A NarutoGaara fic! Why? Because I love this pairing, and if you look closely enough, you’ll see all sorts of juicy material, ripe for exploitation! Wahahahaha! Read, enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I am not a making a profit through this fic. Blah. Because I don’t own Naruto, there may be slight error in random terminology. I apologize in advance and hope that you will still get the gist of the story.

Hands

I kept my face carefully expressionless as I waited. I know he hated me once. I had made several attempts on his and his friends’ lives. But he understands, I think. But there’s no way to be sure.

So I waited. I waited for him to take my hand. If he did—it would not be just a handshake. It would mean so much more. Much more than Uzumaki Naruto would ever realize.

Then again, there’s no way to be sure.

……………………………………………

“Naruto,” I called, softly. He was leaning against the open window of the sand hut and started when he heard my voice. He grinned and waved me over.

Closing my eyes for a short second, I strode over to the window and rigidly stood next to him. The warm desert air blew into my face, and I inhaled deeply, enjoying the desert’s comforting scents. An eagle drifted freely through the clear, blue skies.

Naruto did the same, except with his eyes. They explored the clouds, reflecting their peacefulness. His elbows rested on the window sill, and his head rested on his hands, the picture of joy—my picture of joy. He was unconsciously reenacting what I had imagined joy to be. I couldn’t help it, then. The corner of my lips twitched slightly, then lifted.

Naruto glanced at me right at that moment, and noticed. Instead of being disgusted, he returned my smile, tenfold.

I turned my face back to the window, my face slowly heating up. I sensed Naruto do the same.

“It’s gone!” He exclaimed. I expected him to clarify, though I knew that my confusion didn’t show on my face. He did. “The eagle must have disappeared while we weren’t looking!”

I scanned the skies for it, and realized he was right. The eagle was nowhere to be seen. I nodded, to show my agreement. “Yes, it must have.”

A strong gust of wind blew into the hut, and I saw Naruto shut his eyes against the sand. I sighed softly, and reached up a hand to his hair.

He stared at me, eyes wide. “Gaara, what…?”

“Wait,” I told him, amused by his expression, and plucked a brown feather nestled in his hair. He reddened when I showed it to him.

“Oh, I thought you were gonna…” His voice trailed off, and his eyes widened. “Hey, that’s an eagle feather!”

He snatched it from my hand and stuffed it into his pocket, before leaning his head out the window. “There!”

Frowning, I squeezed my head out next to his, and I saw it, too. The eagle was perched on one of the cacti near the hut, preening. Its feathers blew in the air, each one fluttering in the wind. It must was an odd sight to see the two of us staring at the bird, with our heads stuck out the window.

We seemed so suddenly silly, that I burst out laughing, earning an odd stare from Naruto. He grinned at me as we both pushed ourselves back into the hut. “I’d never heard you laugh before, Gaara.”

I stopped immediately, embarrassed. “I apologize. I should not have forced you to hear it.”

He chuckled softly. “No, I want to hear it again. It’s one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard.” Naruto smiled at me, rubbing his nape, as if he’d embarrassed himself. “It’s the sound of pain being lifted.”

Relieved, I laughed again, slightly confused by the odd lightness in my heart. “Thank you, Naruto. It is you who lifts my pain.”

He grinned back, and tentatively, touched my shoulder. When I didn’t react, he put his arm around my back and pulled me close. “…you, Gaara.”

I didn’t know what he said, and I didn’t ask. I merely replied, “Me too, Naruto.”

He smiled suddenly, eyes watering, and pressed his lips to my forehead, over the mark on my fore head. Love.

“I have to go. See you…” Naruto’s finger’s traced the character on my forehead. He quietly read out loud. “…Love.”

I stood by silently as I watched him walk away. This was a memory that I would hold deeply in my heart.

……………………………………………

Naruto smiled sadly at me, remembering. Or perhaps he was looking into the future. I wondered whether I should just give up then and there, but his hand moved! It slowly lifted, until it met mine. Our hands were linked in a warm, friendly clasp. This was so much more than a handshake, and I knew that Naruto knew it, too.

End Hands…

So how was it? This is the first time I’ve tried to convey a solid, unexcitable character. (I mean Gaara, folks!) He seems pretty unemotional throughout everything, so I tried to make him seem that way in my fic. But there’s a difference between tried and succeeded. So what do you think? Did I succeed? Please tell me in a review. :)