Voters on dA chose Iruka. Enjoy :)

CHOICES Chapter Four

I feel like time is running out with every drop of rain that hits my face. Where is he? Where is he? Dammnit… I have to choose, I have to choose now! Taking a deep breath, I run in the direction that seems best. The place where he would get advice, maybe a place to stay for a while, and fatherly affection. And most important of all, ramen. I go for Iruka.

It takes me a few moments to realise that I'm almost flying, subconsciously pouring all of my chakra into my feet so I can get there just that little bit faster. I'm running out of stamina. My fighting style usually involves little movement, I'm not used to covering so much distance in such a physical way. It's hard. I think I'm failing.

I finally get to the house and it's the most welcome sight I've ever seen. I hammer on the door, so eager to get inside I barely notice that I hit the door hard enough to splinter it. I need him. I need him. Please, please say he's here.

Iruka answers the door, slowly, carefully. He knew it was me before he opened it. He keeps his eyes carefully on the floor when he says, "You're not wanted here, Gaara."

I stare at him.

"Naruto's here?" I ask.

"You're not wanted." He repeats. He can't look at me. He actually can't do it. Naruto's there, he must be.

"Let me talk to him." I say.

"Please, Gaara, just leave."

"Let me talk to him!" I repeat, and my voice breaks halfway through. I'm desperate. I'm crying. My god, I'm actually crying in front of someone I hardly know. Iruka finally looks up now, and I can see his will break. He steps out of the way.

"Second room on the right." He says.

I run. I just run. I can't stop now. I'm so close. I burst through the door, and he's there, wrapped up in a blanket and staring into a fire, shaking. He looks up at the noise and I see tear tracks on his face. I fall, crashing to my knees in the doorway.

"Naruto, please forgive me! Please, I - I didn't want you to go - I love you - please - I'll tell you anything you want, I'll talk about everything, please, please! Don't leave me!" I sob, powerless against my emotions. "Don't leave me…"

Naruto looks at me for a moment in silence. I get the horrible, heart-breaking feeling he's going to push me away. Then his eyes spill over again and he leaps towards me, pulling me into an embrace. He wraps his arms around my head and neck and I bury my face into his shoulder. It feels so good. Like the most comforting thing in the world, only better, because it's Naruto. I'm crying even harder but I don't think it's just from the sadness any more.

"Gaara," he says, "Why do you have to hold yourself so secret?"

I lift my face again, and shake my head. "I don't know… it's so hard… so hard to tell you how I feel, I've never done this before! And I'm so scared that I'm not good enough for you, that you'll just think I'm pathetic and hate me. 'Ruto, you can't ever hate me, I would die, I -"

"Shh-shh-shhh…" Naruto soothed me, stroking my hair back out of my eyes. "It's alright. I'll never hate you. You could kill me and destroy everything I love and sell Konoha to the Akatsuki and fall in love with a girl and I would still love you. And you'll always be good enough for me. My standards are really high, right? The future Hokage has to choose his partners carefully. You know why I say they're high?"

"Why?" I murmur, drawn in to his words.

"Because I always set just one criteria for the people I fall in love with - they have to be you."

I smile, finally. A tiny, weak, tear-drowned smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Thank you, 'Ruto."

"It's fine. I'm just telling you the truth." Naruto replies. At that moment, I realise - he's really grown up lately.

"Are you boys going home?" Iruka asks, from the doorway. I wonder how long he was there. Actually, no; I don't care.

"What do you think, Gaara? Wanna go home?" Naruto asks.

I nod. I think it's time for a talk.

Dramatic music Iiiiiiits over!

I would have liked to have carried this on a bit, but unfortunately time was against me - I can't really do regular updates what with all my a-level courses and my 'serious' writing (not that this isn't serious - in fact I take it very seriously :p) so I had to let it drop there.

Though, I do love this pairing so much... flounces off to write another