Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Songbook - Naruto ❯ Gaara - Go The Distance ( One-Shot )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Gaara of the Desert. The song is called "Go The Distance" from Disney Mania's Lucas Grabeel. You can listen to it while you read this.

~I have often dreamed / Of a far-off place / Where a hero's welcome / Would be waiting for me~

He was lying on his back and his eyes were glued shut.
There was no way. It was impossible. No, not 'impossible', just unbelievable. Well, mostly.
He peeked out of one eye and then shut it again. How typical, he didn't get it. He peeked again and then sighed, relaxing.
"How does he come up with that?!"

~Where the crowds will cheer / When they see my face / And a voice keeps saying / "This is where I'm meant to be"~

He rolled onto his side and pushed off the roof. He moved forward, dusting himself off until he leaned over the rail. The Kazekage's building was so tall and it made him dizzy looking down. He quickly stumbled back and actually fell.
He sighed and flopped down. Closing his eyes, he could sitll hear how everyone cheered when he'd come home alive. He smiled. Ah, that was right. His body was still in pain from coming out of riger so quickly. He had been so worried about Chiyo, never mind himself.
A breeze swept by and his red hair ruffled. His stark green eyes with their black frames snapped open and he stared, wide-eyed, at the clouds as they passed right over his head. It was no use, he still didn't get what was so great about cloud-watching. Shikamaru had said you could picture things in the clouds, lik all the animals of the zodiac or even humans and animals.
"What does he mean? I don't see anything!"

~I'll be there someday / I can go the distance / I will find my way / If I can be strong / I know ev'ry mile / Will be worth my while / When I go the distance / I'll be right where I belong~

There was a soft thump and he looked at what was up, to him anyways.
Kankuro had his arms crossed. "What are you doing up here?!"
"Cloud-watching." Gaara rolled onto his stomach and got up again. "Shikamaru said it's relaxing."
"Is it?"
"Unless you like getting a tan and becoming extremely irritated at finding nothing to look at, yes." Gaara leaned over and shook the sand out of his hair like a dog shook water off it's body. "I am never taking advice from Shikamaru again."
"Good. Now, can you get back to work?!" Kankuro grabbed Gaara's wrist. "You've got some new reports to rifle through."
"Right."

~Down an unkown road / To inbrace my fate / Though the road may wonder / It will lead me to you~

He put the last stamped seal on the last paper and was gently tapping them into a neat stack when he heard a pebble hit his window. He peeked out to see some kids looking scared. They must've been playing and accidentally hit his window. He managed to open the window without throwing the rock back at them.
Leaning out he held his hand out with the pebble. "Catch!" he called.
When he released it, the smallest boy started running around, trying to catch it. While he was doing that, Gaara pulled an old ball out of his desk and dropped that for them to play with. They all cheered and waved at him. A smile cracked on his face and they all jumped for joy, calling thanks as they ran to play.
Gaara felt comfort in that fact. At least the youngest wouldn't ever know what he was.

~And a 1000 years / Would be worth the wait / It may take a lifetime / But somehow I'll see it through~

That nightmare. It was still in the back of his mind. He was grooming himself for the night.
His hair was going to be a blister to manage, so, he always left it be. He made a bit of a brush of his teeth and managed to change without anybody's asking if he wanted assistance. Gaara finally made it to his sleeping quarters.
Since Shukaku's departure from his body, Gaara had to still get used to sleeping without the fear of Shukaku consuming him. It was weird for him. After all, Shukaku threatened to take his mind away and make him into an inhuman puppet for his own needs.
Now, Gaara crawled under the covers and tried to figure out what was comfortable.
It took it's usual twenty minutes to figure that out.

~And I wont look back / I can go the distance / I will stay on track / No, I wont acept defeat / Its an up hill slope / But I wont lose hope / Til I go the distance / And my journey is complete~

Sleep was sound and careful tonight, but Gaara wasn't woken by the nightmare, he was woken by a shrill scream that pierced right through his window. Sitting up, he looked around and found it was nobody in the immediate visinity.
Throwing on some cloths, Gaara managed to get outside as Anbu ran down the hall, followed by some of the Jonin. He watched them pass and realized they were heading down. He snatched his gourd from his room and ran down the halls, after the Anbu and Jonin.

~But to look beyond the glory / Is the hardest part / For a hero's strength is measured by his heart~

The scream was a woman who was now dead. She lay, face-down in a pool of blood and Gaara raised his sand sheild around his body. Kneeling down, he gently moved her and then let her fall back. Her face was something he would rather have not seen. Another scream, but of angusih and determination.
Hopping to it, Gaara found it was Kankuro. He had a kunai in his right elbow. He didn't have time to pull it out, since there were seven rouge ninja surrounding him. Gaara made the signs and focused on the three to the right. His Shukaku's Claw shot out and grabbed them, sucking them into his sand.
"Kankuro!"
"I'm fine. Deal with them for a second!"

~Like a shooting star / I can go the distance / I will search the world / I will face its arms / I dont care how far / I can go the distance~

Gaara did as was suggested. He kept them as busy as possible. Using everything from his Sand Rain to his Sand Burrial. The Sand Burrial was only on one and Gaara didn't like crushing him like that so he wouldn't move. He was being surrounded and he was about to exerience exactly why Kankuro had been hit.
Gritting his teeth, he suddenly noticed they were throwing paper bombs into the wind. Gaara's eyes widened and then narrowed. He'd have to stop them! It was the least he could do!
He jumped after the bombs. He ran along the road, making the signs for his sand to follow. He shot them out like little claws and grabbed as many as he could, stuffing them into his gourd as he ran. He could hear them fizzing and knew he'd have to get out of the village before they went off. He grabbed the last one and was sure he'd gotten them.
He made a break for the gates. He would make it over them, at least. As he ran, he threw his right hand out and a sand platform appeared, to which he jumped onto. He lunged from one sand platform to the next with ease.

~Till I find my hero's welcome / Waiting in your arms~

Five meters to the gate.
Four meters to the gate.
Three.
Two.
One.
Over the gate Gaara lunged, using it like an athlete over a hurtle. He knew he was going to break his ankle and twisted around to land on his back instead. He watched the guards on the wall gasp in shock and tried to re-inforce his sand sheild.
The explosion came so hard Gaara felt the gourd ripped off his back and could also feel something covering his cloths, making them heavy and unmovable. Instead of landing on his back, the force and made him land on his front and then flip back onto his back before sliding away on his stomach.
He tried to calm himself. He stayed perfectly still and listened. There wasn't any screams of terror from the village and he smiled. They were all safe. Good.
He heard Temari calling for him as she came closer. "Gaara! Kazekage-sama!"
When she touched his back, Gaara let out an almight yelp that made her jump back. He took a fist full of sand. "Don't do that. It hurts."
"GAARA!" Her hug was bone-crushing and added to Gaara's headache, backache, stomach pains, and broken wrist. "Gaara, don't do that!"
He took a small breath. "Ouch." He smiled. "As long as I saved my home, this isn't a problem."
"It's safe."
"Good. Now, I need a nap." Gaara's eyes closed and he felt weightless as he fell forward.

He was a hero once more.

~I will search the world / I will face its arms / Till I find my hero's welcome / Waiting in your arms~