Gaara stretched out in the chair at his desk, slouching casually and reading an update on the situation in the south of the Land of Wind. It wasn't a big deal, just a small-scale skirmish between two neighbouring villages. Even so, several ninja had been deployed there to keep the peace.
Also on today's agenda was a meet and greet with a Land of Wind noble. Gaara hadn't really been listening when he was informed of this; schmoozing with the upperclasses wasn't really his thing. But from what he'd heard, this noble was the daughter of an important Lord. Apparently, she'd become something of an icon in the Land of Wind, always giving interviews to high-profile magazines and travelling to other lands to visit prominent people. It had gained her quite the celebrity status. Gaara didn't really have time to fawn over a spoilt, sanctimonious girl full of her own self-importance, but seeing as she was visiting Suna, he was obliged to welcome her, even if only as a gesture of goodwill.
His thoughts were interrupted as someone marched into his office unannounced. It was a very concerned looking Naoko.
"What's wrong?" Gaara asked, rising from his chair. Then he noticed she was holding hands with a young, withdrawn looking boy. He waited for her to explain.
"I found him in the alleyway on the way to the hardware store. I think he's lost"
Gaara narrowed his eyes at her accusingly. "I told you not to go there Naoko…"
She interrupted him with a frown. "Gaara, the poor kid's on his own. And he won't speak. I don't know what to do."
Gaara turned to the child beside Naoko. He was small and unusual looking, with white-blonde hair and dark, dark eyes. They might have been dark grey but Gaara couldn't quite tell; from where he was standing they looked black. The child stood limply, staring into space as if distracted by something.
"What is your name?" Gaara ground out harshly.
The boy startled out of his daze and widened his eyes slightly, looking directly at Gaara. But he didn't answer. His silence weighed heavily in the room. Gaara didn't like being ignored, and he was slightly irritated by the child's blatant refusal to speak.
"Well…?" Gaara pressed.
Still the child remained silent. Gaara frowned at the boy more sternly than was necessary, so Naoko squeezed the child's hand in an effort to offer some comfort. She knew Gaara could appear quite intimidating at times to those who weren't familiar with him.
"I think we should keep him" Naoko began, before realising how maternal she sounded. "I mean, y'know, just until we find his parents" she clarified. "Surely they'll report him missing soon, and then we can hand him straight over to them."
Gaara mulled this over for a few seconds before rubbing a hand through his unkempt, fiery hair. He sighed and gave an affirmative nod.
"Ok, we'll look after him until we track down his family"
Naoko smiled and bounded over to him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and planting a quick kiss on his lips. She turned to leave.
"Naoko, we're welcoming a guest to Suna today… 3 o' clock" he informed her.
She turned and flashed him a grin. These kinds of occasions always called for her to play the refined, amiable wife of the Kazekage, but she didn't mind.
"Are we greeting anyone important?" she asked, the slightest sardonic tone to her voice.
"Hn. Something like that" he replied nonchalantly, returning to his seat.
She turned to exit the room before realising that the boy was still rooted to the spot. Still silent. It was as if he was in his own world, oblivious to what was going on around him. Naoko took his small, frail hand in hers.
"Hey…" she said softly, tugging him gently in the direction of the door. The boy turned and cast a final, knowing glance at Gaara before submitting and following Naoko.
"See you, Tiger" she smiled at Gaara over her shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you too" Gaara replied softly, but Naoko had already left and closed the door behind her.
He allowed himself a small smile. The room always felt more alive when Naoko was in it, and she left a trace of her electric presence even after she'd gone. Maybe it was her Kekkei Genkai, or maybe it was just love. Either way, Gaara knew his life would be dismal without her.
His thoughts turned to the nameless light-haired boy. Gaara had seen the look the child had given him, and it had unnerved him. There was something strange about this boy. His dark, clouded eyes had a piercing, sad wisdom beyond his years. It made Gaara feel as though the boy had seen right through him, right into his soul. The child's silence had just made it an even more disturbing experience. Somewhere in Gaara's perceptive shinobi mind, alarm bells were ringing. Something wasn't quite right about that child.
--
Naoko made her way through the building to the tech room- her work's HQ. The boy followed obediently, still attached to Naoko's hand. The grip of his clammy fingers was neither too tight nor too weak… it was simply indifferent. His feet dragged on the floor.
Naoko slid open a door and stepped into the room. A couple of young trainee engineers jumped and stood up to acknowledge their Sensei.
"Lady Naoko! Good morning!" garbled one of the trainees- a young lad of 17 years who had proven to be quite a promising student in the past few weeks. Naoko screwed up her nose at the formal greeting. Sure, she was the wife of the Kazekage, but she could never quite get used to being addressed as 'Lady' Naoko.
"Listen, Daichi, you really don't have to call me that… just Naoko will do… its fine, honestly…" she looked around. "Where the hell is Yuki?" she added abruptly, scanning the room for her best friend and work colleague.
"She and Kankuro went to the storeroom to look for something" the trainee replied naively.
Naoko quirked a brow. "They did, huh?"
She smirked as she walked towards a large door at the back of the room. A bold sign on the door read 'Electrical Storeroom'. She opened the door sharply to be met by darkness. There was an anonymous gasp from inside the room and a loud clattering noise as something was knocked over. Naoko knew better than to turn the light on- she dreaded to think what sight would meet her.
"I wonder what you two could possibly be looking for in the dark?" Naoko sang sarcastically into the pitch-black room. There was no response.
"Come on, I know your game!" she teased.
Finally the light was switched on and a very flushed Yuki and disheveled Kankuro were revealed.
"Oh! Naoko! Hi!" Yuki smiled innocently, feigning a look of surprise before realising she'd been well and truly busted so there was no point in trying to hide it. She sighed and altered her demeanour appropriately. "You're late, as always" she said, finally meeting Naoko's amused gaze.
"Yes. But this time I have a reason!" Naoko chirped, raising a finger triumphantly. Yuki and Kankuro sheepishly followed her back into the main room before they noticed the young boy beside Naoko.
"What's the deal, Mother Teresa?" Kankuro asked, indicating to the boy.
Naoko ruffled the child's bright hair. "We think he's lost. We're keeping an eye on him till we find his parents". She began to shoo Kankuro towards the exit. "Beat it brother. We've got work to do"
"Wait", Kankuro interrupted. "Your uncle Kakashi's in Suna with the Uchiha. He said they'll probably be in the Desert Solace tonight if you want to catch them". (The Desert Solace was a local bar that was usually frequented with most of Suna's off-duty shinobi).
Hearing this, Naoko gave a wide grin. She'd not seen the loveable old man for a while so it would be nice to catch up.
"Ok Kankuro, thanks for letting me know. See you later" she said, shoving him out of the door before he could reply.
"See you later Yuki!" came his muffled call through the now closed door.
Naoko led the silent boy to a chair at the edge of the room and he settled on it compliantly. She didn't mind the idea of looking after the child while she worked- he was no trouble at all, unlike her unruly son. The two engineers and two trainees sat on the floor and set to work, chatting as they did.
"So… how are things going with Kanky?" Naoko asked with a mischievous glint in her green eyes.
Yuki bit her lip, looking unsure. She and Kankuro had been seeing each other tentatively for a couple of years. It was a very casual relationship, and recently Yuki had been a little disgruntled at the haphazard Sabaku's reluctance to commit.
"Well, y'know… we're taking it easy for now" Yuki replied, a sensible look on her face.
"He's still being evasive, huh?" Naoko sighed, inspecting some circuitry in her hands. "Well, you two seemed to be having a good old time in the store room over there" she chuckled.
"Our sex life isn't the problem" Yuki grinned.
Naoko rolled her eyes. "I hope I don't find any nasty surprises in that store room" she muttered under her breath.
Yuki ignored the comment and leaned in towards Naoko cautiously. She lowered her voice to a whisper so that the child couldn't hear. "Naoko…do you and Gaara ever…um well…"
Naoko looked at her like she was a loon. "Spit it out Yuki!"
"Ssshhh!" Yuki urged. "Well, y'know they're shinobi, yeah?" Yuki whispered.
"…Yeah…"
"And they can, like… clone themselves…" Yuki said as she fidgeted nervously with some wires and a screwdriver.
"…Yeah…" Naoko said, not understanding where Yuki was going with this.
Yuki writhed, embarrassed. "Well, last night, Kankuro, like, y'know… and we, y'know… so there was, like, two of him" she stammered, grinning uncontrollably.
Naoko finally caught on and gasped. "Yuki! I didn't think you'd try something like that! Hahaha…I mean, Kankuro, he's perverse anyway… but you… you're really sensible. I didn't think you'd be up for that kind of thing!" Naoko giggled.
Yuki smiled victoriously.
"A threesome with two Kankuros" Naoko thought aloud as she grimaced and tried to remove the images from her mind.
"I just wondered if you and Gaara had tried anything like that before? I mean, from the graphic things you've told me, you two are v-e-r-y experimental" Yuki said in a dramatic tone, raising her eyebrows.
Naoko thought this over for a few seconds, still taken aback by her friend's uncharacteristically deviant sexual exploits and her openness in discussing them.
"No…actually Gaara and I haven't tried that…" Naoko said quietly, matter-of-factly.
"Really?!" Yuki let out a silly, girly giggle, "You should! It's really great!!" she squealed, grinning triumphantly because she'd finally tried something that Naoko hadn't.
Naoko silently mused on the sheer genius of using the Shadow Clone Jutsu that way. Why the hell hadn't she thought of that?! Who would've thought her imagination could be outdone by none other than Yuki (Mrs Prudish herself) and her brother in law Kankuro (the village idiot)? Naoko couldn't deny that it was an amazing idea. She imagined being sandwiched between two Gaara's. Two pale and perfect bodies heatedly pressed against her, moist and frantic. One Gaara was already more than enough to screw her completely senseless… but two would be…
'Woah' she told herself, 'breathe'.
She decided that she would be informing her husband of this. This was something they just HAD to try.
--
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Shadow Clone Jutsu
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A/N: Next time, Sasuke gets drunk, and a long lost individual from Gaara's past reappears… How will Naoko react? And just what is the deal with the mysterious, silent little boy? Well, you'll just have to wait and see! All will unfold… Things are about to get intense…
A big thanks to Internetastic 4: I now grant you the title of Dag's Chief Translator! I will probably be asking for advice on Japanese translations sometime in the near future. Thanks again - you're a lifesaver! And thanks for all the super lovely wonderful reviews, people!
Final thoughts: Mmm… Gaara sandwich