SasuNaru • It Was Never Enough

Chapter 9

To be honest, I never had interest in anything ever since I was little. This was probably due to my siblings, I was overshadowed by them a lot. My siblings excelled in everything and pretty much made our parents proud so I eventually lost my will to compete.

The pressure was real and it made me feel pathetic. I failed whenever I remembered that pressure weighing my shoulders.

"Congratulations Temari, and Kankuro! You guys did so well in the exam."

"I'm so proud of you guys."

My parents said it was okay for me not doing anything, they didn't mind if I did badly at school or sports. They accepted me.

"It's fine if you didn't win. Just stay as you are, we're already happy."

One day, a boy came to my doorstep. I remembered his guardian said that she can't take care of him for a while because of her work. My parents agreed to take him into our family.

"Gaara, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be staying with us for a time being. He's around your age, probably younger."

I see my mother putting her delicate hands on a small boy that was hiding behind her. He would peek at me, and then when he saw me staring, he backed away even more.

"Be nice okay?"

I didn't like him because he always looks like a puppy following me. I ditched him somewhere and soon enough, he will find his way back to my side.

I seriously did left him at a shopping mall one time when our parents brought us there, and he asked the staffs to make an announcement for his disappearance.

Then again, a while became weeks, weeks became months and months became years. We lost contact with his guardian and my parents decided to take care of him as a family.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun. From now on, you can treat us as your family too."

My mother was hugging him, while my father comforted him by patting his back.

"Yeah."

By the time we both became seniors in middle school, we already grew close to each others and he just completes me.

We'd get paired for class assignments, and we became lab partners. Naruto would always stick close to me and never let me out of his sight.

"Come on Naruto, let's play with us? We're outnumbered."

I noticed that our classmates always asked Naruto to play with them. I don't get why they're so interested in Naruto.

"Well, I have to ask Gaara first."

"Come on, we asked you not him? You always asked his permissions first in doing anything. Why can't you make up your mind?"

"Gaara, the other boys asked me to join them for soccer. Do you want to go?"

"Why would I? They asked you not me."

"It's more fun when you're around. Are you going back already? Wait for a minute."

I saw him bowing down to them, with apologetic looks before he ran to me with his usual toothy grin. It looks so stupid yet cute.

"What happened to soccer?"

"Nah, it's not like I really wanted to play or anything. You didn't want me to go too right?"

I know that he's lying. Naruto always wants to play with other students, widen his contacts and make friends but he never told me anything. He acted like he didn't want to because he's afraid that I would be lonely. Without him or anyone noticing, a smile escaped my lips.

For the first time in my life that I ever wanted something, in this case, someone. He's my sunshine and mine's alone so I'll have to take care of it very carefully. I promised myself that I will always makes him happy because seeing him smiling makes me happy.

That's what I thought at that time. But fate had different plans for us. Our parents died in an accident and somehow it triggered something insides me.

It was days after my parents death. I locked myself out from the world. Even my siblings gave up eventually, but not him. He always there by my side.

"Leave me alone."

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

"Leave!"

I threw things at him yet he didn't budge. I could see him shaking in fear but he still standing still. I wonder why he's torturing me too much.

Protectiveness turned into obsession and I lost control of myself ever since that incident happened. He never objected me when I inflicted pain and violence against him. I think he felt indebted and it was his fault my parents died so he's willing to do anything as long as I'm happy.

I thought we will be together forever. Then my siblings found out about the things I did to Naruto and they sent me away, trying to help me. During those months, someone took my spot and has been filling my sunshine's head with fantasy and dreams until he decided to left me to live independently.

"Thank you for everything Gaara."

It made me even angrier, until I tried to kill him while he's sleeping. I wasn't in my sane state at that time. I was a sobbing mess, saying things that might hurt him deeper.

***

I woke up from my sleep, beads of sweats falling down like waterfall. It was a dream. It's been a while since I last got it. I wiped my eyes, and it was wet with tears.

I heard laughters came from downstairs. I walked to the balcony and saw my sunshine, running away from Kankuro who was spraying water at him. They're washing the car and playing around, while Temari furiously yelling at them. Soon, Temari was wet with the water threw by Kankuro. They're laughing so much.

"Gaara, come down!" Naruto called while waving his hands in the air. As if I didn't see it.

I see Kankuro sneaking up behind him before tickling him at his weak spot, his stomach. Both of them were laughing, mostly Naruto shouting at him, pleading him to stop. Temari just stood there laughing like there's no tomorrow.

It's seriously a very beautiful moment. I covered my heated face and ran out of my room, heading down.

Right, he's here now. I picked him up at the station when I received a call from a stranger. It's been a week since he's around.

I jumped out, skip the fence that separating us and threw myself to him. Hugging him from the back while my forehead rested on his shoulder, hiding my ugly face from being seen by anyone.

I cried silently when he asked if something's happened.

"I'm glad that it was just a dream."

"Are you having a nightmare? Come on, I'm not going anywhere." He tried to free himself, to look at me properly but I didn't let him. We stayed in that position for a while.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed hard, "For everything I ever did to you in the past."

Temari and Kankuro has never been so happy in their life before. Nothing could ever match against this scene in front of them.

They looked blankly at each other before laughing out loud. Temari's eyes already brimming with happy tears. She then hugged the boys, pulling Kankuro to join them.