The next day Naruto was still feeling sluggish. When he woke up, Gaara's spot was empty but still warm. The blonde got up, letting out a yawn and showering, wondering why he was so tired.
It took every bit of strength he had not to fall asleep while showering. He heard the door to the bathroom open.
"Naruto-kun?" The familiar hoarse voice called out softly.
"In here!" The blonde answered, trying to sound cheerful instead of exhausted.
"Are you okay?" The redhead asked, sounding closer.
"Huh...yeah, why wouldn't I be?" The blonde asked, confused. He opened the curtain wide enough to peak at the redhead. "Morning!"
"You didn't move too much last night." Naruto hadn't been as active, he hadn't even snored which had worried the redhead. "Good morning." Jaded eyes were quick to glance away, he didn't think he was ready to see a naked Naruto just yet.
"Maybe I am finally maturing!" The blonde chuckled, taking in the view of his partner. The redhead had on a crimson button down shirt with matching pants and a dark grey vest.
A snorting sound was heard which made the blonde brightened up. Naruto suddenly found himself swaying "...Huh.."
Next thing the blonde knew he was being held by the redhead, a worried look on his face. "What happened?" Naruto asked confused, feeling a light breeze and realized that he was naked, cheeks reddening.
"You suddenly started swaying and fell." Gaara softly replied, jaded green eyes searching the tanned face.
Naruto frowned, moving to hold his head then moved to get up "I am fine, guess I am not fully awake." He murmured.
From Naruto's right shoulder there was an orange tail peaking out. Where his stomach was he had a swirling design tattoo. There were light scars over the tanned, muscular body.
Gaara was trying not to stare or at the trail of blonde hair that led to a rather private area.
"...Gaara-kun?" Naruto asked, moving a hand in front of the pale eyes.
"Can you get up?" The redhead asked, moving to help the blonde.
Cerulean's eyes stared at his partner for a moment before smiling and nodding "Course I can, you enjoying the view from up there?" Naruto joked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. When the redhead started blushing, Naruto chuckled and moved to get up.
He ended up needing some help, Gaara seeing the rest of the tattoo. It looked like a snarling orange fox with multiple tails that stretched through the tanned back.
"...The Kitsune on your back looks like your avatar...is there a special meaning behind it?" Gaara softly asked, giving Naruto a towel so that he could cover up.
They walked to the bedroom where Gaara got Naruto his clothes.
"That's Kurama...I guess you can call him my inner demon. The tails represent me overcoming certain trials and gaining a tail out of it, like a fox spirit." Naruto explained "And the seal in my stomach represents me sealing my demon...it's also a tribute to my mother's family which were known to be priests and priestesses that would seal away evil spirits during the feudal era."
"Was it painful?" Gaara wanted to trace the tattoos, he would have never guessed that the blonde would have any. The redhead turned away to give the blonde privacy while he changed.
Naruto put on his boxers and clothes on, once done he moved to hug Gaara from behind, kissing his cheek affectionately 'Forget we ever met.' Naruto blinked when he heard Gaara's voice saying those words, it had sounded distant and cold. He felt a sharp pain in his head.
"Naruto-kun?" The blonde blinked, pressing their cheek against each other.
"The back tattoo was a bit painful, mostly the bone area but the stomach one didn't hurt. " Naruto replied, giving the smaller shoulders a squeeze before pulling away.
"Okay, I am done lazing around! Have you had your coffee?" Naruto brightly asked.
"Sakura-chan gave me a bit." The redhead replied "Can you make me a cup?"
The blonde nodded happily, moving to open the door.
"Hey." Came a lazy greeting, Naruto's eyes widening when he saw Shikamaru.
"Hey blondie." Temari greeted, waving with a grin.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, looking at both of them "Not that I don't want to see you two!" He added, waving his hands. 'Did you hear...my boy Shika is going to be a father.' Why did he hear Ino's voice say that? "Shika….you are going to be a dad?" Naruto asked confused, feeling another sharp pain on his head.
"Ah...yeah." Why did Shika sound slightly worried? "Why don't you sit down, Naruto...do you two mind giving us a sec?"
"Ah, I should show Gaara the sonogram!"Temari was quick to say. Before Naruto could protest, the Suna siblings disappeared inside the bedroom.
Naruto sat down on the couch, across from Shikamaru "I...had another episode, didn't I?" The blonde softly asked, looking down at his lap in shame.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about. We all deal with our suppressed emotions differently." Shikamaru calmly said.
"...What happened?" Naruto asked, trying to remember but only felt a sharp pain on his head.
"What do you recall?" The brunette asked, quietly observing his friend.
"...I remember Sakura making plans to get everyone together for dinner." Why did his head hurt so much?
"What else?" Shikamaru needed to push just a bit more.
"...I heard Ino's voice saying you were going to be a dad….and Gaara's voice telling me we should have never met." The blonde's breathing was starting to become labored, he could practically taste what was about to happen. Naruto snapped out of it when he started hearing the clicking of a lighter, starting to relax.
"You are in a space where nothing bad can touch you...you are safe. We are going to enter the chambers of your memories, okay?" The voice sounded soothing and calm.
"Okay." Naruto breathed out, eyes half-lid.
"We are going to dive shortly before the episode happened...what can you see?" Shikamaru kept his voice smooth and gentle, clicking his lighter.
"...Ino, Sai, Choji and his wife are sitting...we are laughing and chatting." The blonde replied in a daze.
"Good...you are doing really good Naruto...what else do you see or hear?" Shikamaru watched his friend carefully, keeping his voice quiet.
"...Gaara-kun, he's right next to me...he's quiet but he seems content." Naruto answered.
"We are gonna jump forward to right before the episode...remember no matter what happens you are safe, nothing bad can happen to you." The therapist waited for a second "Tell me what happened leading to the episode."
"...Ino said you were going to be a father...she's talking about Temari...something about her being royalty or something….daughter of Kazekage." Naruto began "...She said something about Gaara killing people when we were younger….now Gaara and I are alone and….and…" The blonde felt a sharp pain, moving to grab his head.
Shikamaru began to click the lighter and trace a pattern with the flames "You are safe….keep going Naruto...you are doing great."
Panting softly, Naruto gathered his strength. "We are fighting...I don't understand….Gaara...Gaara…" Naruto tried to reach out to the redhead.
The next thing Naruto knew, he was staring at Shikamaru and feeling exhausted. "Welcome back." The lazy male had an unlit cigarette between his lips. "I said I was gonna quit this...ain't so good for the baby and Temari keeps telling me to give it up….who would have guessed I'd be a dad, huh? I wonder if I'll be as good as my old man. I always said I wouldn't end up with a nagging woman like my mother but here I am."
Naruto listened quietly, giving a weak chuckle "I think you'll be a great dad, you helped raise Asuma-sensei and Kurenai's sensei kid."
"I wouldn't really say I helped raise Mirai-chan." Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, looking lazily at the ceiling.
"I still remember the time Kurenai-sensei got sick while pregnant. We had been in the middle of a mission, you finished it in record time and brought her to a hospital, then stayed by her side until you were sure that they would be okay. You'll be an amazing father."
The two of them shared a look and grinned.
"But we are screwed if your kid ends up as lazy as you, we don't need another Shikamaru." Naruto added with a laugh.
"Hey, it will be worse if they get Temari's temper. That woman is mad." The two chuckled, each imagining Shikamaru's kid.
"Where is Gaara and Temari?" The blonde asked, tilting his head.
"Temari wanted to talk to him about the baby. Probably talking about how the kid will be raised." The brunette got up and stretched before heading toward the bedroom and knocking on the door.
Temari opened it, a hand on her hip "You finally done? I had to hold him back from coming out."
"Yeah, we are done. He's stable for now, don't talk about what happened. If he asks about it just mention Ino saying I was becoming a dad then everyone went home. I won't say anything as Naruto's therapist...but as his friend I'll say only this...he's already gone through a lot, his mind won't be able to handle much more." The brunette sighed and began to head back to Naruto.
Temari smiled brightly "Soooo Naruto-kun, what do you want to know about my cute little brother?" She cooed "I'll tell you anything you want to know."
"...Anything?" Naruto softly asked.
"Yup, anything." She brightly said "In return, tell me every embarrassing story you got about this bum!"
"Deal!" Naruto brightly said "How was he as a kid?" He shyly asked.
"As a kid? You don't want to know any embarrassing stories?" She grinned and laughed, moving to sit next to him "Oi Shika, get your beautiful fiancé some water."
"Bossy woman." Shikamaru grumbled, moving to do as he was told "This isn't your house"
"Shut up or else you'll sleep outside tonight." Temari replied. "Gaara was a really cute and quiet kid, he used to be really soft spoken and quiet much like he is now. Our father used to spoil him rotten at first but we weren't allowed to play with him." Temari's smile saddened a bit, feeling guilty, a hand moving to rub her stomach.
"How come you weren't allowed to play with him?" Naruto asked, tilting his head, wondering if he was intruding on the redhead's privacy but Gaara didn't try to stop the conversation.
Temari looked at Gaara and then at Shikamaru, when she got a nod from both of them, she let out a soft sigh. "When Gaara was born, it was said that he got the spirit of the sand, Shukaku, who used to be a priest. In our island, Shukaku is considered to be sacred but also something to fear, our father thought that he could turn Gaara into a soldier, especially after our mother died giving birth to him.
Our uncle Yashamaru...who was our mother's younger brother, ended up raising Gaara but we weren't allowed to interact too much with Gaara. As far as our father was concerned, Gaara was the answer to his prayer and the key to making our poor island become powerful once more. I did a terrible job as his big sister...instead of protecting him from our father's grief and giving him a normal childhood I ended up contributing to it." She let out a shaky breath, trying to control her emotions.
"Kankuro and I ended up leaving Gaara alone to deal with things that no child should have dealt with...I thought I was doing a good job by leaving him alone but the truth was I was relieved that I hadn't been chosen and I think...I think a part of me resented Gaara for our mother's death even though she had been so happy about his birth. I still remember how she would take Kankuro and I to get clothes made for Gaara...and how she used to talk about what type of person he would be. Out of the three of us, I might look the most like our mother but Gaara is the closest to her when it comes to kindness." She already had that conversation with Gaara already, having begged for forgiveness.
Naruto's eyes had watered and he was sniffing, taking a napkin given by Shikamaru "That's so terrible! I am so glad you guys could patch things up!" Naruto practically sobbed out.
"It's thanks to you that we were able to fix things. Honestly, you are the best thing that has happened to our family! Gaara doesn't like using our family name or saying where he's from because he doesn't want to be seen as our father...our father doesn't have the best of reputation." She moved to hold Naruto's hands "I'll ask you this as his big sister...please take care of him. I know he's hard to get along with and that he has a talent for pushing everyone away...but he does care about you."
"...Temari…" There was a slight warning tone to Gaara's voice.
"I know...blame these stupid hormones. Kankuro would be having a blast if he got to see how freaking emotional I am getting." She sniffed, turning to glare at Shikamaru "This is all your fault!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Gaara-kun, believe it!" Naruto promised "Wait..what's wrong with the surname Suna? I think it's quite cool."
Shikamaru sighed out and shook his head, Naruto could be so dense "It takes two to make a kid." He told Temari, lifting his hands up in defense when he saw the glare directed at him. "Their surname is Suna...like Sunagakure island. Their father was the fourth Kazekage and also the CEO of Suna Corps, the largest export of sand in the world, they also exported gold. Sunagakure or Suna as it's often called, is known for having detectives that are powerful trackers and also good at hiding, I bet you slept through that class too." Shikamaru shook his head. He had calculated what would be the least risky way of telling Naruto somewhat the truth while mixing it with the real memories and this seemed like the best outcome.
"...Wait, you two are the elders kids?!" Naruto asked in surprise, eyes widening. He looked at Temari and then at Gaara who was looking away and didn't look too comfortable.
"I am sorry I didn't tell you, Naruto-kun." The redhead softly said, remembering the fight and how he had tried to run away.
"Not like we got special treatment cus of it." Temari grumbled "Our father could be very viscous and we were used as part of his plan. He forced Gaara to kill people, threatening Gaara with our life and telling us that inside of Gaara there was an evil spirit named Shukaku who would destroy us all, it's not that Gaara liked killing others, he mostly did it out of self-defense or because he was forced to." She shuddered as she remembered Shukaku, those unstable eyes and the way her little brother looked covered in blood.
It had been about 6 years or so that she had noticed her brother slowly changing and almost half a year ago when she noticed a much bigger change. Gaara had tried interacting with them more and had seemed...warmer. "Shikamaru said that you used to be an outcast when you were younger...that you understand the pain Gaara went through...you didn't even have siblings that could have protected you yet you ended up turning out amazing. I am sure your parents would have been proud of the man you became." Temari smiled warmly then shook her head "Alright, I need to go and take care of some stuff for the kid, you'll be spare from more of my hormonal talk...but really Naruto-san, thank you for watching over my little brother." The blonde woman gave a deep bow before moving to kiss Gaara's forehead, seeing the redhead recoil and flinch "You two will be alright...it's your turn to be happy, Gaara." She softly said to him before grabbing Shikamaru's arm and dragging him away.
Naruto was quiet for a few seconds, sniffing and then he moved to tackle Gaara when he heard a soft "Naruto-kun?"
"Don't worry Gaara-kun, I'll give you all the love your papa didn't give you!" He sniffed "I really am glad that you were born...and that we are together, thank you for choosing to be with me...and trusting me with something so private." Naruto gave a warm smile, pressing their forehead against each other.
Gaara felt his cheeks reddening, he felt guilty over the fight they had and that he was the only one who remembered. "Thank you for being with me." The redhead softly said.
Naruto laughed, wrapping his arms around the smaller shoulders "Oh...Oh man, we sound so weird! Thanking each other so politely for being together, I am half waiting for Temari to come back and call you my bride." the blonde gasped out between laughs.
A snorting sound was heard "Only you would see me as a bride...shouldn't you be afraid of me for being a killer?"
"Why? You didn't do it out of malice, you did it due to your personal situation and feel remorseful over it, I think that guarantees forgiveness, don't you? Hatred will only create a vicious cycle of vengeance...but forgiveness can help us all understand each other and be compassionate." Naruto said, running his fingers through the auburn locks, kissing the kanji "It's time for you to forgive yourself for everything that happened...it's not your fault."
Cerulean blue eyes stared at the jaded ones, smiling warmly before pressing their lips against each other "You are not alone anymore...I'll always be by your side."
A.N:/Here ya go, 6 chapters in a day, sorry that it was late, work has been hectic. We've finally made it to chapter 20, starting to really get into the story.
I'll try to post by next week but we'll see, I've been feeling meh about writing and have some stuff going on in rl.
Until next time.