A/N : So I'm redoing this entire thing. Taking out some scenes to make it less overwhelming dramatic, condense chapters, add some better dialogue and reduce a lot of unnecessary crying. I still love this story however and wish to finish it so that is what I'm going to do. I hope there's still some of you that will enjoy it. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Chapter 1

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A young, pink-haired medic sat in an empty room, studying the herbs and materials that were laid out before her. She glanced over the list she wrote making sure everything she needed was in front of her before starting her task. Once she saw that everything was present, she began to mix and mash together the herbs and liquids into a small bowl. She worked diligently for hours in the blistering heat of the room causing a sweat to form on her brow.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, a smile on plastered her face as she finished her work. She didn't waste much time, instantly pouring the substance that was in the bowl into a small bottle that was easier to handle. She then grabbed the bottle and dashed out of the room and into the crowded hallways of the hospital.

"Sakura-san!" A young male called, getting the pinkette's attention. "Did you finish the medicine already?" He asked surprised.

Sakura smiled sheepishly as she held out the small bottle for him to see. "It was really nothing, the leaf had dealt with something like this before. I was just replicating the medicine Tsunade-sama used." She said modestly.

"But still! You manage to make miracles happen around here Sakura-san, I don't know what we would do without you." The brown-haired male said with a grin before turning and continuing down the hall as he was before.

Sakura glanced at the bottle in her hand with a small blush on her cheeks. She took a deep breath before proceeding on down the hall to her destination. She quickly made her way through the twisted halls and found herself in front of the room that she desired. Without a pause, she pushed open the large double doors and entered without anyone stopping her.

"Sakura-sama!" A young girl cried running over the pinkette; The girl looked as if she was in her late teens with long brown hair and bright blue eyes. "The patients are continuing to get worse, I've never seen anything like it." She breathed out quickly, terrified of not knowing what to do.

Sakura looked around at the sick patients lying in the multiple beds across the large room. Their condition was getting worse but now that she had the antidote it would only take them a few days before returning back to full health.

"Don't worry Mai," Sakura said softly as she rested a hand on her shoulder, "I have the antidote now."

"You do!?" The girl, Mai, exclaimed with wide eyes. "How did you manage to come up with one so fast?"

Sakura smiled at the girl, and motioned for her to follow her as she moved to one of the patient's bed. "This disease is quiet common where I come from." Sakura explained as she helped a small, sick child sit upright in the bed. "With the antidote the disease is harmless, but without it can be fatal. In Konoha I was constantly watching my sensei make this antidote, and eventually learned it myself. Once I realized that what the patients had was the same as the disease back home I went out and got all the ingredients to make the antidote."

"Wow... and how long until the patients will return back to health?"

"A few days." Sakura answered simply as she poured a quarter of the bottle's substance into the child's mouth. She helped the child lay back into bed once she was done, and handed Mai the rest of the bottle and a list with the ingredients with the exact measurements.

Mai looked at the items in her hand. "This is the list for the antidote?" She asked as she looked up at Sakura.

"Yes," Sakura said with a nod. "All you will need to do is mix everything together until it is watery, like it is in the bottle. You will need to make a lot more so inform the other staff in this area to help you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sakura-sama! I will get it done." Mai beamed with pride.

Sakura smiled at the girl once more before turning to leave. "I know you will Mai. I will return later to check on your progress." She said as she exited out the same double doors she entered through moments ago.

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The young Kazekage sat at his desk going over paperwork that needed his attention. With the much needed peace that was going on between the villages, the Kazekage could finally catch up on all the paperwork that managed to build up in his office. He sat in his normal attire, which consisted of his long, dark pants and his long-sleeved crimson coat, while his pale eyes quickly scanned over the paper in his hands.

Gaara felt the stare of a small girl upon him but chose to ignore the little one, knowing that he needed to accomplish at least some of his work. He began to write on the paper when an audible sigh was heard coming from the child across from him. The Kazekage paused for a moment without raising his head but continued to focus on what he was doing, ignoring the five-year old once more. The room was silent for several moments before another loud sigh was heard. Gaara stopped what he was doing, putting the pen down on top of the papers, and stared back at the small girl that was resting on the other side of his desk. She sat in a chair with her elbows, on Gaara's desk, propping up her head that was covered with wild orange locks. Her large emerald eyes stared into Gaara's usually intimidating, pale ones without any sign of fear.

"Ra?" The young girl said softly, the only person to ever use that nickname- or a nickname in general- for the Kazekage.

"Yes, Natsumi?" Gaara answered as he folded his hands and placed them on the desk. "What is the problem?"

"I'm bored!" Natsumi pouted as she looked at him with sad eyes.

Gaara couldn't fight the amused smile that was tugging at his lips as he shook his head at the girl. "Everyone has work to do today," he explained, picking up the pen once again, "including myself, so there will be not a lot of playing."

Natsumi jumped down from her seat and ran around the desk to stand beside Gaara. "But Ra!" She whined, her arms stretched out towards him- demanding for him to pick her up.

Without an argument, the young man swiveled his body and picked up the child with a sigh, placing her on his lap. "Sumi-chan, you have to be more patient. Everyone has duties that they must take care of before having fun." Gaara tried explaining to the child once more.

"But we can't play for just a little?" Natsumi asked, not listening to a word Gaara was saying. "You worked all morning!"

"I'm still not finished yet, as Kazekage I must get this stuff done."

The small, orange-haired girl looked up at the Kazekage with sad, pleading eyes. "Can we go play for just a tiny bit...? Please?"

Gaara wasn't known to show many emotions, or allow himself to be subjected to females by just the sad, puppy-dog look, but with Natsumi both of those very unlikely things occurred countless of times. Unfortunately for him, today was just another one of those times. He soon found himself being dragged outside in the scorching sun by the five-year old to go play in the park that was near the school.

"Wouldn't you like to stay indoors Sumi? It's very hot today." Gaara said in hope to get the young girl to turn around and go back inside.

"No, it's fine!" Natsumi chirped in response, not really bothered by the weather after growing up in the harsh conditions.

Gaara sighed for the several time, and allowed himself to be lead to the small park Natsumi loved so much.

It did not take long for the two to arrive at their destination, and Natsumi excitedly ran into the playground releasing Gaara's hand in the process. The red-haired male took a seat on one of the benches, watching Natsumi as she ran and played with the other kids there. Gaara smiled as he watched the small girl laugh while playing on the swings.

"I figured you two were here."

Gaara looked up casually to the pinkette standing next to him, watching the same little girl he was moments before. Sakura gracefully moved around the bench and sat next to the Kazekage.

"She did those eyes again, didn't she?" Sakura asked, looking at Gaara with an amused grin.

Gaara nodded with a small smile, his eyes following Natsumi's movements. "They get me every time."

Sakura let out a soft laugh as she focused her attention back on the small girl. "You do know what tomorrow is?"

"Yes, you two are leaving to Konoha tomorrow to see Tsunade and to celebrate Natsumi's birthday in Konoha... You'll be gone for two weeks, correct?"

Sakura nodded in response to Gaara's question. This was the first time in over six years that she was going back to Konoha, it was going to b-

"I'm coming with you." Gaara said suddenly, causing Sakura to momentarily forget what was going through her mind.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the Kazekage as she was unable to register what he was saying. "...What?"

"I'm coming with you." Gaara repeated himself, somewhat slower than before. "I want to make sure you two get there safely, and I also need to discuss some things with Tsunade about our alliance... that's all."

"I guess that's fine..." Sakura said softly as she her body slumped into the bench.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"...No." Sakura said sternly after several moments, sitting up straight to look at the male next to her.

"And what about him?" Gaara asked, staring into the space right in front of him, not making eye contact with Sakura.

"No, things are just easier the way they are. Why complicate it?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." Gaara said as he turned to look at the pinkette with a stern look. "And if you don't I will."

Sakura opened her mouth to retaliate, reliving the same argument that has happened thousands of times before, but was stopped as a small, petite body jumped into her arms.

"Mommy!" Natsumi squealed as she flung her arms around her mother.

"Hi, baby." Sakura smiled as she hugged her child tightly before letting go to look at her face. "Are you ready to go?"

"Do we have to?" Natsumi pouted, giving her mother the same look she gives Gaara.

"Yes, we have to go home and pack for tomorrow, remember?" Sakura said as she placed Natsumi back on the ground, not having the same effect the Kazekage had with the look. "Now come on, say goodbye to Gaara. We'll see him tomorrow."

Natsumi grinned madly at hearing the news, and wrapped her arms around Gaara, giving him a hug. "Bye Ra! See you tomorrow!" She said as she let go to join her mother.

Gaara smiled at the little girl and gave her a small wave as Sakura grabbed her daughter's hand and began to walk home. The red-haired male remained in the same spot he was in as he watched the two walk away, giving the pinkette a saddened expression as she left his view.

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"Natsumi, we have to go. Gaara is waiting for us, and we're already running late." Sakura said as she stood near the front door of her apartment.

Sakura had her bag, and her daughter's, strapped on to her back, all set to leave. Natsumi had to only carry one item, which was her favorite stuffed pig, but she was still reluctant about leaving her home.

"Mommy, why are we leaving?" Natsumi asked softly, nervously playing with her stuffed pig's ear.

Sakura gave her daughter a small smile as she crouched down to her height. "Baby, it's just a small vacation. You're going to meet your grandma, and a bunch of new people."

"My Family?" Natsumi said as her eyes twinkled with delight at just the thought of the subject. Natsumi always wanted to meet more of her extended family; besides the Kazekage and his siblings, she did not know much about anyone else.

"Yes, you're going to meet a lot of family." Sakura answered, playfully ruffling her daughter's bright orange hair. "Now, are you ready?"

Natsumi smiled brightly, showing her pearly white canines, as she took her mother's hand and exited their Suna home.

The duo took less than five minutes to arrive at the gates where the Kazekage and his siblings were waiting patiently. Once Temari and Kankuro were in sight the small child released her mother and sprinted towards them, shouting their names.

"Temari! Kankuro!" She squealed excitedly as she jumped up into Kankuro's arms first.

The puppet master caught the girl with ease and began to spin her around, causing laughter to emerge from the both of them. When he came to a stop the girl looked at him with a huge smile upon her face.

"When did you get back? Are you coming with us? Wh-"

"Whoa Sumi, one question at a time." He chuckled, pinching her cheeks fondly.

"Okay, just answer those two!"

"Well, we got back last night and... yes, we are coming with you today."

Natsumi's large eyes beamed with joy, "Really?" She asked.

"Yeah," Kankuro said with a nod. "We have to watch that stiff, old Kazekage of ours." He finished causing Natsumi to giggle.

"Hey, don't keep her all to yourself." Temari cut in as she snatched Natsumi out of Kankuro's arms.

"Temari!" Natsumi laughed as she embraced the woman.

"Hi, Sumi-chan. I missed you so much, Baby!"

Sakura smiled as she watched the siblings interact with her child. She was grateful to have the three around to help her with Natsumi whenever she needed it. Being a single parent wasn't exactly a walk in the park but with the help of the siblings it was a hell of a lot easier.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan." Gaara said politely, capturing Sakura's attention.

"Good morning, Gaara! Are we all ready to go?" She asked cheerfully.

Gaara replied with a nod. "Yes, we are all set. Shall we?" He said gesturing towards the gate.

Sakura nodded with a smile and began to follow the siblings as they proceeded out of the village with Natsumi. Sakura released a sigh as she walked past the gates and out of the village, she was finally returning to the place she once called home.

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Tsunade sat in her office fumbling with the pen in her hand, too excited to remain calm and still. She received news that the Kazekage and his group left Suna about two days ago which meant that they would be arriving in Konoha at any moment now. Of course Tsunade was excited to see Sakura and the others, but it was the child that made her all giddy and nervous-like. This was the first time Tsunade- or anyone in Konoha for that matter- was going to see the five-year old Haruno. Though Tsunade was ecstatic to finally meet the child, she would not let Sakura get away before telling her the details about who the father of the child was. She wouldn't be surprised if the Kazekage turned out to be the father, but Tsunade had a gut feeling it was a little more complicated than that.

A soft knock interrupted the Hokage's scrambled thoughts causing her to snap back into reality. "Come in!" She yelled loud enough to be heard.

The door opened slightly and Ino slipped through the opening, closing it behind her once she was inside.

"Tsunade-sama," Ino said as she bowed respectively to the woman.

"Oh come, Ino," Tsunade said as she waved the girl over. "There's no need to be so formal. What brings you here?"

"Is it true?" Ino blurted out without hesitation.

"Is what true...?"

"That forehead is coming back today!?" Ino said excitedly as a smile creeped on to her face.

Tsunade couldn't help but grin at how fast the news traveled around. "Yes," she answered. "She's scheduled to arrive today with the Kazekage. She will be here at any moment."

"I know her mission is supposed to be ending soon but she hasn't returned once. Do you think she'll stay...?" Ino asked softly as she glanced out of the large window, avoiding any eye contact with her teacher.

"To be honest, I'm not sure..." Tsunade said solemnly. "But, I guess we will have to try to persuade her, huh?" She grinned.

Ino slowly turned her head towards the elder blonde with a grin on her face to match. "Of course! Tell her to stop by as soon as she gets here, I want to be one of the first ones who gets to see her."

"I will, don't worry." Tsunade said as she watched the young woman spin around and leave her office.

Tsunade sighed as she began to play with the pen in her hand once again. She knew she wasn't going to get anything accomplished with her mind not focusing correctly, so all she could do was just sit and wait for Sakura to finally return home.

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Sakura stopped and stared in awe at the town that laid only a few feet in front of her. She couldn't grasp the fact that she was returning back to her village, it had been a long time since she the day she decided to leave. Sakura held her sleeping child in her arms as she gently rocked back and forth while the three siblings talked with Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Everything okay?" Sakura asked as the three neared closer to her.

"Yes, everything is fine." Gaara said. "I think it would be best if Sakura-chan and I go see the Hokage while you two go check into the hotel for us."

"Okay, give us your bags so you won't be carrying it around the village." Temari said, helping Sakura remove the bags from her back while Kankuro took Gaara's.

Kankuro glanced at the sleeping child in Sakura's arms. "Do you want me to take her?" He asked.

"No, she should be waking up soon but thank you." Sakura declined, receiving a small nod from Kankuro in return.

"We'll see you two later then!" Temari said with a small wave as she entered the village with Kankuro following from behind.

Gaara and Sakura entered the village also, heading in a different direction than the other two. They walked through the busy streets of Konoha, receiving a number of different stares and whispers from onlookers. Sakura clutched on to her child in a protective way causing Natsumi to stir slightly. The small girl rubbed her eyes tiredly as a yawn escaped her lips.

"Are we there yet, Mommy?" Natsumi asked, her eyes not fully open yet.

"Yes, we just got inside the village." Sakura said to her daughter. "Would you like me to put you down?" She asked, glancing at Natsumi's orange locks.

Natsumi nodded slightly causing Sakura to gently place her on her feet. Natsumi grasped her mother's hand and began to walk in synch with the two adults. Her large emerald eyes fluttered open and instantly began to gawk at her new surroundings, amazed by the site of the large village. Natsumi stared at the villagers she passed by with a look of curiosity, which in return gave a similar look back to the child and her mother.

"Mommy, what's that?" Natsumi tugged on her mother's arm, pointing up at the mountain with the faces carved into it.

"That's the Hokage Mountain, it has every single one of Konoha's Hokages carved into it." Sakura explained simply.

"Oh okay." Natsumi said quietly as she allowed herself to be dragged by her mother. "It's not as hot here."

The pink haired woman and Kazekage chuckled softly as they neared a large, red building and continued to walk in side without a second thought. Natsumi looked around her surroundings nervously as they proceeded through the building. She was unfamiliar of everything around her and it frightened her a bit.

Gaara stopped suddenly in front of a desk with a woman sitting behind it, absorbed in the paperwork in front of her. The woman had short, black hair with dark eyes to match, and she wore a simple black kimono. Next to her feet laid a small pig that wore a pearl collar and a red jacket, of which, immediately caught Natsumi's attention.

"Oh my gosh!" Natsumi squealed as she ran over to the pig, ignoring her mother's shouts of protest. "She's so cute!"

The woman's head snapped upright at all of the commotion going on. She stared wide-eyed at the Kazekage and the pink kunoichi in front of her, unable to get any words out for several seconds.

"Sa-Sakura!" She cried as she moved to embrace the pinkette tightly causing her to stumble back slightly.

Sakura let out a small laugh and hugged the woman back. "Shizune, I'm glad to see you too."

"It's been such a long time since I last saw you." Shizune said as she released Sakura from her tight hold. "Oh, you've changed so much... your hair!" She exclaimed as she stared at the long, pink hair that ran down past Sakura's back.

Sakura blushed while Shizune continued to examine over her. "Yeah, I decided to let it grow."

"Oh, Kazekage-sama!" Shizune bowed, mentally beating herself for forgetting he was there. "I apologi-"

"No need for the apologies." Gaara said with a small smile. "I understand the excitement that must being going around with Sakura-chan's arriv-"

"Mommy!" Natsumi yelled suddenly, gathering everyone's attention. "Can I keep her?" She asked as she held up the small pig to show to everyone.

"Sumi, put her down." Sakura hissed at her child.

Shizune laughed lightly at the child as she crouched down to her height. "And who might you be?"

"I am..." Natsumi said, pausing for a moment to put the pig back on her feet. "Natsumi Haruno!"

"Well, hello Natsumi. I'm Shizune." The woman said with a smile, holding out her hand for the young Haruno to take.

Natsumi excitedly shook the woman's hand. "Are you my grandma?"

"Oh no," Shizune laughed, shaking her head. "Your grandma is in there." She pointed to the large doors in front of her, assuming that Tsunade was this "grandma" that Sakura's daughter was talking about.

"Okay! Come on Ra! Let's go see her." Natsumi shouted as she grabbed the Kazekage's hand and pulled him to the doors that Shizune was talking about.

Sakura stared at Shizune as she stood up straight and dusted off her kimono. "You knew?" She asked.

Shizune looked up at the pinkette with a small smile. "Yes, Tsunade-sama informed me about her but I am the only other person who knows."

"Okay, good." Sakura said as she let out a relieved sigh.

"But do you plan to keep the fact that she's your daughter from everyone, Sakura?" Shizune asked.

"No- I don't know..." Sakura answered nervously, confused about her plan as well.

"Sakura... she looks just like you! The only difference is the hair color." Shizune informed her. "Her calling you "mommy" also gives away your little secret."

"I-"

"Mommy, are you coming?" Natsumi called her mother, waiting for her with Gaara in front of the doors to Tsunade's office.

Sakura glanced back and forth at Natsumi and Shizune for a moment, but before she could open her mouth Shizune made her decision for her.

"Go. Tsunade-sama has been dying to see you two." She said with a smile.

Sakura returned Shizune's smile and nodded. She turned on her heels and walked over to Gaara and Natsumi, grabbing her daughter's open hand.

"Are you ready to go meet Grandma?"

Natsumi nodded eagerly in response, while Sakura knocked on the large doors roughly.

"Come in!"