'What the Hell…'

'What the Hell…'

This chapter's disclaimer comes from XBabydollXExperimentX!

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have a lollipop so he would smile!

Kya! So cute!!

Dudes…I am astonished! I got, like, eleven reviews in one night!

That's a record for me! I'm so happy!!

And so I reward you with a quick update!

Mostly fluff (with a little angst) in this chappie. Get your fangirly squeals ready!

I hope Gaara isn't too OOC, I've done my best to interpret his reaction to the situation.

Enjoy!

A.N - Yay! Reviews!

Littleva - …Wow, that's some review! Makes me smile when I get detail like this. Okay, where to start…

You'll find out a little more of what Gaara understands and what he doesn't in this chappie.

I actually don't think Gaara's all that bothered about alone time…more like 'time to show everyone she's not available' lol.

Aha, but I never said it was KANKURO giving Gaara the 'Talk'. It's not exactly someone you'd expect…but makes sense if you think about it. You're psychic, see if you can guess ;) Not for a while yet anyways.

I don't entirely hate Sakura in Shippuden (she's pretty useless in the original though) but she and Gemma are gonna be friends.

Wow! I don't know anyone who has it, I just researched it a little (thank you Wikipedia) and adjusted it to suit me. I'm glad it's realistic!

Oh, yeah! I'm 28 chapters in and still in her first week dude. She's a constant…ah, well I'd better not say too much. But yes there's gonna be three. First in Konoha. Second in Suna, and Third…wait and see!

Thanks for your disclaimer ideas…as usual they make me drool.

SnowsShadows – Yes, yes it is. And yet I couldn't help but make things harder on her! I'm evil!

Kyrie Twilight – Gaara's sexy all the time sweetie! ;) And now I'm blushing…I haven't got so much praise in a long time! Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. And yeah, GaaraOC stories are hard to find. They are out there though…just gotta look.

Dragon of Twilight – Hehe, poor Gemma. She's gonna be grumpy in the morning. Ah, all will be revealed in this chapter!

SuperXDarkXAngel – Yay, a new reader! It's nice when that happens! OOC means Out Of Character…like when people write Gaara proclaiming love to a girl he just met…not gonna happen. 'Love' is a bad word in Gaara's book. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Friglit – Thanks for your support. /Hugs/

I-Eat-My-Vegetables – Thankies! Well, he's not as clueless as he lets on…you'll see!

XBabydollXExperimentX – I'm on an Idol Wall? Wow! Thank you! I like Meg Cabot too, but I prefer her Mediator books to the Princess Diaries. Hand movements /makes note/ noted! Yay! Mini Me! I've always wanted a kitten named after me…but which name will you choose? I have a few…Thanks for your support about the course. They're trying to get me back in.

Another Leviathan volunteer. We have two so far…might have to interview you both. If we get loads we'll just pull a name out of a hat so it's fair. I'll let you know!

Phew! On with the show!

Chapter 28 – Put Your Lips Together Like This, And…

Previously;

"And those symptoms you described are the 'feelings' you get around your boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"You don't have to make it sound like an illness," I mumbled "but yes."

"And girlfriends and boyfriends kiss each other lips to lips?"

"Yup!" I said, pleased at my student's progress. "In fact, anywhere on the face, neck or shoulders is fine. Any further and you venture into another realm, which I'm not going into now."

"I understand."

"Good! Great!" 'Mission accomplished!' "So can I go back to sleep no-MRPHH?!"

I was cut off as Gaara leant forward and pressed his lips against my own.

--

Gemma's POV

My brain had died.

For the whole twenty seconds that Gaara kept his lips against my own, my cranium capacity had been reduced to 'Wow…his eyes are really pretty close up…'

It wasn't even a kiss, as such. He was literally just pressing his lips to mine.

Still, I wasn't a happy bunny when he pulled away.

"Hm. The sensation is pleasant, but it is not how kisses were described to me." He crossed his arms. "Explain."

'Mah? Wha? Bah?' My brain had flat-lined.

And, unfortunately, my brain had decided to take advantage of that fact.

"Explain?! You explain! What the fuck did you do that for?! Didn't I just finish saying only girlfriends and boyfriends kiss?! So why the fu-mph!!"

Once again, Gaara's lips were against my own. And while a small part of me was screaming 'God-dammit! Not again!' the other ¾ were giving it the middle finger and enjoying it.

This time, when Gaara pulled away, I stayed quiet.

"It was no different this time…but it at least seems to keep you quiet."

I blinked, then scowled. "Bastard. Seriously Gaara, what the hell?"

Gaara gave a 'you're so dumb' sigh and sat back to explain. "By your definition, if you have the feelings you described towards a certain person, then that person is your girl or boyfriend. By your own definition, you are my girlfriend."

"…Nani?"

"I have been experiencing the symptoms you described for well over a week now. Or at least variations. You have seen for yourself that I dislike others touching you. Temari explained to me that that is jealously. I enjoy your company, though it took me some time to recognise that, since I used to enjoy little except killing. It caught me off guard. I dislike you being injured, and I hate the thought of not being able to stop the injury. Physical contact with you is not unpleasant. I feel compelled to seek you out. Even after I injured you. You affect my decisions. I should have left you when Shukaku began to act up."

'Who the fuck is Shukaku?'

"But I didn't want to leave you while you were upset."

…I was in shock. I didn't know Gaara had felt anything besides annoyance towards me. I flinched slightly when he reached out and gently trailed his fingers along my bandages.

"I injured you…hurt you. And yet you asked if I was alright. You showed concern towards me. You're like them…you don't hold a grudge. Why?"

I shook myself out of my daze. He needed this explained.

"Because I care about you, baka."

"Why?" He pressed.

"Because you're my friend. You saved me, and I owe you for that. But I like you too. I care about my friends."

"…you sound like them too."

"Huh?"

"Uzumaki, and Lee. So which am I?"

"Which…?"

"Friend or boyfriend?"

I gave a sad sigh. 'He just doesn't get it…'

"Gaara, for two people to become involved like that…they both have to have those feelings."

Oh! Hurt in those usually emotionless eyes…it made him seem so much younger.

"So, my feelings are not yours, eh?"

"I didn't say that!" I forced myself onto my knees and crawled over to him. I gently placed my arms around his shoulders and pulled him in. Hugs he already knew…it wouldn't startle him.

"Gaara…you don't even get what a relationship like this involves…" I murmured.

"Kisses?"

I gave a chuckle, but there was no real humour behind it.

"There's a little bit more to it than that."

"Feelings?"

"Yeah, those too, but more."

"Sharing interests, spending time together. Just together. Talking," he raised his arms to wrap them awkwardly around my waist "touching…"

"More."

Gaara pulled back slightly, just enough so that he could look at my face. "What else?"

"Trust."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "I…trust does not come easily to me."

"Me either. We'd have to learn to trust each other. Can you do that?"

"Can you?" He ran a hand down my back. "The scars?"

I hesitated. "One day. Who Shukaku is?"

He inhaled sharply. "One day…" He echoed. "So?"

"So what?"

"Which am I?"

'…He still…'

It was decision time. The moment of truth and all those other retarded clichés. Did I risk getting hurt, again? Or did I leave it, leave Gaara, never knowing if we could build something out of this…even if it was only friendship in the end.

I gave a sigh. In reality, Gaara's…naivety…was the only thing holding me back. But he wanted to learn.

I gave a sigh and grinned. "In the words of Shikamaru…you're gonna be a troublesome boyfriend." I shook my head. "What am I letting myself in for?"

Gaara stared at me for a second.

"…That's a yes, I'll be your girlfriend. But if you sand me again, I'll kick your arse!"

'…Was that a smile?'

It was so brief I almost missed it, just a twitch. But to this day, I still swear that was the first time I saw Gaara smile.

And it was just…well, insert a fangirly squeal here.

"You're my girlfriend now?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Gaara pulled back and just studied my face before once again trailing fingers up my arm, over my injuries.

"My girlfriend…" he breathed "…my…" he looked up "…mine?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"This means others won't touch you." He looked pleased at the thought. "They won't dare if you're mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm still gonna hug my friends Gaara. Besides, you think you could stop Lee from hugging me?"

"But you're mine now!" The look on anyone else's face would have been described as a pout, but since it was Gaara, he just looked pissed off.

"Yes, I'm your girlfriend…but I'm their friend. Okay?"

Gaara frowned, but nodded, accepting the compromise.

"What about kisses?"

"What about kisses?" I teased.

"Kankuro said there were others who would enjoy kisses from you."

'Oh, way to go Kankuro!'

"Well, kisses on the hand or cheek are fine for friends. Anything else, I'll let you sand 'em."

Gaara gave me a satisfied look. "Good." And leaned in again.

I placed a hand on his chest. "Gaara…you really need to learn to kiss first."

Gaara's brow furrowed, and he looked at me in confusion. "I…that wasn't…"

"Not exactly, no. I told you, kisses are motions of the lips, not just pressing them together."

"Teach me."

I raised my eyebrows and stared at the clock near my bed. "Now?! It's three am!"

The look on Gaara's face left no room for arguments. "I want to know."

'Yeah…and then you'll run off and leave me worrying about you again. Better to leave it 'til tomorrow…unless…'

"A deal then." I held up my index finger. "I'll teach you the basics of kissing, if you promise to visit tomorrow."

"Deal. I do not intend to leave."

'AW!'

"I need to let the others know you're mine and they can't have you."

'…Okay, not so 'aw'. More like…possessive. Oh well.'

"Fine then." I sat back. "Kissing for Adorable but Clueless Red-Heads, Chapter Two."

'I'm gonna look ridicules.'

"Just…it's easier if you just watch and imitate, okay?"

I first kissed the air, so Gaara could get a basic idea of the shape and movement of a kiss. "That's called an air kiss. You give that sort of kiss to someone you know, but not very well, and usually only to girls."

I then raised my hand and kissed the back of it. "That's a basic kiss. See? Easy!"

Gaara nodded, and leant forward again.

"Um, ano…what are you doing?"

Gaara blinked as though it should be obvious. "Practising."

"P-practise on yourself, ne?"

"I won't know if I'm doing it right."

'Bugger. Shoulda seen this one coming.'

"Why is it a problem?"

"It's not exactly…I'm just…"

"Just what?"

'Nervous, terrified, excited…'

"…" Gaara reached a hand up, and gently tilted my face, before pressing an inexperienced mouth to my cheek.

It was like a child's kiss. Y'know, when they imitate what they say their parents doing. Harder than it needed to be, and much too wet.

But it was a kiss.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy it, just for a moment.

Gaara only stayed a moment, before pulling back. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me.

"Was it correct?"

I gave a slow nod. In its most basic element, it was. He could learn the rest later.

"Good."

This time, when Gaara leant in, I didn't try and stop the lips pressing my own.

As before, the kiss was much too hard, hard enough that it pushed me back onto the bed, Gaara leaning over me and pressing me into the mattress. It was wet too, but it really didn't matter. Because Gaara was kissing me.

It wasn't all fireworks and shit. I'd been kissed before, I knew it wasn't.

But it was…good. Nice.

Until I needed to breathe. I gave a small squeak and pushed gently at Gaara's shoulders. At some point, I'm not sure when, they'd wrapped themselves around his neck.

Gaara pulled back. "What is it?"

I laughed breathlessly. "I need to breathe Gaara."

"Oh." He sat back. "That was…better."

I collapsed into helpless giggles. "I'm glad."

"I think I like kisses." Gaara pulled me up and pressed his mouth to mine again, stopping the giggles. This time he pulled away quicker, giving me time to breathe, before moving in again. And again.

After the fourth time I pressed my hands to his chest and panted. "Okay…I get it. You like kisses. But I really need to sleep now."

He frowned. "You don't like-"

"Oh I like." I took a deep breath. "I really like…but I need sleep!"

Gaara gave a slow nod. "I can see why Temari wants to kiss that Nara boy."

THUMP!

We both looked in the direction of where Shikamaru's snores had been.

"Oh, crap." I murmured. "I wonder how long he's been awake."

"It doesn't matter." Gaara pushed me back into the bed. "Sleep now."

"Mmm, okay." I yawned and pushed Gaara with my foot so I could pull the blanket up. I closed my eyes and settled down, not overly bothered by Gaara's weight near my legs, or when it shifted, so he was sitting next to me. Watching me as I slept.

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A.N – Fluff! And their first proper kiss! Please, please, please R&R!