I don't know if this is better than the original or not but it's certainly longer, more in depth and I think with better characterisation, explanations and less fan-girly love at first sight-ness.

The Kazekage was sitting in the courtyard of his grounds, lit by the full moon in the clear desert sky. Meditating on a stone bench he did not see Haruno Sakura, on a democratic mission with the rest of Team 7 and Team Gai, watching him from the window. She was considering how fast he had recovered from the Akatsuki extraction of the Ichibi and his being brought back to life. It had been some time ago but still his functions had surprised everyone who was not familiar with Naruto's rapid healing. The nights in Suna, as in every desert, were freezing cold and she tugged the comforter further around herself. It was strange being able to watch the normally guarded and controlled young man without his usual barriers.

It must be lonely to be Gaara, she thought to herself.

After the extraction, when he realised he both had to and could rely on others to help him, he had made an effort to improve his people skills. Both she and Naruto had spent a good deal more time with him since, especially trying to decipher from the records exactly what the jutsu was that Chiyo had used. While Gaara was not exactly conversational, Naruto had made up for it in spades and Sakura had found she enjoyed spending time with the Kazekage. He particularly liked discussing the problems that his council gave him whenever he proposed anything that wasn't to their liking. Sakura could easily relate; working as Tsunade's assistant often put her in the firing line from councillors unhappy with her mentor's decisions.

She and Temari had become close between visits to Suna and Konoha. The older woman could be stern; certainly with the younger ninja recruits who now Gaara was in power felt they had much more freedom than under the old regime. Sakura admired her; it was easy to admire someone with enough strength to hold her dysfunctional family together through the trials they'd faced. Temari appreciated having a close female friend that wasn't intimidated by her or her brothers' notoriety. She also admired Sakura's determination, especially as it often extended to people she didn't know – such as it had to her brothers. The two would often be found at local cafes watching the world go by and talking of their hopes for the future. Sharing a fondness for sake led to many secrets being revealed and many sworn oaths not to reveal them to anyone else.

Yawning behind her hand she took a last, lingering look at the man sat statue still in the moonlight. Despite his non-vocalised yet deeply held beliefs, Gaara was human, a man, and one she wanted to be as comfortable with as she was with her other friends. Smiling slightly she shrugged the comforter off and rushed into bed before the cold air could steal the heat she'd gathered. Out in the courtyard the Kazekage turned to look curiously up at the window she had just vacated as soon as he felt her eyes leave his back.

Sakura cracked an eye and smiled as she saw a familiar sight in the quarters she was sharing with her team-mates. Naruto and Sai had already managed to get into an argument but knowing her temper when woken up prematurely they were arguing with quiet hisses and lots of obscene gesturing. Kakashi was still in bed, ever-present copy of the latest Icha-Icha covering his eyes, no doubt feigning sleep to avoid being pulled into the fight. When she sat up and yawned she was instantly pounced on by Naruto demanding that she take his side. Naruto had come leaps and bounds from his earliest genin days but Sai managed to get under his skin and he wasn't quick-witted enough to hold his own long in a battle of wits. Sakura told them to stop arguing, saying she was going for a shower and that they'd better have found somewhere better for breakfast than the greasy spoon Kakashi had subjected them to the previous day. Naruto then rounded on Sasuke, who was extremely torn; agree with the idiot or the other, emotionless idiot?

In the shower Sakura sighed as she heard Naruto's outraged yelling as Sasuke told him something he obviously didn't want to hear. Having Sasuke back was not as good as she'd hoped it would have been, if she was completely honest with herself. It was all too different, they were all different people now and in some ways she and Naruto had built it up too much and too long. Still, they were a team again. This was especially satisfying to have it announced as the rest of Sasuke's Team Hawk were imprisoned until such times as they could be trusted. Judging by the look on Tsunade's face when she had met them, 'such times' could stretch into never. Once all the truths were revealed and scores as settled as they could be Sasuke was handed back to his team. They were given the strictest of orders that if Sasuke even thought about thinking about revenge then they had to restrain him. Restrain was to turn into dispose of, should the need arise. Deep down Sakura was proud of her reaction to that order, realising she would be able to carry it out should that need arise was a marker of how far she had come.

Breakfast was a nightmare. Actually, when Sakura really thought about it, eating in any restaurant more upscale than Ichiraku was always a nightmare. Maybe it was just her; maybe she should care less what the people around her think. The rest of her team certainly didn't, either that or they took a large amount of pleasure from embarrassing her in public places. Get Team 7 in an establishment with napkins and it was as if they had been raised by wolves. As always the men were pushed out into the street while Sakura apologised profusely and offered money to cover the damages to the shell-shocked owner. After vowing never to come back, at least with them, she came out to find that the argument that had caused uproar was still going on and even Kakashi was fighting his corner. Cracking her knuckles to calm herself and force herself to believe that it would cause more harm than good for her to get involved she didn't notice Gaara's approach until he was almost right beside her.

He was staring at her team, most likely at Naruto whose shouting was becoming louder and louder. Sakura sighed, Gaara knew them, it wasn't like they were acting like this in front of an important figure that could be swayed from his good opinion of them. Gaara had his brow furrowed, obviously trying to decipher from the yelling and insults what was going on. Shaking his head he gestured towards the market in the next street. Sakura took one last irritated glance at her team-mates before giving up on them entirely and following the Kazekage. Silences with Gaara walked a very thin line between comfortable and uncomfortable, depending on the mood you happened to be in. As Sakura was on edge after dealing with her stupid team she felt she had to fill the silence with apologising for causing disruption and inviting Gaara to the training session organised for the afternoon. He told her not to worry, Kankuro made more of a fool of himself on a regular basis, the people of Suna had come to expect outrageous behaviour from the ninjas that protected it. He left her at the market saying that he had work to do and wouldn't be able to make training although he would have enjoyed beating Naruto. She watched him as he swept away to his office, the busy street parting with a sense of awe as he approached. He turned his head to catch her eye as he walked and Sakura felt her stomach flutter and a smile spread over her face.

Sakura flopped down onto the ground next to Neji under the scrawny tree at the edge of one of Suna's training grounds. The training area was composed of sand compacted by years of impacts and a low wall that ran around the boundary, separating it from the other training sites. Training with Naruto was always exhilarating but his massive amounts of stamina meant that it was incredibly tiring too. All her training with Lee was really paying off as she found herself able to not only keep up with the geniuses on her team but also occasionally having a split-second advantage that often resulted in broken bones from a chakra-infused punch. Sai was nursing his newly repaired jaw after a mistimed 'hag' comment and although she had healed it, watching him gingerly drink from a bottle while wincing made her smirk with satisfaction. Sasuke had already left with Kakashi as they had business with some of the elders regarding something they weren't allowed to tell the rest about. Sakura remembered when she would have died to have known what he was up to and it made her laugh to think that she knew more secrets about the village and its allies than he did. He was no longer elite to her or to anyone else, and in some ways that was a relief. Speaking of Lee he was now in the process of obliterating shadow clones as fast as Naruto could produce them. Tenten was ducking the clones being flung out of the fight as she retrieved the many weapons she had used in her match. Sakura felt sorry for her when she was out in Suna because the memory of her first chuunin exam was still a barrier to connecting with the Kazekage and his family. Temari of course was completely unrepentant regarding her behaviour and although she had stopped mentioning it to get a rise out of the weapon's mistress it was still an elephant in the room. If anything though Kankuro seemed very taken with her after she almost destroyed one of his puppets with a single jutsu. Tenten was oblivious to this despite several broad hints being dropped.

Neji was suffering in the intense heat of Suna. Sakura was an expert at seeing through the facade of 'I'm just fine' that ninjas used when uncomfortable or injured. It must be the hair; even with her short locks the heat had soaked them to the back of her neck. Neji obviously saw her staring at his hair because he gave her a warning look before turning back to watch Naruto and Lee. Sakura smiled, she and Neji had an unusual friendship brought on by dual missions and his frequent trips to the hospital. He complained that she was too loud and violent, she complained that he was too reserved and snarky. Somehow over sake (turning into Tsunade was something she had come to terms with long ago) they had formed a common bond of trust and companionship that she valued as much as her other, older friendships. He was certainly still snarky though, judging by the look on his face as Lee bounded over to enquire whether he would be joining in. Sakura smiled broadly at Lee clad, as ever, in the famous green jumpsuit. She had once seen him without it (Tsunade had been entertaining some rather conservative guests so skin-tight lycra was banned from the village) and she had to admit he didn't look right without it. He returned her smile with his trademark full-wattage grin before calling on his esteemed rival to participate or else he would consider Neji to be over-awed by his youth. Sakura stretched and made herself comfortable against the tree as Neji stood up muttering under his breath about the injustice of having Lee as a team-mate.

Tenten sat down next to Sakura and began pushing weapons back into her scroll, keeping an eye on the fight in case it got out of hand.

"I heard your boys wrecked another restaurant this morning" Tenten smiled as Sakura groaned at the memory.

"You don't know what it's like! At least Neji knows how to behave in public" Sakura shook her head, even Gai and Lee didn't come close to their level of embarrassing.

"How'd you break it up this time?"

"I didn't, they were out on the street shrieking at each other and I bumped into Gaara. We just left them to it and he showed me to that great market down beside the headquarters"

"I've hardly talked to Gaara, what's he like? Most people in Suna still think he could snap at any minute and raze the place"

Sakura rubbed a bruise on her thigh absentmindedly as she thought about how to describe the Kazekage. "I think he could, although I know he wouldn't. I think he uses that fear to make sure he isn't controlled by the elders and by the council. He's very much his own man, quiet, controlled but he is improving in being able to speak to people without either scaring or offending them. Gaara's good for Suna and he's a good ally for Konoha, I'm glad I've got to know him better"

Tenten smirked slightly as she listened to Sakura's description. It was all very circumspect but Tenten knew her well enough to know there was more than admiration for the man there, even if she wasn't gushing about him. Pity Gaara was extremely unlikely to find out that Sakura was interested, if he even knew what to do with a woman who was attracted to him. Sakura would be good for him; she was good at healing more than just physical wounds as demonstrated by Neji's much more lightened viewpoints after becoming her friend. Perhaps Kankuro would have some idea if pushing the two closer would be a good idea.

R/R