What the Water Gave Us

Something Primal

"We've got a location on that son of a bitch, finally!" Chojuro stood from his desk, slamming his arms down.

"What's the plan?" Naruto asked. Kagura and Lady Mei looked at Chojuro fully attentive. The other Kage had needed to return to their own nations' affairs and had left Kirigakure hours prior.

It was at that moment a clone of Naruto burst through the office door. "It's Gaara! He's awake!"

Chojuro felt relief wash over him. The way Naruto barged in he feared the worst. "That's excellent news! How is he?" He tried masking the depth of his concern but to no avail.

"Not amazing. He asked to see you."

Chojuro's heart fluttered. "Of course. I'll be there soon."

Lady Mei chimed in with her wisdom. "We need to strike fast. If word catches that the Kazekage is alive they will try again."

"Yes, but we can't afford to go in half cocked either," Chojuro replied. "Please excuse me. I need to regroup."

It took a couple of hours before Chojuro was able to successfully able to break away from work. When Chojuro finally arrived at Gaara's hospital room, a different one than the one he left him in, he recognized Temari, Shikamaru, and one of Naruto's clones speaking in hushed voices. Gaara was sleeping in the bed, free of most apparatus save for an IV drip.

"You said he wanted to see me?" he asked Naruto.

"He did. Didn't say what for." Naruto regarded Chojuro with a curious expression, like Chojuro was a puzzle to be solved.

"He just fell asleep," Temari added, arms folded. Chojuro always thought it amusing how similar the sand siblings were in their own way. "Now might not be a good time. The nurses have been working on testing his strength and cognitive abilities. It looks like there hopefully won't be any longterm physical damage, though his lungs will take some time to heal. They pushed him pretty hard though," she said, worry etched on her fair features.

"Don't forget about the trauma," Shikamaru said.

"Trauma?" Chojuro asked, voice low.

"Yeah. The nurses tried to help him shower at his request. He shut down the instant the water came on."

"I've never seen him so scared," Temari sighed. "I really hope he can push past this."

Chojuro listened to what the others had to say and felt so low. His shoulders sagged forward. "I'm...I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I should have told him to stay home. I encouraged him to come. I told him we'd keep him safe." He looked over to Gaara's sleeping face. Even like this he was beautiful. "But I know he's strong. He may be able to overcome this. Let's not count him out yet."

"How would you know that?" Naruto challenged. "Last I checked, you guys barely knew each other. Then suddenly your name is one of the first words he speaks after his coma? What is really going on here?" Naruto tried to soften the bite of anger he felt, jealousy even. But he was also genuinely curious. Something didn't add up.

Chojuro wrung his hands nervously. It was an old habit. "If we don't get these guys soon everyone's going to find out." He was blushing and avoiding Naruto's eyes. He worried about what such a reveal would do to Gaara's reputation, let alone his own.