Crazy trouble with love part 10
Female Gaara and Naruto
Series: Naruto
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Gaara slowly blinked as she stared at the wall, confused as she pondered what had happened in the leaf village, or rather who she met during the exam. What was expected to be an invasion while partnered with the Oto nins lead by Orochimaru, disguised as her own recently killed father, turned out to be a failure as said village was still left standing. She'd even done as instructed, she let the beast take over, she was going on a rampage…until HE showed up.
"Naruto…" she let out, cross legged as she was on her bed, right now in a temporary room she and her siblings were confined to stay in until the council could clear up the aftermath, especially given how big of a role the three played in. All this did was give her time to think, think about the blonde ninja who not only stopped and defeated her, but was willing to let her live afterwards. "Why? Why…. why would he let a monster like me live?"
She raised her hand, staring at it as memories flashed by of their fight, rubbing her forehead as she still remembered him headbutting him. 'He kept going, and didn't quit. He had the perfect chance to end me for good, but he didn't.' She thought, racking her brain as she tried to make sense of it all.
"He didn't kill me…. But why do I feel weird when I think about him?" She muttered, feeling strange every time she pictures Naruto, looking at her as he looked at her while on the ground, leveled with her. 'Is this some kind of ninjutsu?'
The door to the room opened, Temari and Kankuro stepping in with some bags of groceries, seeing her blankly sitting. The sight unnerved both, but made no sign of it. As they began to put the groceries away, Gaara suddenly turned to them, staring as she got up.
"Temari. Kankuro. I need your input immediately."
"About what Gaara?" asked Temari, setting a bottle down as her sister looked down and looked her in the eye.
"I feel…odd." Gaara started, feeling uncertain. "Ever since the invasion, and I was defeated, I feel… strange? I don't know how to describe it."
"Maybe you just need more rest." guessed Kankuro before his sister shook her head.
"No. It's like…before. When I was young." she put her hand over her heart. "It's similar, but somehow different. What could it be?"
"When you were younger?" Temari asked in confusion.
"Yes, when… it's how I felt about mother I think. I don't know." Gaara let out, growling in frustration, which unintentionally had her siblings take a step back.
"Well, do you feel anything else with it?" asked Temari carefully. "Does it hurt at all?"
"I….no? I don't think so, but when I think about the ninja who stopped me I feel…like my chest is tight. What is this?"
Temari stared at her sister, her eyes widening as it clicked in. "Wait, that Naruto kid?"
"Yes."
"Uh…Gaara, do you feel a bit warm too?"
"Yes… why, do you know what this is?" She asked, focusing on her increasingly uncomfortable sister.
"Yeah, you got this Temari… I"ll just uh… go get some more groceries." spoke up Kankuro, quickly sneaking to the door and heading out before she turned.
"H-Hey! Get back here!"
"Temari, you know what is affecting me. Talk." Gaara demanded blankly, staring at her sister.
Temari turned back to Gaara, getting a nervous sweat as she gulped. "Well, Gaara. It's nothing dangerous, I can promise that."
"Really?" She asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Then what is this? Is it some leaf ninjitsu?"
"No, it's something that can happen to anybody." replied Temari, glancing to the side due to how awkward this was. "You've just got…a crush."
"...No, I was not crushed at the leaf village, and I only crushed a few people there." she remarked in an even tone with Temari rubbing her head.
"No, I mean you like someone." she replied with Gaara still confused. "Be honest, how long have you been feeling like this?"
"Ever since I got control back from the Shikaku, why?"
"And was this ninja there when that happened?"
"It started after we got back and I've had time to think about what happened." She admitted, looking at Temari in confusion. "Why do I feel like this? I thought I couldn't feel anything like this for anyone."
"A crush Gaara. It means you like that boy." replied Temari, finding the words weird to say out loud.
"Oh. Is this a good thing?" She asked, blinking in surprise.
"Well, you don't want to kill someone for once so…yeah. Kinda."
Gaara looked down, letting this info sink in before looking back at Temari. "If I 'like' Naruto, what should I do now?"
"Well, uh… I guess you could ignore it, or you could act on it I suppose, too bad he's back in Konoha." Temari suggested with a shrug. 'I can't believe my own sister has her first crush, and with the same kid who ruined everything.'
"I see, I understand." Gaara said as she stood up. "I'll go."
"Wait, what?" She asked as Gaara began to walk to the door. "What do you mean 'go'?"
"I'm going to go to Naruto. You told me to." she replied before walking towards the door, making Temari panic and quickly get in her way.
"Wait Gaara! Don't you remember? Until things settle down we have to stay in the village."
"So?" She asked, using her sand to pick up Temari and carry her as she continued forward.
"You'll get in trouble!" she replied, both of them leaving the room as she tried to push the sand off.
"So? Only father could stop me and he's dead." She said blankly.
'I need her to listen!' Temari wracked her brain on anything before going wide eyed. "You…You're not ready!"
"What?" Gaara asked, pausing. "What do you mean by 'ready'? I have my clothes on, my sand, what else is there?"
"Look Gaara, this is your first time you've felt this way about a boy, right?"
"Yes, so?" She asked, frowning in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Then you need to be ready. I mean, when you like someone, you…you need to be ready and prepared. Practice and understand what could happen if you meet back up I mean, that way nothing goes wrong."
"I am certain nothing will go wrong." Gaara said flatly.
"Like nothing was supposed to go wrong with the invasion?" Temari shot back, making the redhead pause. 'Please don't let those be my last words!'
Gaara looked down at the floor in thought, stewing over the words while narrowing her eyes as Temari felt the sand stir around her, making her get scared as her sister looked at her. "Then what should I do?"
"I can help you. Tell you what happens, give you tips, that when the next time you see him, you have a better chance of him liking you back." Temari offered quickly. "Don't you want him to feel the same about you?"
"I suppose. Fine, what shall I do?"
"Well, putting me down would be a nice start." Temari said, gesturing at the sand.
"Fine. Now what?" Gaara asked as the sand fell away from Temari, causing her to quickly fall back to the ground.
Temari internally sighed in relief at avoiding a possible blood bath before standing up and took a deep breath for her nerves. "Ok, so before we can get started, you need to understand that it'll take time. We don't know how long our situation is going to last, so just bare with it. If things turn out alright, we might be able to go back to Konoha so you can talk to him, but try not to get upset."
"I will see him by the weeks end, I'll accept nothing else." Gaara said with a frown.
"Gaara, it's not that simple."
"It is though, I wish to see him, no one in the village can stop me, it is exactly that simple."
Temari wanted to tug her hair out at Gaara's stubbornness before something clicked. She crossed her arms and let out an over dramatic sigh. "Alright, but I can't promise he'll be ready…"
"Huh?" She asked, looking at her sister in confusion.
"I mean, with how tense things are between the villages, not to mention the damage we caused and all the people who got hurt, I'd imagine they're having him help out all over. He might not have any time even if you did show up."
Gaara paused as she considered that, making Temari start to feel hopeful.
'Is she actually listening to me?"
'Given our fight, he would need rest.' thought the redhead as she crossed her arms and looked at Temari. "Do you really think I'll see him again?"
"Of course, I'm positive that you will." Temari nodded. "You probably will once the negotiations are over too."
"Then I'll take your advice and try to be ready before that." She said as she stared at Temari. "Teach me everything."
"Well, I'll do my best." she answered while internally sighing. 'Ok, this might be the hardest thing I've done in my entire life. No big deal though, you're just gonna help your little sister out with her first ever crush, who she nearly killed…Kami this is gonna be hard.'
"If this doesn't work, at least I can have someone to blame." Gaara added, making Temari pale.
'That doesn't help!'
(Later)
"Am I prepared now?"
"Not yet." replied Temari, brushing Gaara's hair down, the ends curling up as she set the brush aside. "But you are getting there."
Gaara let out an annoyed sigh, but kept still as she stared at her reflection and let Temari tidy up her hair. "How much longer? It's been two weeks now."
"Well, I suppose when the council says that we can safely go back to the leaf village without starting a war, but that could take a few more weeks."
"Unacceptable, is there a way to speed this up? You already told me I can't kill them, so what now?" Gaara practically growled in annoyance.
"These things take time Gaara." She sighed, shaking her head, trying not to seem nervous. "The only other thing that would speed this up is if we had a new Kazekage to make the decision for the council." She said before shrugging. "That or Suna giving doing something big, like a marriage alliance or something like that, but the council doesn't want to do that quite yet."
Gaara grumbled and clenched her hand, but kept from getting upset. "This wait is getting to me. It feels like the longer it goes on, the more I'm ready to run wild."
"W-Well, it won't help anyone if you do that, now would it?" Temari let out nervously. "Remember, just take this time to be ready."
"All we've done is work on how to take care of my hair and what clothes would help me stand out more. It feels more like we're wasting time."
"Well, all we can do is wait, it's not like anything bad will happen, right?"
'That blonde bastard could be dating someone else by now, you could lose your chance.' A familiar voice whispered in Gaara's mind. 'If you let loose I could get us to the village in a few days.'
Gaara narrowed her eyes as she glared at her reflection. "Don't bother me."
"I'm just trying to help Gaara." defended her sister before the redhead looked at her with a cold look, making her shut up.
"It's not you, it's him." she touched her stomach, making Temari break out in a nervous sweat. "He wants me to let loose, he is offering to get me to the village. The longer I wait, the less likely I am to ignore him." She said, staring at her sister who just paled.
"Gaara, you need to ignore him! He's lying!"
'Ha! What would she know? She's probably just trying to stall for time.' the voice whispered once again. 'I bet she's stalling because she wants to sabotage you!'
"Temari is not sabotaging me, she wishes to leave too, right?"
"Believe me Gaara, being forced to stay here and kept tabs on us isn't exactly my cup of tea." spoke Temari in a serious and cool tone of voice. "I just don't want you to get in trouble. I get you want to see him, I really do, but the last thing I want is to see my little sister get hurt by the village, or worse. That's why you need to be patient." She said, with Gaara just sighing in frustration.
"I know, but I am tired. This waiting is pointless, the issue with the village is simple. We messed up, we lost, how hard is this to work out between villages?" she questioned before they heard a knock and turned, seeing Kankuro poking his head in.
"Girls? We got some news you might like."
"The village finally made peace with the leaf village?" Temari asked, her tone sarcastic.
"Yep!"
"Say what?" Temari asked in shock.
"Yep, they finally hashed out the deals, hell they even have a mission to the village to deliver the finalized treaty they signed." He said with a grin. "I know you two have been eager to go, so I volunteered you two, is that alright Gaara?"
"More than alright." she nodded, feeling herself calm down and relaxing her shoulders. "Temari, we are leaving now."
"Wait, right now? Don't you want to pack fir- not the sand again!" She cried out as her younger sister engulfed the blonde up to her neck in sand as she began to make her way to the door.
"We're going. Now." She said, her voice cold. "If we wait, I WILL use the beast's chakra to get us to the leaf village faster. I WILL see Naruto again."
"A-At least try on something new." Temari spoke up while Kankuro followed them from a distance. "Your hair is good, and light makeup helps, but a change in clothes will bring it all together for him!"
"We can buy something in the leaf village, and it's laundry day, we can steal something from the clothes lines as we leave."
'Or just rip them off some random lady along the way and have a little fun~' chuckled Shukaku in her mind, making her grit her teeth.
'Shut up. I am NOT going to cause unneeded bloodshed unless it gets in my way.'
'Well then what about ripping that blonde's clothes off and having your way with him? You want him badly, don't you?'
'...You be quiet.'
'That wasn't a no~'
After getting their passports settled and treaty ready, the three headed out from the village to start their trek to Konoha, where the camera panned back to as we find Naruto himself being called to the Hokage's office.
"Yo, what's up?" He asked with a grin. "Am I here to get a cool new mission that Sasuke can't go on?"
"Well it is a personal mission, but I don't know if you'd consider it 'cool'." replied Sarutobi with amusement, the old man leaning back in his chair and having to take it easy after the chunin exams debacle against Orochimaru. "It's not a mission outside, but one of great importance."
"Please tell me it's not going after that damn cat again." Naruto groaned.
"Not quite." The old warrior chuckled, trying to shift in his seat, only to struggle, remembering the limb he had lost against his former pupil. "You see, this is a diplomatic mission."
Naruto groaned, throwing his head back with his hands behind his head. "Come on gramps, why do I gotta be stuck with this? I'm not good with that kinda stuff."
"Think of it as a learning experience." He smiled. "The mission is simple, several diplomatic envoys will be arriving soon from Suna, you are to show them here, get the treaty from them,and show them a fun time in the town until they decide to leave."
"Suna?" he asked, looking surprised.
"Yes, we managed to broker a treaty with them after what happened. Hopefully we can keep it going for as long as possible and build better relations between the villages."
"Ok… then why me? Why would you have me showing a bunch of dusty old guys around town?" Naruto asked, confused. "Wouldn't Kakashi or someone else be better?"
"Well Kakashi at the moment has his own mission and is busy. Besides, the ones coming are the same team that came before."
Naruto's eyes widened, memories of him fighting against Gaara came back in an instant. "What?!"
"Seeing how you were able to beat them, I thought it would be a good idea for you to keep an eye on them." He smiled. 'That and my spies have told me something interesting about their Jinchuuriki.'
Naruto let that sink in, unsure on how to feel, but he put his hands down and sighed. "Alright, but I don't gotta like it."
"Then consider this another lesson, as a shinobi, the village will sometimes assign you missions you aren't going to like." he gave an amused smile as Naruto stuck his tongue out. "They should be arriving by tomorrow at the gate, so make sure you're ready."
"Alright, will do." He sighed. 'I guess I better prepare for a boring day with the weirdo's from Suna.' he went and made his way out of the office as Sarutobi chuckled to himself.
'If this goes right, perhaps this will lead to a nice marriage that will bring the two villages close together.' He thought, using his good arm to pull out his crystal ball. 'That and it will be quite the entertaining show.'
'Ugh, this is gonna suck!' Naruto thought, exiting the Hokage mansion. 'Should I go and wait for them? The old man did say they wouldn't be here for a day, right?' he looked up in thought before his stomach started growling. "Better grab a bite, or two." He said, a large grin on his face as he began to make his way to what was practically his second home. "Time for some ramen!"
(Later)
""G-Gaara, slow down, slow down, slow down!"
"NO!" she growled, using her sand to carry the three the distance faster than on foot. "We have to get there soon! I will not lose him!"
"What are you talking about?!"
'Oh yeah, I bet that blonde is getting hit on by that pink bitch he was hanging about, after all, why wait for a crazy ninja who tried to kill him when he could get with a nice bland leaf ninja?'
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Gaara roared, urging the sand to go faster.
'Oh god, she's gone nuts!' Temari thought, paling in fear. 'How is this worse than the old Gaara?!'
"We'll get there before the days over. We have to." Growled Gaara, grabbing at her head as Shukaku laughed wildly.
'Oh man, this is more fun than making you kill those idiots! Oh, hey, I bet Naruto doesn't even remember your name, if you wait any longer he'll forget you completely!'
Gaara gritted her teeth harder before suddenly feeling her hold on her sand collapse, the three dropping down as Kankuro caught her, Temari holding her fan over her as their sister passed out.
"Damn it, she's not gonna be too happy when she wakes up." remarked the puppet user as Temari sighed.
"I know, I know, but she needs time to try and relax. Some time napping might help and give us a chance to figure out what to do when we get there." She said, shaking her head. "Plus, we have another day before we're expected to arrive. Honestly, I think Gaara forgets that she can sleep now, I don't think she's slept at all since we left the village."
"If that bastard keeps bugging her, she might be more pissed than before."
"I doubt it. She'll be too busy worrying about that brat when we get there." Temari groaned while shaking her head.
"Yeah, but what if she decides to take her frustration out on us?"
"Don't worry about things we can't stop." Temari sighed. "Look, we need sleep and rest, so I say we take the downtime we have until Gaara wakes up."
"Should we keep watch on her?"
"No, she'll be out like a light." Temari said, laying her sister on the ground. "Besides, when she does wake up, she'll probably make sure we know it."
"I'll set up some wire just in case."
"Sounds good, I'll keep an eye on Gaara."
The siblings went to work while Gaara herself saw nothing but darkness, but could hear the distinct sound of laughing around her.
"Shut up, show yourself monster!" She demanded, her eyes narrowing. "Why did you knock me out?! Trying to take over?!"
"Oh don't be so flattering Gaara, I didn't do a thing." laughed Shukaku as the darkness let up to show what looked like open desert with the large beast looking down at her with a smirk. "You can thank your big sis for that."
"What?" She asked, freezing before shaking her head. "No, Temari wouldn't do that, she wants to help me get Naruto."
"Yeah, by whacking you over the head, hahahaha!" he let out, sand blowing around as he leaned down closer. "With how fast you were dragging them, I'm surprised you didn't just drag them across the ground, grinding them till there wasn't anything left but bloody parts. You've got it real bad for that little brat."
"Shut up!" She shouted, but the beasts words began to weigh on her mind.
"Come now, you weren't listening to them, of course they turned on you." Shukaku laughed. "In fact, this makes me wonder how Naruto could possibly love a girl who doesn't even care about her own family?"
Gaara clenched her hands, anger rising up inside her as sand rose up around her. "Be quiet…for once in your life, be quiet!"
"Or what?" he mocked while tilting his head. "Are you gonna get mad? Cry? Maybe feel like killing me? Well it won't do jack shit! In here, I'm in charge!" he laughed as Gaara scowled. "Even if we get there, what are you gonna do? That blonde bastard got lucky is all. So really, when you see him, you'll probably bury him and make him choke to death, it'll be just like all the other times. Blood and bodies all around!"
"NO!" Gaara cried, holding her head. "No, no, I won't go back, not again, not again! I don't want to go back! NARUTO!" She cried out desperately, shaking her head as if that would drown out Shukaku's laughter.
Said tailed beast was having a riot as he felt in control as per usual. He licked his maw as Gaara dropped to her knees and closed her eyes.
The poor girl felt herself slowly slipping as the urge to run wild was coming back, but before she could snap, memories of Naruto came back.
"It's so unbearable, isn't it? The feeling of being alone." came his voice, making her eyes open as the sight of him looking at her made everything go quiet. "I know that feeling, I've been there; in that dark and lonely place."
Her hands softened their grip as it kept going.
"But now there are others, others who mean a lot to me. I care more about them then I do myself, and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I won't ever give up, even if I have to kill you."
"But…But why?" She repeated to herself. "Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?"
"Because they saved me from myself, they were the first to accept me for myself. They're my family."
She felt tears in her eyes as the memory of her uncle came up, his words making her bite her lip as she let go of her head and stared down at the sand. Her chest started to throb again, but this time, the warm feeling grew five times as much. Her hair shadowed her face as Shukaku kept laughing.
"Maybe you'll snap his neck first, or rip him piece by piece? If it makes him suffer, anything will-"
"Shut up." She let out in a low and cold tone.
"Oh? Showing a bit of backbone, eh? How about we go ahead and BREAK IT!" He roared, striking out with one of his paws, only for a pillar of sand to shoot out and knock it aside.
"I said shut up." she looked up at him, getting back on her feet as the sand swirled around her with him looking surprised. "It might have been you who gave me the power over sand, but it's me who decides what to do with it. This is MY mind, Shukaku, NOT yours."
"Ah just shut up you litt-" He started, only for another pillar to shoot out, this time right below his chin, which smashed against his jaw, sending him stumbling back.
"Since this is my mind, there will be changes. You will not whisper into my mind to torture me, you are subservient to me, understand?" She spoke while the large beast scowled at her as she rise up on the sand with her arms crossed. "I'm going to sleep without any problems from you again. No more pointless bloodshed, no more telling me what to do, I'm your host, and that means I'm in control."
"You arrogant lit-" He tried again, only for her to glare at him.
"One of two things will happen, either I will bury you in this desert, tortured for the rest of my life, or for once you can learn when to shut the fuck up." she cut him off before he saw the sand swirling around his body, which began to sink down, shocking him.
"Hey! This isn't possible! I'm more powerful than you!"
"Unrestrained yes, but not when I'm pulling on the reins." she raised a hand and clenched it, two huge hands of sand bursting out and restraining his whole body in a tight vice. "I think I'll keep you buried up to your neck for now, as a warning." She said as the tail beast began to sink into the sand beneath them.
"RAAH!" he let out as she dropped down onto the sand. "You think you're so smug?! Wrong! Just one slip up and I'll be back out again!"
"If you can't learn to control yourself, I'll fight you to my last breath, especially if you ever threaten those I care about." she replied in a cool tone. "Now, shut up. I have some sleep to get."
Meanwhile in the real world, Temari noted how Gaara seemed… strangely peaceful, more so than she'd ever seen her sister before. Her body had been tossing and turning before it went still as the redhead's breathing became steady and consistent.
'
"Huh… I suppose I forget that under all that tail beast stuff…she's still my little sister." Temari yawned, her eyes feeling heavy. "Sweet dreams Gaara."
(Later)
Temari yawned as her eyes began to slowly open, the sun hitting them, disrupting her sleep. As her eyes began to open, she saw her sister staring intently at her.
Temari blinked, her eyes opening wide as she finally processed what she was seeing. "Gaara? Wha- how long have you been awake?"
"The last ten minutes." she replied bluntly as Temari yawned and stood up. "Temari, I…want to apologize."
"Huh? Apologize?" Temari asked, blinking in confusion.
"For the way I've been acting." she looked away. "I just…when I started understanding this feeling, I was eager to keep a hold of it. I was worried that if I didn't see Naruto again soon, something would happen. You did what you could to help, but I was impatient, and for that I'm sorry."
"Oh." Temari said as she sat up. "Gaara… look, I'm not going to beat around the bush, you… haven't had a normal childhood. It's been one that has been lacking in love and support, and I get that this…everything, us being together, you sleeping, being in control, it's all new. Even if you had a normal childhood, I think you're in love sis." She chuckled as she shook her head. "Love makes even the sanest people go nuts, so I get it. Hell even I've been there before."
"You've been in love before?"
"Well…. Maybe it was more of a crush, but that's not important." Temari said quickly. "What's important is to take things one step at a time, otherwise you'll feel overwhelmed."
"I understand." nodded Gaara as she stood up. "This time, we can take our time getting there. I won't rush us."
"Well… funny story about that, Kankuro actually scouted ahead before we woke up, and apparently we're less than an hour away from the leaf village." Temari chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.
Gaara gave what looked like an owlish blink before nodding. "In that case, we better start moving."
"Right." She said as she stood up before grinning. "I suppose if we're taking our time getting there we can actually talk to each other?"
"Yes. Again, I'm sorry about before." Gaara sighed.
"Then I suppose we have time to talk about what you plan to do when you see Naruto, huh~?" Temari teased with a grin.
Gaara felt her face getting warm for some reason. "I…I suppose that's an option."
"I have to wonder, do you plan to ask him out then and there, or go hunting for him when we get there?" She said, a large grin on her face as she saw her sister beginning to blush.
"I…I…I don't know…yet." replied Gaara, feeling bashful and unsure, caught off guard with how suddenly Temari started teasing her. "I… I was hoping I'd just know when I got there and saw him?"
"Oh? Really now, hoping to confess right there in front of him? How bold little sis~"
"That…That's not…uh…" she was speechless before turning away with her arms crossed and huffed. "Shut up…"
"Oh c'mon, I've helped you with everything else, I think I have a right to know what you plan to do." Temari laughed.
"I… shouldn't you focus on your own crush or something?" Gaara tried to throw back with Temari wagging her finger.
"Don't change topics Gaara. This isn't about me, it's about you." She grinned as the redhead started to walk away. "Oh? You want to walk and talk? That's fine by me."
"No, just trying to leave…" Gaara groaned. 'At least Shukaku is quiet…'
'If I help you, will you give me more control?' came said beast's voice in her mind.
'I said be quiet!' she internally snapped as the two sisters started to head in the direction of the village with Kankuro meeting back up with them, but quickly picking up the odd change in the air when he noticed Temari smiling and looking at Gaara. He just smiled and nodded as Temari continued to tease/try to get answers out of Gaara about what she had in mind in regards to Naruto.
Back with said boy, he was in the middle of sparring with himself, by way of shadow clones mind you.
He grinned as he dodged his clones attack, trying his best to use the moves that Kakashi had taught him as he tried to stab them with his kunai. He managed to get some in the gut before he had to jump back when a few nearly swarmed him and knocked one back with a kick to their abdomen. "Come on guys, is that all you got?"
"No way, come and get some!" The clones cried as they moved to rush him, only to disappear as several kunai hit them in their faces, making them all disappear with Naruto blinking in confusion and annoyance.
"Oi, who-"
"Naruto." A stern yet strangely bored voice called out. "What are you doing?"
He turned around and saw Kakashi standing there, reading his smut as per usual. "Oh! Just training Kakashi-sensei."
"Aren't you supposed to be preparing yourself for some visitors?" He asked, taking his eyes off his book. "That's a mission given to you by the Hokage, are you really wasting your time training?"
"Well, um… I thought I had some more time?" he rubbed the back of his head. "Aren't you always saying it's important to make sure you're not rusty?"
"I did, but you're still a ninja, you work for the village, and currently you're goofing off while on an active mission." he walked over. "While I'm all for training, considering the importance of this, it's better to keep yourself open and ready for when they arrive, which should be any minute right now."
"Wait, really?!" Naruto cried out, his eyes wide.
"Yep, so you better hurry, if you miss them I'll ensure you're stuck with D-rank missions for the rest of the year."
"No way!" Naruto quickly ran off towards the gate while Kakashi looked back at his book.
"...oh Suki, you dirty little girl~"
Meanwhile at the main gate, the guards began to spot a group of three approaching, and recognized them as the Suna diplomatic group.
The sand siblings landed and walked over while presenting their passports as proof with the two looking them over and confirming them.
"Welcome back to Konoha, the hokage is expecting you three." One of them said as Tremari nodded.
"Thank you, we're honored to be back." She smiled as she looked around. 'Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of welcoming committee or guide for us?'
Gaara stared ahead as the three entered the village, before abruptly stopping and going wide eyed as Temari and Kankuro noticed before growing on alert.
"Gaara? What's wrong?" asked Kankuro.
"I'm not ready." She whispered, sounding nervous as Temari stared at her younger sister in confusion. "Too soon…"
"What?" Temari asked, confused before looking where Gaara was staring to see a certain blonde running towards them.
Naruto himself had his eyes closed as he ran, just focusing on getting to the gate as fast as possible, not seeing how close he was getting.
"Hey watch it idiot!" yelled out Kankuro, making Naruto open his eyes and go wide eyed before he went skidding to a stop in front of the three, nearly colliding into them.
"Whoa, that was close! Hey… Gaara?! Is that you?" He cried, recognizing the redhead in front of him. 'Wait… I'm here to meet the group from Suna…she's from Suna… she must be part of the group!'
'He remembers me?' thought Gaara, keeping silent as Temari stepped forward.
"We came here with the peace treaty between our villages."
"What?!" He gaped at her in surprise.
"Got a problem?" frowned Kankuro.
"Well, no, I just…well I figured some old farts or someone older honestly would be the ones I'd meet with." He shrugged before pausing. "Not that it isn't great to see you guys again! So… you want to go to the Hokage mansion, right, to see the old man?"
"Well we do need him to sign the treaty." remarked Temari plainly while glancing at Gaara who hadn't made a move or sound. 'Is Gaara alright? I thought she was doing better, isn't this the chance she wanted?'
"Ah, right! Sorry, right this way!" he turned and started leading the way with Kankuro following, Temari, and Gaara (Who was snapped out of it when Temari grabbed her arm). 'Wow, I didn't think I'd see them again so soon. Hmm, I wonder if they're angry after what happened last time.' He thought, stealing a glance at Gaara. 'I did beat her up the last time we saw each other… yeah, she's probably still mad at me.'
'What do I say? He's right here, and I haven't said a word.' thought Gaara, sweating a little as she glanced at the ground with Temari clearing her throat.
"So, how has the village been since…" she started off with Naruto putting his hands behind his head.
"We're doing pretty good, but having to clean up all the rubble has been a pain." He sighed. "That jerk Orochimaru neary even killed the old man! Luckily things turned out kind of ok."
"Well you won't have to worry about him in Suna, after what that snake pulled the village has cut all ties with him and increased security. If he shows his face anywhere nearby we're to kill him on sight." frowned Temari with Gaara snapping out of it at the mention of the sannin.
"I'll personally make sure he never breathes again." she spoke with a cold tone that made her siblings shiver.
"Glad to hear, I hate that guy! During the exam he even tried to eat me!" Naruto shouted with a frown. "Stupid snake summons…"
Soon the group made it to the mansion with Naruto leading them to the office and promptly kicked the doors open without waiting.
"Hey gramps! They're here!"
"Ah, of course Naruto, just remember to call me Hokage when on a mission." The hokage sighed as the Suna team just stared at Naruto in shock.
'He…did he just insult his leader and get away with it?!' Temari thought in shock.
'The balls on this idiot.' thought Kankuro with Gaara staying quiet as Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Oops, sorry."
"It's fine. Now then, let's see that peace treaty." Sarutobi smiled as he turned to the group.
Temari pulled the scroll out and handed it to him, letting him unfurl and look it over in silence as his eyes roamed over the fine print. 'Lets see if they tried to sneak anything past me this time…'
"Is everything ok Hokage-sama?" Temari asked nervously.
"Oh yes, just fine, I'm just giving it a quick look over for any spelling errors." he smiled with her gulping.
'I don't blame him for double checking. After what we pulled I'd be suspicious too.' She thought, looking nervously. 'They wouldn't try anything though, right? They're not that stupid… are they? Wait… these are the same idiots who thought of isolating and trying to kill Gaara since she was a toddler.'
"Hmmm…" Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe with Kankuro looking at Temari uneasily.
'If something goes wrong, will we be taken prisoner?' wondered Temari with the hokage looking up at them with a serious look, putting the two on guard.
"There seems to be an issue."
'They did!'
"This word right here has an extra 'e'." he pointed at the scroll with a sudden smile, making the two fall down with Gaara still standing calmly and looking at the two in confusion. "Well, I'd say everything looks to be in order." Grabbing his stamp he put down a fresh stamp mark and leaned back in his chair. "As of this moment, our two villages are allies."
'Oh thank Kami!'
"Now then, there is one final thing you three will have to do." He continued, making Temari and Kankuro freeze. "It will take a few days for our workers to properly make copies of this, file them and so on. I hope you will be fine with Naruto here being your guide during this time."
"You mean, we have to stick around here?" Asked Kankuro with a lack of subtly.
"Yes, and stay close to Naruto or another leaf ninja, I hope that will be fine?" He asked with a smile, stealing a glance at Gaara who was still unmoving.
"O-Of course Hokage-sama, it's perfect." nodded Temari quickly. "We understand completely, right Kankuro?"
"Yes, of course, we'd be honored!"
"Excellent! You four can go now, and please, have fun in our village." He smiled. "Naruto, stay with them, and be on your best behavior, understand?"
"You got it." he gave a thumbs up and smile before the four made their way out of the office.
Once the four were outside the mansion Temari cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Naruto? Do you mind if I have a moment alone with my sister?"
"Sure, ya don't need my permission." He remarked while putting his hands behind his head.
"Great." Temari said before grabbing her sister's arm and dragging her away from Naruto and her brother. Once they were out of earshot she looked at Gaara in confusion. "Gaara, what is going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Gaara, you've been as stiff as a board since you saw him." She said, looking at Naruto. "Isn't this what you wanted? To see him?"
Gaara stared at Temari before looking down slightly. "I froze up and didn't know what to say…"
Temari looked at her before sighing and shaking her head. "Gaara… you're a beautiful, powerful young woman, you got this." She smiled as she patted her on the back. "You just need to go up to him, smile, and ask if he wants to spend some alone time with you, hell he's practically been ordered to do just that."
"You're right in that…" she admitted looking over at Naruto who looked at Kankuro.
"So I've been curious."
"About what?"
"Why are you still wearing make-up?"
Kankuro's eyes widened before grabbing Naruto by the front and glared. "It's not make-up you brat! It's war paint!"
"Ok… then why are you wearing it? You aren't going to war." Naruto snapped back with a frown.
"It's tradition!"
"Tradition to look silly?!"
"Oh why you!"
The two started getting into a scrap with a dust cloud forming making Temari facepalm.
"Look, I'll distract Kankuro and you take the chance to talk to Naruto." She sighed. "Ask if he has any places he likes to eat, that's a good start. OI! You fucking idiot, stop fighting the blonde!"
"He started it!"
"You did, make-up boy!"
Temari walked over and pried the two apart while Gaara tried to calm the racing in her heart.
'Ok, just… talk to him, you can do this!' She thought as Temari managed to separate the two fighting ninjas.
"You two need to cool down!" She snapped before tossing the two away from each other, with Naruto being thrown towards Gaara. 'You got this Gaara!'
Gaara's eyes widened before her sand rushed out and caught Naruto before he could crash into her, cushioning the impact.
"Oof… wait, what?" He asked as he looked around in confusion, seeing the sand. "Gaara?"
She put him down with the sand receding as she nodded. "You…would have gotten hurt."
"Heh, that's nothing. I got banged up worse on my first D-ranked mission. Damn cat." He grumbled under his breath.
"I…" Gaara started, trying to think of what to say, or to say anything. "Um… you want some food?"
"Well I did feel like grabbing some ramen." He shrugged. "Wanna come? It's the best food in the village!"
"SURE!" Gara said, a bit louder than she intended. Noticing Naruto's surprised look, she quickly returned to her cool expression. "I mean, that would be nice."
"Great, let's go!" He said as he began to race off, with Gaara in hot pursuit.
'Hmmm…. I wonder if I should follow them… but then Gaara might get mad.' Temari thought as she watched them run off. 'Then again, she has no idea what she is doing.'
"I really hate that brat." spoke Kankuro with crossed arms. "Make-up my ass…"
"Shut up, that brat could end up your brother-in-law if Gaara plays her cards right."
Kankuro shuddered while with the two, Naruto had managed to reach Ichiraku Ramen in record time with Gaara looking intrigued.
"You'll never find a better place for ramen." He grinned as he strode in, Gaara right beside him. "Yo! Hey Teuchi!"
"Ah, Naruto! Great to see you." greeted the older man with a smile. "You here for the usual?"
"Yep, and double it!" he said, gesturing to Gaara with a smile.
"Oh-ho! I see you finally found yourself a girlfriend, good for you!" he gave a thumbs up making Naruto and Gaara's faces turn pink.
"H-Hey! It's not like that!"
"It's not?" Gaara remarked before she realized what she said. "I-I mean, yeah!"
"Don't worry, I won't rip on you TOO much." chuckled the man as the two took their seats before heading back to get started on the orders.
"Sorry about that, he's a bit crazy." Naruto apologized, his face still a bit pink. "He's a really old friend, he means well."
"I can tell." she remarked, her chest feeling warm just by sitting this close to Naruto as she tried to keep her voice calm with her giving it a brief look. "So…you come here often?"
"Yeah, every day if I'm lucky! The food here is just that great!" Naruto said, giving her a massive grin. "Ramen is the best food in the world, right?"
"I wouldn't know, I've never had it." She remarked, only to blink in surprise as Naruto just stared at her in shock and disbelief. "What?"
"You've NEVER had ramen?! That's…That's…That's crazy!"
"I didn't have much warm food growing up, no one wanted to serve food to the monster of the village." she replied back, watching Naruto quickly deflate and look at her somberly.
"Oh, I…I didn't mean to bring any bad memories." he rubbed the back of his head while looking away. "Truth is, I've been there. If it wasn't for the old man and Ayame here, I'd probably have starved since the only things I could get from the villagers was spoiled vegetables." He said, chuckling coldly before perking up. "But this is great, this means you can finally have ramen!"
She looked at him and felt slight envy, recalling his words before with this stand being a good example that he did have people close to him that cared. Looking down at the counter, she held her hands together. "I'm sorry."
"Huh? What are you sorry about?" He asked in confusion. "It's fine if you haven't had ramen before."
"I mean about everything else. I've caused so much death and bloodshed." she replied as Naruto listened. "I've…taken lives since before I came here. I've hurt so many people I've lost count. Like that one boy in green during my match."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, Lee's still in the hospital recovering, but hey, don't be too down. Gramps said he knows someone who can get him put back together easy!" he smiled with Gaara looking a little relieved.
"But I still caused so much destruction during the invasion, and nearly killed your teammates." she looked at him with confusion. "Even after all that I've done, all the things I caused, why aren't you angry with me?"
"Well, you didn't actually kill anyone, and you had no choice, it was that asshole tailed beast who took over." He shrugged."Believe me, I know what it's like, but I know that you're sorry, which means you're a good person!" He smiled as she stared at him in shock. "Besides, I'd rather us be friends than be mad, right?"
Gaara looked at him in disbelief, her chest feeling so hot it was making her sweat a little as her heart went faster. "You…You mean that?"
"Yep! You better believe it!" He grinned as the old man came back with two steaming bowls full of ramen. "Yeah! Time to eat! You're gonna love this Gaara!"
'I know she loves something here, and it ain't the food!' a voice popped up in Gaara's mind.
'Be silent.' she thought in annoyance as she grabbed the chopsticks while seeing Naruto already diving into his bowl with gusto. 'Well, if he says this tastes good, then it must be, right?' She thought as she scooped up several noodles to give it a taste.
As soon as they hit her mouth, her eyes widened while going as still as a statue.
"So, what do you think Gaara…Gaara?" Naruto asked as he turned to the redhead, only to see her frozen. "Gaara?"
The redhead looked down at the bowl and slurped up the noodles in an instant before she suddenly started eating from the bowl like a starved animal.
"Ha! See! I told you ramen was gre- hey, that's my bowl!" He cried as he realized that the redhead had already finished her bowl and had hungrily grabbed his half-finished bowl.
"Don't worry Naruto, already got you covered." chuckled Teuchi, setting a fresh bowl down.
"Thanks!" Naruto called as he began to dig in.
'MORE, MORE, MORE!' Gaara thought, feeling overwhelmed by the food in front of her. 'The flavor, the taste, the texture, it's fantastic!'
Teuchi watched the two go at their bowls in seconds, setting new ones down without slowing their pace and found the sight something to behold. 'Wow, reminds me of Minato and Kushina… I guess the blondes love redheads, huh?'
After ten minutes the two came to a stop, Gaara gasping with wide eyes and Naruto sighing in content. "That…was…fantastic." She got out between gasps.
"Yeah, ramen really is great~"
"Indeed it is. So is paying for your meal." Chuckled Teuchi as he held up a long bill.
"I got this." spoke Naruto reaching and pulling out his frog shaped coin purse.
"Good call Naruto, the boy always pays for the first date~" Ayame teased with a grin.
"Ayame!" blushed Naruto with Gaara registering the clues she failed to notice before.
'Wait…Temari told me before how a date goes. Two people go out, spend time together, at a restaurant, and open up together…was this a date?' She thought as her face began to heat up. 'This… this is perfect, I got to go out on a date with him without asking for one! Wait… didn't Temari say that you kiss after the first date?'
'Yeah, better lay a fat wet one on the poor bastard!' laughed Shukaku in her head.
'She said it was usually on the cheek, and meant to be brief, the opposite of what you're saying.' She protested. 'I should do it now, while I still have an opportunity.'
Naruto grumbled as he handed Teuchi the money. "Don't go saying stuff like that old man."
"I'm just saying what I see, and it sure looked like you two enjoyed yourselves. Maybe you should take her somewhere else so she doesn't get bored." He teased with the blonde huffing.
'Now!' Gaara thought as she closed her eyes and leaned forward. 'I can do this!'
"You can't get bored of Ramen, right Gaar-' Naruto started as he turned back to Gaara, only to have her lips crash right into his. Instantly his eyes widened, face turned red, with all rational thought coming to a screeching halt.
Gaara wasn't much better as she opened her eyes, seeing Naruto's shocked eyes and she quickly realized what she was doing, that she was kissing Naruto on the lips, and proceeded to turn as red as her hair.
'Wow, you went right for the lips, how bold.' laughed Shukaku while Teuchi and Ayame smiled at the scene, Ayame finding it too cute for words.
'I-I-I-I-I… kiss… what?!' Naruto thought, his mind seemingly garbled as Gaara broke the kiss, stumbling back. "Ah…ah…ah…."
"I…. uh…. T-thank you for the date!" She got off before turning and bolting out of the ramen stand.
"...what….just happened?" Naruto finally got out.
"You just had your first successful date, congrats Naruto." Teuchi chuckled. 'Yep, exactly like Minato and Kushina.'
"D…Date?!" he let out with wide eyes as Gaara herself was freaking out mentally as she ran.
'I-I messed up, I didn't… what do I do?!' She thought, her mind racing. 'That wasn't supposed to happen yet! Do…do I have to marry him now?!'
"Gaara!"
Gaara skidded to a stop, nearly falling over before turning and saw Temari and Kankuro running over.
"Gaara, what's going on, what happened to Naruto?" Temari asked before noticing how out of breath and red her sister was. "Gaara?"
"I messed up. I-I messed up with Naruto…" she got out, looking around with worry and panic. "It…It just happened so fast…"
"Gaara, listen to me, please just calm down and tell me what happened." Temari said as she cautiously took Gaara's hand. "It'll be ok, just tell us what happened."
"Together…ramen…date…kiss…" She got out, feeling faint as she shook her head. "I…lips…."
"Gaara, just calm down!" Kankuro shouted, making Temari glare at him. "What? She's not making any sense."
"I… I kissed Naruto on the lips accidentally…meant to kiss him on the lips." Gaara let out, groaning as she held her head. "I… I have to marry him now!"
Her siblings went still and stared at Gaara with Temari breaking out in a nervous sweat.
"Uh…Gaara? Where did you get that idea?"
"W-Well, you said you kiss someone on the cheek for a date, and I know you kiss someone on the lips at a wedding…" Gaara let out. "Would I have to move here or would he have to come to Suna with us?"
"Uh…well, ya see, it's not that simple." Temari tried to explain. "I did say that, but I mean you usually kiss on the lips if it's serious."
"This is serious Temari!" Gaara protested. "I kissed him on the lips!"
"That's not what I mean!" Temari groaned.
"Eh, maybe you should hurry up, Gaara's husband is coming here." Kankuro remarked sarcastically as Gaara froze.
"What?"
"Gaara! W-Wait!" Temari tried to interject as Gaara turned and saw Naruto coming back with a blush on his face.
"I-I have to face this Temari, I-I started this so I have to take responsibility…and so does he."
"No! I…ugh, Kankuro! A little help?!"
"Nope, I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole!" he quickly backed up with his sister glaring.
"And you call yourself a man!"
"G-Gaara!" Naruto called as he began to reach them. "Wha…what was that back there? A-Are we dating now?!"
"That's what I was wondering." She let out nervously before sighing. "But unfortunately, we… we're married now."
Naruto blinked in confusion before his jaw dropped, finally processing what she was saying. "HUH?!"
"Hold up you two!" Temari quickly got in between. "Take a breather, you two AREN'T married!"
"What?!" Naruto and Gaara replied, both equally confused.
"But… we kissed on the lips!"
"One time!" she held up a finger. "One kiss doesn't suddenly mean you have to get married!"
"Really? Does that mean we're not dating?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"That… is more complicated, but let's just say that's between you and Gaara, do you two want to date?" Temari sighed, feeling a migraine starting.
Naruto scratched his cheek while looking to the side as Gaara looked down. "Well…I mean…I've never really dated a girl before."
"I…I'd really like to date you Naruto…i-if you want to date me…" Gaara quietly responded, barely loud enough for Naruto and Temari to hear.
"Then the two of you just need to spend more time together." She crossed her arms. "And DON'T rush into something like marriage."
"Then… we are dating?" Gaara asked, starting to feel a bit of hope in her chest as she looked at Naruto, expecting an answer.
Said blonde saw her look and blushed, but did feel a bit happy at the idea, even if it did seem a bit fast. "Well, I wouldn't say no, i-if you're fine with it I mean!"
"YES! I-I mean yes." Gaara shouted before trying to compose herself. "I'd like that."
Naruto smiled, feeling like he just won the lottery while Temari had to resist making a teasing jab.
'Congrats Gaara, you finally did it~' She thought as she watched them with a smile.
"Great! Want to uh… meet up for ramen tomorrow?"
"I'd like that."
"Great! See you then!" He grinned as he turned to leave.
'Hey, you should kiss him again brat!' Shukaku's voice called in Gaara's mind.
'I will drown you in sand if you don't keep your mouth shut.' Gaara thought, blushing a bit as she imagined kissing Naruto again.
'Not my fault if you're so desperate for him. I'm surprised you didn't try to take him there and get to making more brats.'
"I can't do that with him!" Gaara let out, too shocked to remember not to say it out loud.
"Can't do what?" asked Temari, confused and concerned what Gaara was referring to.
"N-Nothing! Just the stupid beast saying… just forget it!" she blushed while turning away from Temari, crossing her arms. "L-Let's just go."
"Are you su-"
"YES!" Gaara snapped.
"Gaara. What is it?" Temari asked, not backing down despite every fiber of her being telling her to run.
"...he…was teasing me about doing something….to Naruto." Gaara admitted, looking down, her face still red.
"Oh…well, you don't have to listen to him, alright?" Temari said, feeling a bit awkward before a sudden thought hit her. 'Wait… she's been alone most of her life, no one has helped her until a month or so ago, and….crap, did no one ever give her the talk?!'
"Temari? If me and Naruto grow closer, will we have kids?"
"...uh….um….it's….not impossible." Temari awkwardly answered as Gaara looked at her.
"Do they show up after a few more dates?"
"...Gaara? I…I need to talk to you about something, but know that it might be a bit…awkward."
"What is it? Wait…. Please tell me you don't want Naruto." Gaara said, her eyes narrowing. "You never wanted him be-"
"No, no, that's not it, Gaara." she quickly shook her hands. "It's…something about when you grow older and where babies come from."
"Huh? Wait, you know?" She asked, her eyes widening.
"Yes, so please, bare with me." She sighed.
(Later)
"-And that's where babies come from, and why you need to practice safe sex." Temari finished, sitting across from Gaara who had been sitting still as a statue and made no movement whatsoever through the talk. "So, any questions Gaara?"
"I…what… I don't… me and Naruto…." she muttered while Shukaku was snickering.
'Aw, are you shy? Nervous? I'll bet you are, especially if you see him stark ass naked!' Shukaku laughed as Gaara unwillingly pictured just that.
"S-Shut up!" She cried, covering her eyes to no avail.
"I'm sorry Gaara, but this is just something you had to learn."
"I…I'm going to bed." she spoke, her voice becoming cool again before she laid down on her bed, closing her eyes with her hands folded on her stomach while Temari let out a heavy sigh.
'It's for the best, she'll thank you someday Temari.' She thought, laying down in her own bed and praying things went for the best between her sister and Naruto