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Hot Sand	By : promise2003 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Gaara/Naruto Views: 3051 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
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Hot Sand
by Lemon
Drops/thatreevesgirl (they�re both me)
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Authors Note:� I would definitely like to share some BEAUTIFUL
fanart which I received from one of my
favorite artists.� Mako-chan
(I love you, mako-chan!!!!) made it as a fanart for Hot Sand (she is soooooo
wonderful and such a great person).� The
picture is so smexy I want to cry, please check it
out at http://kemonomichi.livejournal.com/17030.html#cutid1
(yes, just copy and paste the link you lazy bastards)

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Chapter 20: Healing our Wounds

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People cannot control time.�
It is a constant which forces us forward, to go beyond the places we
have been into things yet unexplored�our moments to come.� It is saddening to think of the losses we
have acquired, and even more disheartening to know they could have once been
ours.� This leaves us with regret, a
pained memory of things done or gone wrong which we might never make amends
for.�� We carry the scars of time with us
for the entirety of our lives, and the only thing we can truly do is to not
repeat the same mistakes twice, in the hope we will grow beyond our
indiscretions.

Sasuke was inflicted by these marks of his past.� They were the horrors of a man who had made
many mistakes in his lifetime, but there was one which rose above them
all.� By definition it was the choice
which changed his existence forever, the life altering moment when he turned
Naruto away.� Fighting back tears, which
seemed to plague the young ninja so often these days, Sasuke glanced around the
dimly lit room until he found familiarity in the man slumped at his bedside.

Kakashi?

The older jonin stirred, glancing up at Sasuke with a
worried eye which spoke of a hundred uncertainties, these doubts also danced in
the nearly hidden inflections of his voice, �You�re awake.�

It was simple, straightforward, and spoke nothing of the
things Kakashi truly wanted to say, but it was also easy.� The words which he still concealed were more
difficult, nearly impossible for Kakashi to express.�

�How�s Naruto?� the scratchy, pained voice of Sasuke inquired.�

Of course Sasuke would ask about Naruto, Kakashi should have
known he would.� �Naruto is still with
us, Lee and Neji came by a little bit ago to inform me of that.�

�Good.�� The relief in
Sasuke�s tone said more than his succinct response.� Even with Kakashi sitting beside him, and
though Naruto had shown time and time again he wished to only be with Gaara,
Sasuke was still stuck in the past, reliving a memory which refused to die.

�You were stupid, incredibly dumb.� Leaving your post, forgetting your duty,
putting the Hokage in danger�nearly dying��
The last words choked Kakashi, the thought of
Sasuke dying was a dire one indeed.� �I�m
glad you didn�t die.�

The gentle chuckle let loose by the injured ninja caught
Kakashi off guard, �I�m glad I didn�t die too.�

�Sometimes I wonder about that.� You seem to put yourself into more
troublesome situations than even Shikamaru could count.�

Kakashi was right, Sasuke did have a penchant for being a
nuisance, always embracing dangerous dilemmas with the hope he would somehow
benefit from the situation.� Sasuke
repeated this mistake numerous times, and it was things like that which made a
man foolish.� He was smart, a proclaimed
genius, but at the same time Sasuke was nothing but an idiot when it came to
matters of the heart.� His heart led him
to vengeance, to unrequited love, to imprudent and
reckless relationships with those around him�one of those people was watching
him carefully with a lone, vexing eye.

�Why do you care, Kakashi?�

�Because I should.�� That answer might have been enough if Sasuke
had any clue about Kakashi�s true feelings.�
The copy-nin only pushed those away who endangered the walls which he
had erected around his heart, and so Sasuke was shoved as far away as
possible.� Sasuke couldn�t have known
that, but Kakashi stupidly assumed he did.

�You don�t have to care, I�m all right.� I�ll be fine.�

Sasuke tensed, his nerves leaping to attention as a strong
hand ghosted along his arm, stopping at his shoulder to give it a reassuring
squeeze.� It didn�t end there, instead
Kakashi�s fingers wandered further up as they traced Sasuke�s collarbone and then
his jaw, stopping only when his hand could rest upon the Uchiha�s cheek.� Sasuke fought the temptation to nuzzle in
response to the gentle ministrations�how utterly indignant such a thing would
be, especially with Kakashi.� Maybe with
Naruto, but not with the man who had seemingly thrown his world into chaos (though
chaos and Sasuke did seem to go hand in hand, nearly as well as Kakashi and he
did).� No�there
was no way Sasuke would allow it.

�Please stop.�

Kakashi pulled away, fighting the urge to show how much
Sasuke�s reaction affected and hurt him.�
�I just wanted you to know something.�

�And what�s that?�� It
was a forced disinterest, one which Sasuke skillfully presented.� Years of being seemingly unaffected by
anything and hiding even the most miniscule of emotions (save anger, loathing,
and general indifference) gave Kakashi the sense that Sasuke didn�t care about
what he was saying, but he would express what was in his heart anyway.

�I wanted you to know that you�re important to me, that�s why I
care.� You�ve always been someone who I
needed�I just need you a bit more now.�

Sasuke was going to ask Kakashi to leave, but the words
needed to do so got stuck in his throat.� There would always be Naruto, but at what
point had Kakashi weaseled his way into Sasuke�s heart as well?� Maybe it was because Kakashi was still
willing, where Naruto was nothing more than a piece of the Uchiha�s past.� At the very least, Kakashi was allowed to
stay, to be at Sasuke�s side until the confused ninja figured out what to do
with the situation.�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura checked Naruto�s vitals for the hundredth time that
hour.� She could do little else, so the
kunoichi busied herself with the task of knowing
exactly how Naruto was.� There was no
explanation why Naruto wasn�t dead.� For
all intents and purposes he should have been.�
It was difficult to remember how strong a person he truly was,
especially when at the moment Naruto looked helpless as he was hooked up to
wires and seals and a hundred other things which only served to make him look
small and weak.

�When will he wake up?� Gaara asked, the anger he had shown
in the chasm gone and forgotten hours ago.�

�I don�t know�I don�t even know if he will wake up,� Sakura admitted.�
The med-nin didn�t wish to give false hope, because there was still a
good chance Naruto wouldn�t make it (though something told her that he would).

Gaara bent over and brushed Naruto�s cheek with his fingers,
and even leaned in to kiss the Hokage.�
It was rare for the former Kazekage to show affection in front of
anyone, but it was just Sakura, someone who Naruto, and now Gaara, trusted
immensely.� When did this familiarity
begin, when did Gaara start to feel like family just like Naruto?�

There was a time when Sakura honestly wondered if there
wasn�t more between herself and her former teammate, but in the end they received
something better than a failed relationship�they were family.� Sakura had taken Naruto and accepted him as
the brother she never had, and Naruto cherished his friendship with Sakura and
adopted her, Sasuke, Kakashi, and even Iruka as his
true family.� She couldn�t lose her
family, Sakura refused to let him die.�

Sakura walked behind the distraught Suna man, never before
attempting anything of this sort, but it seemed right at the moment.� Leaning forward she hugged Gaara and whispered, �I will do everything in my power to make sure he
lives.�

The arms which were wrapped around Gaara felt
safe�comforting.� With everything which
had happened, he hadn�t truly let himself feel the grief or the worry.� Gaara allowed himself anger and pain, but not
the sorrow of nearly losing the one you loved.�
Gaara didn�t hug back, but allowed himself to
be held and reassured by Sakura.�

In faintest of murmurs, the redheaded man expressed his
biggest fear, �I don�t know what I�ll do if he dies.� He can�t��

Sakura surprisingly knew exactly how to respond to the
broken man, �Just remember that when he wakes up.� Remember how much you love him.�

Gaara swore he would commit that to memory, because he
didn�t want to be jealous or hateful if Naruto awoke.� He wanted the happiness he had with Naruto
back.� More than anything Gaara wanted a
chance to build a family with the man who taught him how to love.� The roads which lead to the best things in
life are never easy; they are rocky and difficult to travel, because it is by
these paths which we learn the most.�
Gaara knew this.� A life plagued
by obstacles had shown him how much you can grow by rising above your
problems.� He loved Naruto, and that was
enough if it was all that could be.��

�I know he loves you,� Sakura reminded the man she
comforted.� �He loves you more than he
has ever loved anyone.��

�It�s true�� a muffled whisper replied.� The words sounded groggy and nearly
inaudible, but they were spoken by the Hokage himself.�

The scurry to Naruto�s side between Sakura and Gaara was
clumsy, with Sakura nearly taking out one of the hospital�s monitors in the
process.� More happy tears were shed by
the kunoichi now than any of the hundreds of times she cried in her youth.

�You idiot!� she yelled halfheartedly.� �You scared me to death!� You have got to be the stupidest man I have
ever known!�

Naruto was too exhausted to respond with his normal quips,
so he resigned himself to giving her a half smirk in defiance of the verbal
thrashing he was receiving.� Gaara, who
was on the opposite side of Naruto�s hospital bed, didn�t say anything, but
gripped Naruto�s hand in his.�

�Gaara�� Naruto whispered, the name
of the redhead seemed to heal more than all the seals and medicine combined and
Naruto weakly grinned at his fianc�.

�Quiet,� Gaara hushed Naruto, �You need rest.�

�I need�to say I love you,� Naruto told Gaara with a devious
smirk.

Gaara rolled his eyes, and then smiled, �I know, I love you
too.�

Sakura stepped back and watched as the two men healed
whatever had been broken the night before. Her relieved grin showing just how
much she was glad Gaara found the ability to forgive.�

�Hi babe, I see your patient is doing better,� Kankuro said
as he slinked up behind her.� The
puppet-nin had been waiting and watching from the hallway, knowing that there
was little he could do other than give Sakura the space to work.� She was brilliant, and on the few occasions
Kankuro had tried to be in the room to help, he only seemed to be in the way
(or he would somehow piss Gaara off).� In
light of that, Kankuro decided the best place for him was somewhere near, but
not directly present.�

�I�m so tired, and
relieved�and�he�s alive,� Sakura whimpered, letting the sobs get caught in her
throat.� Kankuro gripped her fiercely,
wishing he could take away every ounce of worry she had.

�No more crying,� Naruto quietly ordered, �I�ll be fine.�

�Yeah, because you�re too stubborn to die, you big oaf,�
Sakura joked back, trying to quell the tears, but failed miserably since they
were a mixture of relief, happiness, and the reaction to her experiences of the
previous night.�

�Get some sleep, that�s an order Haruno,�
Naruto told her with another slight smirk.

Sakura didn�t want to leave, but Naruto was right, she
needed the rest or she would be useless to everyone.� �Okay, I�ll find another med-nin to keep an
eye on you, but I won�t be far.� Just ask
for me if you need something.�

�I will�and thanks.��
Naruto knew it was Sakura�s skills as a doctor which had brought him
back from the brink of death.� There was
no one else in all of the ninja nations which could have done so, this he was
certain of.� He was not only grateful to
her, but Gaara too.� Naruto had a
sneaking suspicion that Gaara had a great deal to do with his return to the
land of the living, and as he allowed sleep to recapture him, Naruto smiled at
the thought of the man who he loved more than any other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Would you hold still?�
This is difficult enough, without you sitting there squirming like a three year old.�

Sasuke didn�t appreciate Sakura badgering him with a
terrible bedside manner (which she seemed to reserve only for him).� �I�m fine, go away.�

�No, you need to allow me to heal you, or I�ll get Kakashi
to hold your stupid ass down while I finish what I�ve started.�

Sasuke groaned, the last thing he
wanted was Kakashi to spend another minute in his room.� It was hard enough to get the copy-nin to
leave and go get some rest elsewhere. �The
previous night Kakashi had slept in a chair at Sasuke�s bedside, and that
unnerved the Uchiha.

�How�s Naruto?�

Every time Sakura checked in on Sasuke, he asked about the
Hokage.� She knew it was more than worry.� There had been a time when Naruto obviously
followed Sasuke to the ends of the Earth, so why did the bastard finally choose
to be concerned about the teammate he once ostracized?

�Good, he�s making a lot of progress.� I see him being able to be moved back to
Konoha in about a week.� Some of the Rock
dignitaries have been quite helpful, giving us everything we need to provide
Naruto with the best care possible.�

�That�s good, I�m glad to hear that,� Sasuke responded,
trying to hide his elation.

Sakura knew better, there was something up with her old
teammate, she wasn�t sure exactly what, but it seemed to encompass everything
he did lately.� �Sasuke, what�s going
on?�

Sometimes there is no use hiding things from those you care
about, because eventually they�ll find out anyway.� Sasuke finally allowed himself to admit the
truth to a friend, and Sakura listened as he told her the entirey
of what had happened over the past week.�
It wasn�t easy, and in the end Sasuke felt more broken than he ever had
before, mostly because the situation was hopeless.

�What about Kakashi?� Sakura asked, putting words to the
question which had been hidden in the back of Sasuke�s mind.�

What about Kakashi? �This was something which Sasuke didn�t really
want to think about.� He wasn�t in love
with Kakashi like he was with Naruto, but there was that inkling, a small part
of Sasuke which told him it was a possibility.�
If Sasuke allowed himself to try, the seeds for a romantic relationship
were there, he was sure of it.� All the
feeling needed was a chance to grow.

�Kakashi�s worried, I can see it.� Kakashi never let�s you know what he�s
feeling, so maybe you should talk to him.�

�What about Naruto?� Sasuke asked, still stuck on the faint
glimmer of hope he�d received when trapped in the ravine with his first love.

Sakura shook her head, it was difficult to say, but Sasuke
needed to hear it, �Naruto loves Gaara.�
Let him love Gaara.� Please Sasuke, you have to move beyond him.�

�I don�t know if I can.�

Sakura understood this, because there
had once been a young man whom she loved more than anything, but in the end she
gave him up to be saved by another.�
Naruto had saved Sasuke, and then Gaara.�

�Things happen for a reason, Sasuke,
I believe that he was only a small portion of the greater things to come.� Let yourself and Naruto be happy, remember
the love you had and cherish it always, but don�t let it hold you back.� And don�t worry too much if it takes time and
a lot of effort.� I�ll be there for you,
and I�ll help you.�

�Thanks Sakura,� Sasuke whispered, once again letting
himself forget the mask which he wore around the rest of the world.� It seemed to shatter whenever he was around
Naruto or Sakura�even Kakashi.� �Do me a
favor.�

�Sure, what do you need, Sasuke?�

�Tell Kakashi that I�ll try, but not right away.� I need some time��

Sakura nodded.� As harsh
as time could be, it was also something which could heal giant expanses of
pain, and she trusted that eventually Sasuke would realize what a good thing
being with Kakashi was.� She finished
healing her friend and leaned in to give him a kiss under those long dark
bangs.� Kakashi had once loved Iruka more than life itself, but now Sasuke and Kakashi had
an opportunity to heal each other�to forget the pain of their pasts.� Sakura wished vehemently for their happiness,
for they were both deserving of love.

�I know what you�re giving up, so I�m sure he�ll
understand,� Sakura told her friend as she moved to leave the room, and added a
quiet whisper, �I wish for nothing but your happiness, Sasuke.�

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END OF CHAPTER
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End of Chapter A/N�s:� I am so glad finals are over.� Icky, icky, icky!!!� Not only did I have to deal with that, but
this chapter was like pulling freakin� teeth�so hard
to write!!!� OMG, I�m glad I�m done with
it.� One more chapter
and then an epilogue.� I can�t
believe this story is coming to a close�it�s sooooo sad.� Oh well,
there will be a sequel and mini-arcs.� I
think I�ll just keep them in this file too, just name the arc in the chapter
name when I write it.� (The first of
which will probably be a Sakura and Kankuro arc�smex
and everything).

I�ve been on a Naruto art kick as well, so please hop on
over to my LJ to see some of it.� I have
a pic of Naruto and Gaara, and Gaara just happens to
be in some smexy boy mesh lingerie.� I had fun drawing that.� It�s still a WIP, but the lineart
is done (I hate coloring).� And there is
also some other sketches of Naruto characters.�

My LJ: http://thatreevesgirl.livejournal.com/
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