Xavyn continued to hold Gaara, even as they got down from the building. "Gaara. I need your help to be stronger. I want your help, I want you to train me, I want everything you can do." Xavyn's grip tightened on Gaara's shoulder, but not nearly enough to hurt him. "I don't think I would be of any use to you. You should ask Kankuro." Xavyn felt deflated as they began walking, he kept his spirits up, and tried again, though his stutter began to take over. "Gaara, n-nobody, dang it. N-nobody would be b-b-better at m-making me stronger, than y-you. Y-you know m-my pain, you kn-know me better than a-a-anyone. I'm asking a-as a friend." "Alright. You want me to train you, I'll train you, but Kankuro and Temari will help. They have more experience." Xavyn squealed out of happiness, and hugged his friend tightly. Gaara managed a smile, and hugged back before they continued on, and looked for the siblings in question. Xavyn found them first, and summoned a great amount of courage to call out for them. "K-Kankuro! Tem-Temari!" The two turned around, and froze when they saw sand swirling around their brother, and their friend, and noticing the new mark on Gaara's forhead.

"What happened?" Gaara pressed his lips shut, and clenched his hand into a fist, loosening it when Xavyn slid his hand in to hold it. The youngest gave his elders a brief rundown of what happened, continuing to hold Gaara's hand, and run his thumb along the back, and over his knuckles. "I c-couldn't s-stop it, I wasn't s-strong enough. So I-I'm asking you t-to make me stronger. Please." Temari, and Kankuro were thinking different things but ended up with the same result of an answer, they knew Xavyn would be good for Gaara, and could be better if he could get stronger. Having no home to go to, they didn't want to leave him at the hands of his father who was still a potential threat to Xavyn's safety. "We'll do our best. It looks like you could use a rest though, let's go home." They took him back to their house, knowing they would have to explain his presence, and stopped by the kitchen to make food. Temari brought them to Gaara's room, and got another blanket and pillow for their guest, Xavyn, and Gaara climbed on the bed, and leaned against the wall behind them.

"Alright get cozy, we'll bring your food up when it's done." Xavyn started to protest. "D-don't bother, I-I'm not very hungry. I don't th-think I could eat a-anyway." "Ok, how bout you, Gaara? Are you hungry?" He shook his head, and leaned against Xavyn's shoulder. Xavyn sighed, and wrapped his free arm around his friend while Temari went back to the kitchen, only to be stopped by her father. "Who is that child, and why does he hang around Gaara like this all the time?" "He's Gaara's friend, they need some food." "Does he know about Shukaku?" "I think so, he won't be a threat to Gaara or you." "I'll be watching him carefully. First sign of a threat from him, and I will see to it that he's eliminated." "Understood, Sir." She, and Kankuro got the food back up with the help of a tray, Kankuro set the four bowls down on the bedside table. At the smell of the rice, and ramen, Xavyn's mouth watered, and his stomach growled. He gripped his stomach, but couldn't take back the sound it created, and as if Gaara's body was responding to Xavyn's, his own stomach growled, and they both sat up higher to eat easier.

Kankuro, and Temari couldn't help but laugh, and get their food situated in their laps, and gave them chopsticks before taking their own bowls. They all made small talk while they ate, Gaara continuing to lean on his friend, and they fed each other like in the hospital. The next day, Xavyn began a five, and a half year journey of grueling training between Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari as his teachers. When he was twelve, almost thirteen, years old, he began to realize the growing affection he held towards his lifelong friend, and he struggled to stuff his feelings down, and focus on becoming the protector he swore he'd be. Gaara took notice of the changes, the more private, and subtle changes that is, as he was observant of his friend; his siblings took notice of the more obvious things. Xavyn kept a distance between himself, and Gaara when they slept, they bathed separately, Xavyn wouldn't let Gaara feed him anymore, he began to distance himself without cutting Gaara out of his life.

Gaara became confused, and tried to talk to his siblings about the situation. Temari suggested hormonal changes that made him scared to do things he used to, Kankuro didn't know what to say but he didn't want Gaara to lose control of his emotions because he was confused. They took a break from training, Xavyn could no longer stand, sweat dripped into his eyes, and made his clothes, and hair stick to him, his shirt long since removed, and tied around his waist; his body trembled with the force of moving with weak muscles. He fell down, and landed against a tree, hissing as the rough bark scraped against his bare back, and scratched at him. Temari took his brother to get something as a treat for her determined friend. "Gaara, let's go get some food ok?" Kankuro stayed for Xavyn's protection, and saw it as an opportunity to figure out why the changes had happened. He laid down on his back, beside his friend, and looked up at the clouds. "Xavyn, we've seen how different you've been acting lately. You're not as good at hiding it as you think you are." "S-so?" "So. Talk to me. I'm no good at this stuff, but gimme a shot. What's going on?" "N-nothing. It's nothing." Over the years, Xavyn's managed to get his stutter under control, and it only showed when he was feeling intense emotions.

"Stop lying, and tell me. As your teacher and friend, I'm not asking. I'm telling you to talk to me. This isn't healthy." Xavyn whimpered, and slumped down next to Kankuro, squishing his nose on the hard ground. "O-ow. Look, the truth is...I...don't wanna say." Kankuro sighed, and in the blink of an eye, Xavyn found himself pinned against the tree he'd been leaning on. "I don't want to threaten you or hurt you, but this is some bullcrap. You need to talk to someone about what's going on." Fear flashed in Xavyn's eyes, but he didn't let it show otherwise. "I-I like Gaara ok? Whenever I get too close to him...my face gets hot, and my belly tingles inside, like butterflies are flying all over. And...it's wrong, isn't it? To like someone who's the same as you? Especially when it's your friend..." Xavyn hung his head in shame, expecting to be hit, and berated for his confession. "You have a crush on Gaara? That's why you're avoiding him?" Xavyn nodded, and looked up at his friend, tears streaming down his cheeks, and a waver in his voice.

"I-it's horrible! I shouldn't have these feelings but no matter what I do I...I can't make it go away!" His vision blurred, and there was an empty look in them that Kankuro recognized in Gaara. "It's not wrong. As long as nobody's being hurt, there's nothing wrong with those feelings. Are you scared of what Gaara will think? Or were you afraid of me, and Temari?" "U-um all of you, I think." Kankuro chuckled, and sat back, a little bit away from Xavyn. "I'm afraid of him hating me, more than anything. Like I'm afraid of telling him but that he'll hate me for the way I feel, and he won't wanna be around me." "My advise? Don't lie to him. That will hurt him more than anything." Xavyn remembered the night Yashamaru tried to kill Gaara, and the hurt and confused look on his friend's face. He didn't want that, the last thing he wanted was to hurt him. Gaara, and Temari came back with ice cream in their hands, and handed the frozen, and slightly melting treats to the others. Kankuro's was chocolate, Temari's was strawberry, Gaara's was rainbow colored, and Xavyn's was chocolate vanilla swirl. Gaara saw the wet streaks on Xavyn's cheeks but bit his tongue on the subject.

They all had assorted toppings like carmel or sprinkles on their ice cream, and Xavyn almost didn't take his, his eyes were glued to the rainbow drop on Gaara's wrist. He snapped out of the daze, and happily took the food, Gaara moving to sit next to him, and he fought to stay still. "Thank you..." "You're welcome. I'm glad you're not moving away again." "Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" Temari asked, her tongue chasing a trail of rogue ice cream down the cone. "I was just...dealing with some stuff." He snuck a glance at Kankuro who simply said, "Honesty." and practically inhaled his treat. Xavyn pushed his feelings down long enough to eat, and got lost in thought again, nobody paid him any mind; the others were watching the clouds. "I need to find a place to pee. Xavyn come with me, I know you do too." Xavyn, and Gaara got to their feet, the youngest finishing the last bit of his cone, and he chased after his friend. They moved further away from Kankuro, and Temari until Gaara couldn't see them anymore. They stood back to back, and tugged their pants down enough to pee without it splashing on their clothes.

Gaara could practically taste the tension, and fear oozing out of Xavyn's body but said nothing until they'd both relieved themselves. "Xavyn...did I do something to frighten you?" "No, of course not. I'd tell you if you did, you know that." They finally faced each other, and Xavyn couldn't look the other in his eyes. "Tell me, then. What's the matter? You're all jumpy, and your heart races when we touch. You think I haven't noticed? I pay close attention to things like that." Xavyn hugged himself with a whimper, and knew he couldn't stay quiet anymore. "I like you! I have a ginormous crush on my best friend, and I can't do anything about it because I know he doesn't feel attraction to anyone, least of all a nobody like me!" Surprised at the outburst, Gaara's jaw hung slightly while his brain processed the words he just heard. "You would rather ignore your feelings than talk about them?" "O-of course I would. I th-thought it w-was just puberty, and raging h-hormones a-at first but then it grew! I c-c-couldn't stop staring...or daydreaming. I th-thought avoiding the symptoms w-would cure the sickness."

Xavyn gasped as Gaara tucked his arms under his own, and buried his face in his shoulder. "G-Gaara?" "Shut up." His voice came out muffled from the skin of the shoulder, and he held Xavyn tighter. "Help me understand love, Xavyn. Teach me what it is." A sharp pain flitted across Xavyn's chest, he didn't want to be the experiment for Gaara's understanding. He took in the way Gaara was holding him, how tight he'd wrapped his arms around him, and how he was hiding his face. Gaara looked up, and gave him a small smile, dropping one hand only to reach up and flick Xavyn's nose hoop; remembering the pain he went through because he pierced himself, and how brave he thought Xavyn was that day. "I can practically hear you thinking. I mean this, I want you to show me what love is like. Will you do that? Will you be my partner, and show me what I'm missing?" Xavyn fought tears as his mind continued to run through each scenario. His train of thinking got interrupted when warm lips pressed against his in a brief, and somewhat awkward kiss. "I want to be with you, I know that. I may not have all the same emotional responses as you or anyone else, but I know that when I look at you, I want you to be the only one I feel this from."