Hello again, everyone!
WOW! So many reviews. Thank you guys so much, I love you all! Woohoo!
A special thanks to mishi, an anonymous reviewer who gave me some seriously head-enlarging, gushy reviews that I LOVED. Thanks, mishi. I love you too! Awesome reviewer that you are X3
My cold is long gone, but I have a headache. I've been itching to write this chapter, but the problem with writing for me is, when I start, it can take me hours to actually stop. Which means I may get too little sleep to function at work. SO I only write Friday and up if I can.
I can't wait for Christmas and New Year's! More free time to write more! I finished the original book I talked about. Not the hetero chappy though. I'll try to do that next week.
Anonymous review replies (also for those I cannot PM):
nicole: Aw, shucks! Thank you so much. I just love you! I hope I never disappoint you, either XD
anonymous reviewer2 (hint: smut at 8 in the morning): That what the review started with, so while I don't have a name for you, I have to express my love for your review. Thank youuuuu! Also for the well wishing. I always feel better after that, so I bow down to your niceness. Lol! You were pointing me to your name excitedly, but there was no name, which drove me nuts. ffnet probably took it out for some reason, dang it! Let me know it's you if you review again. I'm dying to know what the deal is with your name -dying of curiosity- DX
shane: Lol! OMG! Great guess. You'll see.
mishi: Ack! Oh, such wonderfulness! Among the best reviews I ever had, so full of lovely compliments and more. Thank you, thank you, I am not worthy XD I hope I never disappoint, But if I do, let me know and I'll do my best to fix it.
nene: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter. Oh, I know, Sasuke is an all-around jerk right now, but hopefully he'll get cured of his stupidity. Soon, I hope.
All my fics are edited by yours truly, so if there are any mistakes of any kind, please let me know. No matter what I do, I'm bound to miss a lot.
WARNING: Yaoi, meaning boy-love, lies below and beyond. DO NOT READ if you are not of the appropriate age or do not like yaoi. You have been warned. Smut also lies ahead, and plenty of it, so watch out.
M rating for this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I only wish I did. Especially Gaara! -sigh-
Chapter 10:
Kiba rushed down the stairs angrily. He swung the door open, ready to beat up whoever was pounding on it so loudly.
He was tossed back before he could start cussing at the intruder. Right through the living room wall. He could hear Akamaru bark madly not too far away, and then he was hauled up from the floor and slammed against the wall.
"What the fuck-?" he sputtered and coughed, stunned at the powerful chokehold his attacker had on him. Kiba opened his eyes and stared in shock at the blond holding him up.
Naruto was naked! And he looked pissed enough to kill him. "Answer me quickly, Kiba: Are you sleeping with Sasuke?" he asked in a deeper voice than the Inuzuka was used to.
What? Sleeping with-? Why would he-? He tried struggling out of the steel grip around his neck, which was more holding him in place than strangling him. Naruto was plastered against him so he could barely move, and Akamaru was clearly frightened of the strange, reddish aura around the blond nin, as well as confused that someone who was supposed to be a friend was attacking at all.
"No!" he finally choked out. "I'm sleeping with Shino, asshole. Now let me the fuck go!"
He felt the man stiffen, and the menacing aura surrounding him disappeared as if it had been abruptly put out. Instantly, both men sagged to the floor; Kiba trying to catch his breath, and Naruto losing the burst of energy that kept him on his feet so far.
The blonde made a pained sound and slumped further on the floor, lying down on his stomach and groaning.
Kiba was panting and staring at the blond in wonder. Naruto was naked, but for what looked to be a shirt wrapped around his waist like makeshift underwear.
The Uzumaki groaned again. Kiba thought he heard "Ow, my ass." He didn't want to know what that was about, but after everything, it was just too obvious.
The Inuzuka sighed and got up, taking in the damage done to his kitchen. How was he supposed to explain this to his mom and sister? Shit. Just shit.
"Come on, idiot. I think you need a bath to help with your…sore muscles." Kiba had only slept with Shino once, but he knew how much a hot bath helped afterwards.
Naruto sighed and turned his face to him, still lying on the floor. "Sorry, man."
Kiba stifled a frown at the kicked-puppy look on the other nin's face. "You were in Sasuke's apartment when I called, weren't you?" That would explain so much.
Naruto looked embarrassed, blushing furiously, and Kiba smirked. "I was talking about training, you know. Moves to get girls. I'm not interested in that anymore, but I thought you and he might like it." He quirked a brow. "I guess I was wrong."
Naruto turned away and sighed into the floor. "He might…still like it. I wouldn't know. Ow!" he cried out when Kiba hauled him to his feet. Naruto gasped at the pain in his backside and slumped against the dark nin.
Kiba took his weight easily, blinking in surprise. "First, what the hell is that supposed to mean? You're not sleeping with him? And what did he do to you?"
A low chuckle issued from his chest, where Naruto's face was buried. "Apparently, sex is all it is. Eight hours of it, most recently."
Kiba's jaw dropped. "Shit! And shit! No wonder you're…"
"Out of order? Yeah."
Kiba scowled at the tone of…hopelessness in the usually bright voice. "Okay, dude…let's go have that bath. I'll help."
It took a while. Not the bath itself, but getting up the stairs, into the tub, out of it, and dressed in Kiba's clothes. Naruto could almost walk properly by the end of it, the bath and his demon healing kicking in.
They were lying together on Kiba's bed and staring at the ceiling. "So, you and Shino, huh? Should have expected that."
Kiba chuckled. "How could you? I didn't."
"Seriously? Then when did you…?"
"It's a…long story, sort of. It didn't start smoothly. But it wasn't too long ago."
Naruto turned to him, looking contemplative. "You said you were…sleeping with him. You're going out, right? Or is it, er, casual?"
"I…Ahem. I slept with him, like, once, man. It's still new. And hell no, it's not casual! He's my boyfriend…He's made that pretty clear."
Naruto was silent for a moment. "Do you want to be…or are you going along with it?"
Kiba blinked at the question. "I want it, actually. It still feels odd to be together like that; I've always thought of him as my closest friend. But this is…better." He smiled to himself. "I didn't think it could be, but it's way better."
Naruto laughed and Kiba blushed, feeling a little foolish for admitting so much. "What?" he barked, covering up his embarrassment.
"Oh, nothing. I'm happy for you. So Shino's on a solo mission?"
"Yeah. He'll be back in a few days." Kiba was itching to ask about Sasuke, but he didn't want to agitate the blond again. He knew the Uchiha thing needed talking about, and that Naruto would probably keep the feelings concerning Sasuke bottled up than admit how much he was hurting. And it was too clear that he was hurting. What had that idiot Uchiha done?
"I'm going to Suna."
Kiba almost jumped in shock. "What? Why?"
"I need to figure out a few things." The blonde sounded somber, and determined. "A change of scenery would help."
"Is this because of…?" He stopped, afraid Naruto would go psycho again once Sasuke was mentioned.
"Yes, it is," Naruto answered easily and smiled. It held no humor and Kiba scowled. "Unlike you, what I have with Sasuke is…casual, but only on his part. Which drives me crazy. I need to get away from him! How pathetic am I, immediately assuming the worst from a stupid phone call? What he and I have…it's not a good thing. At least not for me," he added, tone dark but calm. "What I want and what he's willing to give are too different. I need…I need to leave him, but I can't bring myself to do it."
"So you have to get away," Kiba finished weakly. "Shit, man. That's fucked up. He's an idiot if he can't tell how lucky he is to have your love."
Naruto shivered visibly and Kiba wished he'd kept his mouth shut. "I think I'm the stupid one, for loving him at all when I knew he didn't want anything to do with that."
Kiba sat up and glared down at the blonde. "That's bullshit! You can't help who you love. You can only thank God if whoever it is loves you back. You did nothing wrong, got it?"
Naruto looked up at him in shock, and smiled his first real smile since he got there. "Thanks."
Kiba huffed and lay back on the bed, arms crossed. "Sure thing."
"I'll only be gone for a couple of weeks. I'll talk to Tsunade-bachan about it. She owes me a few weeks of vacation anyway."
Kiba quirked a brow and looked sideways at his friend. "Do you…plan on sleeping with…anyone?"
Naruto looked at him, eyes hooded. "Maybe. Sasuke did say we weren't exclusive." At Kiba's horrified gasp, Naruto chuckled darkly. "I know. A total bastard, isn't he?"
"No way did he mean it. He's probably just in denial about-"
"I'm the one in denial if I'm going to tell myself he gives a shit again!" Naruto exploded suddenly and Kiba fell off the bed in alarm. The Inuzuka peeked over the side a moment later, happy to see that the blond had calmed down, more or less.
"Okay…So when are you leaving?"
"Tonight. As soon as I get home and pack, in fact. I'll give Tsunade-bachan a quick visit to her place before I'm off."
"Shit! But what about…? Er…"
"My ass is fine. I heal pretty quickly," he said smugly and got up. Kiba stood with him.
They shared a silent farewell before the blond leapt through the window. Damn. He really does heal quick.
Oh, shit. The kitchen! Kiba groaned and fell face-forward on the bed. His mom was going to kill him!
It took Sasuke two days to find out where Naruto had gone.
At first, Sasuke had made his displeasure at receiving a phone call at an unholy hour clear, by punching the Inuzuka in the face a few times. Kiba subsequently spat a few choice insults at him, and a jarring "it would serve you right once Naruto sleeps with Gaara, you fucker!" This was 48-hours after Naruto had disappeared on him.
Gaara. What the fuck did Gaara have to do with anything? And then of course Sasuke figured that Naruto had gone to Suna, and that Kiba had gotten a visit from the blond that night.
It explained the hole in the living room wall.
Sasuke headed for the Hokage's office. He might not be in a committed relationship with the fool, but Sasuke didn't want Naruto sleeping with the Kazekage. Not when the blond was sleeping with him.
Kiba's voice rang in his mind then: "He wants to leave you. And he should."
When Sasuke said they weren't exclusive, he didn't think the blond would go insane and try to sleep with the first man to come to mind. That wasn't the point. Sasuke had no right to stop him, as he'd said, but that was not the point. The point was stressing on their lack of commitment. Sasuke, as a rule, did not sleep with two people at the same time, but he always made it clear that if he so wished, he could. He never did, but the point was having the choice.
Naruto was doing this for revenge, Sasuke was certain of it, and it was his job as his friend, if not his current lover, to stop him from making such a mistake.
Ah, fuck it! Sasuke didn't want Naruto sleeping with anyone, simple as that. He could lie to himself all his life, but the fact was that he loved Naruto, and he didn't want anyone touching his tanned, stunning, blue-eyed, sensual boyfriend.
Sasuke gave a mental groan and sped up towards the Hokage's building. If Tsunade didn't give him permission to leave, he'd kill her, take over the Kage's spot and give himself permission. He had a boyfriend's virtue to protect.
The irony of his thoughts wasn't lost on him, but right now, he just didn't give a shit.
Gaara crossed his arms and stared curiously at his blond best friend. His interest didn't show on his face, and he was thankful for that as he listened to Naruto grumble, laugh and complain about his love life.
"So…he isn't sleeping with anyone else," Gaara confirmed monotonously.
"No. But that's not the problem. He said we could do it with other people…more or less. Which tells you how little I am to him but a good lay," the blond growled, and his head slumped forward in a rare show of sadness. His blue eyes sparked up a second later and he was smirking confidently at his red-headed friend. "I'm so done with that. Moving on!" He pumped his fist in a less than enthusiastic manner and Gaara looked at him knowingly.
"Is that why you need my help? To…move on."
Naruto nodded his head rapidly and gazed at his friend. "I need to…to kiss you, and do other things with you. I think I might love Sasuke like that because he's my best friend. I love you too. Not in the same way, but maybe if we got physical, I would."
"You think it's wise to love me in that way, if what you suspect is true?"
Naruto blinked at that and his eyes widened. "Actually, it wouldn't be wise at all. But I'm better off falling for you than for that dick! Excuse the language," he added demurely.
Gaara smiled minutely. "Your anger proves that you are not ready to move on," the young Kage said shrewdly, making Naruto gape. "But I will allow physical intimacy," he added when the blond started to splutter in offense. "Will we progress to actual penetration? Who will play the submissive role?" he asked easily.
Naruto's eyes nearly bugged and he raised his arms placatingly. "God, no! No penetration, just basic stuff. Oh, God, I wouldn't use you like that, Gaara, come on!"
The redhead cocked his head slightly. "It would be an educational experience."
Naruto sucked in a breath and tried not to blush. Gaara was a little too blasé about the whole thing. It was annoying, actually. Even though Naruto was the one with sexual experience now, the blond was also the one doing most of the blushing and embarrassed gasps of horror. You wouldn't think that Gaara was the virgin between them.
The man was gorgeous and sexy to both the female and male population in Suna, but he was their Kage, and frighteningly intense at that. Who'd dare approach him, knowing he could destroy them with a simple look from his striking, sea foam green eyes? The former psycho was now much more mellow, if just as indiscernible, more thoughtful, wise, forgiving and calmer than Naruto ever thought possible.
Naruto envied the bastard sometimes. Gaara was content. He had his brother and sister watching his back, and a whole country that honest-to-God adored him. And he was the Kage.
One day, Naruto would have that. He sort of had that now, except his friend watched his back, and the people of Konoha respected and liked him (at last). The Kage part would be a bit tough, since Tsunade was probably the best Kage they'd ever had, or could have. Naruto didn't think he'd be able to beat that. Humph. And the old hag didn't even want the job at first. Fucking life wasn't fair sometimes, was it?
"Should we kiss now, or would you like to wait until later?"
Jerked out of his thoughts, Naruto blinked stupidly for a second. "Er, yeah. I'll try kissing you now."
Gaara was sitting at his chair behind the desk, Naruto cross-legged on top of said desk. They were close enough that they could start kissing right away, if Naruto didn't feel so hesitant about the whole deal.
"Have you kissed anyone before?" Naruto felt the need to ask. If the answer was no, Naruto would abort. There was no way in hell he was taking Gaara's first kiss in an experiment!
"Yes."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to feel too shitty for this, thank God.
"Once," the redhead added in an afterthought, and Naruto gaped.
"Once!" he echoed in disbelief.
"It was more accidental than anything. But it felt very pleasant." Gaara stared at him, waiting. "I would like to know if it would feel the same with you."
Blushing again, Naruto asked, "W-was it a girl?" even though he somehow knew the answer to that.
"No."
"Of course not." Looked like all his best friends were conveniently gay. Or bi, if Sasuke were to be believed.
At the thought of his lover, a sharp pain shot through Naruto, making him press his lips in disgust. He wondered how long it would take him to get over his feelings. He knew what he was doing with Gaara wouldn't help at all, but he needed to do something! "Is that guy you kissed still alive?"
"Yes, I believe so. Why?"
Distracted from his momentary emotional suffering, Naruto scrunched his nose in concentration. "He's not from Suna, is he? Or you would have been sure of his status -Oh, God. He's a Konoha nin, isn't he, Gaara?" Naruto whispered in horror.
"Yes, he is. Would you like to know who-?"
"NO! For the love of God, do not tell me!" Naruto screeched, panicking slightly and grabbing Gaara's collar in his passionate exclamation. Ew! He didn't want to be thinking dirty thoughts about Gaara and someone he knew from his village. Ew, ew, ew!
And that convinced him more than anything that he and Gaara would never be together like that, sex or no sex. 'Ew' never crossed his mind when he thought of Sasuke. Ever.
"All right," the redhead said easily and calmly removed Naruto's hands from him. In the same move, he held Naruto's nape and pulled the shocked blond towards him. Naruto wanted to bolt but didn't. He had asked for this and now he was getting it. Might as well see how it went.
Gaara's lips were surprisingly soft, even though they didn't look it. Naruto jumped when a tongue gently licked the crease of his lips. It was…not bad. He had no intention and no desire to open his mouth for some tongue, but it felt nice. It was almost soothing, kissing someone and not feeling overwhelmed by the act. It was like a comforting hug but…closer somehow.
The redhead pulled away and stared at his friend intently. "Not the same. But good," he said with little inflection in his smooth voice.
Naruto grinned and nodded in agreement. "Same for me." His grin faded into a sad smile. "Thank you."
Gaara looked at him for some time, and Naruto felt like he was being studied. "You no longer need to do more?" his Kage friend finally asked.
"No. At this point, it would be weird. Or is there something you want me to help you with?"
"There is. I was hoping you would teach me about sex between men."
Naruto tried not to let his shock show, but his jaw dropped nonetheless. "Say what?" No. Gaara could not be asking for a tutorial on man-on-man sex.
"I need you to teach me how men have sex. I may need it."
Naruto leaned back, almost falling off. Ew. That was not something he wanted to think of Gaara doing. Not even with a woman. Ew! But…he owed the guy. Barging into his life two days ago, taking up so much of his time, whining to him, asking him to be used for a sexual experiment. The least Naruto could do was teach him the ins and outs of gay sex, right?
"All right, fine. I can talk to you about that, sure."
"I need you to show me."
Naruto blinked, leaning back precariously again. "Eh?"
Gaara sat back elegantly on his big, leather chair and gave Naruto a speculative glance. "I may need you to demonstrate."
To Be Continued…
WOW! No sex? What kind of a smutty fic is this? XD I'll make up for that next chappy, no worries. Heheheh. I never thought a chapter would go by without total perviness from me. This was all plotty. How weird is that? Lol! Also it was kind of cliffie-ish, wasn't it? I don't know...
Who here likes GaaraNaruto? I DO! Not saying there will be GaaNaru here, but my favorite fanfic is Triptych by AmberRose. It's on mediaminer dot org, not here. You'd have to google it to find it. At least it was that way for me when I tried looking for it to read it again. It's also not completed and I don't know if it ever will be. I still love it though.
So review please, and let me know what you would like to happen? Hershey's Review Kisses are what I live for!