CHAPTER 14: I'll Blow Your Heart to Pieces

Pleasant sunlight flooded in on the windows of the cozy café. Through a straw, Naruto sipped his iced coffee, and next to him, Hinata smiled and shyly took a bite of her muffin.

"Naruto… there have been rumors."

"Rumors?"

Hinata swirled a spoon in her coffee, the rhythm was anxious and fast. She glanced around, no one was within earshot. Then, she confidentially leaned closer to Naruto.

"They say that… That you're doing sin, Naruto."

"S-S-Sin?" Naruto gasped, all color escaping from his face. "What sin?"

Now Hinata's lips twitched, she looked disgusted. With her gaze lowered as if in shame, she whispered. "Sin with another man."

"T-That's b-b-blasphemous!" Naruto croaked. "That's not true!"

Hinata went back to her coffee, eerily quiet.

"Hinata, rumors like that are not true!" Naruto whispered heatedly. "Where did you hear it? Who is spreading things like that?"

"Neji Hyuga told me," Hinata admitted, looking uneasy.

"Neji? But I haven't seen Neji in ages, why would he be talking about things like that?" Naruto wondered.

"Well… he heard it from Ino," Hinata explained. "And Ino had heard it from Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Naruto huffed. "Of course, Sasuke would spread stupid lies just like that about me, he hates me!"

"Naruto…" Hinata whispered. "I know. I believe you. But Sasuke didn't start the rumors. He said that his big brother, Itachi, heard it from someone he went to school with. What was his name again? Shino? Maybe."

"Shino?" Naruto frowned. "Never even heard of him. Hinata… Those rumors are crazy. They are not true. You must believe me. I swear, I'm not doing s-sin."

"Of course you're not, Naruto," Hinata soothed him. "You must do something, though, before the elders hear about it. Or your parents."

Naruto paled and lost all appetite.

"Hi mom, dad!" Naruto called happily and closed the door behind him.

"Son, so nice to see you!" Ibiki Morino smiled as he walked down the stairs to the hall.

Naruto ran to hug him, and Ibiki patted him quickly on the back. "Save your hugs for your mother, men don't do that."

"R-Right, sorry," Naruto stuttered, quickly backing away. "It's just… It's been a long time no see. So, what's up with you and mom?"

"Still waiting for the grandchildren," Ibiki laughed, but his voice wasn't completely humorous. "Last week, we got a trampoline from the Yamanakas. They're getting a new one, and we thought that we could buy their old one, so that the grandkids can play in it, when you come visit."

"T-Trampoline?" Naruto repeated, and walked to the other end of the house, and peeked at the backyard. A large trampoline stood there, with a tall safety net around it. "Oh, wow."

"Isn't it amazing?" Ibiki asked, clearly proud.

"Yeah, dad," Naruto responded, and something rose to his throat. He tried to swallow it, but the feeling didn't go away.

"So, when are we going to officially meet her?" Ibiki inquired, with a small smile on his face.

"H-Her?" Naruto wondered.

"Yeah," Ibiki confirmed, like it was all clear. "Hinata. Your mom said she wants to start planning for the wedding as soon as possible. And I'm sure her parents feel the same way."

"That's, uh…" Naruto stammered, searching for words. "Don't you think things are escalating pretty quickly right now?"

"No, what do you mean?" Ibiki frowned.

"Well, dad, I mean… What if… What if we have not decided yet?" Naruto tried.

"What do you mean not decided yet? You know her from high school. She's a good girl, and she obviously likes you. Her family is well-off, and we get along with them great," Ibiki reasoned.

"Yeah, I see all that," Naruto understood. "But… There's still time."

"Son," Ibiki called softly, and the gentle tone got Naruto to perk up. "People are talking. Your mother told me what they were whispering in the restroom last Sunday at the Kingdom Hall, when they didn't realize she could hear."

"W-What?" Naruto gasped.

"Son, I know they are only jealous, and try to put you down, because you're successful and well-liked. Don't mind about them," Ibiki consoled.

"What are they talking about?" Naruto repeated.

"Stupid things," Ibiki waved it off. "Petty lies. You know how people are, what they think. That if a young man hasn't started a family, there must be something wrong with him. But I know you, Naruto, and I know there's nothing wrong with you."

"I see," Naruto breathed. Memories from his childhood popped up in his mind. He was eight, maybe nine, and his parents were having their friends over. Mom was in the kitchen, taking a pie out of the oven, and Naruto had been hiding behind the door, left ajar, bored that he had no one his age to play with. Even now, he could remember the disdain in his mom's voice, when she had told her friend that she'd rather have her child die from cancer, than have a gay one. That it would be more merciful that way, to everyone.

"Thanks for having my back, dad."

"Anytime," Ibiki smiled.

"But hey, dad…" Naruto trailed off, pensive. "I was just wondering… Does it really have to be between a man and a woman?"

Ibiki laughed. "What are you asking? Marriage? There is only one kind of marriage, and it's between a man and a woman. You know that, Naruto."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto nodded, restless. "But you know, there's… There are people, in this world, who see marriage as something that two men can have."

"Two men?!" Ibiki growled, clenching his fist. "It's heresy. God did not intend it like that. Marriage is a sacred thing between a man and a woman. Everything else is sin. And why would you even be thinking a thing like that, Naruto?"

"I'm not, I was just saying, dad. Having a conversation. Because not every person on this planet shares the same ideas," Naruto said.

"What does it matter what the others think? They are misled. They will not be saved, or get to heaven," Ibiki concluded.

"Well, dad, I was just wondering, hypothetically, if you had a lot of children, and one of them thought that marrying same sex was not a sin—"

Ibiki grabbed Naruto's arm and pushed him against the wall. "Such heresy has no room in this house, is that clear?"

"B-But it was on a hypothetical level—"

"Doesn't matter on what level it is, such disgrace will not have a foothold under this roof," Ibiki hissed, and grabbed Naruto by the collar.

Frightened, Naruto tried to pry him off, but Ibiki's grip only tightened. Naruto glanced around, wondering where mom was, but then again, he knew it didn't matter. Mom would not prevent it, she would look away, and when he would come to her, crying, she would only tell him to pray harder.

"Don't make me beat the devil out of you again. Son, I love you, but I swear you don't let your parents off easy," Ibiki hissed. With his other hand, he grabbed Naruto's chin, and stared him in the eyes. "Make one more trick like that again…"

With that said, Ibiki let go, and Naruto slumped against the wall, his legs shaking.

As Ibiki was heading to the kitchen, he called. "Don't let the Devil lure you, Naruto. You have a free will. Keep God close to your heart, and you will be saved. You know there is no room for sinners in this house. And oh, next weekend, your mom and I are hosting a garden party. All your friends are invited, and you'll see your uncles and aunts again, as well. You can bring Hinata along, too."

Trembling, Naruto nodded, and hastily ran up the stairs, to his old room. He closed the door behind him and slumped on his old bed.

With shaking hands, he gripped his hair, and vigorously pushed away the memory of a sunny afternoon he had spent with Gaara under the willow. That had no room in here, it was not from this world, and he realized, how could he ever coexist?

It was the devil in his heart, luring him towards the temptation, and he knew, oh how he knew, that the devil came in the form of flaming red hair, dressed in all black, and could make his heart quaver, his soul turn transparent and dissolve satisfyingly into the warmth of sunlight.

If only he could unsee the devil, the temptation, and forget its tantalizing kiss. He would die a happy man, if he just accepted what was offered, and didn't misstep into an unknown path.

From downstairs, he heard voices, and his mom was back home. Soon they would have dinner, and oh how he loved her cooking, he loved the garden around the house, the currents and raspberries and apples that grew, the old tree he had climbed in as a kid, the swing he had, the swing he had imagined his children would one day swing in.

They had made this a paradise on earth, a haven and community, with friends and help easily available. Was he willing to turn his back on it all?

For the past weeks, Naruto had been busy again. It made Gaara feel restless, even if he tried to keep in mind that even if Naruto was sometimes busy, he was not about to abandon him just like that.

One evening, Naruto called him. "Hi, Gaara!"

"Na-Naruto," Gaara smiled, even if no one could see it. "What's up?"

"I have something to tell you," Naruto said hastily, like he was only half there in their conversation. There was noise in the background, and Gaara wondered if he was on the go.

"Oh, what is it?" Gaara wondered, twiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Gaara, I… Remember the job I was offered? That place that would double my salary?" Naruto's voice carried from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I remember that," Gaara nodded, now gripping his own shirt, like a reflex he didn't put his mind into.

"Yeah, well, I… I accepted the job," Naruto said.

"Really? I mean… Will you… Will you still live here, or do you…?" Gaara trailed off, and the beat of his heart picked up speed.

"Look, I… I think I'll be moving to the city," Naruto admitted, his voice tiptoeing, careful.

"To the city?" Gaara repeated, a sense of desolation washing over him. Now, he tried to remember what Kankuro always said to him, that he was overreacting. That people did not hate or abandon him, and that if he just waited instead of lashing out immediately, his emotions would calm down.

"Well, it's not that far away," Gaara relaxed. "We can still see each other pretty often."

"Yeah," Naruto responded curtly.

"I can help you with packing and cleaning," Gaara offered, twiddling with the hem of his shirt again. "And unpacking on the other end as well."

"That's nice, thanks," Naruto's voice sounded neutral. "But someone from the congregation has already promised to help me, and I couldn't say no."

"Oh?" Gaara swallowed, trying to shoo away the disappointment dwelling in his chest. "I get it, I guess."

"Listen, I gotta go," Naruto said, his voice tight.

"Are you still coming over this weekend?" Gaara asked hastily, not wanting to let go.

"Um, about that. I'll drop by on a Friday night," Naruto only said. "See you then."

"Sure," Gaara smiled feebly.

"Yeah, gotta g—" Naruto's voice was cut off, as the blond ended the call prematurely.

Gaara stared at the screen of his phone, until it turned black. With a sigh, he put it away, listening to the restless emotions swelling in the sea of his heart.

On Friday night, the doorbell rang, and Gaara startled out of his hopeful, anxious thoughts.

"Hi," he smiled at Naruto, and let him in. "Kankuro's making pancakes for us."

Naruto smiled back, but something felt odd in it.

He didn't have his duffel bag with him.

"Can we talk?"

They went to Gaara's room. The redhead sat on the bed. The blond paced around the room, swiping off dust from plant leaves in passing.

"Gaara… I'm getting married."

"W-What!?"

Gaara's eyes were wide, and he was clenching his fists, refusing to believe what he thought he had just heard.

"M-Married!?"

Now Naruto looked bittersweet and empty, and he nodded.

"To whom?" Gaara whispered tightly, as fear and anger were already stabbing his trembling heart. Fast, he was falling, falling within himself.

"To Hinata," Naruto told guiltily. "The wedding is by the end of this month. We're moving in together."

"O-Oh…" Gaara breathed, as he kept on falling, and his stomach felt nauseous.

Only last week, had Gaara thrived in his little happy bubble, picturing a rosy future for the two of them. Tonight, that image was shredded, and all there was left was despair and emptiness.

"You said you'd never leave me, that you only loved me and no one else. That your heart would never change," Gaara whispered acidly.

"Gaara…" Naruto sighed and came closer.

"Don't," Gaara hissed dangerously, and the blond stopped in his tracks.

"Gaara, I didn't lie back then. I don't lie to you," Naruto whispered guiltily.

"You're like everybody else," Gaara growled, disappointed that he had let himself lull into false hopes and dreams with this man, when he should've known better. "Leave!"

But Naruto didn't make a move, instead he stood there, crestfallen. "Gaara… I… I want us to stay friends. I don't want to lose you. Please."

"Friends?" Gaara barked, as boiling anger flooded into him. "Friends?"

He stood up, his fists clenching, and was closing in on the blond. Naruto backed away. The sweet scent of pancakes wafted through the closed door, and from the kitchen, Kankuro's carefree humming carried.

"I'd rather stab you, than remain as your friend after this," Gaara hissed, hurt and betrayed. "Go! And never come back."

"G-Gaara…" now there were tears in Naruto's eyes. "Please… I beg you."

Angrily, Gaara shoved Naruto in the chest, and the blond's back hit the wall, he was trapped. Naruto looked frightened.

"I don't want to see your face ever again," Gaara spat, his head spinning, heart racing. "Get the hell out of here."

Naruto looked at him painedly, and swallowed the tears he was about to cry.

"NOW," Gaara suggested, backing away to give him room to leave, but the blond was rooted to the spot.

In the kitchen, Kankuro thought he heard someone scream, and frowning, he turned off the stove, and put the frying pan on a cool cooktop. At Gaara's door, he stopped, thinking of knocking, but something in the energy emanating from the room made the hairs on his neck stand up.

Quietly, he opened the door, and saw Naruto trapped in the corner, and Gaara was holding him by the throat.

"H-Hey," Kankuro gasped, and they turned to look at him. "What's going on?"

Gaara let go of Naruto like he was disgusted at having even touched him. The blond hung his head in shame.

"Naruto?" Kankuro addressed the blond, as the redhead was silently fuming, and his fists were clenching.

But Naruto let out a broken gasp, like he had lost all the fight. "We broke up. I'm… I'm getting married."

"You what now?" Kankuro squinted, wondering if he heard it right.

"I'm sorry," Naruto whispered. "I never meant to…"

"To get married behind my back?" Gaara slashed, hurt.

"Behind your back?" Kankuro repeated, and now his shocked stare moved to the blond again.

"G-Gaara… I'm not… behind your back. It's not like that. I swear. And she… she has no idea about…." Naruto whispered thickly.

"She?" Kankuro repeated and narrowed his eyes. "Blondie is getting married to a woman?"

"Look, it's…" Naruto trailed off, and shook his head in defeat.

"Naruto… I always liked you, and I'm never wrong in these things. But now…" Kankuro let it hang, staring at him with piercing intensity.

"I get it," Naruto understood. "I totally get it."

Gaara sighed painedly, and his shoulders were shaking. Protectively, Kankuro pulled him into a hug, and smoothed down his back.

"Hey, maybe it's better if you go," Kankuro suggested none too friendlily, and the blond nodded, swallowing a piece that had risen to his throat.

At the door, Naruto glanced back one more time, and saw Kankuro's murderous glare, and Gaara with his eyes closed, holding back sobs.

A/N: Thank you for everyone who has read and/or reviewed so far! :) There's still 15 chapters left haha.