1Gaara reacted in an instant. Suddenly there Naruto was, lying on a small hill of wet sand raised out of the ground, koi fish caught on its gently sloping sides flopping back into the dark water. Gaara climbed out of the window as quickly as he could, leaping down despite his kage robes and landing perfectly on the balls of his feet.

As he rushed over, he sent sand messages to his different guards, alerting them to the danger in the garden. He raised the sand hump, guiding it to the shore and lowering it carefully but as quickly as possible to the dry ground. As he did this, the ice that was his blood somehow got colder. He'd noticed that Naruto wasn't breathing.

As Gaara felt Naruto's carotid for a pulse, he silently worried and asked questions, keeping on his guard as he did so. No use becoming another victim, he thought, keeping his gaze on Naruto's still form, but keeping a sand eye constantly scanning the surrounding area for enemies.

But his immediate concern was why there seemed to be a hard object blocking his attempts at getting Naruto's pulse. As he leaned over to see Naruto's neck, he saw a small dart embedded in the skin directly on top of the carotid artery. As he carefully removed it, a small dot of blood appeared at the entry wound, but nothing more.

Looking at the tiny dart, he could tell it wasn't any he'd seen before. It had a slightly rounded middle, indicating that there was a chamber inside filled with who knows what. The hypodermic tip was so thin, the liquid must've been a slow-inject. And I've been sitting here, trying to figure out if he's alive, but I can't worry about that now. Naruto isn't breathing!

He tucked the needle into his pocket, turning his attention back to Naruto's still form. As Gaara checked his pulse once more, he found it beating weakly and steadily dying off. Quick as he could, he started performing CPR, pumping Naruto's chest, trying to keep his heart beating.

...13...14...15, now 2 rescue breaths, Gaara went over in his mind, tilt the head back, plug the nose, and...

"Crap."

He was looking down at Naruto's now slightly open mouth. What came next probably wouldn't have bothered him much except for the feelings that were already being aroused by the mere thought of what he had to do next.

Just grin and bear it, he thought, If I don't, he'll die. And with that, he took the plunge.

Just two breaths, that's all it is, he thought over and over while he gave, first one, then two breaths before hurriedly straightening up once more and checking his pulse. It's still weak, but it's there, no wait, it's faltering again!

He closed his eyes, readying himself again, and once more, gave Naruto two rescue breaths. As he straightened up once more, he thought, His mouth...tastes SO delicious! Wait! Stop thinking that!

He checked his pulse, shaking his head to get the thoughts out of his mind. His pulse is stronger. He checked to see his chest rising and falling weakly, but surely. And he's breathing. That's good...but then again, I could give him two more rescue breaths just for luck. Looking to make sure nobody was around and cursing his guards' slow response, he bent over Naruto again, only this time, instead of trying to save his life, he tried to savor the feeling of kissing Naruto, despite the fact that it was one-sided.

Nothing fancy, just a simple kiss. But what was simple turned into something totally different when Gaara felt Naruto respond!

A tongue snaked up into Gaara's mouth, surprising him, but it didn't stop there. Naruto's hands circled around the back of Gaara's head, pressing him onto Naruto's waiting lips and deepening the kiss meant only to be a taste.

With his sand eye, Gaara knew that nobody was around, and that disconcerted him, but the thought was only at the back of his mind. Really, he had other things to worry about...or enjoy.

As they finally broke apart, Naruto was panting. Gaara didn't understand, at least until he heard Naruto try and speak.

"Gaara?"

Naruto's face turned from one side to the other, as if looking for Gaara. For some reason, he wasn't opening his eyes, as if he were blind. As Gaara grabbed Naruto's wrists and put the searching hands onto his face, Naruto felt everything: Gaara's lips, eyebrows, nose, ears, anything he could feel.

"Gaara, I'm too hot. I've got a fever or something. And why am I wet? Wasn't I just sitting on the bench? I remember getting up to go inside..."

He broke off. Gaara had turned away from Naruto's touch. The rust-haired kage had bent over to pick up the tiny dart he had set aside. Turning the little rounded missle around in his fingers, he wondered if what was inside of it was doing this to Naruto.

Naruto has a fever, that much is obvious, he was thinking, keeping a hold of one of Naruto's hands for assurance, for either him or Naruto, he didn't know. "He can't see, so there must be some blindness. Permanent or temporary? Probably the latter. I think whoever did this was trying to send a message.

He looked back at Naruto, and then gazed around. Where are those damn guards?!

He decided against waiting out in the open any longer than he had, scooping Naruto up into his arms. Naruto had gone unconscious, so his head hung back and his arms were held wide. Gaara carried in the crimson and black-clad figure, looking like he was carrying in a fallen angel.

As he layed him on the nearby couch, he checked around once more. You know what?!, firing up instantly for the lack of his guards' presence, I'm going to find them right now whether they want to come or not!

Closing his eyes in concentration, he felt out with his sand, keeping just enough with him to properly defend himself. He found the guards, but what he discovered startled him.

Using the sand, he dragged the still bodies of his guards back to him. They'd also been hit by darts, but these were different. The markings on them were thicker, less intricate, and of the symbols on them, he recognized one: Death.

Quickly, he shoved the bodies of the two deceased away, crouching protectively over Naruto. But he was distracted when he looked down at Naruto.

His condition had worsened drastically. He was sweating now, his eyes clenched tight instead of relaxed in the temporary blindness of only seconds before. His muscles, once relaxed and under his control, were tight and contorted, the coils looking like they were trying to rip themselves out of his skin. His panting had increased, and despite the fact that his arms were stiff, he was reaching out for Gaara with all of his might.

Gaara grasped Naruto's clenched fists together in his own pleading hands.

"What's wrong Naruto?!" he whispered, and despite the fact that it was said so quietly, Naruto seemed to hear, and responded in as soft a voice, "I'm dying..."

Kay, I know u guys hate me for the cliffhangers, but I love them too much! XD

Thanx for all the great reviews! I love when u tell me wat u like! ;)

I'm trying my best to try and start writing the other two again, but my creative juices are kinda stuck on this fanfic, so believe me, I've started new chapters for each of the other two. -

And if you want something to happen, PM me or mention it in ur review. I read all of them, so I'll notice it. :D

Oh, and if you want a different pairing, PM me only. I'd rather not have a story cluttered up by different suggestions. Kay? (-)

Oh, and for anybody wondering, in the last chapter, it was supposed to be Naruto's hand floating just under the surface of the water with a garnet ring that Gaara gave him on his finger. Garnet is a blood-red almost black gem, for any who'd like to know! ;)