Disclaimer: I don't own any of this

Chapter One: Green-eyed Monster

"Morning, Sakura!" Naruto grinned at the pink haired girl as he ran up to his team's usual meeting place.

"Good Morning, Naruto." She smiled at him sweetly.

"Ossu teme." Naruto glared mildly at Sasuke.

"Hn, dobe." Sasuke replied.

"Ne, Naruto, do you have a costume yet?"

"Eh? Costume?" Naruto blinked and Sasuke smirked.

"For Halloween!" Sakura giggled.

"…Halloween? I…I don't like Halloween dattebayo."

"What?! How can you not like Halloween? You get to dress up and get candy! I even convinced Sasuke kun to go trick-or-treating with us and he hates people and sweets!"

"Saa, I just don't like it." Naruto gave her a dorky smile. "It scares me."

"You dork! How can it scare you?"

Sasuke glared at the lying dobe.

"All the people dressed like ghosts and skeletons…" Naruto pretended to shudder.

"Baka. So you're not coming to Ino's party?"

"Uh, I'll think about it tebayo!"

"You better come! I'm dressing like a nurse. Sasuke kun doesn't have a costume either."

Sasuke watched Naruto all day during their mission. How could Sakura not see he was lying? But why would Naruto not like Halloween? It was the ultimate prankster holiday. Naruto should be making elaborate schemes to egg the Hokage tower or something.

"So any ideas on what your costume will be yet, Sasuke kun?" Sasuke's stomach lurched at the flirty smile Sakura threw at him. "You could be a doctor and we could go to Ino's party together."

"No."

"Ha ha, why don't you just dress in your 'Orochimaru's slut' outfit? Then everyone would be scared shitless or passed out from blood loss tebayo!"

Sasuke glared at the blonde.

Naruto shrugged and looked away. "It's true dattebayo."

"Shut up, dobe."

"Cocky bastard."

Sakura put a hand on each of them to separate them.

"You two could go as Uchiha Madara and the first Hokage ne."

Both boys looked at her like she was insane.

"Tch." Sasuke scoffed and they continued home.

The next day was a day off and Naruto was wandering around the market, debating with himself if he should buy candy for his night of scary movies on Halloween. He had told Sakura that he would think about Ino's party but he didn't see a point in going. He'd never gone out for Halloween before, why start now?

Kami, kit, get the goddamn candy already! We've been standing here for five minutes and the woman is staring at you like you're retarded!! Kyuubi screamed at him and he sweatdropped and purchased five assorted bags of candy.

Oh, it's Shukaku no gaki…Kyuubi announced. I think he wants to talk to you.

Naruto hefted his plastic bag of candy and turned to see Gaara headed his way. He met Gaara just outside the door and smiled.

"Gaara! What's up, man? You in town for a while? Don't you have duties as Kazekage to be attending to?"

"Lee insisted I come over here for some party and then Sakura asked him so I'm stuck as a third wheel." Gaara said and Naruto raised an eyebrow at the gleam in his eyes.

Naruto laughed. "Are you jealous? Don't tell me you like bushy brows! That's rich!!" Naruto doubled over in his laughter and Gaara glared at him.

"I. Am. NOT. JEALOUS."

"Uh-huh, whatever." Naruto wiped his eyes, pushing back the image of Gaara in a wedding dress and Lee in a green tux in a chapel. "So just go stag, dude."

Gaara glared harder, if possible. "If I'm going stag, I might as well just go home."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know anyone here. And I assume you're not going."

Naruto looked shocked and he tilted his head to the side. "Why's that?"

"It wasn't safe when you were little, was it?"

Naruto's eyes got huge. "You too?"

Gaara nodded. "If I weren't the Kazekage's kid, I'm sure my house would have been tricked cruelly every year."

Naruto hung his head and gripped the plastic handle of his bag tighter.

"Has anything happened recently?" Gaara asked softly.

Naruto looked up and thought about it. "No…not for…not since I brought Sasuke back."

"That long?" Gaara seemed surprised if the tiny widening of his eyes was a hint.

"Yeah…" Naruto almost smiled at that.

"Then you should be safe. Come with me."

"What?!" Naruto looked at the redhead in shock.

"Be my date. As a friend-supporting-each-other sort of thing. You help me be social, I get you away from the scary movie marathons."

Naruto grinned. "You don't just want me in hopes of making bushy brows jealous?"

Gaara's glare returned in an instant and Naruto grinned cheekily at him.

"So what's your costume?"

Gaara almost smiled. Naruto grinned at the twitching of the redhead's lips.

"It's a blue 1800's lord costume."

Naruto thought for a moment. "You mean that thing with the frilly neck thing and tights?"

"Yes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Temari insisted."

"Man, you gotta build up some resistance to peer pressure!"

"…"

"So…something to match you so we make Lee jealous…" Gaara, surprisingly, didn't glare this time. "Hmm…being another lord won't do anything, can't be a slave…OH!"

Gaara cringed in his mind at the excited, devious spark in Naruto's crystal eyes.

"I'll go as your mistress! In my sexy no jutsu!"

Gaara visibly twitched.

"It's perfect! You're outfit's blue, right? So I'll get a blue 1800's gown costume and make myself simply ravishing!" Naruto pretended to blush and cover his little feminine smile.

"Is there something about you and the Uchiha you'd like to tell me?" Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly in an amused smirk.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Naruto paused and then pulled a very childish "ew" face. "You pervert! We're not having sex!"

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow at that response. The blonde hadn't denied that they were gay for each other, or that they were even doing something less than sex but just as gay…hmm…

Gaara looked at his watch. "Oh. I have to get going, Naruto. I'm staying at Lee's, I'll give you a call later to make better plans."

Their eyes met and Naruto smiled at the open emotion shining in the boy's teal eyes. "Thanks, Naruto."

"No problem, that's what friends are for, baka."

Gaara hesitated at that, and Naruto stared in shock as a normal, genuine smile stretched across Gaara's face. The redhead nodded at the silent blonde and disappeared back into the crowd.

Naruto shook his head vigorously and saved the image of Gaara's smile right next to Sasuke's as the rarest possible black mail. Not that he'd ever black mail Gaara.

I wonder if it's a side affect of us that all you kids turn out gay? Kyuubi wondered very loudly to himself.

Shut up, stupid fox, and help me think of how to get an awesome costume.

Tch, I don't have to do anything.

Do you want raamen for lunch or not?

……fine.

Naruto grinned and the woman who owned the store he was loitering at wondered if he was just insane.

Naruto immersed himself into the crowd in search of a costume shop.

Tsuzuku

Notes: Ossu means "hey", generally used by guys; gaki means brat; I'm making it so that it's Kyuubi that likes raamen so much; I'm not spelling raamen wrong, that's how it's written in Japanese at the raamen stand