WHILE THE EARTH SLEEPS
by kathlaida-princess
Summary: Inspired by the song "While the Earth Sleeps" by Deep Forest. Child Naruto has the most boring friends in the world, so he usually spends his time exploring all of the Leaf Village, his beautiful home, all by himself. But one day, his father, the Hokage, is invited by the Sand Village's Kazekage to spend some sort of "diplomatic vacations" there, and he brings his wife and his reluctant son with him.
Things soon change when Naruto finds the Sand Village is also interesting to explore (this is, if he can sneak past his "babysitters"), especially when he finds out the Kazekage has a son his age too, that is kept locked inside his home at all times and has mystery surrounding him, and he has to show this boy what living is before it's too late. GaaNaru Friendship/Unconditional Love. AU
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Masashi Kishimoto's characters or places.
Author's Notes: Hello dear readers! Having *finally* updated the other fics for other fandoms, I bring you the second chapter of this story :D Once again, I'm really glad to know that this still interests people to read!
Thanks to all that have read this, and a big thanks to for having left motivational reviews! :'D
Special thank you goes to YamiTenshi (I'm glad, that part was taken from personal experience, the kids in my class when I was eight were crazy with hormones and some of them were already quite developed xD Ah, Kyuubi. The entire story is built on that premise: what if the Nine-Tailed Fox never existed and Naruto's life became quite different? But, yes, at least for me, it will be interesting to write their connection without them having THAT connection :D and, oh, that happens rather often, the missing words… I have to take a look at that, thanks for pointing it out!), DarkAngelJudas, Tainted-reflection-126 (well, from my own experience, the kids in my class were a lot like this – and so were my sister's… Poor Iruka xD And don't worry, Gaara will appear in due time ^^), Alcorion (thank you! I try xD) and NaruGaaFan!
The song at the start of this chapter is "The Patient" by my favorite band, Tool. They are one of the few bands I know that can truly teach me how to live, so you might want to give it a try? (if you happen to try, listen to "Reflection" :D It's long, but very worth it!).
Enough advertising, I think ^^;
On with the story!
CHAPTER 2
TEDIUM
"If there were no desire to heal
The damaged and broken met along,
This tedious path I've chosen here,
I certainly would've walked away by now.
I still may. And I still may.
Be patient."
"The Patient" – Tool
"It's an invitation," were my father's first words, as soon as he finished reading the letter. But he wasn't smiling at the time, he was frowning (and that was rare). "From the Sand's Kazekage."
And that was the part to make him frown.
At the time (and of course you remember that), the Sand and Leaf Villages didn't exactly get along that well… There had always been a strong rivalry between our shinobi and our leaders since way back, and every time a meeting was held involving the two, it was always filled with unsaid words of rage, hypocrisy (if you prefer it that way…), anyway, not pleasant, and my dad didn't like that one bit. Those feelings probably came up when my village won the war and yours was a bit prejudiced because of that, leaving sour mouths all around… See, my Iruka-sensei would be quite proud of me if he could hear me now, his History classes did work!
Right after my father told us who the sender was, my mother, sudden in her actions, ripped the paper from his hands (as he protested something about papercuts and calm-self-down) and frowned too, asking, "Are you going to accept it?"
Only I was at completely at loss of what was happening, though I kind of sensed something very, very boring was about to begin. If my father said yes, it would mean leaving the Leaf, and even though I didn't have much to do there, what would I do at the Sand, in a place both my parents and my companions hated? I had a bad feeling about the whole thing…
And of course my father, who had a huge knack for getting himself into things bigger than him (I hated him for it at the time, because it'd make me and my mother worry, but now I realize that's what made him such a great Hokage…), had to make that bad feeling real, saying, "Yes."
His frown softened into a pensive look. "If he wants us to meet, it means this is a chance to change how things are. And I'm not missing it. I'll go."
I wanted to protest, but my mom was faster than me.
"And we're going with you!"
What?? I wish I could have yelled. I had faith in my mother agreeing with me…
"We're not letting you go ago alone, you'll need our strength, right, squirt?"
And I felt myself give up before my stubborn brain did… I remembered muffling a sigh before saying, "Right, mom…"
And from then on, everything was beyond my control, their decision was made, and for the best or the worst, I was to remain by their side through it all… I'm sorry if I sound so bitter, but at the time it all felt so wrong… I was bored, unmotivated, I was trying my best to understand if I was actually doing the right thing at the Leaf Village, playing around while my friends were addicted to their hormones, and they wanted me to leave it, even if only for a while. That would confuse me even more, and we both know I'm not the brightest thinker. Once I got to the Sand, should I explore it or try to act more adult? I didn't know and I couldn't find a way to know it. My dad would be wonderful at solving a problem like that easily, but he was busy enough already… Ah well, maybe if I just crossed my fingers and went to the Sand everything would sort out by itself… which actually ended up happening…
We were to leave for the Sand on the next day, at sunset (and no ramen for that dinner either, by the way…), which meant I still had some time to go to school and explore a little (if I felt like it) before we left…
But before I went to sleep that night, it seems my mother did notice I wasn't at all happy with the way things were decided. While I was in bed and trying to force my sour thoughts into some harmony, she entered my room and came to me, with kind touches that remind me of the caresses you're giving me now, as her weight sank into my tiny mattress… She asked me, "Come on, squirt, what's bothering you? I thought you'd be all excited to go to a new place and all… Where's your exploring spirit!"
I turned to face her and then (like I still do now) pouted, as I answered, letting it all out, "It's bored! This is all so boring, I don't think I'll want to explore ever again… Besides, why can't dad and the other guy just get along already? Why does it have to affect us too? I don't understand…"
That was a problem I only remembered in that moment, but when I thought more about it, it did upset me too…
"Oh, silly…" my mom got closer, soothed my hair. "It's not that easy… People are… complicated… They… they're so afraid to hurt each other that they get apart, but they end up being hurt either way…"
I was blunt in my reply. "That didn't make any sense…"
"Exactly!" my mom nodded. "It doesn't make sense, because you can always talk to someone and try to repair things with them, if you want… don't you do that with your friends?"
And I nodded too. "Yeah…" then remembered how sad they sometimes made me feel, because we spent our time so differently… "… but sometimes I just wish I could stop doing that… sometimes I ask, why bother with them when I'll end up being alone anyway?" Like today. Like every day. Like whenever I wanted to do something awesome and they would always have something else to do. But maybe I was really wrong… My dilemma played itself in my head again and I remember hugging my knees for more comfort.
But that earned me a determined reprehension from my mother.
"No, no, no! Did you listen to what I said, Naruto?" she was shaking her head vigorously and her eyes were very serious when she looked at me. I realize now, how important her words then were… "THAT'S the problem, the obsession with the hurting… Everyone hurts. Every single person in this world has hurt another one, on purpose or not. I have hurt you, Naruto, and you have hurt me too. But do you think we should sacrifice all the other things we have together, the good things, because of a moment of hurting? Or haven't you had good moments with your friends?"
"I guess…" And it was true. They might be a bunch of morons, but I still enjoyed messing around with Iruka-sensei with them, or working together to keep our reputation up against Sasuke… And the three of them sometimes even cared enough to ask about my expeditions… I could complain all I wanted about our differences, but there were many things keeping us together, valuable things… I found myself smiling again. "I have. And I wouldn't have missed them for the world!"
"That's what I'm talking about, squirt!" my mom exclaimed as she ruffled my hair, making me giggle. "And the important part is, no matter how bad things are, you can always fix them, with enough persistence and, of course, care… That's why we need to be by your father's side when he goes… He'll need our strength to fix our problems with the Sand, and we'll be there! This is very important, a great chance. Do you understand it now?"
"I think I do, mom," I replied, trying to bring my hair into order (and failing, so beware of the state you leave it now). "So, in a way, I'll be making the important-Hokage-decisions dad always speaks about, right? If I go and help him, I'll be a better leader in the future!"
"You are a fast learner after all!" my mother laughed. "Exactly. You'll have to behave, though. And be calm, wise and collected. A young man. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" I laughed as well, saluting her quite dramatically. It was impossible for me to behave like she wanted at the time, but still I was so determined. And I think that always was enough for her…
"Another thing, Naruto…" and I had a feeling it would be a serious thing… "About exploring… even if no one else feels up to it, if it's really what you want to do, go on with it! You know how far I came to be here today, and I don't regret it. In fact, I'm sad I couldn't see even more stuff as I grew older… Don't let the same happen to you, or you'll feel sorry for yourself later…"
Well, this didn't exactly solve my problem, but at least my mom's words helped me want to sleep soundly that night. I nodded, and though I still felt a bit confused, I smiled and said, "I won't. Thank you, mom, for helping…"
"That's what moms are for, squirt…" she replied, and began tucking me in. It's funny how sleepy I always got when she did that, to the point of almost being asleep when my head landed on the pillow…
I remember her saying good night with that sweet voice of hers (you had to wait for it, but it would come out, every once in a while…) and then I was far away, somewhat at sleepy peace, after all…
Dreams, I never had any… Sleep had always been like a black cloak of solitude thinking back then… My dreams only came later, when my dream come true died. But we're getting ahead of ourselves!
The next day, however, our last one in the Leaf, was good for making my mom's comfort vanish…
News that the Hokage was leaving travelled fast, and after our rushed-breakfast-now-goodbye-and-have-a-good-day(-still-without-ramen) ritual was over and I was headed to school, my journey to the Sand soon became the main topic of our conversation in class, behind Iruka's back and his lessons on History of the Fire Country…
"That sucks," was Kiba's only comment, which left no room for hope for a good time. "Really, Sand's the worst place you could go with your parents."
"Why, Kiba, a little optimism never…" I tried to argue but…
"He's right, you know…" Chouji continued. "My dad says people never smile or laugh in the Sand. Never. Not even when you tell them the FUNNIEST JOKE EVER."
"And what is the funniest joke ever?" I asked, curious.
Some moments of suspense passed before he replied, dumbfounded, "I don't really know…"
"It doesn't matter…" Kiba resumed his theory. "Do you know that sandbox we have at the park? All scratchy, smelly, that gets everywhere and is hot and uncomfortable? Imagine that a million times bigger. And imagine yourself living there… I'm telling you, it sucks big time…"
"But it's a new place to explore…?" I tried, using my mother's ace.
"It's a desert. It sucks." And Kiba wasn't open to discussion in that point.
But I wasn't ready to give up just yet… So, I turned to…
"Shikamaru… you're a smart guy. There must be something, at least one thing, that is good at the Sand, right?"
But he wasn't at all tuned to our discussion…
"Just let me sleep…" he protested.
And all hope was gone…
"Well…" the dog-boy was willing to concede something after all… "the only good thing that can come from it is the many foreign girls you can kiss! That way, we could finally beat Sasuke! What do you say?"
I refused to give an answer to that. Really.
Somewhere along the rest of the class, Iruka threatened us with detention, but since I was free from it because of the journey, so were the other three…
That's why we all arrived home considerably early that day… which left me with more free time before I had to leave… I returned to outside the village, but that time I wanted to say goodbye to a very special place… Across the fresh grass and the tall trees, the blue-bird's nest and all the many things I had discovered and still had to find, was a lake, the most beautiful lake I had seen in my entire life. It was a mixture of blue (of the sky and the water), green (of the grass and the trees) and white (of the sun and the scales of the silver fish there), and I could stare at it for hours, especially when I needed to think (like now), and all my problems seemed to feel a lot easier…
… and then seemed like a good time to use it too.
However (and I was no longer surprised, since everything was getting too random for me to process…), the lively colors reflected nothing but the worry and the confusion in my eyes without lessening them, and I had an unexpected visitor…
Kakashi Hatake was standing right behind me, tall, silent, and waiting. He had silver hair, though he was still very young, and he was my father's brilliant student, the one I had talked about before… I was always startled whenever he chose to appear, and I was guessing he wanted to say goodbye.
But I, of course, was wrong.
"I've heard you are in possession of a very valuable object of mine…" was his introducing sentence.
I remember blushing madly every time I remembered what was inside his so valuable object, of half-disgust, half-embarrassment, which happened then too. However, I also knew we mustn't keep Kakashi waiting for his book for too long, otherwise bad consequences will come from that (very bad ones).
So, rustling inside my backpack, I got the orange book from it with most care, delivering it safely back to its owner as said owner was grinning quite noticeably, though he always wore a mask to cover his face. Yeah, that's Kakashi…
"There, have it. I don't know how you handle the stuff…" I sighed.
"You're still too naïve," was his answer. "And believe me, it's way better when you try it than when you read about it…"
"Then why won't you go try it away from here?" I bluntly asked, bitterly even.
"Hey, easy, Naruto!" Kakashi soothed me, raising his hands and closing his eyes as he smiled kindly. You could tell he was smiling by the way his eyes were closed like that… "So your mom was right, you really are a bit on the down side…"
"Why shouldn't I?" I mumbled somberly.
"Because you might be surprised. And you might actually like it. You know your friends can have a different opinion from you. Just go there, and you'll see it. I'm sure your mom already told you that, and she came all the way from the Whirlpool Country."
"Hm." I wasn't going to discuss that all over again. "We'll see about that…"
"Good," and Kakashi was still mysteriously smiling. "Well, I'll let you be, there are other matters I need to attend to now…" Make Out Paradise-related, I'd guess… He stood up and ruffled my hair, like so many others before him. "Have a good trip. And do be pleasantly surprised…"
And, with a poof of smoke, he was gone and I was left alone once more. I followed, when I realized I wouldn't find any comfort in the lake anymore (and I didn't have the spirit to find the fantastic plant from the previous day at the moment), I went home early.
But time did pass by too fast, like it always does when you don't want it, and I still hadn't gotten good memories from the village for my journey…
On the next moments, I was done packing and my mother was yelling for us to get in the caravan, since it was getting late. I dragged my suitcase down and my father took even the Hokage hat with him, while mom still looked worried about my bad disposition.
Yes, we did travel on a caravan to the Sand Village. Many horses (that would be traded by camels somewhere ahead), their owner, several ANBU body-guards and us. The sun was setting and it was our queue to leave, which we did.
The carriage made a boring, monotone sound as it rolled forward, and the bumpy movements made me sway around annoyingly… Ah well…
And I don't know, but at the time I felt like I was losing a very precious part of my life by leaving. I knew it would only be for a few days, but I had this crazy feeling I would be proven wrong about what I believed, everything, and I would break beyond repair because of it. How much of it is wrong, and how much of it is right?
I don't know, but both my parents said something important that day, gave me more valuable information about our group "mission".
But first, my mom insisted on Kiba's point…
"Cheer up already, squirt! You'll see you'll get yourself an exotic girlfriend! A bunch of girlfriends too!"
"I'm not interested."
And I think, deep down, my mother was glad to hear it. I'm sure she didn't quite like the thought of her only son whoring himself around…
"Anyway…" my father coughed and then said, "it's important the two of you know what I'm planning to do… I think formal meetings with the Kazekage would be enough, but just in case, I think it'd be good to have a pleasant dinner with his family, all of us…"
"Wow…" my mother exclaimed. "That man has a family?"
"Well…" my dad carried on, "sort of… His wife is dead, but he has two children, a girl and a boy, both older than you, Naruto, and his brother-in-law, their uncle, lives with them too. I'm not entirely aware of how they all get along, but if we all behave, I'm sure it'll make things a lot easier…"
I considered my father's words, especially the part that mentioned two older children. "Will they be less boring than my friends?" I asked, a bit hopeful that this wouldn't be all in vain.
"Probably, yes… But I wouldn't get my hopes too high, people in the Sand are very… introverted…" was his reply.
"Intro-what?" I exclaimed.
"Somber," my mother helped. "But I'm sure you'll have enough energy for the three of you, squirt…"
"Hm…" was that the only sound I could pronounce then?? I remembered Chouji's explanation with the funniest joke of the world. "Will there be ramen?" and I actually lit up then: if there was ramen, then I could take anything…
"If you behave…" both my parents said, "… yes."
And, for the first time in hours, I smiled and settled on my seat, nodding enthusiastically. My parents went on discussing about Hokage-Kazekage-pseudo-flirting techniques (why the hell this seems so suggestive to me now??), meeting plans and exchanging motivation, and as they talked, I faced the window of the moving carriage and hope sparked inside me, for a bit…
Hope that I wouldn't be a disappointment for the best Hokage ever.
Hope that I would find something exciting to take up my free time.
Hope that everything at the Sand would be solved.
Hope that I was doing the right thing, following my wishes, wanting to see it all.
But, above all, hope that this entire journey would be worth all the trouble…
And, you know, it's funny how you were all those hopes come true…
END OF CHAPTER
Finally, too!
Again, I loved writing this, and I have to say, this story gets me VERY emotional every time I write on it…
I promise: Gaara will appear in the next chapter!! I'm sorry for his absence, but this is how the story needs to go.
I hope you liked this! See ya next chapter!
kathlaida-princess logging out…