Hey everyone! sorry for the delay, just... Working, going to college, my friend moving away, my pregnant cousin coming home... busy busy... I sorry!. Plus I got my first flame in 3 years, where I was yelled at for being "sick and disgusting" and telling me that I should "burn in hell" for making the characters of Naruto (and another anime) gay. And while it didn't crush my confidence or upset me or anything, it just made me mad (because they just flamed for no reason) and it kinda shook me up. I'm settled again, though, and here's the next chapter!
And yet again, I'll repeat this. I do NOT intend to write smut for this! I also don't expect the characters to come out and say "I love you!" randomly or in an extremely corny way. Sorry if this is so slow for you.
Also, thank Mitsuko for this chapter. (That's not her name, but we call her that anyway.)
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Chapter 18 - Chibi Labor
It was an ungodly hour (for Naruto, at least) when Sasuke arrived at the door. Gaara was already awake and dressed, but his host was still asleep, the Kyuubi using this time to ensure all of the wounds and broken bones were healed. It had been better if he was awake, though, because neither the Kazekage nor the Uchiha were very happy to see each other. When Gaara just glared at him, Sasuke merely mentioned the repairs to his house that Naruto had promised to help with. Annoyed, the red-head allowed the Sharingan user inside, and then went to wake Naruto himself. He wasn't about to trust the brunet with his crush. He had heard about their closeness before, and even if they didn't seem that way, he wasn't taking any chances.
The blond was sprawled out over his bed, as usual, and was grinning in his sleep and rubbing his cheek against the pillow. When Gaara shook him gently, the fox container actually murmured "panda-man" before rolling over and curling into a ball. Fighting off a blush (because Gaara does not blush), he nudged the blond again.
"Naruto. Wake up." When Naruto muttered in his sleep again, Sasuke stepped forward, ignoring the annoyed look he received.
"Dobe. Get up, or no Ramen." Apparently, this tactic had been used before, because instantly Naruto was sitting up, yelling in fear.
"NO! Not my Ramen, Sasuke-teme!" The brunet smirked slightly at Gaara before walking to the blond's kitchen.
"Then get up. You were supposed to be at my house fixing the damage you caused half an hour ago." Naruto growled, surprising the Kazekage.
"Half an hour! You could've waited another hour, at least! You have all day!" Somehow, an empty milk carton could be seen flying at a certain fox-carrier. Gaara's sand was there first, though, stopping the impact. He was rewarded with a grateful smile and a hug before the teen was gone, heading for bathroom to prepare for the day. When he was beyond the closed door, he blushed and began washing his face, hoping the blush as he remembered the dream from earlier hadn't been seen by his crush. As he went to brush his teeth, he tried to focus on the things which needed to be repaired. Was the evil Uchiha heir going to make him carry the supplies, too? He didn't plan on making him pay for the supplies, right? Right!
He didn't know that Gaara and Sasuke seemed to be having a glaring contest in the living room, nor that a line of Gaara's sand was posted in front of the bathroom door.
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When they reached the Uchiha compound, Naruto was relieved to see the supplies (lumber, tools, paint, etc.) piled up in the center. Luckily for the blond, Gaara had decided to come help him, rather than use Tsunade as an excuse. Not that it would've lasted long. As much as she and Naruto argued she still tended to be protective of him and would've sent someone to help him anyway.
Soon enough, Naruto had discarded his jacket in the entryway, but left on his hitai-ate. Gaara simply followed, not even bothering to look around. No way was he going to give the Uchiha the satisfaction of thinking he was impressed with the compound. (He really wasn't. He just doesn't want to look around and make Sasuke assume things.)
Gaara used his sand to move things or hold boards in place so Naruto didn't hurt himself at first. This was done after Naruto tried to nail a board in place, and the wood slipped and he ended up almost crushing his thumb. He ended up throwing the hammer at Sasuke, who dodged it and informed the blonde he could work on the floor. This still involved nails, but it was harder for the wood to slip. This left Gaara and Sasuke to do the walls, Sasuke claiming the interior ones and Gaara left with the exterior. He wanted to argue, since this meant the Uchiha would end up spending more time around his crush, but he didn't want to appear selfish. With a resigned annoyance he began his work, telling himself the sooner it was done, the sooner he and the blond could leave.
Quite a few hours passed, and the basic structure had finally been finished. There was no paint in place, but the basic things were done. Good thing, too, as Naruto had been complaining about slave labor for the past hour, and grumbling loudly about being hungry. Gaara reassured the kitsune-boy that as soon as they put the first layer of paint on, he'd take him to Ichiraku while the paint dried.
Naruto had been so happy he had grabbed the paint and tried to just splash the contents of the bucket onto the wall. Luckily, he was stopped in time, and assigned to a specific area to paint, with Gaara on one side and Sasuke on the other, so that they could correct him if he started to make a mistake (and so he could keep them from trying to kill each other with their paintbrushes or something).
Another hour and a half later, and Naruto was demanding food. Not just asking, nor complaining. No, he was demanding food. Sasuke merely waved them off, saying he would rather eat the things from his own kitchen instead of "the junk the dobe eats". You could tell Naruto was hungry because he completely ignored the remark and instead began dragging the redhead along.
Gaara sent a slight smirk of his own back at the Uchiha heir as he allowed himself to be dragged along.
He didn't notice that Sasuke was smiling very slightly after watching them leave. He froze up, however, when he felt that familiar sense of something's not right. The young brunet walked around the compound, looking around, then stared when he reached his brother's room, where he had left the scrolls pertaining to the story of the Sharingan, his father's, and his brother's journals. There, standing in the middle of the room, looking down at the first of the three scrolls, was Itachi himself.
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Gaara finished off his second bowl while Naruto moved on to his fourth. While the blond inhaled his food (was he even tasting it?), the Sand ninja tried to figure out a way to explain the problem coming up. Unfortunately, the decision was taken out of his hands as Ayame took his empty bowl and smiled politely (if not a little nervously) at the young man.
"Kazekage-sama, if you return during the festival, we're having a discount. I'm sure it would be easier to feed our Naruto-kun, then!" She laughed cheerfully before heading off to wash the bowl, leaving behind a confused blond.
"Festival? Hey, Panda-man, what's she talking about?" He slurped up the noodles sticking out of his mouth, and Gaara found himself wondering why he liked the teen again. But then he was reminded when a pout tugged at the tanned features.
"The negotiations are over. Your team is to escort me back to Suna in a few days. There is to be a festival celebrating the results the evening before." The Ramen seemed to be forgotten as the young man stared at his friend/crush.
"You're leaving!" The redhead nodded.
"This isn't my village, remember? I have to return to my duties as Kazekage. I can't leave it all to Temari and Kankuro." He tried not to focus on the wide-eyed stare he was receiving. "When you become the Hokage, you'll learn it's not a fun job, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. And you're almost always in your own village." The blond focused back on his food, eating much slower than normally.
To Naruto, it was one of the only times that he couldn't enjoy his food. It tasted too much like ash in his mouth, and lead in his stomach.
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Not as long, but perfect place to leave off. Next chapter, Sasuke and Itachi have a brotherly(?) talk! Naruto breaks under the pressure! Gaara is left alone! With fangirls!