Authors Note: So this is AU to an extent. The war has happened, the only difference is that Sasuke never comes home. He remains on his quest for revenge. In that way we end up with a very different Sakura... or at least not one who takes a huge step back in her character development. This is an independent Sakura who is fierce and while she does care about Sasuke he is not her whole world. The new guard of Kages are stepping up but we are not quite to the point where Naruto's generation of kages is fully in place. Sasuke is still a sound nin.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

The sound of crashing trees and crumbling earth filled the forest as she attacked the nins before her.

"Shit!" she heard a nin shout as she deflecting a water jutsu with the backs of her forearms.

"Sakura-san!" Lady Katsuyu cried from underneath her. "You must get back to Konoha."

Another nin jumped onto the slugs back only to find Sakura's fist in her face. From her vantage point she could see more nins standing ready in the forest near by. There was at least one elite squad and what looked like another two jonin squads waiting in the wings. They just kept coming as if they were trying to corral her into a corner or possibly capture her. Worse yet she had already announced that she meant no harm.

That fact had not deterred this group of Kumo nins. Initially she had thought they were caught off guard when they found a team of Konoha elites making their way through territory unannounced but this was not Kumo territory to begin with. Instead of squaring off and asking questions they immediately began to attack. There was something not right about the whole situation.

She was glad she had sent her team back to Konoha when she had.

"Katsuyu-sama, tell Tsunade-shishou how many of ours are injured. And that..." Sakura paused before taking a deep breath. "and that I'll do my best to make it back."

Sakura felt the quiver of held back emotions from under her feet but the great healer did her summoners bidding, disappearing in a plume of smoke. Sakura would stay here and hold off the enemy until someone arrived. But if she was being honest Kumo had anticipated their numbers and had sent more than enough of their own elites to keep her at bay. What they had not expected her to do was send away her team. Without any Konoha nins to get in the crossfire or in need of healing she could cut loose.

The sound of lightning striking the earth near by did not still her movements, but she did curse under her breath. This would not end well. What on earth was the Raikage doing here?

She wanted to groan. She was right; this was no accident. She had suspected as much when they had been intercepted, but she had been further out from the village than safety would usually allow. She had expected there to be short altercation while they all discovered that none of them were missing nins before moving on their respective ways. Her mission to help a village in the land of water had gone well, but the trip back had been delayed by storms and they had to dock unexpectedly. Instead of delay further she had opted to get off the boat and continue to Konoha on foot.

That plan had been going well until now. She really wanted to curse again, but she was doing her best not to give away her presence. She pulled her hood further down to make sure the shock of petal pink that always gave her identity away was still covered. As it stood they probably had a pretty good idea as to whom they had cornered, which in a way was disturbing. No doubt they knew it was a medic nin that had been sent to Kiri, but it could have been one of many. Now they knew it to be one of two, for while Shizune was medically proficient, Katsuyu was not her summon. That left the monstrous strength of either Tsunade or Sakura. Letting out a well deserved 'Shannaro!' would have given her away. And she was beginning to believe that they were after her shishou. Politically holding an ex-kage was far better than detaining anyone else save the current Kage. So she braced herself and came up with a plan. Holding them here for as long as she could was the best course of action.

She darted between the trees, setting traps as she went. She had been restraining herself earlier, that was true, but now her team was well clear of her destructive power so she decided to cut loose. The Raikage was strong, and very cunning. Plus she was outnumbered and she had been taken off guard.

They had a treaty with Kumo, a tentative one, but a treaty never the less. Kumo was clearly breaking it. She did not really have time to think about why that was right now. For as long as she could she would try to buy time for her fellow nins to get away and, if she could, get away herself.

Things were quiet for a heart beat as the lightning stilled. The outline of the bulky man was lit up by his flashy arrival not too far off. She did not stop. While his hesitation could mean any number of things, one move from him could be her death. She watched them carefully they seemed to be waiting for something.

She sensed the dark aura of someone approach faster than should have been possible. She felt his presence as he appeared behind her and turned to face him. Her eyes widened and for an instant she wondered if he was there to help her.

"Sakura." The tone of his voice did not say much, but the coldness that exuded from him did. The Raikage alone she might be able to handle, even with his extra nins. But this man as well... She would try but the odds were stacked against her. All she could to now was give her colleagues a chance to get home alive. She shifted her eyes down, determined to avoid any more pain than was necessary.

She began running through hand symbols as quickly as she could lacing all of her limbs with chakra. He was her superior in taijutu but a hit from her would still break his bones. The heal of her boot caught his sword and the metal shattered. She kept her eyes on his feet all the while sending tremors through the land to keep the other nins from getting too comfortable or close. One of her bombs went off to the right and the scream told her that the target had been hit.

She heard the hiss of a snake and immediately jumped into the air piercing it with senbon, sending a few behind her to be safe. She was glad she had as her attacker had no choice but to give her a little space. She landed and ripped a tree from the ground sending it flying towards two incoming Kumo nins.

A's lightning jumped around the ever shifting forest floor. "Is it her?" he asked coming in fast. She felt a pair of fingers graze the back of her hood. She pulled away but the damage had been done. The garment slipped just enough to show a few identifiable strands of pink hair. That had been purely for the Raikage's peace of mind. The dark haired man behind her had known her just from seeing the fleeting glimpse of green as she shifted her eyes.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. It was too late now, but had she known it was her they were after and not her Shishou she might have gone with a slightly different tactic. No point crying over spilled milk.

She heard the familiar squeal of the chidori at her right thigh and knew better than to hope it was Kakashi-sensei's. She released her justu, sending a wall of earth up behind her as she charged the Kumo leader. He had the decency to wince when the left hand punch from her jab-cross combo snuck between his arms and tagged the third and fourth ribs on his right side. She immediately dropped down and kicked up with her hands on the broken ground. When she hit nothing she flipped around and brought her leg down before her. She heard the wall at her back crumble and sent her chakra out from her hands. The scalpel pierced a limb, she could tell from the audible sound of him grinding his perfect teeth to avoid making a noise.

So he was still human after all. She was beginning to wonder.

The hood that covered her head fell away completely exposing her hair and hi-ate. She saw the look of determination cross the Raikages features and instantly felt the need to get away as quickly as possible.

"Do it now." His smooth baritone, usually so calm, was rushed and she immediately recognised the betrayal. She felt his hand clasp onto her shoulder and braced for the impact of the lightning. It was a milder version of his usual technique that coursed through her system causing her body to seize. Her mind screamed at her to move but she could not. He had her arms pinned at her sides. As the lighting dissipated she rocked her head back in an attempt to knock him out but he dodged the motion, the back of her skull hitting his jaw instead where she felt the bone give way with a snap. Maybe that would wipe the smirk off his handsome features for a time.

"Now!" came the shout from the man who knew her too well. She prepared to release her seal and felt the pressure of chakra laden fingers on the insides of her wrists.

Nothing. She had no chakra. And with no chakra there was very little she could do except struggle and hope someone was on their way. She felt the pressure of a boot in the back of her knees and fell forward. They bound her hands and feet quickly as she wriggled and bucked in a futile attempted to free herself from his grasp. With her chakra blocked and her limbs bound all she could do seethe. And shout.

The Raikage ran a hand through his short hair, watching her cautiously. Mismatched eyes were also watching her as she glared at him, praying that her gaze would suddenly become as lethal as his was. He was stone faced but she could tell something was bothering him. He reached out to gag her and she growled.

"Sasuke, you bast-" Her words were cut off, but they all knew where it had been going. His eyes creased faintly as she tried to lunge at him.

"Lets go," A stated, signally to his nins to move out. Swiftly, if a little apprehensively, he threw her over his shoulder, allowing her to glare at her old teammate as he turned to walk way. "We will send you your dues," he said to the Sannin knowing that his captive was still screaming obcenitites at the man through her gag. However, he had the feeling that the look of betrayal and the pure rage that was radiating from her green eyes was doing far more damage to the Sound nin as emerald orbs burrowed holes into his soul as they made their exit.

She missed the grimace that caused Sasuke to turn away when she was no longer close enough see it as he jumped back into the demolished forest.

To say that Gaara was uncomfortable was an understatement. He was doing his best not to let it show of course. When A said he wanted to renegotiate their treaties before the summit he was rather agitated about having to travel to Kumo early in order to do so, but ultimately was willing to accommodate the Raikage to keep the peace.

There had been a tension growing in the years since the war that none of them could seem to shake. Yes, they had all fought side by side but as was often the case when there was no common enemy to band against, old squabbles arose. He was doing his best to avoid another confrontation, so was Naruto, but the smaller nations were all beginning to take sides, vying for protection as they had in years past.

Upon his initial entry to the hidden village he was surprised to find the guard looking a little frazzled, and the villagers more than a little on edge. His instinct was to assume it ws due to his presence but after a few moments he realised that was not the case. With his interested piqued he started to pay very close attention. He had learned years before that brute force was often a last resort. So he listened and learned at every opportunity he could. He tuned in to the gossip that flittered through the villagers like a disease. Eventually he picked up on the crux of the issue. A captive, and a strong one at that, had been paraded through the city hardly half an hour before. And who ever it was had made quiet the fuss.

"Call a medic nin!" One man shouted as Gaara approached the Raikage's office.

"Godaime Kazekage-sama, please have a seat." One of A's lackeys directed him to the waiting room.

Gaara looked around and felt his blood still in his veins. Something had crashed through here and the room had been hastily put back together, but not well enough. The furniture was damaged to such an extent that some of the legs were cracked and wobbly. The wood and glass coffee table leaned precariously to one side as little cubes of glass were fell away onto the floor.

If he had to guess, the scuffle had occurred while the prisoner had been brought through. It was odd for a prisoner to be held in a kage's office and not a cell, but they must have had their reasons. No doubt the Kumo nins had sealed their prisoners chakra. That being the case, it was either a very large male or...

The scream that echoed through the office was rage filled and blood curdling. It sounded familiar, a warriors cry from someone about to attack whether futile or not. He knew it from the battlefield. He felt the color drain from his face and his heart raise into his throat.

Those fools! What had they done?

He willed his pulse to stop thumping erratically and took a deep breath. He could not let shock or anger or outrage rule him, never mind the fact that they had her.

His sand swirled in the gourd wanting to rip through any that had dared to hurt her. They would not have known how precious she was to him; no one did. As with everything, he had kept the details of his affection for her a secret until he knew what to do with it. And of course there was her open attachment to the Uchiha to keep in mind. Never the less, he had made it a point to get closer to her over the years, sure that when the time was right and she was ready they could broach the possibility together.

Right now he was not sure that course of action had been wise. Part of him wanted to think that if she had been with him, in Suna, this might not have happened. While Naruto's power often had men quake in their boots when he stood before them ready to fight, Gaara's pure wrath struck the fear of Kami in them with a glance.

He heard a growl and a great deal of commotion in the room beyond. While he highly suspected it was her he would not move in, guns blazing so to speak. He prepared to send his sand in to investigate but remembered that he was not the only one in the room.

He needed to play his cards very carefully here. The attendants were watching him closely. As much as he wanted to burst into the office and demand to know what was happening, he needed to get a handle on the situation.

It was no secret that both he and Naruto had been struggling with A as of late, but it did not warrant any action this drastic. And why call him here knowing that his connections with Konoha would demand that he intervene in a very public manner? There was a great deal at play and he was sure he was missing at least one vital piece of the puzzle. He needed to think it over. In his youth he may have rushed in and caused a ruckus, but he had the feeling they were expecting him to do that. They would not have marched him in here if they did not want to get a rise out of him when he discovered who their captive was. They wanted him to know.

"The restraints have been tightened. Take her to a cell," Darui drawled as he opened the door, giving Gaara visual confirmation of what he had already known. Crouched on the ground glaring at anyone that got close was Haruno Sakura, looking for all the world like a caged tigress. Emerald eyes flitted around her enemies until they landed on his face and utter shock crossed her features. Hurt, anger, betrayal were there as they locked eyes and the need to rush in and remove her from this place was causing him to shake. But now he knew for certain that it was what they were expecting. His sand jumped and it took all of his considerable control to stop it from lashing out. A squad of elite guards were standing at the ready inside the office watching him. There were more scattered about the building. They wanted him to act aggressively. It was part of their plan.

The door shut, and with it the line of sight he had to her closed. A rage he had not felt in a long time welled up in his chest and he felt the overwhelming desire to crush someone with his sand. But that was not who he was any more. That was not the man she knew and he would not become such a monster again.

"Kazekage-sama," Darui greeted in his typical laid back manner his hand still not the door he had just closed. "Sorry for the wait. A-boss will see you now." Gaara noted that the man did not seem pleased with the situation. Sakura had helped Kumo a great deal in the war but he was also not the type of go against his Kage. Darui was loyal to a fault and no matter A's reasoning the man would see his Kage's will done.

Gaara narrowed his black rimmed gaze at the Raikage's right hand man. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked as calmly as he could.

The door closed to the office as Darui guided him into a mission briefing room. "Sorry, I'm not at liberty to say. A-boss has his reasons. He might explain them to you."

Gaara knew that was all he would get from this man. He entered the room and sat down before the Raikage who looked winded. His chest heaved and it made Gaara wonder if it had been the ageing kage himself who had gone to intercept Sakura. One look at a broken arm that dangled next to him told all. The Kage had in fact been the one to retrieve the worlds most powerful medic. It was clear that the battle had taken a toll, as had the struggle she had put up after being restrained. The Kage should have known better than to go after the Haruno Sakura and expect her to come along quietly.

For a time the two powerful leaders sat in silence. The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the stone chamber reminding Gaara of the impending meeting they were all meant to be attending. Blonde brows were knitted in pain and frustration. Gaara liked to think that the frustration was due to his unexpected cool in the situation.

"Naruto will be here soon," Gaara said quietly pinning the larger man down with another glare. Before he went storming in to rectify the situation he needed to know why Kumo was breaking the treaties. There had to be a reason, arguably not a justified one, but a reason regardless. He watched as A twinged, his hand twitching in pain. The older man looked away and Darui immediately turned to his Kage. Gaara took the opportunity to send a thin tendril of sand under the door. With both of their focus changed for a moment there would be no better time to send out a scout.

"What of it?" the man barked at him. A was notoriously ill-mannered and that did not abate when in the presence of those he considered his equals. All Gaara needed to do to convey his point was raise his brow. They both knew how Naruto would react when he received the report that Sakura had been taken. None of them wanted to be on the receiving end of the mans destructive power. "Let the brat rage all he likes. He won't get here in time."

The kanji on his brow crinkled. "In time for?"

"Never you mind," the lightning user snapped, clearly agitated, as he continued to nurse his shattered arm. "Let's get started. Here's our list." The pair of them had taken to just exchanging lists in the past. It was better than fighting it out over a table, A screaming and Gaara sitting opposite completely blank faced, neither willing to back down. The red head went over the list the Raikage handed him carefully and stood. Suna would not give him an inch on any of these points. A knew that already.

Gaara turned to leave sending one final warning glare over his shoulder, receiving a snarl in return.

He turned the corner barely noticing his guard as they followed him. He heard the order through the door, "Don't let him out of your sight."

Gaara scoffed silently. As if they could hope to notice when he made his move. For now she was safe and he had more intel to gather. He wanted to know what was going on and why in Kami's name A had chosen to do something so reckless, knowing two Kage's would be at his throat for it.

Sakura had been dumb founded. The treaty was broken and soon enough war was about to be upon them once more. It seemed like she was going to be the catalyst for this conflict and she could not say she was happy about it. She was screaming mad and she made sure everyone they passed knew she was putting up a fight.

They had gagged her but her muffled shouts would continue until she lost her voice. Her legs and arms were bound with metal clamps. She had already broken through the normal ones, so they had to resort to the more barbaric version. The metal casings kept slamming against the floor as she protested. She supposed if she had put up less of a fight they would not have needed to hog tie her. She had probably left the waiting room a total wreck when she broke through the original bindings. And she had bitten at least two people, hence the other reason for the gag being kept in place.

She was outraged. A gone back on his word, but to add insult to injury Sasuke had assisted him in taking her captive. Not only that it seemed that the Uchiha had some sort of reason for wanting her captured. The good news is that they wanted her alive, for now anyway. If not she would have been dead already.

But when she saw Gaara... her stomach had dropped and she felt as if someone had ripped her in two. Did he know about this? Had he been an accomplice in it? The thought effected her more than she expected and she realised that somewhere along the way she had started getting close to the man, attached even.

They had moved her quickly, only letting her get a glimpse of Gaara. If his wide eyes and jumping sand were anything to go by he seemed to have no prior knowledge of her capture. Even so she did not think they would be giving him the opportunity to find out where she was.

Of course it was possible that he was just surprised because he did not expect her to find out he was there. Naruto would be devastated if it was true but the more she thought about it the more she realised that there was no real way to know for sure. After all, Gaara's priority was Suna. It was not his responsibility to save a Konoha nin, nor should he if there was the chance that by doing so he would endanger his own people. And if he was in on it, she truly believed that it was not personal. Not that the thought made her feel much better about the issue, but at least there was that minute silver lining.

Either way she was not anticipating a rescue. Well, not right now anyway. When Naruto arrived for the Kage meeting she had every confidence that Kumo would literally be pummelled into the ground until she was set free.

And he would have to dig if he wanted to find her. They had just set her down in this dank hell hole, punishment for trashing their waiting room if she had to guess. There was no light to be seen really, only the dim glow from a torch a ways off. Water dripped down from the ceiling above, at least she hoped it was water but she had no intention of getting close enough to the puddle to find out.

Sakura let out a muffled sigh. If only she could get these confounded shackles loose. Then she could save herself and possibly the hidden village as well. She bucked against the restraints that held her arms behind her back. It would hurt like hell but she supposed she could dislocate her shoulders and get her arms around to the front. Then she would have to face the task of getting out of the metal binding. Her arms being bound she could escape with. Without her legs she was doomed. She was about to set her new plan into action, sitting up so the light shone down on her, when a noise near by caught her attention.

They had only just put her in here, she thought it unlikely that anyone would be coming to fetch her so soon. In the dim light it was hard to see but there were no footsteps, just the sound of something slithering on the ground. She inhaled sharply. A snake was the last thing she needed right now. She knew how to counteract venom but she needed to see what kind of snake it was first. Tan and thin she could not think of any serpents in the region that resembled that description. It was coming right to her and she braced for a strike but it stopped abruptly slithering off into the shadows when the sound of footsteps echoed in the hall.

A crop of blonde hair and a set of lazy eyes approached the bars of her cell. "Sorry about this," Darui drawled. Sakura growled. He had better be damned sorry. She thought they were friends. They had all fought along side each other during the war. They had saved each others asses more than once. Friendship, it seemed, meant less to him than his beloved A, not that she had expected it to be any different. "But we need you to solve a problem for us. You don't need to do anything, we just need you here."

She narrowed her eyes. There was another element to this she was not privy to and she would bet just about anything it had to do with Sasuke. The dim light was almost blocked out as Darui towered above her and she noticed that she appeared to be the only on this particular level of the dungeon. They did not want anyone to know she was there. She wanted to snort. Tough shit. She had made such a ruckus being brought in she would not be surprised if the whole world found out about this by nights end.

Darui let out a sigh raking his fingers though his hair, turning his gaze away from her. "I really am sorry." He sounded pained, as if a conflict was battling within him. So it should be, she wanted to shout, but could not. "I will be back soon with some food for you. And a light," he said, looking around at the abysmal conditions before marching off, his steps heavy with what she hoped was guilt.

As soon as Darui was gone the sound of slithering against the rock surface brought her attention back to the ground. The snake. She had not forgotten about it but she had sort of hoped it had slunk off to a hole in the wall. It had not. Sometimes the powers that be had a sick sense of humor. Was it not bad enough that she had been taken captive, might be about to start war inadvertently, and was currently unable to do much about any of it? They had to throw a snake, possibly a venomous one, into the mix.

She backed up against the bars but there was only so far she could go. It slithered into the light and she held her breath. The creature was beautiful but unlike anything she had ever seen. Tan scales glimmered in the firelight, and... was that blue between each scale? The creature reared up looking around and she held her breath. This was going to be uncomfortable and she did not know what sort of venom it had, if any. She would have to counteract it as it showed her what sort of damage it was capable of.

She was growling for the millionth time that day, praying that the serpent would just disappear. With her luck this might all be some ploy of Orochimaru's. Or Sasuke's. It was a snake after all. She might wake up in the morning and find that she had a curse mark, or some weird new powers, or that she had another person dwelling in her body. That is if she woke up at all. Her breath stilled as dark eyes narrowed in on her and she was waiting for the impact of fangs on her skin.

Impact never came. The creature bagan to crumble right before her eyes. She started to laugh and then stopped, not wanting to draw attention to the development.

Sand. The snake had been made of sand. She was not sure whether to slap the handsome Kazekage for scaring the shit out of her or kiss him senseless for obvious reasons. Maybe both. Tendrils of sand trailed along her skin to where the shackles were and instantly she felt the grains start to rub against the mechanism that held her in place. It would take a little longer than was ideal, but if he was doing this then she was sure he had a plan.

She rested her head against the bars and closed her eyes. She was not alone anymore. She had an ally that she trusted implicitly, who was clearly intent on keeping her safe and getting her back home.

End Comments: This is not a one shot; I know! I see a couple of chapters after this, maybe more. In any case I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter we have some direct Gaara and Sakura action, plus Naruto shows up. And yes i realise that Kumo warring against the other villages might seem a little farfetched in canon, but this is not canon and all will be explained in due course. as always I have no beta reader so please forgive any mistakes. I fix them as I spot them. Review are always welcome but no flaming please. Until next time!