Unknown Intentions

Chapter five

That evening found Gaara and Naruto working in the kitchen while Nara watched from his chair in the corner.
"Naruto, pass me the salt." Gaara said, holding out his hand. Naruto snatched the wooden salt-shaker from the counter next to where he was and set it gently in the redhead's waiting hand before going back to cutting pieces of meat into little bite-sized squares. Gaara took a small amount of the white seasoning and sprinkled it into the water for the rice he was making before closing the lid and leaving it to cook. The only noises in the kitchen was Naruto's knife hitting the wooden cutting bored and the sound of boiling water that was currently heating rice. Gaara crossed the kitchen and stood next to Naruto, taking the meat he'd already sliced and placing it into a glass bowl. The purple tinted breastplate that held on Gaara's gourd had been removed as well as the long jacket, allowing better movement in the kitchen. Naruto had followed suit, removing his jacket, and now he could easily feel the rush of cool air hit his back as Gaara slid behind him to collect a bottle of soy sauce from the cabinet from above his head. The blond found he was blushing as Gaara returned to his side, pouring the dark liquid over the meat he'd sliced. With one last cut, Naruto finished the meat and put the pieces into the bowl before putting his knife and cutting board into the sink and washing his hands. There was a clatter behind him, and the blond turned around.
"Here, set the table."
Gaara was holding three tea cups, three sets of chopsticks and one small tasting dish out to him. Naruto nodded, it wasn't like he minded setting the table, and took the dishes to the dining room.

"Itadatakimasu!" Naruto exclaimed, taking his chopsticks and beginning to eat. Gaara only nodded, and set some beef on the tasting dish before quickly shredding the entire chunk. After adding some rice, now brown with soy sauce, he handed the dish to Nara. The child made happy baby noises and latched onto Gaara's hand, grinning. Gaara flinched and looked at the boy, not quite sure why he had grabbed him. Naruto was grinning across the table from Gaara, and the Kazekage gave him a questioning look.
"Nara loves Daddy! Right Nara!?" Naruto cooed loudly. Gaara visibly winced, Naruto had just called him Daddy. What did that make the blonde?
"Ah…Dhh…Dag…" Nara gurgled out, his grin never fading. Gaara was jerked from his thoughts, and Naruto was staring excitedly.
"Daddy, is that it Nara?" Naruto said, turning to Gaara.
"I think he's trying to say 'Daddy' Gaara!"
Gaara was still watching his son carefully as he continued to gurgle.
"Yes. I can tell Naruto." He said quietly.
"Gaa…Naa…Daa…Gh…Gaa-Naah! Gaana! Gaana!"
Naruto fell backward in his chair. The first word his son had said was Gaara!? No. No, it was Gaana… both of their names…
"Gaana…Daa…Daada…"
Naruto was back on his feet and resisting the urge to glomp Gaara and squeeze the man until his beautiful sea green eye's popped out.
"Gaara! He said Dada! He said it!" Naruto sang. Gaara was to surprised to say, or do, anything. He only watched as Nara repeated the same two words. It was only when Naruto's arms wrapped themselves around his shoulder and neck that he was pulled from his shocked state.
"It was so amazing, Gaara! You heard it! Nara's first words!"

Naruto was washing the dishes in the sink while Gaara took to rinsing and drying the dishes he was handed. The entire time Naruto had been repeating the same thing over in different wording, and Gaara was getting tired of it. In fact, Gaara was just all around tired. His hand was rubbing in circles inside one of the cups they used when Naruto said something that wasn't involving Nara's first words.
"Gaara… You're not wearing you're sand armor."
The redhead looked up at the taller blonde, and if he had eyebrows, they would have been raised.
"No. Why would I be?" He asked, returning to the cup he was drying. Naruto shrugged and gently took the towel and cup from the older boys pale hands.
"Well, I guess I just thought you always wore it… Here, you put the dry ones away, and I'll finish these." Naruto said. Gaara, who had already began putting dishes away, gave the blonde and amused look.
"I see. Does that mean you thought I even wore it in the bath?"
If Naruto hadn't known any better, he would have asked this imposter who he thought he was fooling, and that the noh-faced ruler of Sunagakure did not make jokes. Instead, he grinned;
"No. I guess not."

"So… you don't have a futon?" asked Naruto. Gaara shook his head, crossing the room;
"Never thought I would need one."
Gaara pulled a pillow from the closet next to the bed, and took it to the window seat. Quietly, Naruto watched as Gaara sat facing the window overlooking the village and brought one knee up to his chest.
"You aren't going to sleep there Gaara." Naruto said, sitting on the large white bed next to the already sleeping Nara. Gaara didn't look at him before responding quietly;
"I don't sleep."
Naruto's mouth fell open. Gaara still didn't sleep? Even when Shukaku had been removed and he was more than allowed to?
"Why?" was all the blonde said. The redhead illuminated in the dim light of the window turned his head.
"I can't sleep, no matter how hard I might try." He replied, refusing the unsaid request of 'just try.' Naruto shook his head.
"Well, then we'll figure something out. I can't have you not sleeping while I do. I'll feel guilty." And with that, Naruto stood, crossed the room and placed his hands on the redheads shoulders directing him to the bed. Gently, he pressed Gaara so he sat on the edge and let him go. Gaara was giving him a tired, and slightly fed up look. Naruto only smiled.
"You need rest, and you know it. If you can't sleep, then lay down and relax."

When Naruto woke in the morning, Gaara wasn't in the window, or the bed. He sat up, careful not to wake the sleeping Nara next to him. On the bedside table there was a note written in the most elegant writing he'd ever seen, and it was addressed to him;
Naruto,

I had to leave early this morning for my Kazekage duties.

I will most likely not be back until seven, if not later. I'm sorry I didn't explain this sooner, there is food for both you and Nara in the refrigerator.

Gaara.
Naruto looked at the clock. It was a little past ten, and he was starving. So he headed downstairs to the fridge. After a moment of looking, he found that what dominated most of the shelves was strange things he didn't recognize. He went for the rice left over from the night before, and stood near the counter to eat.
"Naruto~!"
Naruto's head snapped up at the sound of the pink-haired woman outside the back door. He could see her through the glass, so he couldn't ignore her.
"Sakura-chan, what is it?" he asked tiredly, opening the door. She walked past him and seated herself in the living room. Naruto sighed and closed the door.
"Naruto! You haven't forgotten about Sasuke have you?" She asked with a smile. Naruto frowned.
"Of course I haven't. Why?"
Sakura shrugged, and crossed her legs.
"No reason. How's the kid?"
"He's fine. He said his first words yesterday." Naruto gloated, crossing his arms and grinning.
"Oh really? What did he say?" She asked, actually interested.

"Kazekage-sama, here are the paper's you asked for."
Gaara looked up from the papers he was reading, taking the set the woman was handing him. He thanked her and went back to what he was doing before. Currently, the only thing that seemed to need his attention was missions and politics. Not that it mattered exactly, that's all it had been since the incident with the Akasuki. That had indeed been a very stressful encounter, and the pain he went through as they slowly sucked his very life out of his body… A shudder racked the young leaders body without his consent. Gaara shook the thoughts from his head, he was tired and had a splitting headache, but he would continue his work no matter what it was. So he picked up the next stack of papers and scanned them, signed them, and reached for the next one. He had completed around twenty different forms when there was a knock on his door.
"Kazekage-sama, there is someone here to see you. He wouldn't listen to us when we tried to explain that you were busy…"
Before Gaara could even speak, the door opened and a certain blue-eyed blonde walked into his office.
"Gaara! I thought I would come and say hi. It's about lunch time, and all the stuff in your fridge scares me." Naruto said. A small chuckle escaped the redhead;
"My refrigerator scares you?" he repeated, taking Nara from the sling on his back.
"Yeah! There's some weird stuff in there! I didn't recognize any of it."
"So… you came here to ask me for food?" Gaara asked amused. Naruto paused, then shrugged.
"Not exactly, I came to ask if you wanted to have lunch with me…and Nara of course."
Gaara thought about this for a minute. He'd never taken the time out of his work to go out and eat with anyone other than his siblings, who had forced him to, and a few feudal lords.
"I don't know…" He answered slowly. He had the money, and Naruto and Nara were both in his office so they could take him…
"I guess I see no reason not to."