So Finally This Chapter is finished. I had exams coming up so I had to try to study, and then write. I think I did okay in the ones I already had so far. It's just the math dammit that does damage to my ass. Oh right sorry. Please enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Naruto- but Kishimato-san said he'll have his people call my people; even if they didn't take my contact info. A girl can hope can't she!

Warning: (refer to pervious chapter)

Chapter 3 – The Trouble with Roses and Pandas

Destiny and Fate, some people said that they are the same. Neji knew better. Destiny was that nice, fairytale crap, where soul mates found each other by someway or another while fate was destiny's bitch of a sister you couldn't get laid therefore, didn't want anyone else to.

Neji thought of himself as a respectable, likeable, handsome, young man, who worked hard. So why, was his life…his love life anyway, going down the toilet? A soft sigh escaped the long, haired brunette's pale pink lips, as he sat quietly under an oak tree in the Hyuuga garden. He crossed his arms over his broad chest as he replayed the scene he had witness in the alley on his way to the training grounds. Sasuke had been touching his Gaara's face. Yes, he had felt angry at the raven-haired ninja but he couldn't help feeling betrayed by Gaara; he would have leaned into the touched if Sasuke hadn't moved. So Gaara wasn't his boyfriend but, that was besides the point. Didn't Sasuke and Naruto have a thing for each other?

Yes, he was sure of it, as they touched and teased each other way too much to be considered 'just friendly'. So what was the Uchiha's game? Was he just using the sand ninja, keeping him as a back up, if a relationship with the new Hokage didn't work? The Hyuuga snorted and closed his eyes, choosing to embrace the darkness behind his eyelids than the beauty of the garden around him, especially since Hinata's roses had began to bloom. As to add salt to an opened wound, they were as red as Gaara's hair. He knew Sasuke wasn't like that, but it still hurts to know that you were someone's second choice…well, if you were a choice at all. Hell, he felt like that every time the Kazekage just came to hang out in Konaha every six months or so, but was really coming to spend time with Naruto – who was like his brother - and Sasuke – who was like his…the byakuugan user couldn't stomach it.

"What do you see in him anyway?" he asked to his imaginary Gaara and sighed again – he had been doing that a lot lately – probably what Naruto saw in Sasuke as well. "Why did you put yourself in a losing battle, against Naruto of all people?"

When they were in the academy Neji never gave the orange clad boy credit except for his determination. That determination had followed him through the life as when he wanted something, nothing and no one could stop him. Exhibit A. he was now the Hokage, exhibit B. Sasuke was back in a Konohagakure and a captain of a squad.

"I know you'll get hurt – I don't want you to - but I understand how it feels to be so close to the person you desire, without being able to get them. Because that's how I feel when I'm with you." Neji said. Opening his eyes, he got up, slowly making his way to one of the fully bloomed red roses and picked it; he would deal with his cousin's silent anger later. Neji brought the flower to his face, smelled it and smiled, "However, when that does happen, I'll be there to help you bloom again."

SN

Gaara flopped down onto his bed, landing on his stomach. It was a good thing Sasuke had left, because although he knew they were only going to friends, his whole body hurt, especially his heart. The pain there on the left side of his chest was becoming unbearable and he quickly grabbed the area trying to dull the ache. The sand leader couldn't remember the last time he was in so much agony.

'Oh wait,' he thought miserably, 'there was that time with the Akasuki when they removed Shikaku from me. I would have been dead if Naruto hadn't fought for me.' Gaara couldn't help but chuckle. Naruto had been his first friend, his brother and now this rival in love. Dammit! Why did he have to fall for the one guy that was in love with his brother! What the hell did he do wrong do deserve…wait there were those times when he killed those people. Damn, Karma was coming for his ass and Fate was a bitch. Great now he sounded like Neji.

Gaara sighed. When had he become one of those love sick puppies, he had never felt this way about anyone else. This is why he hated alcohol; it made him so vulnerable and emotional about everything. He had grown to hate its smell, the taste. But what really made him despise the beverage was the night he let someone into his comfort zone, the night he realized why Naruto had been so obsessed with Sasuke, was the night he had had gotten wasted for the first time in his life.

SSNN

Gaara's eyes watered making his vision blurry as he swallowed the poisonous liquid down, his throat burned and it left a bitter almost nasty taste on his tongue. The red head hated how it felt as it slid into his mouth; not heavy but too heavy to be water. The smell was so strong he felt light headed and the loud chatter in the background did little to help his oncoming headache. It was too much for his senses and he began to cough.

"Gaara, oh shit, sorry I forgot that you don't drink. Wait, I didn't order that for you, I ordered water. I'm so sorry. " Even though his senses were messed up, the Kazekage knew who was speaking to him. Naruto.

"You shouldn't have drank that Kazekage-sama." Neji said as he took the spot besides the coughing young man while signaling the bartender to bring a glass of water over. When it arrived, he pushed it towards Gaara. "Here, drink some water, it'll help."

Gaara quickly drank the water, his senses hummed with approval as the nasty taste of the alcohol was washed down.

"Naruto, I ordered it, it's not your fault."

"What! Why would you do that?! Honestly Sasuke I go to the bathroom for one moment…"

"Hn, he wanted to out do me, since I said that alcohol doesn't have a strong affect on me. I think that was his fourth."

"Sasuke!"

"Just letting him defend his masculinity…or lack there of."

"Teme, behave, that's not nice." Naruto shouted. Turing to his right, he slapped the Uchiha hard on his shoulder as he glared at him. The blue eyed male quickly tuned to the red head on his left. "Gaara just ignore him, he's still a little pissed that I dragged his sorry ass back to Konoha. Oh, nice to see you finally made it here Neji."

"Hn, dobe. I came willing."

"After I beat your sorry ass!"

"Who was the sorry ass that I had to carry back because he was trying to defeat 10 people at once and trying to get me to comeback, instead of waiting for backup."

"…"

"Thought so," Sasuke said as his trademark smirk appeared.

"Why you fuc…"

"re…(hic)..rest." Was all the sand ninja said as he got up wobbly. He needed to get out of the two leaf ninjas way, as he knew how they got when they argued. Usually he would stay and watch them, but he head wasn't in it…seriously he had a headache. Unfortunately, as he made his ways towards what he thought was the exit, he body went into sleep mode.

The next thing Gaara knew, he was being reacquainted with his lunch and them some. He knew that he had just puked in a toilet but he didn't know how he got there. The sand leader could feel himself being held up, but his mind was still too fuzzy to ask questions. Someone was gently stroking his hair, keeping it out of his eyes. Dammit, his body felt so weak, this is why he hated alcohol! Seeking comfort, he snuggled into the warmth at his side, resting his head on the firm but more than welcomed pillow. His pillow chuckled. Gaara frowned, pillows don't chuckle.

"And here I thought you hated me."

He knew that voice, it was Sasuke's. But, why did his pillow sound like Sasuke? Realization, slowly and painfully made itself known. He was resting on Sasuke. Pale green eyes snapped opened.

"I…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, it's my fault. I didn't know that you really didn't drink." The dark haired teen said, giving him a small, apologetic smile. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

The Kazekage looked up at the Uchiha in shock.

'He can smile?!?!'

"You must really be out of it if you're acting like this."

"…"

"Up you go." Was the only warning Gaara got before he was lifted up in the strong arms.

"What are you doing!?"

"Hn, putting you to bed."

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the warmth. Maybe he just wanted someone to hold him. Whatever the reason, the red head let Sasuke tuck him into the bed that smelt just like the said ravenett. Even if he wouldn't admit it to him face, the onyx eyed boy's scent was what really lured him to a peaceful slumber.

SSNN

'Honestly, it's like the Uchiha's bi-polar.', thought Gaara with a sad smile. 'One moment he's, as Naruto put it, a bastard the next he can be really sweet.'

Despite the fact that he found out that Sasuke had been forced to take care of him; it was one of the bittersweet memories of the sand leaders life. If the pale teen hadn't wanted to take care of him, he could have given him to Neji, but Gaara knew that the young man wanted to make it up to him. He hated alcohol, oh yes he did, but because of it he started to view the Uchiha as a friend.

He hated what Sasuke had done to him. He hated how he felt pain because he would never have him. He just felt so angry, confused and…hurt.

Looking at his desk across the room his pale green eyes stopped on a plushie panda. Around its neck it wore a blood red ribbon which made a bow at the back. Moving from the bed, the young man glided towards the miniature bamboo loving creature. The red head looked at the innocent face of the stuffed panda and wanted nothing more that to ripe it to shreds. He pale hands held its neck, ready to end the plush toys life, but stopped. He could destroy inanimate objects, hell he killed people, but he couldn't destroy this cute, browned eyed, bear that didn't know whether it was a Dalmatian or a polar bear wearing a black swim suit and sunglasses.

All murderous thoughts wilted away as he looked what was on an end of the bow. A small red and white fan - the Uchiha Symbol – and a short but adored message from Sasuke was written on it.

Gaara had always loved panda toys, in fact he had had a panda plushie named 'Panpan-chan' when was five years old. It had been taken away from him by his father because he thought it was a girl's toy. He had cried so much after that that he had gotten sick for days. To help him feel better, Temair had smuggled Panpan-chan into his room. He had never been so happy in his five year old life. However his father had found out and decided to destroy the cute nuisance and Gaara's best friend once and for all. He remembered being called to his father's office. When he had entered his pale green, innocent eyes had landed on the plushie panda on his father's desk. Without much thought, the five year old had quickly dashed for the bear, longing to have it in his embrace again. He was almost at the desk when his father got up and held the bear far out of Gaara's reach. The next thing the young boy knew was his father had set his precious toy on fire right in front of him. He had never felt the same about humans or fire again. Back then, they were monsters that destroyed everything he loved.

He remembered when he had told everyone at his birthday gathering in Suna that story when Kiba had dared him to recall a life changing moment that they didn't know about. Of course Kiba, Sai and a few others laughed, while Naruto and Hinata had comforted him and Neji had told him that it was destiny's way of helping him grow up. Everyone seemed to have something to say on the issue, except Sasuke. He had just looked at red head then left. It was a few days after that that a box had been left on his desk. It was just wrapped in plain, brown paper with no name on it. Taking precautions, the Kazekage had used his sand to open the box. What he saw inside was a stuffed panda that looked just like the one that he had been robbed of. Taking the cute toy into his hands he noticed that everything was the same, from the color of the ribbon, to the fact that the left ear was a slightly bigger than the right. He ran his hands along the ribbon as if it was a silk thread. It was then he felt tiny bumps on one of its ends. On closer inspection he observed there was a message from Sasuke sewn into the cloth.

'A panda for a Panda, Happy 20th Birthday Gaara. I know what it's like to lose someone special to you, so I trust this helps. Hope you like this Panpan-chan.

Sasuke.'

Of course it had been ironic, that the person to give him the bear, was a person whose family's element was fire. But he was very grateful for the gift. Maybe that's why he didn't despise the element like he had some years ago. Naruto had once told him that even though Sasuke showed emotions differently, he still would go out of his way for a friend. That he just liked to seem like an uncaring bastard when he really did care. He had never told Sasuke thank you, but he did express his gratitude by letting him into his comfort zone, just like he did with his blond brother.

Walking back to his bed, now accompanied with Panpan-chan, the eyebrow less man slide himself under his covers. Curling his body into a ball and clenching the soft bear to his heart, Gaara did something he had not done since he had been five. He cried.

SN

If there was one ninja you could count on to NOT be on time, it was Kakashi; no matter what the occasion. From a 'meeting with the Hokage' to 'helping a cute little animal find its way home' - or some crap like that - the 'icha icha paradise' loving pervert always had some lame ass excuse to why he wasn't there on time. Honestly, Iruka didn't know what to do with the man. Sometimes he wanted to strangle the sharingan user and his excuses, but he loved him too much for that. They were going to see Tsunade about a marriage license and the said man was supposed to meet him in half and hour, which usually meant one to two hours in 'Kakashi time'.

Thinking he had more than enough time, Iruka had planned to visit Naruto and tell him what Kakashi and he were planning when he was finished teaching his class. He was still a bit nervous about the whole thing and even though his boyfriend wanted to make it a surprise for everyone, he wanted to tell someone. Keeping something special like this from Naruto was difficult; he was the Hokage after all. It would make things a lot easier and go a lot faster if he knew. Plus, it had been a while since he had seen his favorite, knuckle head student…ok he had seen him yesterday, but the boy was like a son to him. He could still remember the time the blond ninja had painted the faces of the Hokages. It had been pretty humorous but, being a teacher and a role model, he had to set Naruto straight. Iruka smiled as he watched the innocent but tired looking faces of his students.

He loved teaching; it made him feel happy to help Konaha's youth become the leaders tomorrow.

'They're worked so hard today; we were even able to cover some of the work for our next class.' Iruka thought as he noticed some of his students were trying hard to keep awake. 'I think I'll let them out a few minutes early today, as a reward.'

"Alright everyone, I think we've done enough for today. Why don't you all pack up and we can start our weekend early." At this, all the students fatigue vanished, being replaced by excitement and energy.

"Thank you Iruka Sensei!" was all Iruka heard before the room was filled with the sounds of a stampede and he was staring at an empty classroom.

"Well, so much for them being tired, right Dolphin."

Iruka, turned to the door to see a familiar silver haired ninja smiling at him.

"Kakashi your early!" he said as he pointed an accusing finger at the man.

"Yes I am."

Something was off about this situation. Replaying the events in his mine, Iruka tired to find the problem.

'Ok, I let the kids go half an hour early, Kakashi is here early, we're supposed to…wait, Kakashi is here early!'

"You're here…early?!"

"Yes, I thought we already established that."

The brown haired, tanned skinned ninja open his mouth, and then closed it, then he just left it open. He was shocked beyond words. Was something wrong? Was Kakashi dying? Was this even Kakashi?! Was he dreaming?! All these thoughts and more passed thought the teacher's mind as he just stared at the man in front of him.

"Hmm, Ruka-chan, you shouldn't leave your mouth open like that, it's very suggestive. However if your willing to help turned fantasy into reality then I'm more than happy to comply."

As the words sunk in the brown eyed man quickly shut his mouth as a lovely blush covered his cheeks.

"Ka-Kakashi you pervert! I was just shocked you're early!"

"Really, well if that's how you act, I should come earlier more often." Rubbing his chin with his left hand, Kakashi closed him eyes and pondered on his words. "I think I'll arrive early instead; you seem to enjoy me coming after you more…"

Iruka's face became bright red again as he knew what Kakashi was taking about.

Hearing a chuckle, his embarrassment quickly turned to anger and he placed his fisted hands on his hips.

"Why the hell do I put up with you?"

"Because you love me, I love you." Kakashi sang as he hugged himself.

"Isn't it the other way around? You know; I love you, you love me?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh Ruka- chan, love it when you say you love me."

"…"

"See, I told you that's why you put up with me."

"Let's just go see the Tsunade-sama about the license."

"As you wish my cute dolphin."

End of Chapter 3

Finished.

Next Chapter –Neji's acting OC…What the Hell are Sai, Ino and Hinata doing to Naruto! Shikamaru knows that everything is troublesome and Sasuke…he's left in the dark again.

Chapter 4- Ninja Night Nineteen