All Alone

Hello everyone! I am extremely sorry that I have not posted the new chapter until now. Shortly after having my wisdom teeth removed I started college. I haven't had a lot of free time to work on this story, and I regret that. I do not know how often I will be able to post chapters, but I do plan to continue writing this story. Thank you for reading the story thus far. Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 3

Temari woke with a start. "Gaara!" She looked around. Why am I in my room? she wondered. Slowly she recollected her dream and remembered the last few days. She recalled Gaara's death and instantly became sorrowful. Then she remembered that she was about to kill herself when… Naruto had stepped in and stopped her. He had cried for her. Then he had wrapped his arms around her and told her that if he was there she didn't have to be alone. She remembered crying and breaking down and clinging to him for dear life. Now she was in her room.

What happened? she thought. Did I fall asleep, and if I did, why am I in my room? Suddenly she thought, Did Naruto carry me all the way to my room? Surely not. She glanced down and was shocked to find that she had been tucked into bed. She could feel heat rising in her cheeks. Proud of being a strong kunoichi, Temari found the thought of being carried home asleep in the arms of a ninja from another village very embarrassing. On top of that, that same ninja had carefully put her in bed and pulled the covers over her. She lowered her head into her hands. He even took my headband off for me! She wanted to be angry with Naruto but found that no matter how hard she tried, she just could not get mad at him.

Strangely, Temari felt some urge to talk to the blonde. She had to know why he had stayed behind and consoled her. She flung off her covers and got up. I should probably take a shower and get changed.

As Temari stepped in the shower, she turned the knob all the way hot. Even though she lived in the desert, Temari hated anything but a hot shower. While she was showering, all she could think about were Naruto's words to her. They kept rolling around in her mind. "I'm sorry for everything you have had to go through… As long as I'm here, you don't have to be alone." Her whole life people had avoided and feared her. Whether it was because she was the brother of Suna's ultimate weapon, or if it was because she was a tough kunoichi that wasn't to be messed with, no one had ever gotten close to her, let alone comforted her. And yet, Naruto had. It baffled her that the normally extremely hyperactive and dense ninja could even feel sympathy at all, much less for someone he barely knew. I need to talk to him.

Temari finished her shower and donned her normal attire: a short-sleeved black kimono with slits up the sides of the legs and a red sash around the waist, her black sandals and fingerless black gloves, and her signature fan. She picked up her headband and opted to wear it on her neck instead of her forehead. Then she separated her hair into four ponytails. She looked in a mirror to make sure everything was perfect before exiting her room.

Temari had no clue where to start looking for the blonde ninja, so she questioned one of the assistants at the manor if they had seen a blonde-haired ninja.

"Oh, you mean the one that carried you home two days ago?" the assistant asked.

"Two days ago!" exclaimed Temari.

"Yes," replied the assistant, "a blonde ninja from Konoha entered the mansion two days ago carrying you and asked for your room. I directed him to the correct door. After a while, he came out and told me that Miss Temari needed her rest. He said that you had been through a lot and could very well sleep for over a day. I acknowledged his orders and have not bothered you."

Temari was floored. She must have been so mentally and physically exhausted that she slept for two whole days.

"Where is the shinobi now?" she asked, expecting him to be in a hotel nearby.

"Oh, the blonde and his Leaf teammates all left shortly after he brought you home. There was apparently an urgent message from their village. The blonde told me to tell you that he is extremely sorry that he is unable to attend the funeral of Gaara. He said that Gaara was the best friend that he had and and truly wished that he could stay. He left a bouquet of flowers in the flower shop near the manor to put on Gaara's grave."

Funeral! In Temari's haste to talk to Naruto, she had managed to forget that her brother had been killed. She fought back tears as she relived her younger brother's death. Managing to hold herself together, she asked one more question, "When is the funeral?"

"The funeral is scheduled for tonight at 7:00."

Temari forced a "thank you" before turning around and going back to her room.

Temari carefully closed the door behind her and crumpled to the floor in tears. She pulled her legs to her chest and placed her arms over them with her hands covering her face. The reminder of Gaara's death was almost too much to handle. Her sobs were so great that they shook her whole body. She kept seeing Gaara's body fall from the sky and get picked up by Deidara's bird. Then she saw his lifeless body as a crying Naruto set him on the ground in front of Lady Chiyo.

Why did this have to happen? After Gaara had come so far to gain the respect of the villagers that despised him, why did he have to die? She recalled everything Gaara had went through. All those people that despised him and attempted to kill him. The cowards that mocked and spit at him. Gaara had finally gained the trust of the entire village just to be murdered by the Akatsuki.

After some time, Temari forced herself to get up and prepare for her brother's funeral. Fighting tears, she searched her closet for her much too used funeral attire. This was the fourth time she would be donning that accursed dress. That dress so black, it seemed to be engulfed with the deaths of her loved ones. As she put the dress on, it felt as if a huge weight were being placed across her shoulders. She looked in the mirror. Her appearance was one of a person that has experienced more than their fair share of grief. She began to tear up again as the dress brought back the memories of everyone that had died. Her mother, her father, Kankuro, and now Gaara. After tonight's funeral, there would be no one else she would ever have to wear this dress for.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally time for Temari to go to Gaara's funeral. On the way to the cemetery, she dropped by a flower shop to purchase some flowers for the grave. When she entered the shop, the shopkeeper greeted her in his usual way.

"Hello Miss Temari!"

"Hello Mr. Moto."

"I am sorry for the loss of your brother Gaara," began Mr. Moto, "He was one of the best Kazekages the Sand has ever had. I know my condolences could never outweigh the burden you must feel right now, so please feel free to ask for my assistance whenever you may need it."

"Thank you for your concern," replied Temari. "It has been very rough dealing with Gaara's death, and I appreciate the way you feel about him. The only request I have is to help me pick out the best bouquet I can to place on his grave."

"I would love to help you, Miss Temari, but someone has already purchased flowers for you to use."

Puzzled, Temari asked, "Who did that? I never asked anyone to order any for me?"

"Let's see. He didn't give his name, but he bought two sets of flowers. He said they were both for you to place on the Kazekage's grave."

Temari was genuinely concerned. Who could have purchased two bouquets of flowers for me to use at Gaara's funeral? Before she could ask another question, the shopkeeper spoke up.

"I almost forgot! He told me to make sure you knew that one set of flowers was for you to use, while the other was for you to use in place of him. Apparently, he was going to be unable to attend the funeral." After saying this, the shopkeeper went to the back of the store. He returned shortly thereafter with two beautiful bouquets.

"These are the best flowers that can be purchased at my little shop. Please take them."

Temari was even more confused. She had no idea who bought these flowers. She took the bouquets from the man and carefully started to walk towards the exit.

"By the way," said Mr. Moto, "the bouquet with the orange and red flowers are supposed to be the set that the man who purchased them was to place on the grave."

Temari stopped in her tracks. Orange? She looked down at the flowers in her arms. Sure enough, one of the bouquets consisted of orange and red flowers. "Mr. Moto, what did this man look like?"

Mr. Moto closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Hmmm…. I can't remember a lot about him, but two features really stood out to me."

"And what were those features?" asked Temari, desperately wanting to discover who bought all these flowers.

"Well, this man had very blue eyes. He also had a shock of blonde hair that no one could miss."

Temari's eyes widened. Naruto!? She couldn't believe it. Not only had Naruto taken her home and put her in her bed, but he had also thought to purchase funeral flowers for her to use. Just who exactly is Naruto Uzumaki? she wondered, and why has he done so much for me? Then his words went through her mind again. 'I'm sorry for everything you have had to go through… As long as I'm here, you don't have to be alone.'

"Miss Temari?" She could tell that Mr. Moto was worried about her. She had no idea how long she had been standing there trapped in thought. She managed to pull herself together and thank the shopkeeper for giving her that information. Then she sped out of the shop.

I need to talk to Naruto. If I don't, I might go crazy.

New chapter complete! I hope you all enjoyed the new chapter in All Alone. Please let me know if there is anything I can improve or if you think that something could benefit the story in any way.