Chapter 28: Gratitude

All at once, everything stopped.

Lee no longer wished to dance and Shino stopped running from the butterfly.

Kiba paused, looked own at Shikamaru's leg and got off him.

Down the street, Neji stopped just in front of his uncle's house, giving his head a shake. "Whoa. What just happened?" he asked himself. He felt like he had just been ripped out of a pleasant dream.

"Neji?" asked his uncle.

Neji collected himself and stood tall. "Yes, Uncle?"

"You're a little early for training today."

"Sorry, sir. I didn't want to be late."

"Well, come on in. Let's see how much we can get done before dinner."

"Yes, sir." Neji was still confused about what happened. He could barely remember how he got here. He thought he remembered but it didn't make any sense. He must have been daydreaming.

At the same time, Kiba scratched his head, giving Shikamaru a confused look. "Was I just biting you for some reason?"

"Yes, you were." Shikamaru pulled his leg in close and examined the wound. "I've got your teeth marks to prove it."

"Why was I doing that?"

"Ask someone else," Shikamaru told him.

Sai looked around in confusion. Though he had not been under any command a moment ago, he still felt the effects of the hypnosis being lifted from him. He felt as if he had been dreaming the past couple of days. He scarcely remembered following Naruto around like a loyal lapdog, but it didn't seem real to him.

Shino let the butterfly rest on his finger, wondering why he had been running a moment ago. Had he been sleepwalking?

"Sakura?" asked Lee, finally calming down. "Are you alright?"

"I think so."

Lee looked from side to side. "I just had the strangest dream. You were in it. I was dancing for some reason."

"You don't say."

Naruto sat up, looking at the pile of glitter and glass beside him in the dirt. He felt the chain around his neck. The jewel was gone. It was in a pile on the ground.

Sakura smashing the jewel with her foot must have broken the spell completely. No one was under hypnosis anymore.

To be sure, he snapped his fingers in Lee's face. "Sleep."

Lee blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Yes!" Naruto cheered. "It doesn't work anymore! You're cured!" Naruto spun around. "Gaara!"

At the same time everyone else had their spells broken, Gaara had returned to normal as well.

He opened his eyes and gave Kankuro curious look. To him, he had just woken up from a sound sleep.

"Gaara!" Kankuro gasped happily. "Are you ok?"

"Of course," he said. Gaara started to stand up with Kankuro's help. "Where's Naruto?"

"Gaara!" Naruto came running.

Kankuro stepped protectively in front of his brother, still angry about what happened, but Gaara gently pushed him aside.

Upon seeing Gaara standing on his own two feet and no drowsy expression, Naruto gave a huge sigh of relief and smiled. "You're ok. Thank goodness. You're finally back to normal."

Gaara didn't say a word. Naruto couldn't tell if he was mad at him or not. So far, no one else seemed to remember much of what went on while they were caught up in his spell.

Even if Gaara wasn't staring at him to implicate guilt, Naruto still wanted to confess and apologize to him. Even if Gaara didn't remember, Naruto wanted to come clean anyway.

"Gaara, I am so, so sorry." Naruto bowed his head. "I didn't mean for things to get so far out of control. I just… I just wanted to hang out with you but you were so obsessed over the time and I knew you wouldn't hold still and be able to enjoy yourself. And when I saw how stressed out you were, I took it upon myself to… I just wanted you to have a nice time and hang out with me. Instead I messed everything up. I'm sorry. I understand if you're pissed. I would be, too. Manipulating you like that."

Gaara's expression never changed. Naruto expected Gaara to scream at him or punch him, but he didn't. Instead, he spoke to him calmly.

"I understand why you did it. And I'm not angry with you."

"You're not?" asked Naruto in surprise.

"You're not?" Kankuro asked after he did.

Gaara gave his head a slow shake. "No. In fact, I'm glad you did it."

"You are?!" Naruto and Kankuro said at once, completely stunned.

Gaara nodded. "Yes. You were right, Naruto. I was under a lot of stress. There was no way we could have a nice visit under those circumstances, even if I wanted to. I'm used to stress. I'm used to dealing with a lot of things. I thought I could handle it. In truth, I was just suppressing it. I needed to face it, not muddle through. It was causing me to become even more stressed without realizing it."

Being the Kazekage was a lot of hard work, but Gaara chose not to complain. He dealt with it all. All the paperwork, all the complaints of his people, the criticism of his elders, the knowledge of what he had done in the past and how it affected his future. He knew what he was getting into, so he felt there was no need to complain about any of it. It was just something he had to deal with and accept.

He was wrong. He hadn't noticed, but it was affecting him. He needed some sort of release before all the stress built up inside of him and finally erupted.

"I didn't realize just how stressed I was until you did what you did," Gaara went on. "Putting me under that spell was actually a good thing. I needed to de-stress. Before spending some time with you, as you said, I was so obsessed with the time. I couldn't enjoy myself. I wanted so much to hang out with you, but I couldn't with all the stress pressing down on me. Worrying about the meeting and letting so many people down. Especially Kankuro."

"Me?" his brother asked in surprise.

"I know how the others felt about you being my escort after what happened a few months ago. They didn't think you could handle it. I put in a good word for you. If anything happened, the higher-ups would be angry with both of us. You for making another mistake, and me for appointing you. They would think I lacked good judgement. They would think you couldn't be trusted and you would be hurt emotionally. I didn't want to let you down. I would be responsible. If I took too long and was late for whatever reason, they would hold you accountable, even if it was my doing, simply because you were left in charge of me."

Kankuro felt humbled that Gaara cared so much about him, and at the same time ashamed. He didn't mean to cause Gaara additional stress. He had no idea it was weighing him down this much.

All because he had to go on and on about being responsible, Gaara couldn't have a nice time with his friend.

"Gaara, I'm so sorry," Kankuro said softly. "I shouldn't have put all that extra weight on your shoulders. If only I hadn't gone on and on, you could have had a nice time and not worried. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I was taking things too seriously. I'm sorry for that."

Gaara shook his head. "It's alright. I understand."

Kankuro backed off when he saw Gaara make eye contact with Naruto. He wanted to address him now without interruption.

"I couldn't relax and the stress kept building. All the work I have to do on a daily basis and this meeting. I couldn't sit still." Gaara gave Naruto a small smile. "After what you did, I felt a lot better. The stress was just… gone. The stress on top of the other stress was making things seem worse than they really were. I was able to calm down and have fun."

"Really?"

He nodded. "You knew what I needed. It wasn't a selfish act. Not the way I see it. And based on what you said a moment ago, you weren't being completely selfish. You wanted to help me out. Hanging out with you, doing those activities, playing… It helped me get rid of all that stress. As a result, my body feels lighter and my mind is clear again. All those thoughts and worries were filling my skull, I barely had room for anything else. Now I can think with ease. The aches and pains are gone from my body and I feel refreshed."

Naruto was amazed. "You do? Really? So… it was a good thing? What I did to you?"

"Did to me, did for me. Either way, it helped me and I am grateful. I feel so much better now."

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad to hear it."

He needed a break. To just relax and not worry about anything. To do something other than work. To take a hot bath or be a child again and play with friends. It was the most fun Gaara had had in a long time. He could laugh and smile without having to think about it. It felt so good.

"It also made me realize something else," Gaara continued. "Kankuro."

"Yes?"

Gaara turned his head. "I don't care what the others have to say about this. We are scheduling breaks every now and then into my workload. Times when I just take a moment and work out my stresses."

"But…"

"I know some might think it's laziness and irresponsibility, but it is purposeful. Besides, if they don't like me, they're going to find fault with anything I do, so it doesn't matter. I know now that I can't just deal with it. Not the way I have been. Working because it's my job and ignoring what it was doing to me. Overlooking my stress. Thinking I could handle it and that it wasn't a big deal. I know better now. I can feel the difference. And if they chose to complain, we can simply explain to them that a rested Kazekage is better suited for taking care of an entire village. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kankuro wasn't sure what to say.

"Before, my mind was tired. If things continued that way, I wouldn't be very competent," said Gaara. "A stressed-out Kazekage doesn't bode well for the village. If I were to take occasional breaks, my mind will be more clear and I'll be able to run the village more efficiently. They want one who will be able to run the village and run it well, correct? If they complain, we'll tell them that. Surely, they take breaks every now and then. They wouldn't want to be found guilty of a double-standard."

Gaara was feeling a lot better. He understood what he needed now. He wasn't going to wait until things got this bad again. Even if there was paperwork on his desk, he would push it aside for a moment and take a much-needed break then go back to it. There was nothing wrong with that.

Even before becoming the Kazekage, Gaara was mindful of what people thought of him. He worried about how he was perceived. Even when he wanted to take the position, how people thought of him was almost always on his mind. He wanted to work hard for the good of his people, but he also wanted to make up for his past. Even as the leader, he was still worried about what others thought of him. Now, instead of being a monster, he was worried about being seen as an unfit ruler.

He was responsible for so much. How could he not be stressed?

Kankuro nodded. "Fine with me," he said with a grin. "We can tell them to shove it if they find fault in any of that. A less stressed Kazekage makes less mistakes, after all."

Gaara grinned at Naruto. "It was a little late, but I'm glad I got to play with some friends."

Naruto blinked. "Wait. You remember that?"

Gaara shrugged. "A little. Most of it feels like a vivid dream, but there are parts I remember clearly. It was enjoyable. But no more chocolate for a while."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly.

Gaara looked back at Kankuro. "I believe we have a meeting to get to."

"Oh, right! I think we still got time," Kankuro said, checking his watch. "You still up for it?"

"We came all this way," said Gaara. "I think I can handle it just fine."

"Ok." Kankuro looked around. "What's the quickest way to get there?"

Sakura stepped forward and pointed. "I'll show you the way. Let's go."

"Follow her, Gaara."

Gaara gave Naruto a quick nod and left with his brother and Sakura.

Naruto was so relieved that Gaara wasn't angry with him. He was surprised he was able to help him so much. He wanted to help him, but he was afraid he made things worse. He was worried he was being too selfish, but his intentions were good. He managed to make Gaara feel better and enjoy himself.

"You ass!" Kiba smacked Naruto in the back of the head. "What did you do?"

Naruto pressed a hand to his head. "What?"

"What?" Kiba growled. "I distinctly remember seeing you before things got weird. What the hell did you do to us?"

Shino was standing beside Kiba looking extremely annoyed. "You asked me to remove my goggles and shortly after that, I find myself on the ground. You did something, don't deny it."

"Uh…"

"You had us acting like idiots," Kiba snapped. "I don't remember most of it, but I know you had me act like a dog. I was biting Shikamaru's leg, for crying out loud."

"To be honest," said Shino, "the village might not have taken notice of it, as you acting like a dog is not completely out of the ordinary."

"Out with it!" Kiba barked, ignoring Shino's remark. "Why did you do that to us?"

"So Naruto is responsible?" asked Sai. "I thought something was odd. There are blanks in my memory. I could have sworn I was following Naruto around most of the time, but I feel as if I had been sleeping during the duration."

"I do remember dancing, but did not find it humiliating at all," said Lee. "It was rather fun, actually."

"Nobody asked you!" Kiba barked again. "Well, Naruto?"

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean for things to go so far. I tried snapping you out of it but I made things worse," Naruto explained. "On the plus side, the thing that did this to you is now gone. Sakura stepped on it and broke it so you don't have to worry about me doing it anymore. And since it got broken, everyone's back to normal."

"It's far from no harm done," Kiba growled. "I'm gonna-"

"Now hold on a minute," Shikamaru said, wedging himself between the two.

"You're just taking his side because he didn't do anything to you," said Kiba.

Though that may have been true, Shikamaru took pity on Naruto and wanted to save him from a thrashing. He had also overheard what Gaara had said and realized that Naruto didn't deserve to get the stuffing beat out of him.

"Naruto admitted he messed up," said Shikamaru. "It's a start, isn't it? He could have covered it up with a lie but he didn't."

"He still did that to us."

"Is it really as bad as you think?" Shikamaru asked them. "I mean, it's not so bad if you don't remember it, right?"

They paused.

"It's true," said Shino. "You don't have much to be humiliated about if you can't recall the events."

"So pretend it never happened?" Kiba asked angrily.

"Did he really do anything that bad?" Shikamaru asked. "It's not like he told you to run naked down the street."

Naruto snickered at the thought, causing Shikamaru to shush him and tell him he wasn't helping his case.

"Aside from the mild short-term amnesia…" Shino began.

"I actually think he helped you guys," Shikamaru cut in. "Gaara just said that he didn't hold a grudge against Naruto and was actually grateful for what he did. He said he felt better afterward. Said it relieved some of his stress. I don't know about you guys."

They thought a while, then Kiba spoke up.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little better. Like I just played some fun games or something."

"I do feel strangely refreshed," said Sai.

Shino nodded his head. "They do say that hypnotherapy can help relieve stress. It's supposed to be very relaxing."

"I do not hold a grudge," said Lee. "I feel great. No one was taken advantage of. It is like a new form of training."

Kiba sighed. He already got a punch in anyway. "Alright. I'll let this slide. But if it ever happens again…"

"It won't. The jewel's gone. I told you."

One by one, they all started to leave. Shino was the last to go. He started to leave, then turned and walked back to Naruto.

"For the record," he said darkly, "I do have sensitive eyes. Whatever that jewel did to me must have been more effective because of that. I remember taking off my goggles and that's it. The others said they remembered seeing you swing it in front of them, but I don't."

"Why are you telling me this?" Naruto asked him.

"Because I don't know how I reacted after seeing the jewel without my goggles. For your sake, I hope I didn't act like a fool."

Did he really mean that, or was Shino trying to cover up something else? Naruto couldn't tell if Shino was trying to throw him off or not. Frankly, he didn't care.

Shino walked away without another word.

Naruto sighed. "I'm glad that's over."

"Let's hope you learned your lesson," said Shikamaru. "If Gaara hadn't opened his mouth when he did, I doubt I would have been able to hold them all back. Your beating would have been justifiable. Since you helped Gaara out and he admitted that, I was able to convince them to go easy on you."

"I really did try to help him," said Naruto. "And I was only trying to have some fun. Things just got out of control."

"Next time, do your research before jumping right in to something you don't understand. You can't always wing it."

"Yeah, I get it."

It was late when the meeting concluded. Crickets chirped and buzzed as Gaara returned to the hotel with his brother. Gaara looked up at night sky, breathing in the cool air. The air wasn't as cold as the air back in the Sand at night. It wasn't as crisp. But it did feel good.

"Well, I'm bushed," Kankuro said as he got changed. "I'm going to bed. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can get back in."

Instead of an adjoining room, Gaara and his brother were sharing one while the second bodyguard slept in the room next door. Knowing how Gaara liked to travel at night and watch the moon, Kankuro would leave the door unlocked as a curtesy.

"Actually," said Gaara, "I think I'll stay in the room tonight and get some sleep."

Kankuro looked at him in surprise. He never actually saw Gaara sleep before, even after the beast was extracted from him. He figured if Gaara slept at all, he wanted to do it in private. Since they would be sharing a room, he thought Gaara wasn't going to sleep at all and wander around until the sun rose.

"You sure?"

"Yes." Gaara sat down on the bed next to Kankuro. "I'm kind of tired."

Kankuro grinned. "Well, the meeting took a while. I'm glad everything went well."

"Yes," said Gaara. "I had a level head, a clear mind. I wasn't stressed or nervous at all. Not in the slightest."

"I can't imagine you being nervous," said Kankuro. "You're pretty fearless."

"Anyone can be nervous. Showing it is another matter." Gaara pulled the covers over his legs. "Having concerns makes one nervous. I am responsible for an entire village now. That coupled with the knowledge of how some people still view me, it's hard not to feel nervous from time to time."

Kankuro finished changing and got into bed. It was still hard to believe that even Gaara got nervous from time to time. He was very good at not showing it.

Knowing the weight on his shoulders, Kankuro understood that it was impossible for even Gaara not to feel such an emotion.

"But I'm glad it all went well." Gaara laid down.

Kankuro did the same. They looked out the window at the sleeping village, watching the stars twinkle above.

"Hey, Gaara?"

"Hm?"

"Before heading back tomorrow… Do you want to have breakfast with Naruto?"

"Sure."

Though things did get a bit chaotic, Kankuro came to realize that Naruto had done Gaara a favor today. If Naruto hadn't done what he did, Gaara would be stressed out and overwhelmed. Whether he masked it or not, he would still feel it. The meeting might not have gone as well as it had. But everything worked out for them. They were on time, the meeting went well and Gaara wasn't as stressed.

Gaara was right to thank him. But even so…

"I'll be joining you, of course."

"Fine," said Gaara.

A restful nap in a safe place, an afternoon playing with friends, a snack and a hot bath. It was just what he needed to recharge and get his mind off things.

After his experience with Naruto today, though rested, Gaara felt calm enough to fall sleep that night without hassle.

He could finally relax.

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