"Gaara."

"Naruto-kun?" The blond planted a fist completely through one stump. Then it got stuck. Growling in frustration, Naruto braced both feet against the stump and pulled. he landed on his ass. "Naruto-kun?" Looking up, Naruto spotted Iruka leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets.



"What?" His voice was low and held bite. He was just as mad at Iruka as everyone at that table and some of the faces he wasn't even familiar with.



"Now don't you snap at me!" Iruka's voice rumbled and he winced. He'd been on the receiving end of that voice and Iruka's evil imagination many-a-time and he didn't want to get that way again, so he pushed the agitation and annoyance from him. He was still angry and even hurt but those wouldn't get him in trouble.



"What is it Iruka-sensei?" He tried again, his voice sounding a little better. The chounin walked over and sat down next to him.



"Why did you hit Kakashi?"



"Why do you think?" The bite was back and Iruka sighed, rubbing his chin.



"Listen to me Naruto." When he had the blonds full attention, he started to speak. "You over heard our meeting and for that's I'm sorry. No one expected or even imagined you might henge yourself and go to a bar, for which I am disappointed." He looked over to notice Naruto looking to the ground in defeat. "But, I'm not here for that. Yes, Kakashi deserved something, he usually does when I find out what he's been up to at those meetings but what you did wasn't right either. No, I don't agree with everyone taking and placing bets but you have to understand something. Izumo, Kotetsu and I are the only chounin at those meetings."



That hit Naruto and he thought about it for a moment. That meant that everyone there was jounin, special jounin or ANBU. Just remembering those younger kids Naruto shuttered and looked back to Iruka.



"That's right Naruto. Everyone there has seen the brink of death. They have waded through pools of blood and taken countless lives. They need a little enjoyment in life so they bet on others going through rough times or having to make the same decisions they have made once or twice. We exchange information, talk about current problems and the like. At the last meeting, we bet on Sakura. Needless to say no one won that one." He chuckled and looked to the sky. It was dark and the stars were coming out from behind a few clouds. "It may be bad to some but it gives them all something to do when they are off duty. They don't have to kill, maim or escape a bad situation. They drink, talk and sometimes laugh. It's good for them in ways none of us can understand." He looked down to the blond who was looking off in the distance.



"It wasn't right Iruka-sensei."



"Maybe not but he wasn't the only one wondering." Naruto blinked and brought a wide blue gaze to Iruka's.



"What?"



"Naruto, everyone has been wondering if you were gay, bi-curious or straight, me included. I can't say I bet on which you were but I was always wondering. Then Gaara came along and you come running to me for help." Naruto shook his head and then burst out laughing.



"You're amazing Iruka-sensei." Straightening up, Naruto looked at him, the full weight of his blue eyes and Iruka flinched. "You couldn't just ask me?"



"You came to me for the answer. You didn't even know yourself." Naruto conceded and sighed, laying back with both hands behind his head.



"It was still wrong."



"Maybe but there's nothing we can do about it."



"Nothing you want to do about it."



"True." Iruka laid

back, following Naruto's example and looked to the sky again. They lay there like that for a while before Naruto sat up.



"He's leaving in two weeks."



"Hm."



"He tried to molest me in my bathroom." Iruka choked and sat up, coughing and patting his chest. "Don't tell anyone alright?" The chounin just nodded and stared at him. "You probably know then that it already happened once but it didn't happen again. It was so strange for him to...just do that." Iruka said nothing, just letting Naruto talk about what had him to the point of drowning out his sorrows at the bar.



"I can't stop thinking about that one night. It haunts my dreams like something that won't ever go away. He told me he was leaving and something inside of me just...split apart I guess. I went home to pack his things and he was there cooking. He was angry too. You know, I never knew he cooked. I wouldn't have guessed it about him." A slight smile tugged at his lips. "Eh. Never mind. Forget I even said anything." He stood and offered Iruka a hand up. The chounin took it and stood, dusting off his ass. Both shinobi started walking aimlessly, neither saying anything. They came to a stop in front of Naruto’s apartment building. The blond sighed and started walking, waving behind him. Iruka called to him and he stopped to call back a goodbye.





Nine days passed in silence. He was sent out on a scouting mission for five of those days and for that he was thankful. The last four days however, he'd been locked in his apartment. He was constantly hot, his body not ever getting cool enough. He'd taken to just walking around stark naked. It didn't help any. He started taking cold showers and it helped some but not much. Then he'd broke down and asked his body's other inhabitant what was happening. He got no answer.



Now he lay on his back, on his futon, staring out at the nighttime sky. It had rained all day and there were still clouds. The moon was almost full, just missing a sliver. Tonight was the full moon. It struck Naruto then. He pulled on some pants, not caring about a shirt or shoes and ran all the way to Tsunade's office. Without warning he burst through the room, ignoring the other shinobi who were obviously giving a report and walked right up to her desk.



"The full moon." She looked at him and eyebrow arched in an elegant line.



"Nani?"



"The. Full. Moon." He pointed to the sky, where the moon was hidden behind some clouds. She dismissed the shinobi in her office and looked at Naruto.



"What does that have to do with anything?" He hissed and pulled her hand to his chest. She snatched it away like she'd been scolded. She probably had. Her hand moved to touch his forehead and she drew it back. "You're burning up."



"I have been for four days. Nothing helps. Cold showers only take the edge off."



"What have you been doing then?"



"Walking around my house stark naked." She blushed and he sighed, rubbing his blond head. "This has to be the reason he wanted to come out now. The full moon. I've always been edgy around this time but never have I had such a high body temperature and not felt sick. I seem to want to yell at you so it is making me edgier."



"Why do you want to yell at me?"



"Because you're playing the dumb blond at the moment." She looked pissed at that comment and he growled at her.



"Has it always been just around the full moon Naruto?"



"Yes."



"How long?"



"A week."



"The full moon is only in the sky for two days. It makes no sense." She pressed fingers to her temples trying to think. "Have you asked him why this time?"



"He's deserted me." She looked up and he shrugged. "There was a note: Leave me in peace." Okay, it was a lie but he felt like sarcasm. She just threw something at him. He caught it and threw it back, watching as it bounced off one overly large breast. He couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. Tsunade just glared at him. "Hey, I didn't expect it to bounce." He couldn't help another fit of laughter as he said it.



Tsunade sighed and stood, walking around her desk and started touching Naruto's chest, a green glow around her hands.



"Hey, what are you doing?"



"Shut up and let me work." Naruto ground his teeth together but shut up while she poked and probed him with her hands and chakra. When she stepped back she was shaking her head. "Well, other than the unusual body temperature and the moodiness I don't see anything wrong with you Naruto. What has you so worried that you would come running in here unannounced and right in the middle of a report?"



"I don't know. I just don't know." He started pacing around the room in his bare feet. "I felt like I needed to tell you. I feel like...like I need something and I don't know what." In the middle of his thoughts, Sakura came running in, out of breath. Tsunade looked from her to Naruto and he frowned looking to his teammate.



"What is it Sakura?"



"H-he's burning up. Nothing is working. It's like he's got a fever or something but he's not ill. His sand is hissing constantly and I went out just for a moment to get some air and I came back to find him feeding it. I mean, that's what it looked like but then I saw his hands, both of them. They were bloody!" Naruto was at the window in seconds.



"What is it?"



"Blood lust." He leapt out and sent chakra to his feet to sprint and then run dead out all the way to the hotel. There was sand everywhere and he followed it to what was obviously Gaara's room. Pushing open the door, he found the red head shitting in the air, on sand which was flowing around him. How had he gotten so much sand through the entire hotel? Wait...hadn't he been able to do something like that before with the dirt itself? Shaking his head, Naruto stepped in cautiously, looking Gaara over. He was down to his green boxers, legs crossed, chin resting on one hand that was propped up against his knee. The other hand was just holding the other knee and his green eyes glared at Naruto.



"Gaara."



"Uzumaki." Naruto's eyes narrowed. He hadn't used his last name since the very first fight they'd had. Something was terribly wrong but he didn't know what.



"You have sand everywhere. At least keep it in one room." He saw an evil smile form on the red head's lips as he moved to form a seal with both of his hands. The sand came rushing back in and surrounded him, settling to the floor. "Thanks I guess." Naruto inched closer, very slowly. He had a feeling that Gaara was letting him. He didn't think he cared. When he was inches away from the red head, standing in the sand, he let out a breath. "How about you and I gt out of here? I'm up for a little fight."



"Hm." Gaara stepped through the sand he was sitting on and one leg touched the ground and then the other, like he had wings and was touching the ground for the first time. Naruto turned and headed out of the hotel. He just kept going until he was far away from any people. He just happened to stop in the field they'd first fought in. Not the brightest idea seeing as how sand was swirling under foot. Cursing, he moved through to the woods. Well, it was the best he was going to get so unless Gaara started clearing away trees, they were equally matched for turf.



The red head came to stand a few feet away from him then dropped to the ground. His descent was met half way with sand. It was elegant, the way Gaara moved. It was also sexy. Why that came to mind Naruto didn't know but he shook his head, clearing away any thought other than the fight. Naruto dropped to the ground and took up a stance, Gaara taking up his. They stared at one another for a moment, Gaara's eyes bleeding into a fiery, iridescent green and Naruto's taking on an orange tint.



The fight started and it was slow, methodic, elegant. Both teens were moving to a tune inside of their heads, using nothing but their hands, feet and whatever they came across to fight with. Punches and kicks were aimed to hurt, neither caring about the other's health of safety. When Naruto would punch, Gaara's body would move, his arms above his head, clasped together, his body bending away from the blow. When Gaara would use his sand, Naruto would take to the air like he had wings, his body twisting until he came down to land on both feet in a crouch.



They flew at one another again and again, meeting punches and kicks with resistance and blocks. The air around the teens cackled with unshed energy, their charka’s flaring into the night. Neither was aware of the audience around them, hiding their presence. They couldn't have cared enough.



Gaara found an opening and captured one of Naruto's hands, sending his fist foreword and knocking the breath from the blond. Naruto's foot moved and caught Gaara's legs, sweeping him off his feet. Naruto moved back, taking up a new stance, one hand and leg behind him, one arm in front of him, bent at the elbow and fingers pointed towards his opponent* and the other leg holding the brunt of his weight. It was a stance of balance, a stance of power. Gaara got to his feet, taking up a similar stance but his feet were shoulder width apart, arms out at his aides, fingers towards the sky. Red hair fell into his face and he peeked through the red stands at Naruto.



Sand swirled around the red head while wind swirled around the blond. They came together in a flurry of blows, faster than any eye could see and moved away from one another. Gaara had received a cut under his right eye while Naruto was sporting one on his left shoulder. Gaara's tongue came out to lick at the blood running down his face while Naruto touched a finger to his shoulder and brought the bloodied appendage to his mouth. They stood there, lost in the fight, in themselves.





The fight lasted through the night and the next day, neither stopping for a break or food. Anyone who had interfered was thrown away from the fight, some badly injured. Night came fast to any of the watchers and soon, both teens were shaking, sporting evil grins that made the temperature drop a few degrees.



"And now it begins." Kakashi was sitting next to Jiraiya who was taking notes in Shizune's place.



Growls and hisses fell from between the teens lips as their chakra surged. Naruto's eyes turned a furious shade of red, his whiskers becoming more pronounced. His form seemed to almost bulk up a bit but it was just a trick of the eye. His hair seemed to almost glow in the moon light and a grin bearing a mouth full of sharp teeth was sent towards Gaara.



The red head's eyes had changed to a sea foam color with forest green tinting them. His tattoo throbbed in the moonlight, his body looking slightly more than it was. There was no way to describe it, it was just...more. There were two whiskers on his face, one to each cheek bone but they were very faint, almost non existent.



"Kyuubi."



"Kiut." Both teens smiled at each other and then...they weren't there. Trees fell over, broken into pieces, some smaller once splintered. Naruto and Gaara moved from the trees and back to the open field, nearly flying with the force of their chakra. When one moved, the other moved and it was like a coordinated show, neither landing hits anywhere. They ended up on the ground once or twice only to get back up and start after one another again. Gaara was using his sand, Naruto the wind and any water he came by. It was odd, Naruto having Kyuubi who was more fire than anything else but Kyuubi using wind and water.



Something hit Naruto in the chest and Kyuubi growled, low and menacingly. He looked down to find sand in the shape of a fist. Flying away from it, he rubbed his chest and landed against a tree. It was almost like he blended into the night for a moment before he moved.



"Kyuuuubi." Gaara called, turning, his face almost apathetic. Naruto was suddenly behind him, arms wrapping around his form, mouth moving to the back of the red head's neck.



"Kiut." Kyuubi bit down and growled. His teeth were around Gaara's spine, the growl sending a shiver down the red head's back. Kyuubi sank to his knees, Kiut coming with him. He pushed Gaara's form foreword, his mouth never leaving and pinned the red head beneath him. When Kiut would have fought, Kyuubi growled again, smiling against the flesh in his mouth when he got a whimper in return. Hands moved and Gaara's form was suddenly naked in the night air. The red head shivered with the cold.



Kyuubi moved his hands down to stroke Gaara's cock which was already hard and he again smiled around the flesh in his mouth. Gaara's body twitched and his ass rubbed against the front of Naruto's body, making Kyuubi grunt. He moved his teeth and lips to suck and bite down hard on the back of Gaara's shoulder leaving a mark that was sure to bruise. Kiut gasped as Kyuubi thrust his own hard cock against the beautifully pale ass in front of him. Kyuubi's hands moved to rid himself of his pants and boxers and when he was naked, he pushed Kiut into the ground with one hand while sucking on two fingers of his free hand before running them in between Kiut's ass cheeks.



The form under him moved and he watched as Kiut impaled himself on the exploring two fingers. Kiut shuttered, pleasure moving through his body. Kyuubi hissed and bent his head to bite along the red head's spine. Kiut moaned, moving Gaara's body, asking silently for more. Kyuubi thrust his fingers in and out in a quick pace, his other arm still holding the red head to the ground. When he was sure Kiut was stretched enough he thrust in another finger, just to make sure he was ready for more.



When Gaara's body was stretched, Kyuubi spit on his hand and made due with that, before spreading the red head's legs further and in one thrust, joining their bodies together. Kiut cried out, shivering and bucking wildly underneath Naruto's weight. Pulling the red head's body up, Kyuubi held Kiut trapped, while he was on his knees, Gaara's body in his lap. Moving his hands slightly, Kyuubi started to lift Kiut up and then pulled him down while thrusting up. When Kiut would have moved, his teeth and lips found the red head's neck once again and Kiut settled.



The pace was hard, fast and slow at the same time. It was maddening! Kiut tried over and over again to make the other go faster but it was a lost cause. That was until he felt a hand moving to stroke his cock. He didn't know what to do. Did he want to thrust and meet the hand stroking him or did he want to move against the cock filling him? He was so confused! Kyuubi solved the problem. He pushed Kiut foreword and thrust hard. Kiut had no choice but to put his hands out in front of him, holding himself up on hands and knees.



Kyuubi moved harder, the pace set fast. The body around him was making him crazy, not that he wasn't already. His nails dug into pale hips and Kiut let out a scream of pleasure that rang through the field. Kyuubi couldn't help but smile. Leaning foreword, he stopped moving, and placed his lips against the red head's ear. His voice was low, purring.



"What is it?"



"More."



"Hm?"



"Onegai!" Kiut moved and thrust back only to be stopped by the hands on his hips. "More."



"I can't hear you." Kyuubi pulled out slowly and thrust back in hard. Kiut bit his lip to keep from screaming with the force of it.



"O-onegai! More! Gods...more!!" Kyuubi smiled. Kiut had yelled it out for the world to hear.



"Mmm. Good little uke." Kyuubi bent and bit the red head's shoulder hard, drawing blood and thrust hard and fast, angling his hips just a little and shuttering when he felt the muscles around him squeeze. Kiut was panting, murmuring words no one but he Kyuubi would understand. He was silently asking for more even though the body he was in couldn't take more than what he was getting.



When he heard Kiut gasp something, Kyuubi lost it. His mouth moved from the bloody shoulder he'd held in his mouth and he started pounding in and out of the pale body under him. He wanted more no- needed more. He took what Kiut was offering so freely. He took the body under him feverantly and hard. Kiut's release was mind numbing and beautiful. As white come shot from his cock head, the sand formed a barrier around the two bodies, blocking them from sight, from the sounds of the night and from the night itself. Only a few holes let in enough light to see.



The muscles clamping around him brought Kyuubi to the edge. His growled and held Kiut to him as his come came spilling out into the red head's body. Kyuubi froze, breath coming out quickly. When he could, he moved and turned Kiut over, leaning down lick at the red head's nose and mouth then moving to lean the body beneath him. When he was finished, Kiut returned the favor. Both of them relived themselves before they went for another round and then another. It was rough, bloody and oh-so-good.





"They've been in there all of last night and half of tonight. That's almost an entire day. When are they coming out?"



"When they feel like it." She was rubbing her temples, staring at the sand ball that was still in the fifth training ground. Naruto and Gaara -after a nosebleed performance- had shut themselves inside of Gaara's sand to effectively get what she thought was privacy. Before that, they had fought for an entire twenty two hours, not once stopping for a break. She had had to leave to get some sleep, having been up since Naruto informed her that Gaara was suffering from blood lust. After a few bottles she'd fallen asleep at her desk only to be summoned later to see the show. Men and women had to turn away, hiding their nosebleeds, her not being an exception.



It was a beautiful show but she would never admit it to anyone. In fact, she didn't know why she was even thinking about it. Two teen boys having sex in a training ground? What was she thinking? She massaged her temples harder. Tsunade had told everyone who she knew wasn't special jounin or ANBU rank to leave after that. No one else needed to see. The special jounin and ANBU members were pushing it but she needed them in case anything went wrong.



A loud crashing brought her attention back to the ball. Only...it wasn't a ball anymore. There was sand everywhere revealing two passed out teens. She moved her hand summoning Kakashi and Jiraya. She told them to take the boys back to Naruto's apartment and they nodded, grins evident on their faces. Those boys were in for a nattering if they woke up before Kakashi and Jiraiya left. She got a look at Gaara. He was partially bloody and before she knew what she was doing, she was moving over to them to inspect the damage. He sported a few teeth wounds on his shoulders, back and his thighs but they were healing more quickly then she would have expected. Her gaze moved to Naruto only to see he sported a few cuts and some bloody nail marks down his back but that was about it. Shaking her head, she walked away, feeling something trickle down her face. When she wiped at it, she found blood.



"DAMN IT ALL!" Snickering caught her attention and she looked back to see Kakashi pointing at her while Jiraiya forked out money. Oh she would get them. Indeed she would. Tsunade turned and headed back to her office, intent on sleeping. After a cold shower.





"Auhh..." A hand came up to fluff his pillow. Why was it moving? Did pillows move? Were they supposed to move? Wait...he didn't have a moving pillow. Blue eyes snapped awake to look down and see a blur of red. Moving away, Naruto noticed he'd been sleeping wrapped around Gaara, using the red head's head as a pillow. He wanted to laugh but Gaara turned, eyes slowly opening in a flutter. A small smile tugged at Naruto's lips as he leaned in and took Gaara's first waking breath into his mouth.



The red head melted, arms moving to come up and wrap around strong shoulders. His body hurt. It was painful but it was delicious. he had seen everything that had been done to him through sort of a fog when the fox name Kiut took over. he couldn't say he hated it anymore than he could push Naruto away in those moments. Although, when something poked his legs he thrust the blond away and glared at the offending poker. Naruto laughed and pulled Gaara close, entwining their bodies.



"Morning."



"Evening." Naruto looked out the window and sure enough, it was still night time out. Did everything happen that fast or had they really been out of it for a few days? Shaking his head, he stretched like an over grown cat and snuggled closer to the red head.



His voice was soft, almost a whisper as a flush heated his cheeks. "Were you there too?"



"Hm." Gaara smiled. Smiled. It wasn't that rare now but still, a real smile from the red head was not only breathtaking but utterly odd. Naruto's blush receded a little, a smile creeping up.



"I wonder what the bet is at about how long we were going at it and 'didn't know'." He had to laugh at Gaara's reaction. While they were resting in between 'going at it', Naruto -when they'd come back to themselves- had told Gaara about the meetings and sworn him to secrecy. Gaara agreed but it still bothered them both about what went on at the meetings. At least Gaara could see his side of things.



Something caught Naruto's attention and he put a hand over the red head's mouth, gently and quietly slipping off the bed. he grabbed a kunai he had hidden under the futon and went in search of what had caught his attention. He sent up a little flare of chakra and found a person...no, two people. Frowning, Naruto moved to the shadows and waited, crouched down in a corner. When one person walked by he stood and put the Kunai in his hand to the neck of said person. he whispered silently and turned, pushing the person -who felt like a woman- against the wall and turned on a light.



"I've got your partner. may as well stop moving around my apartment." Blinking a few times to get his eyes to adjust to the light, Naruto looked to find Riu standing there and looking down at him. Well, she was looking at something he hadn't bothered to cover. Or someone else hadn't bothered to cover.



Movement from his left side caught his blue eyed gaze and he spotted Sai. He let Riu go and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sai?" His teammate ignored him in favor of looking where Riu was staring. "Sai?"



"Hm?" Sai licked his lips and Naruto got the distinct impression he wasn't thinking about whatever he'd come into his apartment for.



"What are you doing here?" Naruto turned and headed into the bedroom to throw on a pair of pants. When he came back out, Riu and Sai were talking. "Sai!" His teammates head snapped up.



"We came to find you and Gaara."



"So you were snooping around my apartment to find us?" Sai had the graciousness to blush. "You know what, just leave. Replace everything you've taken from my apartment and leave." He turned to Riu. "If I find you near my apartment or my teammate again, I will remove that pretty little head from your shoulders." There was a growl to his voice. She said nothing but one of those fake smiles came to her lips as she nodded. He turned to Sai and held out his hand. Sai just looked at it.



"What?"



"Give me back what you took."



"I didn't take anything." Sai was smiling a smile that closely resembled Riu's.



"You know, your smile is just a lie, Sai." Said pulled a scroll from his pocket and handed it over along with his chopsticks. Sai's smile was gone, his face expressionless. Walking into the kitchen, Naruto put the chopsticks in the sink and unrolled the scroll. He frowned. Turning it to the side, he studied it but put it aside, still unrolled. "And if you aren't going to tell me why you're here, you can leave now." Sai and Riu just poofed away.



As Naruto stood in the kitchen, he heard a yelp. He ran into the bedroom to find Riu and Sai hadn't left just went to another room. With a growl, Naruto grabbed Riu by the braid and Sai by the back of his shirt and threw them against the wall. "What is the matter with you two?!" He turned to make sure Gaara was okay. The red head was blushing up a storm and clutching the blanket to his chest but other than that he looked fine.



Sai stood up and held up his hands in a shrug. "Well, I guess I was wrong about calling you dickless."



"Indeed he was." Riu stepped foreword, her gaze once again drawn to his crotch.



"Are you two attached? Because if you aren't I sure would like to get in line for the next two solid nights of sex." Sai licked his lips again, his gaze moving over Naruto's half clad body. There was a hiss as sand came from no where and pushed both shinobi against the wall. Gaara stood, the blanket around him, and walked to stand behind Naruto. One arm wrapped around Naruto's neck and the other under his arm. Gaara's mouth came down and bit the blonds shoulder hard enough that he drew blood.



"Mine." Gaara increased the force of the sand holding the two intruding shinobi until the shook their heads. He let them go and watched Sai sigh. Riu copied and they both turned to move out the door. Sai turned back and gave another fake smile.



"If you ever get sick of the red head you know where to find me." Riu giggled...it was kind of scary... and they left. He heard the outside door close and winced, grabbing his shoulder. It hurt. Bad. He looked at Gaara and smiled.



"I can't yell but if you do that again, I will bite you right back." Gaara turned and let the blanket fall to reveal healing bite marks.



"I think you already did." Naruto shivered as he looked at the bite marks he'd left all over Gaara's body. He was glad no one saw them, or at least decided to seriously look them over when they brought them back. Just looking at them made him hard again.



Gaara slowly turned back so Naruto got a frontal view as well. His breath caught as he looked over the red head's thighs. There were two matching bite marks that were bruised, one on each inner thigh. He wondered if the marks would scar and as if reading his mind, Gaara spoke.



"The one on my shoulder was meant to scar as was the one above my tail bone but everything else will go away with time." Naruto just nodded and watched Gaara walk over and sit in his lap, looking at the bite mark of his own. He moved and licked up the blood then went to grab a warm rag and some bandaging supplies. He hadn't dressed.



All the while Gaara was patching up his shoulder, Naruto wondered if the red head was alright. He also wondered what the hell had happened to them to keep them together for two whole night of long, hard and passionate sex. What was going to happen to them in three days when Gaara left? Hell, what would happen to Naruto? Without thinking, Naruto's arms came up to embrace the naked body in front of him, his head rest on Gaara's stomach. The thought of Gaara leaving made his head hurt.



Gaara's hands came up to run through blond locks as he looked down at Naruto. His blue eyes held sadness. What was he thinking about? The red head tilted Naruto's face up and bent down to plant a gentle kiss on slightly parted lips. The blond moved a hand up to trap Gaara's head as the kiss deepened. Naruto stood and walked them backwards towards the bed where he carefully laid Gaara down. They lay there, kissing, touching and reveling in the feel of each other's body. Gaara broke away to look at Naruto who's eyes were half lidded.



"What is wrong?"



"Hmm? Oh." Naruto sat up, pulling the sheet over them and sighed, covering his eyes with one arm, laying on his back. "Just thinking."



"About?"



"You're leaving in a few days remember? What is going to happen? Wait, never mind. Don't think about it." He chuckled and rolled pinning Gaara to the futon. "Let's just have some more fun ne?" Gaara smiled up at him but pushed him over. He stood and headed for the bathroom. Naruto sighed and waited until he heard the shower. When he was sure Gaara was under the spray, he got up and headed in to join him. The door wasn't locked so it must have been an invitation.



Naruto stripped the pants off his body and stepped into the shower behind Gaara. The red head was in the middle of washing his hair. Naruto grabbed up his body wash and poured some on his hand, then began to work it into the pale body in front of him. Gaara groaned and if he hadn't been washing his hair, Naruto got the impression he would have melted into a giant puddle of goop.



After a round in the shower, and the quick wash up due to cold water, Gaara was in the kitchen, walking a little awkwardly but cooking. Naruto was standing in the door, intent on asking him -once again- if he was okay. He stopped when Gaara turned and handed him something. He frowned and took it, popping it into his mouth. Hot. Very, very hot. He swallowed reluctantly, banging his chest to make it go down. He could feel sweat starting to bead and fall down at his temples. Gaara just graced him with a smile.



"Water." Gaara handed him a glass of milk instead.



"Water will make it hotter." Naruto just nodded and downed the entire glass. When his throat and mouth weren't on fire any longer, his stomach made a horrid noise. He had to laugh.



"Whatever that was, it's too hot for me."



"Hm." Gaara held up his curry container.



"I don't know how Lee can eat that stuff." Naruto shook his head and just leaned against the door jam once again, to watch Gaara cook. Even though he looked like he was being lazy, he was paying close attention, trying to remember the heat at which what was cooked. He'd be damned -even though he was already- if he burned anything past eating again. Maybe learning how to cook would get Iruka off his back about his eating habits? Not likely. He had come to figure that if Iruka didn't have something to complain about, he wasn't a happy man.



"Rock Lee?"



"Yea. I swear, he can't live without it. He doesn't even eat ramen anymore!" Naruto went off into a tangent about how Lee had practically forsaken all other food in favor of rice and curry. He also mentioned he thought Lee might turn into a giant puddle of the stuff if he didn't stop eating it. Gaara felt a laugh tug his insides but he clamped it down with a firm hand.



Why did he feel so different? Why was he more.... well, why wasn't he the same as he was? He smiled more, even laughed. He talked more and hell, he was just different. An alien to himself. It was irritating to think about so Gaara just pushed the thoughts away. They sank into the never ending pool of questions.



As if sensing his internal struggle for answers, Naruto walked over and wrapped his arms around Gaara's waist. "Stop thinking so hard." A light kiss was pressed to Gaara's temple and the red head forgot whatever it was he'd been thinking about...as well as the food. Eyes wide, Gaara moved himself away from Naruto and to the now burning food. He had barely managed to save it.



The teens sat down for a half burned breakfast of rice and miso soup, with curry for Gaara. It was silent but it was a companionable silence. When they finished, Naruto did the dishes and Gaara went to change into something other than an overly large shirt and boxers. He forgot he didn't have any clothes so he'd had to wear some of Naruto's. It was a good thing he had brand new boxers otherwise, it would have been...rough. Naruto's clothes were a little big but not enough that he needed pins or a belt.



When Gaara was dressed, he came out of the bedroom clad in a white tee and some black satin pants. The pants were a pair Naruto had never worn so, he figured it was okay. The shirt however...it was his only white one. The blond shrugged and went to put on actual clothes, having walked around naked after their shower. Naruto stuck on his famous orange colored shirt and some blue pants -another thing he only had one of- and walked out of the room. Gaara just stared. He looked down at his choice of clothes.



"What?"



"Pants."



"What about them?" Gaara's eyebrows shot up. Naruto growled and walked back in to find a pair of black work out pants and came out in those. Gaara said nothing but moved to grab his gourd which had mysteriously been placed by the door. "I wonder who brought us home last night. Or this morning." Naruto stepped into his sandals and looked around for his weapons pouch. He happened to walk by Gaara who held it in his hands. Grunting, Naruto grabbed it and strapped it to his leg then looked around. He found his hetai-ait laying on the couch and put it on. When he was ready, they stepped out the door.



The walk through the village main was...uncomfortable to say the least. Any shinobi who was a chounin higher in rank had blushed, made eyes at them and some even tried to pick them up. It was strange, odd and creepy to say the least and by the time they got to the hotel, they were both agitated. Just how many people had watched them anyways? Why had Kyuubi gone and done anything in front of people? Naruto got a laugh at his question and his brows knitted together and he pouted. Pouted.



As Gaara changed his clothes, Naruto stared out the window, his face passive. His thoughts were coming quickly and he wasn't examining any of them too closely. If he did he might get more than agitated. The red head came out clad in his usual clothes, gourd being tied as he walked over to Naruto. The blond hadn't bothered to take off his sandals but Gaara had to step back into his. Naruto bent down for a quick kiss but Gaara held up a toothbrush. Sighing, Naruto figured he didn't brush after breakfast and curry didn't really smell good on the breath, so he went in and quickly brushed. When he came back out, there was an ANBU standing just inside the window. It was Mr. Sparrow.



Naruto's mood further soured as he caught a smile under the ANBU's mask. The blond slapped himself in the forehead and turned back around to walk into the bathroom. He shut and locked the door, then walked to the sink to splash some cold water on his face. It didn't help. He was still blushing. Just how many people had watched anyway?! Shaking his head, Naruto looked up in the mirror and sighed.



"The Hokage-"



"I know." Naruto walked over to Gaara and stopped next to him, arms in his pockets. "Ready to face the piper?"