The Other Birthday
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"I missed your birthday," Naruto said, his hands slowly rising to reveal a small box covered in bright blue paper. He placed it gently on the wooden desk, both his hands pressing at the corners as he slid it toward Gaara carefully. He kept his head bowed in reverence and Gaara wondered how many times he had practiced this small piece of ceremony. Naruto took a quick step back and smiled with a sense of pride. His eyes dipped from the gift and back to Gaara with impatience and he tapped one foot as though this small gesture was all that prevented him from tearing the gift open himself. Gaara looked at the gift curiously and glanced up at Naruto. The blond shinobi chuckled in a nervous sort of way that made Gaara want to respond or say something that would put him at ease.
"I'm not accustomed to receiving gifts," he said, his eyes tracing the shape of the bow. "My birth is not celebrated here," he said absently. Naruto was quiet for a moment, his big blue eyes weighed down with a measure of sympathy that made Gaara squirm inside. "My mother's death," he explained, fighting the memory niggling in the back of his mind. Three phantom children rose before him, their skinny legs marching behind their father into the cemetery where they would sweep his mother's headstone and lay down their offerings. It was the day Gaara was reminded of the sacrifice made on his behalf. It was the day he was reminded of how unwanted the sacrifice had been.
"Someone must have remembered your birthday," Naruto said, his somber look fading into a familiar lop-sided grin.
Gaara smiled wryly. "The last person to give me a gift betrayed me," and Gaara could remember it even now; the smile on Yashamaru's face as he held out the teddy bear. Gaara had left the green ribbon tied around its neck for weeks. "My birthday does not evoke pleasant memories. It is not something I desire to celebrate."
"Then I guess it's lucky you have two birthdays!" Naruto said, not discouraged.
"And dishonor Chiyo?" Gaara countered.
Naruto grew impatient. The Kazekage startled when the other shinobi slapped his hands against the desk, the sound reverberating along the clay walls.
"Do you think she would feel dishonored because you're grateful for the life she gave you? It was her decision and she made it because she wanted to! She died because she believed in you! Aren't you the least bit proud of that? Don't you think that's worth celebrating?" Naruto paused and met Gaara's open-mouthed stare.
Gaara felt his cheeks grow warm. He closed his eyes and felt his chest rise with the deep inhalation of breath. His gaze slid to the gift left untouched between them.
"I'm not used to getting presents either," Naruto whispered, "but that's why I treasure the few I've received." The Konohan rummaged in his pockets and took out two small, hastily wrapped packages. He placed them on the desk carefully, turning one to present it more neatly.
One was wrapped in plain brown paper, taped messily in odd places save one carefully wrapped corner where Kankuro's seal had been stamped in bright red ink. The other appeared neater, the edges folded and taped with care. Gaara recognized the paper as the same that Temari had borrowed that very morning.
His eyes prickled with the memory of a teddy bear and the child that had accepted it with joy. He felt it now, that same warmth, radiating from his core.
He wondered how long his siblings had hidden this from him. He wondered how long they had been trying to reach out to him while he had trapped himself in the past.
He reached with one hand to touch the edges of plain, brown paper. They could contain anything and yet he knew he would cherish them. "You're right," he said, smiling at how much of a gift he had just received. "Some things are worth celebrating."