Hello everyone! :D

Gosh, I made it in time...! I really was fearing I wouldn't manage to finish this in time! =.= I'm ashamed of myself for using up 'till last minute to write something for Naruto-kun's b-day... *sighs*

Anyway, it actually is nothing special, just a little post-war fluff (next part for Gaara's birthday, maybe? *winks*).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but what I wrote.

Ja ne,
Temari 88

You Remembered

The bathing quarters were finally quiet and, most of all, vacant; devoid of all the melee of men and women going to and from, entering covered in sweat, blood and dirt and coming out clean at last... free of the remnants of the cruel and fierce war all of them went through, for the most part—some scars and losses couldn't be forgotten so easily, but it was something they knew all too well.

Gaara had been waiting for a while - even though he didn't like the feel of his skin itch under the creaking surface of sweat and earth mixed together - for the chance to wash in peace without having other people in the vicinity because as much as he had started to be more comfortable around others, that didn't mean he didn't prefer keeping his bathing rituals (even if he didn't really have any in particular) private if at all possible; so he had patiently let others wash while he busied himself with the coordination and the needs of his people at the camp, as every 'Kage had the responsibility for their own shinobi so to not cause useless chaos.

He had just stripped out of his dust-covered uniform, grabbed a towel and sat down on one of the stalls to wash himself when the sliding door opened with a scraping noise. Gaara was about to stand up and get out, but the mop of blond hair and the flash of blue eyes that immediately zeroed in on him made the redhead stop and sit back down, his shoulders relaxing in a matter of seconds as the other quietly made his way towards him, a towel wrapped around the waist.

Naruto took the place beside him naturally. "Hey Gaara." he greeted him with a smile stretching his full lips, "Hope you don't mind if I wash with you." he stated rather than asked, fully knowing the other wouldn't really kick him out anyway. All Gaara did was nod lightly and turn the tap, getting the hot water to run a little before picking up the bucket and splashing the contents over his head; then he started rubbing the soap on his skin repeatedly, keeping his head down and actually doing his best to ignore Naruto, who he knew was watching his every move.

Once Gaara moved to pass the soap over his back, Naruto stood up and settled behind him, taking the bar from his hand, "Here, let me help you out." he told him before gently washing his back, his callous fingers caressing his skin without hesitation.

"There is no need—" he said but stopped when his face was turned sideways thanks to one of the other's hands and he was kissed on the lips suddenly, finding the probing of a tongue pleading for entrance. Gaara sighed into the kiss and allowed the deeper contact, basking in the sensation as he felt Naruto's free hand thread itself into his hair.

Once they separated, Gaara turned around to face the blond as Naruto grabbed the bucket full of warm water he had poured for himself and used it to clean the foam from redhead's body, now finally back to its usual creamy white complexion; the Konohan quietly rested his forehead on the other's collarbone and inhaled his sent. "I want to. It's the first time I can be this close to you since the whole mess with Madara started and I definitely don't want to waste it..." he leaned up and kissed Gaara again, his fingers sneaking along the Kazekage's sides inching downward.

Gaara, his eyes closed, found his spine arching imperceptibly under the touch: he knew how to suppress his need and desires but having Naruto that close and feeling his tender caress after so long in more than just his own memory... it was addicting and his restraint couldn't hold a lot longer. Before that, though, there were a couple of things he needed to take careof, so when the blond abandoned his mouth to nip at his neck, Gaara pushed a little on the other's chest creating some semblance of distance between them. "You need to get clean yourself, you have dirt caked in your hair - that's not so appealing." he commented with a little grin.

Naruto answered with a grin of his own, "I like this new Gaara, that look's hot on you!" he said licking his lips and handing the soap to the redhead. "Help me?"

"No. I'll wait in the pool." answered Gaara, smirking at the dejected sound that escaped the blond's mouth. In truth, he thought he would get carried away if he put his hands on the lightly tanned body and there was something important he needed to do before that.

As expected, Naruto took a surprisingly short time to get clean (he scrubbed at his skin a little too fiercely and he ended up the color of Gaara's hair) and fly over to the big pool of almost-scalding water, settling down near the edge and then dragging the Kazekage to sit on his lap, circling the thin waist with his arms. The two of them stayed that way for a few minutes, silently relaxing and enjoying the long awaited physical contact they had been denied for weeks during the war effort (they didn't complain about it, not openly, because they weren't the only ones that had suffered from such hindrances between lovers) and a little afterwards.

At last, Gaara decided that was as good a time as he could have asked for and shifted into Naruto's embrace, facing him directly. "Though I am sure a lot of others already told you this today," he started in a low voice that managed to echo slightly while looking straight into the blue irises, "I preferred to wait until we were somewhere private." he paused and let a hand, wet from the water, rest on the whiskered cheek. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

A long silence followed. The Konohan shinobi was staring wide eyed the other, actually quite surprised at what he had just heard; he blinked a number of times trying to snap out of his reverie because he knew Gaara was waiting for an answer and making the Kazekage wait was not a wise decision. He swallowed around a lump that had lodged itself somewhere in his throat and his expression suddenly melted into such a sweet one that it was Gaara's turn to look mildly surprised. "You're..." started the blond before swallowing again and speaking up a second time. "You're actually the first one who told me that today..."

The faintly strained smile directed at him made Gaara frown deeply. "Seriously?" he asked with a monotone.

A hum of assent answered, "But I understand how it might have slipped their mind...!" he added, rushing to defend his friends, "I mean, the war ended no more than three days ago."

The redhead sighed and limited his response saying, "Still, I thought higher of them than to forget so easily.", the voice a tad harsher than he intended but he wasn't really sorry about it.

A long silence engulfed them both once more as Gaara sat rigidly on top of Naruto's knees. He felt oddly affronted at the idea that no one other than him had remembered it was the blond's birthday—he wasn't just some random guy, he played a great part in their victory - he should have been swarmed by people wishing him a happy birthday! While he was brooding internally, the Konohan shinobi was observing the clench of the Kazekage's jaw and the line forming between his pale brows... it was actually incredibly adorable of Gaara to get angry for his sake - and definitely something he would have never openly shown only a few months past.

A blinding grin suddenly overtook Naruto's face and he couldn't help but squeeze the shorter shinobi and kiss him on his lips, delving immediately into the other's mouth without finding any sort of resistance and softly caressing Gaara's tongue with his own. "Say it again?" he asked after they parted.

Gaara complied with a hidden half smile. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

The blond gathered the pale face in his hands and touched their foreheads together, "Thank you, Gaara." he whispered back, raining a feather-like kiss on the other's nose and making the redhead roll his eyes at the sappiness of it all. "I'm really, really, happy you out of everyone else remembered." he continued, knowing Gaara's glare was only a way to cover his increasing embarrassment. "Your 'happy birthday' was the only one that actually mattered to me, so thank you."

The Kazekage didn't answer, simply moving in and closing the distance between them, initiating a kiss of his own and resting his arms around Naruto's neck, his fingers threading into the blond hair, as they continued to lazily stoke each other's lips and tongues while bathing in the warm thermal waters.