#mentions of gaanaru

[greenteaandtattoos]

naruto and gaara are in a very healthy, loving, long-distance relationship and they send each other letters and little gifts via carrier birds and the bird keepers get so annoyed because it happens all. the. time. and THESE BIRDS ARE FOR EMERGENCIES SIRS but hey, making sure the love of your life gets your message about how much he loves and misses you and hopes you like the little gift he sent and sure it's a little strange but it's YOUR strange little gift, is IMPORTANT

[narutouzumakiarchive]

i was neutral towards gaanaru because it has like 0 basis but now i dislike it because sasu**** shippers try to push it as the 'better gay ship'. they try too hard to disprove a ship they are not bothered at all since they are 'brothers' and just friends.

I've always disliked gaanaru simply because it's boring and the passion and romance lies in Naruto and Sasuke. I also have an innate repulsion to the "safe and healthy" wholesome uwu gay ships that fandoms try to prop up in opposition to dynamics that they perceive as more toxic. But don't worry. Even the SS fans that pretend to care about Gaanaru and think they should have more content can't be bothered to actually make more content outside of isolated performative posts comparing it to Naruto and Sasuke. [See example below: Only one Gaanaru post outside of SS content and they had to mention SNS]

Them pretending Naruto and Sasuke are brothers and latching onto other ships to discredit SNS and beat the homophobic allegations is just overcompensation. I mean, I would overcompensate too if I shipped a character who was defined by love with someone who couldn't even explicitly be tied to the sharingan transformation that signals said character's love — though I wouldn't have such terrible taste to begin with.

They try to disprove narusasu in that manner because they need fanfics and official fanart and novels that Kishimoto didn't write to even attempt to justify their pairing while Narusasu has the the text and classic mutual romantic coding. Naruto individuates Sasuke outside of Team 7 and Sasuke individuates Naruto outside of Team 7. They have a unique and valuable relationship.

And ultimately, Sakura herself was envious of Naruto and Sasuke's dynamic (note the close up on Naruto's face after Sakura's statement). If Sakura herself wanted to do the things Naruto did for Sasuke and wanted Sasuke to feel for her the same way he did for Naruto in a romantic context, why would narusasu fans not ship them?

Like Kishimoto intentionally framed their battle in the most romantic way ever. Imagine if right before Sasuke and Deidara battled or something, Karin looked at Sasuke dismally, confessed her love and said "I wish you could do Y for me to prove that you love me" and then Sasuke disregarded her and went to do that for Deidara instead. Kishimoto would never do that, not just because Sasuke and Deidara dont have the established emotional connection necessary for such a scene, but also because it would impart an obvious romantic subtext that people would recognize as such if it happened in any other show.

And if Naruto and Sasuke are just friends then they need to take it up with Sasuke who kept affinity testing (despite Naruto understating his feelings and calling him a "friend") and asking Naruto to define friendship... only being fully satisfied after Naruto moved outside of concrete labels like friend and instead identified pain as the reason for his affection and devotion. [The Naruto fandom is seriously something else honestly like the repeated "what are we" conversation even after Naruto gave him an answer would be a done deal anywhere else.]

[edai-crplpnk]

Hello (:

Mind if you share some list of KankuKiba favorites fics of yours? Or where can I find some recommendations? Suddenly I wanna read about them but I don’t wanna filter them by kudos or # comments on AO3. Feel free sharing of your own jobs.

(You can omit this of course) Thank you! Have a nice day.

Of course! I haven't been reading a lot lately so all the fics I have to mention are a bit old, and maybe you know them already, and also maybe there are more recent gems that I don't know about, but I've got those.

Thirst, by kranquro

60k words, canonverse, action and pining

Kiba and Kankurou work on a joint mission in the Land of Wind and pine for each other while Kankurou is meant to be arranged marriage very soon. Lots of tension (sexual, but really not just that). I really like their dynamic, it's funny, it's angsty, it's hot, it's nuanced and real. The more plot and mission part is really well built too and intersects with the pining in a very well balanced way, love it.

(Note: There's also a little sequel in the series that is nice!)

20 Tracks - Kankuro collection, by shadowstrangle

65k words, canonverse, a bit of action and a lot of romance

Our little internalised homophobia and alcohol abuse Kankurou treat. I can never turn down one of those. Kankurou's very far into the closet when Kiba sort of busts the door open, I suppose. It's a lot about Kankuro figuring that out and the two of them being cute, but there is also some political plot around the political consequences of Kankurou being gay. There are some scenes that have really stuck with me hard.

If I had a criticism it would be that I'm not wholly fond of the trope of Konoha being super liberal and Suna being super conservative and that the political side of things is sometimes a bit simplistic in that area. But it's still nice, it has still surprised me in good and subtle ways in its development, so still a fic I love.

(Note: It comes with read-along songs that are great, and that's what made me want to do the same thing for Haemorrhage!)

Blanket Retrieval Arc, by HelloThereGhoul

25k words, modern college au, mostly fluff

Kiba and Kankurou live in the same college dorm and stumble upon each other. Classic meet cute. They're sweet and funny and crushing babies. Very soft, I thoroughly enjoyed it, several times.

(Note: The fic is technically abandonned? The author said they had plans for more and stopped, but it's written up to the point when they get together and it doesn't feel like it's lacking an ending to me.)

Time to heal, by Lycka

110k words, modern au, figuring out relationships and trauma

Kankurou and Kiba meet at a time where Kankurou is looking over Gaara who is in rehab. They start dating a bit but Kankurou initially identifies as ace and it causes a lot of doubts and questions about how that could work out between them.

It's not in the tags and there's no warning so I feel like I need to add it: there are mentions and non-graphic memories of incest and one other instance of sexual assault in it.

This one is a bit of a wild card. The author's note mentioned that it was their first time writing in English and that the first chapter was not representative of their current writing. So I decided to give it a go and trust that it would improve over the course of the fic, which it really did. This fic has really good scenes that I've reread a bunch of times, but : 1 It's true that the first chapters are really not at the level of the ones down the road so you have to be willing to work with that. 2 It becomes quite KankuKiba centric, but it starts GaaNaru centric, there is also a bit of SasuNaru and a bit of SakuTema. 3 It's abandoned, but the author left a last chapter to summarise the plot that they didn't write up until the end and the KankuKiba part of the fic is not what is left hanging.

Overall, some interesting and good things, but a lot of variety in both quality and content. I've read it once whole, and I'm very happy I did, and then several times just the (KankuKiba) parts that I was really involved in.

While I'm here I will briefly do a little self-promo recap of my own KankuKiba stuff but let it be know it's almost exclusively smut. They're just like that.

I have a series of KankuKiba kinky T4T smut. Canonverse. Shino is also involved in some. I hope to write non-smut in this AU eventually (mostly just pregnant Kankurou fluff), but I have none yet.

I have a modern AU with KankuKiba in a polycule (KankuKiba, KibaShino, ShinoHina). There is a bunch of smut, and a long fic about them getting together that I have yet to finish. I started it two years ago so I too am a bit insecure about my old writing in it, but I love this AU a lot so I still hope to finish it eventually. I update sporadically.

And finally, I have a KankuKiba hook-up fic in my beloved other modern AU. I have ideas to write them again in this AU, maybe not even smut, but I don't know when that'll happen.

That's it for this time I think! Thank you for asking, I hope you will like them. (Anyone passing around this post please feel free to reblog with your own rec!!)

[brxkxnhxxrtsclxb]

What are your favourite Naruto/Boruto ships?

hi anon :3

ooh fave ships

my favorite is sasusaku♡

- they’re my favorite characters and reading the story, seeing what they went through as friends to enemies is so heartbreaking that when everything is resolved and they’re happily married years later is heartwarming🖤

oh i love gaanaru !! gaara and naruto would just be such a cute couple imo !!

other naruto ships… ooh i like kibahina !! they’re a guilty pleasure sksk

as for boruto ships, i ship borusumi♡ they’re cute and sumire is so in love with him and boruto is always so respectful towards her :3

but i also like borumitsu !! the possibility of boruto being the first queer main character in shonen is cool and mitsuki realizing his feelings is good for exploring his character further :3

i think kawasara could have some interesting potential. part one sort of set that up (sarada was his first friend, kawaki was introduced to his favorite food that same chapter, she empathized with him when he was having trouble understanding why naruto chose him to take care of and they had great teamwork in the boro fight) but seems like the ship was just dropped (??) so it’s like that one is in limbo. it’s kinda hard to tell if they’re gonna go with it or not, but just because they’re disagreeing in canon (TBV) doesn’t mean it’s off the table. i wouldn’t disregard it so it’s not surprising if it does happen

my favorite boruto ship is a crack ship though. i’d love to say it but i don’t wanna get jumped by the fandom in case they come across this post. saw someone post it and i was so happy to see someone else mentioning it (i’m literally like the only shipper sksk) but the replies and quotes were mean ._. i don’t wanna get harassed for something i like, even less when it’s a harmless ship. i will say i could and will yap about them for HOURS SKSKSK

i tend to like crack ships a lot cuz they’re wacky and have more room to explore cuz it’s crack. the possibilities are endless !! i mean with canon ships they are too but there’s a more established dynamic so they can’t be as random as crack ships xD

i hope my answers don’t disappoint >.< i know ships can be dealbreakers for some people (they are for me more so based on the fandom’s behavior towards others than the ship itself) so i understand so long as no one is harassed of course

thank you for the ask and happy shipping to you !! enjoy what you like🖤

[sassykinzonline]

ok so realistically, or not realistically, thoughts on Boruto? Thoughts on the whole family thing, Naruto being the hokage, would you change anything? Thoughts on other parings? Like, narusaku, sasuhina, sasusaku, narhina, gaanaru, etc. I’m having a brain riot and need opinions😭

boruto:

i feel like it wasnt really necessary to have bio kids be the lead of the anime especially if they were just going to rehash dynamics that already happened but het. based on the newest chapter, i have to say i wish they would stop hetconning things. naruto being hokage is whatever since im sure its what the audience was waiting for but in the manga they dont just have the older gen ninja just get trapped or killed, theyre off doing their own thing or dealing with subplots or whatever. i think the recent ninja storm game handles this way better than the manga and anime do. i think you can tell kishi isnt interested in this based on how lazy a lot of the storytelling choices are. he almost had something interesting going on with kawaki but then it just kinda went off the rails. so what would i change? i would just scrap the whole thing and approach it completely differently. im not even sure i would use kids given they had a real opportunity to make it more adult, kinda like the way atla transitioned into lok.

other pairings:

i pretty much hate the majority of ships ive come across, not gonna lie. i mean i dont judge anyone for coming up with them, thats their right but i just dont get the logic behind them. particularly certain ships like sasuhina would require both of us to be completely different people for it to work, but ultimately if people want to explore dynamics that way i dont care. if i look at certain ships as people are without their fundamental traits changing then...

narusaku - this is toxic because sakura doesnt respect naruto at all. she never will because shes always seen him as a nuisance. their relationship would be her "settling" for him given his newfound status as a hero and the fame and attention she would get from that, but behind closed doors she'd probably belittle him a lot. naruto would put up with it because he doesnt have a backbone /hj.

naruhina - i mean i think hinata's a nice enough person but they have no chemistry and she also just wants/needs things from naruto so its not healthy for him again. naruto should be with someone who can protect him, and who can fight for him (like me).

gaanaru - .........................begrudgingly gaara does fit the condition i mentioned above but i feel that politically they would be a bit at odds and gaara cant fully understand naruto. but yes as a consolation ship, this is probably one of the better ones.

this is where i say honestly, painfully, if you ask me, neji probably wouldve been best for naruto besides myself. he can understand naruto's worldview, he can protect naruto, he has a personality that complements naruto. the only thing is that neji still fundamentally sees hinata as a priority so i dont know how that would play out.

i cant comment on every single ship so i'll try and just go through ones i would fix and how, and then some "crackships" i have.

leesaku (or whatever you guys call it) - lee's probably the only one sakura disrespected and then ended up respecting. his personality is such that he deals with conflict extremely well and doesnt internalize things, so he would be able to respond to sakura's shallowness and pettiness. theyre both competitive. i feel that sakura would also learn from him how to take pride in achievements, failure, and growth and build her self-esteem properly. i dont like inosaku because regardless of Lesbian Rights or whatever, sakura has consistently treated ino like shit for no reason and its not even in a "um we're awkward way" its in a "ino risks her life for sakura because shes a good person and sakura curses her out" kind of thing. lesbians should be in healthy relationships.

tenkuro - theyre both meant to be experts in a certain field that complement each other. theyre both in the middle of two extreme personalities. kankuro is a bit less of a douchebag by the time he gets older. i wouldve paired this instead of shikatema if we had to have a crosscountry couple. shikatema is gross.

hinakiba - kiba's probably the only one who treated hinata with respect their entire lives and without wanting anything in return. like weirdly enough hes the only guy i can think of except maybe choji that didnt talk shit about a woman (whether it was deserved or not) so i feel like instantly that kind of makes him a good match for someone as meek as her. hes supportive without being passive and passionate without really being aggressive. i dont know what hinata does for him because i dont really know what hinata does for anyone, but i think kiba just wants A Woman so she fits the bill.

sasudeath - if i cant have naruto give me death.

inosai is probably the only ship i actually like because they compliment each other well. again i dont care about gay/straight whatever but if ino wants to date a hot guy, let her date one. she chose one that she gets along with easily, respects her (not just respects her but he loves her proudly), and tempers her personality well. theyre pretty cute in boruto. i would keep choji and karui only because cho cho is an angel.

[prime-adeptus]

✦ INTERESTS.

I don't play all of the games I mentioned (bc I don't own consoles other than 3DS and Switch). This is just so I can keep track of all my favourite things/all I've ever liked. I'm always happy to talk about anything listed here so if we have smth in common just yell at me in my ask box. also if you go through this you're insane

dividers by cafekitsune | last updated: Aug 12

✦ PRIMARY.

Black Butler

Bleach

D.Gray-man

Devil May Cry

Ensemble Stars (undeadP!)

Honkai: Star Rail

Mortal Kombat

Naruto

One Piece

Touken Ranbu

Twisted Wonderland (Crowley oshi + Diasomnia & Octavinelle)

Valorant

✦ SECONDARY.

Castlevania

Dislyte

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Fire Emblem: Fates

Overwatch

Persona 5

The Evil Within

✦ TERTIARY.

Arknights

Chainsaw Man

DC Comics

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (i am playing this Very slowly)

Genshin Impact

Holostars (Axel, Hakka and Jura oshi)

Hypnosis Microphone

IDOLiSH7 (TRIGGER & ZOOL oshi)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventures

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Metal Gear

Monster

NieR

Star Wars

✦ MAIN PAIRINGS.

ChiaKao

EzKayn

EzYone

FuyuTora

GaaNaru

InoSaku

KidLaw

RenHeng

SamaSasa

SasuNaru

TatsuHime

Favourite characters can be found on my Anilist bc there's too many

✦ SEIYUU.

Eguchi Takuya

Kamio Shinichiro

Kimura Ryohei

Kondo Takashi

Toshiki Masuda

Toriumi Kousuke

if they're cv massun, cv toriumi or cv kimuryo then i probably like them. xo

[sakurasimpnation]

SasoSaku Modern High School AU!

Brief Summary:

After Gaara transferred from Suna to Konoha High to escape the toxic environment of his previous school and to be with Naruto, Chiyo was tasked to observe Gaara's studies for the day and brought along Sasori for the lols. Sasori sees a loud, obnoxious girl and decides to judge and project his problems and insecurities onto her bc he's an asshole like that.

Then he sees that little-miss-perfect wasn't so perfect after all and just thinks "Ahh yes, that is the love of my life."

Then he doesn't see her for the next 4 years lmao *queue sasosaku med school au!*

[peppercornpress]

My Favorite Night (Chapter 5)

TRIGGER WARNING!!! PRENATAL DEPRESSION!! Mentions of Stillbirths, Miscarriage, Abortion, all of it!! It’s scary and sad and PLEASE...! Prepare your heart!

Rated: M

Pairings: NaruHina (some light GaaHina, GaaNaru, NaruSaku)

Summary: Hinata harbors deeper feelings for Naruto after three years of being his roommate. Facing hostile relations from her old clan, another odd phenomenon with the moon, and Naruto still hopelessly pining after Sakura; Hinata makes the painful choice to end their sham of a relationship and try her luck in another hidden village. Unbeknownst to her, this move kickstarts a series of events that forces her and Naruto to confront their past, present, and future.

[woman-child91]

I’ve never once thought of Gaara as the Uke in his ship with Naruto. And I’ve watched (OG) Naruto and Naruto Shippuden four times!!! So I’m going to explain the reasons why I, personally think that it’s GaaNaru and NEVER EVER NaruGaa.

The first time these two met, Naruto, pretty much acted like a schoolgirl when she sees her crush. For Pete’s sake! Even my younger cousin who has never seen Naruto (she tried it twice and didn’t like it) said so. I showed her the scene where they first met and there’s one in Shippuden that is actually closer to how they met in the manga than, the (OG) Naruto version. But, it happens during a "filler" episode that almost all of you probably skipped. Well, newsflash people!!! Some filler episodes are a mix between canon and filler stuff. Meaning? The episode has both canon and filler stuff mixed in together. Anyways, during their first meeting… Naruto blushes!!! Naruto freaking blushes!!! Because, he thinks that Gaara is either cool or handsome. Because, we all know that he loves red hair. While, Gaara is uninterested in him at first glance and just starts walking away from him.

Okay, has ANYONE ever bothered to read between the lines of when these two actually met? Like, at the very beginning Gaara didn’t care at all about Naruto? But, Naruto was actually angry and upset about him ignoring him. Well, a douchebag in Stranger Things actually summarized something that just backs up my reasonings on why it’s GaaNaru and NOT NaruGaa. He said and I quote, "If you want a girl to like you, you should ignore her and act like you don’t care. This will drive them crazy". Like, again, Naruto fits the female role that’s mentioned here and Gaara fits the male role.

When they’re already friends and everything. That time when Naruto saves Gaara and Granny Chiyo revives him. Well, when the two boys are saying their goodbyes and all… Naruto, once again, is acting like a schoolgirl around her crush! He’s blushing and acting all nervous around Gaara. He can’t even make eye contact!

And still when they’re saying their goodbyes. Who makes the first move? Gaara!!! Naruto is too timid and flustered to even think about making any move. But, the redhead is not! He uses his sand to pull Naruto’s hand towards him and HE shakes the blond’s hand. Throughout Gaara’s entire 16 years of life at this point had he EVER had any physical contacted with another person? Not counting with his pretty, pretty Uncle Yashamaru? No! He hadn’t! He also never wanted to engage in any physical contact with anyone, after he turned evil. BUT, HE WANTED TO TOUCH NARUTO! HE FELT THE NEED TO TOUCH HIM! Not to be touched by him! He didn’t want Naruto to hold his hand! HE was the one who wanted to hold Naruto’s hand!

Gaara is ALWAYS written as being submissive to Naruto in fanfics. But, after watching the fandom for 4 times and paying meticulous attention to every single detail… I can honestly say that this is not real! I mean, Gaara is head over heels in love with Naruto. Yes! Even Gaara’s English VA said so. Gaara is infatuated with Naruto. That’s also true. He may even be whipped. BUT, he is not submissive to him!!! He’s not afraid to put his foot down and argue with Naruto when he disagrees with him. He doesn’t simply go along with everything Naruto says. He’s not afraid to speak his mind. ★ When he told Naruto that he was going to have to fight Sasuke. ★ When he first saw Naruto in the battlefield during the 4th Great Ninja War and was visibly angry. He told Naruto that he had better have a good excuse as to why he was there. But, if he didn’t? Then, he would drag Naruto back to the turtle island, himself, if he had to. ★ (Filler but, STILL a valid point for my post) During Killer B’s Infinite Tsukuyomi Dream he actually got jealous and possessive one time. He showed us a bit of his old self when Naruto and him were in the middle of a mission. Because, Sasuke showed up out of nowhere and Naruto was going to chase after him. Gaara was NOT happy with this and he didn’t simply acted as the submissive, meek and obedient Gaara you all read about in the NaruGaa fics. He actually talked in a loud, commanding and jealous/angry tone. He told Naruto, "Naruto! Don’t forget our mission." He was able to STOP Naruto from chasing after Sasuke. Excuse me but, if anyone was submissive, meek and obedient in here? It was, Naruto! He actually obeyed Gaara and stayed with him. ★ There’s a movie (which all you filler haters have probably skipped since, it’s not a canon episode) where Gaara stops Naruto from chasing after Kakashi. Because, Shikamaru or Jiraiya (I can’t remember) told Gaara to stop Naruto from going after Kakashi. Because, Kakashi made his own choice on leaving the village (no! Not a Kakashi version of Sasuke’s rescue arc. Kakashi actually left the village to protect it and try to save it from an enemy all on his own.). So Gaara argues with Naruto to the point where NEITHER is willing to submit. So they actually end up getting in a fight.

(Again, another filler episode. But, it’s definitely a valid point. Specially since it backs up my strict "No Seme!Naruto" policy) There’s a scene where, Naruto, yet again lets us know that he might have a crush on Gaara and wouldn’t mind bending over for him. ;) There’s an episode where Deidara is trying to capture the 9 Tails. At one point, Naruto’s chakra is nearly completely gone and he’s got no strength left. He’s just about to get taken by Deidara. When, Gaara appears out of nowhere and saves him. Naruto gets hearts in his eyes, he’s blushing, (for the THIRD time!!! Which actually reminds me a bit about all the times I saw, Minato, blush. And guess what? They were always caused by Kushina! So yeah, I’m just saying. Naruto’s crush on Gaara is canon!) and he actually says, "You are so cool, Gaara!" Please! Open your eyes! This scene is just like Videl’s Close Call in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2!!! And once again, Naruto is comparable with the girlfriend and Gaara with the boyfriend.

[chicchanooliner]

i see u reblog a lot of Naruto, are a fan? also top 10 naruto characters and top 5 ships (u can do more if u want tho)

I have been found out, oh no.

My relationship with Naruto as a whole is weird tbh, I was into it back when I was 10 till the manga ended and was so disappointed in the ending (still am tbh, I rant about that every year) ( I thought it wouldn’t end with ships and if it did it would be unusual ones (SasuTen, my beloved *sighs*) I’m currently in the middle of reminiscing over Naruto (I’m ignoring the ending and no one can stop me) so um there might be quite a lot of Naruto coming up

(*´ー｀*) Sorry abt that…

My top 10 fav Naruto characters:

Uzumaki Kushina (its the red hair and fiery attitude for me )

Uzumaki Mito (also red hair and bc she is a badass, i mean she literally sealed a tailed beast -not to mention the strongest one- into herself!)

Ten Ten (Weapons, need I say more? Also she genuinely wanted to be a kunoichi and didn’t care about boys. Team Gai are my fav team)

Haruno Sakura (BADASS! STRONG! HARDWORKING LADY! I aspired to be like her, she went from zero to hero really quick. Not a weak person and definitely doesn’t need a man to save her. I did actually fight a lot of people bc of this and will still fight if anyone say she is weak)

Gaara (Red hair, sad boi, could be a secret Uzumaki for all we know, loves plants and has a beautiful garden)

Senju Tsunade (STRONG WOMAN! BADASS MEDICAL NINJA! also has Uzumaki genes so it’s granted I love her. Definitely didn’t deserve to have any of her beloved ones dead )

Uchiha Shisui (baby didn’t deserve what happened to him, I love his curly hair and puppycat attitude)

Uzumaki Nagato (Uzumaki, all he wanted was to make the world peaceful to avenge his dead friend)

Uzumaki Karin (I think u can guess why? Medical ninja, the Uzumaki chains, fierce attitude)

Nara Shikamaru and his fam (including Shikadai cuz he is the only kid i like out of that shit ending) (I relate to this man on so many levels it’s funny)

Bonus:

Hyuuga Neji (MY BOY DIDNT DESERVE TO DIE YALL!!!)

Sai (boy understood all the trauma in this show)

Top 5 ships… kinda hard bc I keep shipping new rate ones but here goes nothing ig:

MinaKushi (best love story ever fight me)

NaruSaku (tHe ChEmIsTrY they have!)

SasuNaruSaku (I’m not gonna explain myself, this is what should have happened at the end of Naruto tbh)

SasuNaruSakuSai (idk why people forget Sai is a part of team 7)

GaaNaru (Gaara is the only person that deserves Naruto in my eyes)

NejiNaru (I think it’s neat)

ShisuiNaru (Idk I just do, I discovered it on accident and now I’m in the rare ship hell with them)

ShikaTem (aah, whats there to not love?)

KankaHina (idk I just think it would be nice?)

SasuTen (TenTen would kick Sasuke’s ass and they seem neat?)

SasuNaru (they hella gay, it can’t be unseen)

ObiKakaRin (ANGST! Also bc I’m weak for them)

Tobizu (enemies to death? 300K? Slowburn? Major character death? Count me in. Also bc I believe that Tobirama created the Edo Tensei to bring back Izuna)

[having-conniptions]

I usually don't really like multishipping, but Naruto Shippuden is leaving me no choice 😂 (⚠️ spoiler warning ⚠️)

I mean... I kinda ship KakaGai because it's the most obvious one for Kakashi and it does kinda make sense (even though Gai gets on my nerves sometimes, sorry)... but then KakaIru ist just so sweet and soft (because Iruka is Baby) and they've practically adopted Naruto anyway ... and KakaYama is just years and years of dramatic backstory and also babysitting Naruto together

And for Naruto? Hmmmm... SasuNaru is the most obvious one and I kinda get it bc it's dramatic and angsty but also kinda gives me those 'first crush' vibes... GaaNaru is all about understanding each other's struggles and motivating each other to be a better person and just admiring each other so much... and then there's ShikaNaru, a bit of a wildcard, which I didn't even consider (ShikaTema forever!!) until Shikamaru almost died but was like nah if he actually becomes Hokage he'll need me by his side as his advisor because he's a dumbass, also when I'm with him I just wanna follow him so yeah I'm not dying yet

Talking about Shikamaru, I've already mentioned ShikaTema and ShikaNaru but I'm still not over that time Ino told Choji girls don't like chubby guys and Shikamaru tried to cheer him up by saying he prefers girls who aren't stick thin?? Lmao ShikaCho is real

[pain-somnia]

Title: What Once Was Rating: T Characters: Madara, Sasuke; background minor SasuSaku, implied GaaNaru, mentions of implied past HashiMadaMito Disclaimer Day’s Notes: hello! This was a fic I wrote for @a-year-of-naruto and I thought I had posted it but I guess I haven’t because I can’t find it. I wrote for the season of spring and this is a reincarnation AU that focuses on Madara and a bit of Sasuke. It’s still a goal of mine to do a Sasuke PoV companion piece. Warning: few mentions of violence and a corpse’s description

What Once Was

The light breeze blows in through the bars of the window, bringing the leftover chill from winter with it. The cold had been stubborn this season, lingering even as March was now reaching its end.

Yet it had never bothered Madara and he wonders to himself if it was a trait that carried on across lifetimes. Fire coursed through his blood long ago and now in a different time, his body keeps warm━scorching like fanned flames━a whisper of what once was.

The wind chime hanging off the roof sways with the breeze, singing a soft tinkle over the bustle of people walking the path from the suburbs to the city. Every day the residents would pass by his shop on their way to work or school. Sometimes they entered, sometimes they didn't, using it instead as a meeting point before moving on to their true destination.

“It’s freezing,” a middle school girl complains as she searches for something warm to drink. Tucking a strand of rose gold hair behind her ear, she gets to work on preparing a cup of hot cocoa at the dispenser near the front counter.

“It’s not that bad.”

The deeper voice has Madara shifting his gaze to the new patron entering the shop. The familiar, unruly spikes catches his attention. He has seen this boy before, not just around the neighborhood, but somewhere in a distant past.

With a slight inclination of his chin, the teenage boy bows to him as he passes the counter. He is always overly polite to his elders, he’s noticed. Perhaps raised by a traditional and strict family.

“You never get cold, Sasuke-kun,” the girl grumbles, capping a lid on her drink.

Sasuke. An uncommon name, too old fashioned for a child of his generation, but that too breached across to this lifetime━perhaps fate had his parents naming him so.

It was a different name than the one Madara had assigned to him in his mind, but a name he came to terms with years back when the boy first entered his shop in his gakuran uniform with a loud blond boy and a much quieter and sleepy looking red haired kid.

“Should I get one for Naruto?” Another uncommon name, also familiar.

“Don’t spoil him, Sakura. He’s running late, he doesn’t get a drink.”

“Not running late,” Sakura corrects him in a singsong, “he’s waiting for Gaara.”

Sasuke rolls his eyes and digs out his wallet for change, paying for her share. It’s a simple exchange, nothing out of the ordinary, but as the boy places the money in his hand, Madara is hit with the scent of smoke and the coppery odor of blood. Angry charcoal eyes flash across his vision.

“Thank you. Have a good day!” The girl━Sakura━waves goodbye cheerily, dragging Sasuke along.

And off they go, away from his old corner store. They will make their way around the bend of the street, past the small shops to their bus stop that will take them to the crowded and noisy city.

A city he escaped to get away from the ghosts of his past, only to run into another one.

.

.

Madara doesn’t see him again the following week.

He sees the sunny boy—Naruto, he reminds himself—with their red haired friend. They’re in casual clothes now that they’re on holiday. The two of them are often together as they enjoy their Spring Break.

During the school year it wasn’t a strange sight, seeing them alone. Sasuke would be traveling home either alone—carrying a sports bag and a kendo shinai—or with the girl with the rose gold hair, carrying books that could have been his but usually were not.

It’s not until near the end of March that he sees him again. It’s as Madara steps outside his shop, acrid cigarette smoke mixing with floral notes and disappearing into the white sky of the cloudy day, that he spots him in neat casual attire walking hand in hand with the same rose haired girl dressed in a pretty sundress and cardigan.

Ah. A new development, he thinks, watching them hold hands for the first time on their way home.

If he squints his eyes and forgets his name, Madara can almost picture him as a different boy, a boy raised in war. It’s easy to fall into the trap of replacing this Sasuke with his brother. Easy to imagine it’s Izuna enjoying the brisk Spring afternoon.

He subtracts Sasuke and adds Izuna into every scenario. It’s Izuna goofing off with friends. It’s Izuna falling slowly but surely in love. It’s Izuna that practices kendo and goes to cram school.

It’s Izuna living a life so carefree, free of the burdens of war. Izuna being allowed to be a child the way that Madara now knows how to be, even with his past life bridging to his current in the form of dreams and memories.

Of all his kin, why this boy? This boy━that shouldn’t even exist as long as he’s breathing━gets a new chance at a different life.

He can’t help that he’s glaring when the boy looks up and they catch each other’s eyes. The boy glares right back and, holding on tightly to his girlfriend’s hand, he picks up his pace, getting as far away as possible from his shop.

I don’t care about your hāfu girlfriend.

He remembers the Uchiha, almost as homogeneous as the society he lives in. Maybe his past self would have found it traitorous but his current self can’t summon an ounce of care to discriminate against a child born of a Chinese parent.

The memories and emotions simmer under the surface but some still feel as though they belong to someone else. And then there are some that settle as absolute truths.

.

.

Sometimes the way the smoke of his cigarette burns in his chest and up his throat feels like a katon ready to unleash. It’s as he’s sweeping the carpet of pink petals blocking his shop that Madara wishes he could still summon flames to speed up the task of clearing the sakura blossoms that cover the roof tops, the streets, and every nook and cranny they settle in after the wind scatters them.

Grunting to himself, he piles the petals in a heap before moving on to his neighbor’s little shop. She sells ceramic wares, pottery spun by her wrinkled hands, and yet cats make the shop their home. The obaasan that owns it leaves food and water out and the cats never knock over any of the clay pots or bowls. They simply laze about, only rising from their spot when a guest arrives, eager to fetch the granny like dutiful little employees.

His neighbor has watched over him ever since he took over the corner store four years ago. The old woman never asked him why a city boy would move out but still remain as close as possible, settling in between the loud city and the sleepy suburb of which families had made their home. She doesn’t care to know his story, only brings him something to eat and has him fix her up a cup of tea.

Madara knows that if she asked he would never tell her about meetings at an izakaya after work. Would never talk about the woman with porcelain skin and auburn hair or the man with chocolate brown eyes and a mouth with the ever present upturn at the corners. Would never talk about the rings on both of their left hands and how even in this life they left him behind.

His hair had been shorter then. Thick and spiked but cropped close to his head━perfect for an office worker. Crunching numbers during the day and dreaming of the screams of his enemies at night. Madara ignored the memories of his past in favor of clinging to what his life could be.

The dreams were just dreams, he told himself. They meant nothing, even in the mornings when he could still smell sulfur and feel the weight of long hair against his shoulder blades despite the absence of it when he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

But that was four years ago and gone are the days of sitting behind monitors and filing paper. It took four years and now his hair, although tied loosely, settles against his back, creeping down to his waist.

The second week of April brings gentle rains. The drops drum against the shingles on the roof above his flat. The temperature had been rising and the mellow showers are just a precursor to the ones that will fall in a couple of months.

Taking the kettle off the stove in his kitchenette, Madara is glad he got back from the bathhouse before the rain came down. He settles on the tatami, just under the window, and listens to the pitter patter melting into the babbling of a brook.

He can feel the warmth of a sunny day on his cheeks and the roaring of laughter against his ears. Madara opens his eyes and he’s in the middle of the woods, hakama pants getting heavy from retaining water. In a voice not quite his own he shouts insults at the young man with the unfortunate haircut that had pushed him in.

Madara grabs Hashirama’s ankles and drags him down in the water with him. Laughing through his nose, he prepares himself for a retaliation that never comes. Dropping his stance Madara glances around in confusion, not understanding where his friend could have gone.

“Niisan…” a voice croaks below him.

At his feet, floats the eyeless corpse of his younger brother.

Madara doesn’t scream as he wakes up. The dream is old and although his heart is palpitating at an alarming rate, it no longer brings him the same terror it had when the memories were still fresh.

Grabbing his phone to check the time, Madara doesn’t register the hour as he’s distracted by the notifications on his screen.

His dreams had summoned the caller and looking at the number of missed calls Madara swipes his thumb on his screen to clear his notifications.

Of course that fool would call seven times.

.

.

Owning a corner store gets to be tedious. Tracking inventory and restocking use the most basic of his accounting skills. Manning the counter is a lazy task and Madara finds himself constantly leaving his shop to watch people as they pass by to keep from dozing off.

He keeps his mouth busy with cigarettes he purchases from the vending machine right outside his shop. Chain-smoking wasn’t a habit he expected to pick up but had anyway when the company he worked for merged with another.

It was the merger that changed everything.

“You can call me Hashi,” his new coworker introduced himself. The new staff had entered in the Spring, only a few months after the merger was announced, and it was the first time Madara had spoken directly to any of them.

The exchange was sparked by a request for a lighter and from then on the man had initiated a one sided friendship that quickly became mutual.

Conversations in the designated smoking room soon moved on to shared lunch breaks and drinks after work. There had been moments━Madara is sure there had been moments━and despite the awkwardness of dealing with memories in which in a past life the two of them stood on opposing sides in battle, it was the most alive Madara had felt in the longest time.

And then came the arrival of Hashi’s “Mi-chan.”

She had also called the night before. Mito had messaged him on LINE but unlike Hashirama, she hadn’t called repeatedly. She wasn’t one to do any chasing. But the message was a blunt lecture about absences and leaving people hanging.

Madara watches the sky break out in hues of pink and orange, melting into purple and navy. It’s time for the students that do not have after school activities to arrive on the bus.

And sure enough there’s a blond knucklehead gesticulating to a red haired kid holding a small potted cactus rounding the corner. They’re no longer wearing gakuran but blazers and tartan slacks, the uniform of the local public high school.

Well it is Spring, Madara thinks to himself as he takes a long drag of his cigarette. The brats couldn’t stay middle schoolers forever.

But there is one missing in the usual trio of boys. Standing taller than the other two, and usually bickering with the blond kid, Sasuke wasn’t with them.

It had been a few weeks since the new school year had started and Sasuke never seemed like the kind of person to stop going to school when it was no longer compulsory.

.

.

The granny’s cats usually are quiet as they lurk about the alley between his shop and hers. Madara will come across them when he’s making sure that the combustible trash has been sorted properly.

The brat standing in his alley is definitely not a cat.

Charcoal colored eyes glared back at him defiantly as if Madara’s fist isn’t balled up in his blazer. The neat black blazer with red trimming has the crest of a school Madara knows very well. It belongs to a school that he had sat an exam for and failed. It was a high school he had aspired to go to as a teenager for its exclusiveness. It was a rigorously structured school that boasted the best performance academically and only accepted those that were able to pass the intensely difficult entrance exam.

For a moment Madara is proud. If anyone were to get into such a school it would be his kin. Sasuke is an Uchiha through and through. A different lifetime didn’t change that fact.

That pride crumbles with the glittering of silver on Sasuke’s ears and the exhale of smoke coming out of his mouth. His descendant reborn is a delinquent.

“You’re fifteen,” Madara hisses, pushing Sasuke back against the wall of his shop.

“You don’t know how old I am.”

“Boy,” Madara grips his collar lapel and yanks Sasuke up so they’re nose to nose, “don’t try acting smart when you’re clearly wearing a high school uniform.”

Sasuke looks older than a first year, face more mature than children his age but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a child.

“Where did you get a Taspo from?”

Sasuke shrugs which has Madara shaking him. He obviously stole the smart card for the vending machine, possibly from a relative. Or maybe he was sent by his father to pick up a carton and took the opportunity to buy one for himself.

“Come on brat, we’re going to talk to your parents.”

Sasuke pulls back, making himself heavy and refusing to budge. Madara has half a mind to tug on one of his earrings and force him to move.

“Hand it over.”

“Hand what over?” Sasuke cocks an eyebrow and feigns innocence poorly. If the odor didn’t give him away, the look of complete indifference did.

“The box of cigarettes! Don’t act stupid with me now, brat.”

Sasuke makes no move to do as he is demanded. He looks directly into Madara’s eyes unwavering and it is here that it’s even more clear to him that this boy could never be his younger brother. Their noses are different. Izuna’s cheekbones were higher and sharper. This boy’s lower lash line is slightly longer than the upper.

How did he ever mistake him for Izuna?

“There’s a woman with your face,” Madara speaks up after a beat. “I’ve seen you with her before. She goes to the city, but when she passes my shop she always stops for a chat with the granny next door.”

Sasuke narrows his eyes at the threat hidden in Madara’s words. Four years of watching all of the people. Four Springs passing by him, of course he knows at least that much about the boy from his past.

Reaching into his back pocket, Sasuke takes out a box and tosses it to the ground. He never made anything easy━not in their old life and not now. He shoves him away with a force that has Madara fumbling backwards and having to catch himself before he knocks over the bins. Without another glance Sasuke leaves the alley and if not for the carton of cigarettes on the ground it would have been as if he had never been there to begin with.

Not one to leave perfectly good cigarettes go to waste, Madara picks up the box from the ground and opens it up. The carton is half full and he pulls one out and lights it up.

Huh. Menthols.

.

.

That night isn’t the last of his run ins with Sasuke. Madara uses the evenings to stand outside and enjoy the chill of the night as the temperature drops with the sun.

He aligns his outings with the time the stragglers would be coming home from work or after school clubs. He sparks up a cigarette and watches as the teenager scowls at him before turning down the road in the opposite direction of what he knows is the path he usually takes to get home.

Some nights, Sasuke drops into the store and picks up a Pocari Sweat and mints. He has his gym bag and shinai on those nights. Some nights he’s home earlier than expected and he loiters the corner store, usually playing with a visiting cat before he makes a purchase of another sports drink and tin of mints.

“Are they helping to curb the craving?” Madara asks him one night as he rings him up.

“Gotta do something considering you’re a persistent jiji, always guarding the machine.”

“Jiji!?” Madara’s right eye twitches at the rude name he’s called. “How old do you think I am exactly, boy?”

“Forty-seven?”

“I’m thirty-six,” Madara hisses. Being called ossan would have been better. Still rude, but better than jiji.

Sasuke doesn’t apologize for his answer. He simply counts his change before handing it over. Madara eyes him before slipping the change in the till.

“Women tend to prefer non-smokers anyway,” he advises. The ghost of Mito’s voice flits around his ears, nagging him and Hashirama for their habits.

Sasuke gives him an unimpressed look. The aura of superiority around the kid grates on his nerves. He was a boy of merely fifteen and yet he had such an abrasive attitude with his elders.

What happened to the boy from a few weeks ago that would bow his head when entering his store? What changed?

“I only do things because I want to. Not for other people.”

And why would you want to smoke or pierce your ears? What’s the benefit?

Madara doesn’t voice his questions. He just does what he always does and watches him leave, his eyes following him down the street and turning in the wrong direction from the bars of his window.

.

.

The following night is one of the nights where Sasuke comes home early. Instead of picking up a sports drink like he always does he helps Madara unpack boxes of goods and shelves them in their appropriate places. Madara observes as he unflinchingly lines up sanitary napkins and tampons on the shelf and then moves on to small packages of toilet paper.

The Naruto kid had been in the store earlier and kicked out two minutes after entering for making a racket when he only saw the boxes.

“Your friend was here today.”

“What friend?” Sasuke continues stacking and if Madara wasn’t looking at him he would have believed he had imagined that Sasuke spoke at all.

“He’s loud. And obnoxious.”

Sasuke ignores him and moves over to the aisle on the other side of the shelves. He continues stacking with an unnerving focus. Madara is tempted to chuck something at him to see if he would even react to it. The kid stares into space often enough to worry Madara about his state of mind. Schools like the one Sasuke attended focused heavily on exams and it usually took a toll on the students. It was still early in the year but the shift from public school to private may have been difficult on the boy.

Especially considering that he keeps skipping cram school.

It is a few nights later that he receives an old visitor. The rose gold hair is familiar but it’s the look in her eyes that has Madara remembering a different set of determined green eyes that faced him down as he stood among the rubble and overturned earth of a battlefield.

He had stabbed this girl before.

She slides a pack of lead for her pencils across his counter and a tin of mints. The brand is the exact same one Sasuke picks up and it’s then that Madara notices she is wearing the same blazer that Sasuke wears as part of his uniform.

“Ojisan? Have you seen a boy about this tall,” the girl waves her hand several centimeters above her head, “with spiky black hair and bangs that fall across the left side of his face? I usually come in with him in the morning.”

Madara shakes his head and tells her the total of her purchase. With a sigh of defeat she thanks him and pays for her items.

He has in fact seen Sasuke. It was about an hour earlier than she had arrived from the city, most likely coming home from cram school. He usually sees her walking home alone in the evenings.

Sometimes, Naruto and their red haired friend pick her up from the bus stop and escort her while Naruto cheerfully tells her about something going on at his school. As the trio walks there’s a mindful gap, as if they are subconsciously aware of their missing friend as they head in the direction of their homes.

“Where do you go when you come home from school?” Madara asks him on a rainy afternoon. Sasuke looks around the store and back at Madara as if the answer was obvious. “Besides here, brat.”

Sasuke doesn’t respond, not that Madara actually expected him to. Talking, it seems, is another one of those things Sasuke doesn’t do unless he wants to.

He moves around the shelves slowly, taking things down that were put back in the wrong place by customers and putting them in the correct shelf. Madara told Sasuke that he wouldn’t pay him for the work, that he wasn’t hiring any part timers, but the boy continued to come back and assist him in the shop.

“My school doesn’t allow its students to have jobs,” he explained. Madara finds it curious that Sasuke obeys that rule even though he clearly doesn’t care about the restrictions on body modifications. Even the hair that falls in his face that he constantly flattens and brushes to the side is too long according to his school’s rules.

Madara watches as Sasuke continues to grab things with his right hand, never reaching with his left despite it being free and closer to items. There is a slight stutter in Sasuke’s movements when he bumps the shelves with the left side of his body as he attempts to go around a corner. He looks down at his left arm in confusion before shaking his head.

Sasuke flexes the fingers on his left hand and unnecessarily drums them along the shelves as he turns. Madara hears him muttering to himself, “It’s still here…” and wonders if he should be concerned by the strange behavior.

His reincarnated descendant is a strange one and getting stranger by the day.

“You’re avoiding something,” Madara calls after him as Sasuke moves behind shelves of snacks and out of his line of sight. “Or someone.”

“You’re one to talk about avoiding something,” Sasuke’s voice carries as he walks throughout the store. “When are you going to finally answer that phone? It only rings like five times within an hour.”

As if on cue, Madara’s cell phone rings, rattling against the old register it sits on top of. He doesn’t even need to look to know who is calling. It is around the time Madara used to call it a day and shut off his computer.

“Going to answer that any time soon, old man?”

“Out.” Madara seethes, tired of his attitude. No one talks to him in that tone, especially not fifteen year olds. “Out of my store.”

“More like your bubble,” Sasuke retorts, finally coming around from the back row of shelves. “You never leave this place. You even live right above it.”

Sasuke snatches his messenger bag from off the floor and Madara is tempted to reach over the counter and snatch him by his sweater vest. For a moment he forgets that in this lifetime he is simply a middle aged former salaryman and not the fighter he once was in a distant life.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at him and Madara expects them to bleed into the scarlet coloring he has witnessed in his dreams and almost moves himself to brace for an attack. Instead, he stops in his tracks and examines the young face of this teenage boy. The skin underneath his eyes is dark and puffy, a clear sign that Sasuke hasn’t been sleeping properly.

“Go home,” Madara mutters. He’s not what he used to be. Fighting doesn’t bring him the same joy it brought his past self.

Sasuke pulls back and brings himself to his full height. He tightens his grip on his messenger bag strap and just when Madara thinks he’s about to do as he’s told for once, Sasuke decides to have the last word.

“I would tell you to do the same but, clearly, you’ve decided that you’re already there.”

Madara throws a roll of receipt paper that Sasuke deftly avoids, side stepping and rushing to the door.

“I won’t be like you, I refuse!” He shouts behind him as he makes his exit, confusing Madara with his words.

Was there ever a chance you would be?

.

.

Madara expects him to come back after a few nights but by the end of Golden Week, Sasuke still hasn’t shown his face. Madara almost gives up on looking for him when he spots him by the corner where the bus should stop.

Sasuke doesn’t move even as it starts to shower. He opens his umbrella and continues to wait.

Madara grows tired of watching him and puts out his cigarette and heads back inside his shop. He’s sitting behind his counter and flipping open a book when he hears a familiar shout of joy before there’s a much more familiar angry retort. It’s quiet again with only the drops of rain harmonizing with the soft jingle of the wind chime.

The sound of students chatting as they walk by his shop isn’t a new occurrence so he continues reading his historical fiction, only pausing when he hears a slight knocking against the wooden bars of his window.

“Are you trying to prank the corner store jiji?” A bright voice trills. At that Madara is standing up, ready to throw anything, even his flip flop, at the brat attempting to vandalize his shop.

Madara is poised and ready when he spots the spiky dark head of Sasuke, walking underneath an umbrella with the green eyed girl, Sakura. Naruto ditches the shelter of the umbrella he shares with the red haired boy and jumps on Sasuke’s back, hounding him for answers.

“What was that about? Come on, tell me!”

“Knock it off, idiot!” Sasuke shoves him off and Naruto stumbles backward, falling into a puddle.

The two of them bicker back and forth with occasional interjections from Sakura. Despite the ongoing argument, the tension in Sasuke’s shoulders is gone and there’s a softness to his demeanor that had been missing weeks ago.

Madara watches as they round the corner and head down the street in the direction of home. Sasuke elbows Naruto the whole way as the latter continues to try and squeeze under the same umbrella as the couple and cling to the both of them.

Madara takes a deep inhale and holds it for a count of four seconds before exhaling. He’ll see what Sasuke did to his window and find him later. There was only one path to get to the bus stop and Madara can stand watch forever for the brat.

Inspecting his window, Madara finds a white handle sticking out from between the bars. Pulling on it reveals the flat, red side of an uchiwa. It was an unusual design for a fan but the message Sasuke is trying to convey is clear.

Huh. So that’s how it is. Madara shakes his head and exhales a laugh through his nose. Well, I’m not going to be shown up by a kid.

Sitting at his counter, Madara drums his fingers against the table top and eyes his cell phone. He wills it to ring but it just lays there on top of his register. He runs his hands down his face, smoothing his palms against the stubble on his jawline.

“Alright,” he mutters, swiping his phone from its designated spot. He searches his call log for a number he still knew by memory, stalling the call by as many seconds as possible. It seems like minutes have gone by before the dial tone stops and the call is picked up.

“Hello? Ma-kun?” Madara takes in a sharp intake of air at the sound of her voice, so clear even through the phone’s speaker. “This better not be a butt dial, Madara.”

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Madara greets her and in one breath Mito releases a few years worth of complaints, sprinkling in a few questions in between.

“I can tell you about the shop later,” Madara cuts in when he is given the opportunity. “You can tell Hashi that I’ll be at the old pub.”

[ybee]

Hello! I really love the ship of Gaara and Naruto, but sometimes I cannot stop thinking that is bit one-sided, having way more displays of affection/admiration from Gaara to Naruto. So ¿do you know any other "gaanaru moments" that are from Naruto to Gaara? (Love your art with all my heart) Lots of love, from México

Hello!! I wish I could, besides a few small things in filler episodes, I think the main reason (for me personally) that it doesn’t feel too one-sided, is the particular way naruto acts around gaara that is unique from his other friends or people he wants to/has ‘saved’. I think in fact the moment where naruto is too embarrassed to shake gaara’s hand when they are saying goodbye is the most important between them. I don’t remember naruto ever being shy in this extreme way with anyone else! Every time gaara is mentioned naruto pipes up with how strong and cool he is. I just always felt naruto acted so different about gaara than any other person he cares about! he will go on and on about how cool and strong he is, but then be very shy when gaara actually shows up. naruto doesn’t even make fun of him in the joking way he does to his other friends, he is always respectful and sincere with gaara. 

I don’t know if you would consider things like the video games as ‘canon’ but in a lot of the naruto fighting games (ninja storm), there are little side quests that have cute little cutscenes between characters, and also written letters between 2 characters, and I find the naruto and gaaras ones are very charming! but I think in the end it boils down to, I don’t need more evidence from the canon material for their relationship to be the most important to me. a lot of the naruto manga is, quite frankly, bad! and boring! a lot of characters are left out and ignored, a lot of plot is left hanging open, but for me, gaara (and his siblings) arc was the most interesting and poignant for me, and gaara and narutos relationship the most emotionally driven. 

naruto loves a lot of people, but i think the specific way gaara impacted him was different than the other people he sees as being ‘like him’ just bc he thinks they are ‘lonely’ like him. I would go so far as to say their fight during the chuunin exams was when naruto literally found in himself how deep he actually loved other people, and how they love him, seeing reflected in gaara how gaara does not have that. he’s ‘’’talk-no-jutsu’d’’’ a lot of people, but I just think his words to gaara at that time were a lot more than that. 

that’s probably a more serious analysis than you were looking for, but I’m sure also if you google ‘naruto gaara shipping manifesto’ those are usually where people list specific instances lol!! 

[ao3feed-narugaa]

Me and My Husband

read it on ao3 at https://ift.tt/3n2BwWL

by Gold2245

Sometimes Naruto thinks about his life. He thinks about his life before adulthood, especially.

Words: 1523, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of naruto fanfic dumps

Fandoms: Naruto, Naruto (Anime) RPF

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara (Naruto), Umino Iruka, Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke

Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto

Additional Tags: Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Uzumaki Naruto Leaves Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto Needs a Hug, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, naruto marries gaara, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto), gaanaru - Freeform, naagaru, naruto moves into sand village, konoha villagers can rot in hell, Sad Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I think we all needed that ending where naruto and gaara have a drink, Sunagakure | Hidden Sand Village, thoughts, AU, vent fic, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, mentions of neji, traumatized uzumaki naruto, idk but in my head I visualize a big broad shoulder gaara, Fourth Shinobi War, Caring Gaara, I think everybody needs a gaara (after he was talk-no-justu by naruto)

read it on ao3 at https://ift.tt/3n2BwWL

[saso615]

Give me one and two for the salty asks!

1 . Otps i dont get

2. Ships i consider only brotps

Okay so each with have a top 3 since i dont want to get into it too deep haha

#1- i dont get KakuHida because they both dont like each other or understand each other at all... i get the whole hateships and i’m all for that, but thats one of those ships that i just leave alone to the fandom and when i see fannart—im so sorry i dont mean to offend anyone— makes me cringe a little bc i dont get it?? But hey, to each their own! And i respect you!!

Another one, and this is probably the first one on the list of all hated ship, is SasuSaku OFC!!! Ok i would looooove to vent about this bad ship all day but i’m pretty sure like 70% of the fandom will agree on this.

And thirdly... there are a lot of ships i dont get but i think KakaIru??? I know they had some interactions and such but wasn’t it always just professional?? Idk maybe someone can change my mind one day abt them. They cute. But not together 😂

#2- my number one brotp is a ship i used to be HEAVILY supportive of but idk i just kinda fell out of love for it and feel like they belong more as Bros than anything. SasoDei! (There is a lot more i could talk about here but hhhh)

Number 2 100% GaaNaru,,, i understand people’s pov on this ship and i respect you but i dont support it mainly bc i feel like Naruto doesnt really care about Gaara that much— i have my reasons as to why dont bash me— and it feels one sided. Also GaaLee and the first time i ever RPed the main ship was Gaanaru and they ruined it for me ngl 😩😤

Finally... again there are many more, but on top of my list is KakaObi. Both of them, and i cannot stress this enough, LOVED rin. Maybe not the same way, but Kakashi def loved her like Obito. Anyway i dont want to talk too much about this one bc i have so much to mention individually-wise...

If yall wanna debate with me tho, no arguments!!, i’d be glad to talk in pms or even make a post haha

[kayura-sanada]

Chase the Wind, ch. 18/?? (GaaNaru)

Title: Chase the Wind Chapter: Eighteen (Promises of a Lifetime) Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Gaara/Naruto Rating: T Words: ~6600

Summary: Since before he could even remember, Gaara had heard the sound of the howling wind in his mind. He always wished he could find the person on the other end of that sound, that elusive being who might love him for who he was.

Note: I own nothing. The title is derived from “Touch the Sky” by Julie Fowlis. I was torn between that and “if I gotta be damned, I wanna be damned with you” from Meatloaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell.”

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Chase the Wind - Since before he could even remember, Gaara had heard the sound of the howling wind in his mind. He always wished he could find the person on the other end of that sound, that elusive being who might love him for who he was. (GaaNaru) One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen

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Temari met them as they arrived at the hospital. Gaara surmised from her arrival beside them that her soulmate’s injuries had been properly tended to. Still, he thought, perhaps there was power in asking out loud? “Your… that boy?”

Temari’s body stiffened just enough for Gaara to remember they hadn’t yet communicated an understanding of who he was to her. She recovered smoothly, however, and shrugged. “He’s fine, just a little boo-boo on his hand.” Her gaze, however, remained contemplative on the distance for several moments longer before she focused back on him. Her brows furrowed. “You’re… hurt?”

“Just tired,” he said, bristling even at the mention of that small weakness. In reality, he was exhausted. His gourd maintained its shape more through the power of his beast than from anything left within him. The sand he used to cover himself was all he maintained, and even that was testing the limits of his endurance. He’d pushed himself too hard to get to Naruto, only to arrive too late, anyway. What had been the point of exhausting himself if he was still able to do nothing in the end?

Temari hesitated for a moment, then reached out. He watched her pat his shoulder. “But Naruto’s all right?”

He nodded, jerkily. “Physically.”

He’d felt Naruto wake up. He wanted to see him. Yet, with each step he took, he wondered what he was ever going to say to him. How could he quiet the anguish he could feel roiling inside Naruto’s heart? He knew too well the pain Naruto was going through to be able to give him any kind of solace.

“Here,” Temari said quietly. ‘Let’s get you to the front desk. I’ll show you how their medical system works here.”

Good. The faster, the better. He just hoped that, by the time he reached Naruto’s side, he found some way to help him.

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He’d failed.

Sasuke was gone. Despite his confident promise, he’d failed to bring him back. Now what was going to happen to him? Orochimaru wanted to kill him and take over his body. And even if he didn’t… even if he didn’t, Sasuke hadn’t held back. He’d really tried to kill him. He never would have thought…

Naruto stared at his lap, at the starch white sheets that covered him. Gauze wrapped around his head in nearly every direction. He barely remembered what had happened there at the end; he’d noticed only that he’d been injured, and that he could feel the kyuubi’s chakra coursing like lava through his veins. He’d seen Sasuke still in front of him, his body distorted into something Naruto could hardly recognize. Naruto had put everything he’d had left in him into trying to stop Sasuke then and there, before Sasuke could go to Orochimaru and let the man change his body even further.

His fingers clenched in the sheets. But he’d failed. All he’d had, and it hadn’t been enough. It was like that time he’d thought he was fighting that battle in Konoha against Uchiha Itachi all over again, as he’d been forced to watch Gaara die because he hadn’t been able to do anything. Just like in reality, when his best had been able to do little more than buy him and Gaara time against their enemies. Every single time, Naruto faced the limitations of his capabilities. Every time, his failure cost someone something.

What would he lose next? What worth was there in a dead last loser who couldn’t save even the few people he had?

What if… what if Sasuke died after this? And Naruto could have stopped it?

“Well, well. You’re awake.”

Naruto lifted his head. His face split into a grin. “Shikamaru!”

He was alive! Leaving him up against that lady – after Naruto’s own failure, he’d feared the worst. But it seemed like Shikamaru had managed all right. Shikamaru came further inside at Naruto’s wide-grinned welcome. Shikamaru’s gaze slipped quickly around Naruto’s figure, taking in the bandages and, probably, since Naruto had learned how astute Shikamaru was, the stiff way he held his left shoulder. Shikamaru sat on the foot of the bed, carefully distant from Naruto’s feet, and spoke. “Chouji and Neji are out of critical condition. Lee’s been put on bed rest, but they say he’ll be all right. Same with Kiba and Akamaru.”

Naruto nodded. “So everyone’s safe.” They hadn’t died for this mission, even though they hadn’t caught up with them, either. “That’s good.” The thought that Neji and Chouji had been in critical condition to begin with, though. He picked at the sheet at his waist.

“And Sasuke…”

Naruto flinched. He sucked in a long breath. “Yeah.”

He didn’t need the reminder that he’d failed. That all the sacrifices everyone had made, the promises he’d given, had all been for nothing. Everyone had given their all, risked their lives, and come out victorious.

Except for him.

In the end, everything had rested on him… and he’d failed. The class loser. Only this time, it had been something truly important. Far more important than even passing the academy exam. And just like with that, he’d shown his true colors. “He… got away.”

What a nice way of saying Naruto had been too weak to stop him.

They sat in silence. There was nothing more to say after that. What could possibly be added? ‘I did my best?’ ‘I threw everything I had at him, even something I probably shouldn’t have?’ ‘I’m sorry?’ None of it meant anything. A shinobi lived and died by his word. Naruto had failed to uphold his. He’d let everyone down.

And Sasuke? What was going to happen to him now? Would he even still be alive when next Naruto saw his body? Would he be himself, or would he be Orochimaru? Or… or if he did live somehow, would he still be the Sasuke who’d tried to kill him? Would Naruto even be able to reach that person then?

The door opened. He startled at the noise, then again when he saw who stood in the entrance. Old Lady Tsunade, and… his breath stilled in his chest. Sakura-chan.

“Naruto…”

Her eyes were so wide. Her lips sat in a frown, her brows low. She knew. She knew he had failed. He hung his head.

“I heard that you were severely wounded,” Tsunade said, her tone perturbed, “but you’re fine now.”

Old Lady Tsunade was an adult, had been when the kyuubi had attacked. She had to know why Naruto was already healed. He ignored that line of conversation. It didn’t matter. “I’m sorry, Sakura-chan.” He gritted his teeth.

“Why’re you apologizing?”

He flinched.

Her tone got even more falsely chipper as she moved to the wide window. “You look really weird!” She opened the curtains. The light flooded the bed, turned the white sheet nearly golden. “You’re just like a mummy, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry,” he tried again. “I…”

“Listen, the weather’s good today.” Behind her falsely chipper tone, the birds mocked her. They sang out from the nearby treetops. “I opened the curtains now…”

“Sakura-chan!” He raised his head. His hands curled into trembling fists on the sheets. “I’ll definitely keep my promise!” He forced conviction into his voice, until he could believe it. Yeah. Yeah. That was right. If a shinobi was as good as his word, then he would keep it. He wouldn’t give up. “I said that it was a promise of a lifetime!”

Sakura didn’t turn from the window. “It’s all right, Naruto.”

“Sakura!” Shikamaru snapped. His voice startled Naruto; he’d forgotten Shikamaru was there. The lazy guy actually looked angry; his voice was sharp. “He’s trying to–”

“Always,” he said, cutting Shikamaru off before he could tell her. He would never underestimate Shikamaru’s eyes again. “Like I said.” He grinned wide. It hurt a lot of muscles in his face, but the pain wasn’t so bad. “I won’t go back on my word! That’s my shinobi way.”

Yeah. Exactly! Over and over again, he’d failed. Just like he’d failed the academy exam. Just like he’d failed the chuunin exam, and just like he’d failed to reach out to Gaara. But everything had worked out fine, because he hadn’t given up. He’d just tried again. He’d proven himself worthy of passing the academy exam. He could go back and take the chuunin exam again. And even though he’d failed to reach out to Gaara at first, he’d done so later. They’d made up. They were bonded. Heck, even now, he could hear Gaara in the back of his mind; whatever mission Gaara was on hadn’t taken him so far away that Naruto couldn’t hear him.

That sound was proof that he could do it as long as he kept moving forward. He could do this. One failure had never meant the end.

Sakura turned to him. He caught Shikamaru and Tsunade-baba smiling at him, but Sakura still looked on the verge of tears. He kept his grin wide as she looked him over, from his bandaged head to his bandaged arms and hands, then finally at the sheets, hiding the rest of the bandages. Maybe she’d been on to something with that whole ‘mummy’ thing. He chuckled at the thought. Maybe he could use the bandages to truss Sasuke up and drag him back. That would be a sight!

“Naruto.” He caught a wobbly smile before Sakura moved to the door. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I had to make you wait a while, but…” She looked back. The smile no longer wobbled. “Next time, we’ll do it together!”

His eyes widened. Far more than the sunlight streaming through the window, Sakura’s words lit something inside of him.

That… was right. He wasn’t alone. The fight with Sasuke may have fallen on him, but he hadn’t chased after Sasuke alone. Shikamaru and Kiba and Neji and Chouji and even Lee. Sakura, too. He had friends who cared about him and cared about Sasuke. Heck, even Gaara, wherever he’d been, had been worried about him.

Gaara.

The thought made him pause as Sakura and Tsunade took their leaves. Gaara couldn’t have known what had been happening to him. And hey, Naruto hadn’t known what had happened to Gaara. He’d felt Gaara feel fear and exhaustion. Had… His heart started pounding all over again. Had Gaara met up with the Akatsuki on his way to his mission? Was that what had happened? Naruto had been so caught up in his own problems that he hadn’t thought about what Gaara might have been going through. He struggled to get out from under the sheets. Shikamaru yelped as Naruto kicked him out of the way.

How long had it been since he’d first heard Gaara’s concern? How long since he’d battled Sasuke, his mind only on not getting in Gaara’s way? He should have paid more attention. If anything had happened to Gaara–

“Keeping up with your mood swings is giving me a headache.”

Naruto looked to the door and gasped. “…Gaara?”

His soulmate stood with his arms crossed in the doorway, his face completely stonewall impassive. Naruto grinned. His heart leaped. Gaara was all right. Better than all right. He was here.

Shikamaru shot out between them, his body tense. “Sorry,” he said, “but even if you’re on our side this time, I’m not going to let you…” Shikamaru’s tense stance shifted slightly. “Wait. ‘Mood swings?’”

“I thought something happened to you!” Naruto shouted, giving Gaara an explanation. Gaara eyed the way Shikamaru stood guard over Naruto, his eyes narrowing. “I…” He bit his lip, not knowing how to explain that he’d been too wrapped up in himself. “I’m glad you’re all right. Did you have some sort of mission that brought you to Konoha?”

Gaara turned his gaze to the far wall. He was still glaring. “You could say that.”

“What is going on?” Shikamaru asked out loud to nobody. “Tell me it’s not what I’m thinking.”

Gaara acted as if Shikamaru hadn’t even spoken. Naruto chuckled and scooted back into the bed, feeling Gaara’s concern behind the impassivity. He patted the side of the bed. Gaara’s gaze slid to Shikamaru. He didn’t move. “Shikamaru, get out of the way. You’re freaking Gaara out.”

“Me?” Shikamaru sent him an aghast look. “Freaking him out?”

“Yeah!” Naruto was sure of it. Gaara was uneasy here. He could feel it as clearly as he could feel his own happiness. He leaned over, trying to find a space through which Gaara could walk. There wasn’t really much of one. Shikamaru was good. “Just let him through. He’s not gonna hurt anybody.”

Shikamaru’s shoulders stiffened. He didn’t move. “The last time he was here, he was about to kill us. Remember that?”

Gaara winced. Naruto winced, both at Shikamaru’s words and at Gaara’s reaction. Naruto shifted, then winced for a whole other reason. His head throbbed.

Gaara moved past Shikamaru without hesitation then, calling Shikamaru’s bluff, going to Naruto’s side and kneeling beside the bed. Naruto gave him a wide grin. He looked up to Shikamaru to find the young man with his fingers together, ready to use his shadow technique. “He’s changed,” he said, and watched Shikamaru’s brows rise up to his hairline. Gaara looked Naruto up and down, finally zeroing in on the bandage around Naruto’s head. Naruto chuckled and reached up to finger the edge of the bandages. “It’s already fine,” he told Gaara. “Nothing big. I’m already mostly healed. Tsunade-baasan said so.”

Gaara’s lips thinned. “For a moment,” he murmured, “I could not feel you.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. Had… had he truly come so close? “I…” He didn’t have anything to say to that.

“So you two are soulmates? How is that possible?”

Naruto looked up. Shikamaru looked like someone had thrown a gas bomb into his face. “What’s wrong with it?”

Shikamaru looked at him like he was nuts. “This guy is a psycho. He tried to kill Rock Lee. He tried to kill you.”

Both he and Gaara winced at that one. “Okay, so it doesn’t look good from that perspective.” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. Shikamaru’s face twisted up like he didn’t know if he’d eaten something putrid or just sour. “Hey. Don’t.”

Gaara stood before Naruto could think of some sort of defense against Shikamaru’s growing glare. “It’s fine. I only came to see how you were. We need to return to Suna soon, anyway.”

Gaara turned away from him as if to leave. It made everything in Naruto jump. He felt like the instant Gaara stepped away, he would fly into a million pieces. “Wait!” He grabbed Gaara’s arm, nearly smacking his elbow on that gourd of his. Even through the cloth of Gaara’s shirt and the bandages wrapped around Naruto’s palm and fingers, he could feel the rising gale of the desert winds as they shook in the back of his mind. His body trembled with the need to touch, to be close. He gasped at the feel of it. From the stiffness in Gaara’s shoulders, he imagined Gaara could feel it, too.

“All right, that’s enough.” Shikamaru grabbed Naruto’s hand and forced it off of Gaara. “I get it. You feel that urge to be near them, get that bonded feeling. Whatever. It wouldn’t be wise.” Shikamaru stepped in between them and crossed his arms. “I know you’re all about acting first and thinking later, Naruto, but bonding with him? Let alone the problem of him being a psycho, he’s from another country. What if relations with them sour?” Naruto scowled. “Don’t give me that look.”

Naruto watched Gaara start walking away and shot up from the bed, nearly clipping Shikamaru in the jaw. “Gaara!”

He could feel Gaara’s emotions, now that they were close. He remembered the bond back when they’d been in Suna together and shivered. This was nothing like that. It was so much weaker. He couldn’t help the twist in his chest, the pain of knowing his bond with Gaara had weakened. He felt a twinge from Gaara, too, telling him Gaara was responding to his pain. He shoved Shikamaru aside, only for Shikamaru to grab his shoulders and yank him back. “I know it’s hard, Naruto, but we’re ninja!” Shikamaru hissed. “Don’t forget that.”

“Who cares?!” Naruto pushed him away. His legs still felt weak. His head pounded. He gritted his teeth. “Who cares if we’re ninja or not? Who cares if we’re from different villages or not? He’s my soulmate. And he’s a good person!” Shikamaru gives him a look. “He is! No, it doesn’t matter.” He looked at Gaara. He stood at the doorway, hesitating at the threshold. “What’s the point of a ninja if it isn’t to protect what’s important? Are we really just supposed to be killers and nothing else?” He glared at Shikamaru. “If we were supposed to be just that, then you wouldn’t be calling Gaara names right now! You’d say he was a great ninja!”

Shikamaru’s brows rose. His grip on Naruto loosened. Gaara turned. “Was?” Gaara asked. Naruto thought he might be seeing the trace of a smile.

“Are,” he amends. “But not because of the psycho thing!” Gaara didn’t seem to know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. “Nevermind! It doesn’t matter.” He waved that off. “What matters is that people don’t like those like Orochimaru and – and–”

“And the old me,” Gaara said. Naruto flushed.

“Whatever! Which means that’s not what we’re supposed to be.” He reached up and touched Shikamaru’s hand, gently pulling it from his shoulder. “Right?” He looked at his new friend. Shikamaru sighed and released him.

“This isn’t going to end happily,” he warned, but he didn’t say anything more. Naruto hobbled his way to Gaara’s side, grabbing his hand, too, but this time pulling it close. He felt Gaara pull his sand back from his fingers and sighed at the flesh-on-flesh contact. Tears of relief gathered in his eyes. He bowed down under the weight of Gaara in his mind again, the maelstrom of their desert storm quieting into the sifting sighs of a calm wind. He leaned his head on Gaara’s shoulder and just… breathed.

As much as he wished he had words for the feeling of the bond settling, he didn’t think he did. He could just feel it. While the time spent in Konoha since Suna had been filled with headaches and chest pain and an emptiness like he’d been slowly carved out with a spoon, this felt like something cool and light had billowed in to those hollow, empty places. Something better than what had been there before, because before had been just him. Gaara didn’t move one way or the other, simply let his fingers curl around Naruto’s and watched as Naruto soaked in the essence of him like a sponge.

It felt like light. Light and air. Nothing was heavy or hurt anymore. His shoulders hunched, remembering the feeling of their bond as it had cut off. Gaara’s emotions spiked, as well, and suddenly Naruto could feel them as strong and clear as they’d been when they’d parted. Gaara was reacting to Naruto’s memories, his mind cringing away from the feelings they evoked as much as Naruto’s mind did. He sighed, and he felt Gaara shiver as his breath ghosted along the sand covering Gaara’s skin. He felt Gaara settling, his emotions becoming calm, like an eruption had just been halted. Gaara had been far more upset with Shikamaru’s accusations than he’d let on.

Here, now, Naruto felt like he could feel the deepest parts of Gaara, like he could feel every minutiae of Gaara’s reactions. He could feel a trepidation, a nervousness he couldn’t understand. He could feel sadness and acceptance and just – something like he was where he wanted to be, but didn’t know how to stay. Naruto wrapped those emotions around himself, sheltered them with his own. Gaara may have been violent, but Naruto understood. He wanted to be violent, too. His actions had turned frivolous, pranks and barbed words and jokes aimed at nothing in particular, his fury just spraying wildly. Gaara’s had been the same. Just more destructive.

If Naruto hadn’t been allowed his pranks, would he have turned to something worse, as well? If his mistakes had been met with violence, would he have turned out like Gaara, too? Naruto remembered how Mizuki had told him that he was hated by the village, how he’d been used. Maybe the old man, the Third Hokage, had been all that had stood between him and the same ending as Gaara. Maybe people would have tried to kill him, too.

No, there was no maybe. Naruto knew those looks. He knew what they meant. He’d felt it – a hatred so deep, it had no end. He would have been targeted. He would have been killed.

For a moment, he felt despair. How could he ever become Hokage if he was hated like that? And if he did, would people really stop looking at him like he was a stain on their world?

Gaara raised one hand and placed it on his head.

That was it. No ruffling of hair, no soft caress. Just… touching his head. Yet Naruto could feel Gaara’s emotions, could feel his concern and worry. Could feel that they were directed at him, at his thoughts. Because while Naruto understood Gaara’s anger, Gaara understood Naruto’s fear. They were the same, in ways no one else could possibly understand. Wanting to be something, being limited to what they were expected to be instead. The fear of truly being nothing more, and never achieving anything more. Of being completely and absolutely alone. Naruto smiled.

“Guys,” Shikamaru said, his voice soft. He stepped slowly forward. “I…” Naruto turned to see Shikamaru looking back and forth between them. His brows furrowed. “Are you… already bonded?”

Naruto ducked his head, shame and happiness bursting in him in equal measures. He thought maybe this was something that was supposed to be personal, to stay personal. Was what they were doing akin to a PDA? Should he not?

Then he looked at Gaara and smiled goofily. Oh, well. He didn’t care. Being with Gaara made him happy, crazy happy, and that was a good enough reason to show it.

“Keep this quiet,” Shikamaru said, his voice dropping lower. He glared at Naruto when he opened his mouth to argue. “I mean it. People still remember Suna’s attack on Konoha, and they’re still wary. And you – I mean this nicely, Naruto, but the village doesn’t have the nicest perception of you.”

Naruto’s smile slid. The fear and despair threatened to return.

“I get it,” Shikamaru said. He held up his hands as Naruto’s smile fell completely. “I do. You’re right that it shouldn’t matter. But it does. And if people here know about how the two of you are together, it won’t go well.” He ran a hand through his pulled-back hair. “That’s an understatement. You’re already disliked, and Gaara of the Sand here is still remembered for helping Orochimaru.”

“He thought he was doing his kage’s orders,” Naruto said, then realized the argument wasn’t as good as he’d first thought. The look Shikamaru gave him told him the same.

“Look, I’m not trying to say you can’t be together or anything. I’m not a monster.” He looked at Gaara as if realizing what wording he’d used and quickly added, “I’m just saying to keep it secret for a while. At least until the anti-Suna sentiment has settled down some.” Shikamaru scowled even as the words left his mouth. “Or longer,” he muttered.

Naruto didn’t know how to feel. Angry? Definitely. And he wasn’t the only one; he could feel the frustration in Gaara, even though his face looked as impassive as always. But when he tried to categorize the rest of his emotions, he found that frustration was the only one he could sense from Gaara other than… resignation. Yeah. That was it.

Naruto lifted his chin. “They already hate me,” he said, looking Shikamaru in the eye. “And Tsunade-baba can’t afford to piss off Suna right after they saved our cans. So who cares?”

Gaara lifted his head. His eyes widened fractionally.

Shikamaru covered his face with one hand. “I should have known you would say that.”

Slowly, Gaara pulled his hand out of Naruto’s grip. Naruto looked at him, mouth dropping open, as Gaara took a single step away. That warm hand slid from the top of his head. He could still feel Gaara, and he seemed happy. Happier than a minute ago, at least. But it was darkened by something else. Naruto reached for him, only for Gaara to scuttle back another step. “We have to get going,” he said again, his voice tight. He turned to leave, his entire body stiff. Naruto felt hesitation from Gaara’s soul. Naruto’s chest seized.

He ignored the pain in his chest, the fear, the howl as his wind kicked up into another sandstorm. Gaara wasn’t afraid so much as… no, was it fear? Naruto couldn’t tell. He wasn’t smart enough to know what it was he was feeling from the other. But it made him think of when he’d seen someone throw a frog at someone else and he’d gone up to find the frog had died from the rough treatment. Protective and helpless and frail and lonely and angry, all at once. The feeling in Gaara gave rise to his own. Was that what Gaara thought he was? A frog thrown by some kid, killed by ignorance and apathy? Did Gaara feel like he was unable to save Naruto?

“We’ll get stronger,” Naruto said. Gaara turned to him, so Naruto made his eyes sharper, his back straighter. His voice stronger. “We’ll get strong enough that it doesn’t matter, that no one can say anything about us anymore.” And Naruto would get Sasuke back. He grinned and gave Gaara a thumbs-up. “I promise.”

Gaara looked at Naruto’s hand and his thumb, and Naruto could tell that Gaara thought he looked like an idiot. But he nodded. He opened his mouth a smidge. Closed it. Looked away. “I…”

“I can’t believe this,” Shikamaru muttered. He came to stand next to them. “I’ll give you guys a couple of minutes,” he said, sighing like he’d been ordered to do paperwork. “I can’t believe you just promised on that same pose again.”

Naruto grinned with his teeth clamped together. “It’s because I mean it.”

Another sigh. “Yeah, I know.” He pointed at Naruto’s nose. “Only a couple of minutes. Just enough for you two to get yourselves sorted out.” He looked at Gaara. “And just because I know soulmates should worry about each other. No touching. No bonding. Just talking, like normal people. And Naruto?” He glared at him. “I mean it. Just a couple of minutes.” He walked through the door and shooed Gaara and Naruto inside. He looked back and forth between them for a long moment before gritting his teeth. “If I hear anything, I’m coming in, and I’m doing so on the assumption that you’re hurting Naruto.”

Gaara tilted his head. Naruto was surprised to feel a flicker of something like pride. Gaara had liked that threat.

Naruto turned to Gaara the instant the door was closed. This was their chance to deepen their bond again, without Shikamaru playing the stodgy old parent. But when Naruto reached out, Gaara backed away again. He threw his hands in the air. “Really?”

“There’s something more important I wanted to speak with you about, anyway.” Gaara turned to the bed. “You need to rest.”

Unbelievable. Naruto hurried to the bed, though, only slowing when he remembered Shikamaru’s threat. He sat down gingerly, trying to not make any suspicious sounds. “What’s wrong? Is this about your mission?”

“My mission was to assist you in yours,” Gaara said, and Naruto went silent as his brain tried to rearrange itself. So Gaara had been there for him?

“How? Wait, why? Wait.” He held up his hands. “What?”

Gaara snorted. Amusement flickered like candlelight across the bond. Their nearness to one another burned across his skin, heating the space between them. Naruto stared at Gaara’s hand. He didn’t know why things had to be so difficult. Why was everyone against them being together? “I arrived in time to – no. I was too late.” Gaara’s hands clenched into fists. It made Naruto realize that he was the only one thinking about the bond at the moment. Gaara was thinking about something much deeper. If Naruto could touch Gaara again, could they share these thoughts without stumbling over insufficient words?

Naruto tried to be the first one. He pushed his emotions forward, let Gaara feel the hurt and confusion and loss that he was fighting against. Gaara flinched at them all, so badly that Naruto almost pulled them away again. When he tried to do so, however, Gaara reached out. This time, it was Gaara who breached the distance between them. Who touched him first. It was Gaara who bared himself, until Naruto realized the emotions he was feeling were both of theirs – the pain, the sorrow, the confusion. What had they done wrong? What could they have done better? Why were they alone again? Why had they been betrayed by someone so close to their hearts?

Naruto sucked in a breath. Gaara understood this, as well. Tears welled up in his eyes. They spilled down his cheeks, dripped onto his lap. He shook his head, not wanting to admit Gaara’s pain. Not able to ignore it. “That’s not fair,” he whispered. His shoulders shook. “Not you, too.” He covered his eyes.

Gaara’s emotions blurred and flew, until Naruto couldn’t even bother trying to catalog them. He knew what they meant, anyway. They were the same as his. They both wished they could have protected each other from these feelings. “Uchiha Sasuke chose to leave you,” Gaara said, his voice quiet. Slow. Picking at a wound, knowing it would bleed.

Naruto shook his head, not wanting to hear it. Not wanting to accept it. “How…?” Naruto bit back a sob. “He called me his friend. Just before he…” He remembered the agony of Sasuke’s hand, feeling the palm twitch inside of him, against his own muscles and sinew. He remembered the wriggle of Sasuke’s fingers as he yanked them out. Now, to know Gaara also knew that feeling? “I tried so hard to reach him. I don’t know what else I could have done.” Except kill him. But Naruto couldn’t stomach the thought of doing that.

Gaara shifted. All of the emotions spilling between them, and all Naruto could think was that this horrible conversation was going to be the last they had for who knew how long. All because he was born in Konoha and Gaara was born in Suna, and they were both born with demons inside of them, and they’d been despised for it since they’d first come screaming into the light. “What could I have said that would have reached him, Gaara? What could I have done? I wasn’t strong enough to stop him.”

Gaara looked toward the door, and Naruto felt a sudden burst of panic that someone was approaching. That their time was over and Shikamaru was going to tell Gaara he had to leave. Gaara soothed the panic immediately, his confidence in their continued privacy washing over Naruto’s mind like a balm. Gaara turned back to him, his eyes studying. Naruto felt Gaara waver, back and forth, as if finding himself upon a fork in a road and having to choose. Naruto felt him pick a path just as Gaara opened his mouth. “When you fought me,” Gaara said, “did you feel as if we had come to some sort of understanding?”

“What?”

Gaara’s stare intensified, as if he was trying to impart something from his gaze alone. “Did you feel as if you had reached me?”

Naruto’s breath stuttered in his chest. Remembering that time, the fear and pain and loneliness washed through him before he could think of how it would feel to Gaara. Gaara’s shoulders tensed, but the only feeling he got from Gaara was one of – of knowing. Gaara wasn’t surprised at all. Still, Naruto tried to apologize. Gaara just shook his head.

“Our fighting, our insults and jeers. Our threats. None of it reached our ears. We both had things we wanted.” Naruto had wanted to save Sakura and Sasuke. Gaara had wanted to be free from the torment of thinking he had someone by his side. Naruto got the knowledge in a rush, as if he could hear the intention behind Gaara’s emotions. Gaara had thought the sound of his soulmate was taunting him, mocking him with something he could never have. Something that wasn’t real for someone like him. He’d wanted to hurt, because the sound had been hurting him. Gaara sucked in a breath, hearing Naruto’s own interpretation of Gaara’s fury and hatred. God. Gaara hadn’t even known that was why he’d been hurting so badly. Why he’d hated Naruto so much.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Naruto admitted. “I didn’t know what to do any more back then than I do now.”

Gaara understood. Naruto could feel him understand. He felt so young, suddenly. He knew so little of himself. Of the world. Of anything. “None of it reached me,” Gaara admitted. “Not until the very end. When you cried for me.”

Naruto jerked back at the rush of emotions that swamped him. Gaara must have entered his own memory, because it brought with it such a rush of feelings Naruto felt overwhelmed. Tears gathered in his eyes all over again. It felt like something warm had touched something made icy cold by neglect. Like something that had been left in the attic had finally been found again. It reminded him of when he’d been pointed to the rack of unwanted money pouches to find frog pouch after frog pouch. He’d chosen to grab one of those up and had felt like he was adopting something unwanted. It had felt like a relief – proof that the unloved could be loved. He cared about that money pouch far more than he could ever say or would want to admit.

Maybe Gaara felt a little like that when Naruto had cried for him – like the unloved had been, for once, loved. The way Naruto had felt when he’d heard Iruka-sensei say he was Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha. Or when Sasuke had told him his body had just moved to protect Naruto on its own.

Gaara stared at the floor, though he did not release Naruto’s hand. “When you chose to listen, to understand me. When you hurt for me. No one had ever cried for me before.” Naruto could feel Gaara’s emotions rise further, the wonder and awe and happiness and near-shame of that memory. The knowledge that there was someone who had cared enough to put Gaara and his emotions first. Hell, for someone to even realize Gaara had emotions. God, Naruto knew that feeling too well. “That was when you reached me.”

Naruto held his breath. He felt tears in his eyes again. He battled them back. Gaara could feel his reaction, anyway. He didn’t need to show it on his face.

Gaara squeezed his hand and looked up. Naruto felt something new. Something soft. Gaara didn’t want Naruto to hide his feelings, he realized. Gaara wanted to see everything. “During your fight with Sasuke,” Gaara said, and his voice turned hesitant. Naruto felt that feeling again – of trepidation, of wondering which side of the road to turn to. Then horror, as Gaara found himself turning down a path he clearly didn’t think was right. “Did you ever just… listen to him?”

Naruto opened his mouth to say he had, but he stopped. He thought back. He’d asked Sasuke why he was doing this, but Sasuke hadn’t been forthcoming. And when Naruto had heard Sasuke say he didn’t care that Orochimaru was going to kill him, he’d just… stopped. He’d stopped talking. He’d threatened to beat Sasuke black and blue, to rip off his arms and legs and drag him back to Konoha. To safety.

He blanched. No. He hadn’t listened.

“Back when I… found you,” Gaara said. Naruto could feel a million things from Gaara. But what he focused on was the last. Relief. “He stood over you when you… when your battle was over.” He could have killed you, Naruto heard with sudden clarity, Gaara’s voice ringing in his mind like water. Naruto got a flash of something he couldn’t understand, and then, but unlike Yashamaru, he didn’t try. He walked away.

Gaara was giving him hope. Gaara almost seemed like he was regretting it, but Naruto clung to it tightly. Because Sasuke had chosen to walk away. He had chosen to leave Naruto alive. He had meant it when he’d said Naruto was his friend. Naruto did still have a chance.

“Naruto.” Gaara tugged on Naruto’s hand until Naruto paid full attention to him. “I arrived too late,” he said again. The words reverberated in his head, saying so much more than just that. Speaking of the horror, the terror. Naruto remembered Gaara saying he hadn’t felt Naruto in his head anymore and realized Gaara had thought he’d found Naruto too late. The dead kind of too late. “Don’t let it happen again.”

Have your hope, Gaara was saying. If that was what was needed for you to continue forward, take all the hope you need. But come back to me. First and foremost, come back alive.

Try to reach him if you must, but put yourself first. That was what Gaara was saying. But Naruto couldn’t help but be happy with it all the same. Because Gaara, who seemed to, if Naruto was reading his emotions correctly, deeply dislike Sasuke, was telling him to believe. Gaara had seen something, there at the end, that made him think there was still a chance. Something Naruto himself had doubted just an hour before. “Thank you,” Naruto told him, and smiled.

Gaara seemed like he wanted to say more, seemed like he wasn’t all right with where their conversation had led them. But he didn’t say anything. He just turned back to the door.

They pulled their hands apart as Shikamaru opened the door. He glared at the both of them, then sighed again. “Come on. Your allies are here.”

“Siblings,” Naruto heard Kankuro call out from behind the door.

Naruto smiled again. Kankuro was calling Gaara his sibling. That was a good sign, too. Everything really was going to get better. For both of them.

He felt a flash of happiness from Gaara and realized Gaara could still feel him. His grin widened. I want this to remain, he thought.

Every chance I have, Gaara said back, a promise to return, and stood. “Thank you,” he said to Shikamaru, and moved to the door. Shikamaru’s eyes widened. Naruto’s jaw dropped. Promise me.

Naruto nodded. I promise. He wouldn’t take risks. He would get strong enough that risks wouldn’t be necessary. Strong enough to get Sasuke back. Strong enough to be able to keep Gaara by his side. Strong enough to become Hokage, to gain a place in the village that could never be taken away from him. Stronger, and stronger, and stronger. His fists clenched on his lap, his fingers tingling, cooling without Gaara’s hand to warm his.

He promised.