A/N: Without realizing it until I decided to re-read 'Dear To Me' (a oneshot I did not too long ago), I kinda-sorta made a sequel to it, LOL. At least, I hinted about what happened in the oneshot and this is a mission involving Suna, which was something I mentioned at the end of the oneshot. *shrug* Whatever.

Anyway, enjoy this! It's weird, I know, and wayverymuch longer than I should've/could've/would've been, but oh well! I like it, so hopefully you will, too. XD

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: SPOILERS AHOY! D:

"Are you positive it's safe to leave him alone with Kazekage-sama?"

Sakura smiled faintly at the strange man with a sheet over half of his face. She winked an eye at him, one of her pointer fingers springing into the air. "If anything, Gaara-sama is safer with Naruto than he is with anyone else in your entire village." Her playfulness faded a tad as she looked to the sky, her eyes clouded with a memory. "You weren't there when Chiyo-baasama and Naruto saved him. You didn't see them say goodbye to each other. But you did notice that when we returned, the only two people carrying Gaara-sama were his brother and Naruto, didn't you? Surely that told you something," Sakura reminded Baki. "So I wouldn't worry about them if I were you. They're closer than you think."

Even the pink-haired medical nin saw the odd relationship the two boys shared. It was an understanding, equal friendship that couldn't be matched. And she respected that.

Baki sighed. "I suppose you're right. Still, I wonder what they'll talk about. Kazekage-sama doesn't speak much."

"No, but a lot has happened to Naruto since they last saw each other," Sakura pointed out, "Which means he'll have plenty to say to fill the silence." Sakura's lips softened into another smile. To her, her blonde best friend was an incredible person. Despite his silly antics and moments lacking in tact, she held a lot of respect for him. After all, he had saved so many lives that he made up for his days of lesser greatness.

xXxXx

Naruto leant against the sandstone wall of Sunagakure with not much interest. He didn't know what he was looking at; all he saw was an endless terrain of sand to the far-off horizon, paired with a too-blue cloudless sky that went on just as far. What the kitsune was more interested in was the person beside him, a fellow shinobi he regarded as one of his most precious people, someone who was a good friend of his due to all that they've been through together… even through the years before they met when they were twelve.

The purpose of Team Kakashi's visit to Suna was a simple one: a pit stop prior to a long journey they have ahead of them. It's one of the last villages for a while, so they decided to rest up and catch up with their allies. It worked especially in Naruto's favor, seeing as how he hasn't spoken to or seen the redheaded Sand leader in more months than he can care to remember (he hadn't been counting).

It was thoughts like those that led him to lick his lips and recall to his friend what had occurred as of late.

"I've accomplished a lot these passed few months, 'ttebayo," Naruto began, his voice low and even as he stared out at nothing. He didn't need to look in Gaara's direction to know that the stoic figure was listening. "I've undergone a lot of training and stuff that I never thought I'd do," he admitted. He glanced over his right shoulder. Gaara's calm profile was angled slightly toward the kitsune, a pupiless turquoise eye peering. Naruto cleared his throat. "For starters, Yamato-taichou took Sakura-chan, Sai, and me on a mission. I swear, that was the most trying mission I've ever done, and one of the biggest ones I regret."

Gaara cocked his head, implying the question, 'why?'

Naruto winced. "In the past, I've had that damn furball's chakra cover me and fuel me for battle. You've seen it, so you know what it looks like; it's that weird orange-red color and usually has this tail-and-ear set on it. My eyes get all red and my nails and canine teeth get long, and it's pretty ugly." He paused as he tore his gaze off of Gaara, whom was listening much more intently. "Well, a couple times now, that cloak got more than one tail. Up to four, to be exact. And when that happens, I don't know, I seem to lose control. I black out, and don't remember any of my actions. On this particular mission, ya see, we saw Orochimaru and Kabuto, and I got so mad since Orochimaru is the person that Sasuke left us for. So, naturally, I got pissed to the point where I went all demon-fox on them. But I went too far, and… and I hurt Sakura-chan. But that's just the beginning! Soon, we get in more messes. Like… I saw Sasuke for the first time in three years."

Gaara frowned. He didn't like the Uchiha, not one bit. Yet he didn't dare tell Naruto to skip over this part of his story; he knew it was important to the blonde, and that the blonde needed to get it off his chest and tell someone other than who was already there.

"He acted so cold to us, Gaara. Poor Sakura-chan was dumbstruck for a really long time; I mean, I was too, but she used to be in love with him! It hurt her and probably made her happy at the same time. I don't know what I felt; I pretty much went numb. I mean, this guy used to be like a bother to me, dattebayo! But now he's just a prick." He stuck his tongue in his cheek, willing himself not to break his jaw from clenching his teeth too hard. "And then he tried to stab me, Gaara. Right here." He indicated his left row of ribs. "Sasuke had this sword I've never seen before, and he tried to use it on me. I was pretty scared; I was so reluctant to fight him that I nearly let myself get hit. If it weren't for Yamato-taichou and his wood jutsu, I might be dead."

He shook his head at himself, not at all noticing the horrorstruck expression running through Gaara's eyes at the idea of Naruto dying.

The blonde continued: "Later, when we came back, some other small stuff happened. But some of the major things were the training Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taichou started me on and then Asuma-sensei's death. The first thing really tuckered me out; I had to use my clones, but they used up my chakra really quickly. See, Kakashi-sensei figured out that I was of the wind element, and could do wind jutsus; which explains why I'm able to do the Rasengan. Anyway, it was some really intense training that we had to stop for a little bit and then resume. Did you know that I was able to stop the flow of an entire waterfall with my chakra alone? It was so cool! I gotta say, I was pretty pleased with myself. Kage bushin no jutsu really came in handy, ne?"

Gaara nodded, the amazement at Naruto's feat shining temporarily in his eyes. "You're an extraordinary person," he said in a small voice, one of the only things he had said to Naruto all day. "I'm not surprised that you were capable of such a thing."

Naruto beamed. "Hey, thanks, Gaara! That means a lot," he flushed. "Um, anyway, Asuma-sensei's death was really sad. That stupid Akatsuki member – Hidan, I think he name was? I don't care to remember, he makes me that angry – killed him. You know Shikamaru, right? Well, that was his sensei. It really tore him up, 'cause he had to watch Asuma-sensei die. That's really painful. And what's worse? How he died: that freaking Akatsuki guy used this weird jutsu that made it so whenever he hurt himself, it hurt his victim with this unseen force. And the final blow was a freaking scythe to the chest! Man, I would hate that. Being helpless and in pain from something that isn't even being done to your body physically, and yet it kills you anyway. It's those kinds of jutsus out there that truly frighten me, Gaara."

The redhead could understand that; he knew what it felt like to have a rare jutsu used on him. That was how he lost Shukaku, the demon he previously contained inside his body.

Naruto shook his head. "But it got worse. The Akatsuki attacked us. Our village. They swooped in, a whole group of them. Every one of them had these crazy piercing all over their faces with the Akatsuki leader, Pein, at their head. Now that guy seriously ticked me off." Naruto began to shake, his teeth biting down on themselves and his fists in tight balls at his sides, calloused as hard as a rock. His cerulean blue eyes flickered with a fiery red, but didn't remain that way. "He murdered Ero-Sannin. He killed my mentor, one of the few adults I looked up to. I couldn't take it anymore. So I did the impossible: still technically at genin level, I put on some red war paint and summoned the chief toad like he did, and I went Sage on Pein's ass." He smirked, his eyes returning to Gaara with confidence in them and no trace of that burning red in their color. "I felt a different kind of power then, and it was awesome. I wish you could've seen it."

Gaara was tempted to smile; he knew Naruto had it in him to do great things, and something like becoming a Sage was one of them. Whether or not he became Hokage later was entirely up to opportunities and circumstance, but Gaara had faith in Naruto and believed he would still reach that goal one day.

"There were a lot of littler things that happened, too," Naruto concluded, "But those are the major things. What d'you think?" He looked to the redhead for some sort of remark. He wondered what his friend thought of all these misadventures and experiences.

The Kazekage digested the information and turned toward his friend. "I think," he said with deliberate slowness, his following words chosen carefully, "You made the correct choices even when things didn't transpire for the best." He paused as he allowed this to sink in. Then, he told the other: "I also think you were very courageous to go through all of that in such a short amount of time."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty close together, wasn't it? All that stuff… still, I think you're right. Thank you." He grinned at Gaara, his smile sincere and grateful. "It's stupid, but I needed to hear that from someone. Sometimes I need reassurance, because sometimes I falter in my decisions and wonder if they were what people expected of me, or if I did wrong and let them down."

"You know, Naruto," Gaara said at length, his eyes gazing out at the now setting sun, "It's those kinds of insecure thoughts that make a great leader. A leader needs to think of their people, and worry about what they think of them. It's not a bad thing."

"I hope you're not just saying that to make me feel better," Naruto replied with a wary eye in Gaara's direction.

Gaara shook his head minutely. "No. I'm being truthful."

Naruto's smile returned. "I'm glad." He stretched and yawned. He stopped mid-yawn when he looked – really looked – at the sunset. "Wow…"

"I like desert sunsets and rises," Gaara commented offhandedly. "They calm me."

"I can see why!" Naruto replied with a breathless chuckle. "It's pretty."

"I suppose so," Gaara shrugged. "There are lovelier things."

The redhead's face took on a dreamy expression, something Naruto has never seen before. His attention was lured to Gaara's features, which he watched with curiosity. "Like what?" the blonde asked softly. In his own mind, he thought of multiple things that were nicer than the sun coming and leaving. Naruto thought of blushing girls in kimonos, the ocean, and lush forests with hidden waterfalls. A lot of water, actually; streams gliding over rocks and still ponds with lily pads. But cherry blossoms were pretty, too, when they were in full bloom. Was Gaara referring to any of these things?

Gaara went silent for a long time. At one point, Naruto thought he was going to leave or not give an example, but it was at this point that Gaara murmured something small that the blonde didn't catch.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," the redhead stated flatly. The sun left the horizon and the sky turned lavender as the light began to fade. "Shall we go inside now?"

"Um, I guess," Naruto said lamely as one hand ran through his messy blonde spikes. "Thanks for listening, by the way. It made me feel better," he added with a gentle smile.

Gaara didn't look at him or respond, merely paced ahead with a peculiar step to his walk. The kitsune frowned. What's up with his friend? He walked behind the other teen and retreated indoors where the night wasn't quite as cool, the heat of the day lingering within the sandstone walls.

A pink-haired girl came up to him. "Hey, Naruto. How'd it go?" she asked.

"I… don't know," Naruto told Sakura slowly. "Okay, I think."

"You think? Why are you so unsure?" she puzzled aloud.

The blonde shrugged. He watched for Gaara, waiting until he saw him leave before he said: "I don't know why, but at the end Gaara started acting funny."

"Hmm," Sakura frowned, her arms crossing over her chest, "Maybe it was something you said. What were you two talking about before he started acting strange?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Well, we were watching the sun set after I told him about recent stuff that happened, and I said 'wow'. And then he mentioned that he liked sunrises and sets in the desert, and I agreed that they were pretty. But then he said that there are prettier things, and I asked him what kind of things, and then he changed the subject. I mean, I think he said something before he changed the subject, but when I asked what it was, he told me 'never mind'. Now, tell me, what the hell is that about?" he ranted. When he finished, Sakura had her hand to her mouth as she figured it out.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Naruto," she said with a curious tone, "What did his face look like when he said something before changing subjects?"

Naruto went back in time for a moment. "Uh… He was looking down. Like, he wasn't looking at me. A little embarrassed, maybe?"

Sakura grinned. "Really?" she giggled. "Then I have a wild guess at what he said. Mind you, it's pretty out there – and highly unlikely – but my guess is, he told you that you were prettier than the sunset. At least, from what I've picked up, that's what a guy might say to someone he likes but would be embarrassed to say aloud."

Naruto blinked heavily in shock. Steadily, he regained his composure. He shook his head vigorously, his hands on his hips. "Nuh-uh. No way. That is too out there, Sakura-chan. And very unlikely."

"Then why are you blushing?" she cooed, her tone playful while she pointed to his cheeks.

He flared pinker. "I am not!"

"No? Well, then it must be the lighting," she smirked. In the back of her mind, Sakura speculated that Naruto was embarrassed at the thought of his male friend having a crush on him. She also speculated that Gaara didn't even realize his feelings to their full extent. She had the sudden urge to confront the village leader about it. "If you're going to pout, I'm going to go see if I can find… er… Temari-san. I have something I want to ask her."

So she lied about whom she was going to ask something to, but it hardly mattered. It only benefited the two boys in the end.

xXxXx

"Gaara-sama, do you have a minute?" Sakura inquired sweetly as she knocked at Gaara's office door.

"You may enter, Haruno-san," replied the deep voice on the other side of the door.

A little timidly, the pinkette stepped into the room and offered the redhead a smile. "How're you?" she asked lightly.

"I know you didn't come here to check on me," Gaara commented while he eyes scanned the page of a document he needed to sign.

"Actually, that's exactly what I came here to do," she contradicted. "I'm curious about how you're doing… with Naruto."

Gaara froze in place, his muscles tensing under his voluminous traditional Kazekage robes. "What are you getting at?" he asked darkly, his face beholding nothing but his eyes voicing something else entirely.

Sakura softened her gaze and leaned forward on the chair she sat in opposite him. "You're a reserved person, Gaara-sama. You hardly make an effort to get close to anyone or let anyone get close to you. But I think you have an exception, and that exception is my closest friend. So I think I'm entitled to know what sort of…" She searched for the correct word. "Progress you're making with him. Because if it affects him in the long run, then it affects me too."

Gaara sighed through his nose in both irritation and defeat. He knew he was caught, although he wasn't quite sure what the sharp medical ninja caught him at. "I'm not sure what you're asking of me," he stated leisurely.

Sakura stood from her seat. "Gaara-sama," she said with a friendly tone, "It's okay to tell me. I know there's something deeper between you two, something radiating more from your end."

Gaara blinked. He was thoroughly disturbed that she picked up so much of the feelings he has been trying to conceal. He diverted his eyes and stood nervously, although his body thankfully didn't betray him by shaking or flushing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly. "And since I don't, could you please –"

"Don't play polite and try to shoo me out," Sakura scolded. "I'm sure you tried the same thing on your sister at some point, but I won't back off like her. Unlike Temari-san, I'm not related to you, nor do I live with you, so there'll be no skin off my bones if I hear my suspicions confirmed." She smiled and gingerly touched her hand to his shoulder. He tensed further. "Is there something you've been suppressing around Naruto?"

Gaara gulped audibly, but kept his stoic facial features as much as he could. "Perhaps," he whispered, "There is… something I can say." He moved in a way that caused her hand to fall from his shoulder. He didn't look at her, and he kept his tone and expression very level. The redhead took a deep breath and clenched his fists into his robes on his thighs. "Naruto makes me feel ill," he said finally.

"In what way?" Sakura asked, her tone genuinely interested. She sat down again to help ease some of the tension off of Gaara. She didn't want him to feel like he was being put on the spot, despite the fact that he essentially was.

"Everything changes inside me," Gaara elaborated. "My stomach flips and grows queasy. And then my heart…" he drifted off. In the past, his heart has had other problems, involving aching pains. But now… "It accelerates. I don't understand it."

He brought his eyes to hers, questions building up behind them. Sakura nodded as a smile grew on her lips. She understood what was happening, and it amused her because her suspicions were being confirmed. She inquired one thing more: "Are you happier when you're around him?"

Gaara puzzled over that. "Aside from the strange reactions in my heart and stomach, I otherwise feel fine. Is that happiness?"

"No, I mean…" Sakura placed a hand to her mouth as she racked her brain for the proper way to word the feeling of happiness. "Do you feel… warm? Maybe even lightheaded? Do you feel like smiling sometimes?"

Something sparked in Gaara's eyes as he stared at her a moment. "Yes… I've felt two of those things when he's around. Why? What does it mean?"

Sakura giggled. She could tell that Gaara detested being laughed at, but it was just too cute. He had no idea! "Gaara-sama," she grinned, "I think you like him."

"Obviously I do," Gaara said with a slight frown, "He's my first friend."

She held back another round of giggles. "That's not what I meant, silly. I meant that you have a crush on him."

The words hit Gaara like a ton of bricks. He didn't say a thing in riposte, merely shook his head from side to side in disbelief. That couldn't be possible…!

"It's quite possible, if you think about it," Sakura commented, her thoughts opposing his. "He's been very kind to you, and from what I've seen, he cares deeply for you." Naruto's furious bawling over Gaara's corpse flashed into her mind, and she pushed it away. That was a terribly saddening moment, but it showed a lot about what Naruto thought of the redhead. She continued: "Not to mention that weird connection you two have because of your… um, pasts." She didn't want to bring up their demons, fearing that it might hurt Gaara to remember. So she substituted. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your thoughts. See you 'round, Gaara-sama."

After she exited, Gaara fell into the chair behind his desk. He simply couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. A crush? He knew what the word meant – it was a feeling for someone just short of being in love – but to think that he could possess such a feeling for someone else? It was unconceivable! Not because of any pride he had – oh no, Gaara was far from being prideful, especially after all the mistakes he had made in his life – but because he knew he didn't deserve it. How could he "like" anyone, possible love someone, when he knew that he couldn't have his feelings returned? Because, Gaara knew, crushes are named crushes for a reason: inevitably, you will get your heart crushed, as well as your hope.

So the answer was no. No, he did not feel something so strong for Naruto. He refused to admit the dull pain his chest carried all the months after he parted with Teams Kakashi and Gai. He refused to admit that Sakura's deductions could be right on the money.

He couldn't recognize why, but the denial he was sending himself made Gaara feel heavy-hearted.

"Perhaps I should talk to Naruto about this tomorrow," he murmured to himself. That couldn't be a bad idea.

At least, Gaara hoped not.

xXxXx

It was to be two days until Team Kakashi would leave Suna to continue their mission. Technically, they would be leaving today if it were not for the shortage of supplies they needed. Sunagakure rarely grew enough foods or made enough medical supplies in their own greenhouses and medical facilities to help everyone. Plus, they had no trees for wood. Hence, they would get a shipment from miscellaneous allies every month to assist in any field of necessities they were lacking. This was one of the trading businesses that made the Kazekage all the more responsible for the health of his village.

Team Kakashi had to wait for this shipment because they needed some things in case of emergency on their mission, not to mention plenty of foods that could keep well on their journey.

It was on one of these last two days that Gaara chose to be the "tomorrow" on which he spoke to Naruto about his mixed emotions. He only hoped that the blonde would be able to help him sort things out, and prayed he didn't react poorly.

"Naruto," the Kazekage murmured to get the mentioned teen's attention.

When the blonde turned around to face him, he smiled. "'Sup, Gaara?" he said in a friendly voice.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" Gaara said straight away; he didn't want to beat the conversation around the bush.

"Of 'course! You can talk to me about anything, dattebayo," Naruto said strongly, because he really meant it. "You look pretty worried about something, whatever it is. And I'd be glad to help. I mean, you listened to me about my problems, so I kinda owe you one."

Naruto didn't owe him a thing. Gaara already owed Naruto his life twice over, seeing as how Naruto saved him from himself when they were young and then regained his heartbeat not too long ago. He couldn't ask for more, and yet he needed to ask for some advice.

Gaara cleared his throat and motioned for his friend to follow him somewhere out of earshot of the others. Sakura caught a glimpse of them leaving, and she smiled faintly. She knew things would turn out all right; she could feel it. In the meantime, Gaara felt on the borderline of being a nervous wreck. How should he start the topic? What can he say hat won't give Naruto the wrong idea? Because, sometimes, the blonde jumped to conclusions that weren't quite correct. Gaara didn't want that to happen; he needed Naruto to patiently listen and absorb every last detail of information before coming to a conclusion. If he was lucky, Naruto wouldn't come to the same conclusion Sakura had.

"So what's this about, Gaara?" the kitsune grunted as he plopped himself down on the couch in Gaara's living room, his legs crossing and his hands flying behind his head in a casual manner. The room was a sort of lounge halfway between the bedrooms and the dining room in the homier level of the Kazekage mansion.

The redhead struggled with what words to use to begin. He started thinking that he liked it better when someone asked questions and he answered them; it required less speaking. And it put some of the stress off of him when it came to choosing his words. Gaara wondered if he should just cut to the chase and state, 'Haruno-san thinks I have a crush on you. Prove to me that she's wrong.'

Naruto cocked his head to the side, noticing the way Gaara paused with his eyes shaking, as if he were watching the scenery flying by. "Oi, Gaara," he called as he pulled himself into sitting position and pulled Gaara from his thoughts, "Is something wrong? Did something bad happen? I said you could tell me anything… and you're worrying me with that look on your face."

What look on his face? Gaara made sure to keep his face as expressionless as possible. How could Naruto decipher any fraction of emotion that leaked through? It was an odd talent he had if he could pick out any emotions. This fact made Gaara even more uneasy, even more ill, because now he realized just how close he must've let Naruto get to him if his body naturally allowed emotion to leak through around the blonde.

"It's not anything bad, Naruto," Gaara revealed slowly, "At least I hope it isn't. It's… complicated, that's all."

Naruto adjusted his position on the couch to allow some space next to him. "Here, sit down, 'ttebayo. You look like you could use a load off."

With movements rustier than his usual grace, Gaara sat down beside Naruto. His hands tangled themselves and fell into place on his lap while his eyes avoided the richly blue ones beside him.

Satisfied that they were on equal ground (so to speak), Naruto began: "Now then… what's on your mind?"

Gaara took a deep breath through his nose and released it a couple seconds later. "Your friend, Haruno-san, approached me about something… and I don't know how to take it. I was hoping you could help me figure it out."

The blonde frowned. "What did she say to you?" he said sternly, his tone demanding answers. He wanted – or, rather, needed – to know what the hell his best friend said to make his other close friend act this bizarre.

"She asked me a few questions that I was reluctant to answer. When I did, she came to a… an unsettling conclusion," the redhead murmured. He glanced briefly at Naruto. Normally, he could hold the blonde's gaze with ease, but he found that difficult at the moment.

Naruto seemed to notice this, although he didn't make an effort to change it. He let Gaara's eyes escape his gaze while he waited for the redhead to say anything more. When Gaara didn't continue, Naruto prodded him further with the question needed to finish the topic he was only getting hints about at the moment. "What was her conclusion?"

Gaara nibbled on his lip, a habit he didn't know he had since he has never been at such a loss for words. Even when he came back to damn near a hundred people surrounding him and Naruto supporting his back, the shock wasn't enough to steal his words. He had no need to speak then, which is why he hadn't. He could've said something, and he did say a little, but right now…

"I can't help you if I don't know what she said," Naruto reminded Gaara.

The Kazekage exhaled in a way that was almost a sigh. "She said that I…" He stood so that he didn't have to be right beside Naruto when he admitted: "Must have a 'crush' on you."

He used the word 'crush' lightly, but it didn't soften the blow any. Naruto reeled back, his brows knitting together. "Huh? Why the hell would she say that?"

Gaara fidgeted under Naruto's intense gaze. "She asked me what I felt when I was around you, and I told her. Her conclusion is inane, right? I couldn't possibly…"

Naruto scrubbed his scalp with his nails, the pressure a bit too hard. He knew what he needed to ask, but he wasn't sure if he should. It might bring about the end of their relationship, and Naruto would really rather not lose Gaara; he had once already, but to a different fate. Somehow, this other fate seemed just as terrible, but a lot more embarrassing. "What did you tell her you felt?" the blonde asked in a shaking voice. "I… I need to know, just in case she was… um, correct."

Gaara whirled around to stare at his friend. "But she couldn't have been. Things like that don't happen," he said in a low tone; it was on the brink of being angry. "Especially not…" he drifted off, his train of thought lost.

"Gaara," Naruto said gently as he, too, rose to his feet, "It's alright. I can tell that you're scared, but you don't need to be. I also can see why you came to me about this," he added with a strange smile Gaara has never seen before. Shaking his head, Naruto laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "No matter what, I'll still be your friend, dattebayo. Okay?"

Steadily, Gaara relaxed and nodded.

"So what did you tell her?"

"I said that you make me feel ill," he replied with a much calmer tone of voice.

Naruto got confused. "I make you sick?" Usually this is an expression people use when they speak about people they hate.

The redhead shifted in his footing. "In a matter of speaking, yes. My heartbeat speeds up and my stomach churns some of the time. It's not painful, but it worries me. It's not normal."

"Well, you're right about that," Naruto half-heartedly chuckled as he sat himself down on the couch once more. "It's not normal. It sure sounds like…" He shook his head. But it couldn't be a crush! He had a point earlier; things like that really don't happen. Especially not… Suddenly, Naruto knew what Gaara had been about to say: Especially not between two male friends. And yet, it made sense. Two men can get very close to one another, and depending on who they are, the closeness could be like brothers (Naruto immediately thought of Sasuke), like parental guides (Naruto thought of his mentors, like Iruka- and Kakashi-sensei, along with perverted old Jiraiya) or even – in the most dramatic situations – like lovers.

This realization struck Naruto hard. He looked Gaara over, noticing the slight blush on his pale cheeks and the unsure expression in his aquamarine eyes. He looked down and noticed how Gaara – who was a rather calm person – had his fingers twisting nervously. Suddenly, Gaara reminded him of Hinata.

"Oh shit," Naruto groaned to himself. He stood up and faced away from his friend, completely unable to look at the redhead any longer without wanting to bash his head in with a wall. "This is all my fault." He didn't know how, but Naruto knew this was true. It's his fault that Gaara fell for him. He didn't even know how the redhead got to this point, but he knew it had to have been something he did. He didn't want to hurt Gaara; that was the last thing he wanted to do in this moment. But he couldn't get the Kazekage's hopes up too high, either. What should he do?

"Naruto? What is it?" Gaara fretted, although his tone and face contained no trace of it.

"Sakura-chan was right," he told his friend, breaking the news to him. He turned around to face Gaara. "How did it happen?" he asked with a dry throat.

The redhead blinked. He couldn't believe it. Even Naruto came to the same conclusion? His heart throbbed all of a sudden, and Gaara clutched it through his robes. Without prior notice, he was aware that it had been foolish to ask the blonde to contradict Sakura's deduction. He should have stuck with lying to himself after she left.

But that was the thing that made him all the more sure that the two Konoha ninjas were correct: because he would have had lie to himself that he felt nothing for Naruto. And the fact that he would have to lie meant his feelings were true.

"I see," Gaara murmured in a voice too low for Naruto to hear, "So that's how it is." He looked up at the blonde. Louder, he said: "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" the kitsune said with a raised eyebrow, "What's there to be sorry about? It's not your fault!" He came up to Gaara, not caring about personal space, and forced Gaara to stare him dead in the eye. "Look, I'm not going to let this change anything, dammit. I don't want you to get hurt." He released Gaara's shoulders and leaned back a bit. "Frankly, I don't know how I feel about this, but I can promise you that I won't stop being your friend over something this… stupid!"

"It's stupid for me to like you?" Gaara asked, trying to understand. But the way he said it made Naruto pale slightly.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that! It's not stupid to like anyone, it's just this situation is… ugh, I don't know." Naruto was losing his steam. He sighed and collapsed onto the couch. He ran his hand through his hair. "Why did this have to happen now, of all times?" Right when he was so close to sorting out the other problems in his life, this pops up. It's a rough speed bump that has left his tires dead in the middle of the road.

"What can I do?" Gaara whispered. He felt awful, his entire frame swirling in a cloud of chilling doubt. If he had any less self-control, he'd be shaking.

Naruto looked up into his friend's eyes. He smiled lopsidedly to reassure the other teen. "Don't worry, there's nothing you have to do." He stood for the umpteenth time and offered his arms. "Just… come here."

Gaara cocked his head, confused about what Naruto wanted him to do. He looked at Naruto's outspread arms, which looked very inviting. They were open in a way that showed vulnerability, and if he were in a battlefield, allowed for any weapon to be hurled at him. The thought didn't sit well with the redhead. "Don't do that, Naruto." Don't set yourself up for attack, he meant.

But Naruto interpreted it differently. He thought Gaara didn't want him to mock him or patronize him by offering him a hug. "I don't mean anything by it," Naruto said as his arms lowered. "I just thought you needed one."

It was like they were speaking different languages. On an average day during an average interaction between them, they could understand one another so well they hardly needed to speak. But perhaps from being put in an awkward, far-from-average setting, the two got put on different levels.

"Needed one what?"

"A hug!"

Gaara was silenced by that one.

"Don't tell me no one's ever hugged you before…?"

Not even his uncle had. Everyone was too afraid of him to. In retrospect, Temari had tried to on occasion, her arms spread out the way Naruto's were a moment ago. But every single time Gaara had brushed past her and didn't acknowledge it.

In response, Gaara shook his head. That's when Naruto decided that he needed to lessen the tension and correct the misunderstanding by stepping forward and finishing what he attempted to start.

The blonde locked his arms around Gaara's shoulders so not to trap his arms, which were tightly placed at his sides. Gaara gasped, and his heart leapt in his chest. Naruto's warmth surrounded him, and it made him feel sleepy. He lowered his eyelids and let his body follow suit, his entire frame softening under Naruto's touch. With anyone else, he would have pushed them away and put up the barrier he usually set between himself and others. But with Naruto, he couldn't stomach doing such a thing.

From being nearly the same height, Gaara's chin was left to rest on Naruto's shoulder, and his ear skimmed Naruto's jaw. Unconsciously, the redhead moved his arms to return the gesture, if only to steady himself from falling forward.

On the other end, Naruto fought with himself. He couldn't let Gaara hug him for too long; what if that led him on? But he couldn't end it too abruptly either; what if he hurt Gaara by making him feel rejected? Man, this was not how he planned his trip to Suna to go.

Not knowing what else to do, Naruto started stroking Gaara's hair like he would to calm a crying a girl. Even though Gaara wasn't crying or female, he felt the need to comfort him in some way, and rubbing small circles on his back somehow didn't seem to fit; not when Gaara's hands were beginning to cling to his jacket.

What made Naruto baffled beyond belief was the fact that he was so accepting of the news of Gaara's unexplainable crush on him. Why did he feel the need to protect the redhead from his own unreturned feelings? Unless they weren't as unreturned as he thought… after all, he hadn't been able to describe to Tsunade-baachan what Gaara meant to him. At the time, there had been no words to describe how dear to him the young Kazekage was. All he knew was that he needed Gaara with him. He needed him here as a fellow demon carrier (even if Shukaku was gone now, Gaara still knew how it felt), as an ally for whenever he became Hokage, as a friend, and as a person alive on Earth. It occurred to him just how painful it was when he had lost that last thing all those months ago. Why had it hurt that much? When he was younger, he thought he lost Sasuke when they fought with Haku, but he'd only been angry then. He didn't cry, just got extremely angry. He was a mad when Gaara died, too, but he was also the saddest he'd ever been. A word to describe what he had felt popped into his head: devastated.

Pulling away bit by bit, Naruto held Gaara at arms length. The redhead opened his black-rimmed eyes slowly, and vaguely Naruto wondered if he still didn't get much sleep. "Gaara," he brought up in a questioning tone despite the fact that he wasn't asking a question, "You mean a lot to me…"

"But?" Gaara prodded, hearing the word at the end of Naruto's sentence even if it wasn't spoken.

"But I don't know to what extent," he admitted with conviction. He really didn't want to set up any false hope, but what he was saying was true.

"What does that mean?" Gaara inquired quietly. He had a feeling that things were about to turn either for the worse or for the better. Silently, Gaara prayed it was for the better. He wasn't forceful any longer, so he didn't want to force Naruto to return his feelings or anything of the sort, but he knew he would be eternally happy if Naruto somehow did.

"It means," Naruto said as he stepped away from Gaara and began to pace, "That I could be getting myself into some deep trouble. The emotional kind."

"I think I should give you some time to yourself for thought." He didn't actually desire a parting with Naruto's presence, but he presumed it would be for the best.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah…" he said as if he were in a daze, "I think so, too. See you later, Gaara."

"Goodbye," he murmured after Naruto had already exited the room. "I'll wait for your decision when you revisit."

Because Gaara knew that Naruto wouldn't reach any verdict until long after he left Sunagakure. He probably wouldn't have anything to say until he came back through Suna on his way home.

xXxXx

Naruto bumped into Sakura on his way out of the Kazekage tower. She stopped him and smiled. "I saw you leave to talk to Gaara-sama. How'd it go?" she questioned. "I bet you heard about the chat he and I had."

"I did," Naruto grunted. "And, honestly?" he added tiredly, "I think it went pretty well, 'ttebayo."

She tilted her head. "Really?" she clarified with a bright tone.

He sighed and smiled weakly. "Really. My heart feels like it's in the blender along with my brain, now, but otherwise I think it went pretty well."