Lover In Training

A/N:: This is a story I wrote two years ago, so some things may be a bit off about the storyline. I'm mostly posting this here so that I'll be able to get used to posting online again. Um...yeah, I hope you'll all enjoy it. :)


Naruto wandered through the empty streets of Konoha, his head down and hands stuffed in his pockets. It was times like these, in the dead of the night, where he felt completely and utterly alone. Where all of the villagers hateful glances and harsh words finally caught up to him, and he found himself truly wondering what the hell he was trying to do. What was he trying to prove, anyways? He said he wanted to become Hokage, and while he did, he also hated the idea of it. Of having to protect the people who, for so many years, had looked down upon him as a monster; as something unworthy of their respect. Hell, they didn't even view him as a human, despite the fact that he was the Fourth's son. It was thanks to him and Naruto both that the Nine-tailed demon fox was no longer around, reigning terror upon village after village. But they had no desire to recognize this. They just wanted that child - the one with the fox's energy sealed up inside of him - to be gone. And, not for the first time, Naruto wondered if it would just be easier to simply leave. He wondered if their suffering was because of him. And if it was, then wouldn't it be better for him to go somewhere else? Somewhere where no one knew of the demon fox; somewhere where he was actually seen as a human being?

But Naruto knew he couldn't do that. Because despite how much he disliked this feeling of insufficiency, Konoha was his home. It was the only home he had ever had, and there was a sort of sentimental value to it that he couldn't begin to explain. Not to mention, with Akatsuki running around, chasing after him, he couldn't bear to place another village in danger simply because he was tired of being hated for no good reason.

With an inaudible sigh, Naruto looked up towards the gate to the training grounds, a wry smile taking it's place upon his lips. The training grounds where he had worked so hard, so often, just to gain the villagers respect. And for what? What was he expecting when he finally proved to them that he wasn't the demon fox; that he was just Naruto Uzumaki, nothing more, nothing less? An apology? What good would that do, really? It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't change the fact that he had been completely and utterly alone most of his life, or that all he had ever wanted, was for someone to look at him and think "Naruto," not "Kyuubi kid."

And what would he do if he DID get that apology he so hoped for? Would he just smile and accept it, as if everything they had put him through could just be pushed into the past? Or would he throw it back in their face, and laugh at them for the rest of his life? No, that was something that Sasuke-bastard would do. And despite the two boy's similarities in many aspects, Naruto would never do something like that. It just wasn't the way he worked. No, if he ever received an apology.....he would show them his trademark 'Uzumaki' grin, and prove to him with his strength just how stupid they were for not letting him protect them earlier. He would prove to them just how strong he really was; he would prove that he was worth something.

Stepping into the large clearing of one of the last training grounds, Naruto flopped onto the ground with unusual carelessness, laying back in the grass and looking up at the stars, his hands now folded behind his head. Spotting a star formation that resembled the Konoha leaf, Naruto was faintly reminded that the third and last part of the Chuunin Exams were only a few days away. Which lead him to his next thought: Gaara.

When he thought of the red-haired Kazekage, Naruto was suddenly almost grateful for the life he had been given. Not because it was anything to brag about, but because Gaara had had it much worse. Not only had he been hated by the villagers, like Naruto had, but he had been hated by his own family. Family was an idea that was supposed to be sacred; something that was supposed to help and protect you. Not send assassins after you from the time you were a child. Family was supposed to love you unconditionally, not fear you constantly. But Gaara knew otherwise; family was not always what it was supposed to be. And Naruto had to praise the other ninja; he had been thrown more obstacles in his life than most people could ever deal with, and yet he was now the Kazekage of Suna, doing his very best to protect those people who had hated him for so long, and almost dying to keep their hopes and dreams alive. If there was anyone in the world that Naruto truly admired, it would be Gaara.

With a slight tilt of his head, he looked up and saw that the very object of his thoughts was walking towards the edge of the clearing, clothed in his white and proper Kazekage outfit. It still amazed Naruto at how...natural the robes looked on Gaara, as if he was born to be the leader of Suna. Catching the red-head looking his way, Naruto gave a very faint smile and tilted his head back to the way it was before, his eyes going back to the stars, which seemed to be sparkling even more vibrantly than before. He almost questioned it, when he felt a slight shift in the grass a few feet away from him, turning his head and noting that Gaara had sat down on the grass, after removing the white robe, now adorned in his normal clothes.

"No boisterous greeting?" Gaara asked slowly in that absurdly calm voice of his, not even looking towards Naruto as he looked up towards the sky, the stars shining down on his face and making the already pale flesh seem to glow.

"Gomen." Naruto mumbled, sighing softly. "It's to peaceful to destroy the atmosphere right now. But later." Gaara seemed to smile at that, but one could never really tell with the stoic-faced man.

"It's quite understandable." The red-head murmured, leaning back on his hands and seeming to study every inch of the sky above him, clearly unused to such a sight.

"Do you ever wish that you were a star?" Naruto asked out of the blue, turning his head to the side to look at Gaara. The red-head nin simply looked at Naruto with a slight frown adorning his lips, his eyes looking almost....puzzled. Naruto got the hint and explained. "I mean, they're all up there in the sky. They're away from all kinds of harm, and they don't have a million stars chasing after them, trying to kill them." He frowned slightly. "Of course, they can't hug or kiss the other stars, which I suppose would be a downside, but it might be worth it to give all of that up, just to be safe."

Gaara blinked for a moment before turning his gaze back to the stars, seeming to study them in a way different than just moments ago, as if seriously considering them and their life. "What's the point in being safe if you just sit around your entire life? It seems a bit boring to me." His mint green eyes shifted downwards, watching as the wind played along the blades of grass in an almost tender manner. "Besides, hugs aren't that special, from what I can remember."

"From what you remember?" Naruto asked skeptically, lifting himself up until he was half-sitting, his entire weight leaning on his elbows. "When was the last time someone hugged you?"

Gaara blinked slowly and glanced over at Naruto, a curious invisible eyebrow raised. "When I was a child."

"Ehhhh!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes widening as he sat up fully, mouth gaping open. "That long ago?!"

Gaara merely continued to watch Naruto with a curious expression, almost wondering what Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja would do. "I'm the Kazekage." He stated, as if that would explain everything. But upon seeing Naruto's bewildered face, he sighed and explained further. "The Kazekage is a symbol of power and respect. People don't go up to someone like that and hug them. It seems too personal, and therefore disrespectful. And before I became Kazekage, they all feared for their lives. I probably would have killed them if they'd looked at me the wrong way. Can you imagine what they thought I'd do, had they just run up and hugged me?"

Realization dawned upon Naruto's face as he stared at Gaara, clearly thinking something over in his head before his trademark Uzumaki grin suddenly burst from his lips, eyes dancing with amusement. "I'll hug you, then!"

Gaara blinked and suddenly, there were a pair of strong tan arms encircling his shoulders, with a mop of shocking blond hair tickling the side of his face. In utter confusion, the red-head looked down, only to see that Naruto had clearly latched onto him, head resting in the crook of his neck. "Um..."

Naruto laughed at the clearly confused Kazekage, the sound vibrating through his neck, making Gaara shudder just slightly. He wasn't used to people being close to him at all, let alone laughing next to his neck. "Y'know, usually when you hug someone, they at least try to hug you back."

"What?" Gaara asked, inwardly squirming uncomfortably, seeing as actually doing so would probably be slightly strange with a blond ninja attached to him. He was completely out of the loop and completely unsure as to how he should go about hugging someone else back.

Chuckling at the strange situation he found himself in, Naruto shook his head and reached both hands down, grabbing at Gaara's wrists lightly. "Here, I'll show you." He mumbled, taking Gaara's hands and reaching backwards until they had wrapped around his waist awkwardly, then sliding his arms back around Gaara's shoulders, hugging him just a little closer than before.

Gaara frowned lightly as his mind tried to worm itself around exactly what was happening. Naruto was hugging him, and he was, albeit awkwardly, hugging the blond back. One thing he couldn't figure out is why this was even necessary. Sure, he supposed it felt kind of nice, being so close to another human being and not being pushed away or covered in blood. But he couldn't figure out why something like this would have enough significance to make Naruto question the safety of being a star.

Suddenly and yet slowly, Naruto leaned back and took his arms away from Gaara's shoulders, the red-head following his lead based on instinct alone. With a small grin that seemed more genuine than any of the ones he'd ever given before, Naruto tilted his head to the side and noted the faint flush on the red-heads cheeks, knowing that he probably had one as well.

"I just thought of something." Naruto said, his eyes brimming with excitement, or something close to it. "How about I be your hug buddy?"

Gaara blinked stupidly for a moment, trying to figure out if what Naruto had said was something normal, or..... "Huh?"

Chuckling to himself, Naruto shook his head, his grin spreading even further as he took in the confused look on Gaara's face. "I mean, if you ever want a hug or something, or just someone to talk to, you can come to me." Seeming to think of something else, Naruto's eyes widened a tad as an unreadable expression took over his face. "Oh! And I'm figuring that you've never kissed anyone either. So after you get used to hugging and whatnot, I'm gonna make you try that out, too. Just so you know what it's like."

Gaara scowled at the thought of anyone 'making' him do anything, but he had to admit, he was a little bit curious about what it was like to kiss someone. From what he'd seen and heard from others, all it was was pressing your lips against another persons. So why did everyone like it so much? Was it really that fun?

Blinking rapidly to clear his thoughts, Gaara simply nodded at Naruto to show him that he'd heard, and that he agreed to that. He felt his throat constrict for a split second as he watched Naruto's face light up almost instantly, and briefly wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Ignoring the fact that it was suddenly harder to breathe, Gaara looked back up at the sky, watching as the stars seemed to twinkle above them, a certain sparkle hidden in their luminosity.

Were the stars sparkling this vibrantly before?