Author's Notes:
Thank all of you guys again for the reviews! You guys are great. Updates after this will come slower though. I'm off for a holiday to London for a couple of days before going back to work.
Disclaimer:
All characters do not belong to be. Plot does though.
Warnings:
This chapter was meant to be full of YAOI LEMONY GOODNESS. But I was excessively busy finding ways to hack into my PSP. Therefore this chapter will remain relatively clean. I will come back someday and fill in the YAOI LEMONY GOODNESS, but for now, enjoy.
--
The news came in the form of a brown hawk swooping through the Hokage's window, a single scroll strapped to its foot.
The sound of furious flapping would have prompted a groggy glare from the kazekage enough to melt ice. But Gaara was already awake and perched upon a chair drawn up at the window next to the Hokage's bed.
It had been an amazing night, wiping away any doubt in the sand nin's mind about the simple yet profound effects of being held in his sleep, foolish words whispered into his ears as he hesitantly buried his face in the soft material of the other's shirt. It would have lasted alot longer if Naruto had not begun kicking and thrashing about in his sleep, mumbling incoherent phrases about his noodles being commandeered, and effectively rousing the redhead to full consciousness at seven in the morning.
But Gaara was not complaining. He found a new form of enjoyment watching the blonde sleep, limbs tangled carelessly in the twisted sheets.
His attention turned to the hawk that came to a rest on his knee. Tired fingers untied and unravelled the scroll bound to the bird before it turned and flew back out the window in a cool rush of air.
It seemed his stay in Konoha would take longer than he thought.
--
"THEN LET'S DO THAT!"
Gaara sighed, resisting the urge to sink deeper into the seat opposite the enthusiastic Hokage. Tsunade seemed to share his resignation, a look of exhaustion smudged across her knitted brow.
The kazekage drew himself up again, leaning forward to prop his elbows up on the table. "Let's try this again... Naruto, this is a discussion. You can't just agree with everything I say."
Naruto nodded excitedly, drawing more exasperated looks from the occupants of the Hokage's office.Pale green eyes rolled upwards to the gods, searching for another few minutes of patience.
"Okay. If I were to say, all trade going into Suna from Konoha will be taxed 50 and all ramen into Konoha will be taxed 250. What do you say to that?"
A fist slammed angrily on the desk with a loud bang as the Hokage leapt out of his chair, eyes flashing with livid rage, sending a flurry of stationery scuttling off the table and into distant forgotten corners of the room.
"NO WAY DATTEBAYO!"
The kazekage smiled. Finally, they were getting somewhere.
--
The trade agreement was a troublesome affair, though not one of utmost priority. A frown tugged at the kazekage's lips. The conditions for the agreement that the Suna council members had decided on seemed to be slapped together in a rushed and haphazard manner, with little consideration for whether Konoha would be agreeable to it. Gaara had all intention of leaving the agreement for a later date when it had, preferably, been further worked upon.
But with the unanimous approval from the council, the kazekage had to act upon it.
A sigh left Gaara's lips. He had been doing that alot recently when it came to decisions of the council. Politics were never really his cup of tea.
From the formidable agenda for the drawing up of the agreement, it would take at least a month to plow through all the red tape. A month away from Suna, stuck in Konoha.
Not that he minded.
His summer days whizzed past with unprecedented speed- mornings spent at the Konoha academy helping Temari with the training of upcoming Genins. Afternoons went to discussions of the trade agreement, an aurdorous process only alleviated by a certain blonde's presence and thoroughly infectious smile. Evenings were devoted to ramen at the Ichiraku.
The villagers had gotten used to having the silent sand nin amongst them, giving him kindly looks he had yet to get used to. He even found the time to get further acquainted with the other Leaf nins, shattering some old preceptions of them, and reinforcing others. But they had generally accepted him into their large posse. Friends. A new concept to him but he could see why his blonde ninja fought for them with such fervent passion. It was all a simple, near monotonous routine, yet was exactly the stability he was looking for. The last piece of the puzzle he was looking for. The happiness he was looking for.
And he could do this for the rest of his life.
However, as much as he would have liked to imagine this was forever, daily reminders of the life he DID live came in the form of a pure white pigeon Kankuro sent with the day to day reports on the happenings in Suna. The flutter of white that came through his window each morning was a gentle reminder of much heavier responsibilities back in his village, and that he was still, however far away, their kazekage.
It was precisely one month later that the second sand hawk arrived in Konoha.
Gaara snagged the thin scroll from the hawk's talon and unfurled it with a slight annoyance. If it was some other menial task to do, he would...
Pale green eyes widened in shock and anger at the words on the scroll. He crushed the paper in his hand, turning quickly to the ANBU next to him.
"Take the rest of your team and return to Sunagakure at once." he commanded, the urgency tinging his usually cold tone. "Suna is under heavy attack. Go directly to Kankuro and find the perpetrators. Halt any riots you come across."
An unseen look of fear and anxiety flashed across the face behind the procelain mask. The ninja bowed briefly and disappeared with his squad in a blur of black movement, leaving a single guard behind.
Gaara looked at the last ninja with a mix of puzzlement and irritation. "Why are you still here."
The raccoon masked ANBU ninja bowed politely. "I am under direct orders from Captain Matsuri to accompany you at all times, regardless of the circumstance, Kazekage-sama."
A smile ghosted across his lips. Matsuri, the ever over-protective ANBU captain. Even when it was physically impossible for her to personally watch over the kage, she always made provisions for the worst situations.
He turned back from his path to Ichiraku and ran back towards the apartment.
"Pack your things. We leave at daybreak."
--
Gaara folded his new yukata carefully, turning to place it into his satchel. A dark shadow clouded the crimson sunset that lit the room.
"You weren't at ramen tonight."
He did not have to look up to recognize the figure at his window sill.
"There is a crisis in Suna," he explained, continuing to pack. "I will be leaving at dawn."
"I'll go with you."
"Your village needs you here, Hokage."
"Well, at least take some Konoha ninjas with you."
"It's alright," the redhead replied without turning around. "We should be able to handle this. I will send word when I arrive to update you on the situation."
Naruto sulked, hopping off the window and into the room. He glared at the sand nin in frustration, stomping about the room loudly to emphasize that point. "Let me do something!"
Gaara finally looked up from his open satchel. He slowly turned to his irate boyfriend, gently putting a hand to his face. He would miss the feel of those whisker-like lines under his fingers. "I'll be fine."
The blonde huffed, turning to look out the window. He had not quite contemplated how it would be like to be without the sand nin around. It was an inevitability he refused to think about, always putting it off for another tomorrow. Now, he was out of tomorrows.
A warm body pressed against his back, a forehead resting lightly against his hair. He felt the kazekage's warm breath tickle the back of his neck, sending little jolts down his spine. The blonde spikes that ran down his neck muffled the low voice that came from behind him into a ticklish rumble.
"Don't worry."
Naruto held back a low chuckle, turning to look deep into pale green eyes. "Worry? About the fifth kazekage? Try again."
"How about... I'll feel a hollow, crushing emptiness without you while I'm gone."
"Much better." the hokage said softly, pulling the sand nin in for a kiss. Gaara instinctively leaned into the kiss, losing himself in the warm embrace and the fingers tangling themselves in his hair, rubbing gently at the nape of his neck.
If this was going to be his last night with the red haired enigma in many to come, he was sure as hell going to make the best of it.
The sun had barely begun to creep into the room when bright azure eyes cracked open blearily. He fumbled and tossed clumsily in the small futon for several moments, his thrashing about coming to one conclusion: there was an empty space beside him.
"Go back to sleep, Naruto," a firm voice said.
The Hokage turned his head towards Gaara sitting at the edge of the futon who had begun pulling on his long black coat, his pack by his feet. He was leaving already. Naruto struggled to sit up, fumbling for the words that caught painfully in his throat. Goodbyes were always so difficult.
"Wait..."
The nervous hand on his shoulder prompted the red haired young man to turn around, a question on his lips. Green eyes widened as Naruto pulled out a small velvet box from the pair of rumpled pants discarded carelessly next to them the night before. He carefully flipped it open to reveal a brilliant yet simple silver band.
What was he doing?
"Naruto..."
He had to put a stop to this before it got too far...
A calloused finger pressed against the sand nin's lips.
"I know. It's really too early for this. Just take this as my promise to you," he said, looking into the green eyes with a subdued intensity the flame haired man had never seen before.
Don't do this, Naruto...
"My promise that no matter how far, no matter what it takes. I'll risk everything.
I can't...
"Sabaku no Gaara. Would you-"