It wasn't until three days later that Naruto opened his eyes. Three long days that Gaara didn't so much as twitch in the seat he had been sitting in while staring at the blonde he had fallen in love with. In those three days, Naruto had had many visitors pass through his room. Gaara barely even noticed their presence until they passed in front of him.
He thought back to all the people who had came to visit. Sakura and Sasuke had been here as soon as the Uchiha was allowed to move around again. His surgery had gone well and Sakura's performance was apparently perfect. He also recalled a Chuunin with hair similar to Shikamaru's and a scar across his nose visiting and causing a commotion. He had just got back from a month long mission and was going to treat Naruto to some ramen but found he had been in the hospital for so long. Another of the visitors had been some blonde girl with a bun on the back of her head and long bangs. She brought a huge arrangement of flowers that looked like it took a week to make. There may have been others, but he wasn't quite sure. Those were just the loudest.
The redhead knew that Naruto was just recovering his chakra, but he couldn't help feeling so worried and overprotective. Gaara didn't know what was happening to him. All that he did know was that he couldn't stop these changes. In fact, Gaara didn't think he wanted to stop these changes. He actually liked the new him. Was it Naruto who had changed him so much, even when he was asleep nearly all of this whole month? He really did love the other boy, didn't he?
These are the things Gaara thought about in those three days.
Then finally, Naruto opened his eyes. He blinked at the ceiling. He yawned. He stretched his stiff joints and muscles. He pushed his sheets down and sat up. There was something different. He could tell. This was different than the last few times. He hadn't suffered any nightmare while sleeping this time. Maybe that was it. And then it hit him. Where was the pain? He had been healed. How?
Gaara stood up startled from his seat and immediately hit the button. Naruto was awake. He was awake and he wasn't crying. Therefore, Naruto was awake and he was healed because he wasn't feeling any pain. Gaara felt uncharacteristically alive. He just felt alive. There was no other word for it. It wasn't excitement; he knew excitement over blood and killing. It wasn't happiness; happiness was what Shukaku felt when he was released. Gaara could only describe what he was feeling as being alive.
"Gaara," Naruto asked in a scratchy voice that hadn't been used in a while.
"Naruto, how are you feeling?"
"Sore. But… the pain is gone. What happened?"
"So it did work," Gaara said with a small curve of his lips.
"What did?"
"I healed you. Shukaku got his message through to Kyuubi, or I got mine to you. What was it?"
The blonde stared at him, "I can't remember. I think… It might have been…"
At that moment Tsunade followed by Shizune followed by almost the whole staff of nurses on duty piled into the room. In an instant they were crowded around Naruto and recording things on their clipboards. Gaara was forcefully pushed back into the wall and his spot replaced by some random medical ninja. Gaara grunted and squeezed his eyes closed from the pain. When he opened his eyes, the look of peace that Naruto had put in them was replaced with his old stony glare.
Sand began to wrap itself around the nurse's ankles. Luckily Tsunade and Shizune noticed Gaara growling and the increasing chakra force that was controlling the sand. They both leapt at the young Sand-nin instantly. Both kunoichi were painfully reminded that they had yet to fulfill their end of the bargain for Gaara allowing himself be tested on. The boy was still dangerous and his demon was still extremely unstable.
"GAARA! Stop!" Shizune cried out.
"Gaara, please!" Naruto cried in turn once he realized what was happening.
Gaara's eyes flashed with an unrecognizable emotion before becoming flat and blank. The redhead slowly turned his eyes up to meet with Naruto's own set. Another emotion glistened across Gaara's eyes before they became emotionless again. Naruto was slightly disturbed by this. He knew all that Gaara had done for him. He went through painful tests, read his letters to him, opened his presents, and sat and talked with him to calm Naruto down. This is a Gaara that he hadn't seen since before the Chuunin exams. He decided to ask Gaara about his behavior.
"Gaara-kun, what's wro-"
"When are you going to hold up your end of the deal now that Naruto is healed, Hokage-sama? We had an agreement," Gaara cut Naruto off.
"Yes we did. We've been working on your seal all this while. We haven't forgotten your end of this."
"Good. I'll be in my room at the Konoha Inn waiting," with that Gaara walked out of the room.
Naruto sat on his bed looking stunned. What just happened?
"Tsunade-baachan… What deal was he talking about?"
With a heavy sigh, the blonde Hokage cleared everyone out of the room except herself and Naruto, including Shizune. She sat in the still warm chair that Gaara had made into a nest in the past three days. She stared at Naruto, trying to tell him, and also trying to figure out what had just caused Naruto to have a change of heart so quickly.
"A while back," Tsunade began, "I made a deal with Gaara while in diplomatic discussions. He risked all the relations between Konohagakure and Sunagakure on these conditions. Gaara agreed to go through painful tests to help you. He gave me two conditions, we had to make sure we healed you and we reseal his demon inside of him so that it is stable like Kyuubi. Now that you're fine, we have to fulfill our agreement to him to protect the alliance between Sand and Leaf."
"So, he really just wanted Shukaku healed, that was it?" Naruto said mournfully. "I actually believed I had made a friend in him. Someone who actually knew my pain and could be there for me. Someone who could accept me, knowing that I had a demon in me. I thought he was my friend. First, Sasuke tries to leave… and this happens with Gaara. Why? Tsunade-baachan…"
She stood up and hugged the boy close to her. It just wasn't fair. It didn't seem right. This small boy didn't deserve these hardships at such a young age.
"Something doesn't add up with Gaara acting like this, Naruto-kun. I'm going to find out. I think he is still you're friend. I'll fix things, I promise."
Naruto was very much on the verge of tears when Sakura and Sasuke rushed in. Apparently, news travels fast through the hospital. They ran to Naruto's bed and smile excitedly. Sakura hugged Naruto and laughed merrily. Sasuke smiled slightly at his teammate, glad to see him recovered. Their smiles quickly faded when they noticed the sad look in Naruto's eyes.
"Wrong?" Sasuke struggled to get out from his nearly destroyed throat.
"Stop it! You're not allowed to speak yet," Sakura warned. "I think what he meant to ask was 'What's wrong, Naruto?'"
"Gaara… He…" Naruto squeaked out.
"Tsunade-sama, what did Gaara do to Naruto," Sakura growled.
Naruto nodded to the Hokage who gave him a questioning look then nodded back to him.
"He nearly killed one of the nurses who shoved him into a wall when the nurse tried to get at Naruto earlier then he took off. He was rather callous and cold. Not like he has been since he returned," and then she went on to explain all that had happened and what Gaara had said.
"But he's been so sweet recently," Sakura shouted. "He asked me about things like how to show a precious person that you love them. Gaara-kun wanted to help Naruto so badly. He didn't leave his side for a second unless he was forced. He was so dedicated and protective of Naruto. It doesn't make sense that he would do what you said he did."
"I know," Tsunade agreed. "I plan to find out exactly what happened."
On the other side of the hidden village, Gaara sat on a futon that was lain out on the floor for him. Two other futons were next to his, one for his brother and one for his sister. Luckily they were both not there when he arrived, according to Gaara. However, he thought himself unlucky that they arrived a half hour later and started pestering him about why he was there.
"It's my hotel room. You told me that I should sleep here since we are paying for it anyway. I don't see what the big deal is."
Temari started chattering at him again, "What about Naruto-kun? Is he awake finally? Why aren't you with him?"
Gaara glared at her with murder in his eyes.
The blonde gasped. She hadn't seen that look in her brother's eyes since the Chuunin exam. She had thought that all of those feelings were gone by now. Kankuro paused in response to the silence. He felt an eerie calm creeping up his spine. It wasn't a good sigh. Suddenly they both came to a sickening realization.
"It couldn't be… He didn't… He is alive, right," Temari choked out.
"Yes. Uzumaki lives. I saved his life by kissing him. It was a fucking fairy tale. No happily ever after, though!"
"Gaara, you're worrying us," Kankuro said slowly as he glided softly across the wood floor towards his little brother.
"It's none of your damn business," Gaara roared, leaping to his feet.
Without anyone noticing, even Gaara, sand slowly gathered around the three of their feet and built its way up their legs. The two oldest stared at Gaara in shock and terror. They believed that Naruto had changed him so much, but he was back to acting how he had before he ever met the other demon vessel. Then, they both noticed the sand that had traveled up to all three of their waists. Gaara still didn't notice, however. He was caught up in his fury.
"Gaara…" Temari began. "Your sand… It's out of control!"
"You're right! I can't control it anymore. It just reacts to my emotions. I almost killed a man who didn't mean to push me and I didn't even realize it."
"Gaara, please," Kankuro begged. "Have mercy!"
"I didn't kill him. Naruto stopped me. But… I almost killed an innocent man. After all that I had been through. You should have seen Naruto's eyes. It was like he was afraid of me. Just like you two are afraid of me now. I'm fucking afraid of myself now."
"Look at yourself," Temari screamed. "Gaara!"
"I know. I'm a monster. I have looked at myself deep within. No matter what, I'll always be a monster. I thought I could change. I thought that love could save me. But I'm not worthy to be around such a pure soul like Naruto. I won't let myself hurt him. I'm just a monster. Monsters can't love. Monsters can't… What the-?"
Gaara finally noticed that the sand had reached all three of the sibling's necks. It kept crawling up their bodies at the slow steady rate. Gaara started to panic. Never before had his sand decided to act against him. If his sand was his defense and his sand was trying to kill him and his older brother and older sister, then he was doomed. There was nothing he could do. Gaara froze.
"Please call back you sand," Kankuro pleaded, spitting sand out of his mouth.
"Gaara, we love you. You're our little brother. Please don't hurt us or yourself. You're not a monster."
"But I'm not controlling this sand. It isn't me doing this. See, I am a monster! Even the sand that is our mother is trying to kill me."
And Gaara began to cry. Temari and Kankuro were more shocked by the crying than the sand about to suffocate them. The last time they had witnessed Gaara crying was when their uncle had tried to kill him. He had stopped showing any emotion at all after that. Then a boy named Uzumaki Naruto came along and changed all of that.
However, there Gaara was crying. He was unable to control his emotions. And the sand that had protected him all his life was now about to suffocate all three of them. Temari felt her lungs burning. Kankuro was coughing. And Gaara stood so still and just kept on crying. They were all going to die.
Kankuro fought against the sand. He struggled to get free. He watched as the sand covered up the last part of him. His eyes. Suddenly, everything went black. This is how Gaara's victims felt. Usually, his little brother crushed them to death right about now; he didn't allow them to suffocate unless he was in a particularly sadistic mood and had the time to spare. This was horrifying. Kankuro jerked his limbs trying to free them so that he could breathe again. The sand was starting to fill his lungs each time he gasped because he couldn't stand the burning pain. Then something more terrible happened.
Temari on the other hand attempted to hold her breath against the terrible feelings in her lungs. She attempted to move her hands together so that she could somehow break herself free with wind. She never thought that she would actually have to endure this. Gaara normally was able to stop himself before he put her and their older brother's life in danger. She never wanted Gaara to use his sand to asphyxiate anyone again. It was terrible and torturous. This wasn't something that a young boy should know how to do and do so easily. Temari almost got her hands together. At that moment something even more horrible began.
Gaara stood so still. Tears streamed down his face and wetted the sand that was smothering him. He didn't even try and fight it anymore. He just wanted all of it to end so that the world could be rid of one more monster. No one would have to watch their back to make sure that he wasn't around. He wouldn't kill anymore innocent people. He wouldn't make anyone fear him ever again. The world would be a better place without him. That was for sure. He wasn't worthy of existence in the same world as Naruto.
Then, the sand slowly began to close in on them all tighter. It was a gradual change, but if the two of them weren't struggling against it, they wouldn't even have noticed. The only reason that Gaara actually noticed is because he welcomed the crushing action. He only wished it would come faster. Gaara never wanted anything more than the need for his own death at this very instant.
Except wanting to kiss Naruto, maybe. Where did that thought come from?
Maybe we wanted to be loved more than he wanted to die. Didn't the Hokage promise to seal his demon correctly? If she said that, couldn't Gaara control the demon better? Couldn't he fully change? These were all possible, but they didn't really want to make Gaara want to live. He found a counter to everything he thought up, except one little thing. Gaara wanted to live because he wanted to feel Naruto's soft lips on his again, only kissing him back and filling his heart with that love that he felt the first and only time he had kissed anyone.
Gaara was awakened from his thoughts by a female screaming just outside his cocoon of sand. Temari! His sister! Was she in this too? Then, what about Kankuro? Was his wish for death killing more innocent people? Stupid! He was such a stupid monster! How could he let this happen? Gaara fought against the sand that covered him.
Instantly, all the crushing sand fell away to soft earth. Three bodies slumped to the floor. Temari fell first. Both of her legs were broken. She curled into a fetal position and clutched her broken left arm with her unbroken right arm. The next to hit the floor was Kankuro. He hit face first and coughed up blood and sand for at least a minute straight. The sand had crushed his ribs and very nearly punctured a lung. The last to hit the floor was Gaara who landed on all fours and howled like a banshee because of crushed bones. It was a scream that could rip the inner ear to shreds.
Gaara looked up at his brother and sister. He saw that they were still alive also. He thanked the sand gods that he didn't kill the two people in his life that he actually trusted enough to keep around him constantly. They stared at Gaara as he switched his gaze between the two of them. They noted contentedly that he was obviously worried about both of them.
Temari weakly smiled at Gaara, "Don't worry little brother. We'll be alright."
Kankuro just nodded in response. Gaara crawled on his hands and knees to a spot between his two siblings. He sobbed the entire way across the room. Gaara twisted himself on the floor so that he was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling in the small space flanked by the two other sand-nins. With his left hand, he reached for Temari's right hand, with his other hand; he took his brother's hand into his own.
"I'm sorry."
"Gaara stop. You don't have to apologize," Kankuro stuttered between raspy breaths.
"Yes, I do," Gaara shouted, and sand began to swirl.
The three shuddered.
Gaara repeated in a calmer tone, "Yes, I do. I'm so very sorry. I'll be fixed soon. This won't happen again. I promise. I'll be alright. I'll be able to sleep at night, too. Isn't that wonderful? I can lead a normal life. And this will never, ever, never, ever happen again. I promise. I will be all better soon. I'm so sorry to have done this to both of you. I'm so sorry."
"Gaara… I love you, little brother. Everything will be okay. You can stop crying now," Temari quietly said in an uncharacteristically soothing and soft voice.
"Little bro, don't worry about anything anymore. We will ALL be just fine," Kankuro whispered. "I just need a little rest first."
"Thank you," Gaara sobbed. "Thank you both so much. From this day forward, I will protect both of you with my life as you are both my precious people. We're family. And families love each other and protect each other. So, we have to…"
Then Gaara's family was silent, and they waited for someone to find them before their injuries were irreparable. They all stared ahead of them. Kankuro at the door, Temari out the window, and Gaara at the ceiling. They only moved in a twitch from pain. Other than the raspy breathing of all three of them, there were no sounds at all for over an hour.
Until they heard light footsteps approaching the door…
