Kyuubi.

A nine-tailed demon fox that was sealed within one Uzumaki Naruto when he was a baby. Having nearly completely destroyed the village of Konoha, the Kyuubi was a feared and hated demon. As a result, Naruto was a feared and hated boy. Only a select few saw past the fact that he was a demon, the majority rejecting him, keeping their children away from him. And yet, as a law, no one was allowed to talk about who the holder of the Kyuubi was. But from the way their parents acted toward the blonde youth, children of his age picked up the same feelings of spite; they thought of him as nothing more than an annoying moron who couldn't do anything right.

Shukaku.

A tanuki demon, sealed within Gaara of the Sand before the boy was even born. He was treated as a weapon and raised as a weapon, and people feared him more than anything. Shukaku enabled his host to control sand, and Gaara kept the sand in a gourd on his back; along with the blood of his victims. His mother was killed in childbirth and his father tried to have him assassinated many times; his uncle was one of the unfortunate people who attempted to kill him. Gaara is feared even by his older siblings, and has been isolated from humanity even more than Naruto was. To make matters worse, Gaara cannot sleep, or else Shukaku will take control of his body and go on a rampage.

Naruto.

Taking the hurt and rejection he was forced to deal with every day, Naruto made himself a mask of happiness that wasn't easily broken. He became the village prankster, having no other way of getting attention. The negative attention was mostly the only type he got, except from one man who treated him like a little brother. Naruto was grateful for this man.

Gaara.

Taking the hurt and rejection he dealt with early on in life, Gaara became a killer who was almost undefeatable, protected by his sand. He became the Sunagakura village's monster, their weapon against other villages. The fear and hate toward him caused him to think he was nothing but the weapon his father wanted, and the one man he trusted tried to kill him. Gaara hates this man.

Sakura and Sasuke.

Haruna Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were placed on the same three-man team of genin as Naruto, when the three of them graduated from the academy. They passed Hatake Kakashi's test and were trained by that man to harness their skills as shinobi and kounochi of Konoha. Sakura and Sasuke were two of the first people to become, more or less, Naruto's friends; they became his precious people, along with Iruka and Kakashi. Naruto would die for them.

Temari and Kankuro.

Temari and Kankuro were Gaara's elder brother and sister, and they were placed on the same three-man team upon graduation as well. They were put under the care of Baki, and it was his job to instruct them to harness the best of their ability. Temari and Kankuro, though of the same blood as he, were still as afraid as Gaara as everyone else. They treated him with the same fear. They may have been his siblings, but they weren't his precious people.

Naruto had incredible stamina and an endless abound of energy. He was a loud-mouthed idiot, but his blue eyes held an incredible spirit. His spiky blonde locks shone like the sun, complimenting his earth-like-tanned skin.

Gaara had incredible stealth and his speed was incredible. He was silent and his pale green eyes observed everything around him. His blood red hair stuck out painfully against his pale-as-the-desert-sand skin.

Naruto had two peculiar markings on his body. Three whisker marks on either of his cheeks, six in total, and a spiral on his naval. This spiral is the seal that keeps the Kyuubi bound within Naruto.

Gaara had two peculiar markings on his face. Dark rings caused by years of no sleep around his eyes, and an "ai" tattoo on his forehead. This tattoo, when taken into account his name, said that Gaara loved death.

Naruto had never really thought that there was another demon host out there, and he never thought that he would meet one.

Gaara knew there was another demon host in Kanoha, and he wanted to meet him.

But he did.

And he did.

And he couldn't believe that the other boy could be so similar to him, and yet be the total opposite.

And he couldn't believe that the other boy could be his identical, and yet his contrary.

The other boy was cold, silent, full of hate, and ... hollow.

The other boy was warm, loud, full of energy, and ... filled.

He didn't have anyone to love and he didn't love anyone. It was so sad.

He had the love he himself had never felt, and he loved people. It was so strange.

Naruto vowed that he would change the other boy, that he would show Gaara that there was more to life than killing, there was a reason to live, there were people to fight for and sights to see.

Gaara vowed that he would watch the other boy, that he would find out why Naruto thought there was more to life than killing, that there was a reason to live, and that there were people to fight for, things to see.

Naruto would make Gaara one of his precious people, he'd show him light and love, and he would be his friend.

Gaara would see why Naruto cherished his precious people; he wanted to understand what the other boy's intentions were.

Of course, things eventually developed that Naruto hadn't foreseen, odd feelings that changed the both of them.

Oh Sand Gods, Gaara began to feel the strangest emotions that he hadn't foreseen, and it changed him.

Naruto kissed Gaara one day, and it wasn't like that time when he accidentally kissed Sasuke. It was a real kiss, one full of passion that he didn't understand. But Naruto was the type to act out on his emotions, and deal with any consequences later.

Gaara allowed Naruto to kiss him one day, and it was his first kiss. It was odd, he felt so much emotion from it, so much passion; he didn't understand it. Gaara usually kills anything that makes him feel something he doesn't understand, but he didn't this time.

Kyuubi.

Shukaku.

Naruto.

Gaara.

An odd equation, but it's one of those ones where you have to work through it a few times to understand it. Basically, it all adds up to one thing.

It was just perfect. Simple as that.

-Owari-

VDG: -yawns and stretches arms- well, glad I got that out of my system; it was eating away at my brain!

CEM: hn, whatever you say aibou.

Disclaimer: chyah, I totally own Naruto! I own Naruto so much that I just might have killed off some of my favourite characters, and cast my favourite team into the shadows. And I own Naruto so much...that I don't!

-VDG-