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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Ooooh boy. Lol This is turning out longer than expected. I was expecting this chappy to be maybe a few pages but it somehow turned into 11 Makes me wonder what the next one will be like. That one will actually have plot. This is more like a prologue. Enjoy!! R&R!!

000

The sun was shinning and the air was filled with the smell of ramen and as far as Konoha's very own Uzumaki Naruto was concerned, that was the most beautiful kind of day. It was a perfect day to take the initiative and continue to train since he had not passed the Chunin exam due to certain circumstances.

It was in the past now even though Konoha was still being rebuilt. Everything had been settled between Suna and Konoha. It had been understood by the citizens that Orochimaru had deceived Suna and in their weakened state, Konoha had no choice but to accept the excuse.

So the blonde boy with an inner demon took it upon his own initiative to get stronger, faster, and more powerful so that he can protect those he loves and cares about while he was not on any missions. That was his way of the ninja and it so happened to coincide with his own ambition to become Hokage one day.

"Ah! Thanks old man!" Naruto exclaimed to his favorite morning man… the ramen bartender, Ichiraku.

"No, no. Here have another bowl," the man smiled at Naruto and gave him an extra free serving. "I've heard that you've been training really hard and your missions have been upped a few levels recently. You'll need all the strength you can get."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed and the ramen tender took that as the blonde's 'thank you'. To a cook, the appreciation of ones food is more important than a simple 'thanks'.

111

Temari and Kankurou were on their toes, glancing from left to right, but most importantly keeping an eye on their deadly red headed sibling who was walking at a fairly normal pace. Something was up with Gaara; the brother-sister pair could feel it.

Ever since Gaara had been defeated by Naruto from Konoha he had been on edge, shaking yet very solemn and more enclosed than normal. He had not lost his cool, but seemed as if he were deep in thought.

Nevertheless, the two from Suna were not going to chance an outbreak, especially since their location was not the ideal place for their brother to cause trouble and with no known motive. They had just repaired their relations with the country.

They were in Konoha.

112

The sweat rolled off of him and he heaved and his breath shook as he tried to regain himself. He had been using up a lot of chakra during his training. He couldn't give up because of something like that.

…He absolutely needed everything as flashy as possible so of course, the perfect jutsu to practice was Rasengan. Over and over and over again…

To the normal trained ninja eye it would appear that the infamous blonde was trying to perfect the technique or was trying to enlarge the amount of chakra he could control… But it takes someone like Naruto to understand the true meaning behind this specific training.

"Wow Naruto-niichan! That's amazing!"

"Do you think I could do that some day?"

"Haha! If you are born great like me and practice really hard you might," Naruto stated very cockily to the group of small children who had surrounded his training ground. He had decided earlier when one of the kids had approached him and asked if he could do anything cool. So he had went with Rasengan to really amaze the kid…

So the flashiness attracted a few more kids who wanted to see it again… And then a few more after that until it escalated into a crowd. It made him feel good about himself to know that at least some of the villagers have been warming up to him over the years. To know that he was no longer feared or ignored by everyone was an amazing feeling for him.

He now had friends and people close enough that they could be the family that he never had. He had gone through many hard times and many struggles to start gaining the respect and attention that he thought he deserved. The children surrounding him were proof that his hard work and determination to be acknowledged was paying off.

All he could do was smile at them and try to create another Rasengan with what little chakra he had left. This time took a little more concentration than the others because his mind was getting a little sidetracked from all the attention he was receiving.

There. The surge of chakra flow into his hand, constant and powerful and nearly perfect sphere.

"Rasengan!" and the blue ball was heaved at a tree, creating a good-sized hole in the middle of it. However, unlike the other trees Naruto had been practicing on, this one was a bit smaller and the two little slivers of bark that were left to hold up the tree snapped and gave way, causing it to start to fall over.

There were a few screams as kids ran away and Naruto stood there to watch at his mistake.

"Naruto!!" and there was the familiar voice of the one who always caught him doing something wrong. Iruka was standing at the entrance to the training grounds.

"Just look at this mess! These are trees used to practice throwing skills! Now what am I supposed to do when half of each tree is gone?!" He was not happy and Naruto had the inclination to run. Iruka-sensei was scary when he was mad, but over the years, he had grown accustomed to the tone of voice.

"Ehehe, sorry sensei," Naruto gave a trademark sheepish smile and a rub on the back of his head as a way of saying 'my bad.'

Iruka smile deviously, which was never a good thing.

"Oh… You'll be sorry all right because tomorrow you'll be planting new trees to grow here. One for every tree you've destroyed." He could have been the devil himself at that moment as far as Naruto was concerned.

"What?!? That's not fair sensei!" Naruto argued back, " I have to keep training!"

"And it's not fair to me? What am I supposed to teach those kids now!?" The two growled at each other in a familiar face off, neither truly mad at the other, however a little annoyed. Their bond was as strong as any.

Unbeknownst to Naruto though, he had another member of the audience who had not made himself known. The red haired sand ninja leaned ever so lightly against a tree some ways away from Naruto and Iruka. His arms crossed and his dark ringed eyes staring intently at the blond.

To anyone but Gaara, he would appear to be either thinking absolutely nothing or stalking his prey. If it happened to be the latter, Temari and Kankurou were not far behind him. They had been uneasy ever since Gaara had announced the trip to Konoha and did not protest when his siblings insisted on coming, but did not seem to acknowledge their presence. They hadn't seemed pertinent in whatever his plan was.

The blonde girl and the boy with the purpled markings upon his face crouched some distance away, observing their little brother. They were absolutely baffled as to Gaara's intentions.

"What should we do? We don't have the faintest clue as to why he's here…" Temari asked Kankurou.

"I don't know, but whatever he's up to, it can't be good. He's been acting rather strange lately, even for Gaara," Kankurou clenched his teeth.

"What if he slips out in the night?"

The answer to that was obvious to both of them. The question had come more of a complaint because they would have to stay awake and watch Gaara to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid in the night. The trouble is, Gaara is an insomniac and never sleeps, so it is highly likely that Gaara would outlast them.

"We'll have to stay awake. There's no other way around it. If he were to do something, he'd more than likely try it at night…" The puppeteer gave the final quota for the plan.

However, Gaara's current actions were neither of the two that would be suspected. Instead he was puzzled. The only thing that ran through is mind as he observed the young blonde with a glare was: Why?

113

Sleep is a horrible, horrible thing at the moment for Temari and Kankurou. It has been cuddling them with tempting feelings of restoration and relief from the burn in their eyes. They had not taken them off of their younger brother for hours now. It was some odd hour of the morning, darkness still cast in the sky.

It did not help their cause either that Gaara was just sitting in front of them, gourd in place, legs crossed and arms folded, his back to a wall. It was like a staring game except blinking was allowed. He did not take his piercing blue eyes off of them, and both did the same in return.

Most of Konoha was asleep save for perverted people and insomniacs like Gaara. This bit of information was also uncomforting to their current situation. It made sleep all the more enticing.

But try as they might, sleep was a necessary thing of the human body, although there were some exceptions. Both had succumbed to the calls of their bodies and had fallen asleep without even realizing it.

Gaara didn't blame them for not being able to stay up. He assumes that when Shukaku was infused with him at birth, it must have been difficult for him to stay awake and never sleep. He doesn't remember that anymore though…

He was used to no sleep now though. It's just become natural for him to not sleep, though his body lets him know that it's not healthy through his low tolerance for certain things and quick to anger attitude. It was worse when he was younger, when he didn't understand.

He still hadn't understood until a while ago when a run in with an unexpected no name made him feel things he had never known. Made him bleed. Had defeated him and given him one of his first experiences with physical pain… And left him more confused than he had ever been since Yashamaru's betrayal.

It was time to go.

Gaara stood and walked calmly to the window and left in utter silence.

114

Ramen by the pound! Boxes and boxes of packaged ramen!

There his stood, clad in his standard white robes and hat. Hokage at last.

Naruto smiled and looked down at all the villagers and he waved his thanks. And to show their love and appreciation, they had all pitched in and gotten him all he could eat ramen! Oh how he loved Konoha!

Konohamaru was suddenly next to him shouting claims such as, "You're my idol!" Kakashi and Iruka were next to him, giving him appraising smiles.

Sakura blushed madly at his side, her face as pink as her hair and her pale hands clinging to his robes. "Oh Hokage-sama you stud! I've always liked you better than Sasuke." He couldn't take much more of this!

Then the best. Sasuke was there… Uchiha Sasuke bowing down before him on his knees…

"Oh your royal Hokage-sama! I was wrong to ever think that you were an idiot! You were always my best friend and I acknowledge that I Uchiha Sasuke have lost in power to Uzumaki Naruto, the new Hokage of Konoha!" Naruto found himself laughing at the sight and smiling and bending over to ease Sasuke's soul.

"Thank you Sasuke. You were always my best friend even if you were weaker," he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and smiled at the teary eyed Uchiha. And suddenly he was under attack as Sasuke launched himself at Naruto, enveloping him in a hug, knocking him over with a thump!

…

It was then that Naruto realized he was not actually Hokage. There were no obscene amounts of ramen. Sakura was not his girlfriend nor was she even remotely close to fawning over him. And Uchiha Sasuke was most definitely not bowing before him and all but kissing his feet… That was damn near upsetting for him. He hated when this happened.

All he had now was a cold dark floor that he had fallen onto during his sleep… Wait a minute… When he went to bed it was light out from the full moon that should be pouring in his window…

His eyes widened and he quickly felt underneath his bed for his kunai and turned, throwing a few at his window. All three were blocked and fell softly to his bed…

The quiet sifting of sand and the piercing blue eyes that watched him from his window were all he needed to identify the intruder. He could feel his teeth clench and his mind started to race at 100 mph. Why was he of all people at his place? Was it for revenge for defeating him?

"Gaara…"

Although Naruto could sympathize with the ninja from Suna on a level that seemed impossible for anyone else, he remained angered at the red head for attacking his friends. Naruto knew Gaara had been ordered to attack, but had intentionally tried to kill by allowing himself to fall asleep…

"Why are you here?!" Naruto shouted at the window.

Blue eyes met pales ones and Naruto felt a chill run up his spine. He didn't expect an answer from Gaara, but he still demanded one from him anyway. It remained a thick silence in the room for a good while until one of them spoke up…

"Why…?" came the cool satiny voice.

Naruto's eyes opened a little bit wider before settling down. What did he mean "why"?

"Why… Why do you empathize with me?" Gaara's facial expression never changed and it was intimidating to Naruto to say the least. It was like an animal being caught in the light, it has the inclination to stay very still. "I hurt your friends."

Naruto's gaze drifted from Gaara's captivating eyes to the symbol on his forehead. It was then he realized that he had been asked a question and it took him a moment to figure out exactly why he did as well. He knew the answer well enough, but to put it in words without getting himself killed…

It was Naruto's time to become silent, recognizing that Gaara possibly did not come to cause harm… Though he continuously kept the idea in the back of his head.

"Me being able to understand your pain has nothing to do with you hurting my friends…" Was Gaara here just for that? "… I know what it's like to be alone…. You and I have suffered the same pains and the same agonies… We are the same in that sense…"

Gaara's eyes opened a little wider than normal. Had Naruto's actions from their last battle affected Gaara to this point? It was a sensory overload for the sand ninja. The acknowledgement of another person who could and had experience what he had to a certain extent. It was something that he had never encountered before and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

The red headed boy had wanted to clarify things in his head… He had been taught a lesson, but it still confused him as to why he was given the chance to be taught a lesson. I chance to change before it was too late…

He was a monster. He had been told so by his village who he had tried to befriend… even by Yashamaru… So why?

"…The same? …" Gaara's eyes looked so sad at that time. It was really hard to tell what his expression was because of his lack of eyebrows. It's amazing what the shape and displacement of the eyebrows can tell what a person is feeling. Naruto could only tell from his eyes, the ones that could have been his own had he not found friends.

Naruto was surprised at Gaara's small reaction, completely held within the mercy of his gaze.

A small, nimble arm shakily extended itself to the blonde, almost as if it was unsure of itself and its actions. Gaara's eyes never left Naruto's face who was completely oblivious to the arm until slender fingers barely grazed his cheek and he was snapped out of the trance and jumped back, startled.

Gaara's eyes took on a deeper blue and he slowly withdrew his hand, settling it down at his side, his teeth bared in annoyance.

"Then why do you fear me if we are the same. Why am I always feared?!" It didn't make sense to him. He was not intending to hurt Naruto and yet his hand had scared him away. Why? Why does this always happen? Perhaps he was never going to be able to love like he had hoped after their battle… Maybe it was too late for him to try?

"Because you go around killing people to know you exist!!" That had made the pain in his chest spike. Though it was true that he had done that, he wasn't sure of any other way at the time. He had tried it Naruto's way before and had only discovered unpleasant things, which led to who he was now…

Naruto realized his mistake when the ninja did not make any harsh movements, but his eyes seemed pained in their own way. He was frustrated at the moment that Gaara had broken into his place in the middle of the night… Even though it was true, he hadn't meant to be that blunt.

"Gaara… I'm sorry," Naruto said looked off to the side of the floor, feeling ashamed at himself. "I didn't really mean it like that. Well, I did, but I didn't mean for it to sound mean…"

"No… It's okay," Gaara simply replied. He understood what Naruto was trying to get at and it was true. It was his own fault for people being afraid of him. If he was only stronger mentally he might have turned out differently… Might have been accepted a little later.

"It's just…" Gaara pulled out a kunai and Naruto tensed, but Gaara didn't seem to notice. Gaara lifted the kunai and thrust it down towards his hand.

"Gaara!!" Naruto called out in fear that the red head would actually hurt himself.

A tuft of sand put him at ease as it stopped the sharp point and he caught Gaara's expression. Naruto relaxed a little bit after a few moments and looked at the hand. Naruto stepped back and smiled sadly at Gaara.

"I think I get what you mean… You really didn't know how to tell that you were even alive… did you Gaara?" His name on Naruto's tongue sent shivers down his spine accompanied by the fact that… Naruto understood. His eyes did not change however they held a source of amazement for the blonde haired ninja. "You're trying to start over aren't you…"

This was how he had felt when he had watched the boy crawl his way over to Gaara with all his strength, just to make sure that his friends would be safe. It was what he was being taught by the Kyuubi holder. All he could do was nod however…

"Well then! I have an easy solution to your problem!" The Konoha Genin has ceased to amaze him yet. Was there really a solution to his problem? He knew he had to make friends; he had to care and create bonds… That's where his true strength would lie… That's what Naruto had taught him before. But he wasn't sure how to accomplish it… People still remained afraid of him even when he's tried to make friends…

"It's really hard, you know," Naruto had those eyes… It was those eyes that showed compassion for him, those eyes that understood what he meant, what he had been going through. "Really hard…" Naruto smiled slightly and looked off to the side, deciding that Gaara was not a threat at the moment.

"Making friends took years and some of them are still just warming up to me."

"I've tried that already..." Gaara's voice carried impatience with it.

"Then you've succeeded," Naruto stated simply and Gaara looked up at him and their eyes met briefly before Gaara's became skeptical.

"How so? … I have none…"

"You have Kankurou and Temari." The obvious.

"They're my siblings… not my friends…" Gaara thought that the suggestion was stupid to say the least.

"Siblings could be friends. A friend is some one who cares about you… They came after you when you and I fought, ready to defend you to the end… That's a friend in my eyes," Naruto tried to prove his point to the red head. He knew it would take a little more than that to convince him though.

"Friends don't take turns staying up to keep guard on you," Gaara argued back, his brows scrunching up in annoyance and the hiss of sand could be heard.

"They're looking out for you," Naruto replied the same, becoming frustrated with Gaara's reaction. It was natural that he would react that way and Naruto had known he would, but it annoyed him nonetheless.

"They're making sure I don't hurt anyone," Gaara argued once more. He was determined to prove that his siblings did not follow the blonde's definition of a friend.

"They're making sure you don't hurt yourself!" Naruto spat back and Gaara was taken aback by it. His aqua eyes lit up for a fraction of a second and the sand settled down as the ninja looked off to the side.

Naruto was fully awake, his face scrunched up after the fight. Gaara had nothing to say back to his last statement and Naruto was pretty content with winning the battle. As much as he felt connected to Gaara because of their literal inner demons, he really just wanted to sleep.

It was a few moments of silence before the most unexpected question came up…

"Then… will you be my friend?"

Naruto looked up to see if he had actually heard anything at all and he came to meet Gaara's face. It seemed to tell him everything at that moment though he really looked no different.

Was Gaara being serious? Did he want to be Naruto's friend? The honesty in the aqua eyes, the sadness, the betrayal… everything was there and the blonde found his lips tugging into a smile and forming as soft…

"Yes."

Gaara looked at him in surprise, fully readying himself to be shot down again. He had been nervously sifting his sand while the awkward silence had continued. Now all he could do was nod because his voice decided to betray him at that moment.

Gaara turned slowly and left as quietly as he had come leaving Naruto to his bed.

Silently he moved to the rooftop, settling down for the rest of night to come. Everything that had happened in those few minutes of encounter was slowly fixating itself into his brain.

Was it true? … Did he finally have a … friend?

That word sent a fleeting feeling through his chest and his heart felt light. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, he had never felt it before.

Friend…

His eyes darkened a bit however and the blue eyes of his uncle tore their way into his mind and his teeth grit together. He had thought Yashamaru was a friend once… but he had betrayed him. He had tried to kill him like the others had… Would Naruto be different? …

…

Could he trust Naruto or would his experience with Yashamaru repeat? … He wasn't sure if he could take that again… That trial had sent him over the edge and had led him into the pit that he was in today. But Naruto had attempted to pull him out of it… Naruto wouldn't pull him out just to kick him back in… he wasn't like that… was he?

He would be cautious… He couldn't get too close to Naruto or else if the blonde betrayed him, he might be hurt again… and that kind of hurt was worse than any physical pain he had been dealt during his defeat… But tomorrow…

Tomorrow would start his first day as a friend…

000

Next Chapter: The First Day

Um… Yeah there will be other chapters don't worry, but I'm known to take forever and a day to update. Lol The more reviews I get however the more initiative I have. So review if you like and review even if you didn't!! Thanks!!