Lover In Training

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to the Hidden Village of Konoha's Chuunin Selection Exam today. We will now begin the main matches with the six that have passed the preliminaries. Please enjoy the matches!"

The sound of screaming and cheering filled the air as they cheered on the six ninja standing far below them in the middle of the arena, the sun shining down brightly on them. Gaara watched from his seat in the Kage box as Naruto bounced around excitedly, grinning and waving at everyone in the stands. It annoyed him a little that the blond was refusing to wave at the Kage box, but he pushed that feeling down, keeping his stoic mask strictly in place. It wouldn't be wise of him to lose his cool in front of millions of people, despite the fact that they probably couldn't even see him. It was the principle of the thing.

"Gah, I absolutely hate speaking so formally." Tsunade whined, slouching back into her chair, resting her head on her hand. "I agreed to this gig to protect Konoha, not become a walking advertisement for Ms. Manners."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said from where she stood behind Tsunade's chair.

"Being formal is a way of protecting your people." Gaara spoke slowly, turning his eyes that had been transfixed on Naruto to Tsunade, his Kazekage hat shadowing his eyes.

"Eh?" Tsunade growled, turning her eyes to glare at Gaara. "Listen, brat. You may be Kazekage, but you're still just a young buck, and I can still beat the stuffing out of you."

"Tsunade-sama!"

"It's quite alright." Gaara said, nodding his head a bit to Shizune. "I prefer being treated normally."

"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?"

"I'll hug you, then!"

Gaara inwardly flinched at the memory and looked back down into the arena, his eyes instantly locking on a head of spiky blond hair. Naruto was walking towards the staircase to the side, obviously clearing the area for the first two fighters, grinning and laughing boisterously with the only other Konoha ninja, his voice booming loudly even from so far away. He was clearly enjoying himself, and Gaara couldn't help but inwardly twitch with jealousy. HE wanted to be the one down there, making Naruto smile like that. He should be down there, not some little twerp who looked like he could barely break a toothpick in half, let alone be a ninja.

"The first match is starting." Tsunade said, her voice holding a tone of amusement, causing Gaara to whip his head to the side and stare at her, doing his best to show that that hadn't shocked him. He'd merely been lost in his own thoughts - it could happen to anyone. "I advise you watch it, seeing as a genin from your village is probably going to get his ass plundered by that Mist nin." She smirked. "Unless, of course, watching Naruto is more important than your own village?"

Instead of retorting that that wasn't the case like most would have done, Gaara simply turned his attention back down to the arena where a genin from Suna was indeed getting his ass kicked. But Gaara knew the kid's fighting style, and knew that he would use his opponent's eventual lack of stamina against him. Holding back a sigh, Gaara glanced over at the woman who was still looking at him curiously, and refrained from making any kind of remark. He knew how temperamental she could be, not from personal experience, but from what Naruto had told him.

Naruto......

Gaara's eyes seemed to automatically drift sideways until he caught sight of the blond, a small pang emanating in his chest. Remembering what had happened the day before, he reached up to touch his lips but caught himself immediately, clenching his hand into a fist, digging nails into his palm as if punishing his body for almost betraying his already weary composure. He found it strange how just one thought of the blond could make his heartbeat speed up like that, but the more that happened, the more aware he became that these feelings towards the blond, whatever they were, were getting stronger by the moment. He just hoped that they wouldn't become stronger than his will to keep them contained, at least, for now. Eventually he would let them be known, but for now, he had to hide them, even though it pained him to do so.

Looking away from Naruto, Gaara cast his eyes back to the arena, seeing that his ninja was now indeed winning the match. A smile formed on his lips as he watched it until the very end, waiting patiently until Naruto's turn came.

*****

"Naruto-nii, why do you keep looking up at the Kage box?"

"No reason, really." Naruto mumbled, looking back to the arena and frowning at Konohamaru's keen perception. He'd thought he was doing a good job of hiding his glances towards Gaara, but apparently not.

"Did that old bat say anything to you?" Konohamaru asked, looking at Naruto in concern.

"No." Naruto growled, turning to glare at Konohamaru. "Now shut up twerp. I'm trying to watch the match."

"Ehhh." Konohamaru grinned, slamming a fist into the palm of his hand, as if figuring something out. "I got it! You're jealous cause your friend's up there in the Kage box and you're still a genin."

"Konohamaru. Unless you want me to kill you before we even get to our match, I suggest you shut up." Naruto hissed out, glaring at Konohamaru again before turning his eyes back to the arena, not exactly watching the fight. Instead, he was thinking about yesterday, and he was thinking about it seriously. He wasn't even sure how this whole thing had begun, or how it had escalated this far, but he knew one thing. He was more confused than ever.

For the longest time, he'd convinced himself that he loved Sakura-chan. She was strong, she was attractive, and she was virtually fearless. But then again, so was Gaara.

Who the hell had he been trying to kid yesterday, with telling Gaara how to capture his girl's heart? Naruto was practically the king of being turned down - he had no idea how someone was supposed to go about getting a girl to fall for them. All he'd done was tell Gaara what he would have wanted, if he were the object of Gaara's affection. But that was ludacris, right? After all, Gaara liked a girl, and Naruto was far from a girl. But what puzzled Naruto the most about this whole situation, was why he cared about who Gaara liked, and why it hurt so much to think of Gaara with some girl. He tried to convince himself that he was merely afraid of being abandoned by someone he considered a close friend, but the voice screaming at him inside his own head was telling him that wasn't the case. If it wasn't that, then what was it? It couldn't be that he, about Gaara.....

Feeling a strange tingle going down the back of his neck, Naruto looked up at the Kage box, only to see a pair of turquoise eyes set on him, the intensity in them making the breath in his throat catch. His head was swimming, he couldn't breathe. What the hell was this.....?
Suddenly, he remembered the kiss they'd share the day before, and Naruto instantly looked away, his eyes wide as his breathing got more rapid, a slight blush creeping its' way onto his cheeks. Finding himself unable to control his actions, Naruto looked back up at the Kage box where Gaara had returned his attention to the match, hand instinctively lifting to touch his lips gently. Naruto licked his bottom lip slowly, eyes still trained on Gaara, gaze slowly lowering along the redheads neck, his mind going rampant with images and thoughts of what it would be like to kiss that surprisingly pale neck, to lick it, to bite it, to mark it.
Just as a groan was about to escape through Naruto's lips, he heard the referee call his name, signaling that his turn was up. Slowly, and more shakily than was normal for him, he went down the stairs, breathing still a bit unsteady.

"Tomorrow, do your best. Prove to everyone that you deserve to be there."

Naruto shuddered at the voice in his head, remembering Gaara's parting words the day before. With a newly set determination, he straightened his back and headed out into the bright light of the arena, looking up at the Kage box and grinning, nodding shortly knowing full well that Gaara would get the message.

"I'll win this thing. Just watch me."

*****

"He's unconscious right now, but he'll be fine." The nurse said, eying Gaara curiously. "It seems that last match really did him in, but he should be completely healed by the time you return, Kazekage-sama."

"I see. Thank you." Gaara said calmly, taking one last look into the hospital room where a certain blond was lying on a bed, a satisfied smirk on his lips even after losing consciousness.

He had been hoping to congratulate Naruto and say goodbye before he had to leave for Suna again, but it seemed as if that wasn't going to happen. So, with a heavy sigh, Gaara turned around and walked out of the hospital, knowing that when he returned a week later, something would change, and he would be the one to make that happen. Whether it would work out well or not, he wasn't quite sure. He just knew that it had to be said. One way or another, Naruto had to know how he felt.

*****

Groaning as he came to, Naruto's eyes opened only to be met with the blinding whiteness that could only be the hospital ceiling. Remembering the fight before he'd passed out, he briefly wondered how long he had been out before he heard the door to his room open, Sakura sliding in quietly with a bottle of water in her hands. Naruto watched as she turned around after shutting the door, her eyes widening with shock when she saw Naruto laying there, looking at her.

"Naruto! You're awake already?!" She squealed, running up to Naruto and giving him a hug which he returned a bit awkwardly.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, wondering in the back of his mind if Gaara had left for Suna already.

"Two days." Sakura answered promptly, and Naruto felt something in his stomach drop. So Gaara would already be gone by now.... "Ne, you know, I was worried about you."

Naruto looked up in surprise, his eyes widening as he caught the look on Sakura's face. "Why? Did I die or something?"

"No, no! Nothing like that!" Sakura said, shaking her head vehemently. "I just saw how hard you were fighting, and when you suddenly collapsed like that afterwards.....I thought I might lose you."

Now he was confused. He wanted to ask what was up with the sudden change in her attitude, but he didn't dare, instead reaching up and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sakura-chan, you should know that I'm not gonna die from a fight with some genin."

"I know." Sakura smiled, leaning on Naruto's bed and gazing up at him with a strange look in her eyes. "You looked so strong out there. Like you were in control of the entire battlefield."

"Girls don't want guys who twiddle their thumbs and act nervous! They want guys who are confident, in control, and who look entirely sure of their feelings."

Naruto blinked as his words from several days ago popped in his head, his eyes widening as he was hit with two realizations at once. First, that he was actually right about that. And that maybe, thanks to the chuunin exams, Sakura-chan just might like him.

He blinked again as he realized something else. The thought that Sakura-chan liked him didn't excite him to no end like he thought it would. In fact, when he looked at her face, he felt nothing. Even the adoring look she had in her eyes made him feel nothing.
Suddenly, an image of Gaara appeared in his head and he felt his pulse speed up, felt his breath catch, and finally understood. His feelings for Sakura-chan had somehow faded into the background until they weren't even recognizable. The one he wanted was someone who hadn't even been on his radar. That is, until he had decided to train him himself. It was hard to work his mind around the fact that he liked Gaara. Gaara, of all people! But it wasn't certain yet. It could just be a fluke, right?

He wasn't entirely sure of whether or not he really felt anything towards the redhead, but it was clear as day, even to him, that he no longer wanted Sakura. It was strange, really. Why was it that no longer liking someone almost felt like having your favorite childhood toy snatched from your arms? You didn't need it anymore, you weren't upset to see it go, but you had grown so used to it over the years that now that it was gone, you almost wished you'd kept it.

"Ne, Naruto. Maybe after you get out of here, we can go on that date you're always asking me out on?" Sakura said, smiling up at Naruto, shamelessly flirting with her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "That won't happen."

Naruto watched as her previously soft features crumbled, a sad expression taking over her face as she glanced down. "...Oh..."

With a sigh, Naruto turned his eyes back to the ceiling, entirely unsure of what to say in this kind of situation. He just lay there for a long while, until he heard her get up and leave, an air of something sad remaining in her departure. Naruto felt bad, he really did. But the last thing he wanted to do was cause Sakura unnecessary pain, and he knew that if he didn't turn her down now, she'd just wind up hurting more later.

After thinking about it a bit longer, Naruto almost regretted it. After all, Gaara was probably back in Suna right now, confessing to the girl he liked at this very moment. There was no way Naruto would ruin Gaara's chance at happiness with this. He wasn't entirely sure what he would do now, but he knew the first thing he had to do when Gaara returned was break off the training. Not because he didn't want to kiss Gaara -oh, no, that wasn't it at all - but he didn't want to ruin anything. If Gaara was now in a relationship with some amazing girl, then Naruto didn't want to ruin that for his friend because of his lack of self-control. If it turned out he really did like Gaara -that sounded so weird, even in his own head - then he would eventually lose his cool and say something about it. He didn't want that to happen, he didn't want to lose his friend, and he didn't want his friend to lose his shot at happiness.

Sighing heavily, Naruto turned onto his side and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. Not two minutes later, he felt himself drifting off to sleep, an image of the red head being the last thing he saw before he fell into a world of dreams.

*****

"Hold on, hold on!" Naruto shouted, stumbling out of bed and vowing to personally kill whoever it was that was banging so loudly on his door at 4 in the morning. Honestly, couldn't they just come back later at a NORMAL hour of the day?

Groaning and complaining, Naruto opened the door with a scowl on his face, only to feel it drop when he saw Gaara standing there. The redhead had an unidentifiable expression on his face, and although that was relatively normal, it still unnerved the hell out of Naruto for some reason. There was a strange look in his eyes, and something about his entire physical appearance seemed somehow....stronger, more powerful. As if he had something set in his mind, and was determined to go through with it.

Naruto watched as Gaara blinked a few times, knowing that his silence was probably the cause of it. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything after what he'd been thinking just a few days before. It just felt too awkward, even for him.

"I went to the hospital first." Gaara said, causing Naruto to look at him strangely. "They said you'd been released already."

"Oh, right." Naruto mumbled a bit nervously, scratching the back of his neck and fixing his eyes on the ground. "Um. Come in. I wanted to talk to you about something, anyways."

Naruto missed Gaara's confused expression and instead turned around swiftly, going into his apartment and leaving Gaara at the door. He walked towards the kitchen area, fiddling around with things to make tea and coffee, decidedly not looking at Gaara, nor at his couch where the two of them had kissed the other day.
Where the two of them had.....Naruto instantly froze as the memory came rushing through his thoughts like a bullet train, his breathing getting cut off as everything came back to him for probably the hundredth time in the last few days. His hands were shaking violently, and he felt as if at any moment, he would start panicking and faint like he did when he was a kid.

Drawing his thoughts away, he coughed nervously and flipped the switch on his stove for the hot water to boil, and unable to avoid it anymore, turned to the side to glance up at Gaara, only to have his breath catch again. This wasn't good....it looked like he would have to go through with what he'd decided after all. Damn.

"Ne, Gaara...." Naruto began, watching as Gaara's gaze intensified. "I've been thinking......maybe we should stop the whole training thing...." Naruto flinched at his own words, looking down and waiting for Gaara's reply. Shit, why was he so nervous?? This wasn't like him in the least, to be worried about someone else's reaction. Normally it didn't matter to him what other people said, but for some reason, this felt like something crucial. As if the entire weight of the world rested upon the next words spoken. But that was ludacris, wasn't it? Nervously, Naruto licked his lips and glanced up at Gaara again, only to gasp at the look on the other boy's face. For the most part, it was expressionless, but the eyes....they held nothing back. There was something there, a muddle of emotions Naruto couldn't even begin to guess, just sort of pooled into those turquoise orbs, waiting to be let free. The emotions there, they were so powerful, so intense......Naruto couldn't take it. He couldn't handle the silence anymore, it was simply too thick. "I mean....don't you think it's strange? I'm a guy and I'm teaching you how to kiss and get your girl. I mean, you probably already have her, right? She's probably from Suna, so you probably decided to go back so that you could confess and come back to tell me how it went, right? Well, I'm glad for you. And I mean, it's not like you're the only one. Sakura, I mean, Sakura-chan kind of confessed to me while I was in the hospital, so yeah....I guess I was right, when I said that girls like guys that are stronger. I mean, she said something about how I looked when I was fighting, so I think that must be why she---"

"Are you done yet?" Gaara asked, and Naruto gulped as he saw the other boys eyes practically flare up with anger. Maybe he hadn't gotten his girl, after all. All Naruto could do was nod.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a change in Gaara's expression, unconsciously backing up against the wall as the other man approached him, eyes set and determined, seeming to be fixated on the blond. Naruto didn't understand, what the hell was Gaara approaching him for, and why was he backing up? What was this strange feeling rising up in his chest, making him both terrified and excited at the same time? And then, he found out.

"I like you, Naruto." Gaara whispered, the sincerity in his voice making Naruto's eyes widen even further. And before he even had time to think about what Gaara had just said, the world seemed to flip several times over. Gaara's lips were pressed against his, his arms were crushed to his sides in Gaara's embrace, and his mind seemed to go entirely blank all at once as he was swept away, the sound of the tea kettle resonating throughout the apartment.