Made To Break || Gaara X Naruto (Discontinued)

11. Try Again

"You little brat! You got some kind of nerve showing your face back here!"

Alright so being calm wasn't exactly Kankuro's strong suit, neither was being gentle or rational. At this moment all he could see was red; and before anyone could react he had Naruto by the collar of his jacket, lifting him only slightly, just enough for his feet to dangle.

"Kankuro, put him down."

"Give me one good reason why I should, Temari."

"Cause if you don't, Gaara would probably kill YOU," she blandly stated.

Naruto finally felt his feet touch the ground and heard Kankuro sigh. "You're right. For some damn reason he has a soft spot for this trash," he spat.

Temari interjected, "he's right though. You do have a lot of nerve," she crossed her arms; narrowing her eyes.

"I know," Naruto began. "I'm sorry," he proclaimed, before being cut off.

"Sorry doesn't make him feel any less worse," Kankuro retaliated.

"I KNOW!" Naruto tried to compose himself. "Can I please finish?"

Kankuro and Temari exchanged glances; eyes closing and sighed. "Fine," Temari finally answered.

"I know. I'm sorry. That's why I came back. I..I want to talk to him; to figure things out."

"There's nothing to figure out," Kankuro sniped, "You hurt him. He feels like he's worthless and has isolated himself from us. He won't let us help. We just had him on good terms and going with the idea that people don't hate him. So, good going. What could you possibly say to him now?"

Naruto slumped his shoulders, sighed, and closed his eyes. "Man, you really don't wanna go easy on me, do you?"

"Why should we," Temari asked.

"No, we don't." Kankuro stated, more so interrupted. "Being honest, I never liked you. You're the embodiment of everything I hate in children, and in people in general. You're loud, obnoxious, compulsive, irritating, and you don't listen. You're narcissistic, obsessive, and neurotic. You helped Gaara grow and learn how to not be a psychotic little shit; you helped him realize that we're not against him; and just when he finally understood, just when he let us become a true family, you abandoned him. Tell us why we should even listen to what you have to say," finally ending his speech.

Naruto was at a loss for words; he knew Kankuro was right, there was no need to dispute that, but he still wanted to try and tell him that he was wrong and that he'd fix things. As he was lost in his train of thought, he noticed Kankuro and Temari's eyes fixated on something, making him turn around and come face to face with the one person who always made his heart race.

Except he was different. The red hair that hung in his face wasn't there because he placed it there. It was there in the sense that Gaara hasn't been bothered to take care of it. His skin looked more sallow, and his green eyes that everyone seemed to get lost in, were bloodshot and tired. They held that deep seeded hope of dying; an ever constant blank. His whole demeanor reeked of depression. He kind of just reeked in general; like he hadn't been bothered to bathe for a while.

"Naruto..," he softly spoke. Gravel catching in his voice, more than usual. "You've returned, I was wondering what all the noise was." then he left.

Naruto turned back to the other two Sand Siblings, "I take it he hasn't been bothered to wash up?"

"Not since you left. So a good three to four days. It's funny you mention that. You see, he hasn't been bothered to do a lot of things since then. He hasn't been bothered to get up and shower, he hasn't been bothered to eat, he hasn't been bothered to speak to any of us. He hasn't been bothered to get out of bed, he hasn't been bothered to stop crying. He hasn't even been bothered to try and lead the village anymore, he's been letting us be in charge, and that's like letting a rock lead a pack of hyenas; BUT he's certainly been bothered by you!"

Naruto sighed, heavy, "Where'd he go?"

"Probably where he always goes." He hated Temari's sarcasm. The words that were laden in biting derision. Naruto must have held a look of perplexion. "The roof, dumbass. He likes the stars," she explained, hoping he'd take the hint to find him.