Gaara's Love

Summary: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura go home. They picked out something for Gaara to give to Saahra.

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Drama

Chapter 12: Goodbye and a Ring

I knew my sleeping patterns would never change, but it was much more comfortable at night, knowing she was safe. I hadn't left her room in a few days. She had allowed me to stay in her room while she slept. The days hadn't been very eventful as they had before. She followed me around as I went about my daily duties. She was very cute in everything she did and got very nervous around a bunch of people. She clung to my arm whenever we saw a council member in the hall.

Almost everything she did, made me smile. I hadn't smiled that much since Yashamaru had first told me about love. I understood exactly what he meant now. I also laughed a few times, but I scared a few people when I did it in public. Saahra never asked anything of me, even though she could have.

Naruto and his two friends stayed for another week. Sakura-san was very helpful in getting Saahra set up in her daily life. Sasuke and Naruto taught her a few things to protect herself. The girl I love was also able to heal minor cuts. However, her body never completely healed so she was weak. She couldn't produce enough Chakra to perform a successful transformation.

I was standing by the window in Saahra's room at dawn the day the Hokage and his friends were leaving. Saahra was still asleep in her bed. The sunrise was beautiful. I had thought of waking her up to watch it with me, but she had fallen asleep late the night before. She was starting to pick up my sleeping habits and it scared me a little. I turned from the window and looked at the bed. She was so peaceful while she slept.

"Gaara," she whispered in her sleep. She held her hand out towards me, but then it fell limp over the side. I went to her and took her hand. It was cold. Her body temperature was always that way. She was always sensitive to the cold, too. I put a hand on her forehead and smiled at her. A smile crossed her face and she moved closer to me.

I didn't move for a while, longer than I thought. There was a knock on the door and I looked around. The sun had been up for a few hours. I let go of Saahra's hand and answered the door. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were standing there.

"Hey," Naruto said a little loudly. "We came by to say goodbye to you two. I hope you don't mind."

I gritted my teeth. "Saahra's still asleep, idiot," I hissed.

"Oh," Sakura said. "Well, we have something for you to give her." She pulled out a small box and handed it to me. "You can just say it's from you. We picked it out yesterday."

"I don't know if I can trust the opinion of two gay men and a woman," I said, smiling slightly.

"Who said you can't trust women!" Sakura demanded softly.

"Ask Shikamaru that," I said and laughed slightly. (A/N: He knows Shikamaru from any messages between the two villages.)

They blinked at me. "He… laughs and jokes, too?" Naruto asked. He jumped behind Sasuke. "Sasuke, Gaara's scaring me!"

I opened it and saw a thin ring. It was gold. "Thanks," I said. "You sure you don't want to wait until she wakes up?"

"We got an urgent message from the village," Sasuke said. "Tsunade needs Naruto back to work on it."

I nodded. "Thank you for everything," I said. "I really appreciate it."

They all smiled at me and welcomed me. A few minutes later, they left. I closed the door and looked at the ring. I put it in my pocket when I heard Saahra yawn. I turned to her with a smile on my face.

"Morning," I said. "Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura say goodbye."

"Aw, they left already?" she asked, sitting up. She looked a little sad. "I hoped they could stay longer."

"They'll come back to visit," I said. "If they don't soon, we'll go visit them." I went to the bed and sat next to her. She gave me a cute smile and moved closer to me. I held her close, playing with her hair. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded. "I kept seeing you in my dreams," she said. "It was weird." She nuzzled her head against my chest.

I rested my head on hers. "I'm sure it was," I whispered. I pulled her onto my lap so that I could hold her closer.

She looked up at me and smiled. I leaned down and kissed her gently. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around my neck. I tightened my arms around her waist. She winced and pulled away.

"What's in your pocket?" she asked.

I remembered the ring and pulled it out of my pocket. I handed it to her. "It's something for you," I said.

She was a little confused. She opened it and saw the ring. She grinned and pushed me on my back from her hug. "Thank you!" she cried. "It's beautiful."

I laughed. "You're welcome," I said. I held her close to me, my eyes closed and smiling. It's always the little things that make you happy, I thought. I never thought that I could bring someone this much happiness.