"Naruto, stop picking at your food," his father ordered.

When in the world is he going to stop treating me like a child and allow me to do as I please? If I'm not in the mood to eat, so why do I have to eat?

Turning his attention away from the slice of lamb resting on his plate that he'd been poking with his fork, Naruto met his father's gaze where he sat at the head of the table. Kakashi and Gai sat on either side of him. Naruto had the dubious honor of sitting beside Gai.

"I can't seem to stop thinking about that outlaw," Naruto admitted. He felt sorry for him, standing in front of his father as he'd listed the conditions under which Gaara could stay at the ranch.

"He won't hurt you," Naruto's father assured him.

"I'm not afraid of him," he said. At least, he didn't want to be afraid of him. "I was just wondering if it was really necessary to give him so many rules to follow."

"I simply didn't want any misunderstandings to arise," he stated flatly.

Naruto didn't think there was much chance of that happening. His father was a man governed by the law, but sometimes Naruto thought he took his dedication to it to the extreme.

"Why do you think he did it?" Naruto asked. "Robbed the bank, I mean."

"A lazy man looking for easy money." Kakashi said.

"Only he wasn't a man." Naruto pointed out. "He was still a boy, a child really."

"Fourteen is old enough to be considered a man." Gai said. "We've had cowboys who weren't much older than that working for us when we've driven cattle north."

Naruto truly wasn't interested in his brothers' opinions. They didn't know any more about Gaara Sabaku than Naruto did. His father, on the other hand, had read Judge Sarutobi's account of the case.

"Papa, why do you think he did it?" Naruto repeated.

"I suspect Gai hit the nail on the head. The boy was looking for an easy way out."

"Prison doesn't seem like an easy way out to me." Naruto told him.

"He didn't plan on getting caught, Naruto." Kakashi said, as though Naruto didn't possess a lick of sense.

Sometimes his brothers were an irritating nuisance. Just because they were older didn't mean they were smarter.

Naruto moved his carrots from one side of his plate to the other. Watching Gaara get off the train, he'd felt a whole range of emotions. He's originally been frightened at the sight of the shackles, thinking he must be dangerous if he had to be restrained.

But as he'd approached him and seen the loneliness in Gaara's eyes, he'd felt a strong urge to comfort him. Until he'd given Naruto a look from the back of the wagon that had reminded him of a hungry wolf. Strangely, rather than making him wary, Gaara had only served to pique his curiosity and to confuse him.

"I thought he'd look mean," he murmured.

How did Gaara manage to look dangerous without appearing to be terrifying? Naruto always associated fear with danger. But what he felt now wasn't a scary sensation, but more of an exciting allure.

"Don't be fooled, Naruto," Kakashi said. "Judge Sarutobi didn't send him to prison without good reason."

Naruto gnawed on his lower lip. "If Papa believed that, he wouldn't have brought Gaara here." He turned to his father. "You think Judge Sarutobi was wrong, don't you?"

Naruto's father sighed. "I don't know. I don't like second-guessing another judge. Gaara was involved in an armed bank robbery during a time when crime here was escalating. A man was shot. He didn't die, but he came close. I suppose Judge Sarutobi wanted to make an example of Gaara. I don't fault him for that. I just thought the sentence seemed a bit harsh for a four-teen-year-old.

"For all we know, maybe it wasn't harsh enough," Gai said. "I just hope we don't all come to regret your good intentions."

Their father shoved his plate away, as though by doing so he could bring an end to the conversation. "Until we can get a good measure of he young man, I want you to watch him closely, but give him some slack."

"He'll just hang himself with it," Kakashi said.

Naruto's brothers usually weren't negative, but then they normally didn't have an outlaw walking among them.

"It'll be his choice if he does," his father said.

"What do you know about him?" Naruto asked. "Other than the fact that he's an outlaw, I mean."

"Not much." His father admitted. "Judge Sarutobi wrote more about the crime than he did the offender."

"Gaara seemed polite enough," he offered.

"I reckon prison can beat politeness into you." Gai said.

Naruto hated to admit he'd thought the same thing earlier. It wasn't often he and Gai agreed on anything-except for their enjoyment of dime novels. He had so many books that Naruto could always snitch one out of his bedroom without his noticing.

His father shook his head slightly, furrowing his brow. "He was short on words, but polite when I visited him in prison. That's the reason I decided it was safe to take a chance and let him serve out his time here." He pointed his finger at Naruto. "But you, young man, are to stay away from him."

Naruto decided that task would be easier said than done. He was fascinated with the outlaw and his deep green eyes that reflected a sadness he didn't think he could even begin to imagine.

outlawXoutlawXoutlawXoutlawxoutlawXoutlawX

Since entering the bunkhouse, Gaara hadn't spoken a single word to anyone, and no one had spoken to him. The cowhand who slept on the bunk beneath his had finally returned to his bed when he realized Gaara wasn't going to fight him.

Shortly after eight o-clock, Kisame had announced it was time to hit the sack. Cards had been put away and lanterns dimmed before most of the men had crawled onto their beds.

Some snored. Gaara was able to block out the noise, though. Men had snored in prison. Prison was never quite, never still. There was always a sound, a restless movement, a wanting to be somewhere else so badly....

And right now he wanted to be anywhere but here. He shifted his gaze from the shadows dancing across the ceiling to those washing over the door. Moonlight eased in through the slats of the shutters covering the windows. Not a lot of light, but enough that he could see that no one sat in chairs near the tables or windows.

Zabuza had left the bunkhouse after shouting another order for everyone to be quiet and get some shut-eye. He hadn't returned. The temptation to step outside overwhelmed Gaara.

It had been a little over five years since he'd been able to leave a room simply because he wanted to.

The bed moaned as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bunk. He held his breath, waiting for someone to tell him to lie back down.

But no such order came. And it dawned on him that he didn't have to answer to these men. He only had to report to Zabuza, and he wasn't around.

Carefully, quietly, he eased off the bunk until boots touched the ground with a hushed thud. He considered removing them, but where he wanted to go, he'd probably need them. Besides, removing them would probably make more noise than just creeping to the door.

So he crept. He heard someone stir and someone else snort. A muffled cough. A squeaking bed.

But no one came forward to stop him.

The hinges creaked as he opened the door slightly and slipped into the night.

He drew in a deep breath of clean air. He didn't know if anything had ever smelled so sweet.

"Going somewhere?" a deep voice asked, nearly sending him leaping off the porch.

He twisted around. In the shadows beneath the eaves, he made out Zabuza's silhouette.

"I needed some air," he said defensively.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Some of those boys don't wash their sock often enough."

It wasn't the smell of feet or sweat or bodies that had caused him to want to leave. It was everything closing in on him...getting smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than a closet.

"You always guard the door?" Gaara asked, resentment rising in him like burning bile. He knew he had no reason to be trusted, but he hated having every moment watched and measured. When the judge had made his offer, Gaara had thought he was getting out of prison. Instead he was discovering that it had simply taken a different shape.

"I always take some time in the evening to relax out here before I turn in." Zabuza said. "You got a problem with my habits?'

"No, sir"

Gaara glanced toward the corral. He needed to walk somewhere, to escape for a few minutes, to pretend he wasn't shackled by his past crimes.

"Can I take a walk around here?" he asked.

"I'm not your jailer, boy."

He snapped his head around. "I thought you were."

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, but I don't plan to watch you like a hawk. I give you my word, though, that if you run off, I'll hunt you down if the judge's boys don't find you first.

"I've no plans to run off. As bad as this is, it's a lot better than prison."

"I know that for a fact," Zabuza said.

Gaara's breath caught. "You've been in prison?"

"My past is my business. Take your walk."

With a deep breath, Gaara stepped off the porch and headed for the corral. In prison, his job had been to tend to the needs of the guards' horses: brushing them, feeding them, and keeping their stalls clean. His desire to get close to the familiar was almost overwhelming.

He'd enjoyed caring for the animals. He wasn't certain what his chores around here would entail, but maybe he could look out for the animals as well.

He glanced toward the house. Pale light spilled out of a couple of the windows on the second floor. He wondered if any of the windows visible to him belonged to Naruto. It would be a lot easier serving out his time here if Naruto weren't around.

In the judge's library, he'd been torn between wanting to look at him and being ashamed that he'd been sent to prison.

He reached the corral and folded his arms over the top railing. Several padlocks fanned out from this one. The others housed several horses each, but within this main one, a lone horse cantered around the edge of the fence as though it felt as restless as Gaara did. As though it, too, wanted to escape. Moonlight played over its shiny black coat.

Gaara clicked his tongue behind his teeth, making a little clacking sound as he held out his hand.

"Come here," he said softly. "Come here."

He'd always drawn comfort from the animals he'd tended. They didn't judge a man even when he deserved judgment.

The horse cautiously approached. Gaara reached out a hand and rubbed its muzzle. He wished he had a bit of an apple or a carrot to offer.

"She bites." A soft male voice said.

Gaara snatched his hand back and spun around. The youngest of the judge's son's stood beside him.

Gaara shoved his hands into his britches pockets and took a step back. He was near enough that he could smell Naruto's honeysuckle sent.

"Cat got your tongue?" Naruto asked

Naruto had asked him that same thing at the depot, and he hadn't known what to say then either. His mouth felt dry enough that it was possible something had hold of his tongue.

"I'm supposed to stay away from you." He sounded breathless, as though he'd run out to the corral.

"So go back to the bunkhouse if your scared."

Gaara's pride bristled at the challenge. "I'm not scared."

But he was. He didn't want to go back to prison, and staying away from Naruto was a rule. He pointed toward the bunkhouse. "Zabuza's sitting on the porch."

"Knowing Zabuza, he won't interfere unless I holler. He believes in giving a person more freedom than my father does."

Still, Zabuza was watching, and all he had to do was tell the judge that Gaara had been out with Naruto and he'd be back at prison. He knew he should leave, but he didn't want Naruto thinking he was afraid. He'd learned in prison that to survive he couldn't let anyone know he was afraid.

So he stayed, with his stomach knotting up and his blood thundering in his ears.

Naruto turned away from him, stepped on the bottom rung of the fence, and crossed his arms over the top railing. The horse neared, and Naruto held out his hand.

Even in the darkness, Gaara could tell Naruto had something in his palm. He saw the horse nudge his hand and then heard the crisp echo of munching.

"Thought you said she bites," Gaara said, irritated that Naruto's earlier comment had caused him to snatch his hand back.

"She's not silly enough to bite the hand that feeds her. Are you?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto turned his head toward Gaara, and he saw the moonlight dancing in his eyes and outlining the curves of his cheeks.

"You look at my father as though you resent him."

"I resent the rules," he admitted.

"I'm not to fond of them myself," Naruto said.

Gaara knew he should head back to the bunkhouse, but his chest ached with wanting. For just a few minutes, if he kept his distance, maybe no harm would come from pretending that he was like every other fella in the bunkhouse-was truly free to pursue his dreams.

Gaara glanced over his shoulder. No sign of Zabuza. Maybe he could stay a minute more.

Naruto pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed anther morsel of apple to the horse. "Don't you think she's beautiful?" He asked.

Gaara couldn't remember the last time anyone had asked his opinion on a matter. Why would Naruto care what he thought about his horse? "Maybe," he answered.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?"

"I talk when I have something to say."

"Which apparently isn't very often. Aren't you curious about my horse?"

He could imagine Zabuza watching him, counting off the minutes. "I need to get back to the bunkhouse."

"We've had Duchess for almost two months," Naruto said quickly, "but no one has been able to break her. Papa says you worked with the prison's horses"

"So?" he asked, irritated that Naruto knew his private business. Although he supposed as a prisoner, he really had no private business.

"Do you know much about horses?"

"Some."

"If she's not broken soon, father will get rid of her. He doesn't have much tolerance for rebellion-in animals or people."

Gaara thought he detected a measure of resentment in Naruto's voice. He couldn't imagine that Naruto did much rebelling, although he had to admit Naruto was out here in the dead of night talking to him.

"Duchess," Naruto said softly, sending a shiver racing through Gaara from his chin to his toes. He envied the horse because Naruto was rubbing its nose. "Why won't you let anyone break you?"

"Some horses aren't meant to be broken," Gaara said.

"But she's supposed to be my birthday present." Naruto leaned over and kissed the horse's forehead. "I want to ride her, but I'm forbidden to even try until one of the men ride her without being tossed."

"And you always do as your told," he guessed.

"Obviously not. I'm out here talking to you, aren't I?"

"You're talking to your horse. I just happen to be standing nearby."

Naruto flashed him a smile. "I doubt that excuse would hold up in my father's courtroom."

Gaara didn't much like being reminded of Naruto's father. He took a step back. "It's been a long day. I need to get some sleep." And he needed to get to the bunkhouse before Zabuza came after him.

"I've been thinking," Naruto said quietly. "You don't look like a criminal to me. You're innocent, aren't you?"

"No, sir, I'm not."

And with that, he turned on his heel and headed back to the bunkhouse, his cold words reverberating on the air, echoing through his heart. Until this moment, he'd never experienced the shame of being guilty. Oh, he'd been embarrassed when he'd gotten caught, angry even.

But shame had slithered through him.

He didn't much like the judge's son for making him feel that way.