One More Light

Chapter 8

*Meanwhile in Naruto's mind*

The noise in his head had become unbearable. All he could hear, over and over was: who cares if one more light goes out? No one will miss you. It will be as if you never existed. Give up. Fade away.

The colours of his mind had been dulling over the last few months but now everything was black. There was no light on this mind plane and Naruto could feel a suffocating atmosphere stealing away his consciousness. He could barely make out who stood before him in his mind. It was himself only his eyes shone red and black. The other Naruto began to speak, attempting to be heard over the suffocating noise.

"Do you really think Gaara can help you throw this?" he gestured to the engulfing darkness. "Once he realises how bad it is, he will leave you too. It's time to lay all this to rest, don't you think?" Other Naruto asked, a menacing smile stretching across his face.

Suddenly a red glow began breaking through the darkness and Naruto was pulled from his mental prison by a splash of water hitting his face. He opened his eyes to find Gaara pointing a finger gun in his direction, ready to spray him again. Naruto shook his head, spraying water droplets everywhere and gave Gaara a sad smile.

'I don't know how this will play out but Gaara has earnt my trust, so I will believe him when he says he won't abandon me but still...'

"I have been thinking Naruto," Gaara said to open the dialogue, " we are friend but we know very little about each other. I would like the opportunity to get to know you. The real you. So lets start. What is your favourite food?" Gaara asked inquisitively. This was integral in his plan.

"Well," Naruto replied, fighting the urge to use his mask and lie to his friend. "I always said it is ramen but that stopped being true sometime when I first became a genin. I used to love Ichiraku's because they were the first ones to see me but I have had enough of being seen now, I will always love that place but ramen doesn't make me feel whole. Now, the only food I can even stand to think about is simply fruit. It doesn't remind me of anyone or anywhere. It is outside the mask I wear and the people I know. It helps to silence the thoughts." Naruto's face shone red, embarrassed by how much he had revealed from such a simple question. He chastised himself for not lying. Gaara, however, beamed at the information and how freely Naruto gave it. He allowed his sand to wander in search of fresh fruit while Naruto hid his face behind his hands.

"I am so glad to hear that Naruto. Now, what about your favourite colour?" Gaara asked, buying himself time as his sand found an apple tree in a nearby oasis and plucked some fruit. Naruto weighed the benefit of lying but could not find anything to support his tendency. "I really did like orange but now the only colour I can see is black." Gaara felt some of his despair steal the air around him but didn't let it dampen his mood at Naruto being real with him. "well then my friend, let's work on finding some colour in your life. But for now, let's eat." At this, Gaara's sand returned and both ninja's exited the hot spring, drying off quickly and dressing in robes. Gaara could help but let his eyes roam over Naruto's beaten body and made a mental note to heal the wounds and bruises on his back after they had eaten.

Gaara was thankful that Naruto had been more than willing to polish off several of the apples he had provided. He was also grateful that Naruto had been willing to let him examine and heal his back. He wasn't sure why, but Naruto was allowing him to get so close to all his secrets, but he wasn't about to complain either. As Gaara closely examined his back, he could tell some of these bruises were months old. He could see the fading blood cells and could also make out where he had replenished the broken blood cells to make them last longer. There was also on long cut that ran between two of his ribs and reached around to his spine. It was so straight, there was no questions about its origins being self-inflicted.

Gaara bit his lip as he prepared his medical ninjutsu. "Be prepared my friend, the techniques of sand healers differ greatly from what you are used to." Naruto gave a small nod before turning back around. As Gaara kneeled behind a seated Naruto, he willed his sand to cover his back in a thin layer and set his hands to massaging his shoulders. Naruto leaned in to the touch, allowing his tension to be melted away by Gaara's sand. With each passing minute, the sand was replaced by new grains as the old ones removed blood and encouraged new cells to grow. This particular technique involved using the sand to manipulate the cells while the wielder physically moves the skin and muscles. To anyone it just looked like Naruto was getting a massage to help him relax. Gaara was also using this opportunity to pour his positive energy into Naruto and replenish his body just a little. Naruto took this opportunity to rest his eyes, his mind unusually peaceful.