Sasu/Naru. Around 6 years after Sasuke left the village, Naruto is a workaholic nin whose friends decide he desperately needs a vacation. So anyway after they con him into going on a vacation to the sand he lodges with Gaara and they go clubbing. With hotel room switch ups, mistaken identities and at long last, the answer to why Kakashi is always late you just have to read to find out how our favorite brooding avenger and wannabe future Hokage hook up in the end. Yaoi Sasu/Naru and just for the hell of it Kakashi and Gaara might just get it on too (details such as the identity of the seme in this relationship and how I let this happen are in the fic. So… use that mouse like it was made to be used and click the link!)

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto but Gaara is mine! Though seriously if Naruto was mine Sasuke would've been way too busy screwing him to have left Konoha. Thus the apex of the manga never would have occurred and the plot would've gone straight to hell.

Italics – thoughts or (in the case of the very 1st paragraph) dreams


Crashing in Strange Hotels

Even if I have to break every bone in your body… come, I shall cut those bonds… I will bring you back… You must kill your closest friend…I thought of you as a brother… I am an avenger… You are the one closest to me… even back then… How are we friends… you are at your limit… I promised… you will not even scratch my forehead protector… that I would bring you back… I will recognize you… I can't go back… Goodbye… Naruto…

Around 4 a.m. in a small one room apartment located in the Hidden Village of the Leaf, 19 year old Uzamaki Naruto abruptly swung out of bed. Sweat soaked and panting, he blanched and threw up near the base of his dresser. Unsteadily sinking to the floor, he covered his eyes and softly sobbed one name… "Sasuke".

CHAPTER 1 (A world replaced)

Later that morning, at the Ichikaruka Ramen Naruto sat and ate breakfast.

"Hey Naruto!"

Turning around he saw a tall, ponytail sporting boy and a girl with pink hair.

"Hi Shikamaru! Hi Sakura!" Finishing up his ramen he quickly went over to them. "What's up guys?"

"What's up? What's up!" Sakura began. Oh shit… here it comes.

"Do you have any idea how long you were gone!" she screeched.

"uh…"

"4 months!"

"well…"

"Left without a word!"

"ummm…"

"No phone call!"

"Well, you see, what happened was… Hey I haven't seen Kakashi-sensei in a while!" yelped Naruto, quickly changing the subject. "What's he up to?"

"Two years ago he said that he had a special mission to complete, and we haven't seen him since." grumbled Sakura. "And stop changing the subject!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Women are so troublesome."

"What was that!" shrieked Sakura

"Welcome back, Naruto. I see you've gotten prettier since you left."

"Take it back, Shikamaru…"

"Can't fight against the gifts god gives us, Naruto."

"So if those gifts happen to be a pretty face..."

"And a slim, lean, mean, fighting machine body, that stays in top shape no matter how much ramen we try to poison it with."

"Not you too Sakura."

"I'm afraid that you have long since joined the realm of bishie, my friend."

"Shikamaru, I'm going to kill you!"

"Who wants ramen, my treat!" Shikamaru swiftly piped.

"Oh! Where!"

"This way, my slow friend"

"…"

"HEY!"

Later after much eating and tom-foolery, the little group found themselves in Naruto's apartment. "Umm, could I get you guys a drink or something?" Naruto asked.

"Yea, that'd be-"

"No, we're fine." Sakura interrupted, glaring at Shikamaru.

Catching the hint he groaned and then sighed "so troublesome", before turning to Naruto and saying, "We need to talk."

"About?"

"You, actually."

"I don't underst-"

"We're worried about you!" Sakura finally shouted.

"What? Why?"

"Naruto…" she began. "Within the past few years you've thrown yourself into over 20 consecutive long term missions. You don't take good care of yourself and you can't sleep without pills. You work so much that we hardly see you anymore and the only thing that you still do, that's normal for you, is eat ramen. I mean, it's like you're a man possessed and you've been like this ever since-"

"Shut up, Sakura"

She clamped her mouth shut and for a couple minutes no one spoke. Then, "I know it hurt when he left, Naruto but you have to let him go and move on… We all had to."

"You weren't there." murmured Naruto. "You didn't see him. Didn't fight him. And you weren't the one WHO JUST FUCKING LAID THERE AS HE WALKED AWAY!" he screamed. Shikamaru intervened, "Naruto don't take this out on Sakura and me, we're just trying to help."

"YOU WEREN'T THERE, SO DON'T TALK LIKE YOU FUCKING KNOW! YOU WEREN'T THERE, YOU DIDN'T SEE HIM…didn't… didn't see…"

Shaking, Naruto turned away.

Sakura continued, "Naruto, maybe you should take a vacation. You need to get away from this village, its people and all the memories in a way that doesn't involve work or being a ninja."

"Memories aren't stationary, Sakura. They tend to follow to people." Naruto spit out.

"I know that but-"

"What Sakura is trying to say," Shikamaru calmly mediated. "is that you need go somewhere where every blade of grass doesn't remind you of Sasuke and to catch up on some well deserved r & r."

"And that somewhere would be?"

"How about the Hidden Village of the Sand? From what I hear they're a bit scarce on the grass side."

"That's a great idea!" Sakura exclaimed. "You haven't seen Gaara since that last mission 8 months ago. I know he would be happy to see you. He'll probably put you up in a room at his place."

"That way you'd save the money that you would have spent on a hotel room." Shikamaru quipped.

Naruto glanced back and forth between Sakura and Shikamaru, then sighed.

"Sooooo?" Sakura asked

"Do I have a choice?" groaned Naruto.

"Nope. And, Gaara can afford to feed you ramen everyday."

Naruto twitched.

"The highest quality ramen." she seduced.

Naruto had already started packing.

Sakura grinned and Shikamaru shook his head. That's low Sakura.

Naruto looked at them and said, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and book me a ride to the Sand!"

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You know your friends have been watching too much Naruto, when one of them attempts to use the sexy no jutsu to land a boyfriend.

Authors note:Yeh, I really wanted Gaara in this fic so… yeh. Oh and a small warning—the next couple of chapters were done during a period of 3 days of sleep deprivation so be prepared for the— oh you'll see.