Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone! First, I hope you guys had a decent time welcoming in the new year even though we lost a great woman: Betty White. Some people didn't like her or even know her. But most agreed that she was a national treasure who blessed our world for 99 years. I only hope she's enjoying her eternity with all of her friends and family. I just wish I could thank her for being a friend (corny, I know).

Secondly, I wanted to apologize for not updating as I promised. Unfortunately, life literally decided to challenge me in the ring, and right now, we're going 100 rounds with no clear winner. Luckily, I still took time and caught up on some fanfiction. For example, I'm currently obsessed with my favorite Bleach couple (Ichigo and Orihime). But when I'm not fangirling over those two, I binged the newer game Tales of Arise. I recommend playing it if none of you have yet. It's a long, open-world RPG with fun attributes, a decent storyline, and well-developed characters. For my PS gamers, you can buy the game from your store. For my Xbox players, I'm sure you can do the same. So, when I don't update for a while, you can blame it on my obsession with those two, lol.

Don't worry though, you guys already know that Badbutt94 also inspired her for future stories. So be sure to look out for them when the time comes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Let's start the show.

Warnings: Lemon. If you do not wish to read the lemon, please do not read past the final set of black dots.

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Chapter 94: Diving In

Normal P.O.V.

While some of the Kages and other severely damaged shinobi were either waking up or still in recovery, Gaara and Neji were busy helping out with their own duties. Because many more people were still missing, Neji, Gaara, and a small team from both villages helped with the search parties. Neji used his Bakyagun to sense chakra signatures, while Gaara used his sand to carry anyone found back to the Hidden Leaf. And yes, even though Gaara was the Kazekage, like Tsunade, he felt he was more useful in the field than sitting around all day and staring at the wall. It was never his style. However, truth be told, the main reason a certain red-head beta wanted to stay in the Hidden Leaf and join the recovery team was to spend more time with his brunette alpha.

"Here are some more people we recovered," Gaara announced as he arrived at the front of the Hidden Leaf Hospital.

"Thank you, Gaara-sama. We'll take it from here," Hinata bowed as she commanded her team of nurses to take the survivors inside.

Gaara silently watched them disappear through the sliding glass doors with his arms crossed.

"How fairs the search?" Neji asked as he walked up behind his mate.

"Not well. We're finding more half-dead, dead, or severely wounded than we are alive or minorly injured. I don't like it," The raccoon dog frowned.

"Now, now, what did I say about your brow? You'll create frown lines if you keep this up," the snow leopard teased as he eased said frown lines from his beta's face.

"Stop that. You know I hate it when you do that," Gaara grumbled as he swatted Neji's hand away.

"You're just grumpy from working too hard. Come on, you need a break,"

"Can't. I want to continue looking for more people,"

"Gaara, you're running yourself crazy. I know you're worried about the people we haven't found yet, but you've been working for the last five days straight. You can't keep this up. I'm worried about you,"

The raccoon dog sighed as he turned his head from his mate before he spoke, "You don't understand. Since I became Kakazge, I promised Naruto and myself that I would do everything in my power to help those in need. I can't stop until I know I've done enough,"

"But you have done enough. Despite some of your injuries, you immediately returned to the field and headed another search party for the last five days. I, like you, made a similar promise. That's why I wanted to join your team. Well, that and because I wanted to spend more time with you before you leave. Which, by the way, is when?"

"I'm not sure," Gaara sighed again as he dropped his arms at his sides. "There's still too much to do here. Hell, the other three Kages haven't awakened yet. I decided to stay here until at least then. But if they didn't wake up within a week, I would head back,"

"That's good. Where are you staying?" Neji asked.

"There's a guest house for any visiting Kages. Kankuro and I stay there alone while Temari is staying with Shikamaru."

"Why didn't you say anything? I could have asked if you could stay with my family. I'm sure they would have loved to have the Kazekage over to their estate,"

This time, Gaara chuckled, "And be under your constant surveillance? No, thank you,"

"Is spending time with me that bothersome?"

Neji's question caused Gaara to stare at his alpha with wide eyes, "You know I would never say anything like that. It's just that I didn't want to inconvenience anyone, especially when sleeping arrangements were already in place for us,"

"I understand. But, just for the night, why don't you join me at my family's estate? My aunt is making a wonderful meal. I'm sure there is enough room for one more plate. Plus, you can relax in our bath and sleepover with me. I think we need some… us… time…." Neji's words were like silk to Gaara's ears.

"What about your family? They may be maybe honored to have me in their presence, but I doubt they would want to find out that we're mates by "overhearing" us," Gaara blushed as he turned his gaze away from his alpha.

"You need not worry about them. I have already declared that you're my mate to them. They have been expecting you for some time now,"

Once again, Gaara's eye enlarged to almost a comical size, causing Neji to chuckle, "You're joking, right?" Neji shook his head. "You're unbelievable," the red-head face-palmed.

"I don't see the problem. But, did you honestly expect me to keep the identity of my mate a secret from my family? And how would you expect them to act when it was time for us to be together?" Neji glared with no malice behind it.

"It's not that. I'm just… shocked it all…." Gaara sighed as he crossed his arms and looked up at his alpha with a blank expression, "Fine, you win. Lead the way,"

Neji smirked as he led his mate towards his family's estate. Gaara may seem like a cold, callous man on the outside. But Neji knew just how to push his buttons and make him submit.

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Once they arrived at the Hyuga Estate, Gaara felt conflicted when welcomed with open arms. Not only did they praise and honor him for being the Kazekage, but they were not shy about the fact that he was both a beta male and Neji's mate. They even changed their dinner to Gaara's favorite dishes * (Gizzers and Salted Tongue). However, the weirdest part of the whole night was when they asked him about his past and current self. Surprised, Gaara told them minimal details, like about his mother dying in childbirth, him being a premature baby, being the former One-Tailed Beast' Jinchūriki, and his siblings. They even asked him what it was like being the Kazekage and about his duties. Again, he told them the bare minimum but didn't understand how they hung onto every word. It made him feel uncomfortable and raised his anxiety. Gaara never liked being the center of attention.

So, one could imagine that, despite Hyuga's generous and sincere efforts, Gaara's confusion and anxiety conquered the majority of his current thoughts. But, instead, it worried his mate more as they silently sat in the Hyuga Clan's Hotsprings. Neji stopped talking long after they entered the hot water. He tried his best to soothe Gaara, but when his mate got lost in his thoughts, the snow leopard could only observe from a distance. A tuff of red hair, a white towel on his crown, and confused seafoam green eyes were all that could be seen as the beta male sat with the water up to his nose.

Neji knew that this would be a big adjustment for both of them. Hell, even he was nervous when he made the announcement. His family was traditional in every sense of the word, down to their mates. Luckily, some of their standards and traditions were altered over the previous few years. However, the brunette gambled his standing within his clan by using Gaara's title as Kazeakge. He figured that if he chose a make mate, especially one that could not bear children, his mate had to be someone worth mating. Luckily, his gamble paid off.

After finally having enough of his sulking mate's attitude, Neji straightened himself and called out his mate's name.

"Hm? You say something?" Gaara asked as he turned towards Neji.

"Welcome back. Are you done sulking?" Neji teased.

"I wasn't sulking. I was… thinking…."

"About dinner with my family?"

Gaara nodded as he ran his fingers through his short, wet, red locks, "How can you be so calm about this?"

"I'm not sure I follow,"

"This! All of this! You brought me to meet your clansmen and decided to tell them without me that we're mates. Doesn't any of this bother you?" Gaara asked as he gestured around them.

Neji deeply sighed as he leaned against the edge of the spring. "I have to admit that I took a significant gamble on that. You have to understand. My family is very traditional and is harsh towards those who go against them. That's also another reason we have two separate branches. But I didn't want to hide it from them."

Neji pushed himself off the edge and swam in front of Gaara. A light blush graced the red-head's pale cheeks, but Neji couldn't tell if it was from the steam of something else, "Gaara, you're special to me. You're so special that I decided you were worthy enough to be my mate. A decision, I might add, was made long before you became Kazekage. I know your past, struggles, frustrations, quirks, likes, dislikes, and everything in between. We may not see each other as much as we care to, but we make time for each other and do our best with our current circumstances. And granted, you being the leader of your village definitely helped my family accept you, but it never made a difference to me,"

Neji's silky words wrapped around his head and made him feel dizzy. Not breaking their eye contact, Gaara swallowed the lump in his throat, "And what if your clan didn't approve of me?"

"Then I would leave without question. My whole life has been dedicated to protecting and serving Hinata and the Main Hyuga Branch. Before my father died, he never got a chance to live his own life. You see the symbol on my forehead? It's what holds me bounds me to my duties within my family. However, my heart belongs to you. If my family couldn't accept my mating you, then I would have found a way to break my oath. I love you, Gaara. Nothing and I mean nothing will ever change that,"

Gaara's blush darkened as he was pulled in by Neji. A strong, pale arm wrapped itself around a slender waist while a clawed hand was tangled in soft, red strands of hair. The next thing Gaara knew, soft, full lips crashed onto him with intense passion. Every emotion and ounce of love Neji felt for Gaara spread throughout every fiber of their beings. If Gaara didn't believe Neji's declaration, he did now.

Finally, Gaara allowed himself to relax in Neji's hold as he closed his eyes and gripped onto his mate's biceps. Thin, slender fingers flexed as they massaged the hardened muscles under calloused, scarred skin. The hand on Gaara's waist left feather-like touches as they moved upward and cupped his chin. His head was tilted back to allow Neji more access to his mouth as their tongues passionately danced.

Gaara loved it when Neji dominated him despite his cold, calloused exterior. Since his childhood, Gaara has consistently held that exterior form, the One-Tailed Beast' Jinchūriki, and the Kazekage. He never allowed himself to be vulnerable, even around his siblings. In fact, he loved that he was feared in the beginning. He used to hate it. Because of what his selfish father did to him, Gaara lived a life of suffering, mistrust, isolation, and fear. And, the one time he finally let someone close to him, it almost cost him his life. He promised himself that it would never happen again from that day forth. And thus, the murderous Gaara was born. However, after his defeat by Naruto, Gaara saw another path.

He saw a path of love, acceptance, honor, bravery, leadership, and friendship. Yet, although he thought of Naruto as his best friend and had developed a relationship with his siblings, he still felt lonely inside. Something was missing, but he could never figure out what it was. Back then, Gaara either had everything he wanted or worked towards achieving it. But, despite his best efforts, he couldn't understand what he was missing. That is until a long-haired alpha challenged him one day.

Yes, believe it or not, Neji Hguya dared to challenge him in a fight during one of his visits to the Hidden Leaf. After he rescued the young brunette, Gaara had asked if they could be friends. Amazingly, their friendship lasted through the long distance. They sent letters back and forth and even made time to visit one another when they traveled to each other's villages. Gaara knew he grew closer to Neji than anyone else in his life besides Naruto. His main struggle at the time was dealing with the love he developed for the snow leopard. Anytime he thought there might have been something there, the moment vanished. After a while, Gaara started to believe that it was all in his head. So, imagine his surprise when Neji randomly challenged him. The sakes were their first date.

Now, I know what you're thinking: couldn't Neji just have asked the red-haired beta out instead of this ridiculous challenge? Absolutely! However, when the couple had been friends, Neji quickly learned that wasn't the best with words: both receiving and saying them. Instead, what attracted the raccoon dog was action. So, if Neji tried and courted the male, he had to do it through force. And, after his defeat and their first date, Gaara quickly realized that all of those fleeting moments weren't from his imagination. Also, thanks to them being friends first and having feelings for the other, it didn't take long before they were marked and mated. Not the sappiest love story, but it was theirs. And now, with the Hyuga clan acceptance of Gaara, they could finally be together. And Neji didn't plan on wasting more of their time together. Instead, he would continue showing how much he loved and admired the beta male, even if it meant doing so in his family's hot springs.

As their tongues continued to dance in each others' mouths, Gaara's body naturally submitted and relaxed into Neji's hold. Then, subconsciously, Gaara parted his slender, lean legs enough to let Neji settle between them. The brunette could already feel their excited members as they rubbed together under the water. Thrusting his hips forward, Neji caused Gaara to let out a throaty moan as his head was tilted further back. This allowed Neji access to the delicious neck and his mating mark. Through half-lidded eyes, Neji licked his lips and attacked the smaller male. Wide eyes and quiet moans filled the air as Neji continued to lick, bite, suck, thrust, and invade his personal space. The hand buried in red locks moved south until they reached the small of Gaara's back while the other hand tried its best to grip firm buttocks. Not wanting to let go, Gaara wrapped his legs around the lower part of Neji's waist while one hand clawed at a toned back and the other loosened the bundle of brunette hair. Anyone looking into the room looked like one creature with two heads, eight appendages, and two backs. They were both a mess, but each loved every minute of it. Finally, after a few more thrusts, Neji came from just their friction with a low growl.

They stayed like that for a while until Gaara subconsciously whined. Neji was pulled out of his lust-filled state with a smirk as he looked down, "Sorry. It's been a minute," he lowly chuckled as he pushed his seed away from their bodies. However, the movement of the water caused Gaara to whine again, letting Neji know that he was still painfully hard. The snow leopard gave a toothy grin as he leaned down to lovingly kiss his flustered mate. "Let's get you cleaned up and back to my room. I'll take care of you there,"

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The couple quickly cleaned themselves before heading to Neji's room. On the way, the alpha made sure that no one was around to keep Gaara from being embarrassed at the tent under his towel. Luckily, they made it with no issue. And, luckily for the red-haired beta, his mate wasn't going to keep him waiting either.

Without warning, the tall brunette lifted Gaara by his hips and slammed him onto the bed, making him bounce on impact. Gaara gasped as he leaned on his elbows and watched Neji's hungry eyes pin him there. The proud snow leopard released a low growl from his throat as he attached himself to Gaara's neck again. The red-head immediately wrapped his arms around board shoulders and hissed at the pleasurable feeling.

Then, slowly, Neji kissed and bit his way down to Gaara's redden member. Neji licked his lips as he watched precum leak from the head. Then, not wasting any more time, Neji parted his lips and took in his mate's entire length. Coarse, red curls tickled his nose as he reached the base. A loud gasp escaped thin, pale lips when he felt the back of Neji's throat. Clawed hands tightened their hold on loose brunette locks as he pulled the long hairs towards him. Neji chuckled at this as he lifted off the swollen appendage until just the tip remained.

Gaara bit his bottom lip when he felt Neji's tongue play in and around his slit, taking in the small amounts of precum. The excitement he got from Gaara as he continued to pleasure him made Neji chuckle low in his throat. Neji loved every face, moan, scratch, and pant he received from his excited mate whenever they made love or did intimate activities like this. But, on the other hand, Gaara tried his hardest to keep at least one brain cell coherent as he was pleasured.

That wonderful tongue wrapped around and ran the entire length of Gaara's cock, effectively ridding that final brain cell. Now he was nothing more than a panting, moaning mess sprawled out on Neji's soft bed. Pale eyes lifted to observe his mate as he continued to pleasure him. The site was everything he desired and more. To have a mate who only wanted him was another level of love he never hoped to achieve. What increased his own excitement knew that he conquered the cold, callous man with a dangerous past. Now, said the man was cumming undone underneath him as he continued to work his mouth and tongue.

Short pants and moans came in rapid succession as Gaara got closer to his climax. His toes curled, his hips thrust upward, and his fingers were tangled in long, brunette locks. Seeing that Gaara was closer, Neji sped up his pace. He even angled his head enough to give another pleasurable sensation. And, before long, his mate came in his mouth, to which Neji happily lapped up every single drop of delicious essence. Gaara's body convulsed into nothing but muscle spasms until Neji finally removed his mouth with a slight popping noise. All the strength he had was gone as he laid on his mate's bed in complete ecstasy.

Neji couldn't help as he stared down at the beautiful site below him. The smaller male's chest rose and fell as he panted. His entire body was covered in blush, his sweet lips were slightly parted, and his eyes were barely opened as they stared each other down. As Neji gathered his comforter and tucked them under it, no words needed to be said. Then, he leaned down to capture Gaara's lips a final time before laying down and pulling his mate into his hardened chest. Soon, Gaara was fast asleep in his arms. Soft breathing and calmer heartbeat filled Neji's ears as he held his beta close. Although Neji planned to fully take his mate before they parted once again, tonight was just about them, living for each other and in a world of love and ecstasy. Their duties and the world's problems could wait until tomorrow.

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To Be Continued…