Chapter 18

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Gaara sat down heavily into his chair, watching Naruto carefully. The blond followed slowly, looking nervous and blushing slightly. He slid into the chair across the desk, resting his hands on top of the hard, dark wood. Gaara leaned forward, interlocking his fingers and setting his elbows on the desk. No one said anything for several minutes.

"I came to ask you to let Sasuke back on the merger." Naruto murmured, shifting in his seat. He slowly raised his eyes until they locked with Gaara's. Green eyes flashed with something curious. Naruto felt a shiver move up his back, and his heart sped up. Naruto wanted to growl at himself. What was the matter with him? He liked Sasuke. Sasuke wasn't Gaara. Therefore, by following logic, one could conclude that Naruto did not like Gaara.

His rapidly increasing pulse didn't seem to have a good grasp on logic.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Gaara's voice was unusually silky. It made Naruto feel strangely uncomfortable. "The matter is settled."

"It's his company, Gaara! You can't expect him to just sit on the sidelines!" Naruto demanded, frustration causing his voice to sound strained.

"He agreed, didn't he?" Gaara returned, his eyes dropping to examine Naruto's mouth briefly. The blond felt his face go red. God, did he have to look at him like that? It was hard enough to keep his voice steady when his head pulsed with every hard thud of his heart…

"He didn't have a choice! Gaara, you blind sided him!" Naruto snapped, unable to help but sound a bit angry. He really was more angry with himself than anything else. But Gaara wasn't helping the matter any, so….it was easiest to simply be mad at Gaara. Yes, mad at Gaara. That's what he was. Mad. At Gaara.

"It's business." Gaara's voice was sharp, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, Gaara. It's not business anymore. That day, at my apartment, you made it personal. Remember?" Naruto's voice was soft and earnest. He wasn't begging- Naruto never begged for anything- but asking nicely wasn't a crime.

"Personal? Do you think this is….personal Uzumaki-san?" Gaara's voice was growing increasingly…volatile. By mentioning the meeting with Naruto at his apartment the other day, the blond had triggered something within Gaara. He felt edgy and persistent. This feeling had been growing, lately. The same desperate hunger that had overwhelmed him in his youth. The need to prove his own strength…no, not strength…something wider, something more necessary.

"I think that it has to be personal. It can't be business anymore." Naruto ventured gently, sensing something dangerous was coming.

"Oh? Why not?" Gaara's voice was calm, for a moment, but his eyes blazed violently. "Because of the Uchiha." The way Gaara spoke sent shockwaves up Naruto's spine. The red head had risen, and was now towering over the desk, his shadow seemed to fall over Naruto menacingly.

"Sasuke didn't start this! You're the one who…."

"Kissed you?" Gaara shot, suddenly around the desk. Naruto pressed his back against the chair he was sitting in, staring up at Gaara, blue eyes wary.

"….you're the one who asked me to leave him…" Naruto murmured, sternly keeping his eyes locked with the pale man hovering over him.

"You should have." Gaara placed his hands on the arms of the chair, bending over until his face was only inches from Naruto. "He's dangerous." Gaara's cool breath brushed over Naruto's mouth and chin.

"You're wrong." Naruto murmured, trying to will down the heat in his stomach. He didn't want Gaara this close. He didn't. Really. Gaara laughed, and the huskiness of it made Naruto shiver. Gaara leaned his knee against the edge of the chair, between Naruto's legs…nearly the same position Sasuke had taken only hours before….

"He's an Uchiha. He takes, devours…He'll suck you dry then forget you exist." Gaara growled, cool fingers reaching up and running slightly across Naruto's cheek. The blond tried to ignore the gentle pressure. That strange look in Gaara's eyes…unnerved him. "I've seen it." Gaara hissed, and jerked his hand roughly, grabbing Naruto by the hair and jerking him forward roughly until their mouths crushed together violently.

Naruto panicked. The idea to push Gaara away exploded into pieces between the impossible pressure of Gaara's body holding him down and the undeniably pleasurable pressure of his mouth pulling him in. No. Naruto thought weakly. No, I can't like this. Sasuke…

Naruto felt a pang of undeniable heat when Gaara's other hand gripped his thigh harshly. Cool, pale fingers dug into Naruto's pant leg, and the red head drove the heel of his palm into his leg and he slid his hand up. Naruto wanted to pull away- his lungs were beginning to ache- but then….then Gaara grabbed him. Naruto jerked, and Gaara ground his palm insistently against Naruto's crotch. Oh God….

Gaara's mouth finally pulled away, leaving Naruto panting, hot, and trembling. His hand remained a while longer, stroking and pushing, until Naruto's erection was hard and pulsing. Gaara had kissed him and…. Gaara had kissed him and….and touched him… and it had felt good. No. no. no. NO.

"Why? Why? Why?" Naruto rambled desperately. Confusion welled up in his stomach, and Gaara was still pressed firmly against him. Sasuke had kissed him…he had liked that. Now he liked this? What….what did that mean?

Oh God. Sasuke. He would have to tell Sasuke.

"He jerks people around. Plays with them. Treats them like toys. You're just another toy to him. He doesn't care about you…" Gaara rasped into Naruto's ear. The blond stared blankly ahead, trying to ignore the voice. His mind was spinning. He'd have to tell Sasuke. Sasuke would be furious. Oh God….What would he do? What would Sasuke…how would he…Would he hate him? Would Sasuke…would Sasuke…

I kissed Gaara back. I mean…I think I kissed him back…I didn't push him away…

Is that the same thing?

"He'll break you. He'll hurt you. I'm protecting you. I can take care of you…" Gaara's voice was growing increasingly frantic and erratic. If Naruto hadn't been wrapped up in panic, he might have noticed how out of control Gaara sounded. But all Naruto could think of was Sasuke.

Sasuke, and how much Naruto may have just hurt him.

"He's vicious. He's ruthless. He's cruel…" It was as if Gaara had slapped him. Something in Naruto roared, and in an instant Gaara was thrown against the desk. Naruto stood, sending his chair was thrown back.

"NO! You don't know! YOU DON'T KNOW!" Naruto bellowed. "You say Sasuke's cruel!?! SASUKE! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM!! You think he's playing with people!?!" Gaara leaned heavily against the desk, his green eyes narrowing and something dangerous crept across his face. "LOOK AT YOU! Look at what you've done! Look at how much you've….You're the one who hurts people!" Pain made Naruto's face turn sharp and feral. Gaara's green eyes widened and he gripped the edge of his desk hard. "I was fine…But you…You've done nothing but hurt me…"

"Shut up." There was no anger in Gaara's voice. Just ice. But Naruto was beyond concern now.

"Why!?! Why couldn't you just leave me alone!" Gaara slammed into him, sending Naruto flying over the chair the and the two of them hit the ground with a thud.

"You weren't complaining a minute ago." Gaara hissed, grabbing Naruto's hips and grinding them together. Naruto's erection- still present and growing painful- pressed against Gaara's. Naruto felt shock spread through him at the realization that Gaara was hard.

Fear spread through Naruto's gut as the knowledge hit him. Gaara had him pressed against the floor, pinning him down….

Sasuke. Sasuke….I don't want this…I want…

Sasuke. I want Sasuke.

Naruto snarled, and jerked furiously, getting a leg free from under Gaara's. The blond drove his free leg into Gaara's side as hard as he could. Gaara rolled, hitting the ground besides the blond and banging his side on the chair. Naruto scrambled to his feet.

"You're a bastard." Naruto whispered, his voice shaking. "You think Sasuke's a monster? Have you looked at yourself lately?"

The blond fled, tears in his eyes and legs trembling unsteadily.

He had to find Sasuke. He had to find him and tell him what had happened…even if it meant…

Even if it meant Sasuke would hate him.

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When Temari returned, the office was torn apart. Gaara's desk was thrown against the wall, the papers within it were scattered all over the place. The chair was in pieces, broken and scattered. But the most alarming part was the blood. Blood on the floors, splattered on the walls…

"Oh god. Gaara. Gaara!?!" She pushed the pieces of the chair aside and ran to the desk. Where was he?

"He called me…a monster." Temari jerked around. Gaara was slumped against the wall beside the doorframe. His arms were streaked with blood, and it was smeared across his face.

"Gaara? What have you done! You're bleeding! Oh, god…KANKURO! KANKURO!!!" The older man appeared in the door frame, confusion written on his face. Shock replaced it the second he saw in the office. Then panic.

"Call the doctor. Tell him to keep his mouth shut- no one is to know why he's coming." Temari ordered, pulling off her jacket and trying to mop up some of the blood on Gaara's arms. It didn't look as if Gaara had meant to cut himself- the cuts were random and jagged. He must have done it when he had torn apart the chair.

"Temari…What am I?" Gaara gasped after Kankuro had vanished from the doorway.

"Gaara, look we need to stop the bleeding. The doctor's coming, okay?" She rambled, her voice rushed.

"Temari." He gripped her arm, and her eyes were drawn immediately to his. "Are you afraid of me?" There was something like panic in his voice, desperation. Temari had never heard him sound so needy before.

"N-no….of couse not…" Temari murmured, looking away. Her throat was uncomfortably tight.

"He called me a monster. He said I hurt people…Have I…have I hurt you?" Temari didn't move. Slowly, very slowly, her let her eyes lift to meet his.

"Temari…I'm sorry…I…" His voice was growing strained, and his eye lulled. He was loosing conciousness.

"Sshh, ssh, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay, Gaara." She murmured, glancing back over her shoulder to see if Kankuro had returned. What was taking him so long? "Everything is going to be okay."

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Author's Notes

I don't want to be one of those whiny people who complains about how their stupid, evil computer has turned evil and betrayed them….but my stupid, evil computer has turned evil and betrayed me. I suspect it's working for SasuSaku fans (Looking around suspiciously). I had to tear the poor thing apart, and then reload all my important stuff back onto it and…yatta,yatta,yatta.

I still managed to get a chapter done, though it is rather short…next chapter is going to be the good one. Sasuke's gonna find out that Gaara was hittin' on his man.

I think he'll take it well.

So I'm officially in love with Sirius/Remus. I think I may even like it better than Draco/Harry. Although, to be fair, I've always like the marauders better. I wish that after she finished Harry Potter, Ms. Rowling would write about them. I just love the idea of them….

Ah, I'm rambling again. I do that. I blame cable. Channel surfing has fried my attention span.

Oh! And Happy St.Pattys day- even though it ended fifteen minutes ago….