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"Tadaima!"

It felt good to be able to say it.

He had been living alone for many years and had always wished he could say it one day.

He had always wished he could say it to someone else.

Light-hearted, he walked in the living room, expecting Gaara to be crouched in the corner.

Naruto turned on the lights in the room.

He almost screamed.

The sofa was knocked over, the table had been thrown on the opposite side of the room, some chairs had lost a leg. Curtains torn, books sprawled on the floor, sand everywhere.

Gaara was laying on the floor.

He rushed to Gaara's side.

"Hey...wake up..."

The Sand gennin barely opened his eyes.

"Gaara..." Naruto called anxiously. The other ninja jerked up from his comatose state. "What happened?"

He blinked at his blond companion.

"I...I don't know."

"Everything is in a mess here. Did someone come in?"

Naruto looked at him as he shook his head negatively.

"Are you okay?"

The Sand ninja wore a strange look Naruto couldn't identify on his face.

He nevertheless nodded.

"Where have you been?"

Naruto startled at the question.

He knew Gaara would ask him, but something in the way he was asking made him uncomfortable.

"...Ah...We'd been sent to Grass village for a mission. They didn't warn us earlier, that's why I didn't tell you. I didn't know..." he smiled apologetically.

Gaara turn his head away.

Naruto stood up.

"Oh...well...I think there is some cleaning to do..."

He suddenly realized how chaotic the room was.

He had no idea how it all happened. He remembered falling asleep. Nothing else.

It was bothering him that Naruto's possessions had been so savagely ravaged.

Turning his head on the right, he saw his companion had already started to tidy the room.

Gaara unconsciously sighed. 

He knew Naruto was sorry.

He knew he couldn't have pained him in purpose.

But, there was that angry feeling in him. And he couldn't get rid of it. It was choking him.

He closed his eyes for some seconds, trying to focus on the fact that Naruto was back.

Naruto was right beside him.

Naruto has returned to him.

But for how long?

His distress was still present in his mind and in his heart.

He didn't want Naruto to be away from him.

He wanted Naruto to stay with him. Forever.

They would stay together, protect each other.

It was the other people that were drawing them away from each other.

It was senseless.

Naruto wasn't his'. He was the one who entered his life without warning.

Naruto had accepted him, and that was already a miracle.

Why ask for more then? What did he truly want if not protect him?

No. He wanted to protect him.

But how could he while Naruto most of the time was with other people?

For some reason, he felt they were getting in his way.

They were turning Naruto away from him.

That he didn't want. That he feared.

He was determined not to let it happen.

"I'll help you..." he said, calling the sand back in its gourd.

"Happy birthday to you Ino-chan!" a group of young shinobis chorused.

"Thank you guys." Ino said with a satisfied smile. "Don't forget there is a birthday party at my house tonight. I'll be waiting for all of you who got the cards."

"Especially you Sasuke-kun." she added with a seductive smile.

"What are you trying to do Ino?!" a voice broke in.

"None of your miserable business, ugly Sakura..."

"You pig!"

"Oh, big-forehead is talking!"

Naruto sweatdropped at the tantrum the two girls were having behind him.

School was over for the week, which was good news.

But, he couldn't help thinking that he had received no invitation card.

Every year it was the same thing. His classmates threw parties for their birthday, with their friends and parents, big cake, shining candles, sweets, he assumed.

And every year he wasn't invited. He had never been invited.

He would have like to invite people for his birthday too. But people wouldn't care.

No one would come to his birthday party anyway.

It was just like that.

He had better get used of it.

"Um... Naruto-kun... are you alright?"

It was Hinata.

"Hum." he nodded.

"Ah...Have a good weekend." she said, then quickly disappeared.

"Yeah... good weekend..."

He started climbing up the stairs just as his teammate stood up from his bench.

He ignored him and kept walking.

As he was about passing by, he facevaulted to throw him a defiant look.

Surprisingly the dark-haired boy was looking at him too.

"What? Don't be so proud because you got invited..." he blurted out.

The other ninja raised an eyebrow.

"Who told you I was going?" he snapped.

"I just know it..."

"Hmph." he walked past the blond ninja.

Naruto only stuck his tongue out at him.

"Naruto! Wait a minute!"

The boy stopped as he recognized his former teacher's voice.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei..."

"So, how have you been doing?"

"I'm fine..." he said with no conviction.

"I'm sorry, I don't stop by that much these days. I'm a little busy with the future gennins and..."

"It's okay Iruka-sensei. I know that already."

"Ah...What about taking a ramen now?"

"That's fine with me!" Naruto said with a sudden wide smile.

They quickly exited the building, heading to the nearest ramen shop.

"Seems like you stopped skipping classes...it's a good thing."

"Hum...yeah... but school is still boring..."

"You always say that..." Iruka said smiling. "... but your marks have improved."

"Really?"

"Yes. Kurenai-sensei was delighted."

"Oh?"

"Um-hum. So you finally take school seriously hum?"

"What? No..." he shook his head  "....It's just that...I got some help."

"Miss Haruno again?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Why did Iruka-sensei always talk about her whenever they were discussing? 

"No...I mean, she lend me some of her notes, that's all..."

"Who then?"

"Uh...It was..." he paused. "...Hinata!"

"Miss Hyuga? Hun... Never thought of her that way. But it's true she is quite a good student."

"Hehehe, of course she is..."

God. Lying was starting to be like a second nature to him.

And he was feeling bad about lying to the person he trusted the most.

"A double portion I assume?" Iruka asked him as they arrived.

"Yes." he beamed at his sensei.

Yeah. Iruka-sensei was definitely the person he liked the most.

Blue eyes opened painfully.

"Naruto..." a voice whispered beside him.

"Huh?"

He sat up.

His vision was blurred. His head was spinning.

He turned to the figure at his bedside.

"Gaara?"

He vaguely saw the figure nod. Then sighed.

"What am I doing here? I thought I was at school..."

"You fainted while eating breakfast."

"Huh?"

Gaara nodded hesitantly.

"I don't remember..."

He blinked twice, trying to adjust his vision.

His companion was looking at him with something like concern.

He made a face.

"It's weird. I'm not sick... but I feel like sleeping..."

"You've been sleeping all the day."

"Oh..." He smiled sheepishly. "Thank you..."

Confused eyes looked at him.

"...for watching over me today."

The Sand gennin nodded twice.

Naruto simply grinned at him. His natural energy was coming back.

"I'm hungry! Let's have dinner!"

Naruto jumped out of the bed and light-heartedly walked out.

Gaara followed him.

He was smiling.