I return with another chapter! 8D

I'm trying to updating even faster but it's not going so well. D;

But I'll be giving it my all! :D

Please enjoy this new chapter!

The end is close. Dun dun dun.

Chapter Twelve;

They have been working for days and days to come. Their symphony was coming to it's completion. Gaara was happy. Extremely happy you would say. His goal to earn respect to Naruto's name was nearing to success. With Naruto's fingers pressing down on the final notes, Gaara wrote them down on their music sheet with a pencil. There it was done. Gaara beamed a smile as he rested the sheet of music on the keyboard and stretched his arms. It was the afternoon of Friday and the two were still dressed in their uniform. It was like this every afternoon from then to now. He and Naruto would come to work in the music room, playing and composing new melodies for their symphony. Now, all of their hard work has paid off. "We did it Naruto...we finally completed our symphony." Soft sea green eyes stared in amazement at the intricate piece of paper. Notes and keys were written carefully on the paper. It was simply perfection and he was a part of it. The blond prodigy beside him groaned happily as he slammed his forehead onto the piano keys. His tan arms dangling in between his legs as those blue eyes were shut close out of lack of sleep. "Gaa-chan~ You work me too hard." Even when Naruto was all exhausted and tired, he would always manage to put a smile on his face. A bright smile that Gaara loved very much. The redhead smirked and playfully pushed Naruto off the bench and onto the floor. "Be happy. It's almost all over by tomorrow night." Gaara said as he rose from his seat and tucked the music sheet in his pocket.

Naruto whined as his head hit onto the wooden floor. He supported himself on his elbows and rubbed his blond. "Damn it, Gaa-chan! That hurts like hell! You could be a bit nice to me for doing a good job and what not!" He shouted as he continued to complain and throw a tantrum on the ground.

Gaara laughed as he strolled over the blond's body. He leaned down and held out his hand. Yeah, Gaara at times could be like this, but he wouldn't ever try in his thoughts or actions wanted to hurt Naruto in any form. "Whatever..Come on. Let's go get some ramen. My treat." He said as he wanted for Naruto to take his hand.

That pout was quickly erased and supplanted with a pearly grin. Tan hands quickly took the pale one. "Alright! That's much better!" Naruto exclaimed as he finally got himself off from the floor and began to become bouncy. His pink tongue ran over his lips and moistening them as he began to picture the large bowl of beef ramen in front of him. "Mmmm~ I can already taste it! Beef ramen with extra noodles and beef! Gaa-chan is so nice!" he grinned as he swung his arm around Gaara's shoulder, beginning to lead them out of the room and into the hallway.

He rolled his eyes at Naruto but smiled along. Uzamaki Naruto was a ramen maniac. There is nothing that would stand in front of Naruto and his ramen. If someone dared to steal Naruto's ramen, Gaara swore that Naruto would rip the person's head off and play soccer with it. "You and your ramen." he chuckled softly as he leaned slightly closer to Naruto's touch. A faint blush ran over his cheeks as the two of them walked out of the school like this but the blush was quickly concealed as he tilted his head to the opposite side. It felt nice to be in Naruto's arms like this. Gaara wanted to stay like this with his friend. "Next time, I won't be so nice. You'll be paying for your own ramen once you land that contract, you hear?" Once Gaara had felt his blush disappear, he looked back at the other's face with a smile.

Naruto smiled softly and nodded. "But...what if I don't have money one day? Would you still treat me to ramen?" He asked, looking carefully at Gaara with those deep blue eyes.

Gaara blinked at such a question but laughed in response. He pulled his face away from Naruto's eyes and looked in front of them. "Yeah...I will. Sure. But don't you try freeloading me every time. I'll make you pay interest and pay back every cent you owe me." he replied as they began to enter the main streets of the town. Cars passed by them and the sun began to show lovely streaks of orange and purple.

"Heh. Of course, I'll pay you back...eventually." Naruto grinned with a teasing intent.

The redhead arched a brow at the other and questioned. "What do you mean by eventually? You'll be paying me back every cent by the due date, Mr. Uzamaki."

"Geezzzz! I was only playing, Gaara! You know I'll pay you back every cent!" Naruto laughed sheepishly as he scartched his whiskered cheeks thoughtfully.

"Yeah. You better be playing." Gaara smirked as he noticed the ramen shop was just head.

Naruto's sharp smell senses triggered as they identified the aroma of ramen. "RAMEN!!!!" He exclaimed happily as he began to quicken his pace, tugging the redhead along with him.

Gaara held onto the arm that was entangled around his neck and laughed. "Uzamaki Naruto, if you suffocate me to death, I'll swear I'll come back to haunt your sorry ass."

But Gaara's little threat was ignored as Naruto continued to push on forward, just wanting to eat his ramen.

As they entered the ramen shop, they were greeted by old man Ichiraku who smiled and prepared to pull out his largest bowl.

"Oi! Naruto! Gaara! Welcome! What may I serve you today?" he said as his daughter began to set tea cups in front of their seats.

"Beef ramen for me! With extra ramen and beef! Don't be stingy, alright, old man!" Naruto grinned as he sat down happily as if he was a puppy ready to receive his reward.

Gaara sat beside the other boy with a smile as he was enjoying the sight of Naruto waiting for his reward. "I'll have the medium sized chicken ramen." he ordered.

"Alright! Coming right up!" The old man exclaimed as he went back to his cooking.

"Gaa-chan is treating me today~ So I might as well not let this treat go to waste!" Naruto grinned as he picked up two pairs of chopsticks; one for him and one for Gaara.

"Tch, if it's anything over nine thousand yen then screw you." Gaara replied as he took the pair of chopsticks from the other's hands.

"Awww! But when you promised me, you didn't say that there would be a limit!" Naruto pouted playfully.

Gaara was caught right there. He didn't had given a limit and it seems like Naruto was not going to stand this injustice of minimalism for ramen. Gaara gave a 'hmph' and sipped his tea, trying to wiggle himself out of this predicament. Gaara would do anything for Naruto but right now, his wallet wasn't that willing.

"Sabaku no Gaara! Don't you ignore me!" Naruto exclaimed as he shook Gaara's shoulders violently, making him spill the tea.

"Naruto!"

"Hahah! Okay boys! Stop causing a fuss in my shop! Enjoy!" The old man said as he placed two hot and steamy bowls of ramen before them. Meanwhile as Naruto's eyes feast over the luscious bowl of ramen, the old man's daughter cleaned and dried the mess that he had created.

Gaara shook his head in amusement as he found Naruto distracted. When he was about to take his first bite, Gaara felt a series of hard pats on his back, causing him to gag and spill some noodles on the counter. "Naruto?!" he asked as he rubbed his chest.

"Hehes~ Oh never mind. I just wanted to tell you to forget about the limit thing. I know you can't handle my big ol' appetite." The blond smiled as he gave a final heavy pat on the redhead's back. "Also..I want to make a toast." The blond picked up his cup of tea and rose it to the other. "To Gaara, without you, I have never finished my-- No..Our Symphony."

Gaara smiled and wiped his lips with his palm. He picked up his own cup and collide it with Naruto's, creating a soft sound. "Naruto...thanks but we did it together. So cheers for us." He smiled brightly as he clinked their cups together once more before placing them onto the table.

"Haha, alright...to us and...OUR RAMEN!" Naruto smiled as he turned to his ramen and began to devour it.

Gaara laughed and went back to his ramen as well. Eyes carefully examined the ramen bowl before they peered over to Naruto's bowl. That smile on his face twisted as he extended his chopsticks over and began to steal some of Naruto's noodles.

Blue eyes widened as he noticed the missing amount and turned to the redhead who were munching on them happily.

"Hey! No fair! That was mine!" Naruto whined but as he did Gaara only took more. "Hey! Hey! Hey!!! Stop right there mister! Pleasseeee!" Naruto cried as he fought back to retrieve his noodles.

Old man Ichiraku and his daughter smiled sheepishly at the two. 'If they keep at it, the store is gonna collapse.' The two thought as they began to laugh at the sight.

Patting his stomach, Gaara gave a satisfied look at the mopey blond beside him. "That was good, Naruto. Thanks for recommending the beef ramen. I'll order it next time." He teased as he brushed his elbow against Naruto's. The other boy just puffed his cheeks and afterwards, sticking out his tongue. Gaara laughed at Naruto infantile act and gave him a pat on the back. The same pat that Naruto gave him when he was trying to eat. "Heh, I'm sorry Naruto but you knew that you brought it upon yourself." He explained as he made his final pat strong like Naruto's. Each pat that Naruto received earned an "oomph" from his lips and the final pat gave the biggest "oomph". Once recovered, Naruto shot a mischievous look at the other boy. "And Gaara...you brought this upon yourself." He grinned before pushing the other off the sidewalk and into the grassy side. What Naruto didn't expect that the so called "grassy side" was steep...and uneven.

"What the he-!!" Gaara fell and slide down the grassy steep, finding himself not being able to stop till he reached the end of that steep.

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled, running down the steep to catch up with the other boy.

Gaara fell at the end, feeling new wounds appear on his arm and purple bruises on his leg. Wincing, he tried to look at his injury but it was dark and the only thing that told him that it was a bad wound was the blood flowing from it. "Tch..." he gritted his teeth as he rested his head against the grass. He couldn't get up. All that he could feel was the stinging pain in his arm.

Once Naruto reached the end, he rushed to Gaara. "Gaara! I'm sorry! Are you hurt? Damn it..I really screwed up, didn't I? Here let me help you up..." His arms took a hold of Gaara's shoulders, trying to hoist him up to his feet. Naruto let Gaara's arms wrap around his own shoulders as they made an attempt to stand but as they did, pain ran through Gaara's veins causing him to yelp. Naruto paled as he found that Gaara was really hurt and it was all his fault. "Oh damn! Gaara! What happened??" He asked worried as he laid the redhead back down. Gaara's arm tightened around Naruto's shoulders as he was set back down. He squeezed his eye shut, biting down his lip to endure the pain jolting his body.

Slowly, those sea green eyes reopened to find blue ones staring at him worringly. Gaara's breath hitched, realizing how close they were. Their lips were only a few inches away. 'N-Naruto..is so close...' Gaara thought as he froze right there. A radiant blush decorated the redhead's face. Thank Kami that it was already night, if not Gaara would be even redder to find the two like this. He couldn't move and he found that Naruto didn't too. They just sat there for a while..gazing deeply into each other's eyes. The only sounds that were heard was the soft evening's breeze that whistled pass them. To be truthful to himself, Gaara would rather keep the two like this and bleed to death. As long as Naruto was this close to him, he really didn't mind all the blood that leaked out of his wound and the pain. But it seemed that Naruto minded. Their trance was snapped as Naruto began to freak out.

"I'm so sorry, Gaara! I'll carry you back to school! Tsunade-baachan probably could fix you up!" He exclaimed, pulling away and began to position Gaara onto his back.

Gaara's eyes softened at the other boy being so caring towards him. Naruto was the first person who would care for him this much. He gave a soft nod as he climbed on the other's back. Easily, Naruto picked the other boy up and began to make way up the steep. Gaara rested his head against the blond's shoulders, watching carefully how they were moving slowly up to the sidewalks. "No Naruto...It's alright. Don't you feel bad. I guess I went too far?" He smiled softly.

Naruto shook his head in disagreement. "No, no, no! You didn't. I was! I was too rough on you and almost gotten you killed! So, don't you defend me! It's my fault and I'll make it up for you by promising that I'll win that contest for you!" Naruto declared as he continued to walk steadily towards the streets.

"Naruto...thanks. That'll make up for throwing me to my death."He whispered teasingly.

Naaruto smiled back at the other, noticing that joking tone from Gaara's voice. "It's a promise then."

"I'll give your word for it..." The red head whispered tiredly.

Gaara couldn't help but feel safe where he was right now. His weary eyes decided to rest and let his mind sway at Naruto's gentle steps. He was all too tired to watch the road anyway.. All he needed to feel safe was Naruto, holding on to him.

Like it? :D

Want more?

Well, be patient while I try to pull myself out of the lazy rut! xD

Also note: 100 dollars in american currency is equal to a rough draft of 9 908... yen in Japan.