Chapter 2

Gaara didn't wait for them to reply, and an instant later when the sand cleared, they were alone again.

This was his chamber but he'd never liked it. The room was masculine with its dark woods, heavy, well made furniture and elegant stonework, but still too big and opulent. He still wasn't used to it, because the only things besides clothes, which he had brought with him when he moved in, were his toothbrush and a small picture of him and his brother and sister. The photo sat on the edge of the small desk in the corner.

He kissed Sasuke this time, interrupting the other's survey of the large room but the raven didn't seem to mind. He returned it, gently sucking on his bottom lip and nudged him backwards, toward the bed.

Gaara pulled away when Sasuke's stomach growled at that moment, blushing. He wanted to continue where they'd left off- he liked kissing; but all of this had happened so fast that he wasn't sure why he'd accepted it. He wanted time to think, so he shook his head and moved calmly to the large door. "We should both eat something." Gaara said evenly. "I skipped dinner as well, working in my office. While we wait, the shower is through the door on the right, if you'd like one and I'll see about getting you some clean clothes."

By the time Gaara returned to his room, he was relieved to find that Sasuke was in the bathroom with the shower running. He sat down on his enormous bed and tried to gather his thoughts. He knew he was probably still a bit shell shocked by Sasuke's brazen seduction, but he doubted he'd be able to turn him down next time either. There was just something about the Uchiha that he found incredibly sexy even though he couldn't put it into words.

He was relieved when he heard a knock at the outer door. A servant brought in the tray and was going to set out their dinner on the heavy table in the large antechamber, but Gaara shook his head. He had nothing better to do, so he shooed the girl away and did it himself.

He peeked under the dish covers and found the main dish was a simple but elegant chicken and vegetable stir-fry with cashews and steamed rice- for two. While each of the side dishes were piled absurdly high; there were egg rolls, crab rangoons, rice balls, hot bowls of fresh ramen and sweet dumplings. There was also sake, some colorful rice candy and a bowl of fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. He blushed, realizing that someone expected them to be working up quite an appetite tonight…

That was the content of his thoughts when the bathroom door opened and Sasuke sauntered out wearing nothing but a fluffy towel. The towel did nothing to disguise his lean hips, tight abs, perfect shoulders or his annoyingly attractive smirk. Gaara blushed when he realized that he'd been staring.

"I put some clothes on the nightstand-" he said, just to break the silence.

"Hn." Sasuke let the towel slide off his hips, revealing the sleek curve of his ass.

Now blushing even more, Gaara quickly went back to the antechamber where the food was waiting. "I-"

Sasuke kissed him lightly. "Relax…"

Gaara felt his previous arousal threatening to return in the instant that their lips met again. To his chagrin, he wanted Sasuke more than the food, all over again…

Warm and sweet, the kiss lingered, and Gaara moaned in appreciation. The kiss remained incredibly soft and Sasuke pulled away before either of them became frustrated with the lack of friction between their bodies. "Looks good."

Gaara shrugged as Sasuke settled down on the other side of the table with a rice ball. "It's food."

The room was quiet after that, but he felt oddly relaxed with his guest. When he was done with his plate he pushed it aside and leaned back into the chair. The fresh strawberries hadn't been touched so he picked one up and dipped it into the whipped cream, and then lazily licked the topping off of it before he ate the bite-sized fruit.

"Hn."

Startled, he looked up to find the Uchiha watching him intently. Those dark eyes looked impossibly mischievous. He wasn't sure if he should grin or worry when Sasuke looked like that, but he intended to find out… Gaara kept his expression neutral and held out a strawberry, "Want one?"

The raven shook his head but there wasn't time to feel disappointed because Sasuke came over and kissed him again. Sasuke took his hand and pulled him out of the chair without breaking the kiss.

"Lie back," Sasuke purred, nipping his ear gently.

Gaara obeyed curiously. He stretched out on his back across the bed, and the Uchiha smirked as he straddled his hips. Sasuke's warm, sleek body was heavy but once again, felt deliciously right when pressed against him.

He shivered when Sasuke untied his robe and slowly peeled it back. He moaned, he could almost feel the raven's arousal against his, but almost wasn't good enough right now- he didn't want to be teased anymore. Gaara sat up and kissed him, deeply. Sasuke returned it, moaning softly as Gaara pulled his hips more tightly against him.

They kissed passionately, grinding against each other until he was sure they were both about to cum. Sasuke chose that moment to pull away from him and Gaara gave a long, low growl. 'What the fuck are you doing, Uchiha?'

Sasuke's dark eyes were full of mischief again as he leaned forward and slowly licked a thick bead of pre-cum off of Gaara's cock. His hips bucked instinctively, but Sasuke's shoulders draped casually across his thighs, holding him down.

'Having dessert…' Gaara was startled that his thoughts had been read and responded to so easily. But, there was no denying it- Sasuke's nonchalant answer only turned him on even more…

Sasuke slowly licked his cock, lavishing kisses and stroking the length of the shaft like he couldn't get enough of it, before kissing and lapping at the head. The playful teasing made Gaara moan, and arch his back each time it was repeated…

"More…" He wanted to be in that sexy mouth, but Sasuke still seemed content to ignore his squirming.

Finally, Gaara just couldn't take any more. He shivered as he grabbed the Uchiha's silky black hair.

Sasuke chuckled, and the sound created an intense vibration around his cock as he slowly sucked him in. Sasuke's mouth felt incredible around him, and Gaara couldn't stop himself from trying to thrust into the wet heat even more deeply. Sasuke didn't try to pull away. It surprised him that the Uchiha could take that much cock without gagging but it turned him to no end. Watching his cock move in and out of the raven's sexy lips was making him harder-

'So, you like that?' Sasuke purred into his thoughts.

Gaara's hips bucked even harder. 'Y-Yeah…'

'Cum for me, baby.' Sasuke purred, his fingers toying with one of Gaara's nipples.

Gaara groaned but tried to hold back. That only made the raven chuckle a bit, causing even more vibrations that made it impossible to ignore the building tension within him. Sasuke started to suck him harder too, and a few thrusts later, he came hard in the raven's mouth. The intensity of his orgasm left him feeling boneless and momentarily exhausted.

He didn't mind when he noticed Sasuke smirked mischievously- that had been totally worth it… By far, that was the most erotic thing that had ever happened to him- made even more intense as he watched Sasuke lick a few stray drops of cum off of his stomach. Gaara didn't trust himself to speak yet, so he tried to pull Sasuke into his arms and kiss him again. He would've been happy to rest, but Sasuke apparently had other ideas.

Like a cat, the raven purred as he sunk lower, settling more firmly between his thighs. Gaara wasn't sure what the Uchiha was up to now. The flesh of his inner thigh proved to be amazingly sensitive as Sasuke licked it slowly. The Uchiha kept kissing and licking, teasing him into raising and spreading his legs.

Gaara shivered, even after what had just happened, he felt vulnerable and exposed in this position, but couldn't bite back a moan when the raven's tongue stroked the underside of his balls. Fuck! He was already getting hard again, but the Uchiha took his time sucking and licking his balls before sliding his tongue down the cleft of his ass.

He shuddered, gasping loudly. He wasn't sure what surprised him more- the raven's boldness or the fact that Gaara wanted him to do that again…

Not that it mattered when Sasuke didn't give him a chance to think about that or anything else, slowly circling the opening with his tongue. Gaara moaned reaching down to touch him but all he could reach was Sasuke's hair, lost in pleasure, he stroked the silken strands. He writhed against the raven's ministrations and Sasuke left him mercifully unaware of the sounds he was making, quietly teasing him into wanting even more.

He shivered as something wet and cold joined Sasuke's tongue in exploring his nether regions, but Gaara didn't mind. He had a feeling that his cock was oozing precum because his body wanted what Sasuke was preparing him for. Sasuke slid one finger inside him and Gaara stiffened at the swiftness of the intrusion. It was tight and strange, but not exactly painful.

All thought left him though when Sasuke slid his hand up the shaft of his cock. He bucked his hips and then whimpered when the raven began finger fucking him while licking his slit.

It felt amazing, but it was only making him hotter for more…

"S-Sas'ke!" He panted, holding on tight to the bed sheets.

'Relax.' He heard in his mind.

Gaara growled at the grin he sensed, but Sasuke chose that moment to wriggle another finger inside him. He gasped, this time it did hurt- a little! But at the same time, the pain and the curious sensation of being filled apparently turned him on because his cock was leaking all over Sasuke's hand.

He moaned shamelessly as the raven kept touching him, even bucking his hips making it rather embarrassingly clear that he wanted Sasuke deeper inside of him. The Uchiha smirked as if he'd been waiting for that, but he leaned down and swallowed the entire length of Gaara's cock while inserting another finger.

The pleasure of being deep-throated mixed with the pain in his ass until he couldn't tell them apart anymore. Gaara focused on thrusting mindlessly into Sasuke's mouth until the invading fingers touched a curious bump deep inside of him. That overshadowed everything else. He almost came when Sasuke touched it again, but more lightly this time.

Frustrated now, Gaara moaned when Sasuke pulled away. Sasuke reappeared above him and Gaara wrapped his arms around him and yanked him into an impatient kiss. Gaara kissed him hard, not caring that his lover tasted different this time.

"Do it- or I'll be the one fucking you..." For the moment, it was a disappointingly empty threat, because Gaara wasn't actually thinking of anything but getting something up his ass again.

But Sasuke seemed to like it; the Uchiha moaned, letting him continue to lead their kissing. A moment later, the raven pulled back, kneeling above him and Gaara noticed that Sasuke was wearing a condom. 'No wonder he was distracted.'

It annoyed Gaara a little that the raven still seemed to be so in control of himself, but he forgot all about it when the Uchiha grasped his cock and stroked it while positioning himself over him. Gaara hissed in pain as Sasuke nudged the head inside- he'd been stretched, but apparently Sasuke's cock was thicker and longer than three of his fingers had been. The pain came with a teasing hint of now familiar pleasure though, so Gaara had no interest in stopping or even slowing down now. He propped himself up on his elbows and kissed him again.

Gaara was impressed that Sasuke had worked so hard to please him, but it frustrated him that the raven had decided to take it slowly now. He bucked and almost cried out when Sasuke pushed forward at the same time, locking their bodies together. It burned! But beneath that, there was pleasure- even more than there had been with three fingers. He opened his eyes and smirked, noting that they were both trembling a little.

Gaara wrapped his legs around him, changing the angle of penetration and Sasuke moaned. The raven grasped his hips and pressed him more firmly into the bed. He pulled back and then slid back in. Gaara grunted, it hurt this time too, but not as much, so he wanted more.

Sasuke continued to move deeper slowly, but the raven still hadn't found that spot again. He felt Sasuke's cock getting harder inside of him and wondered if that was going to be it. "More," He panted. "D-Don't stop!" Gaara whispered against Sasuke's neck and then bit him there.

'Fuck,' He heard in his mind, but Sasuke sounded even more turned on by his desperation. 'You like my cock that much? Fine…'

Sasuke snapped his hips forward and Gaara had to bite him again- to keep himself from screaming. Finally! That deep thrust found that spot and Gaara whimpered as he started to cum.

'Yeah… That's it,' Sasuke purred. 'Cum on my cock. Stroke yourself while I'm fucking your perfect ass…'

Gaara moaned, his body arched as another thrust hit that spot and he saw stars. Right now it didn't matter that he'd never let anyone else talk to him like that-

'Do it baby, I want to watch you cum for me again.'

It didn't matter if it was Sasuke's sultry voice or the dirty words he was using- but something was turning Gaara on even more. Sasuke pulled him into another sweet kiss.

Thrown into sensory overload, Gaara came so hard that he almost passed out. But his inner muscles kept squeezing- trying to draw Sasuke's cock even deeper. Breathless and dazed as his orgasm subsided, it didn't register immediately that Sasuke bit his shoulder to stifle a moan. He knew they were both pretty sticky but neither moved as their breathing started to slow down. They were warm and too comfortably sated for the moment to worry about changing the sheets or even taking another shower. He knew that tomorrow all of this would seem like a big mistake, but for the moment, he just wanted to sleep…

**

The covers shifted slightly over him. Gaara tensed but his sand was already shifting restlessly; ready to defend him, luckily everything settled when he realized that Sasuke was still sleeping.

He turned to look at the clock and sighed. Even without the constant need to suppress Shukaku's presence in his mind, sleeping still felt strange to him. Whenever he slept, he was always glad that he slept alone he awakened, because he nearly always woke feeling shaky and disoriented. There were even times when he felt as if Shukaku had tried to take over again- even though he knew the Bijuu was gone. Gaara knew he would never be able to sleep as most people did. He was amazed that he'd already slept for three whole hours so he didn't even try to close his eyes again.

Without a second thought, Gaara slid out of bed and threw on a pair of pants and left the room, barefoot. He was surprised to see a guard stationed outside his outer chamber, but he knew Baki was just being cautious. The startled guard was about to attack, but bowed hastily when he recognized him. He shot him a quelling look and the man nodded sheepishly as Gaara continued silently up the stairs into his office.

Sitting at his desk, Gaara took a piece of paper and began to write. He kept the message brief, knowing he would be able to explain the situation in greater detail to Tsunade's envoy when they arrived. So he included only what he felt he needed to, in order to make it clear that he would be kept abreast of the developments in Tsunade's investigation of her Elder Councilors, or he would continue to allow Sasuke and his team sanctuary in Suna.

When he was done with that, he amazed the coders on duty when he took the note to the aviary and tied it to a messenger bird and released it himself. The falcon took off for Konoha and then he went back to his room.

Gaara hesitated before he opened the door, hoping that Sasuke was still sleeping. In total, he'd only been gone for about ten minutes.

He thought about what Sasuke had told him- that the elders had exterminated his family. In the other ninja villages, such plots had happened before- yet that same accusation against Konoha? It was unthinkable. Konoha prided itself on being different from the rest of the hidden villages. But because of his own family history, Gaara knew it was possible; because a certain amount of ruthlessness was still a necessary hallmark of all shinobi leaders.

The raven had risked everything to follow his heart toward revenge for his family only to find he'd been betrayed by the very village that had raised him. Perhaps worse than that, was the knowledge that the man who'd helped Itachi slaughter his clan was still alive… Akatsuki's leader and his family's most famous predecessor- and now Madara was hunting Naruto.

It still shocked him that Sasuke had come here for help because they'd never been friends. But it was not a secret that it was Naruto who had helped the old woman bring him back to life. Gaara already knew he'd do anything to repay that debt to Naruto. That was the only reason he'd agreed to talk to Sasuke in the first place. He'd told himself that he couldn't trust Sasuke because he'd turned his back on the people in Konoha who loved him.

'But now?'

Now Gaara wasn't sure what to feel… except that he wanted to believe Sasuke shared his desire to protect Naruto…

He scowled; they were from different pasts and had loyalties to different countries. Why should he let himself care what happened after this was over? Sasuke chose his path a long time ago and he seemed to think very little about abandoning those who cared for him. So how could he expect the raven to view him as anything special- after all, they'd been enemies…

'Because he's still got the same eyes as me.' Sasuke was older and stronger now, but there was no doubt that the void Gaara had sensed in the raven so long ago was even larger now than it had been then.

'Both of you have been alone too long, and you want this to mean as much to him as it does to you.' He hated the little voice in his head- but he knew it was true. But the Uchiha had been the one to start this; what if he walked away as soon as he woke up?'Where would that leave me?'

He'd never experienced anything like last night before. But everyone knew that sex in the shinobi world was rarely about love- or even desire. Clans bred for superior numbers, intelligence, and physical ability and above all else, to preserve their bloodline limits. That's why ninjas who fell in love often hid it- even from each other. Passionate trysts among shinobi were common regardless of the participants' gender, but they were typically just another tool. A tool used to reaffirm the bond between teammates, to unwind from the adrenaline rush of a mission- or even as a way to disarm one's enemies.

He hoped Sasuke wasn't looking at this as option C… He scowled, all of that figured into the reasons why smart shinobi stayed away from emotional attachment as much as they could. Caring too much was dangerous because it could rip you apart and still leave you with nothing- like it had Sasuke.

That was why love was often seen as a luxury typically reserved for civilians. But Gaara knew that keeping one's heart locked away where no one could touch it was just as dangerous. He'd been a monster back when they first met and he had no desire to return to the person he'd been during the Chuunin exam...

That was why he wanted to believe that the light that Naruto saw in Sasuke, must be worth hanging onto. Gaara would find the light in the raven too. Even if the bond they were making tonight wasn't emotional, this was still his first physical bond with anyone not of his own family. Part of him resented Sasuke for seducing him into this predicament. But at the same time, Gaara still couldn't honestly bring himself to regret anything that had happened so far.

"Is it done, Gaara-sama?" It was Baki standing in the corridor behind him. "You've notified the Hokage of the situation here?"

"Yes. For now we wait and treat our visitors as guests."

"But- is that wise?"

Gaara turned toward him. "Perhaps not… but they came to us of their own free will, everything starts with trust."

Baki sighed but nodded with a stiff bow. "Then I hope that you are right, but regardless, it shall be as you say, Kazekage-sama."