A/N: Thank you for everyone who has read, reviewed, faved and/or followed so far. :) I hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER 15: If You See Me, Don't Say Hi

Two years had passed.

Naruto had moved in the city along with a better job, and gotten married to his old high school sweetheart, Hinata Hyuga. Kankuro and Kiba had broken up, gotten back together, and broken up again, for times and times again, and currently they were on talking terms, but not romantically involved.

Kiba's mom was through knee surgery and could lead a pain-free life. Kankuro still had his shoemaker shop, and wasn't going red.

And Gaara, he didn't want to spare a thought for Naruto, or for what once had been budding between them. The abandonment was still too vivid in his heart.

Now in retrospect, Naruto had been a disturbance, a frenzy surging through him, like a drug forcing him to fall in love with it, and he didn't want that kind of turbulence in his life. Everything had turned more peaceful after Naruto had left.

It was good he had left.

Finally, Gaara could lead a peaceful life.

Well, it felt empty at times. But emptiness was better than the soul-boiling frenzy Naruto's presence forced him into, wasn't it?

It was spring, and nature was reviving after a long slumber. As he was walking home from work, Gaara felt more tired than ever by the light. Even his skin and hair felt grayer than ever before. He felt weak, and he wished he could just go to sleep. He didn't want anyone to see the state he was in.

"Hey, Gaara?"

Frightened, he turned around and saw Naruto — out of all the people in the world — there on the street, waving at him slowly.

"Oh, hi," Gaara responded in a small voice, freezing.

"Long time no see! Has it really been two years already?" Naruto muttered, perplexed. He looked fresh and clean in his wrinkle-free clothes. Timeless class that common mortals could only dream of. He was tall and handsome, as always.

"What's up?" was all Gaara could come up with, rooted to the spot.

Naruto was smiling from ear to ear. "We got twins with Hinata."

Twins? Something dropped inside Gaara, like he had fallen from the roof and was still falling.

Gaara stared at him, pushing away any emotion that was about to surface, and croaked, "Congratulations."

"Thanks, man," Naruto grinned, his blue eyes twinkling like sapphires. "It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, becoming a father. A dream-come-true."

"Wow," Gaara replied, looking away. His heart was aching so much that he feared it would break apart again. Of course having a family would be Naruto's top goal in life. The little romance they had had, meant nothing to the blond, Gaara understood. Oh, how much it still hurt after all these years.

"Well, I'm happy for you," Gaara forced himself to say.

"Hinata went to her parents with the twins this weekend, and I'm here to pick up flowers for our garden. There's a great market garden in the outskirts of this town, they have the best selection," Naruto explained animatedly.

"Oh, that's cool," Gaara muttered, feeling dizzy. "What kind of flowers did you guys choose?"

But Naruto was staring at him intensely. "What's up with you these days? Do you still live with your brother?"

"Y-Yeah," Gaara admitted, ashamed. He wished he could disappear. It felt like he hadn't moved on, while everybody else was making progress in their lives. "And I work at the library."

"That's cool," Naruto responded, but to Gaara, his expression looked smug. It hurt, he felt excluded, and he wanted to fade away.

"Are you dating anyone?" Naruto inquired, and now his tone of voice was more friendly than privy.

More than ever, Gaara felt tempted to tell that he did, indeed, have a sweetheart of his own. He wanted to tell it was Kiba, or maybe someone Naruto didn't even know about. Someone handsome and successful who adored the ground Gaara walked on. That they had been together for almost two years now, hah, take that!

Instead, he decided to tell the boring truth.

"At the moment, I'm not really dating anyone," he admitted, hating how small he felt. He felt like a failure, a lonely failure trapped in time and space.

"Oh," Naruto replied, his face unreadable for once. "Hinata and I have our second anniversary coming soon."

Gaara's eyes widened. "Oh… You must be excited."

But Naruto shrugged, glancing at the clouds that sailed unhurriedly above the treetops. "It's another milestone, yes. All my dreams have come true, a better job, the kids…" But then a sorrowful look slipped to his face, before he could mask it. "My foster-parents are excited. They love the twins, and Hinata."

"Well, it sounds like you have all the reasons to be happy," Gaara told quietly. "That's very nice."

"Isn't it," Naruto grinned now, his trademark face. But then, his old sorrow returned. "I still remember the old times. There's no one like you, Gaara."

Naruto smiled his sad little smile. How was it such a familiar sight? Gaara remembered the sorrow their failed romance awoke in their hearts. Oh, how some things never changed. Anger stirred inside of him. Did Naruto think he could just waltz back here after breaking his heart, pretending it wasn't a big deal?

"Naruto… you moved to the city with your dreams, and you achieved it all. But do you now have the freedom you yearned for, that you couldn't have here? Or did you just move from a cage to another?" Gaara wondered, with narrowed eyes.

The blond's face dropped, and his blue eyes looked bottomless. For a fleeting moment, the suffering shone through, and was there for the world to see. It awoke a sensation in Gaara, and quickly, he started to dig out a cigarette from his bag.

"You never wanted to move to the city with me," Naruto retorted bitterly.

"You knew why I couldn't," Gaara shot back, squinting, and lit up his cig.

Naruto sighed wistfully. "There were too many obstacles in the way of our happiness. It wouldn't have ended well."

"It never ends well," Gaara murmured knowingly. "There'll always be pain and suffering."

Naruto looked away, looking crestfallen, as if the burden of old ghosts was weighing him down. Gaara blew the smoke towards his direction, to get his attention.

"Well… Gaara, until we see again," Naruto murmured, with sadness in his smile.

"Yeah… farewell until the next time," Gaara quipped, taking a long inhale of smoke. He blew it peacefully through his nose, like a dragon.

As he looked at Naruto's retreating back, an old pain began to fill up his heart. Hurriedly, he ran away, hoping it wouldn't fill up to the brim before it was too late.

"Oh, it's you this time," Kiba noted, as he opened the door.

"Hello to you, too," Gaara muttered, too tired to take offense.

"I thought it'd be your brother," Kiba shrugged. "Lately, it feels like either of you is barging in here."

"Hey, you're welcome for the company," Gaara rolled his eyes, and plopped down on the unmade bed.

Kiba was about to protest, but seemed too exhausted, and instead sat down on his computer chair. "You and your brother… I swear to god…"

"I know, we're a lovely bunch," Gaara smirked, but then turned serious again. "Kiba."

The brunet sighed, and slowly turned to look at him. "What now?"

"Kiba… What if… What if we tried again, and you know, had a place of our own? You've always wanted pets. We could have a dog," Gaara suggested.

Kiba raised his brow. "Gaara… We aren't even together. And haven't been since… well, you know. What's this suddenly?"

"Are you saying you like my brother better, huh?" Gaara defended, getting angry over nothing.

Kiba shook his head. "I'm not saying anything. Calm down, dude. You're acting weird today."

"Kiba… It could work out. You've been treading water for so long. It'd do you good to get forward in life," Gaara suggested.

"Treading water? Forward in life? Are you insulting me?" Kiba frowned, crossing his arms.

Gaara smiled at his temper. "Come on. It could work out."

"No, dude. Listen to yourself," Kiba shook his head, weirded out. "It's not that I didn't fancy you, you know, it's just… this all comes so sudden. And your brother, well…"

"But you aren't even together anymore," Gaara knew. "Who are you saving yourself for?"

"Don't tell me you're only after a little roll in the hay," Kiba wondered, and blushed a bit.

"H-Hey," Gaara blushed as well. "I'm not that shallow, you should know it."

"Oh, I know you," Kiba muttered, and looked at him with worry. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing in particular," Gaara denied. "It's just… some people get forward in life, and I was wondering, if we should, as well. I mean… Aren't you ever bored of the life you have, have had for years already?"

"Well… I can't say it's a dream come true, but for the most part, things are alright," Kiba pondered. "But what do you mean, who is getting ahead in life?"

"Just some people."

"Some people who?"

Gaara sighed in frustration and crossed his arms. He dug a cig from his bag and lit it. Kiba frowned, and was about to say something, but instead, only pursed his lips together when he saw the look in Gaara's eyes.

"I just saw an old friend."

"An old friend?" Kiba wondered, and an odd feeling was filling him. "Who?"

Gaara blew smoke angrily through his mouth. "It was Naruto."

"Naruto?" Kiba repeated, staring at the fuming redhead. "Is he back in town, or what?"

"No. He was getting some stupid flowers in here. I bumped into him," Gaara told the story shortly.

Kiba evaluated him with a dark, knowing stare. "Oh, now I get it, why you are here."

None too friendlily, Gaara stared back at him, and blew smoke towards him.

"Look, Gaara, you know I like you, but I'm not getting in the middle of all that," Kiba sighed. "You clearly still have feelings for him, and well, I just don't know if a guy like me could ever win against a guy like him."

"That's nonsense," Gaara hissed. "I don't like him, and I don't want him back."

"Is that so," Kiba wondered, and looked at him knowingly. "Well, I believe you. But I'm still not excited about playing house with you with a golden retriever and all."

"You're lame," Gaara retorted. "No wonder if you're lonely and bitter."

"H-Hey," Kiba exclaimed, hurt. "Lonely and bitter? And you aren't?"

"Tsch," Gaara scoffed, and tossed his cigarette end on a soda can that was on the nightstand.

"Hey, there was still soda in there," Kiba cried, but Gaara only smirked at him.

"Look, I don't know what I can do for you. Wanna play some games?" Kiba wondered and turned on his computer.

"Ugh, that's lame. I want something exciting instead," Gaara sighed.

"Well, whatever that exciting thing is, it's not happening in here, so you'll have to choose," Kiba knew.

"You're boring," Gaara sighed, and theatrically collapsed on the mattress, like all of this was draining his will to live.

Kiba chuckled and got up. "Maybe you just need a hug. Come on," he gently said, and Gaara made room for him on the bed. Kiba closed him in his arms, and calmly smoothed down his back.

"There, there," Kiba murmured, with a small smile. "You're just being a little cinnamon bun again. It's alright."

"Kiba…" Gaara breathed gratefully, and the world felt a little more bearable again.

"You're home late," Kankuro noticed, as Gaara came to the kitchen with a small smile on his face.

"Kiba and I watched a movie," Gaara said. "I liked it, and I felt excited about the plot. Kiba always knows how to read me."

"Yeah, he's good with people like that," Kankuro knew, and smiled.

Gaara looked at him with an unreadable expression. "I know, he's sweet in his own, special way. He likes you, Kankuro. Maybe you should let him know how much you miss him."

"Nah," Kankuro waved it off and it looked like he was blushing. "You know, I love his temper, but it's also the thing that gets the most on my nerves. And he can say the same about me."

"Well, I get it, but I'm just saying, he has a soft spot for you," Gaara knew.

"Yeah, I know," Kankuro admitted, and now there was a small smile on his face as well.

That night near midnight, Gaara's phone beeped. It was a message from… Naruto?

It read: "You were wrong. It's a lot freer here in the city, than it ever was back in the town."

Gaara's nonexistent brow rose, and he began to type. It felt like he had hit a nerve earlier.

"If you say so, I believe you. All that matters is that you're happy."

It took a moment for Naruto to respond: "Are you happy, Gaara?"

By now Gaara felt weirded out. He replied: "Why are you asking me that in the middle of the night, Naruto?"

He didn't get a response.

The next morning, Kankuro eyed the pensive redhead at breakfast.

"It's rare to see you so immersed in seemingly nothing," Kankuro finally noted, as Gaara hadn't touched his coffee. "Is everything alright?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts. "Everything's fine. It's just… Yesterday, I also happened to bump into Naruto."

Kankuro's expression turned angry, and he gripped his coffee mug. "O-Oh. What was he up to?"

"He was picking up flowers from a nearby shop. He has twins now, with his wife," Gaara told.

Kankuro gritted his teeth and let out a huff. He took a long gulp of coffee, and let it sink.

"He looked unhappy," Gaara revealed, with a mix of curiosity and excitement. "And he texted me last night…"

"Gaara…" Kankuro sighed and looked at his little brother with empathy and worry. "Please… Do you remember what it was like, when he left? Do you want that again?"

A shiver ran down Gaara's spine. The memories from those times were suppressed in a tightly locked box in the depths of his heart. Even now, a shiver of pain emerged in his chest just from the mere idea of Naruto. Maybe his brother was right. After all, in all these years, it had turned out that Kankuro was the only person that had faithfully stayed by his side through the storms and hardships.

A few days later, Gaara noticed an unread message at lunch hour. It was from the blond again.

"Hey, I'm getting more flowers today after work. Wanna go get some coffee around 5 PM?"

Kankuro's worrisome voice echoed in his mind. Gaara knew how broken he had been back then, when Naruto had left, and how patiently Kankuro had helped him to get back to his feet.

"Sure. At the pub?"

"Not the pub. I'll come pick you up."