Gaara's POV
"I'm just so nervous for both of them. Naruto is so sick, and Sakura is now in surgery…I hope everything turns out okay." A brunette states, biting her lower lip as she taps a pen against her knee. Her eyes are fixated on the scenery unfolding outside, and they are glazed with worry and anticipation. The sun is setting, kissing the warm autumn day goodbye. A cool breeze rustles the cream white curtains in the hospital room. It flies through my hair, sending a small shiver through my already ice cold body.
"Oh, you must be cold. I'll close those." She states, getting up from her chair and rushing over to the window to shut out the cool breeze that's flying into the room. Her short cut brown hair bobs up and down as she makes her way over to the window, she takes in a deep breath as if the cool air will make all of her worries and frustrations dissipate, and then she shuts the window.
She twirls around on her foot to face me, those chocolate brown orbs staring into my teal ones. I feel my face growing hot, and avert my gaze.
What the heck is wrong with me?
"Gaara, are you feverish, you're all red?" She asks worriedly rushing over to my side, but before she can place a delicate hand on my head I get out of my bed and move towards the door.
"I just need to take a walk, get my mind off of somethings." I state, opening the door and ignoring her yells saying that she doesn't trust me and to be back soon.
I rush through the white hallways, now only lit by the dim light of the sun and the horrible lighting of the hospital lights. Honestly, I'm already white enough but these hospital lights make me look translucent.
My mind wanders over to a certain brunette, completely ignoring the random stares and snickers from the hospital staff.
I've known Matsuri now for about two or so months, and honestly the first time I met her I literally hated her. She was too sweet, too nice, and I wanted none of that fake kindness. I just wanted to be alone. But, soon after I realized that she was just a sweet girl in general. She constantly cared about each and every patient she received. That same sweet smile curled up on her lips, the same way she would tuck each patient in and make sure that they were all set for the day/night. That same caring tone she used more with me than with anybody else.
She just had an angelic personality that totally contradicted mine. And, then I guess our little teasing games started.
It began when I rushed off that day with Naruto and Sakura, and then I suddenly grabbed that little hat off of Matsuri's head and teased her about it. To be honest, I don't even know why I did it. It just felt like the thing to do.
She threw a hissy fit, and I didn't hear the end of it until I was back in my room and I forced myself to fall asleep. Literally I shut my eyes and pretended that I was tired, and somehow I passed out.
After that incident she had sworn that she wouldn't let me out of her sight, and so that's how it began. I would constantly try to make her annoyed by running around the hospital, causing a ruckus in the lunch room, and this one time I even followed her into the girl's bathroom saying that I was supposed to be with her at all times.
My head ended up in the toilet and she was whacking me with a toilet paper roll.
But, why do I constantly feel like my gut is swirling inside of me, like my heart is about to burst out of my chest when I see that cute little annoyed pout she makes when she's upset with me. The way her eyes soften when I talk about my past, the way her comforting hands squeeze my tense shoulders making my whole entire body relax.
What is this feeling? Ah, what's happening to me?!
My thoughts are put to a halt as I stop before the room of someone who I've been dying to talk to.
I turn the knob slowly and take a deep breath bracing myself for whatever is going on in there.
"Gaara?" A voice asks as I awkwardly stand in the door frame.
"You look like a dead animal." I state, a smirk playing on my lips.
"Hmph, at least I'm not translucent!" He retorts.
Even when he's an inch from death, the energy from his eyes never leaves.
"How are you feeling Naruto?" I ask gently, as I take a seat next to his bed.
To be completely honest, I wasn't lying when I said he looked like a dead animal. His whole entire body is pale white, his eyes are caving into his own body, his skins looks flaky, and his hair is basically all gone.
But, his bright and lively eyes, and that million-dollar grin seem to make up for all of that.
A soft smile plays on my lips as I notice that he's not completely gone.
"I could be better…I'm just waiting for a bone marrow donor. It's kind of my only hope as of right now." He says, chuckling softly at the little chances he has of actually staying alive.
"You might be surprised, a lot of people came around a few days ago to donate. Results aren't in until tomorrow morning."
His eyes widen.
"Really, who?" He asks curiously and shifts a little to face me better.
My heart shatters as I realize just how difficult it is for him to move a centimeter, to position himself in a comfy bed. A small groan of displeasure escapes his lips and he grabs at his side to try and sooth the pain.
"Gaara, don't give me that look please." His voice comes out hoarse and pleading.
I snap out of it, and instead answer his question.
"A ton of snobby brats from your school."
He laughs, a light hearted and uplifting laugh. There it is, there's that laugh that I've missed hearing from him.
"Snobby brats huh? I wonder if any of them will be my perfect match."
"I'm sure one of them is bound to be."
"Yeah, hey how's Sakura doing? I heard she went into surgery this morning. Is she out yet?" He asks, and I can see the worry glazing over those cerulean orbs of his.
"No, she's still in surgery, but I'm sure she'll be out by tomorrow morning. It's just a donation, nothing critical don't be too worried Naruto."
A small smile plasters on his weak lips. A comfortable silence settles in nicely, the only noise filling the room is the constant beeping of that darn heart monitor.
"Say Gaara, what brings you here anyways?" He asks, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Okay, I think I'm getting sick."
"Wait, seriously what's wrong?" He asks worriedly.
"There's this weird feeling in my stomach, like you know whenever I see that the menu has a new flavor of McFlurries?" He nods not really understanding where I'm going with this. And I'm pretty sure I don't either.
"Well it's the exact same feeling! Like the excitement to actually taste the new flavor, but then the nervousness of tasting it and totally hating it. Although, that's never happened before so I highly doubt it." I stop, thinking of where I'm going with all of this. And then I begin to think of McFlurries and realize I haven't had one since yesterday night and I zone out.
"Do continue." He presses on, giving me a kind of confused look. I snap out of my McFlurry trance and try to retrace my point.
"Well, basically this feeling only really happens when I see Matsuri. I don' t really know what's happening, I told a doctor to check me out but she said everything with me seems normal."
Naruto lets out a chuckling breath and rolls his eyes at my confusion.
"Gaara you liiiiiiiiiike her. It's so obvious, everything you just mentioned! You get butterflies when you see her because you like her!"
Butterflies, what?
"Naruto, butterflies don't just suddenly appear in one's stomach."
He rolls his eyes again.
"Dude, it's a metaphor are you stupid? It means you get nervous around her because you like her. It happens to the best of us, trust me."
"Oh like you and Sakura?" I return the same look he'd given me just moments before.
His whole face reddens, but he doesn't avert his eyes.
"Exactly."
Wait, so this means I have feelings for the brown haired brat?! Wow, my life is really messed up.
"Does she like me back?" I ask, and Naruto sighs once more.
"I don't know, that's for you to find out."
"How?"
"For the love of- Gaara I'm not some kind of love advisor. Why don't you be a big boy and find out on your own?" He turns his head so that he is staring at the ceiling.
"Love should be something you experience all by yourself, no one else should tell you how to experience it." He says, closing his tired eyes and I notice his breathing becomes slower.
Panicking that he's going to die right in front of me I splash some water in his face.
His eyes snap open, and he spits water from his mouth.
"GAARA WHAT THE HECK?!" He screams out, but is too exhausted to move and wipe his face.
"I thought you were going to die on me." I state matter of factly and get up to wipe his face.
"GAARA I GIVE YOU PROBABLY THE BEST LOVE ADVICE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET AND MY THANKS IS GETTING COLD WATER SPLASHED IN MY FACE! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF NAPPING?!" He screams, trying with all of his might to whack me as I wipe his face and take the soaked sheets off of him.
I laugh at his outburst. Honestly, only he's able to be this energetic in a critical state like he's in now.
"I'll call in a nurse to clean up this mess. And hey, if you actually did die on me your welcome for saving your life."
"You little-!" He struggles to get out of bed, but the minute he sits up I see his eyes roll back into his head and he limply falls back down, his head hitting the fluffy pillow.
Panic swoons over me and I rush over to his side, and literally feel that I killed him.
But, after a few agonizing seconds, he opens his lazy eyes and shoots me a small smile.
"Wow, I didn't think sitting up would take that much energy out of me."
"You just scared me senseless." I blurt out.
I sit back down and run a hand through my messy hair. Gosh, Naruto better not die. Looking over at him now, death is literally lingering over his crumpled body.
His eyes look over at me, but I see that he's trying hard to stay awake.
"Get some sleep, I'm going to figure this whole thing out with Matsuri."
He doesn't respond, but gives me a reassuring smile. I lean over his bed, and squeeze his small shoulders. He smiles, with his tired eyes closed.
To be completely honest, Naruto is more of a family to me then my actual family has ever been these past couple of months. We have a brotherly bond, one that can never be broken. I feel a small smile creep it's way onto my pale lips.
I release my grip from his shoulder, and notice he's already fast asleep. I tip toe out of the room and slowly close the door behind me.
And then realization hits.
That might've been the last time I'd ever get to see Naruto.
Matsuri's POV
"Honestly, he takes a walk for 30 minutes. I'm pretty sure he ditched the hospital and went to some ghetto meeting."
I puff out my cheeks in frustration and continue tiding up his messy room. Honestly, there are dirty socks in every crack and corner of this room, and these bed sheets reek of McDonald's.
Just when I'm about to undress his bed and throw on some new sheets, the door flings open and there stands Gaara. Cars keys jingling in his hand, he rushes over to me, grabs my hand and pulls me out of the room.
"Gaara what are you doing?!" I hiss, noticing that his grip on my wrist is quite strong.
"We're going on a date."
A...date?
"What?!" I blurt out, completely confused. Not only at the fact that we're going on a date from thin air, but also at the fact that he even knows what that is.
He doesn't say anything until we reach his car, where he opens the door for me.
Yeah, right I'm getting in there.
"What are you waiting for?" He asks, annoyed.
I cross my arms over my chest.
"Gaara, when you take a girl out on a date you kind of have to ask her first."
His face falls at my remark, and I notice that he looks around awkwardly.
"Oh, sorry I had no idea."
I sigh. Of course he has no idea, it's dense and spontaneous Gaara after all.
He closes the door, and shoves his keys back in his pocket. I turn around, ready to head into the hospital having my red haired patient trail behind me, but four words freeze me in my tracks.
"I like you Matsuri." He says rather confidently.
I stop cold, still not turning around.
Why is my heart pounding inside of my chest? It's just Gaara, he's probably drunk or something.
I turn around, inhaling sharply through my nose.
"Are you drunk?" I ask, scanning his face.
He throws up his hands.
"Why are you being difficult?" He mutters, and runs a rough hand through his messy crimson hair.
"Me?! You're the one dragging me out while I'm cleaning your room to ask me on a date!"
"Exactly, I thought that's what you're supposed to do when you like a girl." He says, clearly frustrated.
"Well, yeah but it has to be a little more romantic." I state and turn around once again, but am stopped as a hand grabs my wrist.
"Matsuri wait, please."
His voice is so gentle, so pleading that I can't help but look over my shoulder at him.
Is he…is he blushing?! I feel my heart flutter in my chest and suddenly my stomach is swirling.
Since when did Gaara get so…so cute. Now that I think about it he is rather handsome, has a killer personality, but then again he does drive me insane.
But, isn't that what I love about him?
Love. Oh my goodness Matsuri what is going on with you!?
"Let me try again."
I wait for him to collect his thoughts. He opens his mouth, then closes it, and then opens it again.
Finally, after what's felt like an eternity, he gathers the perfect words and spills them out to me.
"Will you be my date and accompany to get the new flavor of McFlurries that just came out today?"
Even though that's probably the worst first date spot, and probably the worst proposal for a first date, I feel myself turning around fully, and heading to the passenger seat, opening the door as I climb in. But before I do so I call out to the smiling redhead.
"Well, if you put it that way how could I say no?"
"You'd say yes anyways." He mutters and smirks as he climbs into the driver's seat.
I can hear my heart beating in my ears and I realize exactly what's going on.
I like Gaara.
No.
I like like Gaara, as in more than friends.
Just how exactly did that even happen?
Who knows.
AN: omg you guys this chapter was so much fun to write! I just love Gaara and Matsuri in this fic. (:
Well, A lot of you were upset by the short chapters I was posting so I decided to write a super long one. I started this last night, and tidied it up this morning (since im sick AGAIN and am missing school I felt like I could write something and voila this was born). I hope you enjoy this chapter, I personally had a blast writing it!
And yah, Gaara and Matsuri will probably be continued in the next chapter and then I'll go back to Sakura, and then the results of the donation...and then we'll see where the story takes us from there.
AND OMG BIG THANKS TO "DUH BOMB" YOU ARE LITTERALLY AMAZING. Thank you so much for encouraging me on writing and also that epic McFlurry idea! :D You're awesome, I'm glad I have someone like you to help me out! *sendskisses*
Until next chapter, toodles~