The final Chapter. Dedicated to my readers. And SHAWNEH!

…………………………………….end……………………………………………………………

"Gaaaaara- chan look at the present dei-dei got for Danna! He's going to love it and ME! Ohh I can't wait I can't…eh Gaara are you going somewhere?"

His gaze drifted around the room. Everything was packed neatly into boxes and stacked by his closet door. Even the sheets on Gaara's bed were gone.

Said red head sat in the middle of the room tying a bright orange bow on a large blue box. A small smile was on his face, he looked so happy, so calm. But something was wrong.

"Gaara-chan?"

"Deidara, would you do me a favor? Could you give this to Naruto for me?"

"Sure un, but why don't you give it to him yourself?"

His smile was so sad, it hurt to look at it. Deidara frowned, what could have happened to make Gaara so sad? He looked as if he wanted to cry.

"Did something happen with Naru-chan?"

"No, I guess I just decided to come out of the past and face reality"

"Did you and Naruto have a fight? Fights are bad, but you two will make up…right?"

Gaara shook his head sadly. "Deidara, Naruto and I were never together, he doesn't love me, All that hoping was just my one sided feelings." He murmured

"But Gaara-"

A shake of Gaara's head interrupted him. The red head continue tugging at the bow to tighten it. Then he stood and res the box on top of his dresser and returned to an open overnight bag next to the boxes of his stuff. Deidara stood there watching him.

Why? Why did Naruto hurt Gaara- chan so much, can't he see what he's doing? Why is Gaara letting him, why couldn't Gaara just forget Naruto, why couldn't Naruto just die already? Why? Why? Why?

Without another word he slid his arm around Gaara. "I wish you'd just forget him"

Gaara's eyes never left the bag in front of him. He remembered when they were kids, smiling and laughing Making promises they could never keep. He remembered how happy he was to see 

Naruto again even if he didn't remember. He remembered the smile on Naruto's face when Sasuke had accepted his proposal. Then he remember Naruto standing outside the Uchiha's house in his clothes.

"Yea…me too"

…………………………………………e.nd……………………………………………….

Shikamaru awoke to cheers and laughter. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he glanced up to find that temari's office had been overrun with grinning chatting employees. He raise an eyebrow at the blond woman next to him. Who grinned in turn.

"If you were listening you would have heard my announcement" She said

He rolled his eyes and returned his head to the desk. Whatever was going on it didn't concern him, and to think he had to return to this place tomorrow.

As if reading his thoughts Temari smiled "I gave everyone Christmas off, holidays should be spent with friends and family, you know?"

His head shot up and he stare at her. The so said, Dragon lady was giving everyone the day off for Christmas? Wow guess this is what they call a Christmas miracle! He found himself smiling along with his fellow employees. This was a time to celebrate! He could sleep in tomorrow!

He turned back to Temari, and felt the smile slip from his lips.

Temari stared at a spot on her desk her eyes downcast. The smile she'd had on just minutes before, was gone and in its place …tears.

……………………………………………………….end…………………………………………

"Naruto are you still going to Shino and Kiba's party?"

Naruto glanced up at Iruka, nodding vacantly. Then frowned, what if Gaara was there? What would he say? What could he say? Gaara probably hated him now.

Standing he moved to his room where a pile of old boxes waited for him. All these years he'd tried to forget, hell, he'd almost succeeded.

He picked up one of the boxes and pulled out his old diary. He stared at the still intact surface of the little blue book before pulling it open. It landed on page, empty except for a picture of him and Gaara huddling together in the snow, a little brown bear huddled between them. His eyes were bright his face flushed from the snow , Gaara was pretty much the same, bright eyed and smiling.

"Forgive me Panda-kun" he murmured.

Forget..

If I forget they cant hurt him.

They were out there waiting, for me to tell them where he was. Where panda-kun—NO I have to forget him. I could hear them now.

"Dammit I thought you said this kid could tell us where that murdering sonofabitch is!"

"Quiet down, he's a kid, he'll crack sooner or later, then we'll get him and our big fat reward"

"Hm he better crack soon or I'll crack him"

Laughing, they were laughing.

The had taken him away from his Panda-kun, away from his only happiness they didn't deserve to laugh. Naruto shut his eyes and concentrated on pushing his memories to the far recesses of his mind. HE would forget Panda-kun to protect him.

Forget..

--end--

"Naruto!"

He was greeted with the sound of blasting music and a grinning Kiba.

"NARUTO! DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GONNA MAKE IT!" Kiba yelled over the blasting sound.

Naruto rolled his eyes and pushed pass his, very drunk, friend. He drifted through the crowd looking for a particular red head when he bumped into Sasuke…who was holding a very big box…and offering it to him.

"For me?"

"Gaara said to give this to you"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows as he took the box. Though he really couldn't tell what color the box was, due to the lack of light, he could see the large orange bow. He glanced back at Sasuke only to be confronted with a pair of red eyes. A pair of very HOSTILE red eyes.

"Um hi?"

"Naruto this is…Itachi, my brother"

Naruto blinked again staring at the older Uchiha who had decided to take up the very interesting hobby of glaring gaping holes in his persona.

"Hello" he ventured hesitantly

"Its nice to meet you"

Really? Wow you hide it so well

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki I don't believe we've met"

"No. I don't believe we have."

Okay chilly persona, yep this is defiantly a relative of Sasuke's

"Uh…yea Sasuke if you need me I'll be…home I think, I'm not in a very festive mood."

And your bro is freaking me out!

With that Naruto slipped out passing a very…indisposed Shino and Kiba.

"Jeez not on the table you two"

With that said he slipped out the back, where surprisingly no one was. His gaze drifted back to the blue box with the orange bow. He moved to the grass near the trees in case someone came out. It made no sense going around looking for Gaara he knew he was already gone home.

Sighing he tugged at the bow, watching it unravel. Carefully he pulled the box open and stared. Inside there was a paper…with math problems at the top of the paper in Gaara's Handwriting it said "Study". Grinning Naruto pulled the piece paper out, and a familiar piece of orange greeted him.

"That bastard, giving me homework and my own coat back as a present" a smile tugged at his lips. That is until he pulled the coat out and saw the picture beneath.

A picture of a winter sky, right before a snow storm.

"we'll elope for sure and live happily ever after away from all this"

His eyes widened his hand ghosting over the smooth surface.

"On that Christmas day, when we elope I'll paint you a picture of a winter sky"

A smile touched his lips. Gaara remembered.

"But if you find someone else I'm going to kill myself"

The smile disappeared and his eyes widened. He pulled the picture out and stared at it. Tears forming in his eyes, he stared at the picture for what only could be a few minutes but felt like hours. When something else caught his attention. In the box was a bear, a brown bear with a orange and black bow around its neck Two bright chocolate colored eyes stared at him in amusement, and in its arms it held a note.

Once again Naruto immediately recognized Gaara's handwriting

Don't cry Naruto…I only kept one promise

Guess which one

--Gaara

Naruto's eyes widened.

maybe we'll go somewhere really far away.

Gaara…was gone

.

END!

KIDDING!

No seriously

….there will be a sequel though! LOOOK OUT FOR IT!