As they traveled back toward the ranch, Gaara tried not to remember the way Naruto had stared at him as he'd walked into the hotel. Naruto looked the way he figured he had when he was younger and had slipped beneath the big tent at a circus and watched the trapeze act-mesmerized, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Naruto's eyes had been big and round, his mouth slightly parted.

"Well," Naruto finally said. "Don't you look...different."

He wasn't certain if looking different was a good thing or not. He'd never gone to a barber before. He'd always cut his own hair using a knife. Looking at his reflection in the barbershop, he'd been surprised by his appearance. Although he knew five years had passed, he'd avoided mirrors in prison and had halfway expected to see a fourteen-year-old staring back at him at the barbershop.

It saddened him to see the passing years carved in his face, to see a young man where once there had been a boy. Gazing in the mirror might not have been such a good thing to do.

"Kakashi, why don't you take that trail up there so we can have a picnic by the river?" Naruto suddenly said, his question more of a statement.

Kakashi jerked his head around. "You didn't say anything about a picnic."

"I thought I did."

"No, you didn't."

Gaara couldn't get over how much they argued. But there never seemed to be any anger in their words. It was more playfulness than anything. It was obvious they held a great deal of affection for each other. Gaara couldn't imagine arguing with someone and not being angry at the same time. He'd never been around people like these, and they made him uncomfortable. Made him very much aware that he didn't fit in.

"What did you think was in the basket that Iruka put in the back of the buggy?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi snapped his attention to Iruka. "I reckon I didn't give it much thought. But I didn't have plans for us to take a picnic."

"It didn't take us that long in Fort Worth," Naruto said. "Surely we have time for a quick picnic. I'm certain Iruka brought your favorites, didn't you, Iruka?"

Iruka smiled sweetly. "Of course. Fried chicken and buttermilk cake."

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know, Naruto. They'll be expecting us."

"Please, Kakashi. I'd hate to think Iruka went to all that trouble for nothing."

"All right. We'll stop for a little while."

Naruto settled back and shifted his gaze to Gaara. "Do you like picnics?"

He shrugged.

"Don't tell me you've never been on one," he said softly.

"It's eating outside, isn't it?" Gaara asked

"Yes, it's something like that."

"Well, I've eaten outside."

He wouldn't mind the delay that stopping to eat would grant him. He wasn't in any all-fired hurry to return to the ranch, where everyone watched him as though they expected him to make a mistake, to bolt, or to break one of the judge's rules.

The buggy swayed as Kakashi guided the horses off the main road onto a less-traveled trail. Naruto bumped against Gaara. His cheeks burned red as he scooted away from him and held on to his side of the wagon.

It was just a slight touch, but still he felt where Naruto's shoulder had brushed against his as though he's set a hot brand against him. Why was he so aware of everything about him, everything surrounding him? Why did Naruto make him wish he could say he'd been on a thousand picnics, knew all the things Naruto knew, had done all the things Naruto had done?

Kakashi brought the buggy to a halt not far from the river. He hopped out, walked swiftly around the horses, and helped Iruka and Naruto climb out of the buggy.

"Gaara, help me unhitch the horses," Kakashi said, "while they get things ready."

Gaara climbed out of the buggy. He watched as Naruto carried a quilt and Iruka carted a basket to a nearby tree. He turned and found Kakashi glaring at him.

"Just in case you haven't figured it out yet...stay away from Iruka, as well as Naruto, or you'll find yourself back in prison," Kakashi said.

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"Now remember," Naruto whispered to Iruka, "as soon as we've finished eating, convince Kakashi to take you for a walk so I can talk to Gaara without Kakashi's interference."

Iruka glanced over to where Kakashi and Gaara were leading the horses to the river.

"I'll try, but I don't know if I'll have much luck at it," he said.

Naruto was certain he'd have a great deal of luck. He was sure Kakashi had a soft spot for Iruka. He'd spent too much time glancing over at him as he's driven the buggy. It had been funny to watch because every time Iruka looked over at Kakashi, Kakashi would look away—as though he didn't want to get caught.

Sitting on the quilt he'd spread out beneath the boughs of the tree, Naruto removed food from the basket—all while keeping an eye on Gaara. He'd always heard that a way to a man's heart was through his stomach. He wasn't interested in capturing Gaara's heart, but he did hope that feeding him would put him a little more at ease and cause him to open up a bit more.

He watched as Gaara and Kakashi began walking toward them—not like friends would, side by side, but as strangers, with Gaara trailing a little behind his brother. Gaara's gaze kept darting toward the river, and Naruto wondered if he was contemplating the merits of escaping.

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Escape! Escape! The word thundered through Gaara's mind like a herd of stampeding mustangs.

He was beginning to think everyone was playing a practical joke on him, offering him freedom and all the while trying to figure out how to snatch it away.

He was supposed to stay away from Naruto. Stay away from Iruka. And while doing that, he was supposed to sit down and have a meal with them. A picnic.

He felt awkward and ignorant around these people. They didn't seem to measure their words when they spoke to one another. They bickered with no anger. They teased, cajoled, and seemed at ease with one another.

When members of the gang bickered, they usually came to blows. Gaara had been most comfortable with Sometimes-Red-Eye-Itachi, but still it was an uneasy partnership, never trusting Itachi a hundred percent, never knowing when the gang might abandon Gaara. And abandon him they had.

He knew he had only himself to blame for being sent to prison, but still it rankled.

He followed Kakashi as they got closer and closer to the tree where Naruto sat on a quilt. Gaara wondered how he was going to manage to eat with these people and stay away from them at the same time. Because he definitely did not want to go back to prison.

If someone offered him all the money in the world to go back to prison, he'd say no. Nothing on God's green earth was worth going back to prison for. No, sir. He'd do anything, absolutely anything, to stay out of prison. And that included following the judge's rules.

Kakashi dropped onto an empty space on the quilt.

Naruto patted an area beside him. "Sit here, Gaara."

He hesitated. Was disobeying him going to get him sent back to prison?

"Rather not," he finally managed to say. He glanced at Kakashi, who nodded. What did that mean? Was it all right to sit beside Naruto, or was he approving Gaara's unwillingness to do so?

Gaara walked past him and sat with his back against the tree trunk. He was close enough to partake of the victuals, but far enough away that he wasn't really part of the group.

"Gaara, do you like fried chicken?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, sir."

He took the chicken leg he handed him and was halfway finished eating it before he noticed Kakashi wasn't eating the piece he'd been given.

"Most folks wait until everyone is served," Kakashi said.

Gaara glanced around. Naruto was holding a piece of chicken; Iruka wasn't.

"I'm sure Gaara didn't mean to be rude," Naruto said.

More rules. He'd do better standing by the river until these people were finished with their picnic, He raised his knee, draped his wrist over it, and dangled the chicken over the ground, waiting for everyone to be severed.

Kakashi finally took a bite and made a sound deep in his throat that sounded like a gagged cow: "Mmm."

"Iruka knows all Kakashi's favorite foods," Naruto said. "What's your favorite food, Gaara?"

Anything that filled his belly.

"Don't have a favorite."

"I'm partial to fudge," Naruto admitted. "Iruka, what do you like?"

"I like anything with a bit of sweetness to it," Iruka said.

Gaara started to take a bite of his chicken.

"Do you like sweet things, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

He stilled. Sure he liked sweet things. He nodded. "A good tempered horse."

Kakashi burst out laughing. Iruka covered his mouth to hide his smile.

Naruto's eyes sparkled. "I meant sweet things to eat."

"Oh." He felt foolish. Outlaws never talked about what kind of food they liked to eat. He didn't fit with these people. Never would. Still, he searched his memory for the last time he'd eaten something sweet and mumbled, "Gumdrops."

Naruto's face lit up. "Lemon?"

He nodded.

"Me, too. If I'd known, I would have purchased some when we were in town."

He shook his head. "I'm already going to have to work extra days at the ranch after I've served my time so I can pay the judge back for everything you purchased for me today," Gaara said. "I don't need gumdrops."

Everyone looked at him as though they were surprised to fined him sitting near them.

He looked away from them. He really wished he were standing by the river. Alone. Alone was the way he'd been for most of his life. He was more comfortable with it than sitting with these people and trying to belong.

When they finished eating, Gaara still sat with his back against the tree. Naruto had scooted over a little so he was closer, his profile to him—portrait-perfect pretty.

A short distance away, Iruka and Kakashi were picking flowers near the river, where the horses had been left to graze. Every now and then Kakashi darted a quick glance over his shoulder—as though he expected Gaara to be stupid enough to try and escape. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind at least a hundred times since he's stepped off the train yesterday.

He longed for the freedom that running would give him. But the thought of getting caught kept him tethered to the spot. He didn't want to go back to prison.

"I think Iruka likes Kakashi," Naruto said wistfully. "And Kakashi likes him, but they're like two skittish horses prancing around each other."

Naruto looked at him. "Do you think that's the way one goes about courting?"

"How would I know?"

Naruto smiled self-consciously. "I guess not."

He glared at him. "Not at all."

Naruto blushed becomingly, and Gaara cursed himself for taking his frustrations out on Naruto.

"I'm sorry," Gaara said quietly.

The words sounded strange coming out of his mouth. He couldn't recall ever using them before.

Naruto lifted his gaze to him. "That's all right. I suspect the abrupt change to your life takes a bit of adjustment.

He nibbled on his bottom lip. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask," Gaara told him. "Doesn't mean I'll answer."

Naruto wiggled until he's inched a bit closer to him. "Why did the leader of the gang go by the name of Sometimes-Red-Eye-Itachi?

"Because when he got mad his eyes would turn red."

Furrowing his brow delicately, he shook his head. "So the name referred to that?

"Yes, he would get mad quite often so it looked like there was a red film covering his eyes."

He grimaced. "That's rather disgusting."

"Yeah, it could be, but that was Itachi."

It had been a long while since he'd spoken so many words strung together. He looked away, feeling strange that he'd said as much as he had. He'd rarely spoken in prison because talking usually led to trouble.

"Was the man ever honest about anything?" Naruto asked.

"Some things. He carried out every threat I ever heard him make."

"He sounds like an absolutely charming man," he said.

"He wasn't really."

"I was being sarcastic," Naruto said.

"Oh."

He wasn't much good talking to pretty men. He could discuss the quickest route to take out of town after robbing a bank, could explain the best way to break into a safe, and could describe the particulars of dressing a wound. He didn't think Naruto would be interested in the topics he knew something about.

So he let the silence stretch between them. He listened to the breeze rustling the leaves overhead, the birds twittering, and the occasional neigh of a horse. It was a strange thing, sitting with Naruto on a warm afternoon.

He was startled when Naruto reached over and touched the scar on his wrist.

"That must have hurt," he said softly, sympathetically.

He looked at her tan finger against his ivory skin, and slowly lifted his gaze to Naruto's blue eyes.

"I'm sorry they hurt you," he said.

Gaara didn't know what to say. No one had ever shown him that much kindness. He felt a knot rise in his throat that made it difficult to swallow. Naruto wasn't supposed to be nice to him.

He glanced at the river. The last thing he wanted Naruto's brother to see was Naruto touching Gaara's arm. He shifted slightly so Naruto's hand fell away from him.

"I've been the one asking questions," Naruto said. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

As a matter of fact, he had been wondering about something. He asked, "Do you know if Zabuza's ever been to prison?"

"I've heard he spent some time in a Yankee prison during the war, but he doesn't talk about it," he said.

Gaara hid his disappointment. He'd been hoping that he and the foramen might have something in common. But if Zabuza had fought in the war, he was probably close to being a hero. Gaara had never been and never would be a hero.

With an unexpected, delightful smile, Naruto leaned toward him. "I did something terribly wicked today while you and Kakashi were off at the barber's. If I share it with you, will you promise not to tell a soul?"

Terribly wicked? The judge's son?

Well, well, well. So maybe he wasn't the prim and proper young man that he'd suspected him of being.

His mind reeled with the possibilities of what Naruto had done, and he was more than eager to hear about his notorious behavior.

"I won't tell a soul," he promised.

Naruto smiled brightly, popped to his feet, and raced to the buggy. He came back carrying a package wrapped in brown paper.

"Papa forbids me to have these," he confessed. "But when I saw this one, I just couldn't resist."

He tugged on the string, and Gaara's interest increased. He couldn't imagine what it could be, but what ever it was, Naruto kept it well protected.

Carefully he folded back the paper, and there it was in all its decadent glory: a dime novel. Lariat Lorena.

"I've never seen one that featured a women as the main character," he told Gaara. I simply had to purchase it, even if Papa doesn't think novels like this one are worth the paper there're printed one."

He couldn't believe it. He absolutely couldn't believe it. This was Naruto's excursion into wickedness? A book?

He couldn't help himself. He laughed long and hard. Laughing like he'd never laughed in his life.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked.

"You think that's"—he pointed at the book he'd clutched to his chest—"wicked."

"But Papa forbade me to read these books. I thought...I thought..."

He looked at the book. Then at him. Tears welled in his eyes.

Gaara's laughter came to an abrupt end. He hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. He didn't know how to act around decent folks. Everything he did. Everything he said was wrong. Maybe he did belong in prison, away from the world.

He watched with increasing horror as a solitary tear rolled down Naruto's cheek. He had no idea what to do around someone weeping. He didn't even have a handkerchief to give him. "Geez, don't cry."

He sniffed and swiped at a corner of his eye. "You must think I'm terribly stupid."

"Not stupid," Gaara rushed to assure him, trying to think of something he could say to make Naruto feel better. "My reading is just passable. I've never read a book like that one. I'm sure, if you say so, that it's very wicked."

Naruto pouted out his lower lip. "It's not really. That's part of the reason I don't understand why Papa objects to it."

"What's going on here?" Kakashi yelled.

Gaara hadn't seen Kakashi's arrival, but he suddenly found himself jerked to his feet with a fist balled around his shirt and glaring eyes boring into him.

Kakashi shook him. "What did you do to make him cry?"

"Kakashi!" Naruto jumped up and placed a hand on his brother's arm. "Let him go!"

"What did he do Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing." Naruto reassured him.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes into razor-sharp slits. Gaara could see that the man was one wrong word away from throttling him—so he kept his mouth shut. Nothing to be gained by tossing a flame onto a keg of dynamite.

"Kakashi!" Naruto cried. "He didn't do anything."

"I knew this picnic was a bad idea." Kakashi shoved Gaara against the tree before releasing him.

"I'm getting the horses and we're heading home." Kakashi pointed his finger as Gaara. "You don't move from this spot until I have the horses hitched up. Do you understand?'

Gaara nodded. For a brief time, he had foolishly forgotten that he was still a prisoner. "Yes, sir."

"Kakashi, you're acting crazy," Naruto protested.

"Naruto, I'm taking care of this matter," Kakashi ground out, his threatening glare never wavering from Gaara. "You've been manipulating me all morning. And don't think I don't know it. I'm in charge here, and unless you want Father to hear about this incident, you'll do as I say. Now get to the buggy."

Gaara didn't dare look at Naruto, but he heard him indignant huff and the pounding of his footsteps as he trudged away.

"Don't move from this spot," Kakashi ordered one last time before going after the horses.

Gaara tried to calm his pounding heart, striving to tame his disappointment. All Naruto had needed to do was thrust his stupid book in front of his brother's angry face, so he could explain what happened.

But doing that would have meant exposing his little wicked disobedience.

No one had ever stood up for him before. He'd been a fool to hope this one time, someone would.