Chapter 14
I have nothing to say this time.
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Life is so easily invaded by those things of which we never expect. The strongest of beings believe that nothing can touch them, or at the very least, nothing would try. This arrogance ultimately leads to one's own downfall. There are a mere few that are lucky enough to surpass this, and are able to find good in the situations otherwise deemed as evil and cruel. Destiny is carved from these trying times, when one must choose between pride and love.
What once were raging waves of seafoam, now calmed into gentle pools about to rise above their borders. Never before had words sounded so sweet, as they were usually lined with a bitter crust that led the mind to wonder what true meaning they held. So many times before he had heard them being spoken, but the hollow sound filled with a blackness that until now he could not place. It was the empty echo of a lonly heart, yearning for a love to call in return.
Gaara was unsure how to respond, companionship and interaction had long been nothing more than language in need of definition. But it was now that he realized that these words, these symbols of intent, could not be defined in that of similar origin. A thought or phrase that could not be read or explained, but only felt. Even through the years that have passed, lying in wait for one day to be recognized, he could not be sure that his intent of 'love' was the same. How could he be sure that in this moment, the lurching in his heart was infact the need to be held, to be forgiven for all that he has done to cause harm within himself, and others?
Clairity in a clouded mind was nothing but a dream, but even dreams show their truth, despite their almost meaningless appearance. In that moment, he realized that there was nothing to discern,
no reason for second guessing what was felt in his heart. For what purpose has logic ever served in the palace of the soul?
Gaara lifted his hand from the pale boy's back, and placed it gently on the back of his head, pressing him closer. His soft words floated through the air, caressing the wounds that burned at Sasuke's flesh. "You will never know, how long I have waited for this feeling to touch my heart. And it is in you, that those words find their true purpose. I love you Sasuke, more than you will ever believe." He pulled back from him slowly, his eyes painting a portrait of every detail of his face into his memory, before completing the picture with his lips pressed so softly against those of the broken Uchiha.
As they parted once more, Sasuke kissed the wetness that stained the red head's pale face. "Gaara, you are crying..." A soft smile touched Gaara's pale lips, and he pressed himself closer. "These are tears of happiness, I can assure you of that." With his touch as gentle as his voice, he stole the lips of the Uchiha once more. The kisses they shared were soft and sweet, each healing a different wound of the night.
When at last they pulled away, Sasuke couldn't help but give a small chuckle. "What's with all the kisses?" He asked teasingly. Gaara merely snickered and turned away, his voice filled with mocked hurt. "You don't want my affections? Fine, I'll go give them to someone who does." He paused, a sly smirk passing his lips. "I bet Neji knows how to get rid of this frustration." Sauske took a double take on that statement. Not really having much time to give it thought, he gave Gaara a glare that to him, was more cute than anything. Though he did accomplish what he was aiming for, he had struck a nerve.
"You wouldn't do that would you?" Sasuke asked, his tone lowering to a worried level. "Ha, of course not. I have no interest in that high strung friend of yours." He stated simply, his eyes closing as if to drive away the thought. "High strung? Is that bad? I can be high strung sometimes, does that bother you? Tell me if it ever does!" It was becoming obvious what the objective the redhead had was; to freak the hell out of his companion. "Sasuke relax.." He stated with a flat tone. "I can't, now I'm paranoid. I have to go talk to Neji.." Sasuke rose to his feet, trying to get a steady footing as he aimed to go downstairs. Gaara grabbed onto Sasuke's belt loop with one finger, preventing the teen from going more than two inches. "No you don't.." He said simply.
"Yes I do. I'm new to this stuff, he has to teach me things.." The Uchiha turned to face the floor, he was becoming a little more than nervous at this point.
"Oh really?" Gaara asked sarcastically.
"Yes."
"Like what?"
"..Like...uh.." Sasuke's cheeks began to turn a bright red, and he adverted his gaze quickly. "I don't know.." A rather toothy grin occupied the redhead's face as a low and rather odd chuckle escaped his throat. "Heh...pervert." The blush that had covered only the Uchiha's cheeks spread like fire across his face as he turned quickly, a shocked look adorning his features. "Wh-what? I'm not a pervert!" Sasuke shouted desperately, trying to cover his trip-ups. "Oh yes you are. I bet you were going to ask Neji something along the lines of..What you should do if ever you 'accidentally' walk into the bathroom while I'm in the shower. The glass is quite clean, and would give a conciderable view to the wandering eye. Maybe he'd give you a little advice on 'lathering up'.." He put a bit more emphasis on his last words, his seafoam gaze holding just barely contained amusement as he looked upon his embarressed friend.
"That's...not true." Sasuke's hands rose to the top of his head, and his arms pressed together to hide his face. His body slowly going back down into a kneeling position. Gaara couldn't help but feel a little guilty about unnerving his friend. He reached out his hands to pull Sasuke into a warm embrace. "I'm just joking. I know you wouldn't do that. I know you could figure out what to do on your own." The teen's body tensed with his comment, trying his best to hide his face. "Come on Gaara.." Sasuke pleaded.
The redhead sighed a little as he figured he should stop. "You're feeling awfully hot, we should get you home." He said in a rather suspicious tone as he rose to his feet, bringing the Uchiha with him. "That's your fault. Anyway, I'm not leaving before I see Neji. If anything, Itachi is his ride home." His tone was calmed now, and his face was begining to return to its naturally pale color. Of course, this wouldn't last long.
"I'm sure Neji will figure something out, he's a smart kid after all. As for you, these wounds need to be taken care of. And as much as it hurts me to say this, before they are taken care of, there won't be any hope of dancing. So there is no point in us being here any longer." Gaara bent a little infront of the Uchiha, his left hand slipping behind his knees, and his right staying put on his back. "Now, off we go." He said as he lifted Sasuke from the ground, gaining a soft gasp from him in the process. "Gaara! What th--..I told you I want to talk to Neji."
"And I told you we're going home." He said with a rather odd amount of demand in his tone. "Put me down!" Sasuke whined half-heartedly, not making much of an effort to escape his grip. "No." He replied simply. "Gaara, I want to talk to him!" The raven haired teen pleaded, even though he knew he had no hope. "I'm not letting you go."
"Please."
"Nope."
"Gaara.."
"No."
"Com-"
"No."
"Okay, but don't you think it would look kind of weird if you carried me downstairs like this?" He asked as if his companion hadn't noticed this. He did have a point though, they resembled the 'just married' look that you'd find in a bridal magazine. The thought made Gaara laugh, but he kept that on the inside. "Oh, I guess you're right. What was I thinking?" And with his simple words he all but threw the Uchiha over his shoulder and proceeded to walk to the other end of the room.
"How is this any better?" He asked irritably. "What difference does it make? I'm not letting you down anyway."
"Oh come on!"
"No."
"Gaa-"
"I said no."
"But-"
"No."
"Thi-"
"No."
"GAARA!" Sasuke shouted as loud into the teen's ear as he possibly could in this position, and he actually stopped. "Yes?" He asked, as if nothing was wrong. "..You're hurting me.." Sasuke's voice was soft and low, and it caused Gaara's body to freeze. His eyes widened with realization, he had almost forgotten that Sasuke had been injured, and was to be handled with care. Immediately he rushed over to the nearby bed and laid the boy in his arms down gently. "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I had no idea." Gaara's voice was filled apology, and it carressed the ears of the Uchiha like silk.
"It's alright." Sasuke assured with a smile. Normally, he wouldn't have said anything at all, but if he would have been in that position for much longer, his wounds would begin to reopen; and he knew all too well that Gaara would react more to that than anything, and would then feel absolutely terrible. "I do think we should be heading home, as you said, I won't be doing much dancing. And hanging around here with this wounds would only raise suspicions." The redhead nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but wonder what Itachi's reaction would be though. "Alright. I'll give you my shirt, seeing as yours is now nothing but strips of cloth."
Sasuke let out a slight chuckle. "That's all it ever really was." He said teasingly. The shirt was originally Gaara's, and he felt a little bad for destroying it, even if it wasn't his fault. "Pity, I liked that shirt. Though it looked better on you than me in my opinion. Anyway, here, take this." He said with a subtle grin, pulling off the black button-up shirt rather than taking the effort to unbotton it. After he got it off, he took each button from its respective hole until the shirt was spread open. He hadn't thought about it at the moment, but this action was completely pointless. His companion noted this, and laughed a little at his absentmindedness.
Gaara looked over to him, a bit puzzled as to why he was being laughed at. He looked at the shirt, then to Sasuke, and did this for several moments. His gaze became a flat stare as he realized what he had done, but he simply shook his head and motioned for the Uchiha to sit upright. He obeyed, and Gaara took the shirt and carefully dressed him. His fingers lingering only a trice at each button that went up the line. "There, much better." He said with a little triumphance in his voice.
"Won't it be a little odd if you don't have a shirt?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. Gaara simply stared at him. "Have you seen half the people down there? We'll be lucky if they all still have pants on." They both laughed at the thought of their classmates, and wondered how many of them were actually sober at the moment. Kiba would be of course, and Neji wasn't that into alcohol. It was pondered whether this was a good thing or not, but brushed off the thought as Sasuke got to his feet, and they both headed to the door.
As they were walking down the stairs, they noticed that there were a little too many people giving odd looks into their direction. It was then that Sasuke remembered Kiba's words when he and Neji first arrived. "Oh, and if later on tonight you get a little frisky with the femmes, or males as the case may be, we've had some pretty odd things happen here already, just take it upstairs." The Uchiha's face lit with the bright red that had been occupying his cheeks for most of the night as he realized what was going through everyone's mind. "Oh god.." He muttered under his breath.
Gaara turned to face him, a curious expression lining his features. "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the color that was again taking over Sasuke's face. "Oh nothing, just everyone now thinks we were banging each other for the past two hours." His voice was rather flat, which surprised him. Of course, this statement did nothing more than amuse the usually unphased Gaara. "Let them think what they want. I'm sure none of them will even remember this party happened come Monday morning." He had a point. While most of them were respected students, they were teenagers none the less, and most of them drank when at these sorts of events.
The two simply kept walking, weaving through the mass of bodies that pressed closely as they danced. As they reached the door, Sasuke almost had to gasp for air. "Man, how can they breathe in there?" He asked rhetorically. Gaara simply looked past him and opened the door, taking the Uchiha's hand and pulling him outside. His gazed searched the surrounding area, looking for a sign in the darkness. Soon spotting Itachi's car, he walked over to where it was parked.
"Itachi's here already? How did he know we'd be leaving?" Sasuke asked, his eyes turning to Gaara questioningly. His companion didn't face him, but instead kept walking. "I called him before I came to your room. I told him that something was wrong and I wanted him to be here just incase." His voice had changed drastically, and seemed as chilled as the night air that surrounded them. Sasuke figured he wouldn't ask about his mood, but instead, something that had been bothering him. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you..How did you know I was even at the party, let alone being harassed in that room?" He asked curiously. Gaara replied quickly, "I could smell your blood. And somehow, even despite that, I just knew you were hurting." His tone was a bit more distant this time as they approached Itachi's car.
Gaara opened the back door for Sasuke, who slid to the other side so he could sit beside him, and shut the door. Itachi gazed back at his brother in the mirror, his eyes closing slightly as he noticed the wound on his face. Questions would be for later, and from his conversation with Kaoru earlier, he had an idea as to what was going on.
---------------------Flash-----------------------
Kaoru watched as the Uchiha stirred beside her. He had been asleep for many hours, and was only now showing signs of life. "It is good to finally see you awake." Came the rich and soft tones of the dragoness. Itachi felt his eyes open slowly, letting their crimson depths fall upon the beauty before him. "Kaoru? How long have I been asleep?" He asked in a dazed tone, his mind begining to register that he was still in Illessence. "It has only been a few hours, but your sleep was deep." She replied softly, her clawed hand reaching out to rest on his shoulder.
Itachi nodded, remembering only a little of what happened before he blacked out. "Wait, you did that to me, didn't you? You put me to sleep..but why?" He asked with small hesitation, his eyes trailing across his figure to make sure everything was in its place. Although he sort of knew Kaoru wouldn't do something so indecent, he was still a guy, and the thought wouldn't escape his mind; her attire wasn't helping this.
The head of the dragoness was bowed only slightly, but her cerulean crystal horns caught the light of the setting sun, sending rays of obscured light to fall on her legs. "There was something I needed to do, and having you awake would pose a threat. I apologize, but it was for your own good." With her words she edged closer to him, her hands both settling on either of his sides and grasping his shirt at its base. As she began to pull upward, she noticed a soft gasp coming from her current companion. Still, she continued until it was completely off and she pressed her right hand to the center of his chest. There was a strange warmth about it, and something she recognized. She moved into a better position for what she was about to do, and straddled his lap.
Itachi's body twitched, his guy mind was preventing his normal mind from working, and it was soon to become a problem. "Kaoru, what ar-"
"Shh.." She pressed a finger to his mouth to silence his words, but soon replaced her finger with her lips. His body froze, unsure of what to make of her actions, and he could not find a good way to respond, so he simply let his body do the thinking. He took his shaking hands from his sides and placed them on her hips in a hesitant motion. At least if he needed an excuse, it was simply to support her..or that it was a reflex. Give him a break, he's a guy after all, and thinking in this situation wasn't exactly a strong point.
Meanwhile, Kaoru's breath flowed from her mouth and passed into Itachi's. Dark smoke twined within her body and flowed into his, and gently she pulled away. She noticed the expression his body gave, and it puzzled her for a few moments. Kaoru was by far not a shy creature, and as a dragoness she was rather upfront. It had been almost 17 years since she last delt with humans, and their habit of confusing intentions was almost lost to her. Although Itachi was not human, he had lived among them for 19 years, which were 19 too many as far as Kaoru was concerned.
A soft smile spread across her lips as she realized what she had put into his head. Instead of making him feel even more awkward, she simply continued what she started. Her hand was still placed on his chest, and her touch was firm. Slowly, smoke eminated from her palm and spread across his flesh. "One Thalice can tell when another they are familiar with is in danger before it happens. I could sense an odd aura about you before, and I knew that these signs were becoming apparent. There could be no other reason for this to happen, and I realized that Sasuke was to be in danger. When the smoke spreads over your body completely, your mind will meld with his, and you will feel what he will feel when this happens. It may not be pleasent, but it is necessary if we are to help him in the future." Itachi's warm gaze closed with realization as he began to understand what she spoke of. "Will it be a trying experience?" He asked with an air of calmness.
Kaoru's liquid gaze softend at his question, for she could only answer truthfully. "Perhaps. Some can handle these things, while others remember that the pain is to happen to someone they care for, and that is what breaks them." Her voice was gentle, caressing his mind to ease. She took her hand from his chest and grasped his at his side, her delicate fingers twining with his own.
The smoke that spilled from her palm had now engulfed his body, and with a flick of her wrist, it faded into itself, and was no more. The once pure crimson eyes of the chilled Uchiha had now turned to obsidian stone, and she knew, the transformation was complete. "Itachi.." Her voice was a sullen whisper in the gaining night, carried on the breeze to fill his ears. "Close your eyes, and tell me what you see." She commanded gently, her hand squeezing his a little harder.
Itachi did as he was told and closed his eyes, a torrent of images and sounds flowed through his mind, until there was nothing but darkness, and the different sensations that caressed his body. "I can't see anything, but I can hear music, and voices. There is a strange amount of heat surrounding me, but I've felt it before. It's a typical party environment. Sasuke did have a party to go to tonight, but I didn't think he was going...Since Gaara left and-"
"What?!" Kaoru interjected. While Sasuke had sounded a little distant when he spoke to her earlier, she did not think it was for such a reason. Itachi opened his eyes to gauge her expression, losing a little focus in the process. "You mean he didn't tell you?" Kaoru shook her head subtly, and let him continue. "He said that after they came home, Gaara refused to talk to him, and when he woke up for school the next day..he was gone. He wasn't in school, and he wasn't there when he returned." Itachi finished, his thumb subconsciously stroking the small hand in his. Kaoru lowered her head, trying to clear these thoughts from her mind. At this time, Gaara was not her concern, and she needed to focus on Itachi and Sasuke. "The matter will be delt with later, resume what you have been observing." Itachi did as was asked and closed his eyes once more, focusing on what was happening to him.
"The noise is starting to fade, but only to a point, he must be going into another part of the house...I can hear a voice, so he's not alone."
"Male or female?" She asked flatly. "Male, and a little familiar." He stated with hesitation, his mind trying to remember where he knew the voice from. It wasn't surprising if he knew the person, as he was popular with most other people. "Wait a second, he said he graduated last year...Omanaki..It's Kunoi Omanaki!" Kaoru's gaze stiffened and turned to solid amber stone. She knew the name, and the reason did nothing to please her. "That's not good. Kunoi is in league with Kinata, and if he is with your brother...somehow I fear there are plans that delve outside of regular conversation ahead." There were shards of amber crystal that lined the eyes of the dragoness. Anger rose within her like bile to a sickend stomach, and it was growing harder to maintain.
"Continue." Was all she said, waiting for his relay. He nodded, feeling the tension that coursed through the air that surrounded them, noting her unease. "Not much is happen-..wait, I take that back..he's close." Too close to Sasuke for his liking. "There's a wall behind me, and more people, all male. I can hear their voices, but I can't understand what they're saying. There's something cold on-..ahh!" Itachi took in an audiable breath, and Kaoru knew he was in pain. She squeezed his hand, reminding him of where he was, and that she was still with him. Her body leaned closer to his, her eyes scanning every area until she saw it.
A line of smoke began to trail down his arm, showing the placement of the injury. Her eyes turned back to his face, as did the direction of her voice. "Tell me what is happening Itachi." She spoke smoothly, remaining calm despite his small cries. Itachi took a few deep breaths, Kaoru rising on his form as he did so, and focused on the events once more. "I'm being pinned to the wall, but there doesn't seem to be a reason. It's not a fight, just torture." He paused for a few moments. "I feel it again, the cold..the kunai is cutting my torso..damnit!" Kaoru followed his words, and saw the darkness appear on his face, as well as beneath her. Any more, and she may be forced to stop this.
"They've stopped. Kunoi is speaking but...wait, they're gone..the one's that are holding me are gone, but I can't move. There's still someone there, someone different..and I think he's getting closer. He smells of pine..and blood, dragon blood." Kaoru's eyes narrowed, her voice a mere angry mutter. "..Kinata..." She waited for him to finish, wondering what the God would have in store for Sasuke. "His voice..it's soft. He's holding me, I can feel him..his lips on mine. I think..I think he's crying...I am not sure, but I think I'm safe.." His body was slowly relaxing as he felt the smoke begin to rise from his body, and with it, his connection with the future events.
Kaoru could not bring her gaze from the ground. Thoughts swirled in her head, confusion mixed with joy and hope invaded her mind. "..Gaara.." She said softly. Her thoughts soon being shaken as she felt a pair of masculine arm embrace her. "You seem worried, but this happens in the future right? That means we can prevent it." Kaoru shook her head with his statement. This needed to happen. "I'm afraid we cannot do that Itachi. Sasuke must endure this pain, in order to find the happiness he seeks. For if he does not, Gaara will never hear the words of love he holds in his heart." Itachi's eyes widened at hearing this. Although he did not wish for his brother to experience what he had only moments ago, he knew better than to argue with a goddess. That, and there was something in her words he understood, and for a moment he simply smiled.
-----------------Flash-----------------
Itachi's gaze was solemn as he parked the car into their driveway, taking a few moments to simply stare out the windshield in thought. There was a smile on Sasuke's face as Gaara held him close, but still it was hard for him to accept that he could have prevented the pain his brother endured.
The three of them eventually got out of the car and headed into the house. The two younger teens went upstairs, and the eldest stayed behind, figuring the two needed a little time. He went into the living room and sat down on the couch, finding peace in the silence soon to be broken.
"Are you alright Itachi?" Came the sweet and echoed voice of a mystic dragoness as it flowed from all around him. "I will be fine Kaoru. I just need to relax for a little while, and remember the reason we left him to his fate." The Uchiha's reply was troubled, and this much was expected. Kaoru understood what he felt, and knew that he would need time. "It will be worth it when you see the true smile of love on his face. Just remember this, if nothing else, wounds of the heart heal much more slowly than those of the flesh. The pain he felt will soon be but a distant memory. The wounds will heal, and leave no scars to discern upon. If not his body was wounded, his heart would still be aching.." Her voice trailed off as she closed the connection she had established, and left the Uchiha to his thoughts.
Meanwhile, upstairs Gaara was busy running back and forth between the bathroom and Sasuke's room, a few random things in hand each time he passed. "Hey Sas," Yelled Gaara, as he walked back from the bathroom slowly, his eyes focused on the back of a few things he was carrying. "I found a couple things. Cotton balls, this wrap..patch..stuff, alcohol, healing ointment, and I don't know what this thing is, but it has a leaf on it." He said as he held the box up while walking into the room.
Sasuke brought a hand to his forehead, a slightly amused sigh forming on his lips. "Gaara..those are tampons, and are totally not useful in this situation." The redhead looked at him for a minute or so, a puzzled expression lining his features. He turned the box over and began reading the back, his expression changing significantly. "Oh, these are those things girls use for-..Why do you have these?" He asked, turning to catch his gaze with a confused as hell look on his face.
"Girls used to come over here on a regular basis, friends of Itachi's..just friends. Anyway, I guess they either left them here or my brother bought them out of courtesy..or for his own amusement. I never could tell." Sasuke held back a soft laugh; not able to keep his curiousity at bay. "How is it possible that you didn't know what those were?" He asked with a quiet chuckle. Gaara merely stared at him, a blank expression on his face. "Come on. Does it look like I have much female interaction? Why the hell would I care what these are for?" He had a point. Then again, Sasuke wasn't exactly complaining that Gaara didn't get much attention from the femmes; it gave him a better chance. Even though, he no longer had to worry much about it.
"Okay, statement retracted. I apologize. Bring that stuff over here and get it on me." With that Gaara smiled, obeying what he had been told and bringing the supplies to Sasuke's bedside. The Uchiha began to unbutton the shirt Gaara had lent to him, and pulled it off of his body, watching as his companion seemed to stare at him. "Well, are you going to do it, or am I going to have to tend to my own wounds?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.
"With pleasure..master.." Gaara replied with a koi smile. He took a few of the cotton balls and doused them in alcohol before then pressing them to the injuries that lined the Uchiha's body. Though he was sure to be gentle, this didn't help the sting the alcohol presented. A sharp intake of breath could be heard as Sasuke closed his eyes tight. Oddly enough, this was only partially due to the sting, more so was it because Gaara was pulling the zipper of his pants down. A deep red flush spread across his cheeks as he turned his head away. He could feel his pants being dragged down until they were completely off. In a sense, he couldn't understand why he was so nervous. Gaara had seen him in his boxers before, but perhaps it was just the fact that he had never been the one who was taking them off that had him on edge, infact he was rather sure of it.
He soon gathered the nerve to look over to Gaara, who was paying no attention to his face. Sasuke calmed a little as he noticed the unphased expression that held his companion's features. Apparently his actions were nothing more than to gain better access to the wound that was quite low on his body. Pants however, were one thing, boxers were another, and Gaara knew that. The kunai had dragged its blade well below the top band of his boxers, but not too far. Even so, he would prefer to ask permission, rather than make the Uchiha even more uneasy than he needed to be. His soft seafoam gaze trailed up to meet Sasuke's dark eyes, his silent question answered with a nod.
Gaining the permission needed, he brought his hand up to grasp the elastic band and pull it down just enough to expose the injured area. Gaara hesitated for a moment. He could help but feel bad for what had happened to Sasuke. These wounds were undoubtably painful, and there was little he could do to change that. And though this time it wasn't him who caused the injuries, he felt partially responsible for leaving Sasuke alone. So he would apologize, in the truest form he knew. Slowly, and with the gentleness of a snowfall, he kissed the wounded flesh.
This time, Sasuke was neither surprised, nor embarrassed. He could feel the love that Gaara passed to him, and the thought spread a true smile across his lips. Gaara continued to kiss around the inflamed flesh, slowly straying from it and trailing kisses across his left pelvic bone. This area was always sensitive, and the redhead knew that. He recieved a gasp from his companion, and he couldn't help but smile in approval before pulling away.
"I guess I should be getting the rest of this stuff on you?" He asked almost rhetorically, yet somehow waiting for a reply. Sasuke shook his head, more to clear his mind than in answer. "Actually, I'd rather you didn't put any of that stuff on. I'm not all that fond of it." Gaara couldn't erase the grin on his face, it was so obvious the Uchiha was lying, which was odd concidering he was usually able to pull off anything with that nonchalant demeanor of his. He felt a little proud that he could shake him up a bit. "Alright, I won't put it on. You need to rest anyway, it's getting late." He was right, it was already 11:51pm.
Gaara stood from his kneeling position on the floor and leaned in to give a soft kiss to Sasuke on the forehead, but the raven haired teen had other plans. He pulled his companion's face down to his, their lips meeting in a better suited good night kiss. Gaara accepted it with pleasure, pressing firmly against the Uchiha before gently pulling away. "Good night Sasuke." He said softly while turning to head out the room, but was stopped by a hand that grasped his own. "Stay with me.." Came Sasuke's soft, and almost pleading tone. The sound of it made Gaara's heart melt, and would have made even the strongest man say 'aww', at least to himself anyway. He didn't reply, but simply smiled and crawled into the bed beside him.
As the two became situated under the covers, Gaara drew Sasuke near to him, and his head laid to rest on his chest. He enjoyed the feeling of having him so close, to be able to hold him, knowing that he no longer had to worry. It was a feeling they shared.
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The next morning, Sasuke woke in the same position he had fallen asleep in, which was no real surprise. He looked up to Gaara's face, seeing a pair of glinting seafoam eyes to greet him. "Morning my dark ray of moonlight." Only Gaara could use an oxymoron like that without it sounding...moronic. All the same the greeting made him smile and he looked over to the clock beside his bed. "1:36pm!" He shouted practically into his companion's ear. Gaara flinched with the sudden burst of sound, taking his hold from the Uchiha before his panic stage set in and something was hurt.
"I can't believe I slept that long." When he turned back to look at the redhead, sheer innocence was held in his gaze, again making Gaara's mind cry 'aww!'. Instead of speaking his feelings, he simply shook his head and got up from the bed, dragging Sasuke with him. "Come on, Itachi is probably going to think we died. Either that, or he has a few selective thoughts in his head." He could hold back the smirk that crawled to his lips, and the Uchiha had pretty much the same reaction as the two walked out of the room and down the stairs.
For a while, Sasuke had forgotten that Gaara was shirtless, and he was wearing nothing but boxers himself. That is, until he heard Itachi choking on his coffee. "...--The hell were you two doing?" Gaara slung an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, and with a cocky smirk replied, "Oh come on Itachi, it was only a matter of time. Did you honestly think your tendancies wouldn't rub off on your delicious brother?" The younger of the Uchiha's gave the redhead one of the wierdest looks he had ever seen, and Itachi relaxed a little. "Guys, don't do that to me." Itachi pleaded, relief coating his voice.
"You know, Gaara has a point. What difference would it make if something did happen? I mean, it's not like you've never experienced things like this." Sasuke's voice was casual, which surprised the hell out of his redheaded lover, who had been trying to put him in a state of unease; obviously failing miserably. Apparently Itachi wasn't expecting this reaction either, as his eyes widened when he responded. "Sex, yes. Love, not so much. Which I can't say I'm proud of. You guys can do what you want, you're old enough, and I trust you. It was just a bit of a surprise." He flashed his 'I'm such an awesome brother' smile and turned to leave the room.
The rest of the weekend for the two boys wasn't much different. A few conversations about everyday things. Itachi going to get groceries for hours on end. Sasuke explaining a few things to Neji, more about him and Gaara than what happened at the party. It was a few days off that happened all to fast. And not a trip to Illessence for either of them, which was an odd, and seemingly rare occurance. The only time that, to them, held any real significance was Monday morning. The two had been talking, and decided that it was best to be open about being together. After all, what was the point in hiding something that made you happy.
Sasuke, Gaara, and Neji all walked along side the road that would eventually lead to the penitentiary which was their school. It would be a day of a little more than unease and nervousness, but of judgement and curiosity. Although most people in the school didn't have much of a problem with gay or bisexual people, it was the thought that two people such as Gaara and Sasuke getting together was the last thing anyone had expected. Hell, it was the last thing even they expected, but it was alright, and something that would prove to be worthwhile in the end.
As they approached the school, the three stopped. Sasuke looked up to Gaara, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves. "You ready?" He asked with a 'what happens, happens' smile. Gaara took the Uchiha's hand in his own, and with a warm hearted smile, walked with him into what lies ahead..
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This is the end of Chapter 14. I apologize for it being so late, I was having a little bit of trouble with this one. I have a feeling that if this were to be a book series, that this would be the end of the first book. Anyway, 160 reviews people.
He had been cast away, forgotten by the world of which he had thought to been born.