The Return of Something

Chapter Nine- Mid-Night Stroll Between Thoughts

The chirping of various small animals colored the night and the light breeze made the trees dance to the wild song.
'Nature.' Naruto thought, 'what a beautiful thing.'
He skimmed the night sky with a sense of wonder. He never took the time to really listen in nature. Konoha was usually very loud and didn't make it easy to hear the beauty of nature. The sounds took control over the his senses as he walked along. Midnight blooming flowers basked in the moonlight, making his young heart swell.
'Humph...' Naruto thought, 'that one looks like it bloomed from a patch of sand...
Sand.' Naruto's thoughts traveled off to Gaara as he sat down next to this sand-bloomer. He thought of his bright aqua eyes and his flowing crimson hair. His rough and hard muscles and the uncanny similarities of their lives. He thought of how hard life was for Gaara, and the way he handled the cards he was dealt. From the small glimpses into Gaara's past that he gave Naruto, Naruto couldn't blame him. He thought about how he could've seen himself taking that turn if Iruka hadn't come to save him from Mizuki; how if Iruka had never shown Naruto that he cared, it might've driven the boy into madness himself. He thought about all of the trouble the little raccoon had caused his village, and how in the end it didn't matter. Not knowing why, Naruto found himself finding this thought a little cute.
'Like a mischievous little animal... a raccoon does suit you well.' The blonde smiled to himself and tilted his head to gaze up at the stars.

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(p.o.v. switch)
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Gaara sighed, looking out of the window in the Kazekage tower. Three years had past.
'Has it really been that long?' The young man asked himself. So much has happened over these years, but never once had a day gone by with Naruto not being on his mind. Gaara knew when he accepted the offer of being Kazekage, it would only inspire Naruto to new lengths. It crossed Gaara's mind a few times that Naruto may have forgotten him and the love they felt at the time. The red head chuckled,
'Love? I was too young to know what love is, I'm not even sure I figured it out then... I'm not even sure if I've figured it out now... We were children then.' He sighed to himself and admitted, 'I haven't figured it out yet.' His thoughts concluded on that topic. 'Well, no matter.. it doesn't seem he forgot. From the Hokage's letter, he was in Konoha for five minutes before demanding to leave for Suna-- for me.' a smile snuck into the lips of the young man. 'For.... Me.'
Gaara stared out the window and counted the starts in three constellations before he heard a timid knocking on his door.
"Come in." His deep and mysterious voice rasped. The door opened a few inches, just enough for a girl to peek in.
"Oh, hello Matsuri. What is it?" The girls eyes widened from behind the door, and her face grew red as she nervously stepped into the office.
"Oh- I uh- I got word of a neighboring ninja coming to the village, sir. I was just wondering if everything was okay?" She stammered. A small smirk dared to break through Gaara's monotone expression. 
"Yes, everything is fine. This ninja is a friend of mine. One I haven't seen in a very long time." The corners of his lips involuntarily turned up into a grin as the red-head turned back towards the window. Heat rose in the girls face. She rarely ever saw her mentor smile. She was taken aback as he never looked more attractive than when he smiled. This smile was different though, like he had a secret just waiting to be known laying comfortably on his lips.
"G-Gaara-kun..." The brunette girl whispered. His attention refocused on the girl, but he couldn't shake the smile.
"What is it, Matsuri?"
"I, er... I need to tell you something." She mumbled as she slowly approached the Kazekage. As the gap grew smaller and smaller, Gaara began to feel slightly anxious.
"How close do you need to be to tell me this 'thing?'" Gaara inquired. Matsuri didn't respond with words. She leaned in, a futile attempt to kiss the astonishing man before her. Shock flooded the Kazekage. With little time to act, he quickly stood, knocking his chair over in the process. Instead of kissing Gaara, Matsuri ended up headbutting his chest and rapidly stumbling backwards.
"Matsuri-" Gaara started, but Matsuri interrupted.
"I-I'm sorry, Gaara-kun!" She flushed, turning quickly towards the door.
"Matsuri!" The Kazekage demanded. The force in his tone rooted the young girl to the spot.
"Yes, Kazekage-Sama?"
"You're a sweet girl, and a very bright pupil. You have a lot of potential. I'm afraid, however, we are not on the same page." He started.
"Yes, Kazekage-Sama." She mumbled. 'You made that quite clear.' Matsuri thought to herself in annoyance, 'nothing says "rejected" like knocking over your own chair to get away.'
"Matsuri?" Gaara continued. She didn't respond, but nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement. "I tell you this in confidence, alright?" Matsuri turned her head slightly to look at her mentor. 
"What is it?" She mumbled.
"I'm afraid..." he stammered, "I'm afraid I'm not on that page with any woman. My interests do not lie with them." A mixture of confusion and hurt still swam in Matsuri's eyes. That is, until it clicked.
"I-- oh. Yes sir, Kazekage-sama." She blinked back tears, now trying to hide her amusement. Never would she have pictured it. However, she never could picture Gaara with anybody.
"Although if they did, you would be much better off without me. A normal life." The Kazekage finished. The girl nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Have a good evening, Matsuri."
"Good evening, Gaara-kun." She mumbled, and left silently.

A few minutes had passed, and the room was still stifling with the awkward aftermath of what had happened. Gaara picked up his fallen chair and collapsed into it. He let out heavy sigh and stared out the window.
"Oh, Naruto..." the young man muttered. "I can't wait until you come back to me... I can't wait to be alone with you again.."

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(A/N)
Sorry for the little wait for this chapter.. I got super into writing a SasuNaru fanfiction XD that's kind of surprising considering I ship NaruGaa so much more than SasuNaru, but hey.. it gave me time to come up with this fabulous chapter. Enjoy x3