A/N: This chapter was a difficult one to get through and I redid it a few times. Originally the chapter was going to cover Sunday and Monday but I found it too cluttered and rushed so I cut it down and edited it a bit. I like this version a great deal more and the stuff I cut out will come in handy when writing the next chapter. Also, the title of this chapter is explained in the author's note at the bottom.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Thank you for your lovely reviews so far.

Warnings: Strong language


Innocence

"Okay," Ino began, realising that Naruto had finally finished ranting about the events of that morning. She had never met anyone who could ramble on for as long or with as much energy as her best friend did but man, was it tiring! "So what exactly is it that upset you?"

"Well…" Naruto trailed off for a moment, either choosing his words carefully or trying to work out the answer. "When Gaara mentioned he wanted to help kids in the system…it made me really happy, y'know? 'Cause there's not that much help out there and if I'd have been offered some it would have made all the difference. I thought it was a really cool idea. I know it's his life and everything, but...seeing him just, like, dismiss it like that- like it was nothing- was really sad."

"Uh-huh," the girl offered in agreement, starting to understand where he was coming from. She was always the best when it came to understanding Naruto and his feelings- not because she had experienced anything similar, but because she knew him so well and had seen the effects first hand.

"And then when he said he'd go home without a thought if he could…" Naruto lowered his head, staring down into his cup of coffee with a solemn and disheartened look on his face. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked…hard. "I thought we were becoming friends, ya know? But obviously he doesn't care much." The blonde pouted, taking a sip out of his cup once he'd finished.

The two of them had headed to Ino's favourite coffee shop- which was often empty so early in the morning- which gave them time to talk and the chance to get some warm drinks. A cup of coffee was just what was needed when having a heart-to-heart…Ino thought so anyway.

"Sounds to me," the blonde woman began, placing her own cup down on the table as she thought things through. "as though Gaara has absolutely zero motivation in life."

"What do ya mean?" Naruto queried, blue eyes glancing up at her. She loved how he always hung on her every word.

"He applied for college to avoid the working world; he takes the Philosophy course of all courses, when there's actually a course he might be interested in he doesn't bother; he has no plans for the future and he can't even apply himself to making friends." Ino listed all the facts she'd picked up from Naruto's ramblings, counting them off on her fingers as she did. "He has no motivation- nothing driving him. He's the kind of person who has no reason to look forward to anything, therefore doesn't need to work towards the future. No ambition. He's the complete opposite of you, Naruto."

"So what can I do?" The man asked desperately, his face glimmering with determination and focus- the kind Gaara's was always lacking.

"Nothing." Ino answered truthfully. "You can't give him motivation or force ambition on him. He's got to want it and find it himself." And with those wise words, she took another sip of coffee with a content smile. Naruto's problem had been an easy one to answer and had a clear solution- don't worry about it. He couldn't control Gaara's thoughts and emotions so there was simply nothing else to do.

"There must be something!" But still he persisted. Naruto Uzumaki was not the kind to accept that nothing could be done and take a backseat- Ino should know that by now. Sighing heavily, she placed her cup down again and stared into the man's blue eyes thoughtfully.

"Well…" she began, an idea coming to her. "Kabuto did tell me that Pein's planning another one of his little things tomorrow after courses end. That guy has a habit of motivating people so maybe he can get through to Gaara."

"Really? Ya think?"

"I said maybe, Naruto." She warned, shooting him a look. "Just take Gaara along to watch and see how he responds. He likes music, right?"

"I…don't really know…" the man said dejectedly, realising how little he knew about his roommate.

"Well, just take him." She said with finality. "And make sure you take some money to donate to the world hunger and poverty project. You know what happens when you don't donate." Naruto visibly shuddered at the thought, remembering the first time he had gotten on Pein's bad side. He'd ended up slammed on the ground before he could even realise what was happening. Since then, he had always made sure to avoid pissing the older man off at all costs. He knew full well the exact amount of money that was considered 'acceptable' to donate in order to avoid getting his ass kicked. Sometimes he'd even donate more just so the man would show any shred of kindness towards him.

"Got it."

"And for the love of God, make sure Gaara watches his attitude." Ino added, giggling slightly at the thought. "I don't care how vast his experience is when it comes to school yard scraps, picking a fight with Pein only ends in one way." Naruto gulped as he begun to daydream about the possible results. Maybe taking Gaara wasn't such a good idea…You can't have any motivation if you're dead, after all…Naruto was exaggerating of course. Pein wouldn't actually kill someone…just severely injure them, put them in hospital and stop by later for their 'willingly-given' donation…The one time you always give generously to charity is when he's passing round the bucket- that was for sure!

"I'll do my best."

"Good," Ino smirked at her success to lighten her friend's mood, already coming up with ideas as to how he could make it up to her.

"Thanks, Ino." Naruto said with a smile, reaching across the table to give her hand an appreciative squeeze. "You're awesome. Marry me?"

"Naruto," she began, dropping her voice to breathy whisper of seriousness. "No one can ever take your place as my last resort. When I'm in my forties and all other romantic ventures have failed," Ino smiled reaching over to stroke his cheek in a way some would interpret as loving- if they didn't know she was currently mocking him. "then I'll gladly marry you." Naruto, however, only found her teasing funny and gave her wink before jumping to his feet.

"Right, now that's outta the way we can get on with-"

"Shopping." Ino cut in, also getting to her feet.

"But I don't need anything," Naruto said, glancing over at her in confusion. Ino could only roll her eyes at how oblivious her 'last resort' was.

"Not for you, idiot. You owe me…big-time."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping. A day of shopping with Ino made it highly unlikely he'd have enough money to donate to Pein's charity. He was gonna end up broke- both financially and physically.


Gaara sighed in frustration. He didn't know why Naruto's bad mood was affecting him so much, but he couldn't help but feel something as a result. His roommate was a bubbly ray of light- depression didn't suit him and it sure as hell didn't make things easier. On the one hand, having Naruto out of the room was helpful and gave the redhead time to clean, on the other knowing he was out there in a foul mood was surprisingly distressing. Gaara only hoped he'd be in a better mood when he returned.

"Nuisance." He muttered under his breath as he finished putting away the now clean dishes and cutlery in their respective drawers and cupboards. The kitchen area was now completely spotless- a great contrast to the state Naruto had left it in- now all that was left was to tackle the bathroom. Gaara wasn't exactly a clean freak, nor did he enjoy cleaning, but he didn't appreciate living in a shithole either. If he had to live in such a stupid dorm, at the very least it was going to stay clean!

The state of the bathroom didn't cheer him up.

"Damn Uzumaki." He cursed in annoyance, eyes scanning the appalling bathroom in disgust. Uncapped toothpaste, water on the floor, wet towels everywhere, dirty clothes thrown around and the occasional blonde hair all added up into a massive, accumulative mess. How could one person cause so much damage? The scale of the chaos would make anyone think a tornado had passed through!

Picking up a pair of Naruto's bright orange boxers with the tip of his finger, Gaara could only shake his head in disbelief. Anyone else in Gaara's situation, carrying the feelings he did, may have found the sight of the blonde's used underwear intriguing or exciting or something…but Gaara wasn't impressed. Without Naruto and his cursed good looks in front of his face, it seemed he could only feel angry and frustrated with his roommate.

Gaara sighed again, dropping the clothing back onto the tiled floor, and tried to imagine this living situation as a long-term thing. Gaara hasn't cried since a very young age but that thought alone made him want to- if he were able. 'I'll have to buy a basket for dirty clothes' he thought to himself. 'though I doubt he'll even use it.' He added in dismay.

Growling in frustration, Gaara turned his head at the sound of someone knocking on the door. He didn't know how colleges worked yet but he had hoped that once you returned to your room you wouldn't have to worry about other people bothering you…except your damn roommate of course. The fact the person was knocking rather than just barging in made it unlikely that it was Naruto or one of his friends- all of whom had little manners in Gaara's opinion. At first the redhead decided to merely ignore it and wait for whoever it was to go away but, when the knocking continued and it became clear they weren't leaving anytime soon, he sighed in defeat and headed for the door. He really wasn't in the mood to be deal with anyone right now, so he was fully prepared to slam the door in the intruder's face.

"What do you want?" He hissed in annoyance, yanking the door open.

"My, my, such an attitude, Gaara." That all-too-familiar voice actually made the begrudged redhead glance up at the person's face and rage seethed through him at the sight he was met with. Silver hair, round glasses and a smirk which made his blood boil. Without a single word, Gaara moved to slam the door shut…only to find it stopped by his stalker's cursed foot.

"Move." He said simply, the coldness of his voice getting across his own murderous intent. Kabuto, however, remained unaffected.

"I'm here on business, I'm afraid." The young man explained, taking a sheet of paper from atop a pile and extending it to the redhead. Gaara stared at it curiously, but made no move to take it. He was far too suspicious. "A rather prestigious student here, Pein, is hosting a collection for charity tomorrow after courses end. As a member of staff in the main office, and as a member of the Student Union, it fell upon me to inform all students in this dorm building."

"Not interested." Gaara muttered bluntly, glancing down at Kabuto's unmoving foot and back up to his smirking face in warning. He very much doubted it was a coincidence Kabuto had been assigned his dorm building in particular.

"That may be, however I'm still expected to hand you this flier and let you know. It's my duty." Gaara snatched the paper off him and intensified his glare. "Thank you for your time, Gaara. Make sure to let Naruto know about tomorrow's collection. I happen to know that Pein is looking forward to his donation in particular."

"Whatever." The redhead mumbled, only causing Kabuto's smirk to stretch slightly.

"If I'm not working in the main office, I'm most likely in the Student Union building. Just drop in if you need anything."

"Fine." Gaara could tell that his stalker was just trying to get him riled up and earn a reaction, but he wasn't getting one. From what he had learned about Kabuto- what with his work in the main office and his place on the Student Union- he was an active member of the college community. Beating the shit out of him, as appealing as it seemed, would only cause problems for him.

"See you around, Gaara. Say hi to Naruto from me." And with that the foot was removed…and the door was slammed shut as swiftly as possible.

'Nuisance.' Gaara scowled, trying to let his annoyance and frustration just flow out of him. Getting this worked up all the time couldn't be good for his healthy and he'd be damned if Kabuto was going to mess up his health. 'Oh well.'

Deciding to distract himself, Gaara glanced down at the flier his stalker had given him. He'd mentioned something about a charity event and some guy with a weird name…

Collection for the World Hunger and Poverty Project

Monday at 18:00

Main Courtyard

Hosted by The Student Union's Akatsuki

Donate generously

-Pein

Gaara- oddly- like the fact the flier didn't ask or beg for money. It was blunt and to the point, simply telling people to donate generously. It appealed to him more than the advertisements which would try to earn your sympathy. That may work for some people, but not Gaara. He would rather people were straightforward and direct with him, rather than relying on sob stories. Then again, the event itself may be filled with that kind of stuff, so he didn't get his hopes too high.

'Pein?' The redhead mused, recognising it as the odd name Kabuto had mentioned before. 'He said Pein was a prestigious student and this implies he's part of the Student Union.' That was rather interesting, he supposed. The only thing that didn't make sense was that one word- 'Akatsuki'. Whatever it meant, Gaara wasn't too interested and he really had no intention of attending. 'Why is Pein looking forward to Naruto's donation?' The redhead questioned, placing the flier down on the kitchen counter as he remembered Kabuto's earlier claim. The two must know one another. He made a mental note to somehow slip it into conversation with the blonde later…if Naruto had snapped out of his mood that is…


"Yo, Gaara!" Naruto called, hanging his jacket up on the peg as he eyed the redheaded teenager currently reclining in the chair by the desk. "What's up?"

"Just filling out some paperwork," Gaara replied, not even glancing over at his roommate. However, even if Naruto couldn't see it, he had a small smile on his face once he realised that the blonde was back to his usual self. Whatever mood Naruto had fallen into that morning was over…and that made Gaara somewhat happy. "Someone popped by earlier to drop off a flier- it's on the kitchen counter."

"Huh?" Naruto headed over to the piece of paper, eyes skimming over it briefly before he 'ohh'ed in understanding. "Pein's charity thing. Yeah, Ino mentioned it earlier."

"Well, apparently he's looking forward to your donation or something…" Gaara mumbled, turning slightly to watch as his blonde roommate screwed the flier up into a ball and threw it towards the bin- his face full of childish anticipation for the result. His face fell into a frown as the 'ball' bounced off the edge of the bin and landed on the floor and he was very close to pouting. For someone so good at basketball, it was a major fail. Gaara's eyes instantly narrowed into a cold glare once Naruto shrugged off his failure and headed over towards him- leaving the paper ball lying there. Now he understood how this idiot managed to make such a mess. He clearly wasn't in the habit of picking up after himself.

"So what's this paperwork?" Naruto asked, cutting the redhead off before he could comment on the mess. He peered over Gaara's shoulder to study the half-filled-out form with interest, struggling to work it out for himself.

"It's a course application form. I picked it up this morning."

"Application?" The blonde echoed, cocking an eyebrow as his eyes darted from the form to Gaara's face.

"Turns out there's a limited-time offer on applying for a new course so I just decided to go ahead with pursuing the Social Care one." The redhead said, bending the truth ever-so-slightly to avoid any implication that Naruto's sulking earlier had contributed to his decision. As much as he hated to admit it, his heart seemed to actually flutter once he saw the blonde beam at him happily. This damn idiot was really having an effect on him.

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, well…we'll see how it goes." Gaara mumbled, turning away from his roommate as a smile threatened to spread onto his own face. Seeing Naruto grin at him like that…his happiness was infectious and Gaara was trying so hard not to catch it. He didn't want Naruto to break through to him like that.

"Good job, Gaara." The blonde said, patting the tattooed teen on the shoulder proudly before turning to head towards the bathroom. It took a little while for Gaara to get over the warm feeling that spread throughout him at the show of affection Naruto had offered him. Once he had, he turned to shout after the idiot in annoyance.

"Wait. We need a serious talk about the mess-"

"I'll talk once I'm finished, 'kay?" Naruto interrupted, shutting the bathroom door behind him with a snicker. Gaara was left there, frowning and fully aware that his moron of a roommate had no intention of discussing anything serious with him tonight…or ever…


Ino let out a satisfied sigh as she slid onto the leather sofa, ignoring the looks she got off her fellow students. She was perfectly content with how the day had gone and the amount of new stuff her shopping bags were filled with. Retail therapy was something that put her in a good mood which simply couldn't be spoilt by anything. So even though she was getting some foul looks off people as she entered the Student Union building, she simply didn't care.

"When you asked me to cover for you this morning," Kabuto began, plopping down next to her. "I didn't think you were going to disappear for the rest of the day."

"I'm guessing you all had to hand out Pein's fliers for tomorrow." She said, not as a question but a clear, all-knowing statement. "You're not mad at little, innocent me, are you?"

"Not me," the man replied, chuckling as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "the others however…" he trailed off, glancing at some of the moody members of the Student Union.

"Jealousy is such an ugly thing." Ino muttered, shaking her head in mock depression. "Poor things."

"So, what poor soul paid for all this?" Kabuto queried, glancing inside the bags she'd dumped on the sofa. He couldn't help but note that some of the items weren't really all that cheap.

"Naruto," the woman responded with a sly smile. "I helped cheer him up and this was my reward."

"More like his debt." The man corrected, chuckling at the frown she shot at him. "Him being down didn't have anything to do with his new roommate, did it?"

"Yeah," Ino sighed, remembering her blonde friend's incessant ranting that morning. "Gaara really gets to him."

"I see…" Kabuto smirked mischievously, pushing his glasses up his nose once more- something he did so often Ino was constantly tempted to tape them to his face. However, this time the woman was more focused on the curve of his lips and the amusement in his tone. Such things didn't go unnoticed by her.

"You know, Kabuto," she began, shaking her head slightly. "you're probably the only person I can't figure out."

"Oh?"

"Everyone else, no matter who they are, I'm able to read pretty easily. They can't keep secrets from me. But you…" she surveyed him with a shred of intrigue. "I just come up empty."

"I'm flattered," he nodded her way. "but there's really not much to know. I don't have any dark secrets to hide." He muttered the last sentence in a way which baffled Ino- a way that was unreadable to even her. She was just about to question it further when…

"Kabuto," they were interrupted by a strong, commanding voice from the other side of the Student Union lounge. "I need you to finish copying out those documents. Once you've completed that, you're done for the day."

"I'm on it, Pein." He responded, climbing to his feet with a smirk. "Later," he muttered to Ino, heading off in that mysterious way of his.

"And, Ino,"

"Yes, my handsome and oh-so kind Pein-love?" She said sweetly, sensing the tension in the man's tone. She fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently, knowing full well that her charms never worked on him.

"Don't think you're off the hook." He stated bluntly, nodding towards a stack of papers across the room silently. Ino could only sigh and roll her eyes. She should have known she wouldn't have been able to dance past Pein easily. It seemed retail therapy came at a price after all…


"Guess you didn't sleep to well last night, huh?" Naruto muttered, glancing over at his redheaded roommate. They were both lying on their individual beds, on their backs and staring up at the ceiling as they made idle chatter. Naruto had his arms up behind his head, using them as a cushion, whilst Gaara kept his over his chest. This had turned into one of their little rituals lately- just lying there and talking. In a way, for Gaara, it was irritating and pointless…but there was also some comfort in it. There was just something so innocent and pure about the intention of getting to know one another. Whenever he found himself lying there, talking to the blonde idiot, the moment always seemed so calm and relaxing…as much as he hated to admit it.

"Not really," the tattooed teen mumbled back. "I couldn't get back to sleep so I went for a walk."

"That sucks," Naruto chirped, head turning back so he could stare up at the ceiling again. "You should have woken me up."

"Why?" Gaara shot, glancing over at the suggestion.

"Well…" cerulean eyes peered back, almost making eye contact. In the end, Gaara turned away before their eyes could meet. He couldn't stand eye contact. "…you seemed to sleep fine when we shared a bed. In fact, it was the only time since you got here that you slept right through the night."

"Tch…" Gaara scoffed, a blush forming on his cheeks as he remembered. He knew the blonde was right, but he just didn't want to admit it. "Yeah, I guess." He mumbled reluctantly.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Naruto offered in that heart-meltingly soft tone of his. "All I'm saying is, don't be afraid of waking me up if you need some company or something. If you're having a bad night you can always bunk up with me."

"As if." The redhead snapped, trying so hard to hide just how much he appreciated the offer of kindness. Naruto really was something special after all. "…Thanks…" he added in a whisper, not wanting to hurt the loveable idiot's feelings again.

"No worries." Gaara didn't even need to look over to know the blonde was smiling- it could be heard in his voice.

A moment of comfortable silence passed over the room as the two just lay there. Though they often had their awkward and tense moments, Gaara found that during these night-time chats of theirs lacked any of that. Any silence was nice and calm and any talk was gentle and hushed. He pinned it on the quiet of the night easing both of their personalities- Gaara's sourness and Naruto's bubbly ways- thus making them both more bearable for the other. Either way, he appreciated these moments. He felt warm inside…filled…like life wasn't so pointless. He had a friend. Sure, Naruto was a nuisance. He was messy, annoying, loud, obnoxious and a moron…but he was also kind, loving, gentle and genuine…a true friend. That thought alone brought a slight smile to his face.

"What are you thinking about?" Naruto asked softly, noticing the slight curve of the redhead's lips.

"Nothing really…" Gaara began shyly, afraid to divulge his inner feelings. He decided to alter the truth slightly, to avoid any misunderstanding between them "I guess I'm just coming to terms with the fact that this whole college thing might not be so bad after all."

"Really?" Naruto smiled back, equally as happy. "Because of me?" His voice wasn't boasting or cocky this time…it was gentle and curious…almost hopeful.

"You're one reason, I guess." Gaara muttered, fighting the urge to make a sarcastic comment in response. The grin that covered the blonde's face was worth it.

"Hey, Gaara?"

"What?" He glanced over at the idiot briefly.

"What does that tattoo on your forehead mean?" Naruto asked curiously, blue eyes scanning the blood-red symbol with interest. It had been bugging him since the two met, but he hadn't asked in fear of angering or provoking Gaara. But, as they were now, he felt comfortable and secure enough to finally ask.

"…" Gaara considered the question for a moment, reaching up to run his pale fingers over the tattoo in thought, before finally deciding to open up a bit. How much harm could it possibly cause? "It's the kanji symbol for love."

"Love?" Naruto repeated, blinking in surprise. He'd expected something…darker? 'Love' wasn't exactly what popped into his mind when he saw a guy like Gaara rocking that tattoo. "Why'd you get it done?"

"To remind myself…I suppose…" the boy mumbled, flattening his hand so his palm covered the tattoo as his eyes fell close. This conversation was going in a dangerous direction and he was starting to worry about things going wrong. But…the quiet of the night and Naruto's soft voice…he couldn't help but lower his guard. "To remind myself that love once existed."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, lowering his voice as he sensed the redhead's discomfort. He could see Gaara tensing slightly, but he knew it wasn't from annoyance. If he was right…he was starting to get through the rough shell of Gaara Subaku.

"I…It's a long story…"

"Well then, just tell me the beginning for now."

"Why do you care so much?" Gaara snapped, eyes opening to shoot the Uzumaki a cold glare. However, the blonde's gentle smile and his reply were enough to finally chip the armour.

"Because we're friends."

Another comfortable silence between them passed, during which Gaara became mesmerized by his roommate's handsome face. There was something about Naruto. He didn't need much time, or many words, but he was able to make you feel cared about, loved and warm. He made you feel able to trust him. That was his power.

"My uncle…and my mother…they were the two people who truly loved me." Gaara mumbled, eyes moving away from his roommate's beauty. He couldn't look at Naruto whilst saying this. That was too much to ask for. "My mother died in childbirth but my uncle always made sure to remind me how much she cared for me…so it didn't matter that she wasn't around, I still felt loved."

"What was your uncle's name?" Naruto asked, voice slightly shaky from emotion Gaara couldn't work out.

"Yashamaru."

"But what about your dad…and your brother and sister?"

"Well…" the redhead took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts and tried to phrase things properly. "…my father never got over my mother's death. Because she died in childbirth, he saw me as the cause and blamed me-" he ignored Naruto's shocked gasp and carried on, "so he never showed me love. He raised Kankuro and Temari to think the same so they hated me for a long time. It wasn't until they were older that they realised how unfair father was being. Since then we've become close but…I haven't been able to open up to them."

"…" Naruto remained silent, studying the redhead's face curiously as he spoke.

"I was mostly hated in Sunagakure and seen as a freak- mostly my father's influence on the people. I used to get so upset about it…" Gaara smiled solemnly as a memory flew into his mind. "I remember once that I got so down about it, I crawled into Yashamaru's bed at night and broke down. I cried and cried and he just held me. The only thing he said was 'you're loved' over and over so I wouldn't forget. Afterwards, he made a bad joke about having to change the sheets because of how wet my tears had made them and we just burst out laughing."

"Heh…" Naruto smiled gently.

"Despite how upset I was…we still managed to find something to laugh about. He reminded me I was loved and that's all I needed to be happy for a while." The redhead's smile slowly faded. He gulped down his emotion as he continued, knowing he couldn't end the story now. "When my uncle passed away too, all that love seemed to disappear. I know that he and my mother had loved me and nothing will change that but…I had no one to tell me that anymore, nothing to remind me of that love. It became a distant memory…almost like it never existed." Gaara sighed heavily. "Because everyone else hated me, I guess it wasn't that hard to forget that I was ever loved."

"So the tattoo…?"

"I got it done when I was twelve. I stole someone's I.D and asked for the kanji symbol for 'love' as a reminder. Without Yashamaru to remind me every day, I felt like I needed something. Now, whenever I look in the mirror, I can remember them."

"And the love they had for you…" Naruto added quietly, finally beginning to understand his roommate on a deeper level than he ever imagined. He also knew the feeling of being unloved all too well and his heart ached for Gaara as he listened to the other boy talk about his past.

"W-what are you doing?" Gaara snapped, sitting bolt-upright as his roommate slid off his own bed and walked across the room to his.

"Shh…" the blonde hushed him, pulling Gaara into a gentle and loving embrace. He held the tattooed teen's head against his chest, one hand tangled in his hair and the other tracing soothing circles on his back. He could feel Gaara tremble in his hold but he knew this was his chance to truly show the other what friendship was- what it truly meant. Without thinking, Naruto leant down to plant a gentle kiss on the 'love' tattoo, smiling softly against the smooth skin of Gaara's forehead. With that one display of affection, Naruto whispered just two, simple words…"You're loved."


This innocence is brilliant,

I hope that it will stay.

This moment is perfect,

Please don't go away.


A/N: Well, that chapter's done.

So, we've gotten Gaara's past out in the open and some more bonding between the two shown.

The lyrics at the end are from the song 'Innocence' by Avril Lavigne (and the title of the chapter was named after the song.) Though I'm not a fan of hers, someone suggested to me that the song reminded them of this story and, after listening to it, I couldn't help but agree. If you haven't heard the song, please look it up and give it a listen. In a way, it is a good representation of this fic so far and what it's leading to. From now on, I plan to listen to it every now and then- especially when writing scenes with Naruto and Gaara together.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next one!

Let me know what you thought by reviewing.