A/N: Warning: longest chapter of the story, for the win! And drowned in cotton-candy fluff. Hot damn.

In the end, I assume the worst and receive the best.
Whether or not I deserve such a grace, I don't know.

Another week passes. And according to our men (plus Lee) who returned, it will be a good three to five more until we can return home. Into another ten days we'll send the same scouts out again to see how things have progressed.

"The storm is raging fiercely, Kazekage-sama," one of them had said. "We didn't even need to leave the line of trees to see the clouds on the horizon ruining the heart of the desert… our home."

"It's like a hurricane on the land, made of sand and rain!" the other had agreed.

"Yes, it's sadly true," Lee had sighed. "Gomenasai, Gaara-kun."

I waved their apologies and stress aside. I couldn't take it paired with what I had discovered is occurring within my own self.

Night fell at the end of this excruciatingly long week, and I sat in Naruto's room awkwardly on his bed. He would be coming back from training soon, and I wasn't sure what to do. For a week I tried to convince myself that my midnight revelation wasn't true, that I was imagining things, but evidently nothing is that simple for me.

An example of the complexity I'm faced with: I fear rejection. I'm planning on asking something tonight, something I've been dying to ask anyone (I'd be more at ease asking Naruto in specific) for a long time now. I've been to shy to ask throughout the years, and never had the chance or wasn't in the right mindset to for other years. So here I am, going to bring it up tonight, but because of my recently realized feelings for the kitsune, I'm dreading possible rejection.

I hear the front door unlock. "I'm back, Gaara!" Naruto calls.

I adjust my seating on the bed and glance at the floorboards. I wait for the shower to end and don't even look twice when Naruto walks into the room to grab a shirt to sleep in and throw on his sleeping cap from his childhood. A security blanket of sorts, I assume. Like the small, ragged teddy bear I have stashed in my suit case… something from my own childhood, although more of a memento than a security blanket.

The second he turns to leave, I beckon for him to stop. He does stop, but slowly out of confusion. "Nani, Gaara?"

"Can you sleep with me tonight? On the floor?" I add the last part quickly so he doesn't get the wrong idea. Naruto does that often, since his mind was corrupted perversely from his previous mentor.

"Huh? Doushite?" he asks curiously, a teeny frown in his brows.

I straighten my back and still refuse to make eye contact, but I'm sure the way my hands twitch once and the more solemn than emotionless expression I can feel on my face tells him why. I don't want to be alone. I don't want nightmares. I don't want you to be more than a breath away if I need you – no, when I need you.

I notice how Naruto gulps. His eyes focus and unfocus as they fill with empathy. "Oh…" he whispers, his eyes fixing on the floor. "Okay, I'll sleep in here…" He leaves the room and returns shortly. He drags his makeshift bed in from the kitchen and sets it up on the floor half a meter away. He sits cross-legged on top of the blankets, pulling his jacket into his lap. The zipper seems to be broken, and he's attempting to repair it. "You look like you have something to say, 'ttebayo." He glances up from his task. "What are you thinking, Gaara?"

I vacillate between a few things; there's a lot I'm thinking of. What should I say?

Ensuing a few quick decisions, I start with a statement. "We're friends."

His expression asks why this is such a valid point out of the blue. He shrugs. "Of 'course we are, we have been for a few years now; at least I consider us so. What's on your mind, really?"

I cast my gaze to him at a measured rate until our eyes lock. I gather up my courage to ask that mind-boggling question that's been itching at me. "What do affectionate touches feel like?"

I once asked something similar. I had asked, 'What does pain feel like?' as a child because my sand never allowed me to feel physical pain. But now, I know all too well what physical pain feels like, and I want to know what the opposite feels like: physical pleasure. What does it feel like to be embraced? …To be comforted? …To be kissed?

Naruto yawns wide and long and blinks at me. "What makes you ask that?" he says. I can tell he's getting tired, but he understands the 'mood' I'm in and wants to help.

"I think you already know."

He does. I can see the recognition flashing in his eyes. He knows all too well how deprived I am of physical contact, partially from the distance I place between myself and others and partially because no one wants to. No one wants to touch me, because I was either a monster or too heartless. And he can probably guess how timid my siblings are with physical contact. Plus, they aren't the type of people to give it out often. Temari hits more than hugs, and Kankurou… well, who knows about Kankurou.

Naruto nods. "Yeah, I guess I do know. But Kami, Gaara…" He removes his night cap and runs a hand through his messy spikes. "I don't know what they feel like, either. The only real affection I get is a pat on the back or touch on the shoulder or ruffle of the hair. – That last one coming from older men, like Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and Ero-Sennin. I mean, I vaguely remember one of those three carrying me when I was too tired or unconscious, like Kakashi-sensei after my big battle with Sasuke and Jiraiya after some training sessions, but…" He shakes his head. "And maybe Sakura-chan will lightly punch me in the arm after I did something cool, or Sasuke used to let me sling an arm over his shoulder… But other than those tiny things on rare occasion, no one comes near me unless it's to hurt me. I guess the nine-tails holds them back, eh?" He says the final statement in the manner I don't like; where he has his face smiling and his tone joking but you can hear a vague edge in his voice and pain in his eyes. It's a cover-up that I'm too smart too fall for. I know how Naruto hates it when people shy away from him.

I take a deep breath. "You've had more contact than I have. What does it feel like?"

"…I'm not so sure I've had enough to explain it, Gaara," he confesses.

Without meaning to, I feel an emotion flicker across my face. Being as sharp as he is with perceiving things, Naruto spots it. His own emotion reads, 'I need to cheer him up'. But I don't want to be cheered; I want to be reassured. I want answers.

"Ne, Gaara…" Naruto begins, a sly grin growing on his lips. "Since I can't tell you how it feels, maybe you can tell me."

I don't understand. I bring my invisible eyebrows together and venture, "How can I do that?"

He puffs up his chest at his brilliance and points to himself with his thumb. "I'll act out each kind of touch with you and you can tell me how it makes you feel." He smiles wider. "Plus, I'll benefit from this by getting a chance to feel those things along with you."

I blink in disbelief. He's willing to do that for me? While part of my brain is begging me not to let him do this because I might react badly due to my feelings for him, I nod nonetheless. "Deal."

He sets his broken-zippered jacket aside on the floor and comes to join me on the bed. I scoot up to the headboard and he sits across from me, his back to the footboard. Naruto's smile fades and he becomes thoughtful. "I guess you already know about handshakes, so let's try a high-five. You know what those mean, right?"

I nod. "They're congratulatory slaps on the hand," I say.

"Yup!" Naruto replies. "Hold up your hand."

I do so.

"When people give high-fives, it's like this…" and he smacks my hand hard enough to make a clapping noise but gentle enough so it doesn't sting. "'Great job, man!' they might tell you."

I bring my hand to my face and look at it. "That's odd."

Naruto scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, it kinda is. It's more of something Lee might do (heh, or try to do since Neji is such a stiff) with his teammates or friends."

I twitch my shoulder, a small shrug. I'm ready for another. I'm actually excited about this… there's a lot of contact I've missed, and Naruto's such a people-pleaser and good friend that he's willing to grant me that contact. I'll have to thank him later, because I'm quite grateful.

"Next, there's a ruffle of the hair to build confidence or show that someone thinks what you did was cute," he chuckles weakly. "It's kinda kiddish, and something normally fathers or brothers or sisters would give." The blonde pauses. "Or, in my case, a sensei." Then he leans over and musses my crimson locks, and out of reflex I lower my head into my shoulders from the pressure. He chuckles more strongly this time from my reaction.

"That just feels silly," I grumble.

"Yeah, it would," Naruto agrees. It's like the uptight pretenses we held vanished. He's smiling, truer than I've seen in a while. "But I liked it. Your hair's soft, almost like silk."

I curse my pale complexion as I find my ears and cheeks growing warm again. I have soft hair? I never noticed, nor bothered to make it soft with any special shampoos or conditioners. Hearing it from Naruto makes it seem significant.

Naruto clears his throat. "This next one is what I mentioned before that Sakura-chan gives me a lot: a punch in the arm. When she does it, it's like saying, 'stop teasing!', but right now, I dunno, I guess it's like a high-five, kind of like saying, 'you rock!'." He leans forward and punches me lightly, merely a tap, and a small giggle erupts form his mouth when he does it. I almost want to smile, too… it's all so foolish. I even say that it is in a tsk-ing whisper, and he laughs again. "You say that, but I know you liked it!" the kitsune contradicts. "I saw your eyes glow, like you were smiling."

How does he know that?

I don't have time to ask before he moves on. "Um, then I guess there's things like holding hands or putting your arm around someone. It can be kinda couple-like, but it can also be for comfort or out of friendship."

Naruto offers two fingers. I stare down at them, wondering what to do. Rolling his blue orbs, Naruto grabs two of my fingers with his.

"This is actually the symbol for friendship," he murmurs. "In sign language."

An index finger and middle finger locked like chains by two people means friendship? I had no idea. But it makes sense… it's like showing the bond chains have, and what you have with that other person. "I like this one," I tell him softly.

The kitsune releases my fingers and slides his hand up to come around my shoulder and bring us closer, but the angle isn't ideal; we were parallel a moment ago, so it's not the best, but the point is made. I flush again, feeling much more snug and secure encased in his arm than I should.

Once he let's go, Naruto has a strange, unreadable expression playing across his whiskered face. He shakes it off soon enough to dive into the next affectionate touch in his lesson. "Er… then there's a hug. But, hugs are complicated…" He inhales, probably preparing a speech. "First off, there are hugs to say hello or goodbye, which are quick and with one arm when saying hello and slightly longer and with both arms (most times a pat on the back) to say goodbye."

I was tempted to do something like that the day he left Suna. I had shaken hands with him, but I could tell we both wanted to yank the other into a hug. That strange electric pulse flowed through me at the time, daring me to do it. In fact… that same electric pulse was flowing through me at this very moment, keeping me excited and eager for each new touch.

In the pause where I'm sure both of us are thinking the same thing, I inquire, "Are there other kinds?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, there are. Depending on who they're with, there are hugs that hold you together when you're crying, or ones that are friendly and playful, or ones that are passionate and romantic," Naruto continues, and a blush streaks his whiskered cheeks. I hate myself for loving the appearance of that blush. "The crying hugs can be with anyone close to you. A parent, a sibling, and a friend… people like that. People you love and would seek comfort from."

"So which will you give me?" I want to know.

"Um…" he hesitates. "Well, uh, which one would you like?"

I look directly into his eyes and tell him flatly, "All of them."

He blinks twice and sputters, "A-all of them, 'ttebayo?! B-but…"

"I want to experience everything I can, Naruto, and I'm sure you do as well. We're in this together," I remind him.

He sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly. "Okay. Okay. Okay…"

Naruto gets onto his knees and moves closer to me. I don't focus on his face or anything except the Sumi-e painting I made that he chose to keep and hang on the wall opposite the bed. I feel his arms encircle my shoulders and a gentle pat on my right shoulder blade. "Friendly," he labels.

Then Naruto pulls me up and fits my body to his, an extreme amount of heat rising to my face. I feel him shaking. He brings my head under his chin and he strokes my hair with one hand and rubs my back in soothing circles with the other. I almost feel like crying, because without him labeling it I know this is the comforting embrace he spoke of. I wrap my arms around him dumbly, nearly slapping him with the force of my arms from the speed. This kind of hug… it makes me feel needy. I don't like feeling that way, but with Naruto… I think it's safe.

After that one, I sense him stiffening with uncertainty. He's not sure how to deliver the romantic one, and probably doesn't want to. So I do it for him, from what I've seen.

I slip my body upwards to my head it right beside his, my mouth at his ear. I press our chests together and feel his heart beating rapidly, much like my own. I then loop my arms around his neck and mutter, "Finish what you start."

I hear him gulp again and note the languid way his hands fall to my hips. "R-r-romantic," he breathes to label this type of hug. I try not to show how greatly the buzz of his lips tickles my earlobe.

Trying to capture the essence of this touch for as long as I can, I soak up the warmth I sense around my entire body and resist the subtle tug I have at my nerves to break the contact. I'm not used to it… but I want to be. I want to revel in embraces like these. So I inhale Naruto's scent, which smells like burning leaves, grass, ramen, watery sweat, and faintly oranges. It's a strange combination but not a disgusting one, and I file it away in my memory for future recollection.

On my shoulder, Naruto sighs pleasantly, as if he likes what he smells, too. Distantly I wonder what I would smell like to him. He probably smells me much better than any other human would, since he's mentioned before how holding Kyuubi affects his senses and enhances them.

"I like this affectionate touch best," I whisper half to him and half to myself.

He pulls away enough to look me in the eye. The blonde's own eyes are lowered slightly, as if he's tired. He brings his hands up to grab mine from around his neck. Naruto then places my hands on his hips and mirrors the act with his own hands. "I dunno why, but I do, too." He wiggles slightly, as if the innocence of the touch isn't so innocent after all. Pervert. He leans closer, his top teeth biting his lower lip. "You know… there's one other touch I can think of," Naruto says with a strange tone. It sounds like a combination between reluctance and lust.

"I told you," I reply in hushed tone, "I want to experience all of it."

"…Then you have to promise you won't think anything of this and won't ask me for it ever again," Naruto says sternly.

I have not an inkling what he's about to do, but I promise nonetheless. I trust him. "You have my word."

"Good," Naruto whispers, "Because I'm going to kiss you."

I freeze.

Nani?!

Please tell me he's joking. Please tell me he's playing one of his pranks.

But no, he only played pranks when he was younger to get attention. And he has my undivided attention already.

My breath hitches as my lungs deflate. I withdraw my hands from his waist and bring them to my chest, but Naruto grabs hold of my wrists and pushes forward until I'm trapped between the headboard and his body. I feel panic and crushing desire rise at once in my chest, daring to tear me apart from the inside.

And that's when his lips coat mine.

A/N: What posessed Naruto, eh? Well, I'll tell you this much: he's not doing it becuase he secretly loves Gaara or anything. Truth is, he was acting on impulse and because of the hug, he was living in the moment, and for once wanted a kiss that wasn't accidental or (as in the anime) would suck the life outta him. (UHG, I HATE THAT VILLIAN! SHE SUCKS. LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.)

So yeah. Now you know: they kiss, but this is technically an 'unrequited love' fic. You'll see by chapter ten.