See Me

A/N: Special thanks to cutsycat for being my beta and constantly being on my tail about finishing this. Special Warning for this chapter; This has turned full blown angst and this chapter is centered around Naruto and Gaara's friendship. (It will get better I swear it will!) *Runs off to hide.* I LOVE YOU ALL!! DON'T KILL ME!!

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Taking a deep breath he passed the well known guards of the Hidden Valley of Sand and prepared himself to ask his friend the needed questions. Nodding to the few people he knew on the streets he continued on his was to the Kazekage's tower. He hoped that Gaara would be there. He was stopped at the tower's door by Temari, she quickly explain that Gaara was busy but would meet him at his place if he would please wait there for him.

Naruto nodded in understanding and followed her to the Kazekage's place. Naruto had never been a patient person and this particular wait was a slow torture to him. It took well over a day for Gaara to make his appearance. He kept going over all the things he had wanted to do before this mission was assigned to him. The people he wanted to get to know better, the love that was finally acknowledged. 'Love that I always wanted and needed, it was just right there and I kept looking the other way. I only saw Sasuke and what I thought was everyone's need for him.' He shook away the tears that where starting to form in his eyes as the door opened.

Gaara watched impassively as his friend shook away his tears. He knew the reason why Naruto was here, but he wanted to hear it from Naruto's own mouth. If this mission was something that he truly wanted to do then he wouldn't stop him. He would let him know how sad it would make him to know that the person who had saved him from himself would not be there to catch anymore of his mistakes.

"Hey Gaara. How have you been?" Naruto said while plastering a fake grin on his face.

"I am doing well." he replied with a nod.

"Still not getting any sleep?" the blond asked while walking over and touching his friends eyes. "You need sleep for your mind to function right. You don't have to worry about Shukaku anymore, so you need to sleep."

Gaara blushed a little at Naruto's touch. He still wasn't use to physical contact even though the citizens of Suna now accepted him they still did not initiate contact with him. He cleared his throat and asked why Naruto had come.

"I needed to apologize to you." he replied with his head down.

Gaara raised one of his non-existent eyebrow in confusion. Why would Naruto need to apologize to him? He had made him see that he was on the wrong path and showed him a better way to live other than killing. The confusion must have shown on his face, for Naruto went on to explain why he was apologizing.

"I should have found you sooner, then neither of us would have had such a lonely childhood. No one deserves that. I should have tried to talk to you before I fought with you in anger, then maybe we would have become friends sooner. And I guess the biggest reason is... I need to ask you about something... something painful, and I'm so sorry."

Gaara unlatched his gourd and set it down next to a chair before dropping heavily in it and waving Naruto to sit down. "You owe me no apologies. Suna, no I owe you a great deal."

Shaking his head in denial Naruto replied, "I let you die. I... I couldn't get to you in time to save you. How can I owe you anything?"

"You tried to save me while the elders here looked to replace me.You brought someone who could save me with you and touched her enough that she did save me. I was told that you cried for me when you found out I had died, that is more than I ever thought that anyone would do. Who would miss a monster after all?"

"You're not a monster, you never where, not to me." Naruto whispered.

"To you, maybe not, but you know how Jinchuuriki are treated. There are still some people afraid of me even though I no longer have Shukaku in me. You wanted to ask me some questions, did you not?"

Taking a deep breath and nodding Naruto asked the one question that he was afraid of the answer. "Did it... did dieing the way you did hurt?"

"Physically it hurt a bit at the beginning. Mentally though... mentally it hurt a lot. I wondered if anyone needed me, wanted me, would miss me, would mourn me."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment. Physical pain was something he was used to. He had pretty much become immune to it before he became a shinobi. The villagers had often beat him or simply thrown things at him. The mental pain... the mental pain he was already going through. He had been asking himself those same questions since he had set out on this mission. He really wished that he could answer those questions, then perhaps this damnable mission would be easier to go through.

"Are you going to go through with it?" Gaara asked while watching his friends inner turmoil.

Naruto looked confusedly at Gaara.

"The mission to turn yourself over to the Akatsuki." Gaara clarified. "Are you going to go through with it?"

"How... how did you know about that?" Naruto asked wide eyed.

"Your Hokage cares about you very much. She found out and sent out pleas to anyone she could think of to detain you."

Naruto stood up and started to make his way to the window. "Please don't stop me Gaara. I have o do this. It will best the best thing for everyone."

"I am not going to detain you Naruto. Though I do have to ask you a few things. Please do not run before I have that chance."

Nodding Naruto moved back to settle in the chair that he had just vacated.

"Why do you want this mission to be successful?" Gaara asked bluntly.

"The seal that's holding the Kyuubi at bay is weakening. I don't know when it will break, but I don't want anyone to be hurt by it."

"Have you asked your Hokage, or anyone else about strengthening seal?"

"Yondaime died sealing this beast inside me. I don't want to risk that someone must die just on a possibility of strengthening the seal."

"Would that not be their choice? Are you not taking away their chance to keep you?"

"I will not have someone die to save me!" Naruto yelled while jumping to his feet.

"Sit back down Naruto," Gaara ordered. "Do you think I asked Chiyo baa-sama to die for me? From what I understand it was her choice."

"I know you didn't ask for it Gaara, I was there. This is different though, you were, no you are needed by so many people. Temari and Kankarou both love you, the people of Suna have grown to love you as well. So you're needed and wanted, I'm just... Naruto the goofy prankster. No one will miss me."

"What about your precious people? Will they not miss you? Don't you think they need you.?"

"Sakura finally has Sasuke back, so she doesn't need me. Tsunade baa-chan needs to focus on training a new Hokage. Iruka-sensei will miss me, but I hope Kakashi-sensei will help him see that this is for the best."

"Is that the only precious people you have?"

"One other, but I am sure you will understand me doing this."

Gaara gave a tiny smile at the thought of being one of Naruto's precious people. "Sorry to say, but I do not understand why you are doing this. You are very important to many people and it would sadden them to hear you are dead."

Naruto stood up and smiled while removing the necklace that Tsunade had given him. "Here give this to Konohamaru."

Gaara took th necklace and gave a quizzical look to his friend.

"It's the necklace the Tsunade gave me when I completed the Rasengan jutsu training. It showed that she thought I could be the next Hokage. Please tell Tsunade baa-chan that Konohamaru will carry that dream now and that this time the necklace wasn't the cause."

Gaara looked out of the window and saw his guards signal. 'Just a little bit longer.' he thought to himself. "Naruto," he said aloud "I don't want you to do this. Who knows the pain I have gone through better than you? You are one of my precious people and I don't want to lose you."

Naruto stood and touched his friend's chest saying "My body may not be here anymore after this, but I'll always be in here. I have to do this, please understand."

Gaara touched the place where his Friend had touched him and clutched tightly. It hurt worse than when Yashamaru had tried to kill him. He couldn't and wouldn't lose any of his precious people, especially not Naruto.

"I can't understand why the person who taught me how to feel more than hate would leave me alone in the world again. I thought you had told me you felt and understood my pain Naruto, was it a lie?"

"It wasn't a lie Gaara, you know that, and you won't be alone again. You have precious people other than me." Naruto pleaded with his friend to understand why he had to do this.

"I didn't just hand myself over the the Akatsuki like you're doing. I fought to save this village and the villagers. Before I had you in my life I would have happily let them destroy everything while fighting only for myself. How am I supposed to react to this? Am I supposed to be happy that you will die? I am sorry Naruto." Gaara said evenly while staring at his friend. "I can't let you do that."

Naruto's eyes grew impossibly wide as Kakashi, Neji, and Lee ran through the front door. 'No I can't face them, not now! I have to run!' he thought as he made his way to the open window.

"NARUTO!" Lee yelled as the blond reached the window.

"I'm sorry. I'm doing this for all of you, believe in me!" He yelled as he leaped out of the window onto the small roof below. 'I'm going to make it. I'm going to save them all.' Naruto thought as his feet touched the solid ground.


TBC...
Next Chapter: Negotiating A Return?