Disclaimer: Not mine

If: Welcome one and all to the 24th chapter! Oh yeah! Hope y'all enjoy it!

Oh! And I've randomly decided that I'm going to do what I did last time (sort of) Lucky reviewer number 202 will be able to get a fic done by yours truly (oooo...). The last winning story will be up... as soon as I write it... yeah. So good luck!

Behold the triumphant return of Naruto!


YINGYANGBLOSSOMS : Totally, Gaara's sooo in love. He he he... oh yeah. But yesh, we'll have to see how this all goes eh?

puptastic25: Waah! A threat to my very life! But if you killed me, how would I update? Ooo... and me? kill Sasu?


Naruto had known there was something wrong when he had walked to school. There was caution tape all around Gaara's house, and the front window was broken. The blonde had been instantly worried about Gaara. He had tried to ask the police officers around the house what had happened, but none of them would tell him anything, which only served to worry the blonde more. He didn't know what he would do if Gaara was hurt or…

So it was with a heavily heart and worried mind that Naruto went to school. His friends knew something was wrong, simply from his behavior. Naruto wasn't smiling, he wasn't happy, and he was constantly chewing on his fingernails, something he had never done. It was worrying his friends to see him like this.

"Naruto," a concerned Sakura had addressed the blonde during lunch. Naruto turned to look at the pink haired girl, who had started to sit at his table after Gaara's first trip to the hospital. Naruto just blinked at her.

"What happened Naruto?" she asked, scooting her chair closer to her friend, who she had taken for granted over the past three years but was determined to show him that she really cared even if she had forgotten for a while. The blonde looked extremely sad for a moment then suddenly embraced the pink haired girl. Sakura was stunned and could only embrace her friend back as sobs wracked his body. Looking up, she gave a questioning look to the other occupants of the table. Everyone shook their head, and Sakura furrowed her brow, looking back down at her friend.

"Was it… Gaara?" she managed to ask. She knew that the red head had been in the hospital, but the last time she had asked the blonde about him he had smiled like a lunatic and said that he was fine now and getting out of the hospital. Sakura didn't know why, but it hurt her to ask about her friend's best friend.

Naruto could only nod in reply. His throat was constricted and his eyes wouldn't stop crying, the tears coming forth like the running of a river. Shaking like a leaf, Naruto managed to sit up after a few minutes.

"I… w-went t-t-to p-pick him up l-like I …I n-n-norm-mally d-do b-b-b-b-but his h-house w-w-was cov-vered i-in c-caution t-t-t-t-tape…" the blonde managed to choke out. Everyone at the table just froze. Looking at one another, they then turned to the sobbing blonde.

"Oh Naruto…" Sakura cried and pulled the blonde into another embrace. Naruto held her back and continued to sob.

"This is something I never expected," Tenten said to Lee, who nodded in response, hair bobbing and seemingly shining.

"It truly is a tragic event, and it has torn poor Naruto-kun asunder," Lee replied. Tenten nodded.

"I hope Gaara's alright," she said.

"Gaara isn't easy to hurt, let alone kill," Neji said, adding his own perspective to the conversation. Tenten and Lee just deadpanned at him.

"You could be a bit more sensitive Neji," Tenten said, nearly glaring at the white eyed boy. Neji just scoffed, but was kicked by the person on his right. Neji glared at a seemingly asleep Shikamaru. Shika just glared with one eye from his position with his head resting on his arms. Neji muttered to himself and glared at the ceiling.

"You know Naruto, if it will make you feel better, I can take you to the hospital after school and you can see if Gaara's there," Sakura suggested. Naruto looked up at her with his puffy blue eyes.

"Really?" he asked. Sakura smiled down at him.

"Of course."


Sakura and Naruto arrived at the hospital scant minutes after school got out that afternoon. They asked the nurse at the front desk if there was a Sabaku Gaara there, and she said that yes there was, but he was in a friend's room at the moment. He could be found on the third floor, room 314. Naruto thanked the nurse and rushed off to find the elevators. Sakura staid behind for a moment.

"Who is he visiting?" Sakura asked, feeling a sudden feeling of dread.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the nurse said. Sakura froze.

"Sakura!" she heard Naruto shout. "The elevator's here!"

"Thanks," Sakura said before rushing off to find Naruto. Together they got into the elevator.

"Naruto…" Sakura said. Naruto looked at her.

"Yes Sakura?" he asked. Sakura found herself unable to speak. Naruto had told her that he was interested in Gaara and that Sasuke was too. Sakura couldn't help but feel left out and slightly hurt, and it wasn't because Sasuke wasn't interested in her. She knew that Naruto would be crushed if Gaara chose Sasuke over him, and she wasn't sure if there was anything she would be able to do to cheer him up if he did get crushed. Sakura was worried that since Sasuke was hurt and Gaara was visiting him, that the red head would think that whatever he was feeling for Sasuke at that moment would just be a false feeling, but that he would believe it and so would Naruto.

"Naruto I don't…" Sakura tried to say, but the doors opened.

"Come on Sakura!" Naruto practically shouted, tugging the pink haired girl down the hallway.

"Naruto hang on a minute," Sakura tried once again, but Naruto had already found the room he was looking for and had started to open the door. Sakura suddenly felt cold.


Sasuke had woken up ten minutes earlier and had found Gaara asleep in the chair next to his bed, tightly clinging to his hand. Sasuke cracked a tiny smile as he gazed down at the red head. Sasuke tried to lift his other hand to stroke Gaara's hair, but found that he couldn't even lift his arm without a shock of white hot pain. Sasuke grit his teeth and hissed.

Oh yeah… I somehow managed to take that blow from Gaara's father, Sasuke thought, wincing at the memory. Years of pain and torture simply didn't prepare him with the pain of almost getting killed by a butcher's knife. Sasuke cringed. How did Gaara survive it for seventeen years?

"Gaara…" he whispered, turning to look at the red head once again. Sasuke smiled as Gaara murmured something in his sleep and nuzzled the sheets on Sasuke's hospital bed. Sasuke chuckled lightly at the sight.

"Gaara," Sasuke said again, squeezing the hand that held his. "Gaara, wake up."

Gaara stirred, but didn't wake. Sasuke smiled and pulled his hand, trying to get it free. Gaara only clutched tighter.

"…Don't leave me…"

Sasuke blinked rapidly, he almost didn't hear Gaara say it, so soft was it said. Sasuke looked at the red head in a new light. A gentle smile crossed his face.

"I won't leave you, not if I can help it," Sasuke replied, squeezing Gaara's hand tightly. Gaara stirred in his sleep and his eyes cracked open. Yawning and blinking himself into a better state of awareness. He felt eyes watching him and blearily looked up. Green eyes met black.

"Sasuke!" Gaara cried out, startling the raven haired boy before he was pulled into a hug. Sasuke grit his teeth at the pain racing from his shoulder.

"Gaara… my shoulder…" he managed to say, he was finding it hard to breathe since the red head was apparently trying to squeeze the life out of him. Gaara instantly let go. Sasuke collapsed back onto the bed and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sorry…" Gaara murmured, looking at the floor and twiddling his thumbs. Sasuke smiled at him.

"Its alright, I wouldn't have minded if my shoulder didn't hurt so much…" Sasuke said. Gaara looked up at him and cracked a crooked smile. Sasuke couldn't help but grin.

"…How do you feel?" Gaara asked. Sasuke shrugged with his good shoulder.

"Can't say I feel great, but I don't feel horrible," he said. Gaara just looked at him.

"Wow… that was incredibly vague," Gaara said. Sasuke laughed. Gaara smiled, closing his eyes for a moment. After a moment Sasuke calmed down and smiled brightly at Gaara.

"Sasuke…" Gaara said.

"Yeah?" Sasuke replied.

"Why did you do it?" Gaara asked.

"Do what?" Sasuke said, confused by Gaara's vague question.

"Why did you get in the way?" Gaara asked his brow was furrowed. "I mean… I think I know, but I need to hear it from you."

Sasuke nodded in understanding.

"I did it because I just didn't want to see you hurt," Sasuke said. "You've been hurt by him so much and you didn't need to be hurt by him again. And the look on your face… I couldn't bear to see that look on your face. I just wanted to protect you."

Gaara nodded. "Why did you want to protect me?"

Sasuke paused. "Because…"

"Because?" Gaara prompted. Neither boy noticed that the door opened.

"Because… because I think I love you…" Sasuke admitted, looking away from Gaara and blushing brightly. Gaara smiled at the Uchiha.

"I think I might feel the same way," Gaara said. Sasuke's head whipped around and he stared at the red head with wide eyes. No one heard the gasp that came from the doorway.

"W-what?" Sasuke asked.

"I think I love you," Gaara said and with that he crawled his way into Sasuke's bed. Wrapping his arms gently around Sasuke's waist, Gaara captured Sasuke's lips with his own. Sasuke was too floored to return the kiss at first, but soon he was participating and moaning at the feeling of Gaara's tongue in his mouth.


Sakura was trying her best to keep up with Naruto, but the blonde was running so fast. Sakura knew she couldn't leave him alone.

"Naruto!" she yelled, trying to get the blonde to stop, following him as he made another turn. She paused as he had turned into a dead end. Sakura could only watch in horror as her friend started to hit the brick wall with his fists, as he kicked it and as he mercilessly bashed his head into it.

"Naruto!" she cried again and rushed over to him.

Sakura grabbed the blonde's arms and tried to pull him away, tried to wrestle him to the ground. Eventually she succeeded, but not before Naruto's fists and forehead were bleeding fiercely. Sakura hugged him close to her, tears running down her face at seeing her friend so torn. She had known this would happen should Gaara choose Sasuke.

"Why does he always do what he wants! Why does he always get everything! Why can't I be the one who gets what he wants for once!" Naruto shouted, and the rain began to pour down on them.