Author's Notes:
Please review. The beginning is a bit draggy. But it's a buildup to the later chapters. Promise. Please bear with me. And review.
Disclaimer:
Not mine. If they were, I would be rich.
The leaves were not much of a cover, but the sheer number of kage bunshin clones streaming into the area was enough of a distraction. He crouched low on the branch, watching as the kazekage cut through the approaching masses like butter. The howl of wind and sand echoed heavily through the thick wooded area as Gaara stood at the edge of clearing, in the middle of the fray. The clones were doing their job of pushing him slowly backwards, towards the tree on which the Konoha ninja was waiting.
Blue eyes admired the small precise movements, how the sand nipped swiftly, encircling the sand nin in translucent wisps. Blood red hair was tossed carelessly in the resultant wind, trailing against pale smooth skin that would have felt like heaven under his rough fingers-
Naruto shook himself. What was he thinking?
Sand whirled angrily at his feet. This was taking longer than necessary. He glared menacingly at the next wave of Narutos leaping into battle, sending four more crashing into the distant part of the woods with a quick flick of his wrists and a massive punch from the sand. He had to find the real Naruto. And it was proving more difficult than usual with the countless number of crystalline blue eyes coming his way.
There it went again. That annoying flutter in his stomach.
He wrenched his gaze away from those captivating eyes, flinging more clones away from him with a great pillar of sand that erupted from beneath the advancing figures.
There was a rustle from above him.
Above me...
His left hand concentrating on keeping the masses of blondes at bay, he half turned, swiftly planting his right hand against the body that had just descended from the tree. The earth below them rumbled and shattered into fine sand that erupted from the mossy ground, jettisoning up and around the real Naruto, pinning him to the tree he had leapt from.
Sneaky bastard...
He turned his glare at the real Naruto in front of him as the blonde heaved to catch his breath. His heart beat steadily against his palm, sending tiny jolts of anxiety racing up his arm and down his spine.
"You're not concentrating." he said, pulling his thoughts away from how warm and firm the other man's chest was under his hand. His own heart thudded even faster as the blonde raised his head to meet pale green with bright blue accompanied by that disarming grin of his.
"Neither are you."
Naruto smirked in triumph, watching as the sand nin's eyes dropped to his own rough hand pressed against his chest, glowing with chakra. Gaara silently wished his heart would stop beating and betraying the convoluted emotions he fought from his cold unwavering stare.
A heartbeat quickened under his calloused palm. Clear blue eyes traced the curve of his jaw, coming to a rest at slightly apart lips, short breaths escaping through them in quick, tantalizing succession.
He did what only felt natural.
And natural had never felt so right.
He saw pale green eyes widen the slowly close again in silent surrender through his own half lidded bright blues, allowing himself a satisfied smile against the kazekage's warm and remarkably soft lips. Kage bunshin clones vanished behind them in wisps of haze as sand showered down around them.
Naruto's battle-worn fingers fisted in the black satin of Gaara's shirt, tugging the stunned redhead deeper into the kiss. A deep rush of warmth surged in his veins, infusing a heady feeling that tingled from head to toe. There had to be a word for all this...
Unresponsive.
Like a sock in the wash.
The blonde pulled away after several long moments, his eyes searching for something, anything in those pale green orbs. But there was nothing. His fingers slowly loosened on the tortured cloth, a strange unfamiliar pain beginning to spike through him like rusted nails coursing in his blood.
"I... I'm sorry..." he mumbled uneasily, pushing himself away from the emotionless face in front of him. What did he expect to happen? Dobe...
It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. It hurt-
A hand reached up, curling around the back of his neck, pulling him back into a fiery lip lock. Once unresponsive lips now fiercely claimed the parted ones of Naruto. This was all new territory to the kazekage, tearing down all the thick walls he had paved around himself with such meticulous care. Nothing else mattered but the culmination of all his doubts, thoughts and unnamed, unheeded and uncontainable emotion into this single moment. This connection. This intensity.
Risk everything, huh...
--
An exhausted grunt saw Gaara to the edge of the futon as he seated himself on the soft material with the impeccable grace he never let himself be without. The day had been tiring, yet the most invigorating he had had for a very long time.
"You're back late."
Gaara offered his sister a tired nod, carefully folding the fluffy towel in his hands and handing it over to the outstretched hand hovering in front of his face.
"Well, I have laid out your robes in the closet for tomorrow's ceremony," the blonde girl said gently, turning to leave the room as Gaara flopped uncharacteristically onto the futon, his gaze softening as the haze of day dreaming claimed his mind. She smiled inwardly, shutting the door quietly behind her. Moments like these, few and far apart as they were, reminded her that her little brother was still, after all, human.
He might even enjoy what she had prepared for him...
--
The weather was perfect for welcoming the sixth Hokage.
Regardless of it being five in the morning.
Naruto stood atop the fire red building, a subdued smile hanging from his lips as he repeated his vows to office after the official of the event. His friends stood behind him, as they always did, looking onwards as the one who had brought them all together, the one who had made anything possible, the one who had brought them all to this very point, stepped forward towards his dreams.
They were always by his side. Fighting, protecting, supporting. But these last few yards, he walked alone.
The sun peaked over the edges of the forest beyond, illuminating the rooftops of Konoha in the dawn of a new day and era. He stepped determinedly forward into the light that glowed brightly around his golden hair, making him seem like the sun itself. A deafening cheer erupted from the gathered villagers as their sixth Hokage stood regally before them. This was his moment.
Gaara watched silently from his position next to Sakura, moving to remove his kazekage hat in respect for the newest kage, his eyes never leaving the young man. He felt a torrent of fulfillment flood through him. He was happy. For this man. The one who had shown him friendship, compassion, light, love.
Funny how easy it was to identify what happiness was now.
Sakura watched the smile play across the redhead's lips. The stoic sand nin was... Smiling? Her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto turning back towards his friends, flashing them his signature grin and a big thumbs up. His gaze locked and lingered on pale green eyes watching him intently and the grin simmered into a strange mix of secret understanding and quiet acknowledgement. His Gaara was smiling for him. He made an unconscious move towards his fellow kage, only to be swamped by his comrades rushing forward to capture him in a massive group hug.
Gaara's smile persisted as he watched the cheerful blonde be hoisted atop shoulders from the spot he had yet to move from. Neji stood not too far from him, observing the kazekage quietly. Something was different about the terrifying ex-Jinchuriki...
That chakra...
His near white eyes shot towards the thick concentration of trees just outside the gates of Konohagakure. His pupils strained with the byakuugan but the source was already gone. It's impossible... He reassured himself. That person would never dare come near the village again anyway...
"GAARA!"
The redhead was suddenly pounced upon by a flash of white and red robes, nearly hurling the two kages to the ground. He looked up at Naruto's beaming face, a bright grin plastered across his face. A slight blush dusted the kage of Suna's cheeks, feeling the strange, but not at all unpleasant, feeling of the blonde's body pressed against his, the Hokage's familiar scent enveloping him, the expectant tingle he could barely control on his lips.
"You're coming to the festival with us!"
Gaara raised an eyebrow.
"What festival?"