"What is love?"

The question had been innocent, the words escaping from the lips of a child who's own innocence had been marred from the age of six. He had killed many, firstly by accident, then by his own hands, taking great care to stab the victim in their heart before they died, laughing evilly as he did. How dare these cruel people try to assassinate him? Then he would cry, the blood of the dead dripping from his hands. He only killed when he was attacked, but he was attacked so often he really couldn't tell the difference any more. He didn't want to kill. He wanted to have people care about him, and be his friend.

But it was too late for that.

Too late, because he no longer trusted another soul, knowing those fiendish demons were nothing but a pack of hounds, wanting to destroy anything that wasn't like them. He would hide away from them on his own, and never let them bother him, for he knew no one would ever get close enough to know the real him, to know of the teddy beat that he cried himself to sleep with every night, to know that he really liked fuzzy slippers and warmth, and would love to get the feeling of a hug. To know him, the real him.

Then he'd met Naruto.

He remembered their fight, there up in the treetops. He remembered all the protection Naruto had given to his friends, all the love. He didn't know if was love, but he'd heard it was, and now, he wanted to know what love really was. His uncle had given him a definition but, something about people who tried to kill him just made him slightly distrustful of them and he didn't know if it were real.

Naruto had won that fight and as they both had laid collapsed on the ground, he'd began sliding towards Gaara, something Gaara had tried to stop, screaming at Naruto to stay away from him. Even when Sasuke had come, telling Naruto to stop over exerting himself, he hadn't heeded him coming closer and closer, till he was side by side with a trembling Gaara. He'd never been this close to someone in so long, it was frightening.

It made him feel strange.

The words Naruto had whispered into his ear had changed his life forever. "You know, people have told me I was a monster so many times but, now that I have friends, I know I'm human too. love did that for me, love from others. I know you're lonely, I know you're in turmoil and you're confused but I swear, love makes it all better." he paused to laugh, and his soft breath tickled Gaara's ear, but he didn't move for no one had ever spoken so gently to him. "Tch, you don't scare me. I know you're not a monster, I don't even need to know you're past, I see it in you're eyes. You just need love. I hope you get it. Just try to be a little more open if you can, hey dattebayo? I'm sure it'll be okay if you try."

Sasuke had made a peevish, almost jealous sound of annoyance at their close proximity and words he wasn't hearing, and had helped Naruto up, in turn whispering to him, almost flirtatiously, peeking back to see if Gaara was watching. Naruto's eyes had widened, and he'd blushed, staring into a very serious Sasuke's face. Gaara stared at him. That boy….he'd never forget him. But Kankuro had come, and Temari, and they'd taken him away.

He hadn't seen him since.

Now he was on the trail back to Konoha, this time alone. He wasn't on a mission, he didn't have an evil, diabolical reason to be there, he just had a question. A question for the blue-eyed boy who'd been on his mind since that fight. He'd left his village much to the obvious relief of everyone. Of course they were glad to see him go.

He needed to know what love was, he needed to know so badly it hurt. So he could get a chance, a small chance, to heal. It was late, but he never slept, and he needed to know now. The boy would just have to make time.

"Naruto." He said simply to a shop keeper closing for the night.

"Down the road, number 24." The man didn't look back. If he had he most likely would've frozen in fear. 'Everyone hates me.'

The thoughts of possible love had been grating at his sanity for a long time now, since the boy had told him it was possible for him to get some. How? Did he have to do a mission to get it? He'd do anything for it, he needed it. He wanted to know what it was like, he had to feel it.

He opened the door, which was unlocked and began walking towards the bedroom. He knew the boy lived alone but, he began wondering if anyone were with him. The bedroom had clothes all over the floor and a strange smell to it. He looked sullenly at the figure covered under the sheets, then, reaching out, grasped them and flung them back. The boy was going to talk to him and he was going to do it now.

He cocked his head to the side that was before him. Naruto was in the arms of the pale boy Sasuke, his arms curled into fists the pressed again Sasuke's chest, his head in the crook of his shoulder. It looked so…intimate. They both wore undergarments, though Naruto had no shirt and Sasuke had no pants and somehow it felt to him that this was connected with love, this position.

Then they stirred.

Naruto looked up to see a darkly clad boy standing in the moonlit shadows and screamed. "Shit! I didn't lock the door! Sasuke you ass, you see what trying to make a move on me does. That's why I said I don't want sex, you're just too…you're not good for me!"

"Well we didn't have it did we? So stop wining! God, I wanted it but you were all, 'do you love me' and shit. I don't! But I could if you'd just let me fuck you!"

"Love come's first. You don't care for me and I'm a virgin so that's why I said no. Love always comes first."

Gaara found this an opening in the interesting conversation between the boys, as all this time he'd simply been silently staring at them in wonder. "What is love?" he said simply.

Naruto sat up and peered into his face. "It's Gaara of the sand! Hey! What are you doing here? Is something going on in your village eh?"

Gaara shook his head. "The door was unlocked. I want you to tell me what is love. You told me I could get it before. I want to know what it is. No one will tell me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Won't even fuck me." He mumbled under his breath as he pulled on his clothes. "See ya Naruto. I'm gonna check by Kiba. He's always ready for sex."

"Have fun." Naruto said dryly.

He grabbed his pj shirt and slipped it over his head, gesturing for Gaara to sit on the way. " You came all the way here in the middle of the night to ask me what is love?" he said. "That's cool, Dattebayo!"

Gaara remained standing. "It's only 10." He said stiffly.

Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled, making Gaara stiff at the touch. Touch was foreign to him, but here this…this blond was tugging him. He sat down.

"I missed you. How've you been?"

"Depressed."

"…Ok…"

"Please, answer my question. I must know or I fear my soul may disappear."

Naruto sighed. "Love is…caring about someone to the point of wanting to protect them no matter what. It's a feeing. But they're different types of it. The friendship type and the romantic type and the brotherly type."

"Complicated."

"Yeah…"

"So how…how does love feel? How do you know?

Naruto looked over at Gaara, wondering if he were dreaming, or if the red-head was really asking him these questions. "There's a difference between love and lust people often mix up."

"What's lu-"

Gaara was cut of as he felt his body being pushed back unto the bed. And suddenly Naruto was on top of him, doing this funny stroking motion between his legs. He twitched, and felt his member becoming hard. "Wh-what jutsu is this?" he asked tremblingly.

"This is lust. What teenage boy's often feel. You're feeling it for me right now in fact."

Gaara trembled. "My penis…it's painfully erect."

Naruto kept stroking. "Shh, I'm fixing that."

Gaara lay there, eyes wide as Naruto went faster. He tried gripping unto the bed to stop the feeling, the feeling of…pleasure, from taking him over. But he liked it. He widened his legs. Then, as suddenly as he'd started, Naruto stopped. "Don't want to mess up your pants." He said, shrugging.

Gaara let one tiny whimper escape his throat before he gained his composer. "I want you to go on." He said placidly. "Finish stroking my penis in that way. It pleases me."

Naruto blushed crimson at Gaara's forth ward words. "I don't even know why I did it. I just didn't want to explain lust without speaking."

"We can discuss love soon enough. You have made my penis hurt with wanting. Put your had back where it was."

"B-but, it'll mess up your pants. And I don't really know you enough to touch you like that. I've only done it to myself…"

His eyes widened as Gaara lifted his hips and pulled off his pants and boxers, revealing his erect manhood. "Finish your secret jutsu."

Naruto felt himself growing erect just from the side of a surprisingly well-build boy gazing up at him. "How did you know I was gay?" he whispered.

"You smile often."

"Not that way... just…"

"Naruto," Gaara took his small hand and picked up Naruto's, carefully placing it over his organ. "I know nothing of love or love-making or affection, but I do believe I want you to touch me in this way. Please do."

Naruto felt hungry as his eyes ravenously took in Gaara's slender body. "Alright."

5minuteslater5minuteslater5minuteslater5minuteslater5minuteslater5minuteslater5minuteslater

"You are skilled. That jutsu had me captivated." Gaara said, still panting from the ejaculation he'd just had. Naruto blushed. "It's no jutsu. It's called a 'hand job' or 'masturbation'.

Gaara raised his body up. "I see. I enjoyed it."

"Yeah, so about love. You can only get it when you're a friend. You're friends will love you for you and eventually…you will love them too, and the love will grow into more, from friendship love, to brotherly love, to romantic love."

Gaara's bottom lip trembled. He had just finished toweling himself dry and pulling up his pants and was now looking at Naruto with tear-filled eyes. "Naruto." He whispered, reaching out and clutching to the material of Naruto's sleeve. "Naruto…"

"What is it?"

"I…will never find love then." He whispered, wondering why, after so long on his life he had chosen now to cry. The threat of tears was upon him, overcrowding his usually lifeless eyes. "Why?" Naruto sounded almost as upset as he did and be briefly wondered why.

"I have no friends." He murmured. Then he shut his eyes against the hot tears pouring from his eyes. Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh…Gaara."

Gaara had heard of hugs, those warm fuzzy things that took people over. He'd seen them, people clutching to each other for different amounts of time, with different amounts of closeness. But, he'd never felt one, in his whole 13 year old life, not once had he experienced a hug.

Until now.

When Naruto's arms had encircled him, one at the back of his head, as if he were an infant and one firmly around his waist, he nearly let his sand out, wondering if the boy was trying to strangle him or something. "Let it all out." Naruto murmured. And for once he did. There was a lot to be let out.

"Shh, Gaara it's okay. I know how you feel, exactly how you feel. I've felt it too, but I can fix it." He said firmly.

"How?" Gaara said looking up. He would've liked to return the hug to Naruto but he knew not how and didn't want to do it wrong.

"I'll be you're friend." Naruto whispered. "I'll be you're best friend. You only need one. I'll be it for you alright Gaara?"

Gaara blinked and looked down. "Is this what love is?"

Naruto chuckled. "I'm not the best with words, so, just like how I showed you what lust is, I guess I'll do the same with love. Dattebayo."

Garra shook his head. "You're lying." He whispered, pushing Naruto away, and disgustedly wiping his face. "I don't want to get close to you, because I know you'll just hurt me, same as my uncle. You're lying."

"I am not." Naruto said angry at the accusion. "You're the one who just stormed into my house asking about love. I would think that meant you trusted me even in the slightest."

Gaara shook his head. "You…you are just like my uncle. You want to kill me too? You're lying." He got up and made his way to the door, then paused. "Thanks for the handjob." He said shyly. "At least I know about lust."

Then, in a whip of sand he was gone, leaving Naruto to wonder if it had all been a dream.

'No,' he decided. 'My hands are still sticky from touching him.'

To be continued…