Gaara gently pried loose Naruto's fingers, carefully laying him down so that Sakura could still work with him. A little drool was starting to drip out the corner of his mouth. He carefully wiped it off with the corner of his sleeve before excusing himself to the bathroom. He had to look around a little before finding it, but when he found the microscopic crack in the tile, he felt his blood simmer under his skin. He stared at it. He lay his head back on it so it exactly lined up with the center of the small ache in his skull, the result of the connection.

He closed his eyes and thought back –

...to stop Naruto from struggling anymore, Sasuke pulled on his wrists –

Gaara brought his wrists up, his breathing beginning to speed up as his rage began to build.

...so Naruto came up slightly –

Gaara copied. He wanted to know exactly how it felt.

– before slamming them back down on the floor, Naruto's head cracking on the tile.

His head fell against the floor with a dull thud. His jaw was locked, focused on the cracking sound in his mind. His fists were held clenched at his sides, the nails digging into his skin to contain himself. The sound of the door opening slightly made his eyes flash open to see Sakura standing there, watching him. He tried to regain his composure but he sat up too quickly and the combined pain in his head and head rush made him weak enough that, for a moment, he had to catch himself with one hand while the other he buried his face into.

Sakura rushed over, crouching next to him. She took Gaara's face in her hands and brought it to the light. A flicker of disconcertion crossed her face at the sight of Gaara's eyes, but she shook it off as she took in his flushed complexion and his heavy breathing. She brushed the hair back from his eyes and put the back of her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"How are you feeling, Gaara?" she asked. She noticed the love sign over his brow was hot.

Gaara brushed her off and tried to stand but Sakura pushed him back down to the floor, trying to keep her eyes focused on the pulse she was taking and not on the chest peaking through the robe that had slipped slightly askew when she pushed him back down. She could feel a blush coming on and she tried to hide her embarrassment by blustering and keeping her head down, but that only served to give her a better view and make her bluster even more.

To cover up her increasing blush, she checked his eyes –also not a good idea because she got preoccupied with their colors again– and asked, "What're you doing in here Gaara? Especially on the floor. Did you slip?" She glanced around quickly but saw no particular shine to the floor that would indicate it being wet. She waited for his answer while she checked his breathing.

Gaara wasn't a fussy person and he certainly didn't like being fussed over. "I didn't slip. I'm completely fine. Now if you'll excu–"

He'd tried to push himself off the floor to stand, but since Sakura was hovering over him checking him out, he'd bumped into her and, consequently, they both lost their balance. He fell back in slow motion. He could tell his head was headed for the exact spot Naruto's had cracked on the tile. But unlike Naruto, he had a country that he needed to run that was currently in peril.

Sand was suddenly beneath Gaara, cushioning his fall. However, nothing prepared him for what happened next.

As he and Sakura fell, she put her arms out to cushion her fall. They ended up landing on his chest but, unable to stop her momentum, she kept going, planting one squarely on Gaara's lips.

They were both so shocked by what just happened, they lay there for a bit, staring wide eyed at each other, their lips still connected. Sakura could feel the muscled torso beneath her body quivering and she found she was shivering a bit herself. Gaara couldn't move. He was not one to be taken surprise by anything. He relied on his sharp instincts as well as his quick reflexes to come out on top in any fight he'd been in. This was definitely not a fight that he was ready for.

Sakura broke the kiss after what seemed like an eternity. She scrambled off of him as fast as she could, standing up quickly, mumbling stunned apologies and blushing even more furiously than before, hiding her mouth with her hand and shyly tracing a small circle on the floor with her toe.

She was looking anywhere but at Gaara. What had she done? Granted, this was an accident, but still! She had just kissed someone else other than her boyfriend, and on top of that, it was Gaara, Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village! I guess if I was gonna go all the way, at least it was with someone worth it, she thought, doing anything to rationalize what just happened so her brain could process it.

It didn't help when she finally looked back at Gaara's face.

Gaara was blushing! He'd sat up, resting on an elbow, while he awkwardly rubbed at his slightly aching head, a dusky rose color lit up his cheeks. He was looking away from her. He looked slightly put out, like he was thinking but what he was thinking about Sakura could only guess at.

She watched him until he finally, slowly, glanced back in her direction. When their eyes met, they looked at each other; Sakura an open book, Gaara inscrutable. Finally, Gaara opened his mouth.

"This never happened."

She nodded furiously. This was a sticky situation. They were...both with someone, she mentally cringed at the self admission that Gaara and Naruto DID stuff together. He was the leader of a country that hers was on good terms and her actions were taken into account when she was visiting. And behind all of that, they were all friends. It was best to forget about this than anything else.

With her reaction, he breathed a sigh and finally stood up. He lost his balance a little but when Sakura's hand twitched up to offer some help, the sand that had softened their fall rushed up into a stand that Gaara grasped. She hid her gesture by continuing her hand up to brush back some hair from her face.

He's the freakin' Kazekage, why would he need my help?, she thought to herself, her eyes averted again. When he grasped her arms, she started out of her thinking, realizing Gaara was standing right in front of her. His eyes captured her gaze to where she couldn't look away. He spoke again.

"We should look in on Naruto."

Again, she nodded only in agreement and they left the bathroom. Naruto was still passed out on the bed, sleeping fitfully. He'd tangled himself up in the red silk sheets again, his hair shining glossy black in the light. As Sakura began checking him out, Gaara threw himself into a chair by the bed and began to brood.

The fact that this had just happened only proved to himself that he was getting sloppy. His plan to turn Naruto against his friends by their trying to force themselves on him was working well on one front, but he had not expected this random turn of events. Naruto was not supposed to have gotten hurt. Sasuke was not supposed to attempt to go so far to drive him away that he would stir up Naruto's feelings. And kissing Sakura? Even he couldn't have seen THAT one coming.

What's even worse was that it had stirred some feelings in him. Besides Siann, he'd never been with a woman. He'd never bothered being romantic with anyone since her, but Naruto had awakened that sense of him again and now that he knew he could feel like that again, things were getting out of hand. He had to get control of this situation.

He looked so deep in thought that when Sakura was finished with Naruto's checkup, she didn't even bother trying to talk to him. As she left the room, she looked back. Gaara was unwittingly burning a hole in the wall with his gaze while he protectively sat next to a peacefully sleeping Naruto. He reached out, seemingly without thinking, and grasped Naruto's hand. She saw Naruto squeeze back and smile a little in his sleep.

She closed the door and leaned against it, brushing the her fingers across her lips, going over that image in her mind. Then something clicked.

She made a beeline for her room. With her recent experience with Gaara, suddenly Sasuke's behavior didn't seem so strange anymore.

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