A/N: Ordinarily, I don't submit stories while another story is in progress, but I wanted to cry today, so I ended up finishing this one to make me feel better.

Now, you may be wondering who I am. Primarily, I'm known for writing Sonic fics (some of which are downright goofy), but on my Tumblr account, I spoke of plans for doing fics based on other franchises. Naruto is one of them. I may not know everything there is to know about it, but I've done some research to make sure that the characters and concepts of the series are portrayed in a respectful fashion. Having said that, I have taken a few liberties here and there, but nothing major. Still, if you take offense to anything here, don't hesitate to let me know! Please be tactful about it, however, and keep in mind that my aim is NOT to become the Hokage of fanfic, but to disseminate new ideas and make sure that people have a good time with them.

That aside, I'm making my first Naruto fic a short one just to test the waters before I get into anything deeper. Enjoy!

A combination of blue sky and bright sun had paid another visit to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, or Konoha, as the citizenry was wont to call it. Naturally, more than a few members of said citizenry decided to take advantage of it, whether by taking a walk, playing sports or just loafing around and getting a tan.

Naruto Uzumaki was taking a nice stroll down the streets.

Known throughout the village as a vessel for one of the most destructive forces known to ninja and civilians alike, he couldn't give less of a care what other people thought about him. In his mind, the number of days that were good days to care about such a thing was precisely zero. Granted, he didn't like being treated like garbage just because of who he was, but he figured that paying mind to it would only get in the way of living life. Thus, here he was, taking a break from doing dangerous ninja stuff. At any moment, he could very well have started Travoltin'.

However, with one particular sight and a little "huh?", he snapped out of his state of bliss. Because of this, he walked over to the one responsible for doing so.

"Hey Gaara, what's up?" asked Naruto.

"Hello, Naruto," said Gaara. "Since you asked, I'm taking a break from my duties to relax my psyche."

"Yeah, everybody needs a break now and then! Heck, if people did that more often, this world would be a better place, believe it!"

"Perhaps you're right."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really."

"So I guess that means something is wrong."

"You wouldn't understand."

Naruto clenched his fists. "I would too understand, believe it!"

"No, you really wouldn't."

"I may not be the brightest bulb in the socket, but I can tell that something is wrong with you, and I wanna know!"

Gaara paused without breaking so much as a sigh. "As I have stated before, there's nothing in particular that's wrong with me."

Naruto took his own pause. "Right." Then, his frown turned into a smile. "Know what? I may not know how ya feel, but I know exactly what ya need, believe it!"

"If you're so smart, then tell me: what do I need?"

"Tell ya? I'm gonna show ya instead!"

For a moment, sky blue eyes met mint green ones. Then, ever so cocky, Naruto walked over to Gaara with arms wide open and gave him a hug. Gaara gasped.

"N-Naruto…!"

Gaara's lips started trembling, his chest started heaving, his eyes blinked rapidly, and within seconds, it happened:

Gaara started crying.

He just couldn't help but return Naruto's gesture. With that, the memories came flooding back: people shunning him for what he was, his uncle trying to kill him, and – among other things – his elder siblings denying him affection when he needed it most. All of this, plus the many years he had gone without crying, caused him to cry even more. Thus, both parties held on tight. With every tear he let out, Gaara felt weaker and more vulnerable, yet he felt little – if any – shame because of this. In fact, he wanted to feel this way. After so many years of attempting to look strong in front of his fellow Suna citizens, it elevated him to a higher plane just to let go.

Speaking of letting go, neither party felt a particularly strong urge to do so physically, for they had one thought in common: why bother? They may not have been on the same side, nor had they shared all the same opinions, but they were both alike in one critical aspect, and that was what truly mattered. Even as random passerby looked on with looks of judgment, the two ninja continued to hold on. Finally, as Gaara's tears subsided, he backed away slightly from Naruto, just enough so that he could gaze into the latter's eyes.

"Feeling better, Gaara?"

"Naruto…that…that was…yes, I do. Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

Naruto reached into one of his jacket pockets and produced a few tissues. Gaara snapped them up, dried his eyes and blew his nose. After this, he discarded the used tissues and cleaned up with some hand sanitizer.

"I will never forget what you've done here today," said Gaara. "Your wish is my command."

"Hmmm…" Naruto stroked his chin. Then, he snapped his fingers. "I got it!"

"Yes?"

"We're going for ramen!"

"Ramen? I'd much rather have salted gizzards or ox tongue."

Naruto dropped his jaw and stuck out his tongue for a moment. Gaara paid no mind to it. Then, the former shrugged.

"Ah, what the heck!" said Naruto. "They gotta have gizzard or tongue ramen, believe it!"

"Seems plausible," said Gaara.

"Come on, let's go!"

Naruto extended his fist to Gaara with a smile. Raising his own fist, a smile graced Gaara's lips as well, and the two ninja gave each other a fist bump. Having done that, they held hands and strolled on to the nearest ramen joint with brighter prospects in tow.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.