Yeah! Thanks for the reviews! They a make me feel good! And didn't realize macs are against periwinkle! Thanks everybody!
"Welcome to Iwagakure, Kazekage. Please let us escort you to the Tsuchikage's palace." The group was instantly greeted upon arrival. Walking through the gates, six more guards fell into the already set formation. Sasuke eyed the Earth ninjas, but didn't comment. Sasuke tried to see what the town looked like, but the night was too dark. Even though their arrival was past nightfall, people had gathered around to look at the visiting Kage. Looking at the locals, Sasuke frowned. And then it started. First quiet, but Sasuke heard them.
"Is it true, he was a demon-carrier?"
"I heard he killed thousands of people when he was younger."
"Mommy, why does he have a tattoo on his forehead?"
"Well, I heard he doesn't control the sand, but the sand controls him."
Sasuke looked at Gaara, wondering how he was taking these verbal assaults. The Kazekage continued to walk forward, no emotion on his face. The only thing that proved this was bothering him was the fact that he was standing up straighter. Sasuke walked up to him and threw his arm over his shoulder. The action caused a couple reactions. Their 'audience' had gasped, expecting to see this careless person killed. However, Gaara jerked at the movement, but calmed down when he saw how was attacking him. Sasuke gave him a big grin, "So, Gaara, is this whole trip business, or do you actually get to do a bit of sight seeing?"
Gaara gently smiled. "We are staying four days, even though the meetings should only last two. You can thank the advisors for that one." Sasuke grinned. "First time they have done anything right." The rest of the walk, Sasuke tried to remember every tourist trap he knew existed in the Land of Earth. Each one he shot at Gaara, seeing if the Kage would visit it. "So, I heard the Chikyu no Kuchi Canyon is pretty impressive. Think I can drag you ass there?" Gaara smiled. "I am not sure about dragging, but I was interested in seeing it, yes."
An idea popped in Sasuke's head, making him grin like a mad man. He turned to one of the Earth ninjas. "Hey, doesn't the Tochi Inori Festival start this week?" The guard's eyes widened. "Y-Yes." Sasuke turned back to Gaara. "Have you ever been to a festival?" Gaara frowned. "Yes. I am required to go each of Suna's festivals." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "That is not what I meant. Have you ever been to a festival that doesn't have you sitting at a table for the whole thing? One that doesn't require speeches, and being a show case?" Gaara shook his head.
"No. People always get anxious when I am around." Sasuke nodded. "I see…. Then that just means I am dragging your ass to that. They will forgive us for ruining one day of festivals. You are the Kazekage. They can't kick you out." Gaara frowned at him. But before he could make a rebuttal, the guards stopped in front of them. The two looked at the castle before them. Awed by the building, Sasuke nudged Gaara in the side. "Why don't you get something this fancy?" Gaara also took in the grand structure. "You can't build this kind of thing on sand." "Ahh." With that, they both headed inside.
When they got inside, a butler greeted them. "Welcome, Kazekage. I hope your trip was suitable?" Gaara nodded, skipping the details. "We are pleased to hear that. Please follow me." They headed up a set of stairs, on to the second floor. After a couple twists and turns, they stopped at a long corridor. Six doors lined the hallway, with one room at the end. "Here is where you will be staying. Here are the keys to the rooms. If everything is accounted for, the Tsuchikage informed me that he would like to see you and your advisors the moment you arrived." Gaara nodded and followed after the man, Clef and Twen in tow.
Sasuke grabbed Gaara's arm. "Kage." Gaara turned around and frowned. The butler noticed the pause. He turned around and saw the Kazekage being man-handled by one of his guards. Thinking the problem was about the rooms, he interrupted. "Oh, dear. I am sorry. I was positive your letter said you were going to have ten guards. Do you need us to prepare another room?" Gaara smiled at him and shook his head. "That won't be necessary. We didn't know he would be joining us until it was too late." Gaara handed Sasuke his key. "My room is the one on the end. I will be fine by myself." The butler frowned. "Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem. We wouldn't want you to have to share your quarters with your soldiers."
Gaara continued to smile, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Don't think of him as a soldier, more as a guard dog." Sasuke growled at him. The butler's frown deepened. "I see… Then if everything is taken care of…?" Gaara signaled for the butler to lead, leaving Sasuke glaring at him. When they had turned the corner, Sasuke headed to the room. Once he entered, his anger disappeared. The room was just as impressive as the castle. After looking around, Sasuke headed to the bathroom. After four days of sand, mud and muck, Sasuke was ready for a decent shower.
Stripped down, he reached for the faucet. The moment his hand touched the handle, shock ran over his body. It felt like something had ripped the first layer of skin off his body. It wasn't painful, but was an unpleasant feeling nonetheless. He looked around franticly, trying to find the source. After scrutinizing the room for five minutes, he let it pass. "Weird…" With that he started up the shower. Spending half an hour in the water and steam, Sasuke completely forgot it even happened. Once he was out and dry, he headed back into the room, towel around his waist and clothes in hand. Dropping the clothes on the floor, he laid on the bed. Forgetting to get dressed, he dozed off.
--
Well that was eventful. As Gaara shoved sand into the keyhole, he almost banged his head on the door. Three hours. He had just listened to the Tsuchikage talk for three hours straight. About nothing. 'How was your trip. That's nice. I hope you enjoy your visit. You should come to the festival.' He went on and on. He was a very bubbly man. However, Gaara saw it was a ruse. He might appear friendly, but he was a very powerful man. Opening the door, the first thing he noticed was Sasuke passed out on the bed, the towel slowly hiking up his thigh. An amused look on his face, Gaara walked up next to him. "Even though the show is appreciated, you might caught a cold if you keep that up." Sasuke awoke up slowly, and glared at him.
"It wasn't intended as a show, and I am dry, so it doesn't matter." With that he rolled over on his side, his back to Gaara. Gaara threw his Kage robe on Sasuke and headed to the bathroom. Sasuke pulled the robe off his head, but curled up in the soft fabric. When Gaara returned a couple minutes later, he frowned at the sleeping nin. "Please don't wrinkle that. I do have to wear that tomorrow." Sasuke just bunched it up further around his body. "You shouldn't have thrown it on me then… Or called me a dog." Gaara sighed and walked to the other side of the bed.
Sasuke noticed he was standing there for a couple minutes. Opening his eyes, he looked at Gaara. A perplexed look was on the Kage's face. Sasuke shot out his hand, and grabbed Gaara's wrist. He gently pulled the Kage onto the bed. Wrapping his arms around the slender waist, he pulled Gaara close to him. He could feel Gaara's pulse quicken. Ignoring the tension, Sasuke threw the robes over both of them. "I am not going to sing you to sleep tonight. That is what you get for the dog comment. But I still want you to try, okay?" Gaara's head jerked nervously. "Good."
Gaara didn't move. Stone stiff, he stayed on one position. Slowly, the body next to him relaxed. Before long, Sasuke's breath became drawn out and calm. Knowing the ninja was asleep, Gaara tried to get out of his arms. However, Sasuke subconsciously tightened his hold. Gaara breath quickened. Calm down. Hyperventilating won't help. Slowly, he forced his body to calm down. Focus on something. However, every time he tried, his brain kept going back to the arms around him, making his pulse speed up. Okay… Then I will focus on them.
As he looked at Sasuke's arms, he frowned. Why was he so bothered by this? Foreign. But he had seen people do this to each other all the time. So, it was only foreign to him. He frowned and thought past the awkward feeling. Why else is he bothered by this contact? As he thought about it, no more negative thoughts came to mind. Intimate. His eyes snapped open. He felt his lungs speeding up again. Calm down. Calm down. He put his hands on his face, thoughts racing through his head. He slowly looked at the man behind him, a thought coming to mind.
This is Sasuke Uchiha. Is he capable of being intimate? Gaara rested his head back on the bed. Would you be disappointed if he wasn't? Gaara frowned, but answered the question. Yes. As he accepted it, his eyes widened. Then am I okay with this? He looked down at the arms, expecting them to hold the answers. As if to answer, Sasuke intuitively tightened his hold, rubbing his head on Gaara's back, incoherent words coming from his mouth. Instantly, different emotions and feelings started popping up in Gaara's head, stimulated by the tender actions. Calm. Acceptance. Protection. As he started connecting each emotion to the arms around him, he accepted each one of the new feelings. Cozy. He smiled at the word. He was becoming quite fond of that word.
Yes. This is cozy. It's... okay. This is okay. At peace with himself, and the current position he was in, Gaara eventually fell asleep. Sasuke slept through the whole thing, oblivious to the anxiety and strange harmony he was causing the man in his arms.