Chapter 5: Remembrance

Naruto strolled down the street casually, a congenial expression on his face as he effortlessly carried Gaara's bag along with his own. In was a little too congenial for Gaara's tastes, and every once in a while, he would glance over at the blond and just stare at him as if there was something seriously wrong with him. There had to be something seriously wrong with him. People were never that happy, let alone when they had to walk someone home and carry their bag.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, noticing finally that Gaara was looking at him. Gaara just glanced away and looked at the houses to his right. When he didn't answer, Naruto seemed to gravitate closer to his side, looking down at him with an inquisitive stare. Whereas before, he had been an acceptable distance away (roughly four feet in front of Gaara), now Naruto was entirely too close. Gaara hadn't walked this close to someone since he was a child tugging on his brother's sleeve, and even then he tried to keep his distance.

Finally fidgeting uncomfortably, he faced Naruto in annoyance. "What?"

Naruto just laughed. "See? It's weird when someone stares at you without explanation." But he did move away a little, folding his hands behind his head. "It looks like it might rain…"

"Hn," Gaara said, hoping it would be enough to keep him quiet. The weather did look questionable though, and there was a slight chill in the air. Autumn was finally making its presence known, slowly but surely, as the seasons continued their never-ending shift. The clouds looked darker than normal, too, as if they really might start leaking any second. "A storm in coming," he distractedly muttered, forgetting for a moment that Naruto was even there.

Naruto was also surprised that Gaara had spoken. The progression of the walk to his house had been, for the most part, silent, and Gaara seemed to try and limit his words to as few as possible. Naruto also noticed that the other boy walked as close to the right edge of the sidewalk as possible, seeing as Naruto was to his left. It was somewhat amusing. But still, walking him home, just walking with him, despite sharing few words, was greatly easing his mind about the copper-headed teenager. Gaara was more normal than he let on or maybe even wanted people to think. He was just like anybody else.

"You're really light," he suddenly announced, feeling the sudden urge to converse with him.

Gaara appeared slightly bothered by the announcement, but didn't turn his way. "Are you speculating, Uzumaki?"

Naruto tilted his head a little. "I carried you," Gaara finally looked at him, "to the nurse's office…Didn't you know that?"

Gaara seemed to clench his teeth before once again turning away. "I did not."

Naruto felt himself wanting to smile. It was an odd sensation, but he was sure that he wanted to grin. "You should eat more. You're really skinny."

"You're skinny too, Uzumaki," Gaara seemed to say tiredly. "You're not that much bigger than me."

"Why, thank you," Naruto said, finally beaming happily. Gaara looked at him again, suddenly compelled to do so, and immediately wished he hadn't. The expression was genuine, but what on earth did he have to be smiling about?

"Smiling isn't hard, Gaara," Naruto said, and it was almost as though he had read Gaara's thoughts.

"Neither is being quiet," Gaara replied and looked away.

Naruto made a move as though he had been struck, before simpering slightly by Gaara's side. "Neither is being friendly," he mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets.

Gaara felt an emotion bubbling up inside him, before he realized that it was the urge to smirk. It was too close to a smile, however, and so he willed it away. Naruto really was a strange guy. It was weird, but he realized that he had actually engaged in a kind of conversation with the blond. It was weird because he did not like to converse. He tried to avoid conversation whenever it was possible, but with Naruto, Gaara found himself speaking without even realizing it, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, when it really was not.

He had never been so internally glad to see his house come into view. "We're here," he stated monotonously, walking up the driveway and to the front door. Naruto remained behind for a moment, his eyes running over the building.

"You're…" he blinked and shifted his position. "You're rich!"

Gaara ignored him, pulling out his key and unlocking the front door. Naruto was quickly (and again closely) at his side, the look of shock still painted on his face. "Rich," he said a little bitterly, and then, "I should have known," as if he had discovered the secret to some plaguing dilemma. The house was quite large, and judging from the exterior, the two floors above ground were almost assuredly joined by a third below. Naruto's house was one story. One simple, tragic story.

Pushing open the front door, Gaara took a step inside before turning to Naruto and holding out his hand. "Bookbag."

Naruto smiled coyly. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Gaara almost felt like smacking him. He settled with an emotionless "I detest you right now," before walking in and allowing Naruto follow him. Naruto had barely taken two steps inside the house when Gaara halted and faced him. "This is as far as you go."

Naruto was immediately puzzled, "But—"

"I let you in, and now you can leave."

Naruto squinted at him, but handed over the bag nonetheless. "You've got to work on that personality, Mr. Frown."

Gaara just stared at him. "Don't call me that."

A golden brow elevated as Naruto looked at the redhead skeptically. "You would be so much more pleasant if you would just smile."

"You might be standable if you would just be quiet." Dropping his bag onto the floor, the sudden movement, though slight, seemed to reignite his headache, and he pressed his fingertips to his temple as a sharp pain afflicted him. Naruto was quick to notice and immediately closed the distance between them, leaning down a bit so that he could peer into the other's face, a look of worry gracing his features.

"Are you okay?" he inquired, voice laced with concern.

Gaara, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them at the increase in volume. He hadn't realized that Naruto was so close, and for some reason, it sent a small, reminiscent tremor of fear through him. Thankfully, it soon passed, replaced only by irritation. "I'm fine," he drawled out, releasing a tired sigh. "You can go home now."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, not convinced. "It looks pretty bad…"

Gaara was losing his patience, but his planned insult was lost when Naruto's hand touched his face, his forehead to be exact, before sliding through his shaggy bangs and pulling them gently backward. His face came even closer as he peered at the bruise there, before the fingertips of his free hand drifted lightly over the small lump that had formed. "Hm," he uttered, as if he were in deep thought. Pulling back, Naruto crossed his arms, allowing Gaara's hair to fall back into its own semblance of place. "You should really get that looked at," he said after a moment. "I'll even take care of the bill, since I'm to blame." He laughed a little, but it was a regretful laugh. Still, it was genuine.

Gaara's right hand had risen so that it was suspended only an inch or so from where Naruto's hand had just been. Clenching his fist and bringing it to his side, he said only, "Goodbye, Uzumaki."

Finally, Naruto seemed to give in. "Fine, fine," he sighed, dragging his feet over to the door. "Before I go," he said, turning toward Gaara slightly, "could you explain prepositions to me really quickly?"

"Prepositions?" Gaara repeated, before he seemed to recall the extra assignment, courtesy of Kakashi.

Naruto folded his hands and feigned a look of hope. "Pretty please?"

Staring at him for a moment, Gaara's harsh exterior seemed to bend slightly, and he walked until he was about a foot away from the blond. "Prepositions," he said again, "are anything my hand can do." And with that said he raised his right hand. Naruto looked at him in confusion before Gaara's hand made a karate-chop motion to his right. "My hand can be beside you," he hovered his hand next over Naruto's head, "above you," and with the next one, he seemed to struggle a bit. A troubled expression befell his face, before he raised his other hand and carefully brought both around Naruto's waist so that they met behind him but did not make any kind of contact with the slightly-taller teen. Naruto seemed to stop breathing as he quizzically looked from Gaara's arms to his face. Gaara could only hold his eyes for a few moments before he felt that he had to look away. "Around," he said, but this one was slightly quieter than the rest. Unclasping his hands, Gaara pressed one against Naruto's chest and pushed slightly. "This one is against," he said, and pushed a little harder.

Naruto took the hint, and opened the front door. "Okay, I get it," he said with a smirk. "I'm leaving. Thank you very much," he said and smiled, his blue eyes seeming to sparkle despite the gloomy overcast outside. "I really appreciate it, Gaara." But his face seemed to melt to one of lament. "I hope you believed me when I said I was sorry…I understand if you don't want to tutor me." From anyone else's lips, it probably would've sounded like a carefully-crafted guilt-trip, but when Naruto said it, it sounded sincere. He was almost out the door when Gaara's voice caused him to stop.

"Tomorrow, Uzumaki," he said, slight warning in his voice. "...Don't be late."

Naruto's smile as he stepped out onto the front lawn seemed to be brimming with gratitude. "I won't…and thank you, again."

Gaara just glared, even though Naruto hadn't done anything particularly annoying at that moment. He simply found him unnerving. "It doesn't matter, Uzumaki."

"Call me 'Naruto'," the blond offered kindly, his smile once again taking on an amused quality.

With a forehead wrinkle and a mouth twitch, Gaara plainly said, "No". And then he slammed the door.

ooo

Naruto was overflowing with energy the next day. At lunch, he explained to Sasuke how he gone to Gaara's "gargantuan" house and even stepped inside, proceeding to relate how he had made a special attempt to converse with his recommitted tutor and try and learn more about him. Sasuke listened intently throughout the entire speech, a look of slight disbelief in his ebony eyes, but told Naruto he was proud of him, nevertheless. In English, Naruto even sat by Gaara of his own accord, but the redhead paid him no mind, a new book already in his hands. Sasuke walked in and could hardly conceal his surprise at his friend's newfound efforts, but his small smile was enough to show that he was pleased.

"Aren't you going to at least talk with me a little?" Naruto pouted, resting on his arms and facing Gaara with a look of disappointment. "We should get to know each other better."

To this, Gaara looked on at his book, saying, "I know absolutely nothing about you, Uzumaki," and then he listlessly turned a page. "Nor do I want to."

After this exchange, it was extremely difficult for Naruto to remember that he was trying to see the boy in a new light. Regardless, that afternoon, he was sure to be early to Gaara's locker. Again, people looked at him and whispered, but he tried his best to ignore them. Again, they seemed to know something that he did not. Glancing at his hand that was propped on the wall, he remembered that it was the same one that had threaded into Gaara's hair when he had inspected his bruise. He quickly closed his hand and looked away. As Naruto continued to wait, something Sasuke had said suddenly entered into his mind.

"You were absent that day," he had commented. Naruto remembered that part, but what followed was hazy. Absent when? As Gaara came into sight, emotionless as ever, Naruto suddenly recalled what Sasuke had told him.

"You were absent that day…The day the letter was posted."

"Are you ready?" Gaara asked, pulling Naruto out of his thoughts.

Managing a weak smile, Naruto brought himself to nod. "Yep."

"Follow me then."

They ended up working in Kakashi's room. Naruto didn't know how he felt about that, because he still held a small grudge against the silver-haired educator, but if Gaara deemed it as the place, then he figured he should go along with it. When Kakashi turned out to still be there, it didn't really help matters.

"Ah, my two prized students," he said when they came in. "I am witnessing the start of a wonderful relationship."

Naruto frowned at him. "Did you get my preposition paper, sensei?"

"I did, indeed," he smiled. "And let me just say…you did a wonderful job."

Naruto was in slight shock. "I did?"

"You did. So well, in fact, that I've decided to grant you some extra credit. Take this as a lesson, Uzumaki-kun: Good things will come if you make the effort." Glancing at his watch, he stood and collected a few papers. "I have a staff meeting now, so feel free to use the room for as long as you like." With an unreadable smile, he was gone.

"If you're done fraternizing," Gaara spoke up, "then can we begin the lesson?"

"Frat—," Naruto started, before settling with a scowl. "Fine," he grumbled, "but I liked you so much more yesterday." It was hard to imagine that he had ever felt the urge to kiss him.

"My goal is not for you to like me, Uzumaki," said the red-haired student, shuffling through the papers in a folder. "My goal is help you improve your grade, so both of us can be free of each other."

"Would it hurt to be nice?" complained Naruto, slumping in his chair.

Ignoring him, Gaara finally pulled out a piece of paper that he had been looking for. "I really can't even begin to fathom where to start with you…"

"Do we have to study here?" Naruto suddenly asked. "I mean, your house is humongous, and it's not too far. Can't we go there?"

Gaara finally looked at him. "No."

The door opened, and Sasuke poked his head into the classroom. "The bus is about to leave…Are you not coming, Naruto?"

Naruto flashed him a thumbs-down. "Negative. I have my full attention focused on my gracious tutor—the ever-enthusiastic Gaara." Sitting up, he exaggerated the moment as if it were some Shakespearian play. "It is to this individual," he clasped Gaara's shoulder, "that I owe my successful future to."

Gaara looked at Naruto's hand. "Don't touch me."

Retracting his limb, the blond shook his head. "Work on that personality, Mr. Frown."

"I told you not to call me that, Uzumaki," Gaara interjected, clearly not amused.

Sasuke watched the exchange and seemed to be fighting a smile. As they continued to bicker, he slipped away unnoticed and headed for the bus-stop. In the end, they made no progress whatsoever, and Gaara even walked out when he could take no more, but Naruto still felt that strange urge to smile. For, while Gaara didn't have much of an amicable character, he was oddly fun to be around.

ooo

"Maybe Gaara's not really gay," Naruto said out of nowhere, while eating lunch with Sasuke the next day.

Sasuke blinked at the sudden musing. "…I'm not really sure where that came from, but I'm pretty sure he is."

"Yeah, but maybe it's just a rumor," he sat back and seemed to contemplate something. "Can you really be sure that he is? I mean, is there any proof?"

"Why would you need proof, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, and his face appeared unreadable like Kakashi's. "Why does it matter so much to you?"

Naruto looked up quickly at him then, a cross between confusion and mild alarm upon his face. Sasuke just stared silently back, critical eyes focused upon his friend. "I don't—it's not—," he shook his head, and for some reason he recalled Gaara's hands closing around his waist, careful not to touch him. And what if they had? "It doesn't matter," he said finally. "I just—"

"Does preferred gender have anything to do with who you are?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

Naruto's expression seemed to struggle to find the right one. It settled with another odd mix of helplessness and uncertainty. "It has everything to do with it…doesn't it?"

"You tell me."

Naruto rested his cheek in his hand and glanced again at the other one. Again, he could feel Gaara's soft, red locks as they yielded to his touch. Without forewarning, he reached across the table and ran his hand through Sasuke's jet-black hair. While his friend's reaction was more than priceless—a sort of mute shock—Naruto didn't feel any more relieved than he had moments before. "It isn't the same," he said resignedly. It simply was not the same.

"I won't ask what that was about, but…," the black-haired teen said with a small cough. As if Sasuke knew what he was fretting about, he said, "You and Gaara seem to be getting along…"

"Not really," Naruto laughed a little, but he still looked lost in thought. "Gaara hates me."

"Gaara doesn't hate you," said Sasuke definitively. "He probably just can't figure out how to deal with you." With a minute shrug, he added, "And you did write him a poem."

"The poem, right…" Furrowing his brows, he faced his friend with an inquisitive gaze. "What did you mean, Sasuke? About the letter, I mean."

"The letter?"

"Yeah," he sat up straighter, clearly at odds with something. "You said I was absent when some letter was posted. You know Gaara's gay; I'm almost positive that you know beyond a reasonable doubt. What is it that I missed that supposedly explains everything?"

"…You really want to know?"

"Yes."

Again, Sasuke seemed to pause before proceeding, until he seemed to decide that he may as well tell his friend what he wanted to know. "Last year, maybe mid-October, there was a letter that had been posted all throughout the school." He seemed to recall the moment, before looking Naruto square in the eye. "It was a letter Gaara had written to another boy."

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. "…A love letter?"

Sasuke shrugged a little. "I guess one could call it that, but in essence it was just a confession of feelings—a very direct, honest, and frank confession. I don't even think he wanted to like the guy, judging by what I read. Either way, one of this student's friends had apparently gotten ahold of it and photocopied it, and you know the rest. It was addressed to some guy who's a senior this year—Hyuuga something-or-other."

"Hyuuga?" Naruto said, clearly surprised. "That long-haired pretty-boy?" He had only seen him a few times, but from what he had seen, he was definitely not lacking in the looks department. It didn't take a gay person to figure that out. Thinking even harder, he recalled that he also seemed to be a very nice and quiet individual, lacking the vanity one might assume him to possess.

Sasuke folded his hands in prayer-like fashion. "Yes. Despite everything, Hyuuga didn't react angrily or disgustedly toward it, but it was clear the feelings were not mutual. There was a big to-do about it, more than was necessary, and quite a few students took the opportunity to poke fun and do hurtful things…say hurtful things, as I'm sure you can imagine." He seemed to be looking elsewhere. "But Gaara didn't do anything. He just went on like nothing had happened. It was Kakashi who was sure all of the copies were removed, and he was quite adamant about it, lecturing everyone that if he so much as heard another word about the incident, the responsible student would spend a week cleaning tables and serving detention. The next day it was like it had never even occurred." His story finally at an end, he looked at Naruto at last and nodded. "And that's really all there is to know. It's not like there were that many copies made and posted, but you know how word spreads around here, and how stories develop. A lot of what people think they know is only speculation."

There was a prolonged period of silence, which persisted for a while after Sasuke had finished speaking. Naruto's face toggled between expressions, switching from frustration, in which his brows nearly met and he nibbled idly at his thumb, to a strange form of sadness, which resulted in him leaning his chin in his arms.

When Sasuke had had enough of it, he addressed his friend with a small half-smile. "You're a good person, Naruto. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself; you didn't know."

"You're wrong, Sasuke," Naruto sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples. "I'm a horrible person…no different from the rest."

ooo

"You're not listening, Uzumaki."

Naruto was jolted to reality and came face to face with Gaara's hard eyes. It was clear that he was not pleased, and he was justified in the sense that that made the seventh time Gaara had said that exact same sentence. Naruto just couldn't pay attention. Whereas the previous day, he was incredibly troubled in an angry sort of way, this time he was incredibly troubled in a depressed sort of way. And the dark clouds definitely did not help. Kakashi was absent once again, and so all Naruto had to focus on was Gaara, and all he could focus on was how much Gaara was justified in hating him. Granted, the redhead hadn't known Naruto's particular thoughts prior to his enlightenment at lunch, but Naruto knew his thoughts, and they had not been very kind. He simply felt horrible.

"I'm listening," he said with a nod and a smile, which he was positive was nothing less than pathetic.

Gaara stared at him, tapping his finger on the desk for a few seconds before ceasing the idle movement. "Useless," he uttered softly, bringing his hand to rub his forehead.

"I am," Naruto agreed dejectedly, finding his pseudo-smile increasingly difficult to maintain.

Again, Gaara stared at him, though this time it was in a more critical manner. "I was talking about me tutoring you, Uzumaki." He paused for a moment, and his face seemed to cringe before he settled with a sigh. The pain had passed. "It's useless if you don't pay attention."

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto worriedly, hand reaching out toward the student across from him, but Gaara immediately moved away from him.

"Don't," he said suddenly, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "I'm fine." Pulling the stack of papers on his desk into a more organized pile, he placed them into his bag and stood. "You have your mind on other things…We'll just meet tomorrow."

As Gaara turned to leave, Naruto reached out to grasp his wrist but stopped himself. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Gaara paused at the door, turning slightly to face him. "What?"

With a more determined expression, Naruto lifted his face to meet him. "I'm sorry, Gaara."

Gaara appeared tired for a moment, as if he knew Naruto was prone to the same, overused story. "I told you it doesn't matter; we'll just meet tomorrow."

"Not for that," he shook his head, then seemed to rethink something. "Well, I am sorry for that, too, but not primarily."

"What, then?"

"Can I just…" Biting his lip for a moment, Naruto truly seemed conflicted. "Can I just say I'm sorry, but not reveal the reason why?" The pathetic smile once again graced his lips. "I know it sounds weird, but can you just forgive me for something, but not know what that something is?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed and he stood silently at the door for what seemed like a long time. With another small sigh, and a subtle shake of his head, he finally said, "I forgive you, Uzumaki."

Naruto was in slight disbelief. "You do?"

Gaara looked as though he were becoming cross. "I won't say such nonsense again." Turning, he was quickly gone from the classroom, leaving an oddly enthused Naruto behind.

"Thanks, Gaara!" he called after him. For some reason, he felt a lot better. "See you tomorrow!"

Gaara tried to ignore him, but the cheerful ring of the blond's voice would not stop echoing in his ears.

ooo

For some reason, Gaara thought about his childhood that night. He could remember the colorful parties, the elaborate gowns, the numerous adults participating in a ritual that young boys his age were not permitted to join in. Still, he had shyly approached his father, eyes meekly searching out his father's own. They looked so much alike; so alike, and yet so very different. His father noticed him standing there, champagne glass in hand, before he simply shook his head. That was all it took. Gaara understood. Somehow, he had gone throughout his entire childhood without speaking very many words to his father. They didn't need words. Perhaps Gaara's father hadn't felt his youngest child even worthy of conversation. That certainly wouldn't have surprised him. But his father had said no, and so Gaara had left without a word to the place where the kids usually stayed. He remembered he was older than the other children; he was probably around eight or nine, while the other kids were six or younger. He couldn't relate with them. He couldn't relate with anyone. It was a warm night. It was a warm, forlorn night.

And then Neji had shown up, and then Gaara was looking at him differently, as though the moon had cast an ethereal glow around the ten-year-old. Gaara had never properly met him before that moment, but he was fascinated by him then. He talked to Gaara as if they had known each other for years, and they were instantly friends. It was strange, but it was not bad. It was not bad at all. And soon Neji was telling him about his family, and how he didn't want to be there either, and how he would rather be at home, and how it would be so nice if he and Gaara could just leave together and never have to come back again. Gaara hung onto his words almost religiously, for he was unlike anyone he had ever known before. He had long hair like a girl, and his eyes were an odd shade of pale lilacs, but he was undoubtedly a boy. He was a beautiful boy. As Gaara realized this, he noticed that Neji had long since stopped speaking and was looking at him expectantly. Maybe Neji had asked him a question. Maybe not. Either way, Gaara looked at him suddenly and asked if he had ever kissed anyone before.

Neji blinked, lashes playing over his cheeks for a fleeting moment. "No, why?"

"Can I kiss you?" he found himself asking, not quite understanding the question himself, or where it had even come from. It was a warm night. Neji was smiling. Neji was beautiful.

And Neji laughed and said yes, and so they snuck off to a dark room, and Gaara hesitantly pushed his lips to another person's for the first time. It was strange; it was strange because Gaara didn't really know what he was doing or why, and he could feel the pounding thump of his heart as it seemed to beat in his ears. It was suddenly horrifying, and had Neji not placed his hands on Gaara's shoulders and pressed into the kiss, Gaara might have started crying. When the voice of one of the adults echoed in from the hall, they broke apart quickly, as if they had been doing something wrong, and Gaara could tell by the look in Neji's eyes in that moment that that was how the boy across from him felt. But Gaara didn't feel that way; to him, it didn't feel wrong at all. That was what scared him, if anything.

He never saw Neji again after that, but he never forgot either. As he matured each year, gaining experience and development, he never once was able to forget. Still, he told himself that it would be all right, because he would never see Neji again, and so things would certainly be all right. But then he entered High School and Neji was once again there, and suddenly Neji was everywhere, and Gaara really thought that he might suffocate. His mind was choking when he wrote the letter, and he was dying inside when he gave it to him, but he had to let it out. He had to let the suffocating feelings out or he felt that he really might go mad.

And then everything fell apart.

Grabbing his cell phone from his desk, Gaara searched through his contacts before finding the one he was looking for and dialing the corresponding number. After roughly three minutes, it was picked up.

"Hello?" Naruto's voice greeted on the other end of the line.

"Let's not meet tomorrow, Uzumaki," Gaara stated definitively, cutting right to the chase.

"Gaara?" Naruto sounded surprised, before breaking into an excited "Hello," and then pausing. "But why?"

"I don't feel well."

"Are you okay?" Naruto quickly asked, reminding Gaara of that afternoon at school, as well as the previous evening. "Anything I can help you with?"

Gaara's grip on his phone tightened a bit. "Goodbye, Uzumaki." Closing his phone, he tossed it on his bed and turned off the overhead lights. Falling back onto his soft sheets, he was fully prepared to attempt sleep when his phone went off, loudly announcing an incoming text message. Indifferently reaching around the bed's surface until he found his cell, he pulled it close and downloaded the text. It was from Naruto.

/Get well soon/ was all it said, followed by a happy-face emoticon. Staring at the electronic script for a moment, he closed his phone, once again casting the room in darkness.

ooo

"Good morning," Kankurou smiled politely as Gaara entered the kitchen the next morning. Placing a plate full of warm breakfast before Gaara's designated spot at the table, he glanced over at the oven-clock. "Aren't you a little late today?"

"I'm not going to school," stated Gaara in a level tone, sitting at the table.

Raising a brow at him, Kankurou walked over and stopped by the fridge. "Why?"

"I don't feel like it today."

Knowing that was the only answer he was going to get, Kankurou decided to let it drop. Opening the fridge, he shuffled around until he emerged with a small, Tupperware bowl, which he promptly sat in front of his brother as well.

Gaara looked from the bowl to Kankurou, clearly not in the mood for guessing games. "What's this?" His elder brother merely pointed at the lid, and when Gaara looked closer, he noticed the message scrawled onto the plastic with permanent marker:

Get well, Mr. Frown. Your friend, Naruto.

It was obvious that Gaara was in a bit of a loss as to how to react, and Kankurou found that extremely interesting. He even found himself smiling a bit as he watched his younger brother struggle with the right expression without trying to give too much away. Little did he know that he had practically given everything away already.

"What are you smiling about, Aniki?" Gaara questioned, undoubtedly bothered. What he really meant was, It's not funny.

When one corner of Kankurou's mouth turned up, it clearly communicated, Oh, yes it is. "Nothing," he waved off, picking up the container and placing it back in the fridge. "He must have dropped it off sometime last night, because it was on the front step when I got home from cram school last night. I believe you said his name was Uzumaki Naruto?"

"You know his name," said Gaara flatly, glancing absentmindedly at the table and running a hand through his hair.

With a small smile, Kankurou shook his head in an approving manner. "Maybe he's not as bad as I thought…"

Bringing himself to look at his brother, Gaara was disturbed to see Kankurou grinning at him as though he knew some great secret. Unable to take it any longer, he glared and left the table.

"Where are you off to?" Kankurou's voice carried over to him, an overbearingly artificial quality attached to it.

Gritting his teeth, Gaara mumbled out "School," before starting up the stairs to get dressed.

Kankurou watched him go, still smiling. He would have to invite Naruto to dinner. It was sure to be amusing.

oooTBCooo

"kouhai": how one addresses someone in a lower grade at the same school
"sempai": how one addresses someone in a higher grade at the same school
(I forgot these last time; I'm dumb.)

What's up with these long chapters, anyway? One thing you'll notice is I play around with their ages a bit in this story. Kankurou could be in college, but his role in the story fits better if he's a senior. Then, of course, there's Neji. I just gave him two years. Cool. (Were any of you surprised it was Neji? I was. I thought about making it Sasuke, but that would've complicated things way too much). Sorry for the slight delay on this chapter, but I had a feeling it would happen, as I forewarned. I've been doing pretty well with updates so far though, right? As for the storyline, my brain has been thinking up some pretty weird stuff, and at this point, I'm just gonna roll with it. You'll know when you see it happening—it's a particular thing, and I just may be crazy for attempting it. And next chapter…oh my; I do believe it may end up being my favorite chapter out of the entire story. I'm quite excited! I do believe you'll enjoy it as well. That's all I can say. And thanks for reading! The reviews made me smile, so thanks for those, too. Spring is upon us; enjoy!