Fading Dream

Chapter 12: Sand! Red! Green! No, yellow.

At least some colors were back. For example yellow and blue, like Inos hair and eyes. Naruto spent a lot of time with the blonde now, due to her friendship with Sakura. Or dark and light brown, pale violet, like Neji and TenTen. Black like Lee.

He remembered as if it was only a few moments ago, how Sakura reacted to his proposal. 'Hey, Sakura, wanna go drink a coffee with me?' She startled for a moment and blinked at him, but then nodded slowly. It was only weeks later that he learned why she was as hesitant as he was, but nevertheless agreed. Now they were officially together. Their friends said they make a good couple. They didn't know Naruto and Sakura weren't really. They hold hands, yes, but only in the meaning toddlers did - as friends to stable each other. Nothing more, no kissing, not even special moments.

They both tried their best and it helped to cope. Slowly they were also growing into something Naruto couldn't quite name. He only felt that it was there. The little gestures of Sakura, the brushing of hands and shying away with a blush, him looking at her and once again marveling at her beauty. He never quite understood why Ino teased her with calling her 'Miss Huge Forehead'. Her forehead wasn't that big if you asked Naruto. But then again it was maybe only that Ino simply made something up to tease her.

Now it was almost Christmas. Naruto smiled sad at himself. There was way to go, but being with Sakura helped him and it helped her. She didn't even go to the psychiatry anymore to visit Sasuke and didn't cry every time she saw his photo. With the growing thing they had … Maybe she and Naruto would find their happiness in each other one day.

He wandered through the streets of Konoha and wondered what gift to give her for Christmas. It was only one more week and it was their first Christmas as a couple. He couldn't ask the second being in him for advice. Not that he really wanted to, but sometimes Naruto wished, Kurama would talk to him again. The fox was like dead for months now. Wasn't it for asking Iruka if he really gave him the 'talk' - he smirked -, Naruto would think he imagined the whole demon stuff. But Iruka assured him that about six years ago he told him that there was a demon sealed in him.

Upon calling Jiraiya the old pervert told him the same. The conversation with him wasn't quite as pleasant as Naruto had wished. First he was cursed for not getting in touch with him for so long and then asked about the 'little' redhead. All Naruto could do was saying, "I messed it up," and asking his foster father to not inquire about the situation farther.

So he still walked down the streets in need to find a present for Sakura. In front of the fountain downtown he saw a huge crowd of people standing in a semi circle. Curios as Naruto is, he made his way to the front rows and watched a man showing a puppet theatre. The man himself - brown hair, fancy face-paintings and a black jump suit with cat ears on the hood - didn't quite ring a bell with Naruto and one of his puppets - a fat sand- and blue-colored thing - also, but the other puppet was a nine-tailed fox. A demon. Two demons. Gaara and him. He turned on his heel and walked away in a fast pace, not caring about not bumping onlookers and their complaints. He simply needed to get away from there. He needed to think about something different. What was he doing here again? Right, searching for a Christmas present for Sakura. His girlfriend.

…

Naruto didn't quite knew why, but Sakura asked him to come to her apartment the afternoon of the 23th. Not that he minded, it was only rare that she was so bent on him being not late. Well, at least in last time. She told him at least five times to not being late on the phone the same morning. He told her, he will be late if she didn't let him go and at least take a shower now. When he hung up finally, Lee beamed at him and talked about the youth of spring … Or something like that. Frankly, Naruto never really listened when Lee had one of his episodes. He simply nodded at the green clad young man and wondered, why he winked at him and gave him thumbs-up. Lee knew something Naruto didn't. But asking made no sense as he would only earn more incomprehensible stuff about spring, youth, lotus and sparkling stars at the moment.

He knocked at Sakuras door and was quite surprised when she opened it moments later, wearing a coat, her boots and holding a bag out for him to carry. He tilted his head in question, but took the bag anyway and followed her when she walked past him.

"Sakura? Where are we going?" he asked after a few minutes of walking quietly down the streets. They still didn't need much words to communicate, but this time he simply didn't know what was going on.

"We're taking a little break! Just you, me and the holiday home of my parents," she giggled soft.

"But- What about work? I have to be there tomorrow!" Naruto explained nervous.

"Nope~ I made Neji a proposal he couldn't pass up." Sakura had a smug smile on her face.

Naruto furrowed his brows. He'd ask her later what she did to get his boss' nose down from the clouds and give him off on the 24th. "Clothes?"

"Lee." She giggled again. So he knew really something.

Naruto sighed. "Your present!" he realized and turned around.

Sakura stopped, turned to look at him and put a hand on his shoulder, causing Naruto to face her again. Her eyes were soft and she smiled. "Later, Naruto. We have all time in the world." She moved a bit into his direction, but turned then back abruptly and continued her track to the train station, how Naruto could identify now.

The train ride was quiet and there were hardly any passengers beside them. Naruto was somehow surprised how Sakura cuddled against him, though. It didn't feel bad, but it didn't feel right either, holding her in his arm and her head resting on his shoulder.

When they boarded the train, Naruto had an odd feeling in his stomach. And now, when he breathed the fresh air, he knew why. Somewhere deep in him the name of their destination on his ticket told him, this place would bring back memories he didn't want. Sakuras parents holiday home was in a little village at the coast. To be worse, the house itself stood directly at the beach. Beach meant sand and sand was synonymic with a certain redhead. Naruto took a deep breath of the salty air and pushed the thoughts back into the last corner of his mind.

…

December, 24th, evening. Sakura took his hand and they left the house for the beach, a blanket in her other hand.

"There will be fireworks later on the pier," she chirped in anticipation. She saw the confused look in Narutos face at the rather unusual tradition. "Don't ask me neither," she laughed, "but it's common practice here ever since I remember." They sat for some time quiet in the darkness on the beach, only the sounds of the sea and their breathing were to hear, before Sakura decided to break the silence between them once more. "You seem happier now."

"Wasn't I always happy?" he asked in cheerful tone. He practiced a lot for this tone to convince his friends and a smile was on his lips, but he still wasn't able to let it reach his eyes.

"No … Not during the last months." Naruto saw her sad smile in the twilight of the full moon. Her head rested against his shoulder, but she moved back to look into his eyes. "You need to know, I'm happier now."

"Why weren't you happy?" He couldn't hold her gaze and looked into his lap, already knowing the answer somehow.

"Sasuke." Naruto nodded understanding. "I want you to be happy, Naruto. It hurts me to see you not smiling anymore, to not see the usual glint in your eyes."

"I am smiling, don't you see?" he asked sheepishly and pointed at his mouth.

"No, you aren't." Naruto let his head drop to his chin.

They were silent again and in the distance the firework display started. Sakura looked intensely at him and leaned in to gave him a peck on the corner of his lips. Narutos head snapped up, eyes wide. He felt the sand under his hands beside the blanket and let his fingers glide through the silky material. Inside him was something in a turmoil. His eyes scanned Sakuras form and the something came to a conclusion. "No!"

Sakura blinked at him and asked, "Did you say something, Naruto?" Her voice seemed to be so distant.

Did he really say something? Was that voice not only in his head? Was it his voice? It was a bit like Kurama, but not entirely. Also the old fox didn't talk with him for months now, even when Naruto tried to talk with him and pleaded him to answer. "I'm sorry Sakura," he managed to say and stood up. His own voice seemed to be so far away and his body felt as if it moved on its own. "I … I can't do this. I have to go." He saw Sakura still sitting, trembling and with wide eyes staring at him. He didn't care. "I'm sorry." Naruto turned around and walked to the train station.

"Sand!"  He tugged at his hair, his head was exploding.

"Red!" He hold his head, everything was spinning.

"Green!" He scratched his skin, it was burning.

"No, yellow." He rubbed his eyes, they were twitching.

"Get a strawberry-cake." He stopped.

"Where?"

" Train station. Convenience shop. Frosted." Naruto nodded. In the distance he heard the fireworks.

…

It was already after midnight when Naruto knocked at the door in the highest story in a building in Konoha. But he knew the inhabitant was either not there or awake. Long time nothing happened and Naruto wanted to sit down beside the door when it slowly opened. First only a little bit, after a short moment more. Yellow eyes stared down at Naruto, never resting on a spot for long. The blond gulped and extended the cardboard box in his hands.

"Cake?" he asked with a high voice, already seeing the sand moving behind the redheaded vessel.

Kurama chuckled darkly. "So I was right after all. No need for the cake to lure him out."

"Wha-?"

"Run."

Naruto didn't let the kyuubi say that twice, dropped the cake and ran down the stairs. He made it down a few stairs, when he felt sand scratching over his neck, but it receded to his surprise. Then he heard steps behind him.

"Faster!"

Naruto tried to, but he made it only to the door at the end of the stairs before he felt a hand slipping firmly over his mouth and sand sliding against the skin of his wrists and ankles.

"It seems you pissed him really off," Kurama chuckled with glee.

"Mhmhu?" He tried to speak against the hand on his lips, effortless. Naruto was too surprised over the good mood of the kyuubi than to cry for help or struggle against the strong hold of the sand. The fox understood him nevertheless.

"Oh, usually Shukaku likes only a few things more than a good hunt."

The hand on his mouth was replaced by sand. The demon that controlled his friend toppled him over and grabbed his wrists to drag him up the stairs.

"He's still such a sadist~! He could be lazy and let us float, but no, he still knows how to do things good~ How I missed it! He's a low bastard, but he's good," Kurama purred.

Finally Naruto started to scream, but the sand muffled his voice enough for nobody to hear him.

"Don't panic. He won't kill you. Oh, forgot, for you that might be better."

Naruto tried to struggle with his whole body and fight against the force that dragged him up to Gaaras apartment. Until he hit his head at a stair and everything turned black.

…

Naruto blinked slowly his eyes open. His head hurt like hell and he didn't dare to move his body, already now feeling a dull ache everywhere. The first he saw were green eyes, but those eyes receded as soon as he saw them. Still there was no chance he was wrong, those were Gaaras eyes. His friend was back to consciousness now at least. Naruto turned his head to follow those green eyes and cursed under his breath, when he felt a sharp sting in his neck and heard a creaking sound. Gaara sat on a chair from the kitchen, a small plate in his hand with a little piece of strawberry cake on it. Naruto watched him eating the cake for a moment, while Gaara didn't give him any attention at all, and took in his surroundings. He was in the living room, on the couch that belonged there. On the coffee table was the rest of the cake in a not too goo looking shape. Naruto tried to move his limbs after all, but found himself unable to do so. He looked down, searching for the reason, and saw himself from his neck downwards completely cocooned in sand, causing him to panic.

"I wanted to do this already on the first day you were back to Konoha," Naruto heard Gaara say calm. "Kyuubi, patch him up."

"Oh man, he's such a killjoy~"

Gaara growled low, almost animalistic, when nothing happened. Naruto froze and tried to understand what was happening.

"Okay, okay, tell him I'm doing my best."

Naruto was more than confused about what was going on and still not on good terms with the thought about being completely wrapped up by sand. "He said he's doing his best," he said taken aback nevertheless. "But ... What were you referring to?"

Gaara lifted one of his non-existent eyebrows. "Maybe the kyuubi told you everything after all and you just forgot," he chuckled, "when you don't remember even this?"

"What are you talking about?" The redhead made Naruto nervous.

Gaara leaned in until their noses were only inches apart, his eyes half-lidded. "Don't tell me you forgot how I asked you to share my bed."

He remembered and a cold shiver run down his spine. "No joke then?"

Gaara shook his head no. "Actually it took me a lot to not make the same what Shukaku did with you." He smirked. "And now I'll wait for the kyuubi to patch you up. It won't be fun when you faint too early."

Naruto gulped and felt Kurama purring. "No killjoy~ Shukaku's got him a good boy. No wonder he let him take over again. Though I still feel him being dominant. That's still not the 'Gaara' you know."

Gaara backed off and left Narutos field of vision. "Let him sleep, Kyuubi," was the last thing Naruto heard him say before everything turned black once more.

…

Naruto didn't dare to open his eyes and tried to breath deep and even. He feigned sleep. He wasn't anymore in the sand cocoon on the couch, that much was clear. Soft cloth nestled against his skin and gave him the feeling he was actually laying in a bed with a pillow and a blanket. His attempts to shift his position were successful, no sand restricted him. It was dark around him, that much Naruto could tell, but he didn't know how long he slept. The kyuubi was also alarmingly quiet.

Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Naruto had the feeling he was alone and so blinked his eyes open slowly. Trying to understand where he was and why he was apparently naked laying in a strangers bed, he sat up. His eyes adjusted to the darkness fast and he noticed that he knew this room, though he absolutely couldn't tell when and why he was in it before. Pulling the blanket over his shoulders and covering himself up as good as possible, he stood up and looked for the window he simply knew was somewhere behind him. For the same reason he knew about the window, he knew he could get out of the room unnoticed through it. He drew back the curtains and saw a familiar balcony and courtyard laying in darkness.

So this was Gaaras room. He didn't remember to have ever been in the redheads room before, but seeing how everything was right now, there was something wrong with his ability to remember important things. Naruto tried to open the window, but found it locked. He huffed and turned to look for the key - but found nothing after long minutes of searching. The only other way to leave the room was the door. Naruto feared to walk into Gaara, or rather a Shukaku-influenced Gaara, but waiting here for him was even worse. Maybe the door was also locked, but there was only one way to answer this. Careful he pulled the handle down and the door opened without any sound.

The corridor was as dark as Gaaras room and he couldn't hear or sense anyone. He looked hurried to both sides before sneaking to the living room and heading for the front door of the apartment. When he passed the kitchen, he stopped. No, running away again wasn't was he was going to do now. Gaara was his friend and the redhead had problems. Though Naruto maybe didn't know as much about demons as Gaara did, he would be there for him.

Naruto decided to sit down on the couch in the living room, but found it occupied by a sleeping man he saw once before, the puppeteer from downtown. Without his facial paintings, lay sprawled on Gaaras couch. Said couch was in fact similar to the couch he slept on only months ago, though it felt like years, but was different. Was he in another apartment after all? Weren't this Gaaras realms? The carpet and all the other furniture was the same. It was only the couch that was different.

He looked down at the man and somehow, without the paint in his face, Naruto couldn't discard the feeling of having seen this man before, even before seeing him downtown. Naruto furrowed his brows, the face was indeed familiar … Somehow ... He looked a bit like Temari. Temari … Wasn't there a third sibling? How was it again? Kankuro? Kankuro that had a passion for … Dolls! Of course. Naruto turned to go to 'his' old room, when he suddenly heard something rustling in the living room.

"If I were Temari you'd been dead by now." Naruto turned around at the deep voice and saw Kankuro sitting upright, his head propped on his hands on the back of the couch, eyes fixated on Naruto. "Be grateful I'm not my sister." The brunette turned around. "But if you intend to run away again while Gaara's gone, know I'm not as gentle as Shukaku was with you." Naruto heard the front door clacking. "Speaking of the demon. I guess I'll go then." He did as he said and Naruto heard the door click one more time a few moments later.

It was awkward quiet, but he could feel he wasn't alone. Around the corner was Gaara, or Shukaku, he didn't know yet. His hand wandered to the handle of the door to his old room and pulled it down, only to find it locked. He turned to the door on the other side of the corridor, but it was in the same state. That was when he heard Gaara, though he still didn't see him.

"I'm sorry." Naruto was silent, not knowing what to say without provoking the redhead. "I can't stop it." Gaaras voice was almost a whisper and Naruto didn't know if he was hearing a desperate undertone.

"Stop what?" escaped Narutos lips before he could stop it. Then he heard the sand rustling.

"Shukaku," Gaara added needlessly. The sand caressed Narutos cheek and send him shivering. "But I think it's safe for now. He's calm, as much as you can say that for him. He's only … curious."

Before he knew what he actually did, Naruto walked down the hallway and turned around the corner to see Gaara sitting on the ground, leaning on the wall and looking somewhere into the distance, and sat down beside his friend. "What's going on here?" he asked mumbling.

Gaara furrowed his brows. "You never fought with the kyuubi, am I right?"

Naruto shook his head hesitant. "What are you talking about?"

"Demons usually try to take over their host," the redheaded vessel explained shortly, "and Shukaku was and will always be rather eager to have my body. At the moment … I'm not strong enough to suppress his powers. And sometimes he takes me over, as you may have noticed."

"But how- … Why? It didn't happen ever before, why now?" Naruto asked worried.

Gaara turned his head and blinked at him. "Didn't happen ever before? Did you really not notice?"

"Notice what?" he was answered snippy.

Gaara turned back, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The first time you spoke to me."

"What about it?"

"Maybe it was too short for you to notice," he said more to himself, "but Shukaku hit me offhanded then and was able to take over for the split of a second. Figures if I hadn't fight him down fast enough, you'd be dead now."

Naruto tensed but nodded understanding. "So I didn't imagine it in the end. And now? I mean you weren't there earlier and I'm still alive."

Gaara shrugged. "He simply likes to torture me. And though the kyuubi doesn't fight you, he seemingly is fond of making my life more complicated than it is already."

"Kurama? How can he affect you at all?"

Gaara smirked and leaned over to Naruto. "You said you can't hold your liquor. I think it's more that he doesn't want to fight you on a regular basis, so that you don't know when he does. He can take you over without any problems then, making you believe you have a blackout seems to be a good tactic. He's still a cunning fox, indeed. That night proved it."

Narutos eyes widened. "That-" Gaara nodded and Naruto clapped his hands in front of him and squinted his eyes in a pleading manner. "Whatever he - I - did to you, I'm so sorry!"

Gaaras smirk grew. "Sorry for what? That he knew how to read my looks at you? That his teasing let something snap in me and I took you almost unprepared, not caring if you were crying in pain or in lust?"

The blond slid away a bit with wide eyes. "You-"

Before Naruto was able to say anything more, Gaaras hand jerked up to his own head and he fisted his hair. "Go!" he commanded suddenly through gritted teeth. Naruto felt something change in the aura of his friend and slid away further, too overwhelmed by the pressure on him to actually stand up and follow Gaaras demand. "Go away!" the redhead screeched trembling, tugging stronger at his own hair. Narutos eyes widened with fear, he never heard Gaaras voice rising before, and he never thought he'd hear such a disturbing sound in his life.

Suddenly the redhead was calm. Almost too calm. He simply sat there, chin on his chest and face covered by his bangs. The next thing Naruto knew was that Gaaras lips were on his and that his head hurt from when he hit the ground. As fast as everything happened, the redhead jumped back and looked with wide green eyes at him.

"I think now is the right time to show you," Kurama said somewhere back in his head.

And then the memories came.

 

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A/N: For now that's it. I'm writing on chapter 13 and it will still need some time until it's finished.