Disclaimer: I only own Naruto in my dreams, so please don't sue me!
Chapter 8
Naruto lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. He hadn't left his room in three days. Lee had been profusely trying to get him to go out and get his mind off of whatever was bringing him down. Naruto politely refused the first twenty times, but afterwards he had let his anger go.
Right now he was waiting for Gaara to come in and kill him for yelling at Lee.
A knock resounded throughout the room.
"Death calls," Naruto said as he got up to answer the door. Surprise flitted across his face when it wasn't whom he expected it to be.
"Temari?" Naruto asked, addressing Gaara's 'sister'. He hadn't really seen much of her during his visit, plus they really didn't see eye to eye on many things so he was curious as to why she was knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon. Shouldn't she be doing something?
"I'll have you know I talked Gaara out of crushing your bones to add to his collection, so you owe me one," she said folding her arms over her chest.
"Uh, thanks," Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.
"I know how annoying Lee can be, but really you should have thought about the consequences of letting your loud mouth go," she said indignantly.
"I realize this. Thanks for pointing that out Captain Obvious."
"Anyway," she said waving a dissmissive hand in his face, "now that I've calmed him down, he wants to talk with you. Don't worry. I told him to be civil."
"Since when did Gaara ever start listening to you?" Naruto questioned, stepping out into the hallway and closing his door behind him.
"That's for me to know and for you never to find out. I'll be back later to cash in on my favor, so you'd better not forget."
Naruto watched her walk down the hall and turn the corner. It was women like her that made him glad he was rooting for the opposite team, but then, she had done him a favor. He just hoped she didn't want anything too horrible in return.
Naruto began thinking of all the things he wished he would have done, or done differently in his life as he raised his hand to knock on Gaara's office door. Well, too late now . . . Temari better not have been lying.
"Come in," said Gaara's rather calm voice on the other side of the door.
'Hmm, maybe she really does know what she's doing,' thought Naruto as he opened the door slightly.
Sand flooded through the open door, effectively lifting Naruto up and slamming him down in a chair, keeping him from going anywhere.
'Then again, maybe not.'
"So, Naruto. How have you been?" Gaara asked, shuffling through papers as if Naruto wasn't being held against his will and had just come in for a friendly chat.
Naruto was ready to piss in his pants.
"Good, good," he said, body trying to tremble in fear, but the sand held him firmly. "Listen I really want to apologize for-"
"What's done is done, Naruto. However, in the future, should it ever happen again, I want to let you know that there will be no safe haven for you, Uzumaki. Are we understanding each other?"
Naruto gulped and shook his head in agreement.
"Good. Now, these last few days you have obviously not been yourself, and I would like to think of us as friends, so I brought you here to get to the bottom of it. So, tell me what has been bothering you," Gaara set his paperwork to the side, and clasped his hands together in front of him, waiting for Naruto's explanation.
"It's nothing."
"You and I both know you are lying, so you might as well tell me. I've got all the rest of the day and night free and I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes," Gaara said, still waiting in his same position, not moving a muscle.
Naruto realized he was trapped. For someone who didn't sleep, but just watched the moon descend in the sky until the sun rose, he knew how patient he was, and how long Gaara could wait. Not to mention that he couldn't move with Gaara's sand holding him. His stubborness still wouldn't let him talk just yet though. Trying to tough it out as long as he could and keep quiet, he stared at the clock. Watching and listening to the second hand moving in rotation, slowly draining his patience for the silence away until he could take no more of it. It was too quiet for him.
"What do you want to know?" Naruto asked in a sigh of defeat.
"Anything and everything. I assume you came here to get away from your troubles, and it worked for awhile. Have they know followed you here?" Gaara questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly.
"They did, and all I did was make a bigger mess out of them," Naruto said, biting the inside of his mouth, trying to keep himself from breaking apart as he remembered what transpired between himself and Sasuke three days ago.
"Please, if you would start from the beginning, I might be able to help you, Naruto."
"I doubt it," he said sadly.
"Let's see shall we? Talk, Naruto."
Naruto stared at the hard wood floors as he proceeded to tell Gaara everything that was on his chest, suffocating him with its weight. He told him about how Sasuke and him were married, how Sasuke had told him he loved him accidentally and that he ran here in fear, why he was afraid, his reasonings behind why they could never be. Naruto also told him about what had happened three days ago, and how he had botched everything he had been trying to fix or forget. How horribly he had screwed up.
Gaara sat completely still during Naruto's confession, never saying a word as he listened intently to his blond friends problems. He seemed to soak it up and Naruto was glad to finally tell someone. Especially someone who wanted to listen, wanted to help. Sure he should have told Sasuke all this, but that would've only made things worse, right?
"Why haven't you told any of this to Sasuke?" Gaara asked when Naruto finished.
"Because- he would only try to convince me that everything would be okay, that we could deal with it together, but I don't want him to have to deal with anything because of me. He deserves better," Naruto said avoiding Gaara's gaze.
"Bullshit."
Naruto was taken aback by the expletive that left the Kazekage's mouth. Eyes wide, he now stared at Gaara in shock and confusion.
"You really can be dense sometimes, you know that Naruto.
Naruto began to get angry. He didn't just explain himself to be called stupid. He was doing the right thing, dammit!
"I didn't come here to listen to this."
"Tough cookies, Uzumaki. You don't want him to have to deal with anything because of you, huh? What do you think you're making him deal with right now? First you run off when he accidentally tells you his feelings. Strike number one. Then you let him worry over your well being by staying away from him for six months. Strike number two. Then, to top it all off, when he comes after you, you lure him into a false sense of happiness by telling him you return his feelings one second only to drop him like a stone in a pond the next. Strike three, he's gone. All this for what, Naruto? So he could carry on a lineage that will never go on no matter who he's with considering his sexual preferences, or the fact that you want to shield him from nosy villagers who have no right to say anything about their future Hokage's choice in mates? Don't you think that what you have put him through yourself for the last six months is a lot worse that what some villagers might say? Not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure Sasuke couldn't give a rat's ass about what people would say anyway! If he did, he never would have let you into his heart Naruto."
Naruto let Gaara's words knock some much needed sense into his thick skull. Every strike he gave him was like a slap in the face. Gaara was right, he was dense. So dense he had let his stubborness ruin the only chance he ever had at being happy. How could he have ever been so stupid as to hurt the only person he had ever truly loved? What was wrong with him?
"Sasuke and the dealing with your villagers thing was never a problem, Naruto. I have seen him stand up for you before. I'm pretty sure he would have no qualms about breaking the necks of anyone who would say anything to you both in public, or hadn't you thought about that either?"
Naruto hadn't. He should've remembered that no one messed with Sasuke's property when some idiots tried stealing valuables from Sasuke's house before it burned. They were all found nearly unrecognizable, hanging upside down from the Hokage monument. He was pretty sure by the marks Sasuke had left on him that he had marked him as Uchiha property. Not to mention the ring he had given him. Sasuke would protect anything that belonged to him with a fierce determination like only an Uchiha could and that included himself. Anything anyone said to him wouldn't faze him in the least, it would only be if they attacked Naruto that would make him retaliate. Why hadn't Naruto thought of that? Gods he really was a usuratonkanchi.
He had to find him now and apologize, try and explain. Naruto only hoped he wasn't too late. . .
"I believe your welcome has been worn out Naruto," Gaara said, standing up and recalling his sand back to its holding place in his gourd.
"Huh?"
"When you first arrived here, I said you were welcome to stay here as long as you liked, but I believe now it has been worn out, don't you?" Gaara asked, folding his arms across his chest and raising one eyebrow as if to say, 'Hurry up and go after him, you fool!'
"Yes, I believe it has. I want to thank you for putting up with me for all this time. I appreciate it," Naruto said, standing up to stretch his now stiff muscles.
"On the contrary. Thank you for putting up with my loved one, and only allowing yourself to blow up once. Just don't forget what I said. It was not ment as a jest. Oh, and thanks for being a friend, like I asked, Naruto."
Naruto gave Gaara a sincere grin, giving him a thumbs up.
"Till we meet again, then." Gaara sat back down at his desk, filing through his papers once more.
Naruto still had one more thing to do before he left. Find Lee, and apologize. He caught him racing laps around the village. When he finally got him to slow down and stop Naruto bowed before Lee.
"I apologize for my behaviour. It was uncalled for and I am truly sorry," he finished, clapping his hands in front of him, begging for forgiveness. He didn't want to lose another friend.
"It's all right, Naruto. I realize I was pushing you a little too much. I just hope you settle your problems and get back to your old self. Do not waste your precious youth my friend!" Lee cried, giving him his signature thumbs up. Naruto returned it.
"Trust me Lee, I don't plan to waste anymore time than I already have."
"Come back and visit!" Lee said waving to his friend.
Naruto took off and waved over his shoulder at the green clad boy. Heading back to pack his stuff, he was stopped by Temari.
"I'm here to cash in Naruto."
"What do you want?"
"A simple favor. Deliver this message when you get back to Konoha. That's all," she said handing him a sealed letter.
Naruto looked at it, puzzled. It wasn't addressed to anyone.
"Who do I give it to?"
"Don't worry. They'll find you," she said before taking off down the street, fan bobbling on her back.
'Sheesh, talk about a weirdo. I'd hate to see the full extent of her powers if she could calm Gaara down like she did,' he thought to himself, finally reaching his room.
It took him no time at all to pack his things and be on his way back home.
Home.
He was finally going to be able to go home. He just hoped he hadn't totally screwed things up with his main reason for returning. If so, there wouldn't be a reason to call it home anymore. Not even being the Hokage meant as much to him as Sasuke did.
Naruto hoped Sasuke hadn't fallen back into his dark abyss again. He didn't know how far he would fall because of him, but if he did as far as he thought he would, it would be hell bringing him back up again. He would do it though. He was determined. For Sasuke he would do anything.
'Please be all right, Sasuke,' he thought as he set out across the desert in the direction of Konoha. Looking at the moon it reminded him of Sasuke's pale skin. Fierce winds were blowing in a prievew of an upcoming storm. Naruto picked up his pace, eager to be out of its way and to see his love again.
"Please don't give up, I'm coming." Naruto's words were carried away by the wind.
Sasuke sat in the shadows of the cave, hiding. He heard the slightest whisper, 'Please don't give up, I'm coming.' Too late for that, fox. Too late.
Leaning further in the shadows, Sasuke waited. Prepared to strike. When the boy came, and he knew he would, he would be ready and waiting for him . . .
A small inner part of Sasuke was desperately trying to claw his way back up, to stop the darkness from doing any harm, but he was quickly shoved back down. He wouldn't give up, he was still here, if only a small part. He prayed for Naruto to move swiftly before what little light he had left was burnt out completely . . .
R/R!
