Solitude

Epilogue: Trust

❝Trusting her is my decision. Proving me right is her choice.❞ ㅡ Gaara

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EPILOGUE:

TRUST

                    There was a hole in his heart, a lack of sense in the world he saw transform through watery eyes. The white walls of the room seemed to be closing in on him as he lay on the hospital bed, recovering from wounds that would never heal; a scar would form to conceal his pain, but his heart would still be empty — yet filled with despair and regret. Not for the first time, he let his mind wander and wonder; about his choices, about the actions he never made.

Perhaps, she would still be there if he had taken a minute to analyse her unusual behaviour. Perhaps, he would've realised her smile was forced and didn't reach her troubled eyes.

Perhaps, Sasuke would have never chosen to follow her steps if he had supported the young Uchiha more...

Sad smiles and empty promises had greeted him ever since his eyes had opened; blurry faces and distant words he hadn't paid attention to — an undeniable fact denied access to any attempt at comforting him.

Now, as the last rays of the sun caressed an unattainable horizon, Naruto found himself in a room as empty as his soul. Visiting hours were over, and so he was left alone with his thoughts.

Why was everyone leaving him?

His blue eyes got lost in the sea of colours spread over the world, and his mind found an unexpected calm in the way the clouds danced across the infinite sky. A heavy sigh slipped through parted lips as he leaned back against the soft pillow, but his attention repentantly averted to the closed door upon noticing someone's presence on the other side.

Muscles tensing, Naruto gripped the bedsheets and readied himself as the silhouette behind the crystal door twisted and disappeared. He frowned for a second, wondering if his exhausted mind was playing tricks on him.

"Naruto."

The voice came from beside his bed, startling him beyond measure and eliciting a loud shriek from the injured boy. Soon enough, he found himself sprawled on the floor and cradling his head after having hit it on the corner of the bedside table. With tears in his eyes, Naruto looked up and searched for the owner of the smooth voice.

Surprise crossed his face as his gaze found Gaara standing by the window, arms crossed over his chest and body slightly leaning against the wall.

"Y-you!" Pointing a finger at him was the blonde's canny response to the unexpected appearance of the Suna ninja.

Gaara fixed his eyes on him, and something happened in that short connection that made Naruto pause. For a fleeting moment, as the moon woke up from its slumber and made its slow way to the top of a starry sky, his mind flooded with memories of the day he had seen Rei last. And in the midst of pain and frustration, he met the redhead's reminiscence — he saw him helping, trying to accomplish the most difficult mission of all and reach a common goal.

Still sitting on the floor, Naruto hung his head and muttered, "You were there. Why?"

In a voice free of malice and acrimony, Gaara replied, "She visited the village during the night. There must have been a reason for it, but Temari stopped her."

"She let her go?" Naruto asked, baffled.

"Temari may seem harsh, but I now can see her true feelings about Rei," he commented while taking a look outside. "She wants to trust her and help her find her path."

His blue gaze lowered to stare at the white floor under his form as his words took him back to the letter Rei had left for him, and he was reminded of her pleas. She wanted him to trust her; it was not about breaking bonds and searching for power somewhere else. She didn't want to leave them, but to find herself and discover the truth that had been denied to her for so long.

"I have no reason to believe she won't return," Gaara mused with a distant look in his eye. "Nor do I doubt her intentions for a second."

Both taken aback and moved by his unexpected feelings towards his good friend, Naruto stared hard at him for a fleeting moment before a foxy smile stretched on his lips.

"Ah, I understand now," he started while chuckling to himself. "You like Rei."

Blinking, Gaara drifted his eyes towards him. It was clear as water that the redhead had no idea what the Leaf ninja was implying. "Like?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "As in, she's your friend — I know that, because she's said it a lot of times. But you want to be more than that, eh?"

Friend.

There it was; that word. The warmth flooding within him at the mention of it was something new to Gaara, but it managed to bring a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. Happiness.

"He's precious to me."

A precious friend?

Without his consent, his lips curled into a genuine, soft smile. Turning to gaze outside, the Sand ninja relished in those warm feelings touching every nook inside his body. Yes, he could get used to it.

Unbeknownst to him, a satisfied Naruto was grinning, feeling incredibly pleased about the turn of events and, once again, misunderstanding the situation completely.

"Did you see it in her eyes, Naruto?"

Sobering up, said boy gave him a confused stare.

"The pain of leaving Konoha," Gaara elaborated.

"I was too busy being attacked by a tree, to be honest," he admitted while scratching the back of his head. With a sigh, he asked, "Do you really think she'll return?"

A bird landed on the window shill, catching Gaara's attention; he observed the colourful animal closely, temporarily startled as it returned the stare with its orange eyes. But soon enough, it was flying off.

A thoughtful expression crossed his face as he watched it go.

Gaara uncrossed his arms and separated his back from the wall. "Believe in her. It's the only thing she asked from us," was all he said before disappearing in a trail of sand that escaped through the window.

"Believe in her," Naruto repeated in a whisper. A smile tugged at his lips and he nodded.

Just as he was about to stand up, someone else jumped in through the open window. His blue eyes widened like saucers at the sight of him, and hope finally replaced all despair and confusion.

"What are you doing on the floor, idiot?"

Sasuke Uchiha sat down on the window frame and smirked down at him.

"S-Sasuke...," the blond ninja breathed out, unable to believe his eyes. "You came back, why?"

The Uchiha gave a shrug and replied coolly, "Doesn't matter. But you'd better recover quickly; we've been given another mission already, and I'm not letting you slow me down."

With a grin, forgetting all about the drama he had arisen, Naruto jumped to his feet and shouted, "What'cha talking about? I'm ready to go!"

A loud pop was heard, before his face turned white as a sheet. Sasuke could only shake his head.

"Moron."

And that's all, folks!

Not really, though. But the sequel will be out soon! If you want me to personally message you to let you know when I publish it, leave a comment saying so. And I would also appreciate it if you guys let me know what you think of this epilogue and the book in general. I've been working on it for 4 years, and there's a lot of effort behind!

I would also like to thank all of those who've followed Rei's story until now - this is only the beginning ;)