Sand Away From The Desert

Review Responses:



Carousel – Thanks! I’m glad you like the story, and think it’s sweet. And yes, Gaara’s awkwardness is fun to write as well!



Sneakyfox – Always glad to see your reviews!





As for the story, things are going to heat up between Naruto and Gaara soon. This section is leading us that way. I hope you like it!









Gaara made sure to avoid Naruto for the next week, not wanting to be confronted by how he had acted. He knew Temari was supposed to return that afternoon, so he set out to find his brother. He spotted Kankuro walking through town in front of him. He released some of his sand and used it to grab Kankuro around his wrist and pull him backward. Kankuro slowly turned around, a smirk on his lips.



“Nice to see you too Gaara,” he said as Gaara approached him.



“Are you going to the gate?” Gaara asked.



“Yes. Temari should be back within the hour.”



The two brothers began to walk together toward the gate. Gaara looked over at Kankuro, wondering if he should confide in his brother.



“What’s wrong Gaara?” Kankuro asked suddenly.



“Do you think a lot of people still hate me?” Gaara asked quietly.



“Why the sudden interest?” Kankuro asked, glancing sideways at his brother.



“I am sick of seeing people look frightened of me.”



Kankuro stared over at his brother, knowing that it was hard for him to even say that much. In return, he smiled comfortingly at Gaara.



“Not everyone will be frightened Gaara. People just have to get to know you. You have changed a lot in the past couple years, and a lot of people don’t know that yet. Not everyone realizes what kind of person you truly are,” Kankuro said.



Gaara nodded his head as they arrived at the front gate. Temari was just arriving and she smiled when she saw her brothers side by side waiting for her. First she moved forward and gave Kankuro a quick hug. She glanced at Gaara next, hesitated, and then threw her arms around him as well. Gaara surprised her by reaching up slowly and hugging her back. His arms held her tightly around her waist as he closed his eyes and rested his chin on her shoulder. It was the first hug either of the siblings had shared with Gaara, and Temari felt tears rise in her eyes. Kankuro looked over at them, smiling.



“Are you okay Gaara?” Temari whispered, hoping she wouldn’t ruin the moment.



“I’m glad you are both here with me. I know that a lot of the other Sand ninja didn’t want all three of us gone at the same time, but I think I would hate to be here without both of you,” Gaara said quietly.



Temari moved back and looked into the eyes of her brother. His face was still calm and uncaring, but she couldn’t help but be pleased with his words, especially since Gaara so rarely said more than one sentence in a row when it was personal.



“Well, I have another meeting to get to,” Gaara said suddenly, in his normal cold tone.



“We’ll see you later then,” Temari replied, still smiling.



Temari and Kankuro both watched as their brother turned around and ran back toward the middle of town. Gaara ran quickly, confusion filling him.



Did Naruto affect me this much? My siblings probably think I’ve lost it.



****************************************



After Gaara’s meeting, he ran through the forest around town, trying to clear his mind. He stopped quickly when he heard the sound of metal clanging. Assuming danger, he jumped into a nearby tree and looked toward where he heard the sound. He grew calm when he saw that it was just Rock Lee and Naruto training. They were both sweating and breathing heavily as they sparred, their kunai clanging together. Gaara sat down on the tree branch, deciding to watch the two boys spar.



Naruto leapt up into the air and tried to land a kick on Lee, but Lee barely dodged and tried to kick into Naruto’s back. Naruto leapt away to avoid the strike and crouched down, trying to catch his breath. While Gaara watched, Naruto’s body shook with excitement. Gaara felt an unfamiliar stirring in his stomach as he watched Naruto stand up tall and fling his shirt to the ground, sweat glistening on his tan skin. Naruto and Lee both ran at each other again, limbs flying between them. Naruto suddenly landed a good hit on Lee and knocked him down to the ground. They both began to laugh loudly as Lee propped himself up on his elbows and tried to catch his breath. Suddenly Naruto felt the eyes watching him, and he quickly looked out into the trees where Gaara had been, but Gaara had already run off toward town.



****************************************



Two days later, Naruto walked out into the forest to train after dinner. He couldn’t help but think of Gaara and wonder if the other boy had been intentionally avoiding him.



Maybe he’s just busy meeting with Old lady Tsunade.



Naruto sighed and jogged out to a clearing and began to stretch. He pulled out three shuriken and leapt into a tree, getting ready to throw them out in front of him. He leapt into the air and spun down headfirst, flinging the shuriken out at the trees. He was surprised when sand wrapped around his ankles so that he was hanging upside down in the air. He looked ahead of him as Gaara entered the clearing and walked over to him. Their faces were at the same level, although Naruto’s was upside down.



“You know, you should pay more attention to your surroundings. This is not the first time that I’ve entered without you noticing,” Gaara said calmly.



Naruto’s face began to turn red from being held upside down, and he scowled at Gaara. In response, Gaara just reached out and ran his fingers through the blond hair hanging down from his head. Naruto’s scowl suddenly disappeared and he closed his eyes as Gaara’s fingers grazed his scalp. Naruto opened his eyes again when he felt his body lowering. Gaara used his sand to lower Naruto to the ground, and then watched as the blonde stood up in front of him. Naruto stared into the calm green eyes in front of him.



“What are you doing here?” Naruto asked.



“I was bored with all the meetings and was hoping to train. I’d like a sparring partner if you’re up for it,” Gaara replied casually.



Naruto grinned, loving the opportunity to fight such a strong opponent. Gaara assumed the grin meant Naruto would participate, so he moved into his fighting stance. Naruto stepped back also, preparing to attack.



The two boys leapt at each other, each limb meeting another limb. Naruto reached out and grabbed Gaara’s wrist, preparing to spin him around and kick him to the ground. Gaara easily used his sand to push Naruto away.



****************************************



After nearly an hour, both boys began to look exhausted. Naruto tried to land a good punch on Gaara, hoping to end the fight. Gaara used his sand to push Naruto away again. Naruto winced as his back hit the tree behind him. Naruto felt the sand whirl around him, pinning him tightly to the tree. Gaara stood a few feet away, staring into Naruto’s wide eyes. Naruto tried to squirm away from the sand, but Gaara used his sand to pin his ankles and wrists against the tree so that he was forced to stand tall with his arms held up over his head. Naruto shivered as a small river of sand began to run down his cheek and across his throat. Gaara watched as Naruto stopped squirming and stared intensely at him. Gaara moved his sand back to Naruto’s collarbone and let it slide under his t-shirt. Naruto’s eyes opened wider as he felt the sand brush across his pecs and graze his nipples.



“Gaara,” he breathed out.



Gaara slowly moved toward Naruto, and Naruto couldn’t help but watch his hips sway as he sauntered toward him. He shivered again as Gaara’s sand slid back up his throat and formed around his cheek. It reminded Naruto of Gaara’s hand on his face, but it lacked the warmth of Gaara’s skin. Finally Gaara stopped in front of Naruto, never looking away from his eyes. Naruto bit his lower lip nervously.



“Gaara,” he whispered again.



Gaara felt something stir in his stomach at the sound of his name. He placed one hand on each side of Naruto on the tree and stared into his eyes, trying to understand the feelings he was having. Naruto parted his lips as if he was going to speak, but nothing came out. Gaara leaned closer to Naruto, unable to tear his eyes away from Naruto’s bright eyes. Naruto moved his head forward also, straining his neck. Gaara took a deep breath and then crushed Naruto’s lips with his own. Naruto squirmed a little, wanting to reach out and touch Gaara. Gaara just moved in a little closer, pressing their chests tightly together. Naruto whimpered against his lips, feeling helpless with Gaara’s sand pinning him to the tree. He shuddered when he realized that Gaara would be able to do anything he wanted and Naruto would be helpless to stop him.



Gaara slowly moved back from Naruto, letting his hands fall down at his sides. Naruto looked at him, his eyes still wide.



“Gaara…” he whispered.



“I should go,” Gaara whispered back.



After turning around, Gaara released Naruto from his sand. Naruto stumbled forward and then slowly regained his balance. He watched in silence as Gaara disappeared from the clearing, probably to return to his own apartment. When Naruto glanced down at his tired body, a blush rose to his cheeks as he realized how excited Gaara had made him.



****************************************



The next afternoon, Naruto walked down the street chatting enthusiastically with Sakura who was out of the hospital. He didn’t notice the group approaching them, until they were unavoidable. He looked up just as Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro stopped walking in front of them. Temari, Kankuro, and Sakura all smiled at each other. Gaara stared ahead of him, no emotion displayed on his face. Naruto quickly turned his eyes away, the smile disappearing from his face.



“Hello Temari, Kankuro, Gaara-sama!” Sakura said happily.



“Hello Sakura,” all three replied separately.



They all turned their eyes to Naruto who was still looking off to his side, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Sakura was confused, since Naruto was usually so excited to talk to other people. Finally Gaara looked up and watched Naruto shift his feet nervously.



Is he upset about yesterday? Did I cross a line?



Gaara’s questions were answered when Naruto turned around to face all of them again. He met Gaara’s eyes for a moment, and his cheeks flushed. In that moment, Gaara realized Naruto was merely embarrassed, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from smiling.



“Hi everyone!” Naruto said, pasting on a fake smile.



Sakura, Temari, and Kankuro all relaxed, assuming that Naruto had just been distracted by something. Naruto lifted his right arm and rubbed the back of his neck.



“The three of us have to make it to a meeting with the Hokage,” Temari said.



“Naruto and I are on our way there as well. We’ll accompany you,” Sakura replied.



Naruto and Sakura fell into step with the other three, and Naruto found himself stuck beside Gaara as Sakura and Temari chatted across them. Gaara saw Naruto’s cheeks turn red as he glanced sideways at Gaara. Gaara intentionally let his fingers graze across Naruto’s fingers lightly enough that no one else would notice. The blonde bit his lip, holding himself back from grabbing the warm hand beside him.



****************************************



The group all met with Tsunade, discussing missions and negotiations. Tsunade forced Sakura out halfway through the meeting, saying she needed some more rest. An hour later, Kankuro and Temari both left to finish helping out around town training some of the lower level ninja. Once they were gone, Tsunade looked back and forth between Gaara and Naruto before speaking.



“Naruto, I needed someone to take Konohamaru and his team on a mission. He requested that you lead them, so I agreed,” Tsunade said.



“Yes!” Naruto yelled, excited.



“But, I don’t trust you to keep things under control. You’re too unpredictable, and Konohamaru will just follow whatever you do. So, I would like to send another ninja to accompany you,”



“Aw, Old lady Tsunade, why?” Naruto whined.



“Complain again and I will just send someone else!” Tsunade yelled at him.



“Fine…”



“Most of the jounins and chuunins are training for exams or already out on their own missions, so I was having trouble finding someone responsible enough to watch over you. But, Kankuro offered to help out, so he will be joining you.”



Naruto sighed and nodded his head. He glanced over at Gaara who was looking over at him, his expression unreadable.



“Kankuro will meet you in front of the Academy as soon as you are done here. Then the two of you will be expected to take Konohamaru and his friends out on the mission. Make sure that you keep things under control,” Tsunade said firmly.



“Yes!” Naruto said happily.



He turned again and met Gaara’s eyes for a moment, but turned away when he felt his face begin to turn red again. He quickly ran out of the office to go meet Kankuro for their mission, trying to push Gaara’s face out of his mind.