Woah a double update. Short chapter ik but its sort of a filler
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She could see the gates between the tall trees. The closer she got, the sicker she felt and the harder it was to breathe. Her heart thundered in her chest, under layers of scarred flesh and bone. Her heart thundered in her ears, the roaring of the wind blowing past her as she jumped across branch after branch after branch and the village got closer and closer and closer and her heart got louder and louder and louder.
"If it gets to be too much, just stop. We'll wait as long as we need to." Gaara knocked his knuckle against Naruko's shoulder with an awkward curl of his lip.
Naruko landed on a branch and crouched low. She could hear the quiet tap of Gaara's feet landing on the wood by her and continued looking down at the branch under her. He, thankfully, didn't say anything, and simply remained as a comforting presence by her side. Despite the warmth he brought with him, an icy chill burrowed deep into her bones and just wouldn't leave.
Memories of her time on the streets – just two pieces of ripped cloth to protect her from the bitter wind of the night – coursed through her mind, and Naruko hated the way she started shivering.
Out of fear, or out of cold?
Glancing at Gaara for a moment, her dual-coloured eyes caught sight of his worry, arms outstretched as if to grab her. She found herself not minding the thought of that as much as she did with others. Naruko deliberated for a few moments within herself, then ended up falling forward into Gaara. The other made a noise of surprise, but still caught her with ease, lowering them to sit so that they wouldn't fall.
Gaara slowly wrapped his arms around her, still making sure to be light with his grip if she wanted to escape. She hadn't been the one to initiate a hug...ever. Gaara felt a soft smile cross his face and placed his chin on her shoulder, chest warm.
It wasn't long before Naruko broke the hug and moved back a little.
"Are you feeling okay?" Gaara asked unsurely, frowning at the scrunched up expression the girl wore.
"Yeah." She whispered, looking at the village gates in the distance.
"Naruko." Gaara murmured, "You know we don't have to go there, right?"
"I have to. I-I want to!" Naruko exclaimed, sounding unsure of even herself. The redhead frowned, lips thinning.
"Alright." Gaara relented, not happy in the slightest. He wanted to ignore the village's existence in general. Most peaceful village, my ass. He hissed in his mind, scowling. He ignored the Bijū whispering words of Konoha's destruction for what they did, no matter how tempting it was.
"We should go."
Gaara didn't want to, but if he didn't go, then Naruko would go alone, so he nodded. Maybe he was being a bit paranoid. Naruko could take care of herself, after all. She was much stronger than him, anyway, but Gaara didn't want her going to a place that had instilled such fear in her, no matter how much she insisted she'd be fine. He could see she wasn't.
"Okay." He whispered, brows furrowed. Naruko huffed and smile slightly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll be fine. I promise I'll let you know if it gets too much, okay?"
"...Okay."
Naruko nodded and hopped onto the next branch. And then the next and the next and the next until the trees started to become more dispersed and cleared to reveal the Konoha gates. She and Gaara jumped down onto the ground and started walking in the direction of the entrance.
"Hey, guys!" Naruko greeted, giving a bright grin and a raised hand in greeting. She looked confident.
Both of them knew she was anything but.
"Naruko?" The two by the gate exclaimed, surprised delight painting their faces.
"Gaara, these are Izumo and Kotetsu. I knew them before I left. This is Gaara."
"Hello." Gaara greeted awkwardly. He offered them a nod and the two nodded back.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"So, how've you been, Naruko?" Izumo asked, a grin on his face.
"I've been okay. The chūnin exams start soon, right?"
"Yep. People are coming into the village to watch or participate, so you'll be seeing people from other villages around."
"Alright, thanks, guys. See you around." Naruko waved and began walking into the village, hands shaking at her sides. Gaara waved at the two men and quickly followed.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to find an inn that'll let us in." Naruko said, walking forward with tight fists at her sides.
"Do you need me to do anything?" Gaara asked softly, biting on his bottom lip unsurely.
"Just..." Naruko paused in her step, turning around to meet seafoam-green with electric-blue. "..Stay with me?" The boy nodded and fell into step beside the younger, who began walking again. Naruko let out a slight breath and let her shoulders fall just a little with the comforting presence of her best friend next to her. Walking into the village of her childhood, she felt just that little bit more confident that she'd be okay.
Maybe the last few years of her absence had made the villagers calm down.
Maybe they'd even forgotten about her.
That was probably wishful thinking, though.
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Home Is Where The Heart Is || Naruto Fanfic
Fanfiction"A house is made with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams." Naruko wanted somewhere to belong her entire life. She wanted a home - a place where her heart belonged in. Her birthing village was never home. How could it be? Her fello...
