A/N: fallenharbinger-yes, a cookie…and I may get around to that this chapter ; )

Crimsonsunxx-thanks! And I will. Here's the next chapter! Shukaku is now the rabid squirrel/racoon thingy

Mwth06:giggles insanely yep! Oh, and she gets bolder in this chapter!

Summary: I'm lazy. It hasn't changed.

Disclaimer: For the…the…what number?

Neji:Fourth.

Iris: Thanks. For the fourth time! I don't own them!

Gaara:…wait? Me and Neji-?

Iris: Shadup! You're gonna spoil it!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

'Shukaku'

Day Four: Courage

Gaara was pacing. Had been pacing. Still was pacing, even though the demon had threatened to throw up.

'Throw up…mentally? How would that work?' Gaara just chalked that up to the list of things to ask-later. Still, he only stopped after his sister threatened to knock him out and tie him to a chair.

Now he was just fidgeting. Temari had given up a few hours ago.

'It's morning…now we'll see how well it worked…' Shukaku said. Gaara agreed, and got back up, and went to the door. He really didn't feel like sitting around anymore. He was unsure as where he should go, but Shukaku insisted that he remain in one place, so he chose the Raman stand. He sat down and ordered something, and settled down to wait.

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Neji had been roughly shoved out of the compound by, none other than, Hinata. She had said something about him needing time off, but the muttered 'blind bat' didn't escape his hearing.

So, there he was, wandering around in the streets, wondering when Hinata would opt to let him back in. He was beginning to wonder what happened to his meek, kind-hearted, cousin. This surely couldn't be her! She would never do something like this…would she have?

'Enough! Pointless questions, the one I should be asking is when she will let me back in!' he thought, as he wandered around, before coming to a stop in front of Ichiruka's.

'Huh? Why did I come here of all places?' he thought, before noticing a familiar sight of red and tan. Gaara and his gourd of sand by his feet.

"Kazekage-sama! There you are." He said, as he took a seat next to the red-head.

'Told ya' it would work!' Shukaku crowed, evidently proud of itself.

'Yes, yes. It worked. Now shut up.' Gaara growled.

'TELL HIM! Okay, I'm good…' the demon screeched, before lapsing into silence. Gaara twitched, violently. Neji, who had no idea what was going on in Gaara's head, had ordered something to eat, and was just turning back to the red-head.

"Uh…Neji? I…well, I have something I want to tell you…" Gaara began, and Neji turned to regard him, waiting for him to go on, and trying not to fidget. He had no idea why he was so nervous, but for some untold reason he was, and it was taking all the discipline he had to not squirm and fidget.

"I…well…um…" Gaara stammered, and Neji tilted his head to one side, and waited for Gaara to say something.

'Kuso! How can three words be so hard to say?!' Gaara thought, angered at his own lack of courage. Neji was growing nervous, and Gaara could tell from the way said Hyuuga began to pick at the Jounin robes he was wearing.

"I…um…Ireallylikeyouthoughitismorethanlikeandmorelikelove." Gaara said, and Neji stopped playing with his robes to stare at the Kazekage. Gaara stared down at the table, and was slowly turning the color of his hair.

"Uh…what?" Neji asked, and Gaara slowly looked up to meet the Jounin's gaze. Neji had his head tilted in a way so he could look at the Kazekage's face. Some strands of his long chocolate brown hair had come loose from the ponytail it was kept in, and he blinked his ivory eyes in confusion. Gaara heard the raccoon trying to stop laughing, and that only made Gaara's face heat up faster. Still, Neji was waiting for Gaara to explain himself. Well…there was one way to do so, and it was a lot more self-explanatory. And Neji was close enough already…

He leaned across the small distance there was between them, and gently pressed his lips to Neji's, which caused the Jounin to blink in surprise.

But he didn't pull away.

---------------

'Wh-what? Does this mean he's-?' Neji thought, as he tried to kick his mind into gear. Only when Gaara broke the kiss did it completely register. Especially when Gaara looked down to the ground…almost like he had just had his hopes crushed when Neji hadn't responded.

'Shiiiit!!! Okay, calm down, panicking will not help matters!' he thought, as he really tried to think of something, but grew more and more annoyed with himself as his mind came up with nothing.

"Ah…well, um…" Neji tried to say something, and was having difficulty getting proper words to form.

'Great…Now I sound like a spineless idiot…no offense to Hinata. Kuso! Mind back to dilemma on hand!' he scratched his cheek, as he looked up to the ceiling, in utter confusion. Gaara was looking at him, waiting for him to say something now.

"Gaara? Um…I'm guessing that's what you were trying to say…" Neji said, mentally cursing himself for sounding so stupid. He also noted that he had somehow dropped the honorific, and wondered why that didn't seem to bother either of them. And now Gaara was staring at him.

'I sounded like an idiot…' Neji thought, and began trying to think of something else he could say.

"I…well, I mean…I really…well…" he swallowed, hard, and managed to bring himself back under control, so he could finish what he was trying to say, "I'm sorry I froze up like that. I didn't know you liked guys." He finished, and it finally dawned on him why he had sought out that particular area in the fist place-he wanted to see Gaara. And with that thought in mind he leaned over, and returned the kiss, much to Gaara's surprise and delight.

A/N: Short…and does anyone want a sequel, or should I add more chapters to the story before starting a sequel?