I knew you would find me

***THANK YOU VERY MUCH HZLBYRN****

Warning: It's a bit fluffy....lol. XD

AN: YO! Happy New Year!! I begin it with a very long chapter, lol XD

Enjoy! Let me know what you're think, I can't read minds, as much as I would love to sometimes!


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“Hn. Dobe, never thought you were one to give up,” came a mocking voice echoing in the expanse of white. Naruto furrowed his brows, recognizing the voice instantly, and he looked around, trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

“And what would you know of it?” he finally huffed, crossing his arms and staring around the area waiting for an answer. Two hands landed on his face from behind, keeping him immobilized from being able to see the young man who stood at his back.

“Baka,” came the whisper in his ear. Naruto’s eyes went wide before he laughed.

“Must be dreaming then, teme.”

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Let go of my face then.” Naruto tried to get from the grip, “I want to see you.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?!” he whined, struggling harder.

“Because.”

“Teme!”

“I’m not the one holding on.” Naruto blinked, his eyes going wide.

“What are you saying?” he whispered, “Am I dying?!” A dry laugh passed over his ear.

“You don’t dream when you’re dying or if you’re dead.” A thumb brushed down the side of his cheek along the whiskered scars…

“So get up, dobe.”

Naruto exhaled slowly, the dream fading from the edges of his mind. Something brushed along his jaw-line, sliding over his lips. His skin twitched at the feeling and his brow furrowed. The fingers lingered for one more moment, and suddenly something warm pressed up against his mouth, a familiar earthly smell filling his senses. His eyes fluttered for a moment as a tongue caressed his bottom lip, then his eyes shot open, but they were met with a blur of red, and he blinked back his shock. He must have imagined it because the room was completely empty. The door banged open and a bowl-cut elite ninja bounded in.

“My Hokage! You have awoken!!” roared the green beast of Konoha. Naruto groaned and rubbed his face.

“Yes, Lee. I am awake. Get me Sakura so she can tell me what the fuck is going on,” he growled.

“Of course Hokage-Sama!” he said and bounded back out of the room. Running his fingers through his hair he narrowed his eyes, trying to remember the dream. Sasuke was in it for sure…and he was being a jerk...He touched his lips for a moment...Gaara kissing him the day before last...sleeping outside...Neji...then Ibiki...the pain…

“It’s good to see you awake!” A beaming Sakura walked in holding a tray. Naruto looked up, his thoughts breaking off at her entrance. She looked around the room.

“The Kazekage left,” she said with a slight frown. Naruto snapped his eyes to her.

“He was in here?!” he roared then winced at a slight throb of pain that raced through his head. Sakura nodded.

“Yes, he was, is that problem?” Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but he really couldn’t find a reason to say it wasn’t, so he snapped his jaw closed and scowled. Sakura started babbling again, but his thoughts had wandered—Gaara’s actions, they were clear now...he didn’t...want that? Did he?

“I’m not the one holding on...” Naruto’s blonde brows creased even more, and he looked up sharply to Sakura.

“What did you say?” he asked. The pink-haired shinobi paused briefly before pointing at his hand.

“I asked you what you are holding onto.” Naruto looked down in surprise to see a very small scroll clutched in his hand. He stared at it before swallowing as he saw the seal mark.

“It’s a note from the Kazekage,” he said calmly enough.

“Well, are you going to open it?” she asked excitedly, suddenly bounding forward eager to read it. Naruto glared at her.

“It’s not for you!” he exclaimed, shoving the scroll into a safe pocket.

She huffed, pulling a steaming bowl of liquidly soup, which was defiantly not ramen, and placed it front of him.

“Fine, I’ll leave you to your love note then,” she said with a casual wave and left the room. Naruto slipped the note back out and inspected it carefully before unrolling it, his eyes going wide as he read the contents.

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“Moving a bit fast aren’t you?” Kankuro asked with a grin as he lounged on the floor. Gaara pulled his eyes from the window, turning his gaze on his brother.

“You know I do not have much more time left to stay. I should have left yesterday,” he spoke calmly. The puppet-nin stretched.

“Well, then maybe tonight is your lucky night.” He passed him a cheeky wink, yawning suddenly; it had been a long night last night.

“Do you have anything else on your mind other than sex, Kankuro?” Gaara asked him, a slight curl of disgust at his lips. His older brother laughed.

“Not usually,” came the reply, before he sobered up, looking seriously at Gaara.

“Was it critical? No one other than those who were there knew of the condition he was in.”

“And you,” came the Kazekage’s voice, he got up restlessly from the chair he had been sitting in, “He was too close to being critical.” His eyes went to the window, surveying the setting sun. The perturbed silence from his brother caught his attention and his gaze shifted, landing on the puppet user.

“Hyuuga Neji. He doesn’t trust you,” Kankuro said, eyeing the younger redhead.

“And what reasons does he base this mistrust?” Gaara asked. A loud sigh of annoyance passed from his brother’s lips.

“Something about the end of all peace between the nations,” came the reply with a snort of laughter. The Kazekage ignored the mocking tone.

“He should know the private life of his Kage is not his own to meddle in.”

“He’s just as worried about him as you are,” Kankuro replied, “But then again, he doesn’t have quite the same interest in the Hokage as you do.”

“I’m leaving,” Gaara replied stiffly, striding from the room. Kankuro shook his head with a smile.

“Good luck,” he muttered, opening the window and jumping from it. He would at least make sure no one decided to interfere.

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“And where do you think you’re going, Uzamaki Naruto?!” Sakura asked, her hands on her hips as she glared at the blonde-headed Hokage. He had dressed stiffly in the privacy of his own rooms, finally being able to leave the hospital. Unfortunately, Sakura was taking residence to make sure her seals and work wouldn’t go undone in his still healing body.

“I’m meeting with the Kazekage,” he replied with a look that begged no interference. The pink-haired kunoichi smiled softly, moving forward and pulling at the plain robes he was wearing, mussing with them.

“He worries about you,” she said, “More then any of us.” Naruto grabbed her hand gently and wordlessly left the Hokage household. She took a step forward to follow him, then shook her head with a smile. He would be safe. Neji and Shikamaru would make sure of that.

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“I’ve already set a perimeter out,” Kankuro said beside the Bykagun user. He had stopped Shikamaru’s small band of elites as they were setting up a guard too close to the clearing as Naruto made his way to the lakeside again.

“I don’t like being so far,” Neji replied acidly, a frown on his face. At that comment, Kankuro cocked a painted eyebrow at him.

“Shino has his female bugs littered all over the forest. It’s darkening, Shikamaru will have enough shadows to probably immobilize the entirety of this area. You, you’re bloodline limit. Kiba, his dog and animal senses. Anything that twitches will be known by one of us. My Kazekage will take care of him by the lake. He will not be harmed.”

“What makes you—”

“Hyuuga,” the puppet-nin hissed. “Naruto-sama is the strongest Hokage Konoha has ever seen. Double that with my own. Just watch and enjoy the show.” There was a moment of tense glaring between the two before Shikamaru landed in between them.

“The Hokage wants us to all leave immediately,” he said, then continued with an annoyed scowl, “He ordered it.”

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“I’m here Gaara,” Naruto said, closing his eyes as he leaned his back against the large stone at the lake’s edge. He knew the Kazekage was near, probably just watching him. The burning, questing eyes that had studied him for what seemed years after Sasuke’s death.

“I was fearful you would be in no condition to see me,” came the soft voice. Naruto slid his eyes open, not at all surprised to see how close the sand-nin had managed.

“You need to stop this,” the blonde started, but a hand reached out, touching his face, causing him to blink in surprise. Gaara was never one for such forwardness.

“You taught me once how to love other than myself,” spoke the Kage evenly; Naruto eyes had gone wide as he watched the clear concern wash over the usually emotionless features.

“That was a long time ago,” he replied, his eyes lowered to the ground, but the hand forced him to look up again, he couldn’t run away now. The redheaded Kazekage wouldn’t allow it.

“What makes you hold onto such pain, Naruto?” Gaara asked softly. “You have the same eyes I do. Haunted by past losses.”

“We are not the same,” the Hokage hissed, the cerulean eyes narrowed in anger, but Gaara didn’t pull back. If anything, he invaded his space even more.

“It sorrows your heart to know Sasuke is dead because of your hand. But he chose that. Now that he is gone, you think there is no other one to live for, your people for instance.”

“You mean yourself,” Naruto whispered. Gaara’s fingers seemed to barely touch his skin, the thumb pad glided down his jaw-line, the familiar feeling rocketing Naruto’s senses to earlier that day when he awoke, the earthy smell filling his airways.

“How long?” he finally asked. Gaara leaned in. “Since the day you defeated the demon that had resided in me, during the chuunin exams,” came the unhurried answer.

“Then why now?” His voice cracked under the strain of trying to remain calm, but nothing was making sense anymore.

“You had no room in your heart for another. I left you at peace, enjoying the time we spent together when I had the chance.”

“And now you think you can replace Sasuke? What he did for me?” Naruto's voice broke out into a snarl.

“No. No one would be able to replace him,” Gaara said, his lips millimeters from Naruto’s, the curled lips fading into an uncomfortable frown.

“I only wish you happiness, to see you truly smile like you had. Even if I am not the one to bring you that.”

‘Happiness,’ the Hokage thought mockingly. Could he truly be happy again?

“Why?” he asked, his breathing getting harder to control. The gentle fingers on his cheek stopped their caressing, but Gaara didn’t respond.

“Gaara...” he started, feeling the other’s breathe caress across his lips with how close the other Kage was. The Suna leader leaned in, pressing gently to his lips, causing every thought to halt to a grinding stop and every nerve to stand on end. Gaara’s kiss didn’t demand a thing from him, and Naruto’s mind and body couldn’t pull away. His mouth opened slightly just out of impulse at the brush of a tongue at his bottom lip. His mind was reeling; he had never been kissed like this before. Sasuke’s kisses had always been brutal and demanding, but Gaara’s tongue caressed through his mouth softly and he couldn’t hold back the whimper at the feeling. He leaned into Gaara’s mouth, his tongue wanting to join the gentle dance he had set. His hands wrapped around the sand-nin’s neck, pulling him in deeper as fear, doubt, and sorrow fled from his body. Before long, Gaara pulled away to gaze at him, his eyes shining with the light of the newly risen moon. Both were breathing harder then normal. The Hokage tore his eyes away from Gaara’s, unable to stop the wash of emotions that would be easily read by the other shinobi.

“Naruto, look at me,” Gaara whispered, managing to recover a bit faster then the Hokage. Reluctantly, Naruto looked at the Suna leader, the black-rimmed eyes were focused fully on him with such intensity it was hard to keep the gaze, let alone speak. He wasn’t even sure what to say yet.

“Because, you are the only one I have ever thought about being with,” he whispered.

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TBC


AN 2: Man, only two reviews from the last chapter? lol. Come on guys, give me some motivation to write, honestly, I'll just take it off and post it where people luffle me, lol, and actually review.


Hello: Thanks! Yay a new reader!! I do like gaaranaru fanfics too, lol Good ones are hard to find though.

eien no ren: hehe. -evil grin- yes. gaaranaru fluff. Happy? ^_^;