Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward

He stood in the house nervously. It was big, bigger than any he'd been in. The walls were white, the furniture looked stiff. Everything seemed to be bleached and bare.

Standing before him was a man. He had auburn hair, tan skin, and dark eyes. He wore a black jacket with a fishnet shirt underneath, and he held himself with rigid posture and a blank expression.

"Naruto," the man said quietly. "Glad you could make it."

But he wasn't. Anyone could tell. It was clear he'd only said the words because he was supposed to.

Naruto looked at his feet anxiously, then up at the soldier who accompanied him.

"Kazekage Rasa will take care of you," the soldier said, looking briefly to the stern man in front of them. "And there's a kid your age here, too. You won't be alone, even if you're not at home."

Naruto nodded at the soldier, then at the man. Rasa. For once, Naruto had nothing to say.

No, that's not true. He had plenty to say. But the thought of saying it in front of that man... 

In spite of himself, his throat burned. He shifted on his feet and picked his regrettably small duffel bag off the floor, just for something to hold on to.

In all honesty, Naruto hadn't a clue what was going on. The Shinobi who escorted him had explained the reasoning, but that day, his head was... foggy. It was as though his surroundings were an illusion, as though the sounds he'd heard were from somewhere else. Even though it had only been a few days since, he could hardly remember it. He could hardly remember any of the journey, and as much as he tried, he couldn't quite remember the number of days it had taken.

...After a moment, he realized the Kazekage had said his name. He looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Yes, sir?"

"How old are you?"

He took a moment just to process the question... and the fact that the terrifying man wasn't about to kill him.

"Uh... I'm seven, sir."

Overboard on the 'sir's? Probably. But better safe than sorry.

"You're quite tall, for seven. My youngest son is seven, too. Just like you," the Kazekage said, voice revealing how little he really cared.

"...Uh, thank you, sir. I'll be glad to be around somebody my age. I've never been here before, you know?"

Naruto smiled nervously, tightening the grip on his bag.

The Kazekage gestured towards the stairs, looking at the Shinobi next to Naruto.

"His room will be up the stairs, second door down, to the right. Bathroom is on the left at the end of the hall. I take it you'll help him unpack his... bag?" 

The Shinobi nodded, understanding that was not a question. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him to the staircase.

He walked carefully, so as not to break anything. Not that there was much there to break.

His room was dark, grey. The bed was small, pushed against one corner, near a window. The curtains were dark, and the bedsheets were, too. There was an alarm clock on a sand-colored bedside table, and a dresser of the same color up against one wall.

He put his bag on the bed and unzipped it, gently taking out pieces of wrinkled clothing and setting it all on his bed.

"I know I explained it to you already," the Shinobi said, leaning on a wall, "but... do you understand what's going on here?"

Naruto shook his head, becoming still and preparing to listen. He didn't meet the soldier's eye.

"Simply put, all of Konoha knows you're a Jinchuriki."

Naruto grimaced.

"People will want to hurt you for that power, you know that. The hokage can't protect you from everybody. So he thought it was best to send you here, where nobody knows. Except the Kazekage, of course."

Naruto couldn't see his face, but he felt like there was something hidden underneath his words.

Softly, he asked, "Is that why he doesn't like me? The Kazekage, I mean. Because he knows I'm a Jinchuriki?"

The soldier sighed. 

"He doesn't like anybody, kid. Hate to say it, but... I don't understand why the Hokage sent you here, of all places. There are other villages who are a lot nicer to... people like you. But... I just follow orders."

Naruto just looked at his bag, keeping his back to the Shinobi. When he didn't respond after a few moments, the soldier spoke again.

"...I need to speak with the Kazekage. Remember, bathroom's last door on the left." He walked over, put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'll see you later, kid."

And he left.

Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed, listening to the men speaking incomprehensibly downstairs for a good twenty minutes before they shut up.

He sat for another half hour, just listening to his own heartbeat.

The boy was short.

His hair was red. Really red, like the woods in autumn or a gutted fish. His eyes were big and green, and there was some sort of birthmark on his eyelids. They were nearly black, contrasting oddly with his pale, almost bloodless face.

He'd walked into Naruto's room and stood in the middle of it silently. For minutes, they stared at each other, hardly moving.

Finally, Naruto couldn't bear the silence.

"What's your name?" he asked, intimidated by the boy's cold gaze.

"Gaara," the boy said simply.

"My name's Naruto. Why are you in my room?"

"Why are you in my house?"

Naruto smiled, scratching his head absentmindedly.

"I'm not really sure. The ninja said it was 'cause some secret got out, and now people in my village wanna kill me."

"What secret?" Gaara asked, tilting his head.

"That's the thing, I don't know."

A blatant lie. But, this boy... It might be the only chance he'd have to make a friend. If he was rejected because he was a Jinchuriki... he'd have nobody. The very thought made something in his chest tighten. 

"Other people here don't like me," Gaara said. "My sister says it's because I hurt people. But it isn't on purpose. I try to apologize, but it never goes right." He looks away, frowning. Then, he glanced back. "Is that your problem, too?"

Naruto shakes his head, rethinking his decision to be this kid's friend a little bit.

"No... it's not. They just don't like me, I guess. Must be jealous of my rugged good looks." 

He grinned and flexed one arm, showing off his lack of muscle.

But the grin wasn't real. Not really. In his mind, he was far away. Except... the thought of a friend almost grounded him. That feeling of hope bloomed, even if it was futile.

Naruto put his arm down, face flushed awkwardly.

For a moment, Gaara stared at him. His expression was subtle, but it almost looked like... Was it confusion?

Tentatively, he stepped forward. Naruto scrunched his eyebrows, curious.

He blinked as Gaara... poked him. On the forehead. Naruto giggled.

Gaara looked dumbfounded.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his forehead lightly.

"Usually when I get close to someone,"Gaara said, "they die. The sand kills them."

He said it so matter-of-factly, Naruto had to take a moment to process it.

"...Wait, what?"

"But you're alive. It didn't kill you." 

Gaara sat next to Naruto on the bed, and he looked so oddly happy that any questions Naruto had died on his lips.

"I'm definitely glad for that," he just said, looking at him.

Gaara's smile was small, and it wasn't anything like Naruto's. It didn't crinkle his eyes or show any teeth or move his nose. It was lopsided, and he widened his eyes and wrung his hands together and his face was so chubby the movement squished his cheeks, but damn if it wasn't sweet.

And damn if Naruto wouldn't say so.

"Your smile's real cute," he told him. "Real weird, too, actually. But cute."

Gaara glanced at Naruto, smile replaced by furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown—although he didn't have any actual eyebrows, and it wasn't really a frown.

"Awh, don't quit now," Naruto said. "I just said I liked it, man!" He elbowed him lightly, grinning. 

And gradually, but really all at once, he was relaxed. He felt connected, again. Grounded. His emotions felt real, and the words he heard weren't just... air. He was there, not location-wise but... something else. And he wanted to stay.

When Gaara looked at him, his eyes were somehow wider, and his smile was somehow stranger than before. Maybe it was just bigger. Maybe he was just happy.

There was a moment of silence, and then suddenly, he asked a surprising question. At least, it was to Naruto.

He asked him, "Is this what it's like to be friends?"

Naruto thought a moment before answering, because truthfully, he had no idea. It was an almost giddy feeling. In his books, friends were never described as feeling like that around each other. But then again, would anyone have known how to describe it? Is the realization that you aren't alone even worth trying to describe?

So Naruto said to Gaara, "Yeah. We're friends now, so this has gotta be what it's like."

Gaara hummed, and he looked at the floor. Naruto did, too.

"I like this feeling," Gaara said. Naruto chuckled and nodded.

"Agreed."