Dropping Off The Jinchuuriki

Naruto laughed and hopped from one foot to the other behind Gaara. "You won't die, it's impossible! I bet Everyone here is really nice. They'll practically give us the lake!"

"Right." He said, not understanding how Naruto couldn't see that water was Gaara's main weakness. He wondered if that was good or not. He looked around, everything seeming to get more moist as they walked on. Not to mention that the vegetation was increasing as well. "I don't want the lake. In fact, I never want to come here again after this."

"Aw!" Naruto grinned playfully. "But swimming's a pastime, right?" He reached around from behind and pinched Gaara's cheek. "I don't do it often but you do know how to at least, right?"

"..." He turned his head slightly, looking at Naruto. "No.."

"Eh...?" Naruto thought it was a joke first but after a few seconds he realized Gaara was completely serious. "Really?" He picked up pace to walk up beside Gaara instead of behind. "A tough guy like you, not knowing how to swim?!" He chuckled. "That's a joke if I ever heard one, heheh! I guess you guys don't do many water sports down there in Suna.."

"I guess not." He glared at the blond. "Were only surrounded in sand, I know, let's try to practice swimming in the quick sand. How well could that work out for the average Sunagakure person? Not very well, because they would all be dead."

He laughed and gave Gaar a thumbs-up. "That's ok, I've never built a sand castle so we're even!" Now, this statement wasn't implying Naruto hadn't had the chance to make a beloved dirt pile in the more-or-less shape of a castle, he just never got around to doing it. There were few sandboxes on the rare occasion he visited a playground when he was younger, but when there was, he never noticed them so he assumed they didn't exist.

He looked forward then and grunted, crossing his arms. "Unfortunately, this means I'm gonna have to teach you huh...? I'm not so good at teaching..." The full realization came into his mind that this was going to be harder then he thought.

"How does that make things even? Do you think I spend my spare time building pitifull castles out of sand?" He stared at Naruto. "And no, you don't need to teach me. Because I am not swimming."

"WHAT?!" His eyes popped and his mouth gaped open. "No way! Gaara, you said you would, why all of a sudden-" He stopped himself and remembered they had a conversation like this earlier, so he grinned, coming up with a new plan. He cupped his hands behind his head and tilted his nose up, smiling smugly. "Oh, that's alright. You think you're not gonna swim now but I'm sure when you see how much fun I'm having, you'll wanna jump in with me, heheh!"

"Of course, because I just love having fun." He sighed, shaking his head slowly. "You don't know me at all, do you."

"Hey!" Naruto waved his fists in the air. "I know you completely! And I'm sure that if I really beg for it, you'll come in with me!" He nodded. "I'll even splash you, then you'll have no reason for staying out since you'll be wet already!"

"Being splashed and swimming are two different things." He said, glaring at Naruto. "You obviously know nothing about me, because I won't do something I know I can't do and I know that I don't want to do, just because you begged me."

"Eh?" His bottom lip quivered. "But... But I can teach you! I bet I can teach you just as well as I taught you sex! Probably even better since I've done this before!" Then he grabbed Gaara's arm and hugged it. "I do know you! I do! I know you really well! You're name is Gaara and you live in Suna and you're my best friend, that's already three things I know about you and I know tons more!"

"..." He stared at Naruto, realizing that they had stopped walking. He sighed, starting to walk again. "If you ever want to get there, you will need to stop stalling."

Naruto jumped and then started sprinting away in front of Gaara. "Yeah, I want to get there super fast, so hurry up!" He called back. "You gotta run to cuz I don't know the way!"

"....." He watched Naruto, not moving any faster than before. "No thanks."

"Bwa?!" Naruto halted and looked back. "You're being really uncooperative today." He put his hands on his hips. "Why?"

"Because I'd rather not hurry to do something I do not wish to do." He replied, staring at him as he caught up, walking past him. "And I don't like to run."

Naruto's body drooped and he walked behind Gaara, sulking. "If you didn't want to do it why did you come with me?"

"To make your life miserable." That wasn't the actual reason why he had gone with Naruto, because truthfully, he'd rather be with the blond than at the mansion. And also because he secretly enjoyed spending time with him. "What other reason would there be?"

Naruto stood up strait and laughed. "Alright then, then if I give you permission to do that, you have to move faster!" He poked Gaara's back, urging him on. "How much longer will it take anyway?"

"I will do as I please, I do not need permission from you." He replied, staring forward as the came up to a small village. "Not much longer.. right now we seem to be in the land of rivers.. maybe a day?"

"Gahh.. A day? A whole day?" He shook his head. "But the river village sounds just as good as the mist village. I just wanted to go to a place different then Konoha. Couldn't we just stop here and go swimming in a river or larger pond?"

"If you wish.." He sighed, stopping and looking around. On the inside, he knew he really wasn't looking forward to this, and Shukaku was laughing at him. On the outside, he looked completely blank. "..."

"YAY!" Naruto punched the air in excitment. "But first we gotta find a large body of water!" He looked around hesitantly for a few seconds and then fix his eyes on Gaara. "So... You know where one is..?"