High heels clicked along the second floor east hallway of Konoha Inn. They grew louder and closer together with each passing second. Soon, the vibrations of said footsteps were brought to Gaara's ears. Someone had stopped outside of their room's door. Then there was knocking. The redhead winced, sensitive to the booming of fist against wood. His ears had become extra receptive to sound with Shukaku so close to the surface. The demon knew that Gaara would pass out at any second now and Shukaku would be freed yet again.
"Gaara-san," a voice called out. "It's Shizune. I have a message from the Hokage for you. May I come in?"
Gaara was unable to speak because of the pain. He hadn't the energy left to use his voice and mouth to make legible sounds. He looked helplessly to his siblings, both of whom had gone down for the count hours ago. He started to panic. If he didn't answer, then she'd leave and the three of them would be left near death even longer. Death may then indeed come.
With the strength he had left, he called to his sand. It was a dangerous move since the last few times he used his sand, it was out of control and lusting for blood. He pushed all the chakra he could gather out and into the sand. Slowly, a pile grew and moved towards the door. It began swirl and pile up under the door. A hand formed in the sand and reached upwards to the door knob. He pushed all but the very last of his chakra out so it could become hard enough to grip the handle and turn it.
And he failed.
Gaara's arm collapsed to the floor along with his sand. It fell out of form and scattered across the room into every crevice and crack and under the door. His arm hit the ground with a loud thud that throbbed in Gaara's ear, further injuring his crushed body. The redhead opened his mouth to scream from the pain but no sound came out. He panted and stared at the door, hoping for a miracle.
"Sand," Shizune questioned.
She stared at the floor. Her feet were covered with the grainy material that had spilled out from the crack under the door. She jumped to attention when she realized that this belonged to Gaara and came to a realization that she needed to find out why the sand was behaving this way. She tried the handle, but it was locked from the inside. Out of desperation, she raised her leg and gave the door one swift hard kick. Wood splinters flew everywhere. Through the shower of particles, she could see the terrible scene of three bloodied bodies lying on the ground.
The brunette immediately jumped into action. She first worked on Gaara who was unable to recover by sleeping because of his demon. Gaara weakly smiled at her and tried insisting that he heal the others first. Instead of fully healing them all, she made them more stable. She didn't have the chakra in her to get all of them back to perfect health. Instead, she raised Gaara and Temari's states from critical to stable and fully healed Kankuro. By the time she finished with that, she was panting from overexertion. She could barely make chakra come to her hands anymore.
Kankuro slowly opened his eyes. Shizune and Gaara both gave a large sigh of relief. He slowly sat up and felt around his chest. The puppeteer realized that he felt no pain at all. He looked to Gaara, and then to Shizune, then they found their place on Temari. If he and Gaara were alright and their sister wasn't, then was she..? He didn't even want to finish that thought. Kankuro turn his gaze the healer woman with evident worry in his eyes.
Gaara stood up and looked down at everyone. Shizune stood and brushed the sand off of her clothing. Kankuro followed suit and stared at Temari's body, trying to figure out if she was unconscious or… worse.
As if to answer his thoughts, Shizune whispered, "Kankuro-san, please carry Temari-san to Konoha hospital. We can fully heal her there. You're currently the strongest one of the three of us right now. Gaara-san and I will make it just fine. Hurry with her. The faster the better. Tell them that both I and your brother will be needing treatment also. Understood?"
Kankuro nodded and silently picked up his little sister. He noted how she looked so frail lying limp in his arms. Her docile features betrayed her naturally dominant and bold character. It just wasn't right. Kankuro decided that taking a shortcut out the window would be the best plan of action. He carefully landed on the pavement below and took off running towards the hospital. All that anyone could see was a blur of a person bolting past.
Gaara and Shizune carefully made their way down the stairs of the hotel. The innkeeper behind the desk gawked at the pair as they limped by and out the door. As they passed, Gaara had muttered something about paying extra for the mess later. The same people who were disturbed by Kankuro with Temari speeding by were equally uneasy about the next pair who hobbled along the street headed towards Konoha Hospital.
Temari and Gaara were greeted by a pair of medical nin who were waiting for them to arrive. Kankuro must have followed instructions precisely. Shizune smiled and laughed lightly. She knew Tsunade-sama was going to be hearing about this in approximately three minutes and nineteen seconds. That's exactly how fast the gossip and rumors travel across the entire hidden village.
On the other side of town, Naruto was sitting with his former sensei at Ichiraku Ramen. Iruka was concerned about the boy. Never had he witnessed Naruto eat only one half bow of ramen. The least he'd even seen the boy eat when he knew someone else was paying was three bowls. Naruto was staring down at his reflection in his bowl. The ramen was now cold. He could feel Iruka's eyes on him but couldn't bring himself to say anything or look up at him.
"Naruto," Iruka gently said, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "What is it?"
Naruto shook his head and still said nothing.
"Naruto, please tell me what's bothering you."
"I won't cry anymore, Iruka-sensei. I want to, but I just can't. I promised myself years ago that I wouldn't cry anymore. I want to be strong and prove that I'm more than just that… thing… inside of me. So, I can't cry… no matter how much I want to."
"Naruto, even I cry every now and then. There isn't anything wrong with that. I suppose the real question is, 'why would you even want to cry anyway?'"
"It's… just a people thing," Naruto whispered.
"Is someone calling you names again? Did someone hurt you?
"No, and… kinda. It's about a friend, or at least someone I thought was a friend. It hurts to find out what you really mean to someone after thinking that they actually liked you. It hurts deep inside where kunai can't touch to find out that you've just been used so someone else can get what they want."
"Uchiha Sasuke-kun?"
"No," Naruto sighed. "Sabaku no Gaara. He only agreed to help me heal if Tsunade-baachan resealed his demon for him. Iruka-sensei, it's so unfair."
"Gaara from Suna? I heard he was admitted to the hospital today along with his brother and sister," the cook interrupted.
Both Iruka and Naruto looked up with surprise at this. However, Naruto quickly concealed his concern over Gaara. This didn't go unnoticed by the other three around him. Naruto stood from his stool and thanked Iruka for the ramen. He said that he was going to head for his house to dust off everything before it accumulated even more. Iruka watched his beloved student and the boy who was like his son race down the street.
What they didn't see was Naruto turn the corner and run back the other direction as fast as he could. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why he actually cared about Gaara so much after he had used him and hurt his so deeply. Naruto blindly raced around corners narrowly avoiding people as he made his way to the hospital that he was so familiar with. He was lucky to have his ninja reflexes, or else a large amount of Konoha's civilian population would have ended up in the hospital he was so desperately rushing towards.
Circumstantially, two of those people he attempted to evade also had those ninja reflexes. As luck would have it for Naruto, one of those two dodged the same direction and distance he had. That one ninja happened to be none other than Uchiha Sasuke. Both lay on the ground as an astonished Sakura looked on the situation. Sasuke pushed Naruto off of him and stood up to brush himself off. Naruto stood up and laughed with a wide grin. He scratched his head and barely got a word of apology out before he took off running again.
"Dobe," Sasuke hoarsely muttered.
"I'll pay you back for that later, Sasuke-teme!" "Don't talk Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto skidded to a halt outside of the hospital. He caught his breath before going inside. Naruto had a façade to keep up and he couldn't go in there looking like he was actually worried about that sand-manipulating asshole. The blonde had no plan. He couldn't think up an excuse to actually want to see Gaara without giving away that he still had some feelings for the idiot. He had barely finished a thought before Tsunade came barreling towards him in a manner much like Naruto had just seconds before. Tsunade also stopped to catch her breath before entering the hospital.
"What are you doing here," She inquired of Naruto.
"Not quite sure," He lied and huffed with his face turned from her.
"I'll believe that the day that I believe Orochimaru wears pink pajamas and sleeps with a pile of cute stuffed animals."
Naruto burst out laughing at the image that had popped into his head. The Fifth Hokage followed in suit a half a second later as she was forced to think about what she just said. Nonetheless, it was also her to break the fake light mood between them.
"It's Gaara, isn't it? You heard already?"
Unable to hide the truth a second time, Naruto merely nodded.
"I think I may have figured something out. I was going to try and convince you to give that boy a second chance, but seeing that you're already here, I may not need to convince you at all. Just talk to him. Maybe you can fix things yourself," The legendary kunoichi sighed.
She had recovered well enough to enter the building with her composure fully regained, leaving her favorite genin behind. Naruto sat down outside the entrance and thought about it. He didn't like being treated like trash. No one would like that, but Naruto had to endure it so much from everyone else. He didn't want to have to worry about anyone who he thought to be his friend using him and treating him like shit. He didn't need to take any crap from people he could just as easily avoid.
He decided he could just as easily lose a friend who could possibly understand him more than anyone else could hope to comprehend. Naruto hoped Gaara was actually worth all this trouble. He swore to the forest spirits that if Gaara wasn't worth this effort and worrying and the time he was spending on all this, then Gaara would be turned into sand himself.
Naruto entered the hospital slowly. In the waiting room sat Kankuro who looked deep in thought. Gaara's older brother, Naruto reminded himself. As much as Naruto wanted to ask the older boy some questions about Gaara, he could tell that he didn't want to be disturbed. Naruto made his way to the desk. He stood there staring down at the sign in sheet contemplating running away or actually going through with it. In an instant, Naruto's resolve changed from wavering to being determined not to chicken out.
He signed his name and asked the nurse what room Sabaku no Gaara was in. She pointed to a room number on the map and told him how to get there. Before she finished, Naruto stopped her and told her that he'd been a patient here too many times to count and knew his way around better than the nurses.
He made his way through the corridors. First a left turn then a right. Next came a flight of stairs he had to climb. To put him on the second floor, his injuries couldn't have been that serious unless he was already treated before he had come in. He truly did know the place like the back of his hand. He even knew the quickest way to get to that room. As it was, he took the long way.
He knew he was stalling. He didn't try to lie to himself. That would be pointless. However, he was playing out the possible conversation the two of them could have. He didn't like any of the outcomes that he thought up.
Naruto shook it off. This just wasn't like him to contemplate things so much. He had come here to find out one thing and get one answer. That was it. Nothing could stop him from getting that answer. The fear of being hurt worse couldn't stop him. The thought of having his hopes of friendship and acceptance crushed couldn't stop him. Even when he thought about getting into another fight between demons couldn't stop Uzumaki Naruto.
The only thing that could stop him was his hand not functioning properly as he attempted to open the door to room 208.
"Uzumaki, you coward," he whispered to himself. "You pathetic little coward. Just do it."
So he did. Naruto opened the door to the hospital room. There seemed to be no one in the room at first. The bed was freshly made and nothing was there to show that the room had any occupants. Had Gaara already checked out? Was his injury that small? Perhaps he had gone to the wrong room. Luckily, Naruto spotted arms wrapped around a pair of legs in the corner hiding behind the wardrobe. The blond forced his legs to move and he entered the room further. He reached the point that he could see that the person hiding was indeed Gaara.
Slowly, Gaara looked up at Naruto. A flash of surprise and bewilderment crossed the redheads face. Just as quickly as it came, it went. There sat an emotionless Gaara and stood an overemotional Naruto, staring into each others' eyes and searching for the answers they needed. Neither of the boys spoke and all was quiet elsewhere. To them, the silence was like a slow painful death.
"I think we have to talk," Naruto broke the silence.
Gaara nodded. Naruto waited.
"A conversation requires two people talking," Naruto yelled. "And what the hell are you doing sitting in the corner anyway?"
Gaara hung his head and slowly stood up. Still, he said nothing to further the conversation. He moved past Naruto to the bed and sat near the head of it. He quickly glanced between Naruto and the bed, signaling that he wanted Naruto to sit down with him. Slowly, the blonde joined him on the horriblywhite bed. Another long silence. Naruto glared at Gaara, deciding to say what he wanted to or not. Gaara beat him to it.
"Bakemono."
"What did you just call me," Naruto screeched.
"No you. Me. I'm a monster. I can't control my sand anymore. It tried to kill that nurse who was trying to help you. I almost killed my brother and sister... and myself earlier. I'm a monster. You shouldn't be around me. I do horrible things," Gaara whispered.
There was another long silence as they thought over that.
Naruto sighed, "I wish you wouldn't have saved me and comforted me and talked to me... Because it hurts worse now than it did when I was dying. What you did to me... isn't something a medical ninjutsu can heal. It hurts deep in here and I blame you for it because you're the one who caused it. You fucking used me and my situation to get what you wanted, a new seal for Shukaku. How dare you pretend to be my friend!"
Gaara's eyes widened, "But I didn't use you at all. I didn't mean to make you hurt more. I'm sorry."
Naruto glared fire, "Don't bother lying to me. I can see through it all. You don't have to force yourself to pretend anymore. You're just a bastard who will do anything to achieve his end, aren't you?"
Gaara growled, "I never lied to you! I never pretended to be anything that I wasn't. I'm the one who went through damn near hell to save your life! Do you think I'd do that when just about everyone would be happy to have Shukaku sealed properly and there are better people than the Hokage out there to do it for me? You're the one who is lying! You can't face the fact that it was a kiss that made you wake up, isn't it?"
"A kiss...?"
"Yeah, hadn't you heard? I kissed you and you started to heal. You know what I realized in those few moments. I was in love with you, Naruto! You talk about things hurting inside. You have no idea how much it hurts inside me right now," Gaara chuckled darkly.
"Stop lying to me," Naruto whispered.
Naruto hung his head and stared at the white blanket. He twirled hisfingers and waited for Gaara to reply to him. Of course the other demon vessel was lying. Who would want to love something like him. He was loud, obnoxious, stupid, he had theseugly whisker marks on his face. No one could love him. Why would Gaara lie to him so much, and about this? Naruto didn't fully understand what was happening in this room. He was brought out of his thoughts by Gaara speaking to him.
"Why do you think I'm lying? Why would I lie to you at all? What reason do I have? You can't think of one. I can see that in your eyes. Just believe me. Look into my eyes. Tell me that I'm lying to you when I say that I love you."
"You must be lying. I don't know why..."
"Why? Why can't it be the truth?"
"No one could love me..."
"Oh sand gods," Gaara exclaimed. "I'll prove it then. Somehow, I'll make you see that I have never lied to you even once."
Naruto turned his head away, but even from that angle Gaara could see that Naruto was crying. Gaara felt helpless. When Gaara cried, there had never been anyone there to comfort him. Somehow he knew that it was the same for Naruto. If he was unused to being comforted, Gaara supposed that he could do what he and his siblings did last night. Gaara took of of Naruto's hands into his own and slowly stroked the top of it with his thumb. Naruto jerked upwards and stared at Gaara in disbelief.
"Gaara?"
"Don't cry, Naruto. It hurts to see you cry."
Quickly, the blonde dried his eyes. His signature smile was placed back on his face rather quickly. Naruto turned back to the redhead and flashed that smile at him. It was obvious from the wetness that lingered on his cheeks that he had been crying. Naruto didn't want anyone to think he was still a little crybaby.
"I promised myself long ago that I'd never cry again," Naruto softly told Gaara.
"Naruto..." Gaara sighed. "When you smile like that... It's pathetic. The only people who you are fooling with that giant fake smile are those who don't know anything about you at all. You're making everyone who loves you worry about you even more every time you smile like that. You're hurting your precious people and you don't even realized it. It's pathetic."
"What?" The smile fell away.
"Your fake smile hurts your precious people," Gaara said more slowly than normal.
The thought disturbed Naruto. Gaara was the first one to confront him on that, but he said that everyone else could tell. He made people worry? Nothing seemed to make sense to him at that moment. Why could Gaara tell it was a fake smile? Everyone who loves him was hurt by the smile... Did Gaara include himself in that catergory?
"On the other hand," Gaara broke Naruto's thoughts. "Your real smile, the one that actually reaches your eyes... That smile can fill a persons heart with overwhelming light even if they knew nothing other than darkness their entire life. Do you understand?"
"I think I do, Gaara," and Naruto smiled one of those real smiles at Gaara.
Gaara's lips turned up at the corners.
No matter how things were turning out, both knew that there was still a lot of things they needed to work out between them. Things like why Gaara had to kiss him to heal him. Gaara had to prove his love. They also had to deal with the uncontrollable sand and Shukaku's new seal. Nothing was perfect. But it was getting better.
