Title: Real Emotion

Chapter Title: What Have You Done To Me?

Genre: Romance/Angst/Humor

Rating: R

WARNING: SHOUNEN-AI, Major OOCness for several characters, hinted lime.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Enough said.

Author's notes: *bows to the readers* I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update this. It took me two months to do this one chapter! WAH! But on the brighter side, I passed all my subjects with flying colors when I neglected to update this... Waitaminit! That's not a brighter side! *buries her face in her hands* I am so screwed.

~What Have You Done To Me?~

It had been six years since that Chuunin Exam, since that fateful night to be exact. The two boys parted with their hearts broken. Sasuke hid this fact from his comrades. Only Kakashi knew the truth. Kakashi had found out about it during his training before the match with Gaara. Sasuke had broken down and told him everything.

But nonetheless, Sasuke kept that part of his heart well hidden. The truth was, he still loved that bastard even if he did break his heart. He'd been a Jounin for around three years now. He was extremely busy with missions. Well, more aptly put, he made himself busy with missions.

Whenever he returned from a mission, he'd take the next available one without even stopping to rest. It was a form of self-destruction on his part. When he, Naruto and Sakura were still a team, he was pretty much occupied with being their friend but now, well, they were both busy with their most important people. Naruto was dating Hinata with her father breathing down his neck while Sakura was going out with Lee… finally. That was after she got over Yamanaka Ino. Itachi, his brother, on the other hand, as a form of repentance had busied himself with resurrecting the clan and on the way, got an interesting girlfriend in the form of Yamanaka Ino herself. It was quite a shock to everyone but eventually, they got over it.

And yes, suspicions about Neji and Shikamaru were confirmed. They finally made it public after several years of sneaking behind school buildings and the oh-so-convenient broom closets, and secret meetings behind locked doors. They finally came out of the closet so to speak after Naruto got relegated to clean up duty and opened the closet at the most inappropriate time. They were lucky that they were discovered with still enough clothing to cover areas which most of the people at that time wouldn't like to see.

Still, despite having so many people whom were important to him and vice versa, he still didn't deter from this self-destructive path. No one knew how to stop him. No one could. He was on the verge of a complete breakdown yet he would not take anyone's heed. The Hokage had stopped him once by ordering him to rest but after that, seeing as he would just return to that path to self-destruction every time, she finally gave up.

News did once reach him about Gaara. Gaara had taken the Jounin exam a bit later than he had so they never saw each other. Not that he was inclined to see the bastard and have him rub his face in their little secret.

There was news too that Gaara had apparently found someone. That was a rumor or so most of them said. But to be precise, after he heard it from Temari who had gone on a mission that intertwined with his, Gaara was engaged to a girl of the Kazekage's choosing. In other words, an arranged marriage.

Temari insisted though, that Gaara was very much against it right from the start. The thought made Sasuke's heart a bit lighter for some reason. But despite, the other boy's protests, a marriage date had already been set. That was three years ago after the Jounin exam.

After that, things went downhill, as everyone knew. The young prodigy of the Uchiha Clan was on a straight path towards self-destruction.

Sasuke never knew the outcome, whether or not Gaara really got married and if he didn't had he found someone else? He never wanted to hear the truth. He feared that he might not be able to take it. He feared that he would die from heartbreak if Gaara found someone else.

~~~~~

Gaara had been pacing in his room for the past hour. What could be taking his father so long? He had been waiting for the man to tell him about what he intended to do. He was never really close to his father but he was still the Kazekage and he had a say in everything.

"Wearing the carpet thin isn't going to help matters, you know," a feminine voice said.

Gaara stopped and glared at his sister as she sat comfortably on the sofa. She smirked at him, a sign that she knew exactly what he was thinking about.

Ever since he had started to open up to his siblings, he had hit it off well with Temari whereas Kankuro, well, they still had too many arguments but it was nothing a little brawl couldn't handle. But he was closer to his sister than anyone else, which is why she knew. She knew the secret that he'd been keeping for years. It was also why she would actually have the nerve to get on HIS nerves.

"Why are you here anyway?" Gaara said, exasperatedly.

"Just checking on my little brother. Why? Is it wrong?" She grinned.

"Well, no but your presence alone is grating on my nerves."

She chuckled. "That's cute but I'm here to give you a little support in case father decides to go against your plans." She gave him a warm smile.

"Che."

Gaara was, in truth, grateful. Without Temari, he would never have gotten out of that arranged marriage. Well, all she did was to reveal that Kankuro liked the girl and the girl liked him back. Being unable to risk losing the people's support, the Kazekage decided to give in and allow the marriage to continue with a few minor changes of course. So Kankuro married the chit and they now have two brats who wreak more havoc than their Uncle Gaara and that said a lot.

Gaara would've jumped for joy and kissed her for that, that is, if he was the type to do so. Thank goodness he wasn't though. Temari would've been glad for his gratefulness but she'd still probably keel over from shock accompanied by a massive face vault from the observers.

Just then, the door opened and in stepped the Kazekage, his father.

"What was it that you wanted to talk to me about, Gaara?"

Gaara knelt before his father and said, "I want to go to Konoha Village and remain there for a time as representative of Sand Village. I would like your permission in this matter."

The Kazekage frowned. "Why?"

"My reasons are my – "

Temari decided at that moment to cut in. She jumped off the sofa, scowled then burst out saying, "Don't you guys see where this is actually going? Honestly, can't you guys ever get along? You're just going to end up arguing again. Gaara, you should just tell him that you're head over heels in love with Uchiha. And father, you should just let him go so that he can be happy!"

Gaara and his father stared at her like she'd grown two heads. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them. Suffice to say that was the end of it.

~~~~~

Sasuke sighed as he wearily trudged home. The last mission was a real headache. Judging from the lights in the house, Itachi was still awake. Sasuke steeled himself for the lecture that was most likely to greet him. He twisted the knob and muttered, "Tadaima – Ah?"

His brother was seated on a chair facing the door where he was while their guest was seated on the couch with his back to Sasuke. What really struck Sasuke was the guest's red hair. The younger Uchiha shook his head. There was simply no way that he would be here.

Itachi gave him a strained smile. "Okaeri, Sasuke."

Sasuke's heart thudded in his chest. Something was wrong... He didn't know what it was but it was bound to be unpleasant. He didn't know how right he was.

Their red-haired guest stood up and turned around. Sasuke felt his world shatter beneath his feet. "Gaara..."

"Sasuke."

In an attempt to lighten the tension in the room, Itachi said, "Gaara's here as a representative of Sand Village. He decided to pay you a little visit while he's in town." When this was met with silence as Sasuke and Gaara merely stared at each other, Itachi sighed. "I'll get you guys something to eat. You must really be hungry." Then he disappeared into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you pay attention to what your brother just said?"

"I don't believe a word of it."

"All right. I came here for you. Happy?" Gaara scowled.

Sasuke stiffened. His eyes narrowed and he growled, "Get out."

Gaara sighed. He had expected Sasuke to be difficult but he must've underestimated just how difficult. He ran a hand through his short spikes.

"Sasuke..."

"Don't think you can just come back into my life and expect me to welcome you with open arms! I'm not some good fuck that you can easily just have! I want you to get out and never show your face before me again! I hate you!" Sasuke gestured wildly to the door.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke grit his teeth then ground out, "Just get out..."

Gaara closed his mouth and walked towards the door. "Don't think that this is over Sasuke. I won't give up. I will never give up on you." Then he shut the door.

Sasuke stared at the door for a few moments before realizing that his cheeks were wet from tears. His knees, which were threatening to give way, suddenly collapsed beneath him. Then he let himself cry. How many times in the past had he wished for Gaara to come back to him? Too many. But now that Gaara finally came back to him, he tried to boot him out of his life. What was wrong with him? He just couldn't bring himself to forgive Gaara for leaving him behind and making him feel so worthless. He barely noticed his brother come out from the kitchen, wrapping his arms around him, trying to comfort him in any way.

~~~~~

Gaara toyed with his chopsticks, not really paying attention to the bowl of ramen that was set before him by the loud-mouthed cook. That was until the said cook whacked him on the head.

"Eat up while it's still hot! Don't let good ramen go to waste, tanuki-san!"

He scowled at the man as he rubbed the potential bump on his head. "You could have just told me in the normal way instead of giving me a bump along with your annoying shouts, Naruto."

"Che. You're in my turf, Gaara. I can do what I want," Naruto said as he tapped the soup ladle onto his other hand, grinning like a fox.

Gaara growled and thought seriously about strangling the man. But he thought better of it. He was after all representing the Hidden Village of Sand. Naruto didn't change much mentally. He was still childish and noisy. Definitely worthy of the title of the number one loud-mouthed ninja. Physically, he had changed. He was now more or less as tall and muscular as Kakashi, his blond hair a bit longer but more or less tame, his baby blue eyes twinkling with even more life as the villagers have accepted him.

The Sand-nin regarded Naruto for a moment before deciding to turn his attention to the bowl in front of him. He nearly choked on a noodle when Naruto said, "Having relationship troubles?"

Gaara sputtered indignantly as he tried to come up with a million words to curse the kitsune for his rotten timing.

The blond merely grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey, I've seen a lot of people come in here with the same look. You're not the only one, you know. Besides, no one in their right mind would ignore a perfectly good bowl of ramen!"

"You're impossible, Uzumaki."

"At least I'm not the one who got kicked out of the house by an angry lover."

Gaara opened his mouth then shut it again. //How did he know about that?//

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I heard it from Kakashi-sensei, who heard it from Sakura, who heard it from Lee, who heard it from Neji, who heard it from Shikamaru, who heard it from Ino, who heard it from Itachi, who got it from Sasuke himself. Did I miss anyone?"

"So... they know?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, not really..."

"Naruto..."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well, I kinda told Hinata about it and Iruka-sensei but he already knew that being around Kakashi-sensei all the time and... Err... I don't really know who else knows but basically, I guess almost everyone would know by now."

Gaara stared at the blond like he'd grown two heads before burying his head in his hands. "I am so screwed." He could just see it now. A front-page scandal that would get his father to kick him out of Sand Village for the rest of his life.

Naruto patted his back sympathetically. "Don't worry. All you need to worry about is to get the stick out of Sasuke's ass and make him go back to normal." Then he muttered to himself, "Like being an utter ass isn't normal for him..."

~~~~~

Naruto sat in his living room thinking. Yes, thinking as he watched the Sand nin sitting by the window watching the night sky. It was a little bit weird to say the least. Gaara didn't seem to be the type to enjoy the beauty of the world around him. But then again, if he could influence Sasuke, couldn't Sasuke do the same to him?

It was just plain weird.

Anyway, how the Sand nin changed was not their problem but rather how the red-haired nin could woo himself back into Sasuke's good graces. Gaara gets Sasuke back. Sasuke stops his self-destructive behavior. Everyone lives happily ever after. Easier said than done.

By impressions alone, Gaara wasn't the romantic type and Sasuke wasn't the type to fall for such a tactic. Gaara was too stiff while Uchiha was too hard-headed.

Naruto sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Damning the hag, Tsunade in his mind, he wondered how he got stuck with such a stupid mission. His mission? To bring Sasuke and Gaara back together again so as to put a stop to this crazy predicament. And hopefully, as a consequence, it would strengthen the ties between Konoha and Sand.

Naruto personally wondered whether or not he'd get out of this mission with his sanity intact.

~~~~~

Gaara continued watching the night sky, paying no heed to his host. Naruto had been kind enough to provide him with lodging. The local inn was full as business in Konoha was booming, drawing in potential investors from all over.

His thoughts were focused solely on Sasuke. How could he have possibly hoped to get Sasuke back? The younger Uchiha hated him. The raven-haired jounin hated him for all the hurt he caused. If he could only take back everything he said, he would but he couldn't. One could not change the past but one should not drown in it.

Gaara could see it. Sasuke was drowning. The younger Uchiha knew he was here. Sasuke was going to run. He was sure of it.

He had to do something.

~~~~~

Gaara and Naruto spent the next few days talking about how to deal with Sasuke. Well, it was more like Naruto being a nuisance and pestering Gaara for details. They had made sure that Sasuke never saw Gaara.

Out of sight, out of mind. It would catch Sasuke off guard when Gaara finally approaches him.

Gaara had discovered that Sasuke had been requesting for a mission everyday and everyday, the Godaime would answer him, "No."

Just as he thought, Sasuke was going to run. He was going to hide until Gaara gave up. But unfortunately for him, Gaara was just as stubborn as he was. He wasn't ever going to give up. He would do whatever he could to bring them both back together again.

~~~~~

A few nights later, Sasuke growled as he walked back home. The Godaime refused his request for a mission. Instead, she got him stuck in a boring desk job. It presented several opportunities for him to encounter Gaara. Had he known he would have delayed his return just until Gaara decided to leave.

Come to think of it, he had not seen the Sand nin since that night. Not that he wanted to see him of course. Sasuke sighed. Who was he kidding? He wanted to see Gaara. Hell, he needed Gaara back. He couldn't live without the Sand nin. But after throwing the insomniac out of the house, he doubted that Gaara would want to see him anytime soon.

He looked up. The moon was full and the night was chilly. His eyes widened when they came to rest on the roof of his house. Gaara. The Sand nin was sitting comfortably on the roof, his white scarf flowing in the wind. Gaara's eyes were trained solely on him. Sasuke's heart thudded loudly in his chest that he feared that it would jump out of his chest at any moment now. Besides that, an overwhelming sense of de ja vu swept over him.

"Hey you!"

The sound of the insomniac's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He jumped back when he realized that Gaara had come up beside him without him noticing it. Just how big is Gaara's effect on him anyway?

Sasuke scowled. "What do you want?!" he said, his voice sounding harsh even to his own ears.

There it was again. Gaara's unnerving stare... Sasuke couldn't help but blush lightly at such close scrutiny. Hopefully, the darkness of the night won't reveal to the Sand nin just how affected he was by the mere closeness of the emerald-eyed nin.

~~~~~

Sasuke had blushed. It hadn't escape Gaara's attention. Just as the scowl before the young Uchiha discovered his presence. He knew what put that scowl on the raven-haired nin's face. It was the Godaime's refusal to give Sasuke a mission. It was all done with the help of Uzumaki Naruto. He'd have to remember to thank the kitsune... that is, after he punching the idiot's lights out for hitting him with a soup ladle and for pestering him all week long.

Then, he smirked. It dawned to him that this was almost a reenactment of their first night in each other's arms. "I just want to make something clear."

The raven-haired nin blushed an even deeper shade of red. Most likely because of the memories of THAT night coming into mind. If Gaara was lucky, at the very least, he'd be able to get through to Sasuke. They can work out the problems in their relationship after they gain some sort of common ground.

Sasuke scowled at him. "I hate you and I want you to leave me alone. End of discussion," the younger Uchiha said coldly and brushed past him.

Gaara growled and grabbed the raven-haired nin wrist. "I'm not finished with you yet." Then he pulled the shocked Konoha nin into his arms and crushed his lips to his.

The younger nin went rigid, his eyes wide as Gaara kissed him. The Sand nin closed his eyes. Years of pent up longing were thrown into that kiss. Then, what seemed like a miracle, Sasuke's eyes closed, his arms clutched tightly onto his shoulders, pulling him closer.

//Sasuke, I promise I'll make it all up to you. Just don't push me away. I love you.//

~~~~~

"I just want to make something clear," Gaara had said with a smirk.

Sasuke turned bright pink. Just what he needed, another reason for the damnable Sand nin to feel smug about. But Sasuke couldn't help but blush. Memories of that night years ago and how it ended came to him in a rush. Why was Gaara here anyway? He didn't want the Sand nin to rub his face in what they did years ago. He didn't want to be hurt anymore.

He scowled at the insomniac. "I hate you and I want you to leave me alone. End of discussion," he said icily and he brushed past the Sand nin.

The next thing he knew was hearing a growl and somehow ending up in a lip lock with Gaara in the Sand nin's arms. His eyes went as wide as saucers. Gaara's eyes had closed first then Sasuke felt it. The insomniac was baring himself through their kiss. Sasuke closed his eyes and kissed him back.

As his hands crept up to clutch at the Sand nin's shoulders, he thought, //I don't care anymore. I want to be with him. I really love you, Gaara.//

//Please don't leave me ever again.//

~~~~~

Gaara stared up at the ceiling. For the first time in many years, he felt utterly and completely content. Sasuke was snuggled up close to him, his warmth seeping into the Sand nin's own body. He barely remembered how they got into bed together. He vaguely recalled passing by an embarrassed Itachi. The reading glasses perched on the older Uchiha's nose suddenly fell out of place the moment he laid eyes on them half-naked in the living room. Oh, let the man deal with it. He'd be seeing a lot of it in the near future. Gaara smirked at the thought.

Then, his companion stirred. "Gaara?" A small smile graced his lover's lips. "This isn't a dream right? It's real. You're really here." Sasuke's arms tightened around him.

"Aa," he replied. He couldn't believe it himself. His lover yawned, tired from their activities before.

"Please don't ever leave me again."

Gaara looked out the window and saw the moon shining down at them just like that night years ago. He smiled, holding Sasuke closer to him, he said, "I promise I'll make it all up to you. Just don't make me leave your side ever again."

~~~~~

*Sasuke P.O.V*

"This isn't a dream right?" I couldn't believe it. I inhaled his scent. "It's real. You're really here." I tightened my arms around his waist. I was scared of letting him go. I was afraid that he would disappear when I wasn't looking.

"Aa." I wonder what he was thinking about. Most likely the look on aniki's face when he saw us in the living room. I'll have to remember to clear that up with aniki later. I know that Gaara really doesn't sleep. But there's supposed to be jutsu to remedy this ne? He really sounds so tired. Too tired for his age.

That's it. Tomorrow, the Godaime and I are going to have a really long talk. I don't want his insomnia to trouble him anymore. My eyes felt heavy. Gaara must've really tired me out. "Please don't ever leave me again."

It was silent for a while before Gaara pulled me closer and whispered, "I promise I'll make it all up to you. Just don't make me leave your side ever again," as I slowly drifted off to slumber.

That was the most restful sleep I've had in years. Gaara, I'm glad you're back.

~~~~~

*TBC*

Author's notes: I never really meant to this chapter to take this long. I did try to update it during the term after I first posted it. I ended up with only half of this chapter done then I got hit by a big writer's block. Besides that, I couldn't seem to find the right fics to inspire me. Is here any other Gaara/Sasuke fic out there?! It's always Sasuke/Naruto/Gaara or Gaara/Naruto... Not that I'm really complaining about those pairings. It's just that I just couldn't get inspired by them because there just seems to be no real interaction between Gaara and Sasuke except for when they're arguing over who gets Naruto. *sigh* Dunno how to really express this... I really wanna see another Gaara/Sasuke fic besides mine... Hmm... *lies down on the bed trying to imitate the lazy/bored expression Asakura Yoh (from Shaman King) does so well*

Couldn't continue this too because I was looking forward to a lot of fics updating but never really updated... Ended up working on different fics instead...

Anyway, the jutsu Sasuke mentioned in the last part was just made up. It'll all become clear in the next chapter. Yes, there is a use for that jutsu in the next chapter.

Saw chapter 184 from the Naruto_yaoi group. What the hell is going to happen to Sasuke?!

I guess you guys must've noticed it too ne? This chappie shorter than the first one. Well, it's nothing really to be proud of... *sigh* This chapter is not really any good. The other fifty percent was done in a span of an hour. But still, this chappie is not up to my usual standards. (I could actually say that I like my work on Remembering My Love's second chapter better than this one. Or maybe that's just me. *shrugs* Oh well.) The next would probably be the last chapter. I'm not particularly fond of writing multi-chapter fics. I prefer writing one-shots. They're more flexible that way...

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.^^

Please review. Flamers can go to hell and kiss Zabuza's ass!

*runs off to work on her co-authored fic for the Disney parody contest*

Started: July 17, 2003

Ended: September 8, 2003