Just a little something I wrote for everyone to celebrate the new year ahead of us all. May everyone's year bring only good things and welcome changes. Hopefully, after Ohayocon, I'll get back to writing Bakemono Ai. blush P.S. This doesn't fit in with any other of my stories. It's a stand alone.

Resolution

Naruto rolled over in his bed and scratched his ass. He kept his eyes closed while yawning. He stretched his arms out and twisted his body. Naruto's eyes shot open as his hand met the naked flesh of another person in his bed. His blue eyes observed something he never imagined in his entire life.

Green eyes were staring straight back at him. The green eyes were surrounded by short eyelashes that were attached to pale facial skin. That ashen face was curtained by short choppy locks of hair. Naruto blinked a few times to make sure that he was seeing things correctly. The face didn't go away. In fact, it stared blankly back at him. It became painfully obvious to the blonde that both he and his guest were naked. Naruto also made a point to call to attention that he shouldn't be naked in bed with this particular person.

Through his hangover, he began to recall everything that happened last night.

-----

It started with a fancy gathering of diplomats, Daimyo, and other allied Kage. Yes, Konohagakure had its turn hosting the annual New Year's Eve Ball. People from far and wide were there. There were Daimyo present whose names Naruto had never even heard, yet somehow he had personally invited as the Hokage.

Naruto had made his way around chatting idly with every guest who he didn't remember but had to pretend he did. Many of them congratulated him on being such a young Kage, failing to mention that the current Kazekage had been instated at the age of fifteen. He smiled at people he couldn't stand and agreed to issues he didn't have a clue about. Such was the life of a leader, he presumed.

The outfits were all stunning. It was a contest of who could wear the best tailored formal wear or biggest and flashiest jewelry. There was boasting of the price of these items and bragging about which suitor presented the gift to him or her. Naruto hated these kinds of things because of all the competition of money. He grew up an orphan and poor. He knew how bad it felt when someone "better off" flashed their new pretty things in someone else's face. He never wanted to make anyone feel lower than him.

There was champagne. Naruto remembered that next. There were lots and lots of champagne, and wine in all colors, flavors, and ages, and martinis, and so many other fancy alcoholic drinks being passed around. Naruto had been asked to try so many of them because this man or woman had brought something special as a gift. Glasses were emptied by the Hokage by the dozen.

He then remembered heading out the balcony, to get some fresh air, he excused. In truth, he couldn't handle being surrounded by the stuck-up snooty and all around unappreciative people in the ball room. Had it not been his turn to host, he very well may have made up some excuse to skip out of the huge affair. He just needed to get away to catch his breath, it wasn't just the perfume strangling him. All the gossip was choking the life out of him.

"You didn't greet me yet. You're a bad host."

Naruto was startled and spun around. There stood the Kazekage with his arms crossed over his chest waiting for a good explanation. The blonde smiled at Gaara.

"If I'm a bad host, Kyuubi would have tried to escape long ago."

Gaara chuckled slightly and joined him leaning on the edge of the balcony looking out. They witness tons of small houses of Konoha lit up brightly. Many had smoke coming from their chimneys. A faint note of music could be heard from a random house and each of them joined together. Naruto wanted nothing more than to be with family and friends instead of this stiff gathering. Gaara sensed this all too well.

"Honestly, I'd rather be down there, too."

"I hate these things. I want to be with people I actually care about, not these uptight pricks and prissy bitches. I have to be here because of diplomatic reason. I'm the host. I'm sure you can understand. I just want to sneak away."

"I'm here with you… doesn't that count for something?"

"It counts for a lot more than something. Thanks for coming."

Gaara nodded to him. They stopped looking at each other and Naruto returned his gaze to the village. Gaara leaned his back on the railing and stared back into the ball room filled with loud traditional music and even louder laughter and hearsay floating through the air. The Kazekage hated these types of things nearly as much as the Hokage. Gaara snorted in disgust at the same time Naruto deeply sighed. Gaara stood up straight and rigid and turned to Naruto. He grabbed the blonde's hand and jumped up on the edge of the balcony.

"Let's leave," Gaara excitedly whispered.

"We can't," Naruto said in surprise.

"We're ninja. We're Kage. If we can't sneak away from some silly party, then we don't deserve our title," he said helping Naruto up on the rail.

Naruto nodded and they began walking down the wall. Unfortunately, the entrance to the building was right below them and they had to quickly get out of the sight of all the lights, but slowly enough no to cause attention to themselves. As soon as the pair was in the shadows, they began running down the side and quickly darted across the street into more darkness. They both were kinda taking the whole thing way too seriously. While walking through the alleys of Konoha towards the more wild side, Naruto poked Gaara. When Gaara turned around, Naruto made a silly face causing the redhead to lose his serious mask.

Soon enough, Gaara and Naruto found themselves entering a rough looking bar filled with scantily clad women and burly men. The two weren't sure that it was the best place to be, but definitely much better than where they were. Plus, no one would look for the two in a run down bar like this. Naruto and Gaara sat down on two open stools and ordered warm sake.

More sooner than later, Naruto and Gaara had flushed cheeks and were laughing at nothing in particular. If anyone had recognized the pair, they didn't say anything. In fact, the people in there had accepted them into their party very easily. A pale-faced girl sat next to him, batting her eyelashes. She was quite obviously flirting with him. Naruto touched her short hair and ask her why she kept it so short like a boy. She just giggled and stared lustily at him with her green eyes. Gaara was involved in a heated conversation with a few of those burly men about how pears are better than apples in so many ways. They all cheered and toasted together at every point the other made.

Naruto blurrily remembered dancing drunkenly with that girl, or was it someone else? He did remember when it struck midnight. He was in the process of ordering more sake. Just like everyone else had done, he turned to the nearest person and kissed with all he had left in his sloshed body. He recalled that the person had very dry and hard lips, like they hadn't been kissed that often. Then, he remembered drinking that last small cup of sake in one gulp.

He wasn't sure what happened next. All the rest in his mind were mere flashes of scenes. There were hot, passionate kisses against those same lips. A flurry of clothing torn off in the heat of the moment covered his sight. He recalled sweaty but soft skin against his. He remembered kissing that same pale skin. Naruto could almost feel his hands in that short but thick hair. He knew the passion that happened last night.

All of which has brought him back to the present morning.

"I don't think I have to ask what happened last night, do I," Naruto questioned his bed partner.

"You took my virginity," replied the lethargic voice.

"I took your virginity," Naruto shrieked. "I… uh… I guess you took mine, too."

"It's not like we didn't equally give it. I didn't expect you to be a virgin, though."

"What's that supposed to mean," he asked sitting up. "It's not in me to sleep with everything I see."

"You're personality is so open and you flirt a lot. I assumed."

"Don't assume those types of things about me," Naruto warned.

"I apologize."

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to get so defensive about it," Naruto hung his head.

There was a moment of silence before it was broke by a quiet voice.

"You're not freaked out by this? Is it strange that I'm not?"

Naruto laughed, "My New Year's Resolution was to have no regrets about anything I do. As for the fact that neither of us are in the least bit disturbed by this whole thing, well, I suppose that means it was meant to happen."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too."

Laying back down, Naruto snuggled up to his lover. He felt the short spiky hair tickle his chin. After a minute, those dry lips began kissing around on his chest and neck. Naruto smiled and placed a kiss on the top of his lover's head. Naruto was pulled down and instantly found his lips attacked by another pair. A soft hand found its place on his cheek. After what seemed like an eon of kissing, they pulled away for air.

"I wish I could remember all the details of last night. Don't you," those beautiful lips asked him.

Naruto nodded and before he could react, soft pale legs were straddling his hips and two hands were pushing his shoulders into the bed. A big cat-like grin crossed his lovers face. Naruto smiled back up. Naruto reached up and pulled that gorgeous face to his own. He showered the soft cheeks and nose and forehead and neck and lips with thousands of kisses. It was him who surprised his lover now. There was giggling and pillows tossed and tumbling and rolling.

They eventually ended up in their original position on their sides staring at each other. Naruto ran his hand along the side of his lover's body, feeling each curve and dip. The lips opened to reveal a large smile that usually wasn't found on that face. Naruto grinned continuously at his bedmate. That's when the other person said something that was rather uncharacteristic and shocking.

"I think I've been falling in love with you slowly."

"Love," Naruto asked. He thought for a moment then responded to his awaiting lover, "I think I've been in love with you forever, Gaara."

Then they curled back up and fell asleep, leaving the world looking for the two Kages who disappeared the night before.