Your Eyes

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10

An hour and one very happy Kazekage later, Gaara was enjoying a nice massage from his favorite Uchiha. He knew that technically that wasn't much of a contest since Sasuke was the only living Uchiha left, but Gaara still counted it anyway.

"Doesn't carrying that gourd around all the time, hurt your back? That thing has to weigh at least a couple hundred pounds." Sasuke asks curiously as he continues the massage.

Itachi had helped the Akatsuki remove his demon and thus killed him. While Gaara knew that it wasn't personal, that certainly hadn't helped to endear him to the recently deceased man. There was also Obito and Madara. Those two had nearly ended life as they knew it for the entire Ninja World. So he wasn't fond of them either. That combined with a million other reasons was why Sasuke was definitely his favorite Uchiha.

"Not really. I'm used to it. Actually, I'm so used to it that I must confess I feel rather naked without it." He answers honestly.

"Well that's interesting to know. Any other dirty little secrets that I should know about?" Sasuke whispers into his ear.

That had to be a trick question. Gaara wasn't really sure how Sasuke had ended up offering to give him a massage, but he wasn't going to argue. He wasn't stupid though. The red head certainly wasn't going to push his luck this early.

Maybe Sasuke was testing him in some way. Perhaps he was attempting to determine the depth of Gaara's feelings for him. Love, lust, or both. (It was definitely both, but Sasuke didn't necessarily know that.)

"There are a few that I might divulge to you at some point in the future. I haven't entirely decided yet." He says, deciding that less was probably more in this case.

The feeling of Sasuke's powerful hands against his back was pure bliss. Gaara was not going to do anything to jeopardize his chances of enjoying the sensation as long as possible. There really was no way of knowing how long Sasuke's unexpected receptiveness would last and he intended to make the most of it.

"Well you've aroused my interest. I can't wait to hear all about them." Sasuke says his hands slide up and he gives Gaara a neck rub.

"You'll make for a wonderful medic. Medicinal massage is quite a popular technique in the Sand and you excel at it." The red head comments.

"Good to know. So how long were you suffering in silence?" The Uchiha asks curiously.

It all made sense now. There was a very good reason why Gaara had noticed that he was suffering from unrequited love. The Kazekage recognized the signs from firsthand experience.

Sasuke was suddenly feeling a whole lot more charitable towards Naruto at the moment. For years, he had wondered how the blonde hadn't noticed that he was in love with him. How could anyone be so oblivious? In the end, it turned out that he was just as oblivious as Naruto. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony.

"Consciously or unconsciously?" Gaara replies with a question of his own.

"Well both." Sasuke says, curious to hear what the red head was going to say.

"Unconsciously, since the Chunin Exams. I think that I knew that I loved you in a twisted way even back then. You were the one that I wanted to kill the most." Gaara begins.

Sasuke blinks. He didn't know how to take that. It was romantic that the Kazekage apparently believed in love at first sight, but that was also disturbing. The young Kage had almost loved him to death, it seemed.

"I'm not really sure how to respond to that." Sasuke says.

"You don't have to respond to it. I'm just answering your question. I suppose that I fully realized it at the Kage Summit. When you attacked, I wanted to save you. I wanted to do for you, what Naruto had for me. Initially, I had wanted to save you because Naruto did and because you were too talented to have put down like a dog. That changed at the Kage Summit. I wanted to save you for me." He admits.

The Uchiha blinks. He hadn't expected that Gaara had loved him for THAT long. Naruto was right. He really was a bastard.

"You're very romantic in a morbid way." Sasuke tells him as he continues the massage.

Gaara loved him. He really loved him. From the Kazekage's perspective, this wasn't just an infatuation or a case of lust. The red head had carried a torch for him for years.

That made him feel guilty. Sasuke didn't really know how he felt about Gaara. Oh he respected him. He liked Gaara. The Uchiha just hadn't ALLOWED himself to consider the possibility that he'd ever love someone besides Naruto before. Maybe he could love the red head.

"Is morbidly romantic something that you find appealing?" Gaara asks.

"In your case, yes. Honestly, I've never really thought about it much before though." He says as he kneads the tension out of the Kazekage's neck.

It didn't hurt that Gaara was gorgeous. Sasuke wasn't sure what he had expected to find under the other man's Kazekage Robes, but he hadn't expected such a muscular back.

Really, he hadn't thought that the Kage would be fat. Sasuke just hadn't expected such delightfully well sculpted muscles. Idly, he pawns that off to the fact that the red head had been hauling that heavy gourd on his back since forever. Maybe it was an informal version of weight training.

"Maybe you should think about it more." Gaara says as he rolls around and pulls Sasuke closer to him.

"Maybe." Sasuke agrees with a whisper.

The Kazekage smiles and kisses Sasuke. It started off as a rather gentle kiss, but that ended the second he felt the Uchiha kiss back. Instinct took over.

Sasuke soon found himself laying on his back as he kissed Gaara. He'd never really been kissed before on purpose. Sasuke didn't have much to compare Gaara's kisses too. He just knew that they felt GOOD. It also probably didn't hurt that he tasted like his beloved strawberries either.

"Mmm." Sasuke sighs in pleasure and he runs his fingers through Gaara's blood red locks.

Gaara's kisses were much like the desert he was from. Hot and primal. He was by no means a gentle kisser anymore. The former Leaf Ninja felt like the other man was literally trying to consume him, but fuck it felt good. He arches against him as he cautiously decides to experiment a bit.

That experimentation was of course, adding tongue. He heard Gaara make a low guttural sound of approval. It was somewhere between a growl and a purr. Taking that as a good sign, Sasuke glides his tongue along the red head's in an ancient, seductive dance.

"Gaara, I've been looking all over for you. The Council wants to speak with you now. It's about trading with the Stone Village." Kankuro says as he walks into the room, only to freeze in his tracks.

Gaara was in there alright and so was Sasuke. His brother was currently making out with the last Uchiha in a rather passionate fashion. The puppet master couldn't believe his eyes.

The red head breaks the kiss and turns around to respond. The other native Sand Villager couldn't help but note that Gaara looked just as shocked as he did. He supposed that was a small comfort. Damn it.

"Tell them that I'll be there shortly." He hisses in annoyance.

"Right. Got it!" Kankuro says as he races off.

He knew that he was lucky that his brother didn't sand coffin him. Kankuro had never known for sure, but he had always suspected that his brother preferred men. That had never bothered him. Kankuro had just never expected Gaara to jump the Uchiha of all people!

"I'm sorry. I have to go." Gaara apologizes.

"Gaara, you're Kazekage. I understand. It's fine." Sasuke says.

The red head had never wanted to kill the Council more. One moment, he had been lost in the pure bliss that was the Uchiha's kiss and the next, he had to go to some stupid meeting. Damn them.

"I hope that you will consider what we talked about while I'm gone. When I get back, I should also like to resume our conversation." He says.

"I'll think about it and we'll see. I'm not angry. I can't be angry with you for doing your job. Go." Sasuke reassures him.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can." Gaara says as he disappears in a swirl of Sand.

Sasuke sighs when Gaara leaves. He didn't know what to think of the entire situation. He knew this much though. Gaara was a fantastic kisser.

"What do you think, Itachi? And don't pretend, that you aren't here. You're such a stalker." Sasuke mutters and he grumbles when the butterfly pokes his forehead.

He knew it. Sasuke had just known that the butterfly would somehow be there. Damn. Not only was it a ninja butterfly with apparently human intelligence, it might actually be a voyeur butterfly!

The very thought made Sasuke laugh. He started laughing and he probably didn't stop for a full five minutes. By the end of his laughing session, his sides ached.

"Damn. I haven't laughed like that since I was a kid." He mutters and the butterfly flies around happily.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he knew it was happily. He just did. The last Uchiha had long ago stopped trying to apply logic to that insect. It was a futile pursuit.

"Maybe I should just do the same with Gaara." He mutters to himself.

The red head was attractive, intelligent, strong, and cared about him. He also happened to be a wonderful kisser. Other than his general inability to easily trust anyone, Sasuke couldn't really see a reason not to at least consider continuing their conversation.

"I guess we'll see what happens soon enough." Sasuke muses.

Meanwhile Kankuro was panicking. He couldn't believe what he had just saw. Suddenly, it all made sense. That was why Gaara had brought Sasuke to the Leaf. His baby brother was either in love or at least lust with the last Uchiha.

"Kankuro, is there a reason why you look as though you are about to have a heart attack?" Temari asks her brother half in amusement and half in concern.

Damn it! How was he supposed to explain this to his sister? Kankuro hadn't even fully wrapped his mind around it yet. How the Hell was he couldn't tell someone else about what he saw?!

"Alright. You are going to want to sit down for this one." He warns Temari.

The sassy blonde raises an eyebrow. That certainly didn't sound promising. She knew her brothers. Neither of them was prone to panicking, but Kankuro was definitely panicking. That made her uneasy as she sat down.

"Okay. I'm sitting down. What's wrong?" She demands.

"I went to find Gaara because the Council wanted him. When I finally found him, he was kissing the Uchiha." Kankuro says.

Temari blinks. She wasn't entirely sure what she had expected Kankuro to say, but it hadn't been that. The thought of Gaara being romantically interested in anyone felt almost alien, but especially Sasuke.

"I know that you're being honest. No one can make something like that up, but that's unbelievable. Gaara was kissing Sasuke?" She asks dumbstruck and Kankuro nods in confirmation.

"Yes, he was. A lot. They both seemed to be enjoying it. I don't know if Sasuke seduced Gaara into granting him citizenship or not. It'd be hard to fake that level of passion, but it is the Uchiha. He's capable of anything." The puppet master reasons.

The blonde woman tilts her head to the side as she considers this. Would Sasuke actually do that? Would he seduce to get what he wanted? It didn't seem like him.

"I doubt that's the case. Sasuke's always avoided his admirers like the plague. We don't know how long Gaara has had these feelings for Sasuke either. Assuming that he had them before the transfer, we also don't know if Sasuke was aware of them. It's a little soon to start accusing him of tricking Gaara like that." The feisty woman points out.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. He has been on suspiciously good behavior since he came here though. You can't tell me that you haven't noticed." Her brother argues.

Temari sighs and nods. She had noticed. When Sasuke first came to the Sand Village, she certainly had her doubts about him. Now though, he was rapidly assimilating into their culture. For goodness sake's, he was a medic now!

"I would be lying, if I said that I hadn't thought about it. What if it's the opposite though? What if the reason he is on such good behavior is because he really does have feelings for Gaara?" She counters.

"I guess it's possible. I've never seen the Uchiha look at a woman before and he's had plenty of them throwing themselves at him." Kankuro mutters.

"Should we talk to Gaara about this? You are the closest to him. Maybe you should speak with him." The Sand woman suggests.

Kankuro sighs. He was closer to Gaara. That was true, but that didn't mean that the red head was going to want to talk about whatever was going on with Sasuke.

"I'll try. I can't make any promises though." The puppet master says.

"That's all you can do. Just trying your best." She offers sympathetically.

Elsewhere in the Sand, Gaara was conducting a meeting with the Council. He really hoped that his irritation wasn't actually showing on his face. That was the last thing that he needed. He needed to explain why he wanted to Sand Coffin them, like he needed a Chidori to the nuts.

"Ah there you are, Lord Kazekage. We were growing rather worried. Are you quite well? It's not like you to take so long to respond?" Jada asks.

Jada was the oldest Council Member. He was also the one that Gaara liked the least. He knew that if Jada had his way, Gaara would never have seen his tenth birthday.

"I'm quite well. Let's being. So you wished to discuss trade with the Stone Village?" The red head replies.

"I'm glad to hear that. Let's begin." He says as he gestures towards the various scrolls that they had that were filled with proposed trade ratios.

Gaara mentally sighs. Normally, he wouldn't have mind engaging in this kind of work. Unfortunately, it could be rather time consuming.

It would likely take hours to get through all this. That meant it would be hours before he could see Sasuke again. It would be hours before he knew how Sasuke felt about their kisses. Damn it.

"Very well. I suppose there is no time, like the present." He states as they begin the long process of going through all the scrolls.

Meanwhile Sasuke checks the mail and smiles when he sees Naruto's letter. He quickly takes the scroll and unrolls it. It didn't take him long to snort in amusement.

Dear Bastard,

Congrats on becoming a medic. I'm still surprised they let you pass your exams. I mean you're smart and all, but I bet your bedside manner sucks.

Anyway, Hinata and I are doing great. Kakashi is being well Kakashi. I'm not going to lie, I think that Sakura is still having a hard time dealing with the fact that you aren't a Leaf Villager anymore, but she's getting better.

Oh and by the way, that ramen comment was totally not fair. I eat things besides ramen all the time. It's just that happens to be my favorite food.

I was wondering, if you wanted to visit the Leaf? Gaara comes here once a year to reaffirm the alliance. You could come with him.

I feel bad about what happened last time. I totally didn't mean anything by it. I really hope that Gaara isn't still sore about what happened.

Can't wait to see you again, Naruto.

"Some things never change. He's still such a loser." Sasuke mutters.

It surprised him. He should have felt giddy that Naruto wanted to see him so much. That or the familiar pain of loss should have slammed into him like a punch to the gut. Neither happened.

He was amused at Naruto's letter on the surface. Beyond that, he felt hallow. The sting of loss just wasn't as vicious as it had been.

"Maybe I should ponder it more." Sasuke whispers to himself.

Was it because of Gaara? Had Gaara's kisses temporarily dulled the ache in his heart? Maybe it was just time.

They said that time healed all wounds. It had been months. He couldn't dismiss the possibility that distance and time had simply healed the worst of his emotional wounds from Naruto's "rejection."

"Either way, I'm going to have to talk to Gaara about this." He says.

A few hours later, Gaara came back. Sasuke realized the second that Kazekage returned. It took every ounce of self-control that he had, not to go running straight towards him.

That would be pathetic. It would be clingy. Uchihas didn't do clingy. Ever. Just because Naruto sent him a letter, didn't mean that he needed Gaara to play the role of a Knight in Shining Armor. He could slay his down damn dragons. Thank you, very much!

"Well maybe that's the wrong metaphor." Sasuke says to himself.

He didn't want to kill Naruto, after all. The man was his friend. Sasuke just wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to his letter. That was all.

"What's the wrong metaphor for what?" Gaara asks as he walks into the room and over to Sasuke.

"Nevermind. It's a long story. I'm glad that you are back. You need to see this." The raven haired ninja says as he hands Gaara the letter.

Gaara glances at Sasuke in confusion as he takes the letter. Why was the Uchiha showing him a letter? He had been hopeful that maybe his potential lover would be up for some more kissing, not reading.

"Alright." He replies warily as he reads it.

That's when his heart stopped for a few seconds. He couldn't believe it. Damn it. This couldn't be happening! It wasn't fair!

"Do you want to go?" Gaara asks.

Their relationship was only a few hours old. Hell, Gaara wasn't even sure if they WERE in a relationship. Sasuke had basically given him a maybe and a few heated kisses, along with a back massage. All of that was VERY nice, but it wasn't exactly a commitment.

"Honestly? No. I don't want to go. It doesn't hurt anymore, but I should probably go. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to face him again. I'll stay in the Sand though. You're my Kazekage. I wouldn't refuse your order." The raven haired ninja says.

"You choose NOW to start respecting authority?" Gaara asks incredulously.

"You've given me no reason not to respect you. I'm not against following orders, as long as I agree with them." Sasuke says.

Gaara shakes his head. He didn't even know how to respond to that. He supposed that Sasuke would always be a wild animal at heart. The man would do whatever it was that he wanted to do and that was that.

"I wouldn't order you to stay behind. That would be abusing my power." He says.

"You could abuse it in this case, if you wanted. It'd give me an excuse not to go." Sasuke suggests semi hopefully.

"That's tempting, but I won't. This is your decision, not mine. Just like it's your decision if you want to continue our earlier conversation." The red head informs him.

Oh fuck it, Sasuke decides as he shoves Gaara back on the bed and straddles his hips. That's when he kisses him. They had already kissed before. There was no harm in it. It wasn't like they were crossing a new line or something.

Gaara smiles as he returns Sasuke's kiss. Maybe the other man was really beginning to move on. At the very least, he certainly kissed him like he was.

Back in the Leaf Village, Naruto was engaging in some half-hearted training with Kakashi. The other man was a skilled ninja, but the blonde didn't want to go all out. He didn't want to hurt his former Sensei.

"Naruto, that's the third hit that I landed on you. I know that you could have dodged at least two of them. Is something wrong?" The CopyCat Ninja asks.

"I don't know. Maybe. I sent Sasuke a letter." He says.

"And what did you say in this letter that is making you so unfocused?" The silver haired ninja asks as they temporarily pause their training session.

Naruto sighs. As far as he knew, Kakashi had no idea that Sasuke liked men. He didn't want to give away Sasuke's "secret."

"Well basically, I invited him to come visit the Leaf. Gaara's going to be here anyway to reaffirm the alliance. The last time I visited the Sand, it didn't go so well. I'm not really sure if Gaara is still mad at me honestly." The blue eyed ninja admits.

Kakashi shakes his head. He had a pretty good idea what happened. Naruto must have accidentally said something pretty tactless.

Gaara had feelings for Sasuke. He probably noticed that the last Uchiha had been hurt by the blonde. That meant that the red head had probably lashed out in some way.

"I'm certain that whatever happened back then doesn't matter now. It was months ago. Gaara doesn't strike me as the type of man who would carry a grudge. If you had upset Sasuke on the other hand, that would be a completely different matter though." Kakashi offers with a smirk.

"Yeah. That's true. Sasuke has one Hell of a temper." Naruto agrees with a laugh.

"I think that it would be good for the four of you to have a chance to get some closure." The silver haired ninja continues.

Naruto tilts his head. The four of them? Gaara, Sasuke, and him made three. Who was the fourth person?

"Yeah. Maybe. Wait. Who else needs closure besides me, Sasuke, and Gaara?" He asks in confusion.

"Sakura. I know that she was rather upset by Sasuke's transfer. It might be a good idea for them to have talk things out as well." Kakashi answers his inquiry.

"Good point. Yeah. She was pretty devastated. I think she's doing much better now. I just hope that she doesn't get upset when she sees him again." He mutters.

Kakashi sighs and shakes his head in amusement. It was amazing really. In some ways, Team Seven was still the same group that he had met when they were Genin. Sakura liked Sasuke. Sasuke liked Naruto and Naruto was well oblivious.

He smirks when he realizes that Sasuke was also oblivious now. It was still a love triangle, only this time said triangle involved a red head. Hopefully, it would all work out in the end though.

The situation was amusing, but scary. Each person in this bizarre "love square," was insanely powerful in his/her own right. This could be a recipe for disaster.

"I think you should give her some more credit than that. She's a powerful ninja. She's strong, in mind and body now. Sakura can handle it." He says.

"I hope you're right." Naruto says with a sigh.