A/N: Time to begin the second part of this story. From here on out, it'll be fairly straight forward. As I said last time, there's one more fight to be fought, but that won't be for a bit. As for right now, it'll focus on two things: For the most part, Gaara and Naruto's journey to the coast, and some scenes back in Konoha with Sasuke, Kakashi, and one other person working against Danzo

Time for Chapter 24

Enjoy!

"I think now would be a good time to settle."

Naruto nodded and flopped to his back on the ground at his feet. He and Gaara had been running for nearly four hours, and they were both spent physically. The stress of the situation had triggered their adrenaline, which had fueled them to a point, but the human body still had limitations. The route they had taken actually led them back around the forests of Konoha southward, as their final destination would be the coast. The journey would be long, nearly two weeks on foot, but it would inevitably be worth the trouble.

"I'm surprised you managed to keep up. No offense." Naruto commented as Gaara sat down next to him. The redhead shrugged her shoulders and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"I have a running theory that we Jinchuuriki are simply a cut above normal people when it comes to endurance. I'm quite tired, but like you, I could keep running if I needed to." she replied. Naruto sighed as he looked out over to sunrise.

"It'll help us outrun the Hunters, that's for sure. If what Sensei said was true, we don't have a ton of time before they show up." he said. Gaara pursed her lips and pensively picked at the grass on the ground. Taking notice of her seeming turmoil, the now-former leaf genin tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked gently. Gaara turned her head back towards him and maintained her silence for several odd moments.

"Should the Hunters catch up with us at some point, I can't promise with any certainty that I won't end up killing them." she said, unease clearly audible in her voice.

"Can you tell me why?" the blonde inquired. The girl then looked him in the eyes and gave a sudden scowl.

"Because they're out to either kill you, or bring you back to that snake Danzo. I've already killed a man for your sake, and I'd do it again, wrong as it may be." she said. The moment she had finished speaking, her eyes widened. Well aware that she had said too much, the girl covered her mouth and clenched her jaw.

"You...what?" the blonde asked quietly. Sensing that her wisest course of action was honesty and openness, Gaara removed her hand from her mouth and let it drop.

"It was on our birthday. After I left you on the roof to get you food. I noticed a man entering the building, and I felt apprehensive for some reason. I decided to follow him." she began. Naruto, who was still obviously uneasy, nodded and motioned for her to continue her account of the murder.

"I trailed him up to your apartment, and then I made my presence known. He revealed that he was there to break into your home and abuse you. You had told me earlier that night that you avoided your dwelling on October 10th to prevent such things, and it made me so angry. To see a man like him plotting to hurt you blinded me with rage. I strangled him for a minute or two before impaling him and concealing his body." Gaara concluded ashamedly. Naruto took a painfully long time to respond.

"You didn't have to kill him." he finally said. The kunoichi nodded her head and looked away from her companion.

"You saw for yourself in the prison. I have a hard time controlling myself once battle starts. It's no excuse, I'm well aware of that, but still. Besides, any and all who set out to harm you will be punished by me. If anybody deserves to be treated kindly, it's you." she said. Naruto's expression was heavily conflicted.

"You're so weird to me. Sometimes, you're adorable and sweet, but other times, you're a murderer. How can a person be both of those things?" he asked. Gaara gave him a sad smile and shrugged her gourd from her shoulders.

"I was just a murderer before, so I'd consider this an improvement. You've changed me a little, but you still haven't cured me of my worst instincts. I doubt you ever will." she said. The blonde studied his complex companion as she awaited his response.

"You've known me for all of two months. Give it a few years before you say that I can't change you. You're a good person. I know you are. You just need to believe that." he said strongly. Gaara's eyes became slightly glassy at his words.

"Years?" she whispered, seemingly struggling to grasp the information. Somewhat confused by her reaction, Naruto frowned.

"Uhm, yeah. We're gonna be gone for a while. Danzo is strong as hell. We're gonna be spending a lot of time together." he said. Gaara opened her mouth several times to respond, but failed numerous times before finally rediscovering her voice.

"You'd….actually stay with me for that long? Really?" she practically squeaked. The blonde scratched the back of his head and gave her a puzzled look.

"Yeah, I would. I'm not just going to leave you out in the middle of nowhere. That'd be cruel. You're kinda my partner from here on out." he said. Without warning, Gaara tackled him to the ground and hugged him tightly.

"T-thank you…" she stuttered and she constricted him. Her companion shifted underneath her and propped himself up on an elbow with Gaara still clinging to his abdomen.

"You're welcome, I guess. Now could you not squeeze so hard? You're breaking me in half." he said in a slightly pained tone. The redhead did as she was told and lightened her squeeze. She didn't fully release him, though. Instead, she crawled up on him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You make me so very happy." she said softly before rolling off from on top of him and smiling to herself. Naruto touched his cheek where her lips had made contact and sighed.

"Do you have to climb me every time you want to kiss me?" he complained lightly. Gaara shrugged her shoulders and assumed a cross-legged sitting position.

"Well, if you engaged me rather than the other way around, I wouldn't have to close you down. You're much bigger than me, Naruto. I'd have to get on my toes if I wanted to kiss you standing up." she said. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not even that big a guy. You're just tiny. This is more your fault than mine." he said jokingly. The redhead flushed and kicked his foot.

"We've already talked about this. I can't help that I'm a little smaller than most girls. I'm five feet tall, if that. Be considerate." she grumbled. Naruto grinned and ruffled her hair playfully.

"I like you like this. Stay loose, Gaara. You're more fun when you are." he encouraged her. Gaara nodded jovially and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She then reached back and tapped her gourd, prompting it to expand and close around them into a shelter. Caught off guard by the sudden isolation, Naruto flinched and fell back against the sand.

"I think we should sleep. Traveling at night is likely smart, so resting while the sun is out is our best choice. Sorry if I startled you." Gaara said as the blonde recovered his wits.

"Probably a good idea, yeah. Should one of use take watch?" Naruto asked. His fellow Jinchuuriki shook her head and snapped her fingers, causing the opening that had remained at the top of the sand dome to close. A side effect of this action was that the interior of the structure was now almost completely dark.

"If the dome is touched, I'll know. We're perfectly safe in here. No worries." Gaara assured him.

"Sounds handy. But did you have to make it pitch black?" Naruto asked as he leaned back against the sandy barrier. He then felt a weight crawl onto one of his legs and lean against the left side of his chest.

"It can't be helped. Either way, I'm the only thing in here other than yourself. You can relax." Gaara said as she made herself comfortable against the former leaf genin. Naruto, opting to simply embrace his current position, wrapped an arm around Gaara and allowed her to remain glued to him.

"You're really physical. You like this kind of thing a lot, don't you?" he asked in reference to the girl's recently acquired tendency to attach herself to him. Gaara peered up at him and smiled.

"The first time I latched onto you on the roof, I only did it because I was cold. After about thirty seconds, I realized that I absolutely loved being pressed against you. You're very warm and strong." she said. Naruto snickered.

"That's the girliest thing I've ever heard you say." he said. The redhead furrowed her brow at this and gave him a curious look.

"What do you mean by that? Is it strange that I like being held by you?" she asked skeptically. Naruto shook his head.

"Not really, I guess. A lot of girls are into that, I think. In Konoha, most of the girls are pining after Sasuke. They'd kill to be cuddling with him." he said. Gaara scrunched up her nose at the information being presented to her.

"Why on earth would that mongrel be sought after?" she muttered. Naruto chuckled and allowed the girl to step over his free leg to fully settle on top of him.

"I know that you don't like him, and I get it, but he's actually a decent guy. Sorta prickly, but he's a good person." he assured Gaara.

"He's also a meddling wretch. Maybe he is a better person than I'd care to admit, but I still dislike him." she said. The pair then lapsed into silence for several minutes.

"Do you not like me touching you so much? I can sleep elsewhere if you'd like." Gaara asked carefully. Naruto thought for a moment.

"I don't mind much, honestly. You're super light, so it doesn't make me uncomfortable. You also don't really put your hands anywhere where they shouldn't be. You can stay where you are." he replied. The redhead breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure where my hands 'shouldn't be', but oh well. I'm glad. Get used to this. I very much like using you as a mattress." she said.

"I can tell. Get some sleep." Naruto said in response. Gaara nodded and prepared herself for whatever nightmares she may encounter. Before she could fully drift away, she spoke once more.

"I know it hasn't been very long since we first discussed this, but...do you love me?" she asked quietly. Naruto exhaled through his nose.

"You're still hard for me. It feels...really wrong to love a person that kills, but at the same time, you're doing a damn good job of being lovable. I just don't know. I want to, but I'm not sure I can right now." he said honestly. Gaara bit her lip.

"It's my own fault, I suppose. In my defense, I never expected to love a person. Even if you never truly love me back, I'm satisfied as long as you let me stay with you." she said in a small voice.

"I'm not saying I never will, Gaara. Just not yet. I need time to sort things out. Until then, I'm more than willing to let you do this kind of thing." Naruto said. Deciding to press her luck, Gaara sat up on top of him and cupped his face.

"Does 'this kind of thing' involve kissing?" she asked hopefully. Naruto rolled his eyes in the dark and sighed.

"You've kinda been kissing me a lot lately." he pointed out. The redhead knocked her forehead against his playfully.

"I'm like a child with a new toy. I want to use it lots. You're very gratifying to kiss. Very easy on my lips." she said. The former leaf genin finally relented.

"Yeah, okay. You can kiss me or whatever." he grumbled. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Gaara delicately pressed her lips to his and traced the outline of his face with her hand as she indulged. After a time, she gave him room to breathe.

"I tried to be more gentle this time." she said. Naruto reddened a tad and glanced away from her face.

"Did you really not know what kissing was when you asked me? Because you're really good at it." he said awkwardly. Gaara nodded and giggled.

"I had no clue, but I also knew that if I was ever going to learn, it was going to be from you. And, it sounds to me like you enjoyed that last one." she teased.

"Yeah, fine. Maybe I did." the blonde grumbled. Satisfied with his confession, Gaara slid back down his body and tucked her head under his chin.

"I'm glad. Now, I think we should sleep. Goodnight, Naruto." she said. Naruto cracked a smile and ran a hand through her unkempt red hair.

"Goodnight, Gaara."

Kakashi heaved a deep breath as he completed his second of eight laps around Konoha. It was early morning, only four-thirty, and he had found himself unable to return to sleeping after waking up at three. Deciding to make good use of his time rather than simply lying in bed uselessly, he had taken off running without bothering to put on a fresh shirt. The Jonin's cardiovascular endurance had always been superb, but recent times had forced him to call that fact into question. During Team Seven's first week of drilling, Naruto had beaten his personal best time by nearly a full minute. To be beaten was one thing, but to be beaten by an hardly pubescent genin was entirely another.

Despite desiring to right that wrong months previously, Kakashi had found himself too swamped with separate responsibilities to ever truly train himself individually. The vast majority of his exercise was done with Team Seven, for Team Seven. Leading a cell was an exhausting lifestyle, and free time was a rarity.

'And I'm spending my morning off running in circles. What a life I lead.' the Jonin mused to himself boredly as he avoided a fallen branch. Though extremely dull, downtime of any sort was a welcome break from the absolute chaos that was bound to ensue. With Naruto and Gaara's departure the previous night not having become public knowledge just yet, the village was essentially in the calm before the storm. The moment that information became widespread, a state of hysteria was likely to set in. With the general populace well aware of the oncoming war, the fact that they possessed a pair of Jinchuuriki had been a great comfort.

'And now they're traveling to the other end of the country to do god knows what. It's funny. For the first time in a long time, Naruto was a beacon of hope to these people, but he left before he could take advantage of it.' Kakashi thought to himself. A frown then spread across his masked face.

'But then again, it was selfish hope. They still didn't give a damn about Naruto. They were just concerned for themselves. Self-centeredness is a common trait around these parts.' the silver haired ninja thought. He then increased his already rapid pace. He was fairly tired already, but the key to stamina activities was to reach a plateau at which one's exhaustion was neither increasing nor decreasing. The balance was essential to maintain a proper pace.

'They'll probably send out Hunters today. I feel sorry for the poor schmucks that are dumb enough to take that job.' Kakashi contemplated as the image of Gaara's maddened eyes flashed across his conscience. While much of Sasuke's trepidation about Gaara of the Sand was founded on personal disdain, he was indeed correct about one thing.

She was exceptionally dangerous. She was a willing murderer, powerful, seemingly unstable, and incredibly difficult to kill. A death sentence for anybody that didn't possess enough raw power to neutralize her. Sasuke was more than skilled enough to contain her for a stretch of time, but with no real way to injure her consistently, he was doomed to lose. Kakashi himself was more than capable of slaughtering the girl, but doing so was unwise. For better or worse, Naruto was attached to Gaara in some way, shape or form.

'I've got a strong feeling those two got nice and friendly in prison. Throw two hormonal kids in a cell together, especially a pair of love-starved outcasts, and you're bound to get some interesting results.' the Jonin pondered. It was a fair explanation for several things he had observed upon arriving at the northern border. Upon returning to Naruto at Kakashi's behest, Gaara had instantly latched onto his hand and maintained a grip on it. Beyond this, the manner in which they spoke to one another was one that implied familiarity.

"Why'd you have to get involved with a nutcase, Naruto?" Kakashi muttered under his breath as he waved to a shop owner.

'Well, there's a reason I gave him a copy of Makeout Tactics before he left. If he's going to be alone with her for a while, he may as well make the most of it.'' Kakashi thought to himself with a grin as he recalled tossing the small orange book to his student just before Naruto had departed. He then reached the conclusion of his third lap. Only five remained. At this realization, the jonin groaned internally.

'Why do you torture yourself like this, Guy?'

A/N: Mostly just a placeholder chapter, but yes, the thing Kakashi gave him was the orange book. It'll, uh….be important in a chapter or two. Just sayin. Tell me what you thought of this one :)

See you next chapter! Read and Review!