A/N: IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, i demand you do see this picture (take out the spaces): red-priest-usada. deviantart. com/art/At-Konoha-Festival-51090624 (it applies to the chapter in a weird way. so go see it! although Gaara's kimono, in my mind, looks a lot different than that. but i still like the one he's wearing in that drawing; and Tem-chan looks so0o0o0o pretty!! )
kukukuku! -evil laughter-
i have decided to make this a T-rated fic because i'm going to incorporate a make-out scene into this. you see, i wanted heavier kissing and so did Mariana-sama, so we're gonna have it dammit! -more evil laughter- KUKUKUKUKU!
OMG THIS HAS MORE REVIEWS THAN CASTLE OBLIVION IDOL (another popular Kingdom Hearts fic of mine). -bows- ARIGATOUUUUU!!
P.S. i got a plot bunny for another fic. as soon as this one is complete, i'm going to post it; i already have some of it written, which is the reason for my delay on this chapter. the next fic is AU and NaruGaa, but also has other pairings sprinkled on top. be on the look out for it; it's going to be titled 'Detrimental Benefits' (which is, yes, an oxymoron).
Uzumaki Naruto
As I woke up in the morning, I mark off on my fingers the number of days Gaara has been here and how many he has left. Let's see: ich, ni, san… Chikushou! That's already 3 days and 3 of the 4 meetings gone by. There was only today and tomorrow left… and then Gaara and all the other people of Sunakagure would be leaving before dawn the day after.
As I woke up even more, I gradually began to smell coffee beans. Gaara must already be awake, I think hazily as my eyes adjust to the light. There was shuffling in the kitchen, and I took that as a confirmation to my guess. "Gaara…?" I say, more to let him know I'm awake than asking who's there.
"I'm in here," he replies. "How do you like your eggs?"
"Eh?" I grunt as I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes.
"I'm cooking eggs. How do you like them prepared?"
"Oh," I yawn. "Um, scrambled is fine."
I hear the cracking of eggshell and sizzles from the pan as the egg settles onto it. I head for the bathroom to do morning's usual business, stopping to smile tiredly at Gaara before going down the hall.
When I emerge, having done my business, washed my face and woke up some more, I find Gaara sitting at the table. He had this morning's paper in one hand and his mug of coffee in the other. When he heard me come in, he gestured to the seat across from him at some scrambled eggs, flawlessly yellow-orange with tints of white, which sat steaming. There was even a glass of orange juice next to the plate. A bright smile crosses my face. "Arigato!"
He shrugs and returns to reading whatever article he'd been reading before I had walked in. In opposition, I was sitting down to eat what he had made for me. This, come to think of it, was really courteous of him; seeing as how he's my guest and all.
"So…" I say after half my eggs were gone. "You have the last of those treaty meetings to attend today. That's a relief."
"To an extent," he replies dully, if not forlornly.
I roll my eyes and sigh. Sometimes Gaara was just a bit too pessimistic. "Gaara," I say in my 'come on' tone. "If it makes you feel any better, Konoha was going to have a festival tonight to celebrate the completion of the treaty with Suna."
"How does that make me feel better? I'm not one for large crowds," he says dryly, and I want to smack him.
"It'll make you feel better because… I want you to be my date." I emphasize the word 'because' so that he'd catch my next set of words. Apparently, he caught them too well.
"D-date?" he sputters, choking on the sip of coffee he had put in his mouth. He coughed a few times before redeeming himself. "You want me to be your date to the festival?"
"Yup," I say with a wink and a smile. "I hope you brought your best kimono!"
"Er… I didn't," he mutters, hiding his face behind the newspaper.
I crush the paper to the table, looking him in the eye. "Then borrow one of mine or have your sister take you shopping, because you're coming with me and that's final."
"Demo…"
"Ah-ah!" I grin, waving my pointer finger at the redhead. "No 'but's. It'll be fun and cheer you up. Now, I have to go train with Kakashi and you have that meeting, but afterwards – at 5:00 sharp! – we're going out… only for real this time."
The color that flooded his cheeks at the suggestion made me think immediately of Hinata, who for some reason I felt like I was letting down by going with Gaara to the festival tonight. Oh well, she should be fine; I bet Kiba will take her. He lies about it a lot, but even I can tell that he likes her. Who knows, maybe Shikamaru will have the guts to ask Temari to go with him… on second thought, that wouldn't be like him. If anything, Temari would ask him, despite the 'I'm better than all the guys' attitude she has. And more than likely Shika will accept because it would be too 'troublesome' to have her nag him to say yes.
With that I got dressed and went out the door, leaving Gaara to smile incongruously in the kitchen.
The day came to a close rather adequately; unlike the tension in the meeting room from yesterday, everything had gone smoothly and the last of the papers were sighed. Gaara and Tsunade shook hands, and the members of both councils cheered. Finally, finally, they would put their differences to rest and be trustworthy allies.
When 4:00 came around, Gaara was at the hotel with Temari, attempting to ask to go shopping. He had to first explain why he never made it back to the hotel for the second night in a row, but after that he was free to ask for her assistance. As soon as he had said it, Temari was grinning deviously and poking fun at him. "Ooh, and why does my baby brother want to go shopping?"
He backhands her twirling, pointing finger and puts on a serious face. "For a kimono. I never had a reason to own something so nice, but there's a festival here in Konoha tonight and I'd like to not be wearing my Kazekage robes or the clothing i use to do battle in."
Temari's smug look doesn't disappear after that information. Instead, her grin broadens ear to ear. "You have a date." She states this so simply, as if it were obvious. Was it so obvious?
"Perhaps I do. I'm not telling you, though; you'll find out one way or another anyhow. For now, could you just help me choose a suitable kimono to wear?" the redhead sighs, trying to calm his racing heart. In about an hour, he was going to be on a… date… with Naruto. The idea of it seemed almost too good to be true.
"Are you kidding? Of 'course I'll help you, Gaa-nii! But don't let Kankurou find us; you and I will never hear the end of it."
Gaara nods, knowing this to be all too truthful. Technically, if the situation were different, he'd be never hearing the end of it from Temari; but since she was involved this time around, he was safe.
"Hmm, let's see now… we need to find a shop that sells nice clothes like kimonos and such…" the blonde girl says, tugging out her ponytails and looping the bands around her wrist. "And we need to figure out your color. What color do you think you'll look good in?" As soon as she had asked, she took it back. "Never mind, you wouldn't know. But I'll help you figure it out!"
They came across said type of clothing depot, finding Ino inside gazing at some of the dresses they had. As soon as she saw Temari and Gaara walk in, her pupil-less eyes light up. "Oh! Temari-san, and Gaara-sama! How are you?"
"Fine, thanks," Temari says politely. Her hands and eyes falls to some of the red and orange kimonos nearby. "What about red, Gaara? Nah, it would clash with your hair…"
"Are you shopping for kimonos for the festival tonight?" Ino asks excitedly. "I was just picking out something for myself."
"We are, actually. Oi, Gaara, do you think I'll look good in lavender? Wait, that's a bit too girly for me… Maybe a darker shade of purple isntead."
"Want some help? I'm great with fashion," Ino says proudly. "Like, Gaara-sama, I think you would look good in navy blue or black with accents of just the right fire colors… or green! Green would look great with your hair and your complexion."
"Iiya, I'm fine with Temari's advi–"
"That's great! Why didn't I think of green?" Temari says with a wink to Ino. "Thanks!"
"Demo… I don't like green very mu–" Gaara tried again, but to no avail.
"Wait! They have turquoise, and it matches your eyes perfectly. And look, Gaa-nii, the red embroidered into these flowers match your hair! And the green sash is a nice shade, too…" Temari bubbled, and Ino was nodding along side her.
"Oh, make him try this one on! It's just the right shade of navy blue, I think… plus, it has the same reds and green sash as the turquoise one, but with yellow accents on the embroidery." Ino suggests, holding out a kimono slightly too long for Gaara.
"Okay, but he'll need pretty high wooden sandals for that one," his sister chuckles, taking the navy one from Ino's hand and slinging it over one arm. "Come on, nii-chan, we have to pick one of these out!"
He sighs and follows his sister into the changing rooms. Now he knew why Naruto had said shopping with Sakura was so… well, tiresome.
He ended trying on 5 of the silky robes before choosing the slightly-too-long navy one Ino had suggested. The man at the counter said he would hem it free of charge since Gaara was the Kazekage. Temari smiled brightly at this and paid the man after he had finished shortening the bottom. She checked the clock above the cash register counter before leaving the store. "Shit, Gaara, we have to get you showered and all nice before 5:00, and it's already 4:43!"
For what felt like the 100th time that evening, the redhead sighed. "That's alright, I can just –"
And, for the 100th time, he was cut off. "That won't do, Gaara. You have to look your best, I insist! It's your first date, after all."
"I told you, I don't have a date –"
Interrupted again. "Yes you do, don't lie to me! Now hurry, we only have 15 minutes!"
Miraculously, within those 15 minutes, Temari was able to get Gaara to bathe, blow-dry his hair until it shone, rub fragrant lotion on his milky skin and get him suited up in his elegant kimono. She even stuck a few strands of beads in his hair using one of her clips to get them to stay in place behind his right ear. Even his scar looked healthier, perhaps due to the lotion she made him wear.
She smiled warmly at her little brother, her eyes soft. "Gaara," she murmured, lowering her hands to his thin shoulders, "You look so handsome."
The redhead flushed and shrugged her hands off. "What about you? Aren't you going to get into the kimono you bought?"
She winked. "Of 'course, but I take a lot longer to get ready; plus, I wanted to take care of you first. It's what big sisters do." With that she kissed him on the forehead, a show of affection she's never done before. Unless… unless, when Gaara had that slight fever all those months ago, a kiss by her on his scar had been the touch he had felt?
The beads by his ear jingled slightly while he walked out the door. He was feeling (without warning) dreadfully foolish. At that moment he wanted to tear off the beads and the kimono and wash away the scent of the lotion, kick off his shoes and run all the way back to dusty Suna. Why was he going out on a date, anyway? He had been right: it was too good to be true. This is a dream, right? Because, since when did Gaara go to parties with dates?! It sounded absurd to place his name in the middle of such a thought.
But, weakly, a tiny voice asked: Why not? Why can't you be happy? Why can't you go to parties and have a date?
And you know what? He liked the sound of that voice. He liked what it had to say, even if it spoke only in questions. Because, deep down, this was all Gaara had ever wanted: he had wanted a family (which Temari and Kankurou finally accepted the role of now that he wasn't so cruel), he had wanted to be respected (and was when he became Kazekage), and he had wanted to be loved (and is now, thanks to Naruto). Gaara at last realized: he has everything he's ever secretly wanted. And, for once, he was blissful; an emotion he never thought he'd reach.
Just then, Naruto came out from an alleyway, his eyes searching. When they landed on Gaara, the redhead stopped in his tracks and studied the reaction Naruto gave at the sight of him.
At first, the kitsune stared, unable to believe that what he was looking at was his love. But as he came closer, his eyes shone with confirmation; it was Gaara he was looking at. He looked so… different.
Gaara was also taking in Naruto dressed in his best, a rare sigh if any. His hair was down and hanging in his eyes, a sweet golden yellow against tan skin and vibrant cobalt orbs. The kimono he wore was simpler than Gaara's, and was black with orange, cream, and blue that matched his eyes. The neckline was low and showed some of his toned chest, along with the crystal-pendant necklace. The redhead tried not to gape, but Naruto didn't hold back in his own gawking.
Naruto came close to him, right there in the middle of the paper-lantern decorated streets, and nuzzled his nose into Gaara's neck, his hand finding it's way into the red locks of hair. "N-Naruto, what do you think you're doing…?"
"Smelling you," he replied, inhaling at the end. "You smell different. But good," he added, so not to offend. Because it was true; unlike Gaara's usual earthy scent, the kitsune could smell hints of jasmine, licorice, and… "Maplewood?" At least he still has a hint of wood in his scent, Naruto thought to himself. Although it's not sandalwood, it's still good.
He pulled away slightly to look at Gaara's face, which was redder than he's ever seen it. "Temari made me wear this ridiculous lotion, and the kimono shop was made of Maplewood, so…"
Naruto waves that aside. "Whatever. It smells nice. Now I wish I would have put something on," he beams.
"So you don't care? I mean, care that you just… in public…" Gaara mumbles, trying to find the right words.
"Not anymore; besides, you look so… that how can I not…?" Even Naruto was fumbling on what to say. After a moment or two, he laughs. "You have beads in your hair!"
Gaara reaches up, as if he had forgotten about them. "Temari put them there. I'll take them out –"
"Don't," the blonde boy says softly, lowering Gaara's hand. "I like them." He extended his elbow. "Shall I escort the Kazekage around the booths?"
Still blushing, Gaara nodded and took his arm. The sun was still relatively up in the sky, but that wouldn't last long; pretty soon dusk would fall and the dinner booths would be set out, chefs cooking under canopies of bright fabrics, steam rising up out of tiny tin chimneys. Pretty soon, after dusk had passed and the stars began to wink their eyes, fireworks would be set off and everyone would go up to the grassy knolls or down by the docks by the river in Konoha to sit and watch them.
Around that time, just before the fireworks were lit, fireflies began to show themselves. "We don't have fireflies," Gaara whispers as one lands on his wrist.
"I'd think not; it'd be hard for any bug to live in that climate," Naruto says lowly in return. "But that's what Konoha is for: all the things Sunakagure doesn't have you come here to have."
"Like you?" Gaara barely utters, but Naruto still hears him.
"Sure. And that's what Suna is for: all the things Konoha doesn't have, I go there for. Like you." There was a pause while Gaara looked away and released the lightning bug. "I smell fireworks," Naruto tells the redhead.
At first, Gaara thought he meant those sparks girls talk about between two people. The connection they sense when they're in love. But, as if on cue, the sky lights up with reds and whites and pinks, the sparkling flakes of colored fire cascading down over the horizon. "Beautiful," Gaara smiles.
A hand wraps around his in the grass, and the other repeats the word. "Very beautiful."
The redhead turns and looks at Naruto's shadowy face, the soft glow of the paper lanterns and fireworks being the only thing illuminating it. "Naruto?"
"Hai?"
"I'm going to kiss you, and you can't stop me," he says, rehearsing the words Naruto has told him to say days ago.
He blinks once or twice before grinning at the other boy. "Okay."
Gaara leans over and lifts his right hand (the one Naruto wasn't holding down) to the blonde's jaw, holding him in place. He rubs a finger over the tanned skin and marks of Naruto's cheek before smothering his lips with his own. Unlike all the other times, Naruto complied and reacted, something Gaara wasn't used to. The way they moved beneath his own lips, mouthing and sliding, so soft, so warm… it was better than anything Gaara had ever experienced.
Gingerly, a tongue slipped out to lick Gaara's lower lip, asking if he wanted to try something else. The redhead complied, opening his mouth to let the blonde explore.
At first, it was messy and full of too much saliva, both boys never having French-kissed anybody before. More fireworks went off, booms in the night sky that shook the two. But some of the shivers weren't from the noise, but from the touch of the other.
As they kept going, their tongues grew in sync, weaving over one another like Koi fish in a pond. Naruto tasted different that Gaara had expected; there was a warm, fiery spice about the other boy, like the hot rain in the summers of Suna. To Naruto, Gaara tasted like sheets of ice, or maybe that was mint? Regardless of his sandy background, he tasted cool and calm. Perhaps they didn't taste each other mouths; perhaps, this taste they found was from tasting their souls. Perhaps. But which ever it was, they two boys didn't care; it felt good to be in someone's arms, kissing them, and felt even better for that someone to be the other Jinchuuriki (well, in Gaara's case, post-Jinchuuriki).
They hadn't realized it until they pulled away to breathe that Gaara had forced Naruto to the ground, or that Naruto had peeled open the upper half of Gaara's kimono to investigate the skin that lay beneath. They also hadn't realized just how ragged their breathing had become until the sound of fireworks left the sky and all they could hear in that abrupt silence was one another. Gaara realized first that his kimono was open and the beads in his hair were on the ground, and he flushed and tried to right himself.
Naruto grinned crookedly and grabbed his hand. The redhead did not like what that fox-like grin was suggesting…
The kitsune toppled over him, pinning him to the ground. He didn't aim for Gaara's lips, either; he went straight for the underside of his jaw, a tender spot Gaara didn't even know he had. Naruto laced his fingers with Gaara's and held them high above their heads, pale knuckles meeting dewy grass.
The blonde's lips trailed down Gaara's neck, kissing and nibbling slightly here and there, instincts kicking in.
"If you keep this up, you're going to suffocate the poor guy," Kyuubi chortled in Naruto's inner mind. The blonde ignored the demon and slowly licked the side of Gaara's neck down by his shoulder. He felt the redhead shudder pleasantly from tailbone up, a tiny noise escaping his pale lips. He decided to go in for the kill, to see what other noises he could make Gaara breathe out.
Naruto dipped his head down to Gaara's collar bone, sucking lightly from the center across to the base of his shoulder. Another noise came out, and Naruto smirked. It sounded almost like a moan, only gentler and with less lust in it. To experiment further, the blonde trailed the tip of his nose up Gaara's neck, slid up his jaw, and landed it in his hair while he stuck his tongue out to lick the redhead's burning ear. A sort of giggle-gasp erupted as a result, and Naruto moved back to Gaara's lips.
"I never got to say…" Naruto murmured between kisses, "how wonderful you looked… or how much… I'm come to love you."
Gaara gasped, or at least he meant to gasp. Instead, he inhaled and sighed happily, trying to slow his heart and fluttering stomach enough to speak. "And I never got to tell… you… how handsome you are, or… how much I'll always love you."
The blonde's features softened as he melted in their shared warmth against the other boy on the grass, holding him protectively, if not a little possessively. Gently, Naruto shook with breathless laughter. "We're a couple of saps, Gaara."
"I know," the Kazekage replied, running his hands through Naruto's hair. "But if it were any less than that, I might just be heartbroken."
A/N: warning: the next chapter will have some fighting in it. and by fighting, i obviously don't mean between Gaara and Naruto. -insert 'oh teh noes' face here-