep looking until we find evidence to suggest otherwise."

Temari nodded in agreement and Shikamaru gave an apathetic shrug.

For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Temari scoured the desert, searching for the mysterious plant. Every so often, Sakura stopped to check herself and Shikamaru and Temari for traces of the poison in their systems. If any of them had been in contact with it, that would mean that they had been near the plant and somehow missed it.

But never once did she find any trace of it in their systems, so it was with defeat that the trio headed back to the village. They arrived back by late afternoon, exhausted and a little discouraged by their wasted efforts.

Upon returning to the village, Temari was snatched away from them by an ANBU operative and taken back to the palace for official business. She was the Kazekage's sister, of course, so Sakura didn't expect her to stay at their side for their entire stay in Suna.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, had no place to be and no job to do, so he took it upon himself to take some leisure time.

"There's got to be a good place around here to take a nap," he said, yawning and stretching his arms over his head.

Sakura shook her head with a disapproving frown. "Shouldn't you be doing something productive?" she asked. "Like improving our relation with Suna or whatever it is that ambassadors do?"

"What can I do with Temari gone?" he asked with another infuriating shrug.

Sakura scowled. "Whatever," she mumbled. "I'm going to check on my patients now."

He waved her away with a dismissive hand.

Sakura was pleased to see that her patients were in relatively good condition. While they exhibited symptoms of the poison, they were still able to function normally and go about their day-to-day lives for the most part. Apart from their muscle weakness, which prevented them from being able to take missions, they were still all able to live in their own homes and maintain a regular diet.

So after giving each of them a thorough medical examination and sending them on their way, Sakura headed down to the laboratory to see what she could discover from the samples she had taken.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to work with. The poison from their lungs had mostly dissipated by the time she had taken her samples, and the samples the Suna-nin had originally taken were long expired.

What little she was able to find from the samples wasn't of much use. The poison was slowly released, she realized. The shinobi must have breathed it in even through their face coverings. Wracking her brain to think of all the types of plants that would release such a poison, Sakura was having a hard time coming up with a reason why a plant would create a slow releasing poison.

Most plants were only poisonous in order to protect themselves from predators. A slowly released poison would not help with that. Perhaps if the plant were ingested, the poison would act more quickly. But unless she could find the plant, she wouldn't be able to test that theory.

The symptoms themselves were also troublesome. Because they were not too severe, it didn't seem like the type of poison to come from a plant trying to avoid being eaten. No, particularly the muscle weakness left Sakura feeling a little unsettled. A poison that affected its victim with muscle weakness was usually the type used by a person in combat – someone who wanted to slow someone down or prevent him or her from being able to attack or escape.

A plant would have no reason to want that, unless it was some sort of Venus flytrap like plant that would later eat its prey.

And that was a possibility, Sakura thought. But surely a plant capable of affecting fully grown shinobi with its poison would be large and easy to find.

With a frustrated sigh, Sakura bent forward and rested her forehead against the desk beside her microscope. It had been a long, grueling day and she had barely gotten anywhere with her mission. Tomorrow, she would have to make sure she made better progress.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Sakura lifted her head, turning her face toward the now open doorway. Temari stood there, leaning against the frame. It looked like she had bathed and changed clothes since their foray into the desert. She even had a smile on her face.

"I was just trying to get a little research done," Sakura explained, pushing back her chair and getting to her feet.

"Not going well, I presume?"

Sakura shook her head.

"I spoke with a couple of your patients," the blonde said. "They all had nothing but good things to say about you. Even Hokimi was charmed by your bedside manner and he is notoriously uncharmable."

Sakura waved a dismissive hand near her face. "I only alleviated their symptoms," she explained. "The poison seems to be slow releasing, so I doubt their condition will worsen. Luckily, this doesn't seem to be too serious a case. Still, I'd like to get to the bottom of it quickly."

"Do we even need an antidote, then?" Temari asked. "Won't the poison eventually dissipate on its own?"

"Maybe," Sakura said. "But if it is a plant based poison, then it's likely that ingesting it is also poisonous. You'll want to make a note of what it looks like so you can avoid eating it."

"If?" she asked. "I thought we had established that it must have come from a plant to be inhaled in such a way."

Sakura bit her lip, glancing down at her notes. "I'm not so sure anymore," she answered. "I'll have to keep researching and see what I can find."

Temari's gaze was sharp and almost intrusive on Sakura. Sakura was far too exhausted to care about her scrutiny, but she felt a twinge of irritation knowing that they were trusting her to take care of this and she still didn't have a single lead.

"Well, you can't do much more in your condition," Temari said. "You know better than to overwork yourself."

With a furrowed brow, Sakura glanced to the clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight.

"Come on," Temari said. "You need to get some rest now."

Without argument, Sakura allowed Temari to lead her back to her room.