Disclaimer: Naruto… you and Sasuke are not mine! UNDERSTAND THAT?
"Hey Lee! I didn't know you and Sakura were dating now!" Naruto said with a bright smile. Apparently, Sakura and Lee were at the laser tag place too, and were on a date. Naruto was ecstatic that his friend FINALLY had a girlfriend and Sakura was off of their cases. She smiled brightly at them, and Naruto recognized this Sakura as his friend from middle school.
"I'm sorry I bothered you two," she said, "I had no right, and I hope you will forgive me."
The blonde boy smiled, "Of course Sakura-chan! You and Lee are going to be happy together, and we can go on double dates and stuff!"
Sakura laughed, and Lee gave Naruto a thumbs up. "Of course Naruto," Lee said, "Now that me and Sakura are together in a youthful relationship, we will meet up together often!"
The pink haired girl giggled at Lee's energetic mood, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. These two are going to be a handful. Naruto looked at Gaara, wrapped his arm around his shoulders, and said "Guys, this is Gaara. He wanted to play laser tag too, so we invited him to join. Gaara, this is Sakura-chan and Lee."
Gaara said a very quiet hi. Sakura nodded in acknowledgement, while Lee smiled and gave a very "youthful" greeting. They had already signed their agreement papers, so now all they had to do was wait patiently for the other game to finish. Sakura and Lee went to get some water before the game started, and Sasuke had declared to use the bathroom. Naruto decided to use this opportunity to get to know Gaara.
"So, Gaara," Naruto said, "Do you like anything imparticular?"
Gaara was a bit surprised to be spoken to so suddenly, but he did answer Naruto's question. "I like sand," he said, "I don't know why, but whenever I touch it I feel better. I like going to the beach a lot during summer break and relax in the sand."
Naruto nodded and smiled. "That's really cool! I like the sand too, but I haven't been in it too much. The only time I ever went to the beach was when I went with Hinata and Kiba in August. We should go together some time as a large group. I can see if Kiba and Hinata want to join, and maybe Sakura and Lee, Sasuke's going whether he likes it or not, and I think Ino would go if Sakura's going. Do you have any special requests for anybody else?"
Gaara shook his head, and the blonde frowned. He was glad he and Sasuke saved him. This guy was lonely, and he needed them right now. Naruto saw a lot of his older self in Gaara. Now, he's going to give the red head friends he can trust. Friends, Gaara will know for years to come. He'll entrust his secrets to them, open up to them, and rely on them when needed.
"Can't we… go alone?" Gaara asked.
Naruto smiled, "What's the fun in that? Sure it's the two of us, but then you would only open up to me. I know people who would accept you. They aren't going to hurt you."
"I know, but I'm nervous I might say something wrong. What if they don't like me? What if they expect me to be somebody else?"
"They won't Gaara! It's going to be a lot of fun! Trust me."
Naruto patted his back, and smiled even brighter when Gaara gave a very tiny smile. He's a nice guy, Naruto thought I can't see why people would place him as an outcast. I know he's quiet, but so is Hinata, and she has me, Kiba, and Sasuke.
"So Naru chan, how are you two getting along?" Sasuke asked as he sat down next to Naruto.
"We're fantastic Sasu!" Naruto cheered, "We did not make any plans to go to the beach this summer."
Sasuke sighed, "What date is it?"
Naruto looked expectantly at Gaara, who lowered his head. "The sand is best in late July. Is that okay with you?"
The blonde nodded, and then turned to Sasuke. "I don't think we have any plans yet for July, right Sasuke?"
"Well, we do now," Sasuke chuckled, "If I'm going to have to deal with you making decisions without me through all of my life, we're going to have some problems."
Naruto stuck out his tongue in a playful manner, and turned his attention to the couple against the janitors closet. They were having a make out battle, and it looks like the bowl haircut male is winning. "Well they look like their having fun," Sasuke observed. He looked at Naruto with a wicked face, and the blonde shook his head.
"No Sasuke," Naruto said, "I'm not showing any PDA if Gaara doesn't have a partner. If he did, we could all do some PDA together."
Sasuke pouted, which made Naruto almost change his mind, but nodded in understanding. The game was about to start, so they made their way to the arena doors. Two other people were behind them, and they caught Gaara's attention, especially the one guy with long brown hair, pale whitish eyes, and pale skin. He was wearing a black jean jacket, black skinny jeans, and a white shirt with black skulls. His hair was in a low ponytail, and he had black eyeliner around his eyes. Gaara almost stared, but he kept his eyes to himself to not seem stalkerish. He did catch some of the guy's glances though.
The other guy had high ponytailed black hair, a green jacket, baggy jeans, and a black shirt that says "I'm lazy and I know it" on the front. His skin was fairly tanned, his eyes were a dark brown, and he wore a spiked choker. Gaara didn't have as much interest in him, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't attractive. They sat in a room with multiple lights flashing. There were carpeted stands for them to sit on, and a TV was in front of them. Before the instructor came in, somebody poked Gaara's shoulder. He turned around, and it was that good looking guy with the white eyes.
"Have you played this before?" he asked.
Gaara shook his head, and the man continued, "It's really easy. They're going to show a video on it in a few minutes. I'm Neji Hyuga by the way, and this is Shikamaru Nara."
The redhead nodded and said, "I'm Gaara Sabaku. How old are you guys?"
"I'm seventeen," Neji said.
"Sixteen," Shikamaru said, "Now that I think about it, you're that quiet kid in my math class, correct?"
Gaara nodded, and Neji smirked. "So you're the famous 'silent Gaara' people have been talking about? A lot of my peers have talked about you and your siblings a lot. Of course, I don't really care about rumors, but I was surprised to meet you. People say you aren't that good looking. I think they need to get glasses or something, because you are clearly one good looking guy."
The red head blushed. Nobody has ever said something that nice to him. Not even Temari or Kankuro. "Th-thank you," he stuttered.
Neji frowned, asking, "Why are you so shy?"
"I don't usually talk to people. I have never left the house except for school. I met Naruto, and he brought me here. He saved me from these guys back in an alleyway with Sasuke. If it hadn't been for them, I would have been…"
He knew he already said too much, and was uncomfortable about his position at the moment. Neji looked at him expectantly, so he whispered. "I would have been raped if it hadn't been for them."
Neji frowned, and Shikamaru thought. "People shouldn't do that to people like you," Neji said.
Gaara imitated Neji's expression, "What do you mean?"
The brunette smiled, "They shouldn't take good looking guys like you and get their own satisfaction while they harm you. I wish I had met you in the past. We'd be good friends."
Now it was Gaara's turn to smile, "We can still be friends. We just have to keep in touch."
They both continued to smile, and Gaara felt his heart warm up for the first time without sand.
Naruto had been watching the red head and the brunettes converse with each other. He was happy Gaara had found friends without him, and smiled. The instructor came in, followed by a very familiar blonde haired girl. "Sorry I'm late guys," Ino said, "I had to go with Sai somewhere, and I didn't get Sakura's text until later. He was going to ask me out, but I didn't want him."
Sakura laughed, "And you were saying you would go out with him because he was saying all those things to you."
"I said nothing of the sort! You know me better than that Sakura!"
Shikamaru had his eyes on her, and Naruto could tell by the way his eyes kept glancing at her. He was analyzing her every move, and apparently he liked what he saw, because not too long afterwards, he asked her if she played before. Nice job stealing Neji's tactic, Naruto thought.
The instructor put a two minute video in the DVD player that explains the rules of the game and some useful tips on the gameplay. When the video ended, the instructor told them the game was in teams of two. There was a red team, a blue team, a green team, and a yellow team. Ino and Shikamaru were team red, Sasuke and Naruto were team blue, Sakura and Lee were team green, and Neji and Gaara were team yellow. Naruto found it ironic how each team had either a relationship or an interest in one. Sasuke also noticed, and smiled at the other teams. He's a real softy when he wants to be, Naruto thought, even in public.
They moved to the vest area where they put on their vests and got their guns in gear. Each team's base was in a corner in the room. Sasuke and Naruto had a strategy set up and planned. Sakura and Lee were winging it, Shikamaru thought of something while Ino followed his instructions, and Neji and Gaara were quietly glancing at each other.
"Don't stay close to me," Neji said, "The other teams will find us easier that way. I know of two great hiding spots. There's a hole on the third floor that has a window to shoot at other players, and another on the second floor. I'm aiming for the second floor, so I suggest you hide in the third."
The plan made sense, and Gaara nodded to show his understanding. When the teams were released, Gaara found the hole and crawled in it. Neji had gone up the large ramp and was hiding as well. Gaara saw Naruto and Sasuke on guard. They didn't think like Neji did, Gaara thought. He shot at both of them, and they didn't see him. Sakura was hidden well behind a pole, and Gaara managed to get her too. The red head couldn't see any green team members, but he kept watching out for them. Gaara saw there was a path continuing up a ramp. This would either lead to the second floor or the third floor. As he ventured through, he saw two men walk into the arena, wearing police uniforms. They looked familiar.
"We are here for the red head. He is under arrest," the one guys said.
Gaara recognized them now. They were the guys going after him not too long ago! Didn't they get in jail? He was frantic, and quickly crawled through the path. He had to find Neji and get out of there without any of them getting hurt. The path ended at the opening of the top floor. Gaara stayed low, looking for Neji. He was on the second floor, still in his hiding spot. He looked just as scared as the red head. Naruto and Sasuke were on the same floor as Gaara, and he stayed close to them. Naruto sighed when they saw him.
"Stay close Gaara," Naruto whispered.
He did as he was told and hid behind the two guys. Neji came out of the same exit as Gaara, and stayed close to him as well. "Are those the guys who attacked you?" he asked.
Gaara nodded, and smiled when Neji said, "Don't worry. We'll protect you."
Naruto smiled as well, but he hid it from both of their eyes. It looked like these two liked each other. Then, something unexpected happened.
"He's not here officers," Sakura said, "You're at the wrong game. Although, I did see a red head boy at the mini golf course. Why not check there?"
They didn't buy it, so Ino said, "Yeah, I saw him too. It was that hot guy with the green eyes I was talking to you about. He looked alone and single."
The two men thanked them, and went to the golf course. At the same time, Shikamaru had gotten out his phone, and called 911. Gaara smiled, and thanked Sakura and Ino. They smiled, and nodded. The buzzer sounded, calling the first round off. Neji had 5780 points and Gaara had 5971 points. "Are you sure you haven't played before?" Neji asked.
Gaara smiled and said, "Not once."
Naruto complained that he got -100 points while Sasuke had 100. "We barely hit anybody because of those idiots that came in," Sasuke said, "We'll kick but in the next round. I promise."
The blonde smiled, kissed his boyfriend, and got ready for the next match. He found a nice spot on the top floor, and watched Ino try to frantically find one as well. He hit her, along with a green player who he assumed was Lee. Both gave a groan of annoyance, and continued to run along. No yellow ever appeared in his vision. Then, he thought of that tunnel Gaara and Neji escaped from when the attackers came in. Naruto crawled down the path, and found Neji! He shot him, grinned, and continued past the brunette. Neji was surprised, but stayed where he was. He did shoot Naruto when his shield was released, and the blonde had expected it. When Naruto had gotten to the third floor, Gaara wasn't there.
"Hm," Naruto whispered to himself, "He's really good."
He spotted a large ramp leading to a small opening, and he thought Gaara might have gone up there. He ventured up there, and found the person he had been pursuing. Naruto was about to shoot, but Gaara held out his hands showing he needed something. Naruto lowered his gun and waited for the red head to start speaking.
"I think I'm starting to like Neji," Gaara whispered.
"Well I HOPE you like all of your friends," Naruto chuckled.
The red head shook his head, "No not like that! I meant as… you know… like in a warm sort of way."
"Oh! Well that guy is kinda cute I guess. It looked like you two were interested in each other. Take things slow first, get to know the guy, and see how you feel then. That's my advice, and you don't have to follow it if you don't want to."
Gaara agreed with Naruto's logical explanation and thanked him. He shot him before Naruto could try, and escaped the frozen blonde. There were thirty seconds left on the clock, and Shikamaru was hidden under the ramp. The red head got him, and hid under another ramp. He shot Sakura, Lee, and Sasuke when the buzzer sounded.
When he got back to his base with Neji, he had a pretty high score. Neji was surely impressed, and he seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't be impressed easily, so Gaara was happy. "You did amazing," Gaara said, looking at the brunette's face.
"I did amazing? Did you look at your score yet?" Neji asked.
For the first time in years, Gaara actually laughed. It had been a while since he had laughed out anything other than a chuckle or a tiny snort. Neji smiled when he heard it, and Gaara thought he should laugh more often if it makes this guy happy. There were two other rounds, which Gaara kicked butt in, and the game ended. Team yellow won, and Naruto was congratulating them. He did complain about it when they left the arena, but he was his cheery usual self.
"Hey Gaara, do you want any of us to drive you home?" Naruto asked.
The red head shook his head. He had run away from home, and he had been living on the streets for the past few days. He would find food here and there, and he got his lunch at school like all of the other students. He didn't want to tell anybody, but if he had to he would.
"How far away are you?" Neji asked.
"I don't have a home," the red head said, "I prefer to stay on the streets."
Everybody looked horrified, and Gaara frowned. "You could stay at my place," Neji offered, "I don't have much, but it's better than staying on the streets. Plus, since we go to the same school, I could just drive us down every morning together. Do you want to do that?"
Gaara smiled and nodded. Then he added, "We could also know each other better, and we could be friends for a very long time."
Neji and Gaara left not too long afterwards. Sakura, Lee, Ino, and Shikamaru said their goodbyes as well, leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone.
"I like him," Naruto said, "Gaara I mean. He's a nice friend, and that Neji guy seems nice too. Shikamaru's a little lazy, but at least somebody other than Sakura made Ino happy!"
Naruto laughed, and Sasuke smiled. The blonde asked if they wanted to leave yet, but Sasuke said he had to do something first. "When we started dating, I forgot something," Sasuke said, putting his hand in his pocket, "When people get engaged, they usually get rings. Well, instead of engagement rings, I got us dating rings."
Sasuke kneeled on one knee, took out the velvet box, and said, "Naruto Uzumaki, will you be my official boyfriend?"
The blonde was smiling like an idiot and had his hand over his mouth. "I'd love to Sasuke!" he squealed, launching his body on the raven.
The rings were placed on their right hands, and they kissed in happiness.
A/N hello my friends! So, the deal with Gaara is I haven't really been putting such an important character in a lot of my fanfics. I wanted to add him, and I needed a pairing. The first character I thought of was Neji, so I worked my imaginative magic. I did laser tag with my mom before, and it was really fun. It's a really good birthday party idea, and the game makes you move and sweat. THANK YOU FOR READING ANOTHER WONDERFUL CHAPTER!
