Naruto sat on the ground, holding Gaara's head in her lap. How unfair the whole thing was. He had already died once, now he was fading, and she couldn't do anything. They were just outside the medic's tent, which was full of other patients. Tsunade had been by and healed him some, but she herself was battered and needed to rest. Their fight with Madara had left all of the Kages in some form of either exhaustion, or close to death.

"Oh, Gaara. Please wake up. We were supposed to be Kages together. Sure, you made it before me, but I'm getting close too. Believe it!" Tears streamed down Naruto's face as she tried to sound as positive as possible.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at Sakura and wiped the tears from her eyes before flashing one of her megawatt smiles. "Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"I know it's not really all that orthodox, but could you help me patch Gaara up? I'm getting close to being out of chakra, but I could use yours like Granny Chiyo did that one time. No, I won't be using that jutsu." Sakura added when she saw Naruto's eyes widen.

She could do this. Naruto wiped her eyes once more and focused her chakra, letting it be guided by Sakura to heal the Kazekage's broken and battered body. It took them a while, but he was finally out of harm's way, and away from Death's door.

"Oh, Kami-sama, arigato," Naruto whispered over and over when she saw Gaara's eyelids flutter. Sakura was beat, but Naruto's vigor came right back as she stood and picked up her friend, the former jinchuriki.

She walked with him in her arms to his tent; no one gave them two glances, except the guards at the Kazekage's tent entrance.

"I just came to get him in his own bed. There wasn't really room in the medic tent, and the ground isn't all that comfortable."

The guards nodded and let them in, even opening the flap of the tent for her. Just before he let the flap fall, the guards both bowed to her and the one holding the flap said, "He's always been grateful for your friendship, Naruto-sama."

The tent flap closed before she could protest being called "sama" and she mumbled to herself as she heard Kurama chuckling in her mind. 'Aw, shut it Kurama. I'm not used to them doing anything like that and I really don't need you adding to it.' The demon scoffed slightly before falling asleep. Naruto rolled her eyes at the demon and walked over to Gaara's bed roll.

She laid him down gently; making sure the pillow was underneath his head and pulled the blanket over him. When she turned to go, Naruto thought she heard some sand snaking around the room, but saw nothing when she looked. Naruto turned fully; standing up to head back out of the tent when something grabbed her and yanked her back until she thunked beside Gaara's body facing him. Bright blue met turquoise and Naruto blushed once she realized how close they were.

"G-Gaara? What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean pulling you close?" he asked and snaked his arms around her waist releasing his sand.

Naruto nodded, he cheeks still bright pink.

"Well, I never got to thank you properly for opening my eyes, have I?"

Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. "Jeeze, kit. You sure are thick." 'Shut it Kurama. Weren't you asleep?' The demon scoffed once more before chuckling as his jailer's mind was wracked with confusion.

Gaara's lips were pressed to hers, waiting to see if she would react. After a few moments, he pulled back to look at her face. Now he was confused. Why hadn't she reacted at all? Surely he wasn't that bad a kisser?

He stared into those confused, teary blue eyes and felt her body shaking slightly.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

She smiled as bright as she could, only managing a halfway there imitation. "I'm alright, Gaara."

It was Gaara's turn to furrow his brow. He knew she was lying, but what was she so scared about? Gaara reached up slowly to brush his hand gently over her whiskered cheek. She flinched slightly but let him touch her.

"Naruto," he whispered, "Please don't lie to me. What is wrong?

Naruto did the only thing she could think of to try to get him off of the subject. She kissed him. He kissed back gently before pushing her back slightly and looking deeply into her eyes.

"Naruto, tell me. Please. I could order you to tell me, I am the main commander after all."

"I-I just d-don't trust guys all that much."

Naruto's mind flew back to her years at the academy.

(Flashback)

Naruto was trying to hide from him, but it seemed no matter what she couldn't escape the man that chased after her now. He caught her by the arm before slapping her hard in the face.

"You know better than to run from me. Or at least I thought you did. You know you'll have to be punished for running from me."

Naruto shook her head, eyes wide with fear. She struggled and tried to pull her arm from Mizuki's strong grasp. She cried and kept struggling as Mizuki pinned her to the forest floor.

"It's time for retribution, Kyuubi brat," Mizuki spat as he pulled out a kunai and sliced off Naruto's clothing. The last thing she consciously felt was him thrusting into her before her mind went blank. She somewhat felt the man's lips against hers trying to fish a reaction from her.

When he was done, he got up and used her torn clothes to clean himself up, leaving her there, laying on the forest floor.

(End Flashback)

"H-he hurt me, Gaara." Naruto shuddered at the memory. She hadn't been found until a few days later, still laying there. To those that found her, they just thought that someone had roughed her up like they had done before, and she let them think that for years.

Gaara just hugged her body to him, caressing her soft blonde locks and letting Naruto cry herself to sleep. They both stayed in that position until they were awoken the next morning by a concerned Tsunade. Needless to say, she was relieved that they were both safe. And now, Naruto could start to finally heal.

Gaara kept Naruto close for the entire journey back to Konoha. He kept trying to convince her to come to Suna for a break. She wouldn't hear even one word of it. That is, until Tsunade ordered her to take a vacation. Naruto sighed and shook her head in defeat.

Even though she had her own tent, Gaara insisted she sleep in his, so each night, she would drag herself and her stuff over to his tent. Some nights they slept like that first night, others, they slept in their respective bed rolls. Every night, Gaara would try to wiggle more information out of her about what happened in her childhood. Apparently, Mizuki wasn't the first, nor was he the last, to take her against her will, though he was the most consistent in the action.

Every time they talked about her multiple rape incidents, she would fall asleep in Gaara's arms, feeling comfortable with a man for once in her life.

Once they were in Konoha, Naruto hurriedly packed up what she would need in Suna and ran to Ichiraku's Ramen to get as much ramen as she could eat.

Ayame welcomed her with a great smile and immediately refused any sort of payment from the hero of the war. Naruto didn't feel all that like a hero. Weren't heroes supposed to be strong in all ways? She certainly wasn't.

It took Gaara a little while, but he finally found her at the ramen shop when she was on her third bowl.

"Naruto, we're ready to head out."

"Aww! But Gaara! Why can't we stay in Konoha for a little while?" Naruto asked with a pout.

"I have to go back and run my village. And, I would like if you would travel with me."

Ayame overheard the conversation and took the opportunity to shoo Naruto away before she ate all the ramen in the stand. "I did say it was free, but four bowls of ramen is enough." Ayame chuckled when Naruto pouted at her and finished off her bowl.

"Ugh! I don't remember it taking this long before!"

"Naruto, the last time you came out to Suna, Kankuro was in dire need of medical treatment and I had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. You and your team literally ran all the way to Suna from Konoha. We can't this time, however, because we have wounded."

Naruto muttered something about slow healing people and Gaara couldn't help but chuckle at the girl.

They had been in Suna for three weeks, when Naruto asked Gaara to kiss her. Since then, it was like they were inseparable. Gaara took it slow for her, he knew she needed to heal, as infuriating as his hormones sometimes made it feel.

One night, when Naruto had one of her memories turn into a nightmare, she crawled into Gaara's bed, snuggled close to his warmth.

Gaara awoke the next morning with Naruto secure within his strong arms. He smiled and smoothed her hair, putting her loose bangs behind her ears. She muttered something that he almost didn't hear and snuggled even closer to him. He smiled softly and kissed her forehead.

He wanted to stay there and just watch her sleep, but he had a village to run, and so he got out of bed. He noticed that she hadn't worn much to bed and that it was all bunched up from her shifting around so much during the night. He quickly wrote her a note, laying it on his now empty pillow and got dressed for the day.

Naruto yawned and stretched, feeling her hand hit a small scroll that was written to her.

Naruto,

Don't worry, nothing happened last night between the two of us. I think you had a nightmare and crawled into my bed again.

Breakfast should be ready for you down in the kitchen once you get dressed.

I'll see you for lunch.

Gaara

P.S. I love you too.

When had their friendship flowered into this new, tender relationship? They had become closer every day since she had helped Sakura heal him. What was it about him that made her feel so safe? Well, those strong arms and that ultimate defense certainly helped. But what was it really?

She was able to open up to him, and he to her. She had learned more about him in the past two months, than all the years she had known him. She almost couldn't believe how much she had told him either. She had told him everything. From the first time she was beaten half to death, to the time when Sasuke, her team mate, had taken her forcefully.

Naruto sat and pondered on how things had changed for her over the past few months and years. She wasn't glared at as much; people actually let her into their shops. She didn't have to steal anything like she did when she was younger. She had friends, a make-shift family of sorts. And now, she had Gaara.