A/N: Well, some major things are going to happen this chapter, including one scene that is a little bit borderline, though not necessarily in a BAD way. Regardless, tell me what you all thought when you finish :)
Time for chapter 27
Enjoy!
Sasuke glanced around the room pensively. He had been summoned to the Hokage building nearly twenty minutes ago, and he was still awaiting the arrival of his summoner. It was a mind-numbing experience. The room was bland, and there was virtually nothing interesting to look at. Oddly enough, sounds didn't appear to echo in the small chamber. It was fortified. Soundproofed, it seemed. Though the identity of the person who had called for him was still factually unknown to him, Sasuke's intuition led him to an obvious answer. An unsettling one to be sure, but one that made a great deal of sense.
'This is on you, Sensei.' the Uchiha grumbled within his mind as he recalled Kakashi's vow to meddle in political affairs. A few moments later, the door across the room from him creaked open to reveal the suspected arranger of the sudden meeting. Danzo, who had just entered the room, looked the young genin up and down before nodding to no-one in particular and shutting the door behind him. He then sat down on the opposite side of the room in an identical chair to Sasuke's.
"Forgive the long wait. I had some minor errands to run. Inventory and such, you understand." the old man apologized politely. Sasuke remained as stoic as was possible given his position.
"That's fine. What exactly am I here for? Missions are mostly shut down at the moment, if I'm remembering right." he asked. Danzo nodded his head, but quickly made a correction to the genin's response.
"Missions of little importance, yes. Prominent issues and happenings still require our attention, though. Which, as I'm sure you've easily deduced, is why you're here right now." he replied. The Uchiha perked up slightly at the revelation, but tempered himself. The man before him was still not to be trusted. Not in the slightest.
"You've got an assignment for me, then? Am I hearing this right?" he inferred. Danzo folded his hands in his lap and adjusted his positioning in his chair.
"Before we get to that, I'd like to know your opinion on something." he said, earning a narrowed look of skepticism from the genin.
"Why would you need my take on something? You're the one in control." Sasuke asked. Danzo mentally applauded the Uchiha for his boldness, but maintained his calm.
"Because, it directly pertains to you. I would like to know your exact measurement of Gaara's strength. Depending on what you say, I may have some information for you." he said, piquing Sasuke's interest.
"Why would you need to know that? The success or failure of the Hunters should tell you all you need to know." Sasuke pointed out. Danzo shrugged his shoulders.
"Perhaps, but an accurate measurement of her capabilities is still impossible to discern from a pile of bodies. Especially with Naruto present, given that he was quite obviously beyond her when they fought on another. You faced her twice. You know better than anybody else." he said. Sasuke pondered whether or not he should answer for several seconds. There was good reason to keep his mouth shut, but doing so could cost him. Eventually, he relented.
"She's stronger than me, but weaker than Naruto. She can transform into a demonic form when she's cornered, but it takes time. That second state is what I couldn't beat the first two times we fought. She's probably too much for a group of Hunters to handle. Especially with Naruto there to help." he explained. Danzo stroked his chin and nodded along.
"Yes, that's what I figured. She did appear to be transformed when we captured her. Though, she did revert once we imprisoned her. Now, this segways us smoothly into my second question." he said. Sasuke furrowed his brow and hesitantly motioned for the old man to continue. Danzo leaned forward in his chair.
"Given more time to prepare with foreknowledge of what she's capable of, do you think that you would be able to bring her down in a third encounter?" he asked as he eyed the boy intently. Sasuke thought for a moment.
"That...seriously depends. I know for a fact that I can kill her with a jutsu of mine, but it's a dice roll. So, I guess the answer is 'maybe'." he said. Danzo nodded and stood up from his chair.
"I know how much you'd like to fight her again. And believe me, I understand why. She's taken away one of our own, and she's a threat to any and all who stand against her. Your ire for her is perfectly justified. Something I think you'll find interesting: According to what we can infer from their initial route and directionality of travel, they're heading for the ruins of Uzushiogakure." he explained. Sasuke looked on in confusion as the old man headed for the door.
"Why would they be going there? That doesn't make any sense." he asked. Danzo stopped in the doorframe and glanced back at the Uchiha.
"Doesn't it? You are aware of who used to dwell on that coast, aren't you?" he asked. Sasuke shook his head and awaited an answer to his silent question.
"Before you were born, Uzushio was an ally of Konoha. The swirl symbol on our uniforms was once their emblem. They were wiped out long ago. That's why Naruto has so few family members, among other things. The Uzumaki clan hailed from the coast." the old man said. A dry chuckle then escaped his lips.
"I don't know when he found out about that, or even how, but I suppose he's returning home in a sense." he said. The Uchiha's eyes widened as numerous things snapped together within his mind. As he processed, Danzo stepped out of the room completely.
"Do with that information what you will. If you wish to discuss a task to pursue them, come talk to me. I'm sure we can work something out. You're free to return to your daily business whenever you so choose." he called from the hallway before disappearing around a corner. Once he was gone, Sasuke released the breath he had been holding. His mind was spinning. His emotions were at war with one another. It felt cruel to potentially rob Naruto of a chance to settle in what essentially was his homeland, but to let Gaara's atrocities simply go unpunished felt equally wrong.
Justice or mercy. An agonizing choice indeed. His disdain and disapproval of the redheaded Jinchuuriki was potent, and it ate away at him daily, but she was still a person to whom Naruto was endeared. Silently, with great hesitancy, Sasuke rose to his feet and exited the room.
'I'll do what I have to do.'
Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly as he plodded towards his and Gaara's temporary base of operations. The hotel had been cheap, if not high quality. The low price had been quite appealing, and the blonde had been prepared for the conditions. What he had not been prepared for, however, was the negligible difference in quality between his former apartment and the less-than-appealing hotel room he and his fellow Jinchuuriki would be sharing for the following two nights. It was late, nearly eleven-thirty, and Naruto was nearing the end of his rope. Days of relentless travel, leftover grief, and a literal ocean of stress had drained his usually boundless supply of energy substantially.
As he trudged on down the final stretch of the hallway, the former genin of Konoha tore his mind away from the depressing path of his nostalgia and focused himself on the situation at hand. The destination he had in mind was half a country away, but still reachable. Once he and Gaara arrived, it was likely they would not be forced to move to retain their invisibility from the Hunter Shinobi of the Leaf. With the help of Gaara's sand, it was likely that the pair could reach their end point within two weeks.
'It really is handy that the sand can operate without draining Gaara's chakra. That way we can just hunker down and rest whenever we need to.' he thought to himself. At that thought, the blonde reached the door to his temporary dwelling. He gripped the handle and turned it, pushing the door open and stepping inside a moment later. The lights were off save for a lamp in the corner, which Gaara was seated by. The sound of his entry drew a lazy glance upward from the redhead.
"Back from your stroll?" she asked calmly. Naruto nodded and flopped down onto the bed that was centered against the northmost wall of the relatively small room.
"It got a little cold, so I gave up. Besides, I don't think being outside alone is a great idea right now." he explained. Gaara stood up from her small wooden chair and stretched.
"Yes, that's true. Though, I highly doubt a simple squadron of middling ninja could even lay a finger on you if you took them seriously." she replied. The blonde nodded and removed his slashed forehead protector.
"Probably true. The problem would still be that our hiding place wouldn't be a hiding place anymore. We'd have to move again." he pointed out. The rogue kunoichi chuckled dryly.
"I'm well accustomed to sleeping very little, so I'd be up for it. You on the other hand, not so much" she said jabbingly. Naruto sat back up on the edge of the bed and looked at his companion. She was wearing one of the nightgowns provided by the Inn that they had discovered the night before. It was simple and clean. Despite the conservative and bland nature of the outfit, he found himself momentarily stuck in a stare. Luckily for him, Gaara had distracted herself just long enough by fidgeting with a few strands of her hair to give Naruto time to recompose himself without catching her attention.
"You've been sleeping more lately, but I still think you need more rest." he said. Gaara met his gaze and shrugged.
"Sleeping against you has been a great help, so you have no need to worry. I won't die from sleep deprivation. Though, I'll likely always have these horrendous circles under my eyes." she said, her voice lowering to an irritated mutter for the final sentence. Despite her hushed tone, Naruto heard her.
"Says a lot of good about you that you manage to be pretty with the circles, though." he commented. The moment the statement left his mouth, Naruto felt himself redden. Fortunately or unfortunately, his words had a similar effect on Gaara, who immediately turned pink.
"W-well, you've never seen my eyes without them, so you wouldn't know any better." she stammered, a small smile on her face as she averted eye contact. Pushing through his nervousness, Naruto forced himself to speak further.
"Maybe not, but I like the way you look." he said awkwardly. The redhead clasped her hands together down by her waste and looked to the floor.
"Save for a few stray comments, those are the first compliments I've received in quite some time. You're very sweet." she said gratefully. Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"No problem. You deserve to be told the truth, so that's what I'm doing." he said. It took Gaara little time to decipher the underlying compliment.
"Thank you, Naruto. I'll be blunt, I didn't come to love you for your appearance. Not that you're ugly, far from it. But this conversation is just a reminder of what drew me to you" she said, finally raising her gaze up from the floor to look at him. The blonde felt his chest tighten at her use of the word 'love'. Gaara, as a shark would smell blood, easily noticed the effect her words had taken.
"I know that you haven't been told that you're loved very much, but you'll be hearing it plenty from now on. I mean it every single time. More than I can express." she said warmly. The former genin of Konoha relaxed a bit and smiled.
"For a girl who sucks at being social, you sure do have a way with words." he said with a grin. Gaara chuckled, sat down beside him on the bedside, and leaned her head on his shoulder before sighing contentedly.
"Only with you, Naruto. I'm still a mess with other people. Not that it matters. You're all that I value, frankly. Well, save for my sister and brother." she said softly. She then turned her head and kissed his cheek. Naruto smiled and gently put an arm over her shoulders.
"You'll make some friends along the way. Trust me, you will." he assured her. Gaara nodded and brought herself closer to him with her mouth now close to his ear.
"I appreciate your confidence in me, but for now, I'm satisfied with just you." she whispered in his ear. For reasons unknown to him, Naruto shuddered. As she always did, Gaara quickly detected his subtle reaction. Buoyed by the blonde's subconscious acknowledgement, Gaara kept her lips in close proximity to his ear.
"I have a question for you. A similar one to the one I asked you in the prison cell." she continued. Naruto immediately turned a deep red color. Suddenly, he found that his tongue was tied. When he didn't respond, Gaara filled the silence.
"You do remember, don't you, Naruto-kun?" she purred. The addition of the honorific pushed the blonde over the edge, prompting him to attempt to scoot away a few inches. Having anticipated the movement, Gaara simply fell back while grasping his arm. Her momentum pulled Naruto on top of her as her back hit the bedsheets.
"Don't leave me now. I was only teasing." she joked as Naruto stared down at her uncomfortably. Opting to give in rather than resist further, the former leaf genin sighed.
"Yeah, I do remember what you asked me. You asked me about how kissing worked and what it was." he said. The redhead nodded and reached up to touch his face.
"Yes, I did. You were an excellent teacher." she said suggestively. Naruto's eye twitched and his face flushed further.
"You didn't really give me much of a choice, you know." he grumbled. Gaara smiled and brushed back his bangs gently.
"Oh please. You enjoyed yourself whether you want to admit it or not. I know I certainly did." she replied. Naruto rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You said you had another question. What is it? Hand-holding or something?" he asked. Gaara shook her head and shrugged one of her nightgown's shoulder straps off on the left side.
"I've been doing some reading recently, and the book told of a step beyond kissing. Something called...sex, I think." she said, slowing her rate of speaking near the end to recall the term she had just learned. The moment the explanation had been concluded, Naruto's eyes widened to saucers.
"What the hell have you been reading?" he asked tensely. Gaara gestured over to the table on which the still-lit lamp stood. Next to the light source was a small orange book. The color of the softback immediately clicked in Naruto's mind.
'Man, I just can't catch any kind of break, can I?' he thought to himself tiredly. Before he could retreat further into his thoughts, Gaara snapped him back to attention by speaking again.
"Now, as for my question, It's actually more of a request. I would like you to 'have sex' with me, as the book would say." she clarified. Naruto remained silent for a moment.
"Do you...know what you're asking me?" he asked carefully. Gaara nodded her head and blushed a bit.
"Yes. I'm asking you to remove your clothes and insert your-" she began. Before she could finish the sentence, Naruto cut her off.
"No, that's not what I mean. If you've read that book, you know how it literally works. What I'm saying is...do you really want to do that with me?" he cut in. The redhead nodded and reached up again. This time she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him downwards towards her lips. She then kissed him softly for several moments before releasing him.
"I don't want to do this simply because I get warm between my legs when I look at you, though I do from time to time. I want to do this because the people in the book were happy. They treated the act as a symbol of unity between man and woman. I want that with you. I want us to be bound together." she said. Naruto pursed his lips and averted his eyes from hers.
"That's...really sweet, but being tied to me isn't something you should want. We already share a birthday." he said dejectedly. Gaara sighed and turned his face back towards her with her hands.
"I want everything to do with you. Your pain, your sorrows, your flaws, everything. Being connected to you is something I not only desire, but something I need at this point. You're all I have." she said quietly. Naruto felt his heart melt at her words.
"Are you sure? We're kinda young." he pointed out. The redhead nodded and shrugged the second shoulder strap of her nightgown from her body.
"Young in body, but given how much we've been through and the things we've seen, I'd say we're more than qualified. Now please...let's love each other." she said as her chest and collarbone became more exposed. Naruto considered his options for a moment before nodding.
"Okay, I'm willing." he said. Gaara then pressed her lips to his, applying more force than before. After a moment of adjustment, the blonde returned the gesture in kind. Once they had exhausted their oxygen, the pair separated their mouths. A thin trail of saliva connected their lips as they took in breath. Gaara licked her lips and smiled softly before laying flat on her back and squirming her upper body fully out of her nightgown.
"Please be gentle…" she requested as she gazed up at the boy she loved. Naruto gave a reassuring nod.
From that night forward, they were bound together.
A/N: Yeah, they're having sex. I get it, that's M-territory stuff, but I'm also not showing any of it. I also sorta feel like that's the natural progression given their dynamic and Gaara's Naivete. If that scene bothered you, I understand. This is the only time anything of that nature will happen in this fic. No worries. Tell me what you thought in a review :)
See you next chapter! Read and Review!