Naruto and Gaara babble...at each other. Possible BS continuity.

"Hey, you look a lot like your dad, you know." Like most of what Naruto said, the comment came out of nowhere.

Gaara looked up from his book and glared at the boy sitting on his windowsill. "No, I don't."

"Ch'. Don't look at me like that, it's true. When they make you Kazekage, they won't need to put a new statue up, they can just change the hair a little and add that kanji on your forehead. Bang! Instant Gaara!"

"Naruto, shut up." Gaara appreciated the way Naruto's presence tended to mute Shukaku's voice in the back of his head, but sometimes he wondered if the other boy was worth the trouble.

"Sorry, sorry!" He held up his hands placatingly, but was grinning fit to split his face in two. "Hey, when I'm Hokage, you'll have to come and visit Konoha so you can see my face on the mountain! It'll be cool! And I'll be like, "Yup, there I am!" and you'll be like, "Hey, who's your sculptor, I was thinkin' about getting my statue redone," and I'll say-"

"Naruto." Some of the ever-present sand on the floor was swirling dangerously.

"Huh?" Gaara's glare had been known to slay lesser creatures, but Naruto was completely impervious.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to remain annoyed at the blond for long, despite the fact that he was definitely one of the most annoying people Gaara had ever met. He shook his head. "I'll visit you when you become Hokage."

"Good." Naruto's voice was firm, and his silly grin had been replaced by an intense, unreadable expression. He crossed the distance between them suddenly, invading Gaara's personal space. "And when they initiate you as Kazekage, I'll be there, cheering louder than anyone."

Gaara's mouth went dry; he closed his eyes, overwhelmed by Naruto's proximity. "I'd like that," he said softly.

"I know." Naruto's hand was warm as he ruffled Gaara's hair. Then he was gone, taking his unnerving presence back to the windowsill, on the other side of the room. "I'm going to get food, you want anything?"

He shook his head, eyes still closed, and felt Naruto leave. When he was alone, he opened his eyes and touched the mark on his forehead, feeling the warmth from Naruto's touch suffusing his very being.

The inside of his head was very quiet, for once. It was peaceful.

He didn't wonder if Naruto was more trouble than he was worth very often; the answer was always so obvious it made the question irrelevant.

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...I shouldn't enjoy channeling Ninja of the Night when writing Naruto as much as I do. "Whoa, it's a ninja! Let's party!" "Yup, just throw the cake up here, please."

Also, I like WAFF, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. (That was a lie.)