"Naruto," Gaara whispered, having seen his blue eyes flutter open. "Good morning to you."
The Leaf shinobi twisted his face to burry it in pillows and blankets, a great smile and blush overtaking him to awake in Gaara's arms.
A muffled "good morning," floated up from the pillow.
The young Kazekage ran a hand through Naruto's messy, blonde bed-head, "The burns on your back are looking infinitely better. How do you feel?"
He looked up to meet Gaara's fond gaze, "Much better than before."
The Sand shinobi grinned, "I'm sure getting a good night's sleep helped."
Naruto hummed in agreement, nestling his head back down, Gaara's fingers still playing through his hair. The two were still and sleepy for a moment, shafts of morning sunlight shining through onto them. Silence was cut short by a swift rap at the door. Both men snapped to attention, wide-eyed and flustered.
"Are you expecting someone?" Gaara asked low and quick.
"No, well, I mean, Sakura is supposed to come by, ya know. It's probably her."
The knock came again, louder this time, a voice calling thought the door behind it.
"Naruto, if you don't open this door in ten seconds, I'm going to assume you can't, and I'll bust it in!"
Gaara shook his head wildly, realizing who was at the door, "Let me up, Naruto. I'm sorry."
Shimmying himself off the bed, he began scanning for his clothes, or really for any clothes other than pajamas.
"Gaara, wait," Naruto urged, grimacing has he twisted himself over to lay on his back.
"Who is it?"
"That's ten. I'm coming in!"
Lady Tsunade burst through the door, Naruto gasping, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. Gaara leaned back onto the wall of Naruto's hallway, purple with embarrassment, wishing he could slip through and disappear.
"G-Granny Tsunade? What are you doing here?" Naruto stammered.
She blew past Gaara, ignoring him completely and strode over to the bedside, a large gourd of sand still beside it on the floor.
"Good morning, Naruto. You're looking well." She leaned down, running her hands over his bandages, emitting medical chakra to inspect his wounds. "I apologize for barging in on you so suddenly, but there's finally news for you in regards to our current political circumstances. I needed to see how your healing was coming along myself before I continued plans."
"Plans?" Naruto questioned, becoming concerned.
Tsunade nodded decisively. "Yes. We'll need to move you into hiding and into special training as soon as possible."
His eyes widened.
War - it was already beginning.
"I am positive news of what I am referencing has already reached your ears Naruto, despite my instruction for you to remain in the dark, so I won't mince words with you." Tsunade continued, "Because the Akatsuki have not yet captured you, or extracted the Nine-Tails, it is going to be their first priority in this war. We believe the best option, is for you to go away and into hiding."
"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto protested, being cut off and shut down quickly thereafter.
"Silence! These are your orders! Your mission is to go into hiding, but also into training with the Lord Killer Bee of Hidden Cloud, the Jinchuriki and master of the Eight-Tails. Our aim in this is to keep you from being captured and to keep the Nine-Tails out of the hands of the enemy. However, it is also to use this time to try and train you how to master the Nine-Tails, so it can be used in the right timing as a weapon against our enemies."
Naruto bit onto his lip.
"Why are you telling me all of this now, Granny Tsunade?"
She let out a sigh.
"Because we can't wait much longer. We need to move you within the next one to two weeks if we are going to be successful in hiding you. This time spent with you vulnerable and in plain sight isn't something we can continue to afford."
He nodded, somber.
"I promise you, Naruto, I will get you out on the battlefield as soon as the timing is right. But, I'm confident in the decision The Allied Shinobi Forces has made to hide and train you for now."
"Allied Shinobi Forces?" Naruto questioned, eyes gaining a spark in them at the title.
Lady Tsunade smiled mumbling to herself, "Well, at least there are some ninja that honored my wishes to keep you in the dark…" Looking to Naruto, she explained, "The Allied Shinobi Forces is our army. It is a collaboration of all the Hidden Villages to fight back against the Akatuski."
Naruto began to beam.
"The Hidden Villages are collaborating with one another?"
"For the first time, yes," Tsunade beamed back. "We took a little unifying from a certain Kazekage, and are going to move as one force."
Gaara went rigid at the mention of his name, the Lady Hokage still refusing to glance over in his direction.
"Listen, we'll inform you more on battle divisions and tactics as soon as the timing is right to bring you out on the field, but for now, we need you to do the best you can to be ready for travel and training in within the next two weeks. I'll take my leave now. Sakura will still be by later to rewrap your bandages and to do some physical therapy with you. Rest." She began making her way over to the door.
"And Naruto," she turned to add, "Don't do anything rash."
Passing in front of Gaara, she gave a quick nod and smirk, "Lord Kazekage."
"Lady Hokage…" He answered, nodding and completely humiliated.
"Nice sleeping cap."
She disappeared through the door, her mighty strength slamming it behind her.
Gaara slid down against the wall and unto the floor, a groan sliding out with him.
"The Allied Shinobi Forces?!" Naruto didn't hesitate. "You formed the Allied Shinobi Forces and just weren't going to tell me?!"
Gaara's mouth opened, unable to find words.
"What's your position?"
"What?"
"Your position, in The Allied Shinobi Forces. What part will you be playing?"
The young Kazekage paused, palms growing sweaty.
"Regimental Commander…" he mumbled.
Naruto's eyes went wild, "What does that mean?"
"It means I'm in charge…"
"In charge? In charge of a team?"
Gaara shook his head no.
"A division?"
Still no.
Naruto fell breathless. "All of the divisions. You're in charge of all the divisions in The Allied Shinobi forces…"
This time a nod for yes.
Speechless, Naruto collapsed back in bed.
Gaara stood to his feet and crossed back over, "The Raikage is above me as the Supreme Leader, but, yes, I'm the Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces."
"Why didn't you tell me? We spent the whole day and night together, ya know!" Naruto growled in disbelief.
Gaara's shoulders and gaze fell. "I-I didn't know how… It feels so strange, being so young, having lived the past I have, and now being in such a prestigious position… I didn't know how to tell you without sounding proud. More than that, I wanted to be able to simply be here for you. It's so comforting, being in your presence… Not having to have the answers or commands… And, I knew your orders to leave would be coming soon, and I just wanted to push away the war for as long as I could. I'm sorry. That was wrong and childish of me… Because the fact of the matter is, we are at war. You are being sent away, and I am the Regimental Commander… Things don't get to be simple or comforting…"
A heavy cloud hung over them at this sobering truth.
"Gaara," Naruto finally spoke, "You should be proud. Congratulations. There couldn't be a better Commander for The Allied Shinobi Forces, ya know…. I wish I could come fight alongside you, under your command…"
The young Kazekage swallowed hard, answering softly, "I wish I could come away with you to train…keep you safe…"
A choke in his throat caught Naruto, and a cough rocked his body. Without any prompting, Gaara found and filled a glass of water, reached a hand behind Naruto's head and served him a drink, cooing for him to breathe and relax.
Setting the glass down, he reached up to wipe Naruto's mouth for him.
A large warm hand caught his, Naruto's eyes closing as he brought the fingers of the Lord Kazekage to his lips and kissed them.
Gaara was frozen, eyes wide and shuttering breaths exhaling out of him.
"Naruto…"
His eyes opened and met with those of the red-haired ninja in front of him, "Kiss me."
Gaara's eyes fluttered, his heart racing, he learned forward, climbing up into bed, pressing their foreheads together, and slipping his hands around Naruto's sharp jaw and soft cheeks.
His eyes closed and he trembled.
"Oh Naruto," he breathed, "Don't ask me to do that… I'm not strong enough to resist you…"
"Do you want to resist me?" Naruto asked, pulling his head back slightly and looking back into Gaara's eyes.
"Absolutely not." He replied, "I'm just so terrified. I've never done this before..."
Naruto gave a gentle grin. "That's okay, I haven't really either…but don't be afraid, we'll figure it out together."
"No, not, this… I mean sure, I'm nervous to-to kiss you as well, but I really mean I'm terrified of this, all of it, us… Everyone I've ever loved has ended up trying to kill me, and everyone that has loved me, I've murdered… I have comrades now, my siblings, people that believe in me, but this is different… And we're at war. We're being separated during war. They are hunting you, and Sasuke is still… I want to be able to be with you, to have you. No war. No Akatsuki. No one to...Nothing to hold us back..."
"Gaara," Naruto soothed, "Do you know me at all? I waited and chased after a man for years, one that hated, rejected, and tried to kill me at every turn. Don't you think that I can wait through one war for the man I love, for the man that actually wants my love?"
"Naruto…"
"For you, my Lord Kazekage, I would wait through a thousand years, fight through a thousand wars."
Gaara's mouth met Naruto's forehead, quiet tears slipping down both their cheeks.
"Thank you, Naruto."
