A/N: FLUFF ALERT. In the beginning, anyhow.

The only thing left to do is to wait and see when such a thing can transpire.
I pray it's within the limited time I have to stay here.

I was mistaken; I must have fallen asleep, for when I wake up I'm sweating all over, but it feels chill and clammy. It takes my hazy brain a moment to realize what had woken me, and as I feel he small spot of warmth on my shoulder and the presence of another body seated on the edge of the bed, I feel my stomach turn.

"Naruto…?" I question with a raspy voice.

"I thought I woke you; you stopped moving as soon as I touched you. Daijoubu?"

Am I okay? No, not in the least. That nightmare I just had… it still has me shaking. I sit up slowly. "Naruto… do you ever dream of your precious people being killed by your own hands because your demon took you over?" I want to know.

In the dull moonlight I can see his face contort. "Do I…?" He pauses to swallow hard. "Yeah, I do, all the time. Because I've hurt them before – namely Sakura – when I was in such a state. The scary part is? When I hurt her, I didn't remember when I was myself again. And even worse, Kyuubi's chakra had poisoned her when it entered her body from my claws. So sometimes, yeah, I do dream that I kill them. And when I wake up, I can't help but cry." He shakes his head and dares to move the hand on my shoulder down to my fist. He encircles his fingers around it and I loosen my grip, and I can feel the half-moons my nails left in my palm. He slips his hand into mine, and my stomach turns again, and something warm creeps onto my ears and cheeks. "But it's fine now. Your dream wasn't real, and neither were any of mine. We'll never kill the people we care about… especially not you, since your demon is gone!" the blonde reminds me.

I exhale slowly, and he gives my hand a squeeze before releasing it. Then he exits the room, most likely to give me some privacy and time to recuperate. Frankly, I didn't want him to leave, but I can't stop him; I don't want to sound desperate, and I think that small gesture of kindness – briefly holding my hand – is enough.

You see, my nightmare had been about him. I was taken over by Shukaku at the chunnin exams, and Naruto was fighting me again. Only we were our current ages, and he was crying. He didn't want to fight me. And I didn't want to fight him… but my body kept moving and reacting on it's own. I yelled at the top of my lungs for it to stop, cursing it and trying to ignore the heavy laughter emitting from Shukaku. 'It's no use, mai hitotsu chicchai,' he chuckled, calling me his "little one" to mock me and attempt to frighten me. I would have spat on him in defiance if I could. 'I have you now, and soon, I'll finally have defeated the great nine-tailed fox.'

Naruto had luckily ended my nightmare before I saw him die. But with my own hands, I had wounded him badly enough to have killed him; no healing of Kyuubi's chakra could cure what I had done in that dream. I feel sick thinking about it. I would never want anything to happen to Naruto; not when he's become whatever it is he is to me.

- - -

The morning came without me, which doesn't happen very often. I hear Naruto still snoring, which tells me the sun hasn't been up for too long. Usually I watch the sun rise out of habit and fascination, since every sunrise is unique. But today I missed it.

I come out of the bedroom and peer down the hall. From my angle, I can see Naruto's feet poking from beneath his blankets on his makeshift bed on the kitchen floor. I silently gather my clothes and go into the bathroom to wash, feeling eerily in need of a shower after such a sweaty, restless sleep.

I turn the water as hot as it will go and burn off the lingering shudders from my nightmare and try to take comfort in the highlight of my night: when Naruto had stirred me from my slumber. I have him to thank that I didn't start crying in my sleep. That would have been quite humiliating.

Grabbing he towel and dabbing my body dry, I hear movement coming from the bedroom, and I assume Naruto is awake. I wonder if he's going to leave to train with his sensei soon.

"Ohayougozaimasu, Gaara," Naruto greets as I enter the room. He seems wide awake; did he not sleep? I swear I heard him snoring, and I know it takes him a while to get adjusted in the mornings…

"Ohayou," I return curtly. I set my things down on the bed and look at what he's holding. It's the paper I had been going through last night before our talk.

"I didn't know you did Sumi-e paintings," he murmurs.

"There's a lot of things no one knows I do," I say lightly. "And those ink drawings are one of them. My siblings don't even know."

"Why'd you bring them with you?" he asks, studying with his hands the shape of a panda eating bamboo.

"They were hanging on my bedroom walls," I explain. "Storms can get violent; I have a gut feeling that this one will break windows and bring the storm into our houses, and because of this I didn't want my paintings ruined. To be honest, it's one of the few things I've done in my life that I'm proud of."

"Well, you should be, dattebayo! You're really good at it. Sai would be jealous." And he snickers as if the thought of the artistic ANBU member getting envious of me is extremely amusing.

The kitsune continues shuffling through my insomniac-inspired art as I comb out my hair; it gets awfully tangled if I don't blow-dry it. And since I didn't, it's waving oddly.

"Ne, Gaara… what's this one? It looks like me."

I feel that odd warmth on my ears and cheeks again and I turn to look at the ink painting he's referring to. My doubts come alive when I see he stumbled across the kitsune boy I drew once.

Mind you, I had been very weary (it was one of those nights when I hadn't meditated in a while and was growing sleepy) and needed something to keep me awake. So, with no real inspiration from nature I turned to my head and thought of anything. I had been fourteen at the time, a little over a year since the last time I saw Naruto when we had to save my pupil, Matsuri. And during that night remembered that small adventure and decided I'd draw him… I made a faceless figure with a flame-decorated yukata on and six horizontal whiskers, three on each side of the blank face. I then drew a pair of elongated ears and nine twitching tails behind the figure. The boy wasn't standing nor sitting; he was in a crouch, as if about to attack. But the blank face – lacking eyes, nose, brows and mouth – showed no emotion or intention of killing. It was a confusing piece and done hastily, so there wasn't as much value between the inks or stress in the marks. I'm surprised Naruto recognized it as himself.

I glance back at the window while combing my hair to avoid his playful blue orbs. I shrug in riposte. "I don't remember what I was doing when I made that piece. It could be you; who knows?"

I hear the largest grin in his voice when he says, "I think it is me." He pauses, as if debating about something. "…Can I keep it?"

I cast my gaze back at him. Is he serious?

He studies the expression I must have on my face and laughs. "Yeah, I'm serious. It's really cool, and I like it. So can I? Have it, I mean."

I never once showed anyone my art let alone had someone ask to keep a piece of it. But it wouldn't hurt if he did take possession of it. I begin exiting the room, waving one hand. "I don't care."

He takes that as a 'yes' and cheers. "Yatta! Now, where can I hang it…?" I hear him asking himself. I shake my head at Naruto while in the kitchen and begin boiling water in the tea kettle for coffee. I have to see off the scouts we're sending to Sunagakure (or close enough to it) today.

Naruto enters the kitchen halfway through my task. "I ended up hanging it on the wall where the sunlight can't hit it easily. It makes it appear dark and mysterious," he chuckles in a semi-wistful tone. I ignore the remark and continue preparing my beverage. I hear Naruto sit down at the table behind me. "So, what other little secret hobbies do you have?"

I stall a moment to run the water, seemingly washing my hands. I only have two others, really: I write poetry on occasion, mostly simple haikus, and when I feel like it I sing to myself. They all seem so out of place compared to how heartless I was for so many years, but I suppose that makes me all the more complex to people who don't know me well.

I decide to tell him. When I do, he looks extremely interested and stares at me with wide eyes. "Nesupa? What do you write about? And oh! That reminds me! They have karaoke on Fridays at this bar a friend of mine owns, and –"

"Naruto," I say shortly and send him a stern glance. "Not first thing in the morning. And I refuse to sing in front of others, if that's what you're implying."

He pouts. "But it would be fun, 'ttebayo…"

I shake my head. "Not for me."

"But I'll sing with you so you're not alone! What d'ya say then?"

"I still say no."

The blonde crosses his arms and sticks his tongue in his cheek. "Fine."

Not giving into his act, I finish making my coffee and slug it down while he makes himself cup ramen from the leftover boiled water in the kettle (which I made sure there was enough of; I'm a considerate guest while staying with him). Relatively soon we part ways, him heading towards the training grounds and I pace towards the Hokage mansion.

I'm not required to do much more than direct the men in what to do and where to go. As I'm about to see them off, Rock Lee appears with Tsunade-sama and smiles. "Hello, Gaara-kun!" he greets.

"Yes, hello," the Hokage smirks.

I look between them, nonverbally asking what they're doing.

"I've decided to send one of my own with your men, and Lee volunteered," she tells me. I nod once, not caring. If he wants to escort my men, I don't mind it. They could use a good taijutsu user like him if they run into any enemies.

"Yosh! I'm prepared to carry out my best and report back within a few days!" Lee says with gusto. "You can both count on me, good 'Kage-samas!"

"We don't doubt you, Lee," Tsunade smiles. As he bows to us and jogs to catch up with my shinobi, Tsunade asks, "Would you like to come back with me, Gaara-san? There's something I want to ask you."

I follow her, a way of agreeing. I doubt I could refuse her if I wanted to.

She leads me to her office and takes out a bottle of sake, pouring herself a small glass. She holds it up, as if offering some, but then chuckles when I vigorously shake my head. She knows I'm underaged and would rather not, but she thinks it's funny to offer my some anyway.

Tsunade-sama slams the nearly clear liquid down her throat and sets it aside. "Now then," she starts, "About that question…" She grins at me wholeheartedly, her amber eyes gentle. "Are you comfortable with things here?"

I stare at her a moment. "What do you mean?"

The blonde woman waves a hand, which in turns moves to tighten one of her pigtails. "I mean, is everything working out? Naruto's not being an annoying brat, is he? And your siblings are handling things, and your people are adapting?"

I mull that for a moment. I respond with: "As far as I can see, yes."

"So you and your people are comfortable here? To be honest, I was a bit worried; I was thinking to myself, 'Kami, Tsunade, what have you done this time? Konoha has never sheltered an entire other village in it's walls in the past. Can this even be done?' – But I guess I was worried over nothing. Although…" She gives a knowing smile. "I'm especially interested in how you and Naruto are getting along in your situation. You're people who are poles apart."

I notice the way she says 'people'; she drowns it out, emphasizing it, reminding me that we're human, just as human as everyone else, and that she acknowledges that fact and appreciates it if I acknowledge it, too. Even now, I catch myself not referring to myself as human or a person. Old, demented habits die hard.

"We are different," I tell her, "But not so."

She nods, utterly understanding. I think the sake kicked in somewhat, because her eyelids seem lower. Tsunade-sama raises a hand. "Well, I should let you go, now. But I had to make sure."

I blink, as if shrugging it off. As I leave, she calls out to me.

"Oh, and Gaara-kun… I hope he's not chatting your ear off all the time." She's chuckling to herself.

"No," I say, "Because I'm not letting him."

She laughs harder, and I hear it echo as I walk down the hallway. When I step foot outside, the sun is blinding, and distantly I wonder if I should go watch Naruto train since I have yet to.

Letting my feet carry me where they will, I end up in the field Naruto practices at. I see Sakura sparring with him, and a blade of chakra in front of his knuckles. He's attacking her, trying to slash at the body armor she's wearing. "Good, good…" I hear her cheer him on.

"Gaara!" Naruto calls out in a surprised yet delighted tone when he spies me coming in his direction. He falters in his footing and promptly lands on his rear, which gives Sakura the opportunity to pin him. The kitsune simply smiles.

"Naruto no baka, you can't fall for every distraction you see! If I were an enemy and not your sparring partner, I could've just killed you." Sakura scolds.

"Meh, sorry, but I didn't expect it," he replies sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

From this distance, I can tell by the way she rolls her head back that she's rolling her eyes. She tosses aside the protective padding and lends a hand to help Naruto stand. He immediately trots over to me with a grin on his face.

"Oi, what're you doing here?"

I could ask myself the same question.

"It doesn't matter," Naruto shrugs. "Want to train with us? I bet you could practice some taijutsu or something," he offers. The last statement isn't meant to offend me, even if it sounds that way in the tone he uses. It's a manner of being logical. Plus, he's hinting at my current vulnerability without my demon.

I nod my head and toss off some of my heavy robes to allow more movement. I'm wearing my battle-ready clothing underneath minus the vest and cloak.

"Jeez, Gaara, it's a wonder you don't burn up with that many clothes on!" he says. "And you know, you don't have to wear your Kazekage uniform here… this isn't your village."

To him, that probably seems logical, but I'm required to wear it practically every place I go to show pride in my village and proclaim my title. If I was allowed to, I'd take his advice and never wear them, though. The fabric is nice but much too thin for my liking. I like heavier clothing, because it makes me feel more protected, and replaces the sand armor I used to have.

Sakura cocks her head at me a moment. I don't appreciate her scrutinizing gaze, and I tilt my chin up at her to challenge her. Sakura shakes her head and looks away, not wanting to pick a fight. To herself, I catch her muttering something similar to, "It's not my fault I notice when a guy looks nice in something he's wearing". I'm not sure if that's what she said or not, but that's how I perceive it as, and suddenly I'm self-conscious in the same fashion Naruto acts at times. I glance down at myself.

Naruto chuckles heartily beside me, and I look over at him. "What's the matter?" he asks with a fox-like grin. "You should be glad when a girl stares at you like that. It's a compliment."

Part of me wants to say, 'I'd rather not have a girl look at me like that', but I hold my tongue. Instead, I pick up the discarded gear and hold it up, silently asking if I should put it on.

The blonde looks unsure. He turns to Kakashi. "Should Gaara wear the pads, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I don't think he'll need them," the silver-haired man replies around a book in his hands. Most likely one of the risqué novels written by Naruto's former godfather.

"Okay," Naruto says. He turns back to me. "You can set them over there, Gaara. If Kakashi-sensei says you won't need them, I believe him. You might want some kunai, though." He hands me a three.

I take the knives and set the padding aside. I then line myself up with the blonde from across the field. I clench one kunai tightly and bend over, waiting.

"Ready?" Naruto called across the grounds.

I nod, and at first I think he doesn't see the movement. I'm about to verbally say that I was ready when I'm struck flat on my back.

And that's when I apprehend the situation and think: this is wrong.

A/N: I bet you're all sitting there wondering, "WHAT'S 'wrong', Gaara? WHAT?!" but I ain't telling you until the next chapter, mwahaha! Which should be out in another month.

Nah, I'm just kidding; the next chapter should be out later tonight, actually. Yup, two updates in one day; because 2,000-to-3,000 word chapters are easy to make after all the 4,000-to-8,000 word chapters I made for DB. (dies)

Thanks for twelve reviews after only a day of posting! That makes me so excited for this mini-ficlet!