The Burning Mines

IV: Conversations and Confrontations

Naruto had to take his hat off at the third hour of work.

Along with his button down.

And his T-shirt.

And hell, he would have gotten rid of his jeans if Shikamaru hadn't given him that look as he was unbuttoning them.

It was hot.

No hotter than any other day, but the sun was at high noon, and the rocky plains that the mining fields were located in seemed to fester in the heat and reflect it back on the hard working miners. It had taken almost four hours to teach and assign them where to go, but that was less time than it usually took since most everyone had mined before. The tricky part had been what he was going to do with the young-ins who he'd hired despite his speech about adults only.

He'd initially thought he'd use them to drive the oil trucks further into town where the oil would be processed and bought by whoever the hell it went to - Naruto didn't really know the intricacies past the digging part - but it was too early to need the trucks yet. First the men had to unground the earth and find the central point of oil, in which case it would be several points, since Konoha was so blessed, and when that was done, they had to build around the central points all while avoiding dry, caved in holes dug up from the previous years, then form new wells to gather the oil into buckets so that could be transferred to the trucks, all while avoiding the dry oil holes dug up from previous seasons.

But it would be a while before all of that. Summer oil mining usually took all summer, sometimes moving into the fall season if the earth was being stingy or if the men from the fall and winter sucked the place drier than Sasuke's humor.

So for now Naruto had to make the young one's do half jobs that he usually assigned to people who were slow to learn, like going into the mines with the wheelbarrows and picking up the rocks that accumulated at each mining station.

It was a dangerous job, as people had been injured, and sometimes even killed due to collapsing rocks, but Naruto had to do what he had to do.

Being hirer for the mines also meant being the out-looker of the whole operation, so he couldn't really go into the mines and work, where it would undoubtedly be cooler; instead he had to over see the mining grounds from above to spot dark oil markings, misbehavior on the job, or faulty digging.

In the past the mining fields were set up to block the sun, but people found that it made it a hassle to rebuild around central oil points and too many accidents having to do with workers getting stuck with no one to help them made the late Sarutobi order the grounds to be opened up so that an overseer could look into the grounds from above and watch for any foul play.

This put Naruto right in the suns rays, which bat at him relentlessly. It had been unbearable earlier, what with his hangover, but it was better now. All he had to deal with was the heat. Several workers had taken their shirts off just as he had, despite their being in a cooler area, but Naruto supposed it made sense since the lot of them were heavy lifting, and digging into the ground and the walls to find and make way for the new wells.

Despite the heat the day had gone smoothly so far. Kiba had come to help with the over looking, and he'd gathered a crowd of people to one part of the field so he and the men could work together. Shikamaru had taken the rest of the of them and assigned them to other parts, so Naruto hadn't really had a chance to come into the contact with anyone except the young ones, who he'd helped remove rocks from the mining sites for some time.

Naruto had thought it would stay that way, with him just inspecting the sites, and helping the young ones, when his eyes settled on a harsh spot of red in the near distance.

Gaara.

The redhead was working on Kiba's part of the field, swinging a pick axs into a wall to make space for ground to unearth. Every swing brought a dozen pebbles and rocks falling into the ground. Kids that were a little older than Konohamaru dashed in every few minutes with their wheelbarrows to carry the accumulation of rocks at Kiba's station. Every once in a while Gaara would help haul a particularly large rock onto the contraption before going back to his own work.

He wore a sleeveless white T-shirt that was soaked to the bone, he was working so hard. The shirt stuck to his skin, and was practically see-through.

Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit. Yesterday he might have drooled over the man, but the real issue in the matter swirled in his head like a dark cloud.

They don't set them free; they kill them.

Naruto looked to the ground and shut his eyes. If that was true then he would have to take the man somewhere private, get the real answers, and then, if what Shikamaru said was true, get rid of him. Naruto had hired a lot of questionable people but not murderers who escaped from jail then lied about it. And it was such a shame. Gaara seemed like a nice guy. He'd thought he felt feel goodness from the redhead. And life had made Naruto very good at reading people. Knowing what was in their hearts and such.

But it seemed he was wrong about this one.

With a mind to get back to his duties, he saw Gaara haphazardly drop his ax from the corner of his eye. He would have stayed on the redhead but a small shout sounded somewhere else in the same station. A wheelbarrow had its wheels stuck in a hole under a hood of a rock, and a small boy was grunting and trying to push and pull it free.

Naruto anticipated the shift of the loose hood of rocks above the boy before he actually saw it move, and before he knew it he was running forwards on the large boulder he stood on to shout, "Hey, kid – get the hell out of there!"

And it was like the rock shook just to spite Naruto's yell, because in the next moment there was a crunch, and a large chip was falling and heading towards the boy's head.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, and he saw Shikamaru seeing the same thing from where he was, and blowing a whistle he had around his neck. There was no way he would make it in time—

But then Naruto had to stop running. Because someone was knocking the boy out of the way, and catching the large rock that threatened to break through the young boy's skull. Naruto blinked.

Gaara.

Everyone in the station stopped working, and Kiba went over to the scene, whipping his cap off. It was obvious he didn't have any idea what was going on. Naruto couldn't hear them, but he saw the little boy's mouth moving, explaining to his friend what the hell what was going on. Kiba seemed to sigh heavily before he turned to Gaara, patted his back and said something that looked grateful.

And then it was over and everyone was returning back to their spots in their station. Some other man helped the kid pull the wheelbarrow, and said something that made the kid hightail it out of there.

Naruto stood awkwardly in his half running stance.

Gaara had…saved that kid. What kind of…

What kind of lying outlaw did that?

Said redhead threw his head back and from a distance Naruto could see him run a hand through his hair, gather all the sweat there, and shake it out as if he'd just got out of the shower. Then he, damn him, reached for the hem of his shirt with both hands and pulled the thing over his head.

Naruto's mouth was too dry to swallow by then.

The slight arch Gaara had to make to get the shirt off exposed the muscle of his back, chest, and long arms. Naruto saw fine hairs decorating his armpit, and a slight trail of the same colored hair from just below his belly button to the inside of his sagging jeans.

Naruto shook his head viciously, and turned resolutely away.

There it was again. That feeling, just above his groin. Like the first time he laid eyes on the man. Naruto felt his face heat up, but if anyone looked at his passive expression they would only blame the redness on the heat of the sun.

So…Naruto could actually still feel this way, he thought to himself, his eyes dimming. Six years was a long time – time enough for him to have found someone else, just like Sasuke had. But…

But what? He thought indignantly, and the smile he had on was bitter.

He'd been waiting for Sasuke to come back that was what. He'd been waiting to come home from work one day, and for the asshole to be laying on the couch, or waiting for him on top of the stairs, saying "just kiddin'" or admitting he'd made a terrible mistake.

But that never happened.

And Naruto became but a shell of himself. Devoid of the feelings that drew him to Sasuke, that drew him to any man.

Naruto touched his stomach.

Attraction. That's what this was. Attraction. He was feeling attraction after he'd felt nothing like it for six years.

But it was nothing intense, he assured himself. He was simply appreciating good looks.

It was just a shame that those good looks had to be wasted on a liar.

He looked at the sky, then at his shadow. It was at least an hour past noon. Lunch time. "All right!" he called out from his position on the overseers boulder. "Lunch time everyone!" He wanted to get answers from the outlaw now, before more doubts rumbled about in his head.

There was a chorus of clangs and clonks, as people threw their tools on the floor and yelled, "finally" and "Halle-freakin'-lujah".

Shikamaru looked at him from his position above the mines, and then at the sky. He seemed to accept what he saw there, and nodded at Naruto. "Follow me everyone!" he called. "Make a line at the front. I'll be passin' out your lunches courtesy of the wife's diner!"

Some people shouted in glee—mostly the younger ones, while everyone else looked either shocked or confused. Naruto smiled. He knew that Konoha Mines were the most generous. No one else offered food on the job, but Naruto knew how hard times would be, so he begged Ino to prepare the meals for the hundred and seventy eight miners, not including himself, Kiba and Shikamaru.

The blonde made his way down below easily, holding onto a few rocks here and there before he jumped onto solid ground.

He saw Gaara, taking his sweet time to get to the line. In fact it looked like he was letting everyone pass him before he could get a chance to leave his station. Naruto wrinkled his nose at that, eyeing the redhead with narrowed eyes as he made his way to the line that was forming in front of Kiba and Shikamaru who were handing out small white bags to eager and hesitant hands.

Naruto decided what move he would make then.

He hung back at the end of the line. As soon as he spotted the redhead he would follow him to wherever he chose to eat, and confront him. It might end nastily so Naruto had to tell Shikamaru first and make the man hang back until the blonde gave him a signal that it was all right or that he would need his help.

Naruto made his way towards the brunette, keeping his eye out for the shock of red hair.

"Shika," he started, when he reached his friend.

The man spared him a distracted glance while handing out the food.

"I'm taking care of it now."

Shikamaru paused, narrowing his eyes at Naruto. Naruto knew that he could tell what he was talking about right away. "Who is it?" the man asked, his voice hushed.

"The one over the there," Naruto nodded in the distance. "Red hair, real nice eyes." He hesistated. "I-I mean creepy eyes. L-like a raccoon." He corrected lamely.

Shikamaru seemed to not have heard Naruto's fumble with words, instead he was looking at the redhead who was walking away. "Red hair…raccoon eyes…" he whispered, as if thinking.

"Yeah…" Naruto said slowly. "Anyway, I'm goin' for it—"

"Hey boss!" said someone, punching him in the ribs from the side.

Naruto winced and turned around. He smiled when he saw who it was. "How ya doin' twenty-five." He said to Konohamaru. "How's the minin' life treatin' you?"

Konohamaru had already dug into his plain white lunch bag and was chewing obnoxiously at the sandwich he'd been given. "S'haaard." He said, with his mouth full. "Plenty of people to talk to, though. Thas' more 'an I can say for my house down on the farm." He swallowed and took another large bite. "I'm the youngest," he managed to say around the food, "but the others are like me. 'Cept Toko. He thinks he's better an' everyone else just 'cuz."

"Just 'cuz what?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Just 'cuz."

Naruto nodded in understanding, and gave the boy another smile. "Well then, why don't you go run along and play with your new friends. Kinda have business to attend to here."

Konohamaru scowled at him, looking offended. "Ain't playin'." He said seriously. "Ain't no kid, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, twenty-five. Now get on." He said, inclining his head towards the direction of the other younger workers. "Adults are talkin'."

Konohamaru huffed something foul at him, before childishly sticking his tongue out and stomping away.

"How old is that kid?" Kiba asked from beside him. He was standing a few feet away from Shikamaru.

Naruto gave the man a grin. "Twenty-five."

Kiba's eyes widened, while Shikamaru only rolled his eyes.

Naruto chuckled at that, glad that his friend didn't seem to have any intention of telling Kiba the truth, before he looked up to spot red hair again.

He saw Gaara walking across the main road, along with many others, making his way towards the large boulder field ahead, which hid Konoha County Lake on the other side.

Naruto followed him.

As soon as eight o'clock hit, it was as if he never left the city. Sasuke's cellphone rang every ten minutes with clients and coworkers asking him for advice on marketing deals with their cooperate partners and business transactions with other companies. His wife had been the caller half the time, asking how he was doing in his hometown and if she should proceed with his work, and still complaining about the "too-young" nanny—it was almost enough for Sasuke to forget the curiosity he'd previously had for what happened upstairs last night.

He spent half the morning finishing paperwork he'd procrastinated on before, and the other half futilely trying to find any internet source he could use to plug in his laptop. In the end he had to give up on finding any sort of connection, and just settled with being happy his partners in the office could contact him via cellphone.

As noon approached, Sasuke found he had a headache forming and had to stop working. He could work for hours upon hours, but not without food, and the blonde's fridge had been empty when he checked. Sasuke decided he would speak to Naruto about it when the idiot came home. There was no way he was going to pay almost three thousand dollars to sleep on a couch and starve.

With his mind away from work he found himself thinking about the noises he'd heard upstairs again. They were like crashes, as if someone had thrown something – like a bottle – against a wall. Sasuke frowned. He was going to find out what the hell that had been. He laid his work on the living room table and made his way to the stairs. He had to pause though, even before he could put his foot on the first step.

Because he could remember.

He remembered the time Naruto had been drunk off two shots of tequila and had fallen down the steps laughing as Sasuke shouted at him in hysterics, checking for broken bones, he remembered the fights they had with him standing in the middle of the steps and Naruto on the bottom as they pointed fingers and cursed—

And he remembered Naruto on the top step that one day. Sitting on the hideous red carpet as he chewed an apple. He'd smiled down at Sasuke when Sasuke had come home, and Sasuke had scowled at him, telling him he'd better not sit on the bed with an ass that had been sitting on that dirty infested, sweat smelling thing. Naruto had laughed at him, obnoxious but loving, and beckoned the man over.

And of course Sasuke went. He always went. And then Naruto had murmured something useless into his ear about his pants not being dirty, and Sasuke had ignored him and taken his pants off anyway, and the half-hearted argument dissolved into whole-hearted slow love making on the stairs, until the memory dissipated all together and Sasuke was left staring at the staircase.

Naruto replaced the carpet.

Sasuke's eyes dimmed as he looked at them. There used a brash red of a carpeting, covering the steps. That carpet had been an absolute mess. It stank of dirt, sweat – and semen, Sasuke remembered with a twitch. He'd wanted to get rid of it for the longest time, but for the life of him Naruto wouldn't let it go. He said the carpet had too many fond memories.

Now the red material was an inconspicuous gray thing, that didn't stink of anything. It was just a carpet. A carpet with no memories. No memories with Sasuke in them.

When Sasuke was up the stairs he went to the first door in the hallway, which he knew would be Naruto's room. But when Sasuke entered what he and Naruto chose as their bedroom six years ago, he found it mostly empty. The master bed was still there, but most of the cabinets were gone, and so were all the photographs they'd hung up on the walls. When Sasuke walked into the room, he found that the floor was a bit dusty, and that the bed looked like it'd been made years ago, and not tampered with since.

Sasuke frowned, as realization dawned on him. Naruto had made the master bedroom—their old room—into the guest room. He blinked. Then where was Naruto's room?

Sasuke closed the door behind him and walked further down the hallway.

His destination was at the far end, behind a door with nothing on it but a few scratch marks. When he opened it, he found the inside of the room just as plain. He'd gone upstairs in search of this room mainly because he wanted to find out what the hell had made so much noise last night, but looking inside, there wasn't really anything Sasuke could pin it on. The blonde had a few shirts strewn on the floor, and a pair of boxers lay haphazardly halfway underneath the bed, but nothing else really screamed any sort of unruliness to him.

And that was strange. Sasuke knew the blonde to be an absolute slob. The few of his ex's clothes he saw on the floor were small evidences of that, but that was just it. The evidence of existence. It wasn't particularly that he felt the blonde had changed – although he knew the blonde did – it was the fact that Naruto seemed to barely exist in this house.

The place was dusty, there were cobwebs in the kitchen – the kitchen, a place someone would be everyday. And even in the blonde's own bedroom, there were so few of things.

It was like the blonde didn't even live here anymore.

Sasuke stepped further inside the room. The bed wasn't made and parts of the sheets were on the floor, and there was a large dresser—the one that had been originally for the master bedroom.

Sasuke wondered why on earth the blonde would change rooms. Was it because the other one brought back so many memories? The same reason why he changed the carpet?

It was like Naruto was trying to forget.

Maybe Sasuke had been wrong to come here, to give a…proper goodbye. To seal it off forever. Maybe the blonde had already moved on. Sasuke…didn't know how he felt about that.

It wasn't sadness. No. It was…surprise. Yes. It was surprise.

Had Naruto been telling the truth about the wood being old? Did the sounds have nothing to do with anger?

Sasuke had to shake his head at that. That was a lie if he ever knew one. He knew something happened up here that Naruto didn't want to tell him about.

Sasuke found himself gazing at the walls of the bedroom. There were a few framed pictures of Naruto and some of the others of the town. The largest one was of him and the late Sarutobi.

There were no pictures of Sasuke.

Sasuke laughed a bit. It was almost as if he regretted that, when he knew very well that that wasn't the case. He was just surprised to find that the blonde had found it so easy to move on was all.

Sasuke shook his head. What was he saying? It had been six years. Of course the blonde had moved on. Who would hold onto something as doomed as the relationship he had with Sasuke?

It was just that…

Naruto—

Naruto had been so in love with him.

And Sasuke loved him back. Just not in the way he thought the blonde needed. Not in that unconditional way Naruto radiated effortlessly, infinitely.

Sasuke couldn't handle love like that. And Naruto was only something that held him back from becoming what he wanted to be, held him in this lazy county where no one became anything and everyone's dream was to be a wife or husband with kids.

It was better this way, Sasuke thought resolutely.

The raven-haired man stared blankly at the room, finding all traces of the relationship that he had with Naruto gone. "Huh." He said lightly, before turning around to leave the room.

"Hey."

Sasuke started violently, then tried masking his surprise with anger, "What is it?"

Kakashi looked around the room from the doorway. "You sure Naruto would have liked you in here?"

Sasuke blinked and looked around. If this was anyone else's home it would be pretty rude to just up and roam around their house. But it wasn't some stranger's room. It was Sasuke's. He shrugged his shoulder indignantly. "Whatever."

"It isn't whatever, Sasuke. You're invading someone's privacy. How'd you like it if someone up and invaded your guest room?"

Sasuke's laugh was bitter. "As if they'd have the pleasure. The idiot's making me sleep on the couch."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Is that so…"

"And, he's making me pay to stay here. Two thousand and some dollars a day."

Kakashi widened his eyes for a single moment before he chuckled. "Well, now."

Sasuke frowned. "I know I owe him," He started bitterly, "but this is too much. I want you to talk to him. Make him come to senses so I can live here in peace."

"Doubt he'd listen to me."

"Why the hell not?"

Kakashi looked up at him, as if to ask if he really had to ask. "He doesn't look too kindly onto me anymore, Sasuke. Not since I helped you escape the county."

Sasuke said nothing, and the older man had to shake his head.

"Sasuke, I funded you—helped you get rid of that accent you called "infuriatin",—neglected Naruto when he needed help so much that he had to actually look up to that damned drunken fool Jiraiya—" he couldn't help the anger in his voice. "But the greatest sin I made against him was keeping all of those secrets from him. Feeding him lies of not having to worry about you, just so you could escape without him noticing—"

"That shouldn't make him hold a grudge against you for six years." Sasuke interrupted, voice indignant.

Kakashi laughed again, and shrugged his shoulders. "Naruto…doesn't…" he seemed to be at a lost for words. "He doesn't look at me with mean eyes, or says nasty things behind my back, or tries to pick fights with me—he didn't even really do that in the beginning, when you'd just left…" he looked to the side, acquiring that distant look again. "Come to think of it…I think if he'd done all those things, it would've made this guilt I feel a little easier on me…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" The man wasn't making any sense.

Kakashi looked like he wanted to smile again, but the effort got lost somewhere. "The thing is…" he began softly. "Naruto doesn't…hold grudges against you, or to you…he just holds them. Lets it fester. Doesn't ever mention it again, lest you're the fool to bring it up." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "He'll never let you in on what he's thinking about. I've apologized hundreds of times to him…but he just gives me that same smile. It's an ugly smile, I'll tell you. Because it's hiding so many things. So much pain…"

Sasuke stared at his old teacher for a moment longer before he laughed. Kakashi had obviously lost it. "Thanks for that insight," he offered mockingly. "but I think I'll be on my way now." he said, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"Downstairs. Get some more paperwork done."

"Hmm. Did you eat?"

"Of course not." Sasuke was scowling. " The idiot didn't have any food in his cabinets. I'll annoy him about when he gets home."

"But it's mining season."

"So?"

"Naruto probably won't be home until midnight tonight." Kakashi said, speaking as if Sasuke should know this. "Work probably ends at around five in the afternoon. Afterwards he'll probably feed them if he isn't giving them lunch right now. Then he'll take the workers that can make it to Gracetown's Bar."

Realization came over Sasuke. Yes, he remembered. The miners that come from out of town had the option of staying in Gracetown, which was a small village not to far from the center of the county. There were two large hotels, and a few places to eat. Most popular being the Gracetown Bar. Konoha natives went there often – just to make friends and hang out with their fellow miners. He and Naruto had gone many times.

"Come with me if you're hungry. " Kakashi offered, getting into his thoughts. "I'll take you to Yamanaka's Diner. They should have some good specials around this hour."

Sasuke stopped for a moment. "Yamanaka? As in Ino Yamanaka?" he asked in surprise. "You mean to tell me she actually got that thing running again?"

Kakashi smiled. "Shikamaru convinced her that she could run it even with her father's passing. And after those two got married, she was even more sure of it."

"Huh. Married…" he mused. He didn't really remember what kind of relationship the two had, except Ino screaming all the time, and Shikamaru telling her to shut up. "Whatever, let's go to the diner then."

"I should warn you." Kakashi said, walking down the hallway alongside him. "Ino is sure to be there. Maybe some others. I wouldn't be surprised if she gave you a rather rude welcoming."

Sasuke smirked and shrugged. He also remembered how Ino was absolutely infatuated with him when they were younger. Bent on marrying him and such. "I think I can handle her."

"She's pregnant."

Sasuke paused and looked at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow. "Is that suppose to lower the chances of me being able to handle her?" he asked.

Kakashi only shrugged back. "Maybe not. After the diner, it'd be nice to go to the bar."

They'd just finished the stairs now, and Sasuke stood at the end of it, crossing his arms. "Why would you want to do that?"

"I want to see how it's going. Oil mining is the only thing that's kept this town up, you know. It's a nice sight to see hard working men enjoying themselves."

Sasuke waved a disregarding hand. "Right" he said tiredly. He would agree to go the Bar because he'd already been through the worst—he met Naruto and was still standing on two feet. Seeing a bunch of drunken fools and perhaps some old friends wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, hero."

Gaara looked up from his spot on the ground to stare up at Naruto.

"Mind if I join you?" the blonde was peeking from behind a large boulder, quite similar to the one he stood on to oversee the miners back on the field, and looking at the redhead who sat on the ground directly in front of the county lake. Of course multiple kids were already splashing around in the lake several yards away, and some other miners had the same idea, only on the other side, so the blonde didn't have to worry about anyone listening in.

"No."

Naruto cracked a grin. And he told himself it was because he was trying to defer any attention towards them, not because he was mindlessly delerious at how wet the man was. He'd obviously just dunked his body in the water.

"I saw what you did in the mines just now." Naruto casually took a seat beside him, stretching as he did. "Pretty heroic of you, if I do say so myself." The large rock behind him was spiked so he couldn't lean against it. He didn't mind though, as he took off his plain boots and put his on feet in the water.

"I was closest to the kid."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You think anybody was calculatin' the distance they were from the boy when they decided to sit back and do nothin' about it?"

Gaara seemed to hesitate, before he looked back at the lake, saying nothing.

Naruto sighed loudly in pleasure when he fully incased his feet in the cool water, closing his eyes and letting the liquid caress his sore feet. When he opened them again he found Gaara looking at him once more. The blonde laughed and pulled himself together. "I reckon I was more tired than I thought." he explained with a small shrug.

The man beside him didn't really reply, simply gave a non-committed hum and went back to looking across the lake.

Naruto looked dismally at the redhead's profile.

It really was a shame, he thought, his eyes reluctantly going over the redhead.

He was sitting with one knee to his chest while the other leg lie flat on the floor. One arm hung above the knee to his chest while his body leaned forward, showing the stress of muscles on his bare torso, to look out into the green water.

"How you likin' Konoha so far?" Naruto asked, and his voice was softer than he meant it to be.

There was silence on the other end for some time, before the low voice spoke again, in unison with the wind that blew through his red hair. The blonde watched that wind blow, watched as it caused red locks to caress a pale face.

Naruto looked at the waters with the man.

There was something about him.

Gaara.

Naruto brought his own knees to his chest.

There was something about him that made the blonde feel some type of way. Something different than the coiling above his groin this time. There was a calmness about his presence.

It was as if this man was in no rush. As if he could look out into these waters forever, get lost in them, and never have to worry about anything ever again.

But he couldn't think like that, Naruto thought, glaring at the water now. He had to think about what would happen once he exposed this man for the lying outlaw he was. He also had to assess exactly how much strength was behind those muscles, if Gaara got violent once exposed.

"It's strange."

Naruto blinked, turning to Gaara. "Yeah? Konoha? How so?"

And again the blonde was taken aback by the neutrality in the man's features. The tranquility he had in his posture that would have looked lazy were it not for the strength he could see in the man's limbs.

Naruto didn't think he saw hesitation in his features, but Gaara took his time to speak. "Just never been given food by my employer is all."

Naruto took a look at the white bag that lie in between them that had a sandwich on top - untouched. "Uh…well I know you guys work hard." Naruto nodded at him. "I remember what it was like when I was down there back in the day. Would have given anythin' to have a break and eat somethin' in between. Figure'd I'd be a nice little boss to all these folks. Ain't nobody ever been nice to you before?" he asked, laughing.

"No."

Naruto hesitated, caught off guard. "W...well…there's a…first time for everything…?"

"I 'spose."

Naruto swallowed. "Yeah."

Damn it.

He was—

He was nervous.

He hadn't felt this way since—

Naruto shook his head. This was ridiculous. He felt like a damned teenager.

And boy did he know how to pick 'em. Sasuke was a rotten, deserting asshole and this man was an outlaw who he was probably going to be fighting in a few minutes.

Why did the first time he felt anything remotely close to the buddings of a crush after Sasuke left have to be with someone like Gaara? Naruto wished he could like a nice guy for once – someone who he couldn't misjudge, someone who wouldn't let him down.

The blonde stood up then, his mind made up. No more mister nice guy. He had to get rid of this man as soon as possible.

"You remember my partner?" he asked the redhead, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at him.

Gaara turned to the blonde, seeming to catch onto the sudden change in mood. He began to untangle himself from his casual position. "Saw you fightin' him this mornin'." He answered easily. His eyes didn't look cautious, or apprehensive. He looked at Naruto with a passiveness that made the blonde wonder if the redhead understood what was going on.

"That fight wasn't nothin'." Naruto replied, disregarding, and anyone else would have said "didn't look like nothin' to me" but the redhead stayed quiet. "But me and my partner got to talkin' yesterday," he continued. "Got to talkin' about who I hired and who I could trust." Naruto looked away. As he recalled the story he found himself getting angry. He was stupid wasn't he? For letting an outlaw work in these parts. For letting kids work here, when he clearly stated that they weren't allowed. Maybe Shikamaru was right. Maybe he wasn't fit for this job.

But he'd thought…

The blonde shook his head.

The only time he monumentally fucked up about a person's personality and their trustworthiness was with two people. Naruto thought he would never do it again. He knew people. He could tell from the their eyes whether they were good, and this man—

This man was an expert liar it seemed. A master of his emotions.

"He got me thinkin'," he continued, "about what I did for you, lettin' you get this job just 'cause you looked all right." Naruto hoped Gaara didn't catch onto the inadvertent double meaning like Naruto did, but the redhead showed no signs of that, only continued to stare up at the out-looker.

"But Shika told me – and mind you Shika is a smart man – he knows everything." Naruto insisted. "And he told me that Suna prisons don't set their prisoners free when they don't have enough money; they kill them." he glared at Gaara then, and uncrossed his arms to point an angry finger at the ground.

"So what that means," He whispered hotly. "Not only are you an outlaw, but you are a liar who took advantage of my empathy, and—"

"Ain't a liar."

Naruto blinked, effectively interrupted.

The man didn't raise his voice at all, but it had acquired a certain…tone.

Gaara surprised Naruto by standing up in a single motion and approaching him.

Gaara was tall. Taller than Naruto anticipated. He'd seen him stand the day before but the blonde had been sitting down then. Up close, with them face to face he could see that the redhead was almost a head taller than him.

Green eyes stared down into blue, not glaring or insisting, simply neutral, like the lazy way his arms still stayed at his sides in a non-violent stance and his feet were pointed away from Naruto, un-braced and defenseless.

"Wh...what you tryin' to say?" Naruto tried to sound to sound calm, and understandably suspicious.

But his heart.

It was beating fast in his chest.

The man wasn't close.

But he was close enough.

Just three feet away from Naruto.

And Naruto's heart.

Why was it racing that way, when he knew, he knew—

"Ain't a liar." Gaara repeated, interrupting his panicked thoughts. "I never lie, and I hate liars."

Naruto glared up at the man, not intimidated by his height, but intimidated by his presence, and confused about the feeling it put in his body to have the man standing so close. "You lied to me in my face." He insisted. "You said that they set you free—"

"That's exactly what they did." Gaara interrupted, and his eyes looked away from his accuser and narrowed at the distant lake. "Or they tried." He clarified, his voice quiet. "Main guard said he was gonna free us all, since there wasn't no money to keep the place runnin'." He paused. "Then he took out his gun and started shootin' everyone in each cell one by one."

A light wind drowned out Naruto's sharp intake of breath.

"People like us, he said," the redhead continued. "scum like us, can only get freedom in death. So he went about settin' everyone free. He came to my cell, tried to set me free... and I didn't let em'." Gaara turned to face Naruto then, his green eyes not losing their listlessness but losing a chip of the neutrality. "And that's all I wanna say about that."

Naruto blinked hard before he took a step back.

God, damn it.

The man took his breath away.

His eyes. His face. His voice.

"You can fire me," Gaara said suddenly, bending down to retrieve his belongings on the floor. "I won't be here much longer, I don't think."

"Wh-ere you goin'?" the blonde stuttered, watching the man from above.

"South." He replied simply, as he stood up. "I enjoyed workin', even if it was for a day—"

"Now hold on," Naruto raised both hands and stopped them inches from Gaara's chest. "Did...did anyone else escape?" he asked, voice quiet.

"...No."

Naruto swalowed, eyes wide and watering up with his lack of blinking. "I..iffen," he started slowly. "Iffen you ain't a liar then I don't see no reason to fire you."

Gaara stared at him. Finally, "I ain't a saint." he went back to picking up his things from the ground. "I knew what I was doin' when I didn't tell you all the details."

"Well take advantage of my good will then."

"I don't take advantage of people."

Naruto paused, at a loss for words for a moment. "Then…think of it as a favor…from me." He offered carefully, trying to keep his voice steady. "I mean…I know I look stupid, and maybe a little gullible – but I ain't. I knew from the start that you wasn't…gonna be a problem for us here." He took a hand and rubbed the back of his head. "I just…I had to make sure. It's my first time hirin' and overseein' the mines. I wanna do this right."

Gaara's eyes didn't pierce or narrow. They was as still as the waters of the lake during the coldest day in winter. "You don't look stupid."

And his voice was like an after thought, like the words fell from his mouth because it was an obvious fact, not just some sweet-talk to get out of trouble. "But I ain't as nice as you think I am." He murmured, stepping back.

Naruto watched him turn around and walk all but two steps before he called out, "N-now hold on."

Gaara stopped walking, and only turned his head slightly to the side to show that he was listening.

"Uh…I dunno iffen the word spread yet. But I usually take the workers out to Gracetown Bar after work. Free drinks for everyone's hard work. I know you're new so I figured…I'd uh…tell you about that…"

Naruto wanted to shoot himself. That would go down as the worst attempt at asking anyone out for a date in history.

"I don't live in Gracetown like the others."

Naruto blinked. He didn't live in Gracetown? That was strange. Ninety percent of the workers that didn't already live in Konoha lived in Gracetown, and if they didn't it was because they already had family in Konoha that they could live with. Naruto didn't know why he figured the redhead to be sort of a lone ranger. "W-well, if you're worried about getting' back home – don't worry, I'll take ya!" he gave a thumbs up. "I'll probably be drunk, but hell, when am I not, right?" He broke out into a nervous laugh then, and with every burst he was dying a little on the inside.

He sounded downright ridiculous.

Despite his passive look the redhead looked a little out of place. Finally, "I'll see if I can make it, I 'spose."

Naruto beamed at him. It wasn't a promise and it wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as he would have liked that statement to be but he was giddy anyway. "All right, then!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands like an idiot. "I-I'll let you enjoy your lunch. I'll call everyone out when it's time to get back to work."

"Yes, sir."

The blonde shook his head. "Please…call me Naruto."

Gaara eyes narrowed, and Naruto braced himself before he realized that gesture wasn't malicious. "Naruto." Gaara repeated.

"Yeah. Uzumaki Naruto, at your service."

Gaara gave him a lightly pointed look, like he was trying to figure the man out. "I think it might be the other way around…" he murmured, sitting back down and taking his bag of lunch.

Naruto stood above the man awkwardly, hands still together from that nervous clap he made. "Uh…well." Gaara looked at him expectantly. Naruto swallowed. "I guess I'll…be…on my way then. I'll see you later?"

The man before him seemed to take him in for a moment, before he nodded his head. "I reckon you will. Naruto." He added.

Said blonde didn't know what to do then, so he gave a small salute. "Ha…r-right then."

Then Naruto promptly turned around and sped walked back across the large street to where the mining fields were.

Hot damn, if that wasn't the most embarrassing display of nervousness... He paused when he crossed the street, and put his hands on his knees for a moment. His heart was still hammering at his chest.

The blonde closed his eyes and tried to relax.

Hot damn, hot damn.

When he finally loosened up and stood up straight, he saw Shikamaru standing ahead, eyeing him with narrowed eyes and his arms crossed.

"What happened?" he asked when the blonde reached him. "You look sick. Did he give you trouble? How'd you get rid of him?"

Naruto blinked. "Ah…that's the thing. I uh…didn't get rid of him." he admitted. He winced when Shikamaru glared something mean at him. "Listen, Shika – he ain't what you think he is. He's all right. Trust me on this one."

Shikamaru made a sound of frustration that Naruto didn't anticipate, and threw angry hands in the air. "If that guy causes any trouble it's on you, Naruto." He said angrily. "And trust me if that has to happen you can guarantee you ain't runnin' the mines ever again."

The blonde stared wide-eyed at his friend. "Shika," he started disbelievingly. "It ain't a big deal—"

"There." Shikamaru said, pointing at the blonde. "That's where you're wrong. It ain't a big deal? Next thing you gonna tell me is that some kid getting flattened by a rock ain't a big deal either, right?"

"Shika, what the hell is wrong with you, right now? These accusations is really pissin' me off and you ain't makin' a lick a' sense."

Shikamaru crossed his arms again, and breathed deeply with a glare still in his eyes. He looked around them once, checking if anyone was near, before he stepped forwards and leaned so he was casually whispering into Naruto's ear. "I recognize him." he whispered hotly.

"Who? Gaara?"

Shikamaru stepped back, eyes wide. "Gaara…" he said in wonder, not really looking at Naruto. "Sabaku Gaara." he said, remembering the name on his own. He looked at Naruto then. "I don't remember what he did, but I remember seein' his face on a bounty flier about four years ago when I was travellin' with the wife. He had more an' ten thousand dollars over his head."

Naruto breathed in sharply. Ten thousand dollars? That was a lot of money for a bounty. But still. "You said that was four years ago," he began slowly. "Suna prisons is now shut down. And he talk like he'd already been incarcerated. They done caught him, and set him free, Shika."

"Did he tell you that?" the older man spat. "And you believed him?"

"I know how to read people, Shika-."

"Yeah, just like you knew how to read Sasuke, right?" he combatted savagely, before turning around angrily and walking away.

Naruto just stood there, stunned. "Th...that was a damned low blow, Shika!" he shouted, trying to get back on his feet. Shikamaru who was already several yards away waved an angry disregarding hand and just continued on his way. Naruto huffed angrily. Damn that man.

"What the hell's been going on with you and Shika."

Naruto yelped, and turned around to face Kiba who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a half eaten sandwich in his hand.

"N…nothin'" he replied lamely. "He and I are just…buttin' heads for the time bein'."

His dark haired friend eyed him suspiciously for a moment before he nodded to the crowd of people who were scattered all around them, munching on their lunches, talking to people, and darting their eyes between the ground and Naruto. "Well ya'll best start arguin' in private." Kiba murmured. "You know what these folks are like in the summer. If the boss is angry, everybody's angry, and next thing you know there'll be a big brawl and somebody somehow gonna accidentally set fire to the mines." Kiba spat something gross on the ground. "And we don't want that, do we?"

"The mines ain't gonna burn while I'm in charge." Naruto murmured, glaring at the fields ahead. He felt Kiba slap his back.

"I know, Toad. I know."

Naruto sighed, effectively drained for the day. How was he going to make it for the rest of the afternnon? "All right then." he said, clapping once. "You round up yours and I'll round up mine. Time to get back to work." He turned to the crowd. "Fellas, get back to your stations! Lunch time is over!"

Groans and sighs all around.

Naruto kept an eye out for a patch of red hair, and saw it in the distance, followed by others who had decided to have their lunch by the lake. And just like that most of the tension fell off of Naruto to collapse at his feet. He sighed and breathed in, keeping his smile in check lest an onlooker found him silly for seemingly grinning at nothing. Naruto exhaled.

He really hoped he would see Gaara at Gracetown tonight.

End of Chapter

8,450 Words!

Authors' Note:

Well that's that. Simple questions, and what to expect of the future:

1. You guys like what you saw of Gaara so far?

2. Is Shikamaru over-reacting or is his anger completely justifiable?

3. Is Naruto being irresponsible?

Uhm, okay – So I think the next chapter will be a treat - unless you guys don't like drama & confrontations. You can expect Drunk Naruto, more confrontations, maybe a few tears (not sure about that) and Sasuke & Gaara will meet! I wonder what they'll think of each other!

Till next time.

P.S I'm sorry for any grammatical errors - I know they're in there. Also Danse Macabre is probabyly going to be updated today for anyone waiting on that.