If: I've decided that for each chapter that features one of my main couples that those will be the char 1 & 2 for the search thingy... but all that is irrelevant to you people, unless that's how you find it... but whatever.

As for the title, this story was inspired by The Jeep Song by the Dresden Dolls (love that song to death) so expect that theme/song to get worked into this story.

Pairings: NaruGaa, a bit SasuGaa


Sixteen steps. Sixteen steps away from him. Sixteen steps away from what was right and true. It would be a simple thing to just turn around, take those sixteen steps and take him back into his arms, but he couldn't do it. If he didn't leave now he never would. If he didn't step forward he would be stuck here, stuck without the answers, stuck without a purpose. But even if he had no answers, wouldn't it be worth it to stay for him? Wouldn't it be a good thing to just follow his heart instead of his head for a change? Would those answers he so desperately wanted be a worthy sacrifice for these feelings? He didn't even know what he was feeling. Would it be prudent to sacrifice something he wanted for something he didn't even understand?

He looked back, looked back on what he was sacrificing. Those beautiful emerald eyes that had looked at him with so much feeling mere moments ago were blank. He could see the anger and hurt welling up behind that impassive, uncaring façade. Didn't he know that he could read him by now? He didn't have to act so strong. He didn't have to act like this didn't affect him. He didn't need to look like he didn't care. That look, that look that said nothing yet everything hurt him. It hurt to think that the person that he cared for might not care at all.

That look on his face made him regret his decision.

But it was too late to turn back. It was too late to run back to that beautiful boy and beg for forgiveness. It was too late to do anything but leave.

He had just committed the worst crime possible against that beautiful boy. He had left, just like everyone had left him in the past. Only now could he see his mistake. Only now, was he able to recognize what he was feeling. Hindsight was indeed 20-20. It was only after he had made this grievous mistake that he realized his folly. It was too late.

With sadness written all over his face, and grief consuming his soul, he opened the door to his black Jeep and stepped inside. He looked in the rearview mirror, hoping to see a sign, any sign of sadness that would be proof that the other boy cared, that he could jump out of this Jeep and just take him in his arms. There was no sign. There was no look of sadness. Not a single tear dropped from those icy emerald depths. There was nothing.

Turning the key and starting the Jeep, he put it in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. Switching gears, he stepped on the gas and drove away.


"I can't believe you're letting him stay here!" Naruto exclaimed as soon as he stepped into the house. Gaara turned to him and gave him a stern look.

"… Who said I'm letting him stay here?" Gaara asked. Naruto shot him a puzzled look, ignoring the other boy who had entered the home.

"You said we should get along while he's staying!" Naruto shouted, earning him a glare from the redhead.

"But I didn't say that he was staying here," Gaara said pointedly. Naruto's face was screwed into a face of confusion. Gaara turned to Sasuke, who was hovering at the door bag in hand. "You're not staying in my house."

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

Gaara twitched. "Did you really think I'd let you stay here with me?"

"Yes," Sasuke said without hesitation. Gaara scoffed at him.

"Find somewhere else to stay if you are staying for this little get-together because I will not have you staying in my house," Gaara said and stalked out of the kitchen, Naruto trailing behind him. Pouting, Sasuke opened the door and left the house to stick his bag in his car.

"You sure told him," Naruto remarked as he and Gaara stepped into the living room. Gaara snorted at the blond's comment. "I bet he's pouting in his fancy car as we speak."

"I doubt it," Gaara replied. Naruto frowned but shrugged it off to sit on the blue couch. Patting the seat beside him, he pulled Gaara down to sit on the couch with him. Gaara just looked at him pointedly but still cracked a small smile. Naruto wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and pulled him close. Giving in to the blatant desires of his boyfriend, Gaara laid his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"If he bothers you why don't you tell him he can't be here for this little get-together?" Naruto asked, stroking Gaara's blood red hair and kissing the kanji on his forehead.

"Because maybe some of the people in our little circle of friends may want to see him," Gaara replied. Naruto sighed.

"Doesn't seem like a good enough excuse to me," he replied. Gaara rolled his eyes. "… Are you one of the people that wanted to see him again?"

Shocked, Gaara turned to look the blond in the eyes. "Did you seriously just ask me that?"

Naruto had the decency to look a bit ashamed, but stood his ground. "I know how you felt about him. Emotions like that just don't disappear."

Gaara's face darkened and he looked away from his boyfriend.

"Even if you'll never admit to it, you were pretty devastated when he left," Naruto continued, either heedless or uncaring of his boyfriends change in moods. "Maybe part of you just wanted to see him again. I know part of me wanted to…"

Shocked once again, Gaara looked at the blond, who looked sheepish at the moment.

"He's always been my best friend, and I'll always want to see that he's ok, especially after he's made a bad decision," Naruto said, clarifying what he had just said. "It's ok if you wanted to just see him again, I'm fine with that. I know that you love me now, and you won't ever do anything to change that."

Gaara nodded and laid his head back on Naruto's shoulder. "He's still a rotten no good bastard."

Naruto laughed, the sound filling the house. Gaara smiled softly.

"You got that right. Maybe we both should have listened to you when he left and came back the first time," Naruto finally said after his laughter died down. "We would almost be better off if we had."

"But if we had, we might not be together," Gaara countered. Naruto nodded.

"You have a point. I suppose we do have Sasuke to thank for getting us together," Naruto mused. Gaara absently nodded his head. "If that jerk hadn't of been a jackass we would probably not be where we are now."

Both boys heard the front door open and knew that Sasuke had returned from wherever he had been. Naruto gained a thoughtful look and Gaara suddenly knew that nothing good could come of this. Trying to scoot away from the blond was useless, it only succeeded in getting him to hold on tighter. The footsteps of his ex were getting progressively closer, and Gaara knew that whatever idea was inhabiting Naruto's brain would most certainly scar Sasuke and suddenly he didn't care. Raising his head, he just looked at the blond in askance, so that he could be let in on this evil idea. Naruto just smirked. Bringing his free hand up to Gaara's cheek, he stroked it gently. Gaara leaned into the touch. Smiling in that way that only Naruto can, he leaned down and softly captured the redhead's lips with his own. Gaara brought a hand up to grasp at the collar of Naruto's shirt. The footsteps stopped and both boys knew that Sasuke was watching them. To Gaara it felt like a minor victory, to hurt the other boy, but to Naruto it was a rush, he wondered if this was what Gaara felt whenever he was evil to someone (which was often).

Pulling away, Naruto feigned being startled at the sight of Sasuke standing next to the couch, gaping at the two of them. Gaara smirked, since Sasuke wouldn't see his face, since his back was to the other boy.

"Sasuke, didn't think you'd come back," Naruto said, smiling as brightly as he could given the situation. Sasuke scowled and sat in one of the easy chairs occupying the room.

"Shut up Naruto," Sasuke said. Naruto laughed.

"During your 'trip' did you forget that I'm the one who talks the most?" Naruto asked snidely. Gaara snorted.

"Lee talks more than you," Gaara murmured. Naruto snickered.

"You have a point."

"What?" Sasuke asked, clueless as to what Gaara had said. Naruto opened his mouth to answer but didn't get the chance to since the doorbell rang. Gaara disentangled himself from the blond and stood up.

"… I got it," he muttered and walked back through the kitchen to the door. Opening the door he barely had time to blink before he was glomped onto for the second time that day.

"GAARA!!" was shouted right into his left ear. Wincing, and thinking that this would possibly damage his hearing and ignoring the fact that the music he listened to was similar to screaming.

"… Lee…" he replied softly to the exclamation.

"Lee! Get off my boyfriend!" Naruto shouted from the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Gaara felt the body on top of him get lifted off of him. He watched as the bowl cut boy with the almond eyes was set back on his feet. Gaara nodded to the boy with the long black hair and the pale eyes who was still so very feminine even after all these years.

"Neji," he said and nodded his thanks to the longhaired boy dressed in white. After pulling himself to his feet with the help of Naruto, who had helped Neji pull Lee off of him, he looked at his two old friends. They were the same, if not a little more masculine. Lee had bulked up a bit, but was still as wiry as ever and still clad in green. Neji, though still incredibly feminine, had at least accepted his femininity and had painted his nails. Gaara frowned.

"… You painted your nails…" he commented. Lee grinned, his smile still as blinding as ever and Gaara had to squint to see. Naruto had lifted a hand up to his eyes. Gaara swore he almost saw a blush briefly cross Neji's face.

"… I didn't paint them… Lee did," Neji replied. Lee nodded his head vigorously.

"You certainly are as girly looking as ever Neji," Naruto said. Neji scowled at him. "And Lee, you are just as hyper-active and girly acting as ever."

"Thanks?" Lee said, unsure if that was a compliment of not.

"He's making fun of you, idiot," Neji said, playfully cuffing Lee upside the head. Lee grinned at him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. Neji rolled his eyes and muttered one last 'idiot.'

"Well, well, look who it is… the odd couple. I thought I heard a loud voice and saw a flash of blinding light," Sasuke said, entering the kitchen. All four boys looked at him, unimpressed.

"Uchiha," Neji said blandly, frowning. "I didn't know you would be coming to this."

"Neither did we," Naruto muttered. Gaara elbowed him in the side and Lee tilted his head in question.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Sasuke said, his eyes zeroing in on Gaara.