"You're just like they say..."

"You're a demon! A murderer!"

"Stay away, you monster!"

Two men... One thing in common. They both were Jinchuuriki, carriers of evil demons sealed inside their bodies since birth.

...They were also lonely. Lonely, hurt, and pained on the inside. Because of what they were, people feared and despised them. Because of what they were, they were left alone to fend for themselves, both of them in their own little worlds of pain, regret, and remorse. They lived in these worlds, suffering every day.

Had they met when they were children, things might've been different. Had they met sooner, they might have gone through different paths in their lives than the ones they travelled.

Uzumaki Naruto, alone and broken in a world of pain.

Sabaku no Gaara, alone and broken in a world of hate.

Gaara was not the Kazekage of Sunagakure no Satou. He had changed significantly since he'd met Naruto. The encounter with the blonde had turned his world, his whole theory on life upside down. He never would've thought he could be loved, nor would he have thought that there was such a thing as true joy or happiness in others.

As he found out soon enough, the smiling faces of Kankuro and Temari, his siblings after he'd done a good thing was enough to make his heart swell in accomplishment. Though some of the villagers of Sun still feared him, that only set a goal for the Jinchuuriki to accomplish. He would prove to them that there was nothing to fear in him, that he was a source of love, and they could give their lives to him to hold and protect.

Though there were many a time in the past he thought about wreaking havoc on and destroying the village in the past, Uzumaki Naruto's smiling face appeared in his mind now and reminded him that loving others was the only way to true happiness.

Gaara had found out that love given, is usually love returned. There were a number of times he'd be traversing the streets of Suna on his daily stroll, and a small child would run up to him, clinging to his leg. He would always look down, flabbergasted. His heart would give a leap, and he'd only stare down at the child, not knowing what to do.

Finally, he'd ask, "Something wrong?" The child would always shake their head, looking up at him with those big eyes and smiling.

Sometimes, they'd murmur, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama," or "I love you."

Gaara finally felt he had a peace of mind.

And, after the Akatsuki incident, with his Shukaku gone, he was even more determined to prove to his beloved village that he was capable of their affection and trust. He trained hard, improving his control over his sand and increasing his stamina and chakra. He increased his aim with ninja tools, and practiced Taijutsu with Kankuro every day. He'd depended on his sand for too long, and he was determined to protect his village with his strength, not the strength of some demon. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't depend on Shukaku anymore because it was gone.

There was one thing he was missing that he was determined to work on as well: Genjutsu.

There were no up-to-level genjutsu specialists in Suna, so he had called up Temari for information on where he could find one.

"There's only one person that skilled in Genjutsu that I know of," Temari said. "Haruno Sakura, from Konoha."

"Send a message to Tsunade-sama requesting Haruno-san's presence here." Gaara replied, scribbling something down on a scroll.

"U-Uh, right." Temari nodded, heading out the door of the Kazekage's office.

Gaara threw down his pen, laying his face in his hands. He was tired, and wanted sleep. His eyes popped open with the realization that he could actually sleep, now that Shukaku was gone. He headed from his office to his bedroom, deciding to try it out.

He stood in his room, staring at the bed with a perplexed look on his face. "How do I do it?" He whispered, furrowing invisible brows. He wasn't completely ignorant of human actions, but sleep was one thing he wasn't familiar with. He racked his brain for things to do.

A lightbulb turned on in his head. He'd caught glimpses of Temari and Kankuro in their beds at night, and they were laying down, closing their eyes. Should that be what he tried? He shrugged, deciding it was worth a try. He approached the bed, laying back on it. It was comfortable, but what was he to do now? Close his eyes? He tried it, and his body relaxed. However, the thoughts running through his head wouldn't allow his brain to rest. He decided that until he could learn how to really sleep, this would have to do.

He relaxed himself, and tuned everything out except the villagers bustling around in the streets and the whirr of sand stirring in the wind.

xXx

"Craw!" The bird squawked as the Sand Jonin tied a message to its leg.

"Quiet, you," Temari mumbled, fumbling with the knot. She finally got it tied, the bird perched on her arm. She walked to the window, and said, "Konohagakure no Satou, Hokage's office." The bird nodded, fluttering off her arm and flapping its wings into the sunset.

"Hey," Temari heard a voice from the door. She turned around to look over shoulder to see her black-clad brother smiling at her lightly. She returned the smile, giving him a small "Hey," and looking back out the window over the village.

He joined her at the window, the both of them looking out at the sunset. "Gaara's trying sleep for the first time." He commented softly, a small chuckle escaping his throat.

Temari nodded, smiling. "..He deserves it."

"What were you doing here?" He asked, looking at her curiously.

"He asked me to send a bird to Konoha, requestion Haruno Sakura's presence." She replied. "He wasnted the most well-known Genjutsu user available, and I told him about her."

Kankuro nodded, eyes gazing over the adobe buildings and ant-sized people on the sandy streets. "Haruno Sakura, eh? I heard she was the apprentice of the Hokage herself."

"Hai, she is." Temari nodded. "One of the best damn medics I've ever seen, too."

xXx

Gaara opened his eyes, after a while of laying back and relaxing. He didn't know how long he laid there, nor did he care. His mind was still weary, but his body felt refreshed from the long period of rest. He sat up, running a hand through his blood-red locks.

"Ugh," He groaned, squinting his eyes. He had a small headache. He didn't mind it much, though; it wasn't nearly as bad as the ones he had when he was a Jinchuuriki. His fingers gripped the soft red comforter laying upon the bed, feeling the fabric between his fingers. It felt nice; soft, and gentle. He liked the way they felt, never feeling anything that soft before.

He got up from the bed, looking out the window. A few kids playing ball in the dusty road caught his eye. They all looked so happy; it brought back painful memories. He turned away, unable to look at them anymore. He left the room, face its normal emotionless state.

He began to roam the streets among the villagers, unable to concentrate on his paperwork. Some cast him fearful looks, and others let out a dreamy sigh as he casually walked past them.

"Konnichiwa, Kazekage-samaaa!" One woman said cheerily, waving from a shop as he walked by. He looked at her, waving and giving a hint of a smile before continuing on his way. He spotted those children again, ahead of him. There was one child who stood out to him; the one a little bit aways from the group, looking sad and lonely, and looking at the playing children longingly. Suddenly, Gaara looked down, and stopped under his foot was the ball the children had been playing with. The children looked at him as he bent over, picking it up. He stayed squatting, and looked at the lonely one. He was looking at him as well, and Gaara lifted up his index finger, looking at the lonely boy and motioning for him to come to him.

The boy's eyes widened, before he hesitantly moved himself from his spot, shuffling towards the red-headed man. As the boy came closer, so did the other children, wondering what the Kazekage was doing. Gaara held the rubber ball out to the boy, giving him a small smile. The boy's eyes lit up, as his face contorted into a hopeful look. Gaara nodded, holding the ball out to him more. The boy slowly took it, hesitantly. Gaara put a hand upon the boy's head, fingers entwined in the boy's raven-black hair.

"A-Arigatou, Kazekage-sama!" The boy smiled, dropping the ball to throw his arms about Gaara's neck. Gaara fell back on his bottom, surprised. He blinked, looking ahead with wide eyes as the boy hugged him tightly, burying his face in his shoulder. He could only sit there.

He didn't know what to do. Sure, he'd been hugged by little kids on his leg, but he'd never come in such close contact with someone before. Soon after, the boy pulled away, sort of sitting on his lap. Many villagers stopped to turn and stare at the scene before them. Many gave Gaara admiring looks. The boy gave him another smile, before saying, "Tamru's always admired you, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara's eyes widened. He felt his heart swell at the boy's words, and he got scared, not used to having his heart beat so irregularly. He could only look down at the boy with a sense of wonderment, and he slowly put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Tamru is your name?" He asked softly, gazing down at him.

"Yes, Tamru is—"

"Kazekage-sama, Kazekage-sama! Someone's here to see you!" Temari ran up, panting as she approached them. Gaara looked up at her, momentarily forgetting the boy in his lap.

"Who?" He asked.

"It's a surprise!" She said cheerily, smiling at him as her chest heaved lightly.

"Hmm…" He looked at the boy before setting him off his lap gently. He got into a squatting position again, giving the boy a small smile. He picked up the ball, placing it in his hands. Then, he waved his hands for the boy to play with the others. The boy joined them, and they seemed to accept him. As the children began playing again, Gaara stood, brushing himself off.

"Alright, let's go." He followed her back to the Kazekage's office, expecting to see Sakura. But he changed his hypothesis when he realized she couldn't have possible been there that soon. Even though he'd "slept" for a long while, the day was not yet over, and he knew Konoha couldn't have gotten the later and sent Sakura up there in that amount of time.

Nevertheless, he followed her up the stairs, trudging up each step like it was an obstacle course. He kept his face towards the floor as they walked, absorbed in thoughts. The boy he encountered reminded him much of himself when he was that age. That look of sorrow and longing to be accepted on his face was the exact image he had himself when he was younger. Gaara would have to find him again, and make sure he never felt alone; he would be damned if he'd let the boy turn out like himself.

Once they reached the office, Temari stood in front of it. She grinned. "You haven't seen him in a looooong time." She commented.

'It can't be. Is it..?' He thought, raising what would be an eyebrow.

She opened the door widely, and the man turned around to face them, giving them a grin. "Gaara! Long time no see, dattebayo!"

Gaara's eyes widened a bit.

"Naruto..?" He muttered, blinking.