They fought hard into the night.

No one wanted to get in between them as it would seem a personal battle at best.

Naruto recalled a time that Gaara was somehow like Miyuki. Angry at the world and attacking even those he cared about. He did not allow himself to feel what was never given to him, but in fact, it was all around him. He just needed to believe in it again.

And right now, Miyuki was the one who needed to believe in it again, but she was so lost into her own despair she could not feel anything but pain, anger and panic. The thought of Kei, somewhere far from her and being tortured, drove her near madness. Whatever she had with the Kazekage, if there really was something there, was gone now. She needed it gone if she wanted to the rest of the girls to stay alive. She needed to kill him, and kill him right now, before she would run out of time.

She felt a sudden weight on her, as if she had been using her chakra too much. And she had been. She had not even fully recovered and now she was trying to kill the Kazekage. One of the youngers and strongest leaders of their world. She suddenly felt very tired. An image of Kei kept her going, but she knew she would not be able to keep up for long. She suddenly realized this was what Gaara wanted.

He didn't even try to attack her and just kept defending himself, even though the sand wall was no use against her, he seemed to know a great deal many other tricks to defend himself. She gritted her teeth, she needed to end this now before she died of exhaustion. If he does not want to get killed, why won't he just kill her?

Gaara continued to deflect her attack and kept moving farther and farther from his Suna. Farther from his people. He knew Naruto and the rest would follow him, but they would not be able to do anything. He didn't want them to. As much as he wanted to be a great Kazekage, he found he could not watch this girl suffer any further. He wanted to help her, but he needed her to allow it. He tried to recall how Naruto had managed to break through his barriers but could not remember anything before the light. He tried to forget the darkness he lived in a long time ago. But are the very horrors in his past enough to understand the horrors of hers?

She finally stopped, her head angled towards the ground. She breathed heavily, and when she turned to face him, he froze. Black tears poured from her eyes, and Gaara wondered if it was normal that he found it…beautiful and painful at the same time. She was crying, and he didn't know how to help her. Then she dashed towards him so quickly he didn't have time to react until the blade hidden in her arm pierced his skin. The sand that always protected him parted as she approached, like a splash of sand surrounding the two of him. He was surprised, and he could hear Naruto calling his name, but the blade never pierced any further. Just enough to draw blood but not enough to kill.

He could feel her warmth and he could hear her sobs as she shook with the effort to kill him. He knew she would not. With her head down, it was hard to tell what she was feeling but eventually her cries turned to small gasps and he hears metal clank to the ground.

"Kill me…" she whispers this in a voice so soft, he could barely hear her.

"Please…kill me," she pleaded and turned to him, eyes streaked with inky tears.

"Please…set me free."

Gaara had a thought, that passed by so quickly he felt it inappropriate. And it had nothing to do with killing her, but something to do with making the inch of distance between them disappear. He had never felt such a sensation for a long time now, and he didn't exactly know the reason why he desired to do it now. She falls to her knees in front of him and reacts in time to catch her as she faints from exhaustion of using too much of her chakra.

Gaara watched her. It looked as though she was merely sleeping. He wiped the tears away from her face, wanting nothing more but to stay here with her. Far from everything else. Just the two of them. He hated it, feeling this way. He barely knew her and yet he was here, wanting nothing more but to know who she was and make her…stay.

"Gaara," Naruto's voice broke him out from his musings as he looked up to meet his eyes. He knew Naruto understood, with the small smile on his face. How he understood was foreign to him. Naruto seemed to know how to read him easily.

"We'll help her," he says and Gaara nods, looking back at the unconscious girl in his arms.

And I will protect her.

When Miyuki woke up, the pain in her head grew to a soft throbbing. The room she was in was dark and smelled faintly of rose. Her whole body ached as she struggled to get up on her elbows. She was in an unfamiliar room, and yet it seemed…comfortable. She stared at the open window. She could see the chakra of people in different directions. She was still in Suna? From the window and smelled the sandy air. The wind blew, the cool air night kissing her skin. She glanced around the room, looking for any sign where she was. Her eyes catch the familiar chakra of the Kazekage. The room was surrounded in it. She froze, was she in the Kazekage's room? She tried to look for her weapon, anything that could defend her, but she realized she was wearing nothing but a nightgown. She suddenly felt very vulnerable. Her hands pull the cover over her as she looked around the room. There was no sign of anyone else in the room.

She stood up, almost stumbling over. She held her breath, surely the sound alerted someone? When no one came inside after a while she began moving around, trying to find a way out. She couldn't just walk out the door, could she? She attacked the Kazekage, why was she not in prison?

She walked towards the window, watching the people on the streets below. Something inside her constricted. She was about to jump out when she heard the door open. She turned quickly, ready to attack but found Gaara coming out of the bathroom. Despite the gravity of the situation, she felt heat rise up her cheeks as her eyes land on his bare chest. She turned away from him, somehow frozen into place.

"Shouldn't you kill me first before you leave?" he asks this casually, making her want to look at him but knew she could make things worse for her. Her heart is practically ripping through her chest. She suddenly felt very naked herself, with nothing but a thin cloth wrapped around her. She wanted to grab the blanket but that would only make things more awkward. Why did the air feel charged all of a sudden?

"I would be stupid to think you allowed yourself to be alone with me," she says, cursing the way her voice sounded. She sounded nervous. She could sense him moving in the room, but she still could not bring herself to look at him. What did Kei usually tell her? From books she had read? What was she feeling right now?

An image of Kei showing her a book she reads and explaining how the characters got naked made her blush even more. She tried to shake her thoughts away, and Kei's perverted smile. Kei…

"You are," he says this monotonously, and Miyuki knew he was telling the truth.

"This is the Kazekage's quarters, and I do not have guards watching me here," he explains. "This is…privacy," he says, and Miyuki could feel him even closer to her than before.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asks.

"I wanted to keep an eye on you, in case you do something…" he trails off.

This time she does turn to him, seeing him lean against a banister in the corner of the room. Why wouldn't he put a shirt on already? Then she glanced beside her and realized it was the drawers where his clothes were. He had to come here to get them but why hasn't he? She allowed herself to think he was as nervous to be close to her as she was. She felt like a child.

He crossed his hands over his chest as he watched her, making her self-conscious. She wrapped her arms around her, like another layer of cloth. She focused on something on the ground.

"Why have you not killed me? Or thrown me into the dungeon?" She asks. There was a long silence before he answers.

"It does not mean I am not going to," he says this coldly and she almost feels hurt by it. Almost. "But I have my reasons why I have delayed it."

Delayed it. So, he was going to execute her. Her eyes find a lone dagger under the bed, glinting under the moon light. She reached for it as he moved. Her hands wrap around the dagger before he could pin her to the wall. He moved so quickly, she gasped in surprise. The drumming of her heart reached her ears, her wrist pinned against the wall by his hand. And she, a breath apart from him. She could feel the heat of his skin against hers and she dared not move and stared at his eyes.

A conflict of emotions coursed through Gaara. Why did she have to be so…attractive? He could feel the erratic pulse of her heart on her wrist as she gripped the dagger tightly. Was she terrified? Or was she like him…and excited?

He didn't feel this sensation before. Even with Matsuri. He never felt the need to…touch her. Miyuki's scent was enough to make him feel…impulsive. What did he want? He could not for the life of him understand what he wanted.

"Let me go," she says in a harsh whisper, her breath on his skin enough to make him loosen his grip. He was losing control of himself. He stared at her, then down at her lips which parted slightly. Was it because of him? God, he was losing it. He was not equipped to know what was happening or what he wanted to happen, but he couldn't just let her hand go.

Miyuki wanted him.

She knew this now. She knew this ache inside her would not go away if he didn't do anything about him. In all of the possible moments, and in all of the people she had met. She had never wanted anyone like this. And he was not helping at all. She hated herself for wanting him and hated herself more for wanting him not despite the situation that surrounded them. Her breathing was labored, and she wondered if he felt the same way, the way he looked at her lips told her he was.

Then he stepped back so suddenly, Miyuki almost stumbled forward, the dagger clattered to the ground. She stared at it as Gaara turned away from her, then she focused on his bare back. She suddenly felt shy. Like she was rejected. Did Gaara find her disgusting? Why did she even care what he though of her?

"What are you doing to me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper she almost missed it. She reached towards him, her fingers gently caressing the curve of his back. She could feel his body tense at her touch, urging her forward. She didn't know what she was doing until her fingers traced every inch of his back down to the edge of the towel that draped across his waist.

He turned around so quickly, snatching her hand away and she stared at him with shock and anticipation as his hand gripped her fingers and he stared at them. His eyes that were once a bright shade of green had become dark, and something unfamiliar rippled through her, igniting her skin.

Authors note: DOES ANYONE FEEL THE HEAT? (I am my own hype man! YOU GUYS BETTER FELT THE HEAT...please...) So who is ready for some sexyyy timeeee ? *waves hands in the air* I promise it will be GOOD. *stares at you* I hope. See ya in the next chapter, where all the steamy bits are. hohoho