Chapter 13

Sasuke raised his eyes to look at the door as he heard the steps behind it. Sakura shifted in her seat beside him while cradling her arm protectively against her chest. Sasuke felt bad about not noticing what sort of trouble his team-mate had been in before he had heard her arm snap like a twig as it was snapped in three places.

The door opened and Sasuke felt his eyes widen slightly. It took a while for him to recognize the black glad figure as Naruto. Naruto kicked off the long black knee high boots he had been wearing by the door way, and stepped on the tatami gently, his steps almost hesitant.

Sasuke felt his gaze drawn to the black stockings and the top of black leather and mesh Naruto was wearing, some parts of the top showing skin in a way that made Sasuke want to pull the top off his comrade and to have him inside his reach so he could touch that suntouched golden skin…

Sasuke frowned at his thoughts, noticing that for the first time he thought Naruto looked sexy, and judging by the gasp Neji made, he thought so too. Sasuke was just about to open his mouth and ask Naruto why he was dressed as he was, when he caught a look of the blondes face, and the words just seemed to die in his throat.

Naruto walked by them without saying a word, noise bigger than the barely heard touch of his net covered toes skimming by the floor, or movement bigger than throwing a scroll off some sort off his belt and on the living room table. No one said a word, and the scroll met the surface off the glass table with a loud 'clang!'

Naruto walked past them without a glance and no one interrupted him. Sasuke turned his head so that he could see the pale legs and a nice ass covered in leather disappear to one of the bathrooms. The Konoha nins shared a glance.

"What was that all about?" Ten-Ten asked. Nobody answered her.

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Naruto continued to hum the eerie tune as he showered; unaware that he had brushed his skin so long that it was bright red. Naruto froze, let the cleaning cloth fall on the bathroom floor and leaned his forehead against the shower wall, closing his eyes.

He could still feel Kane's filthy hands around him, over him, touching his skin. Naruto shuddered, and had to raise a hand over his mouth in effort to hold his food down. He gagged silently, blinking the tears away. Naruto breathed once deeply before shaking his head.

'What is it with you Uzumaki?' Naruto yelled at himself frustrated. 'It isn't like you haven't bloody done this before!' Naruto could feel his canines morph into their foxed out form as the deep growl made itself up his throat.

Naruto stopped growling with a start and was surprised how he had lost control all the way until he stepped out of the shower and slipped on a bar of soap.

"AAAAAAAARRGHH!"

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"What happened to Naruto?" Neji asked as soon as Kakashi-entered the hotel room. Sasuke seethed inwardly at the familiar way Neji used Naruto's name. Since when had the dead-last and the Hyuuga been so chummy anyway?

"Can't tell you. Classified. Besides, I wouldn't tell you anyway." Kakashi fleetingly stated while throwing a somewhat piercing look at the Hyuuga, wondering what his intentions with the blonde were exactly, before deciding to see how they interacted closer.

It was after all his duty to see that Naruto only dated someone worth it.

Ahem.

Sasuke locked his piercing gaze on Kakashi's face, and suddenly Kakashi found his attention completely on the coal black eyes looking at him like he knew something others didn't. Kakashi inwardly sighted and swore the day his genins became teenagers and Naruto and Sasuke started looking good.

"Fine. I'll give you a pointer. You are on this mission for two reasons, and two reasons only." Kakashi started, gathering Sakura's and Ten-Ten's attention from where they were sitting on a sofa. The girls exchanged a glance before making their way to Kakashi.

"What are those, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Kakashi raised his hitai-ate to look at the horrendously broken arm, knowing that the pink haired girl was clenching her jaw in pain. The wheels of the Sharingan swirled with lower pace than they normally did in battle, and Kakashi started gathering chakra on his hands while making seals.

Sakura thanked her sensei for healing her, and was just about to ask her question again, when Kakashi finally answered. Kakashi threw them all a look.

"Your scrolls said that you are to do as I say. From the Gondaime I got two sets of instructions." Kakashi explained, while putting his Konoha hitai-ate back in place. "Firstly, you are to make the distraction and for team security accompany me and Naruto in our mission. Secondly," Kakashi stopped to fix Sasuke with his stare.

"…You are to protect Uzumaki Naruto with your lives. Naruto is a Konoha asset, and the council would be very upset if we were to lose him, got it?" Kakashi ended his eyes hard, while inwardly frowning at the display of emotions on Sasuke's face.

First came the surprise that they were to protect Naruto of all people. Then came the wondering of why, and then came the jealousy over the fact that Naruto obliviously had to be strong in some way to be considered an asset to the village.

And then the black eyes were filled with an emotion that left Kakashi utterly baffled.

Kakashi almost cat-whistled.

Damn that Uchiha boy was possessive.

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"I feel for you, Neji-chan!" Naruto laughed from Sasuke's back at the Hyuuga. Neji glared at Naruto, who seemed unfazed by the white glare.

"Stop calling me that!" Neji snapped. Naruto shrugged.

"But it fits, doesn't it?" Naruto said, causing Neji to growl. Kakashi rolled his eyes at the chuunin and genin. Lee was smiling brightly, while shaking his head slightly at Naruto, black bangs shaking. Lee caught Sakura giving him a look, before she blushed and looked away.

Huh?

"All right boys, knock it off. Team Gai; with me." Kakashi informed before falling behind on the track slightly. Neji sighted before complying, followed by a disgruntled Ten-Ten and smiling Lee. Sakura jumped forth so that she was in step with Sasuke as they jumped along the trees.

"Say, Sakura-chan… how long away is Konoha really?" Naruto asked from where he was comfortably on Sasuke's back, straddling the brunettes lower back. Naruto slouched slightly, bored with not doing anything except looking his surroundings.

Sakura threw him a look he didn't understand, before frowning.

"I'm not sure. The mission was in thunder country, and on the way there we stopped at the Wave. We're not stopping this time because we have to hurry with the scroll, so I guess we should reach Konoha at nightfall…" Sakura explained while cracking her brain with counting the hours needed for the journey. Sasuke nodded curtly, having been wondering about the question.

"So I'm going to be stuck with the dobe for the whole day, eh?" Sasuke said while smirking in that cocky way that never failed to get Naruto's blood boil. This time though, Naruto felt the irritation come, and then go. He just felt a dullness of sorts settle over him, and just made a nose of acknowledgement.

Team seven was silent for a moment, settling on an easy pace jumping through the trees.

Naruto suddenly raised his head as his blue eye started to glimmer. Naruto frowned slightly, before starting to smile. Sakura noticed, and was just about to ask why he was smiling when the branch under them broke. The three Konoha ninja went sailing through the air, each of them silent except for Naruto who was laughing.

The landed on the soft earth floor with soft sizzles of the leaves under them, Sasuke wordlessly activating his Sharingan as Sakura looked frantically around.

"Sheesh, relax. He does this every time. Sasuke, would you please put me down." Naruto laughed slightly, as Sasuke allowed him to slip off his back. Sasuke and Sakura were still staring at their surroundings worried. Naruto let out a loose laugh again.

"Relax." Naruto repeated, before walking towards one of the trees near the edge of the clearing. Suddenly strands of sand started to twirl in the air, some of them wrapping around Naruto. Naruto just raised his hand, palm up, and neutrally looked at the sand gathering there. Then the sand slipped away, and flew through the air to condense into a human form.

Sasuke looked at the form gathering behind Naruto frowning, some old memory rising up into the back of his mind. Now what did that sand remind him of?

Naruto closed his eyes, the hints of a smile appearing on his face, and he showed no surprise as he felt a pair of strong arms appear around him, settling on his hips. He unconsciously leaned against the chest behind him, before sighing. He bore no mind to Sasuke and Sakura who were looking shocked at the person behind him, as he turned to look into the serene face of the boy behind him.

"Long time no see, kazekage-sama." Naruto greeted Gaara. Gaara's face was that of seriousness; not that the redhead wasn't always serious, but there were different levels of seriousness. Now Gaara was looking end-of-the-world-serious.

"We have to talk." Gaara said, not caring that the pink-haired ditz and the Uchiha were staring at him, or that the rest of their team were looking at the confrontation from the upper branches. Naruto turned around in Gaara's arms, so that they were hugging each other loosely.

"All business?" Naruto pouted. He had gotten happy about Gaara's visit, thinking that maybe the blood hungry sand ninja had actually missed him. Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Yes and no. Coven business." Gaara explained. Naruto smiled brightly.

"All right then. But hey, don't forget the pleasure after the business, neh?" Naruto said, whispering slightly suggestive at the end so that the others couldn't hear.

"Now see, this way of life is not good for you if you insist on using me as a stress reliever." Gaara smirked back, his voice low and husky. Naruto snorted.

"But you fill in the place so well, kazekage-sama…" Naruto started his voice low and husky now too. Naruto cleared his head slightly and turned to look at his sensei who was kneeling on a higher branch, his Sharingan activated. Naruto cleared his throat, knowing that if he didn't explain now he would just get into another changing of flirtations with the sand nin.

"Kakashi-sensei. You go on without me. I need to have a talk with the kazekage here." Naruto said, his eyes partially closed because of the afternoon sun shining into his eyes. Kakashi frowned.

"Now, Naruto, the Gondaime ordered—"Kakashi started but was cut off by Naruto.

"—it doesn't include Gaara. I'm perfectly safe with him. Even Jiriya allowed me to leave with him." Naruto concluded, pleading silently for the copy nin to recede. Kakashi looked doubtful, but leaned against Naruto's plead at the use of the sannins real name.

"You sure?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded, his lips set in a pout of sorts, as if offended that Kakashi didn't believe him. Sasuke was looking enraged and confused by the situation, while Sakura was biting her lip.

"All right then. See you at sundown at the west gate, I presume?" The jounin asked for confirmation.

"Affirmed." Naruto asked, and then the only warning before he and Gaara were swiped away by the sand was the feel of the arms tightening around slightly.

He had the time to get a glimpse of Sasuke's hurt face, and frowned.

I really need to figure out what's between me and Sasuke…and soon.

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A/N: Whew! So, there's chapter 13! I finally brought Gaara into the story! I've recently noticed that perhaps this story is getting tad confusing if you don't see what I see, so if there are bigger plot holes in the fic, tell me, all right?

I hadn't had time to update recently everyday as I actually want and plan to…though it is so much easier to say than do. But no fear, I got the story mostly figured out in my head, so I should be able to write it down without bigger complexions.

Umm, I'm afraid it may take up to the next week-end until I update again…and I know, I know! Sorry, all right! It's just that my brother, who has been in the army the last year and half, is home. Our "main" computer is in his room, which he sits a lot by the computer, and throws a lot of looks into what I'm doing on the computer. (not that he means anything harmful).

But, as you can probably understand, I don't really want to bring that much attention into the fact that I'm writing shonen-ai… (Not that I'm ashamed of it or anything, but think about explaining all this to my brother? Yeah right!)

So, wait for the next chapter in….say… Saturday sound good for you?

--Dark