Naruto was stunned at the sensation of the silky lips smoothing against his palm. He did not have the wherewithal to wonder why exactly the sand manipulator was doing this, but he focused solely on the feel of it. So soft. So warm. Absolutely lovely. And Gaara was looking into his eyes so intently and for some reason it made the desert even hotter. Suddenly, Gaara raised up onto his knees still keeping eye contact with the blond. Glad that Naruto had not pulled away, he grew more bold and wrapped his lips around the tip of the blond's thumb. He watched closely as the blue eyes widened in slight surprise and a gasp parted the tasty looking lips. He savored the salty/sweet taste and only knew that he wanted oh so much more. He allowed his hand to travel up along the tanned forearm in a long teasing caress. So many years Gaara had wondered about Naruto. If he was as tasty as he looked. If his skin was as soft as it looked. He was not disappointed. His fingers traveled over the shoulder and along the collar making his way to the caramel neck. Naruto shuddered lightly at the sensation.

"What's going on? Why is he doing this?" he thought. These touches were so intimate and loving; absolutely alien to him. But something inside did not want it to stop. The texture of Gaara's tongue was strangely marvelous and he wondered what it would feel like in other places on his body. He watched in fascination as the red head let the now wet appendage slip from his lips. Those eyes held him captive and he could not look away even if he had the desire to. But he didn't. Instead, he watched avidly as those eyes drew nearer, the contact breaking so that the jade orbs could lock onto his lips. This drew Naruto's attention back to Gaara's own lips as they parted slightly approaching in slow motion. He felt numb all over when the pinkish flesh connected. It was so odd that it felt wrong. To be kissed. To have someone want to taste him. To share in something so embracing.

Sasuke

He frowned as black eyes and raven hair materialized in the forefront of his mind. He had a sudden flash of another set of lips on his in a connection so different than the one he was engaged in now. The awkward accidental meeting of lips years ago at the academy. He remembered his reaction to it, how torn he was inside. Part of him wanted to lick his lips and savor the favor, memorize it and lock it within his heart forever. The other half commanded that he gag and spit, to get rid of the wretched taste. When he saw the disgusted expression on the other boys face, he just followed that reaction not wanting to be any more alienated that he already was. He pushed his own desire to the side that day and he always regretted it. Then he was flashed forward into another memory; another kiss. One that happened years after the first, yet so resent now that he could still taste the blood, his blood shared between them in a forbidden moment of domination and pain. That was the memory that made him so warm all over. That was the memory that made the appendage between his thighs jump in excitement. As Gaara decided that now was the perfect time to flicker his tongue into the cavern of the kitsune's mouth, Naruto had the brief inkling that this was wrong. One friend was here touching him, kissing him, and yet he was thinking of another. Gaara pulled away when his partner's lips became lax against his own and he looked at him with concern.

"Naruto?" he called out to him. Those baby blue eyes looked at him with such innocence and wonder that Gaara wondered if he had ever been kissed before. If he even knew what the gesture meant. Naruto tilted his head and frowned in consideration. Gaara was about to apologize when…

"You taste like coconut milk." Naruto said in a far away voice. The statement caught Gaara so off guard that he just stared at the blond, a huff of laughter caught in the back of his throat. To his surprise, Naruto took his chin in his hand and brought him forward for another kiss, slow and exploratory. The blond pulled away and licked the remaining flavor from his lips with an expression of consideration. "Yes, that's it. Coconut milk." he gave a dry humorless laugh. "That's odd. A sand dweller tasting like the juice of a tropical fruit." But Gaara hadn't hears a word. The kiss had left him breathless and wanting. He dove into the blond, pushing his back against the shifting sand and kissed him as he had always wanted to. He buried his tongue into that sweet mouth with a resonating moan of desire. The sand in his gourd swirled around in confused excitement and was soon joined by the sand surrounding them. To Naruto it felt as if they were in an ocean of silk. So smooth and fluid was the sand beneath him that he felt as if he were floating there in the middle of the desert with Suna's greatest weapon straddling him, their erections placed together in their own little embrace. The notion was so funny that he would have chuckled had his lips been free. Which brought his attention back to the kiss. That tongue. When he was younger he would never have thought that having someone else's tongue invading his mouth could feel so… agreeable. His own tongue began to respond, lazily at first, but then it grew into a battle for dominance. He tangled his fingers into the bloody hair and pulled Gaara closer, angling the head so that he could taste deeper. What had begun as an experimentation was quickly beginning to transform into something else. He wanted to devour Gaara, to swallow him whole. Besides… he liked coconut milk.

A few miles away….

Sasuke faced the gates of Konoha with a look of distain. The situation was strange, ironic, funny in a cosmic sort of way. He imagined that Naruto had stood here years ago in this very same position; mentally preparing to embark on a journey to find his best friend; the avenging Uchiha; Konoha's prodigal son. His shoulders shook in a humorless laugh.

"Sasuke?" He didn't even turn when he heard the voice of the pinked hair kunoichi behind him. "Where are you going? You aren't thinking of leaving again." she asked with a careful tone. Sasuke heaved an impatient sigh.

"I have a mission to complete that is long overdue." he said more to himself than to her. She nodded in understanding and stood behind him staring at the barrier between their village and the outside world. "It's funny, isn't it?" he said in a soft baritone. She was shocked at his initiation of conversation. Sasuke never began one unless he was speaking to a certain blond haired rival.

"Isn't what funny, Sasuke?" she asked placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. He didn't pull away.

"The way karma comes right back around and kick you in the balls." the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a smirk. "Naruto said that once." They fell into a brief silence at the mention of his name. It was true. Years ago, Sakura had stood beside her other teammate before this very gate begging him to bring back her dark haired love. Naruto swore that he would bring him back no matter what the cost. Sakura had believed him, she needed to. But when he had come back without the Uchiha heir, she was heartbroken. She yelled at Naruto and dismissed him before the entire town. That was when everything turned around.

"You know, Sasuke, after you left Naruto did what I never thought he could do, what I never thought he even would want to do." she waited for Sasuke to respond. When he didn't' she continued. "All of his attention went into training. He never pranked, he never went out with us, he never even smiled. He put all of his energy into becoming 'a more efficient killer'." Sasuke turned to her when she said that. "Yes, those where his exact words. He stopped going to Ichiraku's for ramen. He stopped wearing his favorite orange jumpsuit. Everything that Naruto was was just folded up and thrown away." she bowed her head, lowering her lashes hoping to dam up the oncoming tears. "He did what he thought he had to do to make everything better. Isn't that just like Naruto? To just go to any extreme to make someone happy?" she sniffled as she spoke, her shoulders starting to heave in quiet sobs. "He did it for the village. He did it for you. And he did it for me." she confessed quickly losing her composure. Sasuke turned toward her eyeing her through his raven bangs.

"What are you talking about?" he commanded, his voice teetering between anger and concern. Sakura reached up trying desperately to wipe away her tears.

"He threw away what was no longer needed! He was trying to give us all what we wanted! I didn't even try to stop him! I encouraged it! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Oh god I'm so sorry, Naruto!" she cried near hysteria. Her knees began to buckle beneath her and she was surprised when pale arms wrapped around her and brought her into a warm embrace. The strong heartbeat against her cheek gave her the strength to complete her confession."He died, Sasuke! He died the day you left! We all called him a worthless failure and he died! He died give us all what we wanted!" she sobbed into his chest staining his blue shirt with tears.

"I don't understand what you are saying, Sakura. You aren't making sense." he said in his cold detached voice rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"HE DIED INSIDE SO THAT HE COULD BECOME YOU!!" she said between hiccups and sobs. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS LIKE!! HE WAS SO COLD! SO UNCARING! HE HURT PEOPLE, SASUKE! HE HURT HIMSELF! HE… HE…OH GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE?! OH… OH GOD…" she became incoherent and Sasuke began to shush her calmly rocking back and forth to console his distraught teammate. He waited, watching the sun setting beyond the trees while she calmed herself. "He was you at first (sniff) then he became something else. Something evil. When you returned, he got a little better. He didn't hurt others but he still hurt himself. I tried, Sasuke. I had tried to help him but it was too late. I lost him. And it wasn't until then that I realized that I loved him." she felt Sasuke's fingers clench into her arm at that. She winced but said nothing as he tensed against her. With her body ebbed of all it's misery, she fell limp to the ground as he released her from his hold and got to his feet shifting his pack on his back and heading toward the gate. She watched his retreating form with eyes as pink as her hair. "Bring him back, Sasuke. Please bring him back to me." Sasuke stopped walking and stood motionless before the gate, pausing dramatically before speaking.

"I will bring him back, Sakura." the determination in his voice relieved some of the tension in her body, but what he said next chilled her to the bone. "But not for you. When I bring him back, he will be mine. And I will kill anyone who tries to tear us apart." With that, he walked through Konoha's gates and began his journey toward Suna leaving the sad, betrayed young woman crumpled behind him in the dust.

(wipes sweat) Whoo! I never know how the chapter will end until I write the last sentence. Please review and tell me what you think.