Author's Note (PLEASE READ): This is the sort-of-sequel to "Remember Me At Twilight," so it will make more sense if you read that one first. It's a one-shot, and there will be no more sequels.

Also, I got slightly annoyed with the reviews for Remember Me At Twilight, because while reviews are shiny and pretty and I appreciate them all, it seemed like a lot of the reviewers had not read my author's note and ended up asking things I'd already answered. Please, don't do this – I really try to keep my author's notes brief but answer potential questions at the same time. It saddens me when someone won't read a four sentence author's note.

"Kazekage-sama!"

The red-head looked up from his paperwork, almost bored, as one of his subordinates rushed in. The Suna jounin stood at the door to the kazekage's office, clutching the doorframe as he panted for breath. The kazekage merely regarded him with a detached curiosity, as if the jounin were an interestingly shaped spot on the wall.

"Kazekage-sama, there's been an intruder. He breeched the village's walls and –"

Gaara leaned back in his chair. "Akatsuki?"

"Well, no. But –"

"What harm has been caused?"

"Well, none, but –"

"Then why are you interrupting me with this?"

The jounin faltered, obviously nervous that the kazekage would grow angry; though the jinchuuriki's disposition had improved much over the past few years and many Suna nin revered and respected their kazekage, there were still shinobi in the Hidden Village of the Sand that remained acutely aware of their young leader's past as a ruthless and uncontrollable killer.

Before the jounin made a hasty retreat out of the office though, a voice came from the kazekage's archives. "C'mon, Gaara," it said, "the guy obviously ran a marathon to get other here, you can at least here what he had to say."

"Kankurou ..." Gaara sighed, closing his eyes with exasperation. The jounin awaited with baited breath. "Fine. Speak."

The jounin sighed with relief. "The intruder arrived approximately thirty minutes ago, and bore no forehead protector showing allegiance or lack thereof to a hidden village. A jounin caught sight of him, though, and noted that his wounds looked like injuries one would expect to see from a fight between two ninja. He questioned the intruder, who in turn became hostile towards the questioning. The jounin attempted to arrest the intruder, but he resisted. Two more jounin arrived and began battling him. It probably would have taken more to arrest him, but the intruder agreed to come quietly if we allowed him to talk to you."

Gaara looked skeptical and slightly bewildered. "Bring him in."

Later, Gaara would wonder who exactly he expected – he had known, by that point, of a missing nin who instead of slashing through his village's symbol had instead given his forehead protector to the shinobi he'd sacrificed his allegiance to his village to save. He knew that that very same missing nin could easily best three of Suna's elite ninja. Still, he was surprised when Uzumaki Naruto walked through the door, flanked by two Suna jounin.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Gaara took in Naruto's wounds, took in the firm and almost fearful grip the Suna jounin kept on him, and took in the raw pain that lurked behind his blue eyes.

"Release him," Gaara told the guards instantly. "Uzumaki Naruto, come with me."

"I didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm sorry."

Gaara was silent, tilting Naruto's head slightly to get a better look at the cut on the side of his face.

Naruto wouldn't stay silent, though. His eyes locked onto Gaara's, pleading for something – forgiveness, maybe, or perhaps validation that he had done the right thing. "I just ... I had to save him. Before Orochimaru got him. Before he broke, before there was nothing left –"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Gaara said finally. "You will always be welcome at Suna, no matter what the reason."

"But having a missing nin from Konoha could jeopardize your alliance with them –"

"Then they aren't worth being allies with us."

Naruto scowled. "Don't talk like that! Don't even joke. Konoha's my home ..."

"And they rejected you," Gaara said simply, placing a bandage on the wound. "If it weren't for your continued loyalty to them, I'd break all ties with them immediately."

"Don't joke about stuff like that."

"I'm not joking."

Naruto was silent for a while. When he finally spoke, it wasn't about alliances. "I had to get him back, Gaara. You ... you understand that, right?"

"No."

Naruto grimaced.

The red head stared at the other boy, then sighed. "I understand your philosophies rarely, Uzumaki Naruto. I try, but I still have trouble. Fighting for someone you love ... is not something I am accustomed to. So no, I do not know your motivation to save Uchiha Sasuke when he's hurt you so badly."

"He didn't do this to me," he groused. "I told you, I got in a scuffle with the Akatsuki –"

"I'm not talking about how you bleed," Gaara growled, reaching for bandages.

"Then what are you talking about?!"

Gaara glared before he began applying the bandages. "Uchiha Sasuke hasn't hurt you on the surface. It's nothing you can see. You don't bleed, and yet, you're dying." He finished dressing the blond's wounds and placed his hand over Naruto's heart. "He hurt you here."

"Gaara ..."

The kazekage looked straight into Naruto's eyes. "It's a pain I became accustomed to in my youth, though there was never as acute a cause as what Uchiha Sasuke has done to you."

"Sasuke didn't cause this –"

"Didn't he?" Gaara asked. "Now, get some rest," he said with finality. "You've traveled a long way."

Naruto frowned, obviously still wanting to argue but knowing when to stop. "Where am I going to sleep?"

"You can sleep in my room until better arrangements are made," Gaara said.

"What about you?"

Gaara gave a half-hearted shrug. "I haven't been able to get into the habit of letting myself sleep yet."

"Oh," Naruto said. He shifted uncomfortably. "Well ... are you sure it will be okay?"

The red-head shot him an exasperated glare. "Go rest," he ordered. "I'll see about getting you a job in the morning. That way, you won't have all these foolish concerns about being a burden."

Naruto gave him a slight grin. "Thanks, Gaara."

Gaara entered his room later that night to check on Naruto. He examined the blond, noticing that despite the tousled hair, the slight snore, and all other evidence that Naruto was deeply asleep, he still seemed troubled. Gaara stared at him long and hard, mentally damning Sasuke for doing this to Naruto and despairing that Naruto had let Sasuke do this to him.

He approached the bed and sat down on it, eyes still on Naruto. The other boy continued to sleep on the (in Gaara's opinion) overly large bed, unaware of Gaara's presence. His blond eyebrows were slightly drawn together and his mouth was in a light frown. He shifted in his sleep, muttering something that Gaara couldn't catch.

Gaara reached out slowly and gently caressed the mussed hair. Naruto's expression seemed to relax and Gaara could feel him lean into the touch slightly. The kazekage smiled softly before laying down on the bed beside Naruto and holding his arm over the former Konoha nin protectively.

He had no trouble sleeping that night.

END