Title: Love Hurts
Genre: Hurt/Comfort,
Characters/Pairing: Beginning SasuNaru End GaaNaru
Summary: Gaara is tired of watching the woman he's in love with be abused by someone who doesn't deserver her. Sasuke is an abusive playboy and Naruto is looking for love in all the wrong places. AU! Female!Naruto. GaaraxNaruto becasue it's the best pairing
(Sasuke and Gaara are both eighteen and Naruto is seventeen.)

Uzumaki Naruto's first mistake doesn't feel like a mistake at all.

She'd been a bit buzzed. Maybe a bit drunk but still plenty coherent enough to make her own decisions; if she wanted to run off to some random night club and dance until she passed out then it should've been fine. She would've been fine.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was alone; clad in a bright orange half top that showed off her shoulders and stuck to her curves, black shorts and white sneakers, and the look in her eyes that said; 'I don't fucking care,' When she did, in fact, fucking care.

She doesn't remember much.

It was a rave after all; guys and girls all grinding on each other to get out whatever sexual tension they were feeling, others having actual sex on the dance floor. Naruto, however, had been content with dancing and only that. If she attracted a bit of attention then she never noticed.

At least, not until people started to get a little bit too grabby and she got a little too drunk, Someone with blazing red hair had saved the day, pulling her out of mess and escorting her drunken ass back to his apartment. If something more happened than she really doesn't remember; it was a rough night, and to be honest she still didn't want to get up.

The bed was too soft and the man who had his arms locked around her was too warm. If she got up now then she'd have to deal with the real world. The real world sucked; it was full of relationships full of cheaters and lies and bullshit that she didn't want to deal with ever again. Naruto didn't want to accept it.

She sighs. Her chest falls. The man who's breathing into her ear smells like fireball; she probably smells like she needs a shower. "You're awake?" His voice is raspy and he releases her all too soon; she'd been hoping that he'd just stay asleep forever.

"Yeah," She resigns. "I'm awake."

He stands up and stretches out a bit; he's still clothed, completely at that. Surprisingly enough; she's wearing the exact same thing she had on last night. "Nothing happened," He clarifies. "You were having trouble, so I brought you home with me."

"Oh." She sits up. "Thanks."

"Of course; I couldn't just leave an old friend behind like that."

Her head turns in his direction fast enough to crack it; her eyes stare him down from head to toe, starting with his messy red hair and finishing with his slightly worn black sweatpants. The thing that catches her gaze and keeps hold of it is the red tattoo on the left side of his forehead.

A grin stretches across her face. "You're Gaara, aren't you?"

Clearly, she thinks. This time she wraps her arms around him in a proper hug; the last time she saw him was back in high school, they'd been social outcasts but best friends all at the same time. He'd been around half a head shorter than her then, but now she was looking up at him.

"It's been so long. I haven't heard from you in forever."

He nods, nonchalant. "Indeed. It is good to see that you're well."

"You too," She replies; though at this point he looks a lot better than she does. Her makeup is smudged and her hair hasn't been brushed at all yet this morning; but she's not shy about it. This isn't the first time she's woken up beside Gaara.

A black towel hits her in the face, followed by a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. "Shower and change; we can talk when you're done."

She gives him a thankful smile. "Thank you,"

Breakfast is done by the time Naruto trails out of the bathroom wearing clothing that's not hers; it's warmer than the small outfit she'd been wearing last night, she's happy with the change. Her hair smells like a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla; a scent that Gaara still seemed to favor, even after of high school.

"How have you been? It's been a couple years."

He shrugs. "It has been. I've been worried about you ever since you disappeared."

"Sorry," There wasn't much more she could do than apologize.

Gaara shakes his head. "I want to believe that you had your reasons. It just hurt that you left like that; I didn't know if there was something wrong or if you were alive, even."

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that."

"Yeah." He responds with the same deadpan tone that always seems to bring a smile to her face when he says something silly. "Has… Has he been bothering you at all since that day?"

Her shoulders stiffen. Sasuke has and will always be a bad subject. He's the reason her life took this turn in the first place. The possessive bastard feared that she was going to cheat on him if she even so much as looked at another guy. He wanted too much too fast and if he didn't get it, it would always result in pain. "Here and there."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" She trails off awkwardly. "He's the only reason I felt I needed to disappear like that. He was at my house when I finally went home, just waiting for me."

A pit of dread sinks into Gaara's stomach. "What… What happened?"

"Oh he beat me. Bad. Probably the worst that he's ever done. There was blood everywhere." Even after all these years, Naruto still has a lot of tells. She holds her arm firmly with her right hand and drops her gaze onto the ground. It's obvious that this memory brings her a lot of stress. "He's fucking crazy, you know? I think he was on something that night."

"After that?"

"His brother stopped him. Itachi. I think if he hadn't shown up then Sasuke probably would've killed me. It was terrifying." She stops again; eyes staring straight ahead as if the wall was the most interesting thing in the world to her. "I was scared."

"I wish I could've kept you at my house longer than what I did."

She shakes her head. "Don't blame yourself. None of it was your fault. If you hadn't talked to me before… Then I probably would've woken up in the hospital again and thought that nothing was wrong, but because of you I didn't do that."

"How long were you in the hospital for?"

"Just over a week. It was one of my longer hospital visits." Her eyes are a bit pink; she's flustered. She taps her finger against her skin repetitively. "Itachi was the only one to visit me when I was there. He told me to leave."

"Leave?"

"Yeah. He told me that it'd be better for the both of us to be as far away from each other as possible. It just made sense that I should be the one to go, since I don't have a family."

He shakes his head. "That's not right. The Uchiha couldn't keep his hands to himself and be respectful, and yet you were the one to suffer for his actions?"

"It sucks." She sighs. There's a lot of weight on her shoulders.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I, I guess. I thought I was until now. I really thought I was okay. It's been two years but it still bothers me." She puts a hand against her face, cupping her cheek while resting an elbow on the edge of the table. "I have to be okay."

"You don't have to be anything, Naruto." Gaara's words are a comfort to her; her shoulders relax as he continues to speak. "You went through a lot."

Their eyes meet.

"You did too."

"Not as much and not as bad as what your situation was… If I may ask, what made you decide to come back?"

"Why? Do you not want me around or something?" She asks jokingly, jabbing him with her elbow.

"No, that's not it at all. You have the worst timing for those bad jokes of yours."

"Thanks, it's a talent."

Gaara feels his lips curl into a smile; the atmosphere feels lighter, if only a bit.

"I missed your smile, Gaara." She says softly.

"I missed yours."

The oven beeps. It ruins the moment.

The smell of food is comforting to say the least; her stomach rumbles loudly, and she easily partakes in the mini chocolate chip raspberry pancakes Gaara had cooked up. It's a comfort food; strange that he made them in the oven, but they look absolutely perfect when he pulls them out.

"They're easier to cook in the oven because I can make a lot at once, and whatever isn't eaten can be stored for later. It's convenient."

She nods. "That makes sense."

He hands her a plate of pancakes and a cup of milk paired perfectly together; the smile on her face is genuine and her eyes sparkle at the sight of a home cooked meal. How long has it been since she's sat down to eat with someone? Anyone? "Thank you so much, Gaara."

"It's no problem at all."

"To answer your earlier question… I came back to meet my godfather. I didn't really want to meet him because of how late he's showing up in my life, but at the very least I wanted to get some closure on my parents. It wasn't much but I think it was worth it. That… And I was hoping to run into you again."

"You've got somewhere to stay until you head back?"

"No, but I can rent an apartment or something."

The look on her face says that he's not happy with the idea of her moving out by herself right now; being alone was the last thing she needed. "You're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like."

She nearly drops her fork. "No, I couldn't."

"I won't force you, but just know that you are always welcome here." He pauses, dishing out another pancake onto her plate. "I'm familiar with your dislike of being alone."

"As I am with yours," she responds without missing a beat. "I'll think about it."

"If you are planning on moving into an apartment, please do so somewhere close. I would like it if you stayed in contact with me, and if there's anything you need…"

Gaara watches as she pushes around the last piece to her third pancake; either she wasn't hungry, or she was using the motion to calm herself from whatever she was feeling. She'd always been good at projecting the emotion she wanted to show, and hiding the negative ones.

But he's always been good at reading them.

"How are you feeling?"

She sighs. "I don't know, confused? A bit worried, actually. I'm not exactly sure what to do from here. I don't know where to go or what to do with my life at this

point."

She runs her fingers through the right side of her hair. She looks better than she did last night. "I've been traveling a lot, trying to find somewhere that I belong but I just can't find anything. I just don't know."

Gaara folds his hands and listens.

"You seem to be handling it well."

The tip of her tongue runs over her lips; eyebrows furrowed very slightly as she thinks. "I guess. It just feels like I cried over it already."

"You did," He interjects; remembering how he'd sprung a conversation with her as she'd started coming down from all of the alcohol she'd consumed. "After I brought you home."

Flushing; she covers her face with her hands. "Rate it on a scale of one to ten?

"Nine? It was a fairly big breakdown."

Groaning; she slaps both sides of her face. "That's why I woke up in bed with you this morning?"

He doesn't have to respond for her to know that his answer is yes. "I would never do something that you weren't able to properly consent to."

"I know," She clarifies. He looks over towards the clock. "You've got work today?"

He nods. "In about an hour; you should stay here one more night before heading off anywhere. It's better to get your head on straight before making any decisions."

"You haven't seen me in three years and all of a sudden you're letting me stay in your home, alone?" She gaps; putting a hand over her mouth in fake shock. "It's your fault when you come home later and I've actually robbed you."

Blue-green eyes roll; Gaara stands to take the dishes, turning his back on his old friend in favor of cleaning up. "I trust you." That and she'd do the exact same thing for him. She has before; back in high school when his father finally threw him out and nowhere to stay. She'd welcomed him with open arms and a smile, until his sister managed to move him in with her.

"Thanks." The blonde pauses to look down at her hands; the sound of running water brings here a strange sense of peace as it covers the silence. "I trust you too, yknow?"

Gaara shuts the water off. "Yes, I know."

"I'm going to get ready to leave. No room is off limits for you here and please help yourself to anything you find if you're hungry… If you give me your phone I can give you my contact information, if that's okay?"

She nods. "Yeah, here."

He takes her phone gingerly in his hands; it's already unlocked, and a newer than the one she had in high school. The fact that she has a new number brings him a small bit of comfort; it means she hasn't been ignoring his attempts to contact her. She simply wasn't getting them at all.

"I've put my information in, as well as both of my siblings- just in case you are unable to reach me in case of an emergency."

She accepts her phone back with a smile; there's light in her eyes and a gentle look on her face. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Of course." He meets her gaze with a soft one of his own, but soon finds himself unable to tear his eyes away. "I've missed you, Naruto."

"I've missed you too." She sits up a bit straighter, and brings her knees into her chest. "I'm glad you're doing well. You look even more beautiful than you did when I left… I've always been a sucker for red hair.

For a moment he forgets to breathe. "Is that… so?"

"Yeah. Does it surprise you?"

"It does."

"I never stay in one place for too long; you know I might not even be here when you get home tonight…" She hugs her knees a bit tighter; the confident look on her face is nothing more than a mask that she wears tighter than ever. "I thought you were like my brother… but all I've done since I left was think about you. Now that I've had time away I honestly don't think of you as a brother."

Gaara feels his heart in his chest. "You like me?"

She shakes her head. "I love you, I always have. I just had a manipulative asshole treating me like actual garbage every day."

"Will you really leave while I'm gone?"

She shrugs. "Depending on what you say."

"I've always loved you too, Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I like to learn about the person you are today and maybe… If you'd be so willing, I'd like to pursue a relationship with you again. One that is not quite brother-sister like."

Her sharp canines show as she grins widely; the excitement on her face brings life to his normally lonely house, and it makes him feel warmer than ever.

She jumps up to hug him.

"I'd like that."

"Me too."

...

Probably one more chapter with a timeskip.

GaaraXNaruto