Chapter 4: Adding Insult to Injury

Naruto avoided Gaara for the entirety of the next day. He even went so far as to skip his afternoon meeting with his new tutor, regardless of the possible consequences. Somewhere along the line, he decided that he should probably avoid Sasuke too, since his amazingly loyal friend would probably prompt to ask him all sorts of fun little questions about Gaara, as he was apt to do lately. If there was one thing Naruto wanted to do, it was to avoid the red-haired boy at all costs, even at the cost of his grade and social life.

He refused to think about what he had almost done. Refused. It didn't even make sense to Naruto at all; one minute he was asking Gaara where he was going, the next, Gaara was glaring at him…How did the urge to kiss fit anywhere into any of that? It just didn't make sense, and, in a way, it scared him. He wasn't used to such complication of feeling, and what made it the most strange was he could still look at a girl in the hall and agree that she was cute, but what absolutely horrified him was the fact that, before long, he might look at Gaara and agree that he was cute, too.

He had become skillfully adept at dodging into the shadows at the mere sight of red hair or even the mention of a name that started with the letter "G"; useless skills, to be sure, but Naruto was sure to employ them, nonetheless. In English class, he had even learned to slump down in his chair and attend class that way, but after two days of that and a sore neck, he decided to skip English entirely. Granted, it might not have been the smarted of choices, but it seemed to make sense to Naruto, and that was enough for him. After a week of the self-torture and a weekend alone at home, however, he started to wonder if it was really all worth it.

ooo

"…What?" Gaara asked, looking up from his book.

Kankurou merely stared at him, a thoughtful look in his eyes, before sitting a plate of food before him. Cautiously, he wiped his hands on a small towel before taking a seat opposite Gaara at the kitchen table, his eyes still suspiciously following him. "You look…angrier than usual."

Nonexistent brows seemed to furrow. "I what?" Gaara repeated, voice just barely reiterating the second word.

Kankurou looked a bit wary as he folded the towel and sat it in the empty chair beside him. Aside from the two currently occupied seats, there were four other vacant spaces at the table, which seemed far too large for only the two of them. "You just look mad. Is something bothering you?" It was strange for Kankurou to ask, but he realized that that was because he was not used to asking such a question to his younger brother. Sighing, he decided silently that it probably couldn't hurt. Probably.

Gaara closed his book and set it aside, a troubled air beginning to surround him. "What could possibly bother me?"

"Well, you've always been hard to read, but ever since father…" He stopped himself. It was not the time to bring up that topic of discussion. Cautiously looking up, he saw that Gaara was facing him with incredulous eyes. If only he hadn't have mentioned it.

"This has nothing to do with father," Gaara said sternly, and even Kankurou was surprised at the display of emotion.

"Right, I'm sorry," he said mildly, folding his hands on the table. Attempting to switch topics, he optimistically inquired, "How did the week go?"

"Horribly." Pushing the food around on his plate, Gaara wished deep down that his brother would stop trying so hard. It was always like this—fake, insincere, pretentious. He didn't like it.

Kankurou bit his lip before pretending to look around the room disinterestedly. "Hey, what about that one guy you said you met last week?" he said enthusiastically, glad for a change of topic. "Have you hung out with him at all?"

Gaara narrowed his gaze. It was by far the scariest gaze-narrowing Kankurou had ever seen. "No."

"Why not?" the sandy-haired teen asked, head tilting a little to the side. For a moment, and from another angle, he might've looked a little like Naruto. This infuriated Gaara to some extent, though his expression did not reveal it. His mouth twitch, however, did. Kankurou knew that mouth twitch. Oh, did he know it. It usually meant one of three things: frustration, embarrassment, or silent rage. Kankurou was able to ascertain rather quickly that it was most definitely silent rage.

"Why?" Gaara repeated, brandishing his fork like a murder weapon. Kankurou unconsciously flinched, wondering why on earth he even opened his mouth in the first place. They usually ate in silence; they had for the majority of their lives, but Kankurou had gotten it into his brain during the past year that maybe, just maybe he and Gaara could develop a more traditional sense of brotherhood. He almost laughed openly at how utterly impossible that idea seemed now. "Because," Gaara continued, sitting down his fork and facing Kankurou with irritated eyes, "He's an idiot. I've said this before."

Kankurou breathed a small sigh of relief as his brother relinquished the silverware. Still, something about Gaara's countenance was out of place. He did not silently seethe like this. Correction. He did not silently seethe like this about a person that was in no way, shape, or form related or connected to their family. The only other time he had ever revealed emotion about a he who fit those qualities turned out to be slightly catastrophic, and the main problem was not the he silently seethed, but that he had actually appeared sad and upset. All of Kankurou's efforts to be the consoling brother at that time failed horrifically and only resulted in the gap between the two widening. There was always the chance that it might happen again, but Kankurou disregarded this and hoped for the best. "Who is he?"

It was clear that Gaara was trying to not get annoyed. "Why is this relevant?" Why do you care?, was what came across to Kankurou loud and clear.

Struggling with the right words, he settled simply with, "Because…you're my brother." Even he was a little surprised at his words, but it felt like the right thing to say.

There was that characteristic mouth twitch, before Gaara stood from the table. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Aniki." Kankurou smiled a little as the true sentiment drifted back. You're the stupidest person I know. As Gaara's footsteps echoed into the hall, Kankurou didn't expect to hear them cease momentarily. "Uzumaki Naruto is his name. Don't waste your time on him." As Kankurou made a mental note, Gaara's footsteps picked back up until he could no longer hear them.

Gaara's hand rested silently on the rail as he ascended the grand staircase. He seemed to drag his limb along noncommittally, eyes looking at, but not really focused on, each step beneath his feet. The staircase was a complete waste; Gaara's father had insisted they have it constructed though, regardless of costs. For him, it was all about appearance. Shaking his head as though it might shake the thoughts from his mind, he finally reached the top of the staircase and walked the few steps it took to reach his room.

It was a strange Sunday night, one that would be made stranger and a bit more annoying by the fact that Gaara had skipped dinner, but he would survive. Flipping on his light, he sat at his desk, his reflection staring back at him in the mirror before him.

"I sacrificed my honor for you."

Glaring, Gaara picked up his lighter and lit a candle on his desk, anything to shift his focus. The flame danced on the wick, fluttering under the soft pressure of Gaara's breath. As his eyes traveled beyond the flame, he slowly picked up the folded piece of paper which rested behind it. The note bent easily between his fingers, wear and tear finally taking its toll as Gaara held it in his grasp.

He was an idiot. Not Naruto this time (as this was a given) but himself. For this strange moment in his life, Gaara had almost tried to think differently about someone. The note threw him off, yes, but it wasn't necessarily bad; Gaara had just not expected it. To make matters worse, he had almost let an insider into his carefully maintained existence. For a moment, he had. Gaara didn't let people into his life; he simply didn't. Then, when he finally thought for a foolish moment that maybe Naruto might be different, he realized as he always did why he didn't let people in. An entire week of disappearance? That was not coincidence. That was intentional. That was just…

Hovering the note above the candle, Gaara leaned on his free hand and aimlessly stared as a corner of the paper sizzled and caught fire. Immediately pulling it back and blowing out the glow, he tossed the note aside and released a tired sigh, threading his fingers into his hair.

He really was an idiot.

ooo

A Monday had never felt so horrible.

Traipsing through the halls, Naruto sighed and stopped at his locker, pausing only to acquire the necessary books. It would be another awe-inspiring week of red-dodging and "G"-avoiding, but Naruto wasn't as animated as he pretended to be. Could he really keep this up for another week?

Pushing his locker door closed, his heart nearly exploded when Sasuke seemed to manifest behind the locker gate.

"S-Sasuke," he stumbled out, breath coming in short gasps.

Sasuke's dark gaze was murderous. "You think you can escape from me, dobe?"

Naruto backed up automatically. "Of…of course not," he said with a nervous laugh. What a lovely start to a Monday.

"Where have you been, Uzumaki?" Sasuke queried sternly, clearly not amused. He was, however, clearly irate.

"Don't be like that, Sasuke," Naruto said lightly, taking another step back.

"Like what, dobe? Like Gaara?" he said with an arch of a brow, taking a step towards the blond. "I'm beginning to understand why he acts the way he does towards you, Uzumaki. You are so irresponsible," he said, poking Naruto in the shoulder.

Naruto swallowed hard and took another step back. "Irresponsible?"

"And immature," he stepped forward once again.

Naruto blinked. "Immature?"

"Reckless, careless, and stupid."

Naruto flinched at the triple-insult. "Stupid? How am I stupid?" He seemed to muse on something. "Sure, I got a 29-percent on that paper, but I actually love English class, and—"

"Naruto," Sasuke all but growled, quickly interrupting him. "Where have you been for the past week?"

With a guilty pout, Naruto glanced around before whispering, "I've been hiding."

Sasuke blinked. "…Hiding?"

"Yeah…" He leaned in close. "From Gaara."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before taking a large step back. "You've been hiding from Gaara?" He either looked to be not convinced or in ultimate disbelief.

"Exactly," Naruto nodded.

"Why?"

Twisting his mouth around, Naruto paused before deciding to simply spill it out. "There was this really weird moment last week…" He seemed to recall it vividly before faking a shudder.

Sasuke looked annoyed at the childish attitude the blond was apt to adopt. This complicated way of skirting around the truth was nothing new. "Did you meet up with Gaara so he could tutor you?"

Folding his hands in front of him, Naruto refused to look him in the eyes. "No." He could hear Sasuke's irritated sigh. "I had a reason, though."

Sasuke turned on his heel and started walking down the hall, leaving it up to Naruto to follow him. "Pray tell, Naruto, what your justification was? Please tell me that you at least alerted him beforehand that you would not be present…" Naruto's silence provided the answer, and he tried not to explode in anger. "Great, you stood him up." Again, he stopped walking and faced him. "It's not like he's your friend, Naruto; he doesn't have to be. He agreed to volunteer his time to help you. At least be considerate."

Naruto's countenance seemed to wilt a little at the admonishment. "I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Sasuke's glare softened before his expression shifted to a more blasé appearance. "Don't tell me," he motioned down the hall. "Tell him."

Tilting his head a little in confusion, Naruto looked to where Sasuke had directed. A few feet away, Gaara stood at his locker, putting away some books. Whereas Sasuke's face had been so full of emotion, regardless of whether it was anger or annoyance, Gaara's face revealed nothing. He simply put away his books in a robotic manner before closing his locker and snapping the lock back on. Pulling his bag onto his shoulder, he started to head down the hall before noticing rather quickly that Naruto was standing there. An incomprehensible emotion flashed across his teal eyes before he clearly glared and started down the hall in the opposite direction. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and faced Sasuke.

Sasuke merely crossed his arms, warning detected within his stance and voice. "Fix it," he said succinctly, walking down the hall and away from Naruto.

Snapping his fingers at his side and digging his heel into the floor, Naruto glowered at Sasuke's retreating back before starting after Gaara. The kid really was fast; Naruto would give him that. He had nearly disappeared from sight when Naruto finally located his bright head of hair. Classes were about to start, and so this made matters increasingly worse as students crowded the halls, decreasing visibility and tailing power. Muttering a string of curses, Naruto pushed through the students, apologizing and grinning guiltily to anyone he almost knocked over. He saw Gaara turn a corner and made the same move five seconds later, finally entering a less-trafficked area. Gaara was only a few feet away.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, starting to jog. He could see Gaara's pace increase once again. "Gaara, wait!" Entering into a run, he sped up to the red-head's side. Gaara didn't turn to look at him; Naruto might not have even been there. "Will you please wait a second?"

At this inquiry, Gaara's blue-green eyes narrowed. "I've waited enough."

Naruto's comment stuck in his throat, and he finally walked ahead of him and stopped, forcing Gaara to cease movement as well. The dangerous gleam Gaara's eyes held then slightly startled Naruto; not even Sasuke could look so scary, yet so calm, at the same time. Scratching his arm, Naruto looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Gaara."

Gaara just stared at him for a moment before side-stepping him and continuing down the hall. Throwing his arms up in frustration, Naruto jogged until he had cut him off again. "Can you please just listen to what I have to say?" he asked, struggling to catch his breath.

The wrinkle between where his eyebrows would have been was a clear indication of Gaara's resentment. "I'm going to ask you once to move, Uzumaki," he said flatly. "Once peacefully."

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the admonition in his words. Really, what else could he do? He had tried, he really had, but Gaara was obviously not going to budge. Stepping aside, Naruto raised his hand, indicating that Gaara was free to continue on his way. Bustling past him, Gaara disappeared into one of the rooms in the hall and was gone.

Kicking the ground and shoving his hands in his pockets, Naruto tried to convince himself that he had done all he could. He would just have to tell Sasuke that it was hopeless.

But Sasuke wasn't convinced. In fact, Sasuke was sitting in Naruto's chair when he arrived to English class that very same day. When he looked upon Naruto's puzzled expression, he merely pointed to his empty chair. On that particular day, it just happened to be next to Gaara.

"Fix it," he said plainly.

Naruto balled his fists, ready to complain. "But Sasuke—"

"Fix it," came a more stern reply.

In an angered huff, Naruto made a face at Sasuke and stomped up to the front of the room. He never sat in the front of the room. Doing so implied one would have to pay attention. It wasn't so much that Naruto didn't like paying attention—he did, and he really did like English, but he just had trouble understanding it. It wasn't even his language.

Pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the available desk, Naruto turned slightly toward Gaara. "…Hey." Gaara ignored him. "Gaara, come on," he said, voice tinted with a whine. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Glancing at his watch, Gaara picked up a book from his desk and started reading. Naruto's patience was once again drawing thin. Turning around to face Sasuke, he exaggerated a shrug, but Sasuke just glared at him. Everyone was glaring at him today. With an exasperated sigh, he faced Gaara once again. "Please just hear me out," he pleaded, trying to sound sincere. Gaara turned a page of his book. "Gaara, don't be like that," he found himself saying for the second time that day, despite addressing a different person.

Finally, Gaara looked up from his book, turning to face Naruto with an irritated gaze. "Like what, Uzumaki? Like you? I refuse to be a delinquent."

Naruto's eyes widened at the insult, and he took a breath, fully prepared to start a verbal war, when Kakashi came in.

"Sorry I'm late," he said repentantly, smile brightening up the room. Placing his books on his desk, he looked up at the class and immediately his eye went to Naruto and Gaara, skipping between them before he glanced around the classroom in apparent confusion. "Wow…" he looked back at them. "For a minute there, I thought I was back in the closet."

If there was anything other than total humiliation that he could feel at that moment, Naruto wanted to know, because as Sasuke's chuckle carried up to him, he really wanted to know why one earth he existed.

ooo

"It was a failure, Sasuke," Naruto said at lunch. "Even you saw."

Sasuke seemed to stare into space, his chin resting on the back of his hand. "It doesn't look too promising, does it?"

Once class had begun, Gaara proceeded to completely ignore Naruto, diligently taking notes but never once looking Naruto's way. Naruto had tried everything to get his attention, too, from making faces, to doing strange little dances, to even poking his arm nonstop for roughly three minutes. All that earned him was confused stares from other students around him and a paper on prepositions due the next day.

"Why do you insist on fooling around in my class, Uzumaki-kun?" Kakashi had paused during his lecture. "Paper on prepositions," he said simply. "Due the next day. Hopefully this will teach you to stop messing around," he reiterated the last word. "Get it? 'Around'?...Prepositions?" He chuckled to himself. "I'm just too funny sometimes."

"Sensei sucks," Naruto said, contemplating the interaction and slumping in his chair.

Sasuke's eyes travelled over to Naruto's crumpled form. "Your methods for acquiring forgiveness are what 'sucks', Naruto."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. "I give up," he said resignedly. "It's better off this way, anyway."

Sasuke elevated a brow. "And why is that?"

"Because," Naruto sat up, "he was starting to make me feel weird for a moment there."

"Weird?"

"Yeah," Naruto frowned. "I almost…" he shook his head, "he just makes me feel really weird sometimes. It was like the gay was rubbing off on me." Looking up at Sasuke, he faked a shiver. "It was…ew. Gay people are so…"

Sasuke's glare was deadly. "Gay people are so what?"

Waving him off, Naruto leaned back in his chair. "You're no fun, Sasuke."

"Then I'm doing my job as a friend." Folding his hands under his chin, Sasuke looked at Naruto in a calculating manner. "You're not turning gay, Naruto," he said after a moment. "And stop thinking like that. You're just making a friend who happens to be gay…and reading into it way to much."

Naruto mulled over his words. "You really think so?"

Sasuke seemed to sport a small smile. "Yes." Then his face shifted to a more serious expression. "You need to become his friend, Naruto. It won't be easy, but you can't give up."

Naruto looked intently at him, but for some reason, Sasuke's determined face made him feel like he really might be able to do it.

Then the afternoon came. Naruto was feeling particularly enthusiastic, so when he saw someone at his locker with their foot propped against it in an oddly familiar manner, it did not do too well for his mood. Though this time, it was not Gaara. The person who stood there now was at least a head taller than Gaara. That made him four-fifths of a head taller than Naruto, and anyone taller than Naruto intimidated him right of the bat. His hair was blond like Naruto's, but it was more of a dulled gold, kind of like desert sand. And his face, well, that was definitely a glare. It was right up there with Gaara's glare, the expression sharing a certain similarity, but this glare included eyebrows and a frame which could probably kill Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the boy said sinisterly.

Naruto paused, everyone else in the vicinity quieting and staring as well. "That's right. And you are?"

The other boy—another student at the school, judging from his uniform—pushed off the locker and walked up to him. "It's Kankurou-sempai to you, kid."

Naruto didn't look fazed, but in his mind, he was searching through all the possible ways he could have ticked off a senior. He could think of none. All around, the emergence of whispers carried throughout the hall as everyone questioned what an upperclassman was doing in their area.

"I don't know what business you have with my brother, kouhai," Kankurou leaned in close, face disclosing his aggravation, "but if you continue to bother him…I will have to hurt you." Taking a step back, he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Have a nice day," he said congenially, slinging his coat over his shoulder and leisurely making his way down the hall.

Naruto was still for a moment as he tried to digest what had just happened. As his eyes started to widen at the impending possibility, Sasuke came to his side.

"He's Gaara's older brother...A senior this year," he declared, watching him walk away. "He plays a few sports and has been seen studying lately for college entrance exams. He's usually really nice." Sasuke patted Naruto on the shoulder. "It's bad that you pissed him off."

Naruto just feigned a smile. "Thank you, Sasuke."

ooo

It was the first time in a while that Naruto had actually felt troubled, and it just so happened that anything he touched suffered the brunt of his disturbance. His feet fell harder than usual on the floor, and any door he opened was opened with such unnecessary force that they occasionally slammed back into the wall. Naruto just couldn't understand why, out of all the people in the world, he had to be the one with such bad luck. Every time he considered this, he knew that the root of all evil rested within the letter he had written. Great gods, he was an idiot. Sasuke was right.

The only good thing was his mind was starting to clear about the whole Gaara situation. Sasuke was right; Naruto was reading into it way too much. Gaara had never done anything to suggest he felt anything other than, well, other than perturbation toward Naruto. It was clear that along the way, he had become disillusioned. Really though, did any of that matter now? He had essentially obliterated any chance of mending what little semblance of relationship they shared, however skewed it was, but Naruto couldn't really blame him. He had disappeared. For a week. Like an idiot.

Grinding his teeth, Naruto pushed through the stairwell door, forcing all of his pent-up frustration into the poor entryway. But something was wrong. This door didn't give like all the rest had. No, this one was definitely different. In fact, this door seemed to fight back, for when Naruto shoved it, it seemed to catch and hold, sending Naruto ricocheting backward in stunned puzzlement. Approaching it once again, he tried to push it open, but it only opened slightly, a small crack of light from the other side shining through. Blinking, Naruto heaved himself against it, before closing and opening it several times to see if it would give way. It gave a little, and Naruto mused that it felt like a heavy box was on the other side to keep someone out. Finally pushing it open and walking through, Naruto nearly fainted.

Laying on the ground, in a newly unconscious heap, was Gaara.

Naruto stared at him for a moment, like one might stare at a unicorn for the first time—with a distrustful gleam and a strong inclination to believe that what they're seeing is not real. He waited for Gaara to open his eyes and glare at him, but then he remembered how many times he had tried to slam open the door and vividly pictured the student on the other side, a door slamming numerous times into his head.

"I've killed him," Naruto said distantly. He could see Kankurou beating him up until he was paralyzed. Maybe Kakashi would help him. Maybe Kakashi would just take that chance to knock out one of his eyes, too. Sasuke would probably just laugh.

Looking toward the door, Naruto nearly slapped himself for even thinking of leaving. He could just see the headlines. "Hit and run. Student found dead in the stairwell. The only suspect is suspiciously missing an eye…"

Kneeling by his side, Naruto peered close to his face. It was faint, but a soft whish of breath played upon his cheek. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto poked Gaara's cheek, but the limp boy didn't respond. Naruto scratched his chin and glanced at Gaara's watch. It was the end of day, so he wasn't sure if the nurse's office would be open, but he would try nonetheless. He couldn't just leave him there, no matter how appealing the alternative seemed. Slipping an arm beneath Gaara's neck, and another under his knees, Naruto picked him up, musing absentmindedly about his lightweight, before heading to the infirmary.

ooo

"Uzumaki-kun, I'm really sorry, but can you stay with him?" Anko begged nicely, pulling her purse over her shoulder. She was an obvious frenzy as she struggled to remember where her coat was, before realizing it was already on. Naruto just followed her as she seemed to dance about the room, finishing any last minute, menial tasks. "I'm going out tonight, and I'm already late," she said at the door. "Just close up when you're finished." She seemed to recall something else. "And don't tell anyone, for heaven's sake."

"Can't we just call his parents?" Naruto griped, slouching even though he was standing.

"I'm afraid not," said the nurse, shaking her head as well. "Just stay with him until he's awake. It only seems to be a minor concussion; he'll be fine," she waved her hand at him. "Thanks so much; 'kay, bye!" Pivoting on her heel, she was gone, the clack clack clack of her heels echoing on down the hall.

Naruto rested his hands on his hips and sighed, walking over to where Gaara still lay unconscious. He honestly could have been dead, the way Naruto saw it, what with the way he just lay motionless on the office cot. For some reason, Naruto had even folded his hands neatly on his chest after situating him on the white sheets. Dodging red and avoiding "G"s was cake compared to getting Gaara to the nurse's office. Thankfully, it was the end of the day, and so the odds of running across anyone else were slim to none. Unfortunately, this was Naruto, and so he ran across someone else at any given chance. Just for the record, ducking into the shadows with a deadweight body was anything but easy.

Leaning onto the bed on his arms, Naruto watched in slight fascination as a purplish-blue bruise started to appear on Gaara's forehead, before brushing some copper strands over it. Not good. Potential lawsuit. Naruto had no money anyway, so either way, he was up the creek without a paddle. Feeling his fingertips tingle, Naruto realized it was because Gaara's hair was unexpectedly soft. The memory seemed to linger on his hands, and he quickly rubbed them together before resting them in his pockets. Still, the black around Gaara's eyes just begged to be touched, and so Naruto stole an eyelid poke before glancing at his darkened fingertip. With his eyes closed, Gaara almost looked eyeless, and so Naruto figured he was just doing his part to ensure Gaara hadn't lost any body parts during the trip there. It was difficult, but he tried to imagine Gaara putting eye-shadow on each morning, cursing if he happened to make a mistake or had to start over. Laughing to himself, Naruto leaned on his hand, a slight flicker of Gaara's wrist alerting him that the red-head was awakening.

Gaara wasn't so bad like this, Naruto pondered. When he wasn't glaring, and wasn't spouting off implied insults, he looked rather normal, if not for the missing eyeball thing. The vision was shattered, however, when Gaara's eyes slowly opened, and his perplexed gaze drifted over to Naruto.

"I'm in hell," he muttered, looking at the ceiling instead.

Naruto grimaced, before remembering that it was his fault after all. "You're in the nurse's office," he stated definitively, trying to look polite.

"I know." He paused for a moment, then, "Why am I here?" He wasn't quite angry (or if he was, he didn't show it) and he wasn't quite annoyed, but he did look to be suffering a massive headache. He didn't keep his eyes open for long, and he didn't look anywhere where there was bright light.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…you were knocked out." What was he going to say, that he had beaten Gaara up with a door? Right. How much was it if one was sued, anyway? Four hundred and fifty dollars? That would definitely be all of his summer work money. He would probably have to default the hospital bill (courtesy of his Kankurou-induced injuries) onto Iruka. Joyous be the day.

But Gaara didn't question it further. He simply said, "Watch where you're going, Uzumaki."

Naruto perked up, surprised that Gaara seemed to know. Thinking back on it though, he realized that there was a small window on the door which allowed limited vision to whomever might be on the other side…in order to prevent such incidents. Naruto had just had too much on his mind to really care. And yet, he couldn't help but feel really bad about the situation.

"I'm…really sorry, Gaara," he said sincerely, looking absentmindedly at his lap. "I'm really sorry about everything."

Gaara finally faced him, head not turning, but turquoise eyes journeying toward the blond's face. Looking back away, he didn't hide the troubled expression that found itself on his face. "It doesn't matter, Uzumaki." Naruto looked up, worried that Gaara hadn't found him to be earnest, but Gaara noticed and said, "I mean don't worry about it. I'm fine." Pushing himself to sit up, he immediately placed a hand on his forehead, unsuccessfully suppressing a wince. Naruto made a move to help him, but Gaara ignored his offer of his assistance, swinging his legs off the bed and looking around the room. "My bookbag?" he asked, one hand still pressed to the dark bruise above his temple.

"Oh, it's right here," Naruto said, reaching behind him and bringing the messenger bag into view. "But, you aren't planning on going home now, are you?" he asked carefully.

Gaara lowered his eyelids a little. "And what if I am?"

"Well…" he struggled for the right words to say. "You can't. You're in no condition to be moving around." For some reason, he sounded more worried than he had meant to, but moving around with a concussion did not seem like a smart idea.

"Don't worry about it." He reached for his bookbag, but Naruto stood and slung it over his own shoulder, a look of willpower in his sapphire eyes. Not surprisingly, Gaara glared.

"You can't have this," Naruto declared matter-of-factly. "You shouldn't stress your body out. Isn't there someone who can come and get you?"

Gaara looked at the clock on the far wall, then back to Naruto. "Not now. It doesn't matter anyway; I can walk."

"You can't," affirmed Naruto, looking at Gaara as though he were crazy. "What if you pass out again?"

Putting his face in his hands for a moment before running them through his hair, he faced Naruto with a clear look of annoyance. "I'll be fine, Uzumaki."

Naruto tried to retort, but he was sure Gaara would remain strong in his conviction. Leafing through any other possibilities in his mind, he paused and looked at the student before him cautiously. It was crazy, but it was really the only choice and the only decision that would let him sleep that night without a guilty conscience. "I'll walk you home." He was the one to narrow his gaze for once, an air of resolution rising about him. "I won't take 'no' for an answer."

Gaara was prepared to strictly decline, but when he looked at Naruto, there was something about his bearing that told him the blond would not back down. He did have a particularly nasty headache, but still…Releasing a weary sigh, he glanced up at Naruto, his mouth twitching a bit at one corner. "Fine."

oooTBCooo

Muhaha. So much more stuff was supposed to happen in this chapter, but whatev. That just makes me anticipate writing the next chapter so much more. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Temari will be in this story; she's just MIA for the moment. This story is very much so an experiment, so it's good to know where I stand.

Naruto is very easy to dislike in this chapter, due to his preconceptions. As a result, he can sometimes border on the offensive, but I didn't just want him to pop out as gay; that wouldn't really be too realistic. I'm really trying hard with this, so forgive any perceived irregularities. Gaara's different since he already is gay (the past of which should be clearer next chapter). That aside, thanks for reading as usual! Your comments are always very nice and they push me to get off my butt and write. I wasn't going to write this chapter until Sunday, but I figured, what the heck? What's homework, anyway? Next chapter might be a little slower in both creation and postage, but we'll see. It's approaching the end of the year, and college can be such a boob. Sorry for any errors; Take carez!!