CHAPTER FIVE

Sasuke awoke the next morning, feeling a little sore. He looked over to his left to notice a soundly sleeping Gaara clinging to his arm. Sasuke didn't want to move and awake his precious, but he had to go to the bathroom. Sasuke slowly slipped his arm out of Gaara's grasp and walked over to the bathroom. When Sasuke came out of the bathroom, he noticed Gaara was missing from his bed.

"Gaaaaaaarrrraaa…" called Sasuke quietly.

Sasuke looked at the clock.

'Ugh…it's only 7:30? Are you serious?'

(SASUKE P.O.V.)

I yawned, walked over, and sat on my bed. I wondered where my beautiful red head had gone. I sighed and just sat at the edge of my bed in silence. I got up and left my room. I took a step into the hallway and I heard a faint crying in the distance.

I walked down the hallway and over to the guestroom. The door was closed, but I could hear the crying coming from inside that room. I very slowly opened the door and saw Gaara lying on his stomach with his face in his arms. His body shook slightly as he cried. I walked over to the side of the bed and stood there.

'I wonder if he even knows I'm here. Oh, Gaara, what is wrong? I hate seeing you unhappy, you know that.'

I put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, tears dwelling in his eyes and running down his pale cheeks. My heart melted away right there. I wipe away his tears, but they just keep coming back.

"Gaara, what's wrong? Please tell me what's wrong…"

Gaara sat up and I knelt down onto the floor so that way we were eye level. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I could help but felt a pain in my chest as he held me.

"I...I d-don't know. Sasuke, I feel alone. I don't k-know what t-to do…" Gaara let go of me.

A stray tear fell down my cheek. I sat on the bed and pulled Gaara into my lap. I held him close as I rocked him slowly back and forth to ease the pain he was going through.

"Gaara, my love, you aren't alone anymore. I know that you have been for most of your life, but that was then. You are with me now and I love you very much. Please remember that always."

Gaara looked up and into my eyes. There was still pain, I could tell. His eyes held no more tears, but were still very sad. I lightly kissed him and laid him down on the bed. I lay next to him and held him close.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"You know I love you, right?"

I nodded, "Shh…just go back to sleep. I'll make sure you don't feel lonely anymore from now on."

Gaara fell asleep minutes later, holding onto me for dear life.

'I thought Gaara was happy, he said that he was happy with me. So why is it I feel a pain in my chest. Is there something he's not telling me? Nah, Gaara tells me everything. I can't take it anymore. I'm going to find out what is causing his suffering and get rid of it. I only want happiness for my love. I love him very much and I never want to lose him. I don't know what I'd do if I did.'

(NORMAL P.O.V.)

Sasuke fell asleep with those thoughts racing through his mind. All he wanted was to make and keep his Gaara happy. Sasuke never liked seeing his wonderful upset. Gaara awoke hours later. Sasuke was still in bed with him.

'Sasuke's still asleep. I wonder what came over me earlier. I'm happy with Sasuke, I really am, but why do I still feel a bit lonesome?'

Gaara kissed Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. He stared directly into the depths of a pair of light green ones. The pain was nowhere to be found within them. Gaara smiled and so did Sasuke.

"Morning."

Sasuke kissed Gaara on the lips. Slipping his tongue into Gaara's mouth, he snaked his hands down Gaara's sides. Gaara ran his hands through Sasuke's soft raven hair. Gaara parted. Gaara rolled of Sasuke's chest and lay next to him.

"Hey you. Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Sasuke rolled over onto his side and brushed his fingers across Gaara's cheek.

"You don't seem fine. Well, you are fine, fine looking…"

Sasuke and Gaara chuckled.

"But you don't seem happy."

"I'm happy! See?" Gaara smiled, but it soon disappeared. He sighed and then sat up. "Sasuke, I don't know what's wrong with me. I love you a lot, so don't think this is about you, because it's not. I just, don't see why I'm so…"

"Depressed?"

"I was going for unhappy, but I guess you could say I'm a little depressed."

"Gaara, I want to help you as much as I can, but if you don't know what's wrong, I can't help you."

Sasuke sat up and Gaara leaned on him.

"I don't know…maybe it'll go away in time. Hopefully very soon also. I don't like this feeling. I thought it was gone for good when we got together, but I guess it's resurfaced."

"Nothing ever just goes away Gaara. Once it's there, it'll always be there."

Gaara got off the bed and rummaged through his drawers. He pulled out a clean pair of boxers, a pair of pants, and a t-shirt. Gaara changed his boxers with Sasuke staring. Gaara noticed and started to blush. Sasuke chuckled and Gaara finished dressing.

"Going somewhere?"

"I need to think some things out. I'll be back later. I promise." Gaara walked over to Sasuke and gave him a long kiss. Gaara left and Sasuke felt the pain in his chest again. The pain that was coming from being alone.

'So this is what Gaara felt? I can't imagine dealing with a pain like this for almost my entire life. It's unbearable!'

Sasuke left the room and walked into the bathroom. He took a nice warm shower and then got dressed. Walking down stairs, he saw a note taped to his half way finished wood replica of Gaara.

Sasuke,

I love you very much so! Hope you know that! I'll be back later. If you need me, ask Temari or Kankuro. XOXOXO

- Gaara

p.s.

I love the work that you've done so far! It's really starting to look like me! You even have my gourd on my back!

Sasuke put the note down and picked up a kunai. He started to work on the manikin again.

Gaara was walking towards the hotel where Temari and Kankuro were. He walked into the lobby, walked down a long hallway, and found room 87. Gaara knocked on the door. Kankuro answered the door.

"Temari! We have a brat at our door!"

"Shut up Kankuro. I only came here to get my gourd."

Gaara pushed Kankuro out of the way and walked inside.

"Your pot of sand is in the corner over there Gaara!" Temari announced.

Gaara nodded and grabbed his gourd. He strapped it onto his back and walked out the door. Gaara left the hotel and headed for the forest.

"I wonder what he needs his sand for. He said he shouldn't need it incase of an emergancy." Kankuro wondered.

"Oh no! Maybe Gaara and Sasuke had another fight! Maybe Gaara's gonna kill him! We better go over there to make sure he's still alive!" Temari screeched.

She and Kankuro rushed out and to Sasuke's house. Temari banged on the door. Sasuke walked over to the door and opened it. He scratched his head and Temari noticed the kunai in his hand.

"Oh no! They did have another fight! Sasuke! What did you do with my little brother!"

"What! I didn't do anything to him! I may have had sex with him last night, but I swear I didn't do anything else! Honest!"

"Oh yeah! Well what's with the kunai in your hand? Huh!"

"I'm carving Gaara out of some wood and I'm using a kunai to do it."

"Oh ho! Likely story! Tell me the truth!"

"I am!" Sasuke walked inside and returned with a wooden figure that looks a lot like Gaara, in his hand. "See? I am telling the truth."

"Oh. But that doesn't explain what happened with Gaara!"

"He went out for a bit." Sasuke handed her the note. She read the note.

"My bad. Sorry we interrupted you. Well, good bye!"

Temari and Kankuro left. Sasuke closed the door, confused,and sat back down on the couch.

"Why is only those two who yell at me? Itachi never yelled at me, Gaara never yells at me, only Gaara's older siblings. Over protective much?" Sasuke asked himself. "Well, I'm a little too protective of Gaara too."

Back in the woods……Gaara was using his Sabaku Kyu (Desert Coffin) and Sabaku Soso (Desert Funeral) to kill innocent woodland creatures. Gaara felt as if he was going insane once more. As long as Shukaku didn't appear, Gaara was safe. Blood was all over the place and Gaara was holding a bear in the air with his Sabaku Kyu.

"Sabaku Soso!" Gaara formed a fist with his hand and the bear was crushed and its remains were splattered all over the ground.

A small wolf peaked out from behind a nearby bush. Gaara turned and looked at it. Its eyes were black, its fur was gray and white, and it stood about 1 foot at the shoulder. Gaara raised a hand to form Sabaku Kyu, but couldn't. Gaara lowered his hand and crouched down. He put the cork into his gourd and clicked his tongue.

"Come here little guy. I promise I won't kill you."

The wolf hesitantly walked over and sniffed Gaara's outward hand. The wolf arched his back under Gaara's hand to show affection. Gaara pet the wolf gentlely. Gaara stood up and turned his back. He looked back into the wolf eyes, they reminded him of Sasuke.

"I've really got to stop killing innocent creatures." sighed Gaara.

Gaara walked away and the wolf trotted behind him quietly. Gaara stopped and so did the wolf. Gaara walked a little quicker and so did the wolf. Gaara ran all around Kohona, with the wolf running right next to him. The red haired teen stopped suddenly and disappeared in a whirl of sand.

The wolf whined and then started sniffing the air and ground. The gray animal ran all the way to Sasuke's house. Gaara appeared inside of the house and ran upstairs in a hurry. The wolf sat in front of the door and wagged his tail. Soon the wolf began to scratch at the door.

Sasuke got up from the couch and went to the door. As soon as he opened the door, the gray wolf ran inside and started sniffing around. He ran the stairs and into the guestroom. Sasuke heard Gaara yell and run down the stairs. Gaara hid behind Sasuke.

"Keep him away from me!"

The gray wolf jumped down the stairs and walked up to Sasuke and Gaara. Sasuke held out a hand and the small wolf sniffed it.

"What's with the wolf?" asked Sasuke.

"I was um…" Gaara chuckled quietly in a disappointing way. "I was um…killing innocent creatures again?"

"Gaara!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Okay? I was upset earlier and I didn't know what else to do! Something was just telling me in my mind to do it! So I did! I'm very sorry!"

The wolf sat next to Gaara and licked his hand.

"Graet, now he's tasting me…"

Sasuke laughed, "Looks like you've got a new friend! But, what are we gonna do with him? He seems to follow you where ever you go."

"Maybe…we could…if it's not too much trouble…I mean….keep him?"

Sasuke thought about this for a second. "I guess we could. I mean, he's only a puppy still. It'll be like having a pet dog right?"

Gaara crouched down and scratched the wolf behind the ears, "Should we name him?"

"It only seems natural."

"Okay. How about…Tala?"

"Tala? What kind of name is that?"

"I read it in a book once that Tala is Sioux (Native American tribe) for stalker wolf. And I figured that since this one likes to follow me everywhere-"

"Like a stalker."finished Sasuke.

"Right! So don't you think Tala fits?"

Sasuke crouched down and stroked the wolf's soft coat. "I think Tala fits perfectly. What do you think, Tala?"

The wolf barked and licked Gaara on the cheek.

"And I thought only I could do that!" laughed Sasuke

The rest of the day Gaara and Tala played. They didn't have dog toys, so Gaara used his sand. Tala acted like a puppy should. Later that night, Gaara went to bed in the guestroom. He closed the door and started walking over to the bed when he heard Sasuke knock on the door.

"Gaara! Someone wants to sleep with you tonight!"

Gaara opened the door and Tala jumped up and knocked Gaara to the floor, "Silly wolf."

Tala got off of Gaara and jumped up onto the bed and curled up at the end. Sasuek and Gaara looked at Tala happily.

"I guess wolves aren't all bad." Gaara stated.

"Let's go to bed." Sasuke closed the door.

"I thought that the someone who wanted to sleep with me was Tala?"

Tala lifted his head at the mention of his name.

"Lay down Tala."commanded Gaara. Tala did as he was told.

"Oh, he was, but I want to also…"

Gaara hugged Sasuke and they climbed into bed. Snuggling close together as they drifted into a deep slumber with their new pet at their feet.