You've... changed. (naruto fanfic)

Chapter 19

---3rd person---

Gaara only got angrier and angrier as he sensed Sasuke getting further and further away.

"Dammit!" he growled. "You're just in the way!"

Kiyomi kept emotionless while Gaara changed even more, his entire upper body was now in beast form, the only human parts of him were his legs.

Naruto gritted his teeth. 

"Have you got some kind of plan for this, Kiyomi?" he asked as he made his way to her side.

"You should leave too." she said, her voice dead. "I can take care of this myself."

Naruto sent her a glare before looking back at Gaara.

"I can't do that." he said as he lowered his head, a shadow cast over his face as he looked down, making his expression unreadable. 

"And why not?" Kiyomi asked slightly annoyed as she began to think of different ways to take down Gaara. 

"Because..." started Naruto. "His eyes... they’re the same as mine."

Kiyomi's eyes widened as soon as she heard the words leave his mouth.

What... what did he just say?

"They’re full of loneliness." Naruto continued. Kiyomi looked at him out the corner of her eye, seeing only truth to his expression and words as he continued. "He's turning into a monster... like me."

"Like you?" Kiyomi questioned, hiding her surprise. What the hell does he mean by that? He can't have a tailed beas- Can he?

"I have a beast sealed inside of me... the Nine Tailed Fox."

Kiyomi's eyes widened as the grip on her sword tightened. No way. She thought. Naruto as well? He's... he's a jinchuuriki?

"It wasn't long ago when I found out I had this demon inside of me." Naruto said, his voice was filled of sadness, regret, loneliness but most of all, pain. "It wasn't my fault but every acted as if it was. That just made it worse. But then... a few people came along who paid attention to me. That made it better. It was alright then, even though I had this monster inside me. Even though everyone else acted like I didn't exist, because it meant that I wasn't alone anymore. For the first time in a long time, I was happy again. Really, really happy. They made me remember how good life could be. They made me glad to be alive. But when I think back on where I was before I meet them... it's scary. Nothing but pain and darkness. That's why I can understand him."

Kiyomi turned her body to face Naruto, her full attention on him, seeing that he was only speaking the truth. 

Kiyomi couldn't help herself, she heard all about how horrible life was for jinchuuriki. She knew everything that they must have gone through, but just hearing now, Naruto's story, seeing that he actually made it through all that.

She threw her arms around Naruto and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Naruto's eyes widened as a blush formed on his face. He had no idea why Kiyomi was hugging him. But Kiyomi, she just saw that determined look in his eyes, she saw the pain, she saw everything. She saw him as another Gaara.

To her, when he spoke about his life, images of Gaara being rejected and neglected by everyone filled her mind, she saw all the pain Gaara must have gone through, she saw the fear, sadness but most of all, loneliness.