Hehe, the chapter name of this describes the last chapter quite well. Hopefully it wont be the same situation for this chapter. Though chances are good it might…

kawaii kitsune-kun – Here's your SasuNaru, or at least a chapter with Sasuke and Naruto. I think I have an idea where this fic is going to end up and I hope no one kills me for it. 'hides'

aura-chan the neko-jin – Yeah, and lets say he gets let out to go to the bathroom. That crossed my mind but I ended up not mentioning it

Hurricane-rider – Hehehe…it'll take a lot for him to admit it. He's in such denial, lol. ;) I'm glad you liked the chapter. I personally was forcing myself through the end of it and felt like I got absolutely nowhere, but if it was still entertaining, then that's great. You'll find out what Gaara wants soon enough. Technically it was supposed to be explained last chapter, but Neji decided to be a whiner instead. Not that I blame him. I'd be whiny too if I were in his situation.

Laurenyelle the Silver – You're pretty darn close. :) Good for you.

Um…blank? – OMG, I really have trouble writing/drawing Neji seme. And that's wrong in a way, but that's me. ;) And I really wasn't expecting the kidnap either until I wrote that chapter. The Gaara 'smex' thing was on my mind, but then plot came and hit me over the head. And last chapter a small part of me was going nuts thinking 'Gaara, come on, Neji's all tied up now…come on…' God, I'm disturbing sometimes…

Yaoilover S – Will it be like that? 'starts to cackle evilly'

sinn – Thanks! I think I actually have an ending in mind, which relieves me because I was panicking to my friend that I didn't know how to conclude the story…there's still a few bugs I have to work out in my idea, but at least it's there. There will still be quite a few chapters to write, though. At least five or six more I'm guessing. Probably more…lol.

Chapter 23: Going Nowhere

Sasuke sighed, anticipating the statement before Naruto fully opened his mouth.

"You have no clue where you're going, do you?"

The Uchiha sighed again and shook his head. "As a matter of fact, I don't, but I have a better chance actively looking for some clue than to sit at home and wait for everyone else to try and find Neji in a village where he isn't located."

"He could be in Kohana," Naruto said, "If you don't know where he was taken, then he could still very well be there, right under your nose."

"No. He's not there. That I'm sure of."

Naruto shrugged and continued to follow. "Going in circles seems just as productive as scouring the entire village."

Sasuke whirled around, his nerves slightly frayed after all the walking they had been doing the past couple of days. "Look, if you don't have something helpful to say, keep that mouth of your shut."

The blonde simply rolled his eyes. He was used to snappy remarks from Sasuke. They both were pretty tired. Sasuke hardly slept at all the previous night, and they ended up continuing on after a few hours of down time. It wasn't wise for Sasuke to push himself so hard. The exhaustion only weakened him and made them more vulnerable to attack. Naruto wasn't feeling as chipper as usual either, and suppressed a yawn rising up in him. The knowledge that they still had no leads only made the trip seem harder and more pointless.

Several times Naruto just wanted to give up and go home, but he had to remind himself that he was not a quitter. He couldn't leave Sasuke alone; forsaking him would only make his whole effort seem hopeless.

He caught Sasuke's shoulder as the nin stumbled. "Sasuke, stop. We need to rest."

"It's only the afternoon Naruto. I'm fine," stated Sasuke stubbornly, pushing the blonde's hand off his shoulder.

"We didn't have much time to rest at night either. Come on and sit down. You're pushing your body to far and endangering us both."

"Neji's the one in danger at the moment, we can't stop now!"

Naruto growled. He was getting sick of this. "Look, for all you know, he ran off willingly with Gaara."

"Neji didn't just run off to elope or something Naruto! That bastard took him!"

"And how do you know that for sure?" Naruto challenged.

"I just do. Neji wouldn't do that to me."

Once again, Naruto found himself rolling his eyes, and that only seemed to anger Sasuke more. Before he could start on a rant, the blonde cut in.

"Ok, say you're right about everything and Gaara took Neji. And while we're at it, let's say that just over that hill we'll find where he took him. Now look at the state you're in. What are you going to do? Run in there like a reckless idiot and no strength to back you up? You're exhausted Sasuke. I'm exhausted. Trust me, I think Gaara would be well prepared for any attack, unlike you, and you've at least got to be partially conscious in order to stand a chance. You remember when we first met him, how he used that sand to hold us back? We were perfectly fit then, and both of us were wrapped around his little finger. Now stop being a stubborn jerk Sasuke and listen to me for once. Sometimes, I know what I'm talking about."

Sasuke refused to look at Naruto the entire time he was talking. He didn't want to admit it, but the nin was right. Every muscle in his body ached, and it hurt enough to walk, let alone get into a difficult fight. Still, his head screamed that he couldn't give up on Neji, and he had to keep going. Naruto silenced that part of him by grabbing Sasuke by the back of the collar and dragging him to a shadier area, tossing him down at the base of a tree. The dark-haired boy found he didn't have the strength to resist. Perhaps Naruto was right after all.

The fox-child looked down at Sasuke with his arms folded. "I'll take first watch and you get some rest. Don't fake it either or I'll knock you out. I'm not going to have you get both our asses kicked if we run into trouble later on. For once, swallow that overbloated pride and listen to me."

Sasuke nodded and shut his eyes. Of course Naruto was right. He was glad the blonde was here to prevent him from letting recklessness completely take him over. Sasuke found it hard to think clearly when he thought of Neji, or Gaara, or Gaara with Neji. He furrowed his brow and tried to push the thoughts out of his head. He wouldn't get any rest otherwise.

The Uchiha felt a light touch on his forehead, brushing the hair off of his face. He cracked his eyes open slightly to see Naruto looking down at him. "Sleep," the blonde whispered, petting Sasuke's head. It was so soothing that Sasuke did find himself drifting off soon after.

When he awoke, he certainly felt better than he had before. Naruto was still up, watching the surroundings warily.

He turned his gaze back to Sasuke when the nin sat up.

"How long was I out for?" Sasuke asked. Everything looked the same as when he had fallen asleep.

Naruto shrugged. "A few hours. Feel any better?"

"A little," Sasuke admitted.

"You could use more time to rest, but I take it you want to get going on your search?"

Sasuke nodded. "What about you?"

The blonde shrugged. "I got more sleep than you last night so I'll be fine for a bit. Any idea as to which direction we should head next?"

"You know I have no clue. Let's go this way."

Naruto nodded and followed Sasuke. It turned out to be another disappointing day. Gaara was apparently very good at vanishing without leaving a trace. It was also possible that they were going in all the wrong places, but that was not to be helped. As it got dark, Naruto had to once again lecture Sasuke on the value of stopping for a rest and a bite to eat.

The blonde couldn't stand the dejected look on his ex-koi's face as he sat down and picked at his food.

"Every day we travel and don't find Neji is a day that decreases our odds of ever finding him," mumbled Sasuke pessimistically.

"We'll find him," Naruto stated confidently, more to encourage Sasuke than what he actually believed to be true. Things weren't looking good for finding Neji, but all Sasuke could do was try, and all Naruto needed to do was help him get through it.

"This is all my fault!" Sasuke suddenly burst out, chucking the roll he had been nibbling on into the bushes in front of them.

"Hey, that was good food! We need that to keep us alive during this search-and-rescue!" Naruto protested.

Sasuke ignored him. "I let him go with Gaara alone, even when I felt something wasn't right. I should've made him stay. This happened all because of me!"

SMACK!

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and his hand flew to his cheek. He looked at Naruto, who was glaring at him with cold blue eyes.

"Will you shut up with your self pity! You've been blaming yourself, pushing yourself, and feeling sorry for yourself this entire trip, and I'm sick of it. None of that is going to bring Neji back, and this must be the fiftieth time we've been over this. I thought you were supposed to be the smartest student in class, but it seems anything I say goes in one ear and out the other."

The blonde took a deep breath before continuing. "I've put up with a lot of crap from you recently, and I still come out here to help you. I'd appreciate it if you were considerate enough to take my help seriously, so that I'm not completely wasting my time. Now I don't want to hear another word about how we can't stop and rest or how this is all of your fault, because I swear I'll just drag you right back to Kohana, kicking a screaming if I have to."

Sasuke couldn't help noticing how attractive Naruto was when he was mad. His eyes had a way of blazing up wildly, and his cheeks flushed slightly when he yelled. He doubted that was the point of Naruto was trying to get across, and that he'd rather Sasuke focus on his words, but that beauty was something Sasuke did not want to ignore. The dark-haired nin smirked and looked down.

"Ok, fair enough Naruto. You can sit down now. I'll keep my complaints to myself."

"Not good enough," grumbled the blonde, retaking his seat.

Sasuke managed to chuckle. Naruto did make him feel a little better, even if it wasn't the complete happiness and relief that he'd feel if they had found Neji.

"I'll take first watch. You get some sleep," he told the fox-child.

"You sure you're up for it? And don't lie." Naruto was still huffy after his outburst of frustration.

"Yeah." Sasuke pulled Naruto towards him so that he was resting on his chest.

The blonde stiffened, confused with the sudden contact.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders at Naruto's expression. "It's more comfortable than the ground. Besides, it's a cool night and you're warm."

Naruto smiled into Sasuke's shirt. "Thanks."

The nin made an indistinct sound and focused on keeping watch. He didn't want to give Naruto mixed-messages, but he couldn't help but want the blonde near him. Naruto snuggled up to Sasuke's warmth and the nin could feel him relaxing and falling asleep. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through Naruto's fluff of hair.

When they found Neji, would he just push Naruto away like before? Sasuke was aware that he was often an ass, and he could see himself doing such a thing. An inner part of him that was still affected by his ex-koi's presence screamed out to Sasuke not to hurt him again. Sasuke pushed the conflict into the back of his mind and focussed on keeping watch. He didn't want to think about it now. What would happen would happen.

It was a clear night, and the stars were visible overhead, as well as a large full moon, which illuminated the landscape. It was a beautiful sight. The evening was quiet except for the occasional chirp of crickets. Suddenly, Sasuke detected something that wasn't a cricket. Something or someone was nearby. Sasuke slowly eased Naruto off him and got up. Naruto mumbled and fluttered his eyes open.

"Wh—" He was silenced by Sasuke's finger on his lips. Sasuke took the same finger and put it to his mouth, signalling Naruto to stay quiet. He crouched down and slinked silently towards the sound. Naruto caught on quickly and followed him just as quietly. They peered over the bushes to see what was making the sound. Sasuke could not believe the luck that had suddenly dropped down upon him.

Lit by the moonlight were Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's siblings. They seemed to be passing through, but had stopped for a rest. The blonde girl sat on a large boulder while Kankuro leaned up against a tree with his arms folded.

Sasuke felt Naruto's lips brush past his ear. "Why aren't they in the village? We're days away."

The dark-haired nin smirked and shrugged. This was too good to be true. If this were Gaara's brother and sister, then that meant that the redhead would not be far away. Or that he wouldn't be far away soon enough. They had to regroup sometime, or at least that's what Sasuke hoped. Even better was the fact that neither had any clue that the two leaf-nin were there.

Temari began to talk.

"So where is he now?"

Kankuro shrugged. "Not far. If we travel tonight and most of tomorrow, we should make it there. Kanaroe's message said that he needed your assistance with something."

The blonde sand-girl rolled her eyes. "Of course. All I have to say is that this better be the last thing or else." Her fingers wrapped tightly around her fan. "Gaara's been through enough crap with him."

Sasuke trembled as the excitement swelled inside him. They had mentioned Gaara; they were going to meet him. And where that sand-nin was, was where Neji was. This made all of his and Naruto's aimless wandering worth it. It seemed that luck had finally decided to favour them.

Kankuro pushed off from the tree. "We'll make it clear to him that this is the final straw. He'll meet our demands or he'll face our wrath."

Temari sighed. "I just don't want this to turn into another dead end for Gaara. He's loosing hope."

The boy put an arm around his sister. "We'll keep the hope alive for him if we have to. No point in focussing on all the things that can go wrong. We've made it this far, haven't we?"

Temari nodded.

"Are you tired?"

"No."

"Then let's continue on."

The two got up and began walking off. Sasuke darted a glance towards Naruto, who nodded and scampered back to get their things while Sasuke quietly trailed the two sand-nin. They would have to be extra careful not to be noticed. If they were, then the whole situation would fall through and they'd never be able to find Gaara. Sasuke felt his pack slide onto his shoulders as Naruto joined him. Temari and Kankuro were walking at a moderate pace, so it wasn't difficult to keep up.

Sasuke felt strangely energized. The ache in his muscles was gone, and replaced by the eagerness to be moving. He was getting somewhere; he was going to find Neji. There was no time for pain.

"Do we have a plan for when we get there?" whispered Naruto.

"Yeah," responded Sasuke. "Beat Gaara's ass into the ground repeatedly."

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "But I'm the one who never has the plans, and you're supposed to be the person who comes up with them."

Sasuke put his finger to his lips and the two continued to follow the pair in silence. Naruto was pretty sure it was more to stop the discussion that was revealing how little of a plan Sasuke had, rather than the fear of being overheard.

An owl hooted overhead as the night carried on. Temari and Kankuro stopped only once more to take a break for a few minutes before traveling again. Sasuke was glad Naruto had forced him to rest earlier. Falling from weariness was not an option right now. He still had no clear plan of action in mind, so he'd have to play it by ear. Either way, he would get Neji back, or die trying.

So Naruto looses his cool with Sasuke a lot in this chapter, but I don't blame him. He was beginning to annoy me as well. I still think Sasuke should be way more grateful for how nice Naruto is being to him, when he certainly doesn't deserve such treatment. Part of him is just stringing Naruto along, using him as his Neji-replacement until he can get him back, though I hope the part that truly wants Naruto for himself wins over. Um, I'll try and get the next chapter posted ASAP, and hopefully before Sunday. On Sunday, I'll be away on work stuff until Wednesday or Thursday, so I'll attempt to write as much as I can so I can at least send a completed chapter when I get back, instead of starting right from scratch.