In which Gaara makes friends and the boys return to school.
O-O-O-O-O
After their conversation, Yuda sat closer to Gaara at dinner, to his team's quiet shock. While he and Gaara did not talk, Yuda made sure to look at him as he told them all a story about his town of Shisen.
It was only after cleaning up that Yuda approached Gaara again.
"Do you know a lot about plants, bud?" Yuda asked, joining Gaara's side under the shade of a palm tree.
At the question, Gaara shifted in his seat. "I only know about plants from the desert," he finally answered.
"Oh?" the man tilted his head to the side quizzically. "I guess that would make sense. I mean, I know the most about the plants from where I live, after all."
Gaara stared, still unsure how to respond to the man's interest in him. In the background, Kankuro and Temari gaped at their conversation in open amazement. Baki, setting up the tents for the day, hid his consternation better with only a small frown visible on his face.
"Well, if you know about the desert, can you tell me what that thing is right over there?" Yuda pointed to a round cactus full of thick thorns. "I've seen a lot of them around and I've been wondering."
Gaara's heart began beating faster and his lips quirked up despite himself. "That's a barrel cactus," he began. "They can get pretty big and can live for up to one hundred years. They usually get these yellow or orange flowers at the end of April or so. You can eat the fruit, but it's very bitter."
Yuda raised an eyebrow, impressed. He pointed to a different cactus, one standing tall and skinny in the middle of the desert. "And what's that one called?"
"That's called a saguaro," Gaara answered, excitement making his self-consciousness vanish. "They can get up to twelve meters tall or maybe even taller in the right conditions. It is very efficient at saving water for very long periods of drought. Some birds and other small animals make holes and live inside. Because of their efficiency at storing water, they can get very heavy."
"Huh, that's quite impressive, bud," the man said, crossing his arms in front of his chest with a smile on his face. "Do you keep any at home? It seems like you would."
"Not saguaro or barrel cactus. They're too big," he answered, shaking his head. "But I have some small potted succulents in my bedroom. When they get too big, I take them back to the desert. But some of them stay small so I could keep them forever if I wanted to."
"Makes sense. That's just what plants are like." He sighed as he leaned back on the trunk of the tree, looking up at the palm leaves. "My daughter opened a gardening store in our village. She sells all kinds of stuff. Herbs and vegetables. She offers cut flowers too, mostly for events and things. Weddings are her big earners."
"Daughter?" The man had not looked old enough to have a daughter old enough to open her own business.
Yuda chuckled. "Yeah, I had her when I was only seventeen," he admitted. "Which just goes to show, when you're a teenager, be careful when you fall in love. I love my daughter, but I wish I had been better prepared for her back when she was born."
Gaara nodded, sidestepping the topic of falling in love. While he wasn't sure if he wanted romance one day, he doubted anyone other than the jinchuuriki could ever love him back. "So she opened her own store?"
"She sells a little of everything. If you want, I can introduce you two when we get back to Shisen," he offered. "Mako inherited her love of plants from her mother and me. She would probably get excited about gushing with someone else. She might give you some seeds to take home."
Gaara's eyes widened and he grinned up at the man for the first time, his mask forgotten. "Can you, please? I would like that."
The man laughed. "I thought you would, Gaara-kun."
Gaara tilted his head to the side, pleased. "Thank you, Yuda-san."
"Yuda-san, we have finished setting up the tents." Baki walked toward them, shifting his gaze from Gaara to Yuda with a barely-contained frown.
In an instant, the familiar mask of neutrality fell over Gaara's face. He stared up unblinkingly at Baki, silent once more.
Yuda sighed before standing up. "I suppose I should try to rest as much as I can," he agreed as he brushed some of the sand away. "Tomorrow we'll reach the Land of Rivers though. It should be easier and faster to travel once we're there."
"Of course, Yuda-san," Baki answered with a polite nod of his head. He glanced at Gaara one last time before walking away, leaving Yuda and Gaara alone once more.
The man glanced at Gaara one last time before turning in for the day. "It was nice to talk to you, Gaara-kun," he said. "I hope we'll be able to talk more."
"It was nice to talk to you too, Yuda-san." Gaara's composure cracked enough to smile.
With a final grin, Yuda waved goodbye before making his way to where Baki had sent up camp. Gaara kept his gaze focused on the man's back as he walked away and entered his tent, zipping it closed behind him.
O-O-O-O-O
Sasuke woke up earlier than he had wanted.
The sun was only beginning to rise, the streets still dark. Chirping birds fluttered past his window in search of food. The morning breeze made the tree branches outside sway back and forth.
He sat up, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
After visiting the cemetery with Naruto for the first time, a routine had formed. In the morning, Naruto and Sasuke would meet for breakfast, taking turns cooking. After that, they would practice in one of the public training grounds- the Uchiha compound too full of memories to visit.
At first, they had only practiced with shuriken and kunai. After a few days, however, they had begun to spar together once more. To Sasuke's annoyance, they were still almost evenly matched. While he hated losing every few rounds, the familiar experience was almost comforting.
While Sasuke could have spent the entire day training, Naruto ensured he did other things. Sometimes, they would cook together, going through his mother's list of recipes. Other times, especially after long training sessions, they would simply sit in front of the television. Their favorite show, The Steel Samurai, was ridiculous and inaccurate, but admittedly fun to watch. Naruto stayed over every Friday night so they could watch new episodes in the morning.
At least once a week, they would visit the cemetery with incense and food offerings. Together, they cleaned the gravestones and prayed side by side. Those days were dreary, yet Sasuke looked forward to the visits all the same.
Thinking about the end of his now-familiar routine brought a grimace to his face. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was not even six in the morning and he had almost three hours to get ready. His stomach turned over itself at the thought of returning to the Academy. At least Naruto will be there, too.
At the reminder that he wouldn't be completely surrounded by strangers, his mood shifted. Yeah, Naruto will be there. Hinata too, I guess.
With a sigh, Sasuke left the comfort of his bed. He brushed his teeth, looking at his reflection unflinchingly. Naruto said I looked like Mom with Dad's eyes. Not like that man. The thought made him feel happier than he had expected.
After dressing himself, he cooked, preparing breakfast and packing a simple bento box. He knelt down at the altar of his parents, sending them a familiar prayer. When he was done, he still had over an hour before classes were set to start. However, there was nothing for him to do, so he left, locking the door to the apartment that was his new home.
Despite taking his time to get to the Academy, Sasuke was the very first student to arrive.
Maybe I should have stayed over at Naruto's place. Then we could have come together. He shook his head. Regret was pointless and the past couldn't be changed. He huffed before going to sit alone at a desk in the front, glaring at the door.
Silent and impatient, he sat and waited. Nearly twenty minutes later, the door slid open and someone walked in. However, instead of Naruto or even Hinata, a boy wearing sunglasses stepped inside. The boy glanced at Sasuke before going to sit at the back, not a single word said.
Naruto better not be late again. With a sigh, Sasuke turned his attention back to the door in wait.
The next person to enter was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. However, instead of sitting by herself as the boy had done, she made a beeline toward him.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" the girl said in a simpering tone. Without asking for permission, she sat at his side, closer than comfortable. "I heard from my mom and dad what happened! If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm right here. You know, I-"
Sasuke tuned the girl out. He had no idea who she was and he didn't want to know. Staring at the door, he blocked out her words as the seconds ticked by.
However, instead of Naruto, more people he didn't know or care about came in. Unlike the boy with sunglasses, most of them walked toward him, babbling about things he didn't want to talk or think about. Increasingly annoyed, he let their words wash over him.
For an instant, his hopes rose when Hinata walked in. But instead of rescuing him from the legion of annoying children, she bit her lip and sat at a desk by herself. Still biting her lip, she watched Sasuke from the corner of her eye, pushing her fingertips together.
Sasuke grimaced as more people joined, his composure increasingly difficult to maintain. Despite saying nothing in return, they kept talking and talking and would not shut up. Annoyed, Sasuke bit his tongue to stop his feelings from showing on his face.
It was almost time for the class to begin and Naruto had yet to show up. That loser probably forgot to set the alarm again.
Finally, only a few minutes before the bell rang, Naruto slammed the door open and burst inside, making heads turn at the interruption. He made a quick sweep over the classroom before his eyes settled on Sasuke. Sasuke felt his heart beating faster in anticipation. Finally.
With a grin, Naruto ran toward him, perfectly ignoring the gaggle of students. "Hey, Sasuke!" he shouted. "Good morning! Sorry I'm late! I-"
Before Naruto could join him, a boy with short black hair pushed him away, making him fall to the floor. Naruto's sentence was cut short as he hit the ground with a yelp and landed on his elbow.
"What's with you being so familiar?" the boy sneered. "Can't you read the mood here?"
Sasuke ignored him. Without hesitation, he jumped over the desk and ran toward his friend, who had started rubbing at his elbow.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as he extended a hand down. "Are you okay?"
Naruto winced, still rubbing at his hurt elbow. "Yeah, I'm okay." He took Sasuke's extended hand, pulling himself up. "Just hit my elbow in a weird way, ya know."
"That's good." Sasuke smiled at him before turning to glower at the other children. "What was that for? You could have hurt him!"
"Wait! Why are you talking to him?" the girl from the beginning sneered as she turned her nose up at Naruto.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and his scowl intensified. "Because he's my friend!" he shouted.
Without saying anything else, he grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him to where Hinata was sitting alone. Her face turned a deep shade of red and she moved to the side, giving the three of them space to sit together. Despite her clear embarrassment, Sasuke was sure he saw a hint of a smile on her lips.
"And she's my friend, too!" Sasuke finished, gesturing to Hinata. He really hoped she agreed or he would never live it down.
A hush fell over the entire room as the other students absorbed his words. Sasuke avoided their eyes. Furious for Naruto's sake, his body shook. He glared determinedly at the blackboard, jaw clenched, sandwiched between Naruto and Hinata.
Time crawled, the sound of the ticking clock deafening in the quiet room. When no one else said anything, the rest of the students, most of whom had surrounded Sasuke earlier, made their way toward their own seats. Sasuke didn't turn to look at any of them, his furious glare focused on the front of the classroom.
"You can let go of my hand now, ya know," Naruto whispered in his ear after a few minutes. His voice sounded more amused than Sasuke would have liked.
With a startle, Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand. He placed his hands together over his lap, his gaze trained on the front of the classroom. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. "Hn."
Naruto snorted but said nothing else. Sasuke refused to look at him. He already knew Naruto's face would be full of smug superiority. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata pushing her fingertips together, a furious blush still on her face.
Naruto snickered, the sound echoing in the silent room. "You called me your friend," he giggled. "About time, ya know!"
"Shut up, loser," Sasuke muttered, praying for their teacher to walk in. "I'll kill you."
To his dismay, that only made Naruto laugh harder.
O-O-O-O-O
When Iruka walked into the classroom, instead of the usual chatter, he was met with complete and absolute silence. Well, that's unusual.
"Uh... good morning, class!" he greeted with a smile as he walked toward his desk. "I hope you all enjoyed your summer vacation?"
A few students nodded but said nothing in return. Iruka was only growing more and more confused. They're quieter than when we are taking exams.
He looked around the classroom, trying to find a reason for the strange mood. His jaw dropped when he saw the three children sharing a desk near the window.
Unlike the other students, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were not looking around the classroom. Instead, Sasuke had his gaze focused determinedly at the front, staring but seeing nothing. At his side, Hinata pushed her fingertips together, a luminescent blush on her face. Naruto, in comparison, wore a smug smirk, his eyes bright and happy.
"Good morning, Iruka-sensei!" the blond greeted, waving his arm back and forth. "My summer was nice! I spent a lot of time with Sasuke, ya know!"
Iruka blinked. Wait, what? Don't they hate each other?
"Well... uh... that's nice, Naruto." He forced himself to smile. "Now, why don't we get the class started?"
With confused frowns on their faces, the rest of the class nodded, eager for normalcy to return.
O-O-O-O-O
Naruto laughed as he ran out of the classroom, taking Sasuke's hand with one hand and Hinata's with the other. Holding a bento box in his free hand, Sasuke allowed himself to be pulled out, ignoring the shocked looks from the other students.
"Let's eat outside!" Naruto shouted as he led them out. He turned his head to grin behind him at Sasuke and Hinata.
Sasuke pouted in return while Hinata straightened, her blush receding. "Th-that sounds nice, Naruto-kun."
Naruto smirked at Sasuke, a mischievous look on his face. "We have to celebrate! It's the first time Sasuke has called me a friend out loud, ya know!"
"I take it back," Sasuke grumbled. "You're not my friend. You're just a stupid loser."
"No takebacks!" Naruto ran faster, dragging them both along.
"And you don't have to hold my hand, ya know," Sasuke muttered as he pulled his hand back.
"Ya know?" Naruto and Hinata repeated at the same time. Naruto's smirk, if possible, widened while Hinata tilted her head to the side, a smile full of amusement on her lips.
Sasuke felt his face heat up again. "Shut up," he mumbled. He ran faster, taking the lead, trying to ignore Naruto and Hinata's giggling as best as he could.
A minute later, they were sitting under the shade of a tree. Naruto was still snickering while Hinata looked more amused than Sasuke had expected. He avoided their attention by taking off the lid from his bento box and glaring at the contents within.
It was a simple meal: onigiri with an assortment of vegetables, adequate but nothing like what his mother had prepared on a daily basis. The memory brought a familiar stab of pain but he did not allow it to show on his face.
"Oh... um, Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke was getting ready to bite into the first riceball when Hinata's timid voice called out his name. He glanced up to meet her eyes. She was looking down at her knees, pushing her fingertips together with a slight blush on her face.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Oh... I... uh..." she swallowed to fortify herself before pushing a very large bento box closer to Sasuke. "I asked my mother to prepare extra food for today because I wasn't sure if you could get food now that... um..." she started to ramble. "Anyway, I'm not sure what you like, but I got extra food for you. But I notice you have a bento box for yourself now and with what I have it's probably too much, so if you want, you can take it for later. I... uh..."
Hinata paused her rambling to meet Sasuke's eyes. She bit her lip and swallowed. "I thought you might need something to eat at lunchtime," she finished.
Sasuke blinked at her. "It's... for me?"
Hinata only nodded, mute once more. From the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto looking at the exchange with his eyes open wide.
Sasuke turned his full attention back to Hinata with a gulp, unsure what to make of her kindness. He stared at the lunchbox in front of him, too large for one person to eat alone.
"Thank you," Sasuke mumbled, bowing his head down in gratitude. To his surprise, he felt tears beginning to build at the corners of his eyes. He pushed them back.
"Thank you very much," he repeated, bowing his head down further before looking up at her.
If Hinata saw his tears she said nothing. "You're welcome, Sasuke-kun." She smiled at him, kind and gentle. It reminded him of his mother and made it harder than before to hold the flood of emotions back.
Trying to be subtle but knowing he was failing, Sasuke used his knuckles to rub at his eyes. To his relief, neither Hinata nor Naruto said anything. Opening his eyes, he stared at the feast Hinata had offered. It was so well prepared it made his simple meal look pathetic in comparison. It probably tastes as good as it looks.
"Hey, so... uh... are we still gonna train after school?" Naruto asked to break the awkward silence that had fallen over them.
Sasuke grabbed onto the interruption like a lifeline. "Yeah. I think we should." He turned toward Hinata. "Are you fine with that?"
She nodded, her eyes growing bright in excitement. "Yes! But tomorrow, Sasuke-kun. I told my father I would go home after school today since I wasn't sure if we were still going to meet up."
"I see," Sasuke said. He took a bite of tamagoyaki from Hinata's bento box. To his amazement, it was delicious with perfectly balanced flavors, almost as good as his mother's cooking. He shoved the rest of the omelet into his mouth.
"Well, I bet you got a lot stronger over the break, right Hinata-chan?" Naruto grinned at her.
Hinata nodded, a small, satisfied smile on her lips. "Yes. Father told me I have been improving a lot recently. It's still very hard. But I'm enjoying training more."
With that, conversation broke out, led by Naruto and Hinata. Sasuke listened along, chiming in only when he felt necessary. When they finished eating, stomachs full after sharing Hinata's lunchbox, they sat together, reveling in each other's company. Under the shade of the tree, they waited for their break to end.
O-O-O-O-O
Yuda, while unfamiliar with cacti and succulents, had a lot to teach once they reached the Land of Rivers. One fern was good for reducing fever, a red flower was purely decorative, a shrub produced poisonous berries. Gaara listened to everything, enraptured as he absorbed every detail.
For the first time in his life, Gaara was able to forget all of his troubles in a place other than the Room. Captivated, he stayed at the man's side, the conversations with him flowing just as smoothly as the ones with Fuu and Naruto did. Because of that, the rest of the journey to the man's village in the Land of Rivers passed quickly.
"Oh, we're almost home. It's right over there," Yuda said as he ran down the road and pointed to a lookout deck. "Shisen is located inside a canyon so we have to climb down some stairs. You should get a good view of our town over here first."
Gaara and his team joined the man's sides.
His first impression of the fishing village was that it was tiny. Unlike Sunagakure and especially unlike the capital, there were only a few small homes, most made out of wood. Four thin rivers converged in the middle of what looked like the center of activity. He doubted more than a couple of hundred people lived there.
Gaara frowned. Is that it?
Yuda laughed when he saw the look on his face. "It's not much," he admitted. "But it is home."
With Gaara and his teammates at his side, the man began to make his way down the stairs effortlessly. Once at the bottom, they walked toward the town center.
"Oh, Yuda-sama, you're back!" a woman carrying an infant slung across her back greeted when she saw Yuda. "How was the journey?"
"Not bad. Not bad," Yuda answered with a wave of his hand. "We got a decent deal to set up a trading route with the Land of Wind. I hired these guys from Sunagakure. They're pretty good."
"That's nice to hear." The woman turned her attention toward Gaara and his team, a smile on her face. "Thank you very much for helping Yuda-sama make his way back." She bowed her head down in gratitude.
Taken aback, Gaara only stared at her while Temari and Kankuro muttered their thanks. Yuda waved goodbye at the woman before he continued walking.
"We're a small town," the man explained as he walked. "Everyone knows everyone here. And people here seem to like me for some reason. They voted me the town head, after all." Distracted, he waved at a young man pushing a wheelbarrow.
Upon arriving at the town's center, the sights, sounds, and smells were instantly overwhelming and unfamiliar. Yet, Gaara could not stop looking around, full of carefully-hidden curiosity and excitement.
It was so different from Sunagakure that Gaara wondered if he had fallen asleep. For one, Gaara had never seen so much water together in one place before. Boats and canoes bobbed up and down on the water's surface. Bridges crisscrossed the entire town, which on closer inspection was largely built on stilts.
The people were different, too. Though it was the middle of the day, they walked through the streets, going about their daily business. Fishermen pulled their catch while vendors shouted their prices and haggled with shoppers.
As they walked, people stopped what they were doing to welcome Yuda back, exchanging pleasantries. Gaara couldn't stop looking up at the man in awe. He was full of charisma and kindness in a way that reminded him of Fuu and Naruto. Are there any more people like him in the world?
However, nothing could have prepared Gaara for the most striking difference: the lack of fear.
After Yuda introduced them, the people would greet his team with smiles or waves of their hands. A few times, they thanked them for bringing their leader back unharmed.
While his siblings returned their gratitude with nice words, Gaara stared blankly at the people, unsure how else to react. He had never been to a place where people didn't fear and despise him before. The desire to escape from Sunagakure grew stronger. Is this how people treat you when you're not a jinchuuriki?
Uncomfortable, he resisted the urge to grasp onto the hem of his travel cloak.
Finally, after they talked to what felt like every single person in Shisen, Yuda knocked on the front door of a large wooden house. Without waiting for an answer, he walked inside, kicking his traveling boots off at the door.
"Please come in," he said to Gaara's team, as he stepped into his home. "Himiko-chan! Mako! I'm home!"
"Dad!" At Yuda's words, a young woman who looked to be Yugito's age ran into the room. She grinned before running toward him, jumping on the man and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're back! Took you long enough!"
"Mako!" Yuda lifted her up in a hug. "Sorry it took me so long. How's your mother?"
"She's fine. She says she's happier without you around, but I always see her staring out the window looking wistful." The woman rolled her eyes.
Yuda laughed. "Well, I'm glad to be back. Anyway, I want you to meet the people that helped me get here." He turned around and gestured toward Gaara and his team, turning the woman, Mako's, attention toward them.
"This here is Baki-san," Yuda began. Baki nodded in acknowledgment. "And here is Temari-chan." Temari bowed her head down, a smile on her lips. "And Kankuro-kun." Kankuro crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked. "And Gaara-kun."
Gaara stared up at the woman, unsure how to respond. Taking Kankuro's lead, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, his face controlled to remain neutral.
"It's very nice to meet you," the woman said in return as she bowed her head down, lower than necessary. "Thank you for bringing my father back safely."
Gaara forced himself not to shuffle at all the positive attention in one day.
"The pleasure was ours," Baki replied. "With this, our mission is complete."
"Oh, right, I'm supposed to pay you guys, aren't I?" Yuda chuckled to himself before his face shifted into a frown. "Wait. Why are you four still standing outside, anyway? Come on in! It's too hot and humid outside!"
"Thank you very much, Yuda-san." Baki took his shoes off and stepped inside.
Temari and Kankuro followed his lead. Still unbalanced, Gaara joined them a second later.
"I was just about to start on dinner," Mako continued as she led them down a hallway. "Mom went to get some fish since she thought you'd be back by now, Dad."
They entered a large living area attached to a kitchen. Yuda sat down at a sofa and gestured for Gaara's team to relax. Unused to hospitality, the four of them followed his instructions in uncomfortable silence.
"We will return to Sunagakure once the payment has been completed," Baki said.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Yuda said with a chuckle. "I would pay you right now, but I want you all to stay for dinner first."
Baki frowned. "We must report to the Kazekage as quickly as possible," he argued.
"You can spare an hour or two on dinner though, can't you?"
Baki shook his head. "I'm afraid that would be a bad idea. The Kazekage is expecting us to be back the day after tomorrow.."
"Just stay for dinner!" Yuda insisted. "My wife makes very good fish stew."
"We cannot, Yuda-san." With a nod, he stood up, gesturing for Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari to follow his lead. "We will leave now and that is my final decision."
O-O-O-O-O
Gaara wasn't sure how, but somehow they ended up staying not only for dinner but also for the night.
While Yuda and Baki were still arguing, the man's wife had arrived, introducing herself as Himiko. She had been the one to ultimately win the fight against Baki, arguing that it was the least they could do as thanks.
With Baki's reluctant agreement, their three hosts had urged them to take a bath and rest as they waited for the food to cook. By the time they cleaned up- the first time Gaara had ever been able to take a real bath- dinner was ready.
The meal had been a lively affair. They ate around the small dining table, mismatched chairs shoved close together to maximize the limited space.
Yuda, Himiko, and Mako were perfect hosts, asking questions about life in Suna and listening attentively. Upon learning that Gaara also liked plants, Mako's eyes had brightened. She had focused her attention on him and inundated him with questions.
While at first Gaara had been unsure of what to say, when she started to ramble about rare flower varieties, he had opened up. By the end of the night, their conversations flowed as easily as they did with Yuda.
Before they retired to bed, she gifted him with a packet of flower seeds and a list of care instructions. He thanked her profusely as he placed the present inside his pocket, next to his sketchbook. With final wishes for a good night, Yuda and his family went to bed.
While his team took the opportunity to rest before their journey back, Gaara climbed to the rooftop. Alone, he meditated, feeling the familiar pull that transported him away.
When Gaara entered the Room, Roshi was talking to Naruto and Fuu, looking overjoyed to see them. For the past few weeks, the man had been more talkative than usual, wanting to know every single detail in their lives. According to Han and Yagura, he was lonely because they had gotten separated on their hunt for some missing-nin. Gaara hoped they would find him quickly. Roshi was starting to look miserable and half-crazed after months of being alone.
"Gaara!" Naruto and Fuu shrieked when they saw him appear.
With shouts of glee, they ran toward him. Fuu lifted him up effortlessly in a tight hug while Naruto wrapped his arms around both of them, giggling. Roshi walked toward them and placed a hand on Gaara's head, ruffling his hair.
"I haven't seen you in, like, a week! I thought you were still on a mission!" Fuu said in a cheerful tone. "Or did you already get back to Suna?"
In Fuu's tight grip, Gaara struggled to shake his head. "No, we ended up staying the night at Shisen."
"Shisen?" Naruto and Fuu asked at the same time. Fuu placed him back on the ground. Gaara took in a deep inhale, his lungs screaming in thanks.
"It's where our client lives," Gaara explained. "We escorted him there from the capital."
"Oh, that's nice," Roshi said as he gestured to the center of the room, urging them to sit down in a circle. "A town?"
Gaara nodded. He sat down in a cross-legged position on the ground, leaning his head on Fuu's shoulder. Naruto placed his head on his lap, looking up at him curiously.
"It's full of water," Gaara explained. "But the town is kind of small. I took a bath there for the first time!"
"First time you took a bath?" Naruto teased with a raised eyebrow. "No wonder you smell so bad!"
Gaara rolled his eyes. "A bath in a bathtub! We have to save water in Suna. You know it doesn't rain there often!"
Naruto giggled. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Sounds like you liked the village, Gaara-kun," Roshi said.
"I do," Gaara admitted. "It's just..."
"Just?" Fuu repeated, an eyebrow raised.
"It's just that the man we escorted there was... strange."
"Strange?" A steely tone entered Roshi's voice and he moved to sit closer to Gaara. "In which way?"
"It's... um... I don't know how to explain it," he said, mulling over how to answer.
"Did he do anything to you?" Roshi asked, his voice, if anything, sounded more strained with a hint of anger.
Gaara pouted and he looked up at Roshi. "He touched me, I guess."
"He... touched you?" For some reason Gaara didn't understand, Roshi's face turned murderous.
Gaara nodded. "Yeah. He shook my hand when we met. I think it's the first time anyone has touched me since..." He swallowed, afraid to finish the sentence. "And after that, he talked to me about plants. His daughter has a gardening store, so he knows a lot about them. And I told him about the cacti in the desert. He said my drawing of this cactus I found was really good." He smiled to himself at the memory of Yuda's praise.
"Oh! He touched your hand!" Roshi exhaled a sigh of relief. He leaned back, leaning on his elbows. "For a second I was worried-" he paused as the three children blinked at Roshi, confused. He shook his head. "Nevermind what I thought. What did you find so strange, Gaara-kun?"
Gaara frowned, unsure of what to make of Roshi's shifting moods. He shrugged. "It's just that I haven't had someone being so nice to me before," he admitted. "It was weird. And his wife and daughter were nice too. His daughter even gave me a packet of seeds to take back to Suna."
"Wow! That sounds great!" Fuu said. "What kind of flowers are they? Are they difficult to grow? Do you think they will be fine when you take them back? Did they give you anything else?"
"His wife made a very good fish stew," he said, trying to answer all of Fuu's questions. "She gave me pansies. I don't think they're too hard to grow so they should be fine inside."
"That's so nice, Gaara!" Fuu leaned her head against Gaara's.
"I liked his family a lot," Gaara admitted. "I... I kind of wish I could stay with them."
Roshi frowned. "Yes. I can imagine."
The Room grew quiet, the reality of Gaara's life too depressing to ignore. Fuu wrapped an arm around him while Naruto snuggled closer. Roshi ruffled his hair again, making Gaara smile in comfort.
"Mama, I just have one question," Gaara said once the silence had stretched on for too long.
"What is it, Gaara?"
"Are there a lot of kind people like that in the world?"
"There are," Roshi said. "Though it can be hard to find them. Sometimes you have to look really hard."
"There are some good people, Gaara," Fuu added. "Like Takumi-sensei. He's always nice to me, even after I accidentally left the door open and all the bugs came in during the night."
"I thought you did that on purpose," Naruto commented.
"There's no proof of that."
Gaara hummed to himself, deep in thought. "I think I should say thanks to Yuda-san and his family," he concluded. "Maybe I can give them something."
"Sounds like a good idea, Gaara-kun," Roshi said. "Especially after they gave you a gift."
Gaara nodded. Together, they spent the next hour brainstorming for gift ideas, only stopping when he had to wake up.
With a plan in place, Gaara opened his eyes, returning to the physical world in Shisen. He smiled to himself and climbed down from the roof.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: I have a headcanon that whenever Sasuke is embarrassed, (which is almost never because he was born with an underdeveloped shame gene) he says 'ya know.'
Thank you so much to Morket for beta-ing this chapter. My gratitude is immeasurable.
Also, an update? Just a week after the last one? I hope to be able to go back to the semi-weekly updates now, y'all. No promises, though.
I have a Tumblr at waffledogwrites. You can also add me on Discord (account on my profile).
Next chapter: Sasuke gets mad.