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A/N: This fic is for thatreevesgirl's GaaraNaru Contest.

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of its respective owners. I do not own it, nor do I make any money off of writing fanfiction. Thank you.

Chapter Two: Proposals

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To say they were surprised when they received a letter from the Hokage was an understatement. It was marked urgent and highly important; but why the leader of another ninja village would be sending them such messages, neither knew. It immediately put them on edge.

Kankuro had read the scroll; Gaara sitting across from him at the low table, sipping his tea calmly. The puppet ninja read, his eyes going wide before he crumbled the scroll in his fists. "Dammit," he yelled, throwing it across the room.

It hit the wall, though being paper it was less forceful than the actual energy expended to throw it. Gaara looked at it as it dropped to the ground. If his eyebrows actually existed, they would be raised in surprise and curiosity.

"Get your stuff together, we're going to Konoha," Kankuro said.

He left the room, sliding open a partition door with enough force to pull it from its track. The redhead stood, calmly, and walked over to the scroll.

"Temari's been attacked," Kankuro yelled from the other room.

Gaara's eyes widened and he picked up the scroll. The penmanship was rough, as if it had been scribbled in haste. He straightened out the paper as much as he could and read the same lines his brother had read a second earlier. It was direct and to the point.

While traveling to Konoha, Temari had been attacked by an unknown party, two of which were skilled ninjas. She killed the non-shinobi without a problem, but had more difficulty with the others. Massive damage to the area alerted those in Konoha, but they had arrived too late to see any of the fighting. While neither attacking ninjas were found, there was significant evidence to say that they were both injured quite badly. Temari was found in critical condition; however she was stabilized, thanks to the Hokage who had treated her personally. Now both Kankuro and Gaara were being asked to make the trip to Konoha to wait for her to awaken.

"Let's go," Kankuro said, coming back into the room.

He had Karasu on his back and was waiting impatiently for his brother to stand. "We'll stop by to tell the Kazekage what is going on, and then we leave."

Gaara stood, his gourd forming on his back. Kankuro turned and walked towards the front door. The redhead followed. He didn't have to worry about bringing extra stuff. His elder brother usually kept extra supplies and clothing in Karasu on journeys like this; tucked away so that it wouldn't hinder the puppet if in use.

-----

Shikamaru sat anxiously in the hospital hallway. It was technically quiet hours and he wasn't supposed to be there. However, the staff was lenient with the distraught shinobi and allowed him to stay in the hall if he promised to remain quiet. Naruto they had not been so understanding with and had kicked the exacerbating blond out. The Hokage now was dealing with him as he demanded to be put to use hunting down the people who had attacked Temari.

"This is highly inappropriate," one of the nurses said from their station down the hall. She continued, her voice climbing in octave over frustration. "You may be foreign guests of the Hokage, but this is a hospital and there are rules. You need to wait until morning before you can see a patient."

Shikamaru stood, unfolding himself from the hard plastic chair. He groaned as his muscles cramped from his extended duration of being inactive. He had no doubt who the two foreigners were and that they wouldn't be happy given orders. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants to hide their shaking. He was sure his face was still red and puffy, however.

He turned the corner to see a flash of red hair. Gaara was standing calmly behind his brother. Kankuro was leaning over the desk, both hands firmly planted on top of random magazines the nurse had been reading. Said woman was looking flushed, though not scared in the least bit (most likely from experience of dealing with pushy, worried ninja on a regular basis), as she was forced to be face to face with the painted face of the sand shinobi.

"She's my fuckin' sister, not just some patient; and you're going to let me see her. Do you understand?"

Gaara's attention had turned to Shikamaru as he approached the desk. He motioned to the younger sibling. "They're family," Shikamaru said. "They're coming with me."

The nurse looked over at the lazy nin. She was about to protest, but he held up his hand. "You can either concede or I'll figure out a way to sneak them in. One way or another, they'll see her."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't understand you people, why can't you just wait? It won't help her get better any faster."

The men stayed quiet and after a moment, seeing that they weren't going to back down, the nurse allowed them to pass through. "Just for the record," she called quietly to Shikamaru. "You snuck them in, I didn't allow you by."

He nodded, raising his hand in thanks. Kankuro waited until they turned the corner before speaking, his voice quiet but his tone filled with concern and building stress. "How is she?"

Shikamaru weighed his words carefully before answering. "I--I," he began before shaking his head and starting over. "The Hokage worked on her, so there was no doubt she would survive."

"But...?" Kankuro prodded.

"It took so long and there was no word. For a long time I didn't know she would be okay."

The puppet nin nodded sympathetically, knowing that was how he felt the entire trip there. "But she's okay? The Hokage was able to fix everything, right?"

Shikamaru nodded. "She's expected to make a full recovery, though some of her hair was singed a bit and may take a bit longer to regrow."

"She will be upset," Gaara chimed in.

He was walking behind the two, listening as they talked. There was a slight twitch to his countenance, Shikamaru observed, and he wondered if the redhead had issues with hospitals.

"I doubt she'll be worried about her hair," Kankuro added. "More pissed that she lost to someone. Do we know anything about these guys that attacked?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "The Hokage has been working on it, and Naruto is there to keep her on track. He's demanding to be put on a mission to hunt them down."

"Isn't that better suited for an ANBU?"

The lazy nin looked over at Kankuro. "You're about as close to Naruto as any of us are, even with the distance, you know that when he puts his mind to something there is no way he can stop. He'll get the mission, and he'll succeed. If that's one thing I've learned about him over the years, he's very determined."

Both sand brothers nodded. "The Hokage spoils him," Gaara mumbled under his breath.

They had reached Temari's room. Shikamaru reach for the door handle and pulled it down. The sound of the latch opening seemed to echo in the abandoned halls. He gently pushed the door open; peaking into the room to make sure he wasn't disturbing her. Gaara was less patient, and pushed passed the lazy nin and walked straight into the room. Kankuro and Shikamaru followed after, the latter making sure the door closed quietly behind him.

The redhead looked down at his sister, green eyes carefully assessing his sister's state and making sure that neither Shikamaru nor the Hokage had lied about her status. He seemed satisfied by his own analysis as he turned to the others. Shikamaru had taken a seat in the chair next to the bed. His hands were gently cradling Temari, his thumb caressing the back of her hand.

Kankuro was looking at his sister much the way Gaara had done earlier. She looked much paler than normal. There were some stitches on her neck and lots of bruising on her face. Her jaw on the right side was swollen, but looked like it was in the last stages of healing. She was covered by the ugly, blue weaved blankets of the hospital, so he couldn't see much of the other damage. Her left arm, the opposite arm that Shikamaru was holding, had a light cast on it. They had obviously healed the break but it was being kept in the cast until the bone was strong enough so that further damage wouldn't occur.

"I'm going," Gaara said.

"Where to?" the elder brother asked.

The redhead was already halfway out of the room. His hand was outstretched, reaching for the door. "To find Uzumaki."

Kankuro nodded his head. Shikamaru was muttering to himself: "if the situation was different," he said. "I would feel sorry for the guys who had to face both Naruto and Gaara when determined and irate."

The puppet nin allowed himself a snort of laughter. He walked over to the other wall, noting that Gaara had already left. He grabbed one of the chairs and brought it over to the wall. Karasu had been left at the accommodations the Hokage had given them. He was grateful for that, at least; though he doubted he would be seeing that set of rooms until Temari was gone from this one.

-----

The popping vein in Tsunade's forehead was getting worse. She had done well thus far in dealing with her loudmouth, obnoxious protégé; but the addition of his silent, and brooding friend was getting to be too much.

Naruto was demanding a mission that by all means should be left to one of her ANBU squads and Gaara's presence was all that was needed to know that the Sand siblings wanted some stake in it as well. She had already received a message from the Kazekage that Kankuro and Gaara were to be included in any mission to find the perpetrators. The Hokage wouldn't deny them that right anyway.

"Listen, you brats," she finally cracked. "I can't send you on a mission when it isn't suitably prepared for."

"What are you talking about? You send me on blind missions all the time. You know I can handle them!" the exuberant blond countered.

"I know you do, but these people are skilled and obviously organized. There is something more going on that we're not aware of. I sent out a couple of scouts for a preliminary recon. Once I'm sure where to begin, and possibly what we're dealing with, then a mission will be drawn. I will call you," she said, motioning to Gaara. "When I know the details. You and your brother will be onboard with any mission that we send out."

The redhead nodded, though the blond was less than pleased. "What about me? You can't just leave me out."

"I can," she said. "And with that attitude I certainly will."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but she brought up a fist and pointed it right towards him. "If you don't watch it, /Uzumaki/, I'll have you back to babysitting genin by the end of the day."

He stood from his chair, looking down at the Hokage. His face was blank, void of all emotions except his eyes that were shining with the resigned passion he was well known for. Gaara eventually stood from his seat. He had said nothing during the meeting, just various gestures to know that he was onboard. He allowed his blond counterpart to speak for him; he was more practiced at it.

Walking next to his friend, Gaara grabbed Naruto's hand. The blond jumped, looking over to Gaara with wide eyes. He didn't pull away though. He had little doubt that Gaara didn't understand the true meaning of the physical contact he had initiated. It was just Gaara trying to be supportive, in whatever way he could think of.

"He will come with us," Gaara stated as if it was a fact he could decide will all the power of the universe.

Tsunade looked at both young men, then at their joined hands. She blinked a few more times before sitting back in her chair. "You two leave now. I'll inform you when I get word."

Confusion wiped over Naruto's face. He turned to look at Gaara, who just shrugged. They both turned, hands dropping, and left the office. The blond cast a worried glance back to the Hokage before he reached back and closed the door.

The busty woman in question was rubbing her temples. She already had too much on her plate with this new attack to begin thinking on what exactly Naruto's relationship was with the Suna redhead. "Hey, Shizune," she called out.

Her assistant walked in, Tonton in her arms. "Yes?"

"Naruto's straight, right?"

The slender woman looked surprised at the question. She nodded, warily. "I think so. I mean, the last few people he asked on dates were all women."

"What happened with them?" Tsunade asked, a bit surprised to learn he had been interested in anyone, much less had tried to approach them.

"They all turned him down. It seems some of the old prejudices are still thriving strongly within the younger generations."

The Hokage's shoulders slumped. The same issue was one of the things that was preventing Naruto's ultimate dream. The council was still watching him carefully, looking for reason to strip him of his rights for being a ninja; even to show that he had lost control of the Kyuubi enough to lock him away, or worse, have him destroyed. It was something Tsunade worked hard to overcome, though he didn't make it easy for himself, sometimes.

"Though, I suppose..."Shizune said.

She had put down Tonton and sat down in front of the older woman. Tsunade motioned for her to continue. "Well, there were always rumors that the Uchiha heir and Naruto had something a bit more than just a friendly rivalry."

"Uchiha? Sasuke?"

Shizune nodded.

"That figures," Tsunade huffed.

He was another one of her ninja that wasn't on her good list at the moment. The impertinent little brat had become even more arrogant with age and his teammates were beginning to complain. As a ninja, Sasuke was a valued member of one of Konoha's best ANBU squads. As a person, he was a little shit and only the most thick-skinned could deal with. So basically, Naruto. Even Sakura, as she was, couldn't handle Sasuke's attitude all the time. Naruto only seemed to take it as a challenge. But so was the nature of their relationship.

"Is there a reason you asked?" Shizune asked, bringing the Hokage out of her thoughts.

"Not really, just that Gaara and he looked a little bit too comfortable with each other."

"Are you sure you just weren't misinterpreting things?"

Tsunade looked at the younger woman. "They were holding hands," she answered, deadpan

Shizune giggled, her hand covering her mouth. "Well are you sure Gaara even knows what that means? He's pretty dense when it comes to /normal/, human things."

Tsunade turned her chair around to look out the windows. The sky was beginning to brighten with the morning sun and the birds were beginning to take to the air. "I have a feeling," she said. "That Gaara isn't as dense as he likes people to think. If anything, he's good at observing people; and while he may not to figure out exactly why things are done the way they are, he can probably figure out the significance of certain actions."

She turned back around to look at the other woman. "In fact," she said. "I'm willing to bet he knows exactly what he's doing."

Shizune sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. Bets with Tsunade never went well.

"The issue is, will Naruto be able to figure out how to handle the attention," she finished.

"Are you planning on playing matchmaker now?"

Tsunade sat up and looked over to the door. Jiraiya stood there, taking up the entire doorway with his girth. He almost laughed at her eager expression.

"In the morning," he said. "You need sleep."

"No, now. I'm the Hokage, you can't order me around."

Jiraiya pointedly ignored her. He looked over at Shizune and greeted her politely. "You'll have to excuse us," he said in a tone he reserved only for his very rare serious moments. "But she really needs her sleep."

Tsunade stood, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "The news is that bad then?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Rest some, and then I'll give you a full report."

"Can I at least have some word on what might be expected...?"

"This is going to be a long mission."

-----

It was awkward, to say the least. Gaara stood in the tiny apartment looking around. From the doorway there was a small kitchenette to his right that connected with a living room/dining room combo. From the living room a door opened up into a small, slightly disheveled bedroom and a tiny bathroom. It wasn't particularly messy in there, but it wasn't necessarily clean either.

"Um," Naruto said.

He brought his right hand up to scratch the back of his head. "It's not much, I'm afraid. You're welcome to the bed though; I don't sleep there too often actually. The couch...well, it needs to be trashed. The springs are poking through and it gets uncomfortable."

"I don't sleep," Gaara reminded him.

"Oh yeah...er, well then, do you mind if I do?"

The redhead shook his head. Naruto sighed. He walked over to Gaara and shut the door behind him. He looked at him sheepishly before turning towards the bedroom. "You're welcome to anything I have, though it's not a lot."

Gaara nodded, though the other man couldn't see it. He could hear Naruto rummaging around in the bedroom and he moved to see what the room looked like. His eyes widened as he watched the blond strip out of his shirt and throw it over to a hamper. His pants and boxers followed next. A pair of pajama pants was lying on the bed. He reached for the orange material and pulled them up over slender hips.

All of this Gaara watched without any care for propriety. It was actually one of the concepts he never really understood, nor cared to display himself. It seemed Naruto didn't care either, as he was certain the blond was aware that he was watching.

"So um," he said, turning around. "I'm going to sleep some. Wake me up if any word comes, for the mission or about Temari."

The other man nodded. Naruto, satisfied that Gaara would alert him if necessary, headed over to the closet. When opened, the closet didn't look very deep but if you stepped in slightly and looked to the right, you saw that it ran parallel to the wall for several feet, making it almost equal size to the bathroom. At the back of the closet Naruto had stashed several large blankets and pillows.

Gaara watched as the blond disappeared into the closet. Again he followed to see inside the tiny area. Naruto was bedding down for the night, making himself comfortable in what could be described as nothing but a makeshift den.

"Why?" Gaara asked.

Naruto looked up, his blue eyes beginning to disappear behind his lids. "It just feels safer."

The redhead watched as Naruto curled up tighter and drifted off to sleep, obviously comfortable with Gaara being in his apartment without any other supervision.

He moved deeper into the closet until he was at the edge of the bedding. He may not sleep, but the Suna ninja knew the power of deep meditation; it simulated sleep and yet kept him conscious enough to control Shikaku if needed. Curling around the other boy, Gaara relaxed his mind.

Now all he had to do was think of a good excuse to explain his being wrapped around Naruto when the blond awoke.

-----

"Those fuckin' cowards."

Shikamaru was startled out of his sleep. His head shot up from where it was resting on the bed in front of him, looking around. Kankuro, who looked to have fallen asleep in his chair as well, jumped up from his seat. They both looked over to the bed to see Temari sitting up and pulling the tubes from her arms.

"Temari," Kankuro said, the relief evident in his voice. "You're alright!"

"Of course I am, dumbass. Now help me get out of here."

"The Hokage wants you stay in bed," Shikamaru spoke up.

Both he and Kankuro were trying to push her back down into the bed.

"Like hell!"

The nurses came into the room, being alerted that something was wrong when she began to pull out all the tubes. They too were trying to get her to lie back down.

"Temari," Shikamaru growled. "Lie. The fuck. Back. Down."

The blonde woman looked over at her boyfriend, shocked at what he said just as much as the harsh tone he had used. With the distraction, the nurses and Kankuro were able to get her laid back and they immediately began reinserting the tubes.

"Excuse me?" She said, more than just a little angry with Shikamaru.

He, however, cut her off before she could get so very angry with him. "You almost died," he said. "So please rest and let those of us who love you the peace of mind to know you're healing well."

The couple blushed at his words, and Shikamaru was trying hard not to look at the snickering Kankuro. "I--I almost died? But I feel fine now," she said.

"The Hokage worked on you personally."

Temari looked over to her brother, glad to see him there. "Gaara?" she asked.

"Went to the Hokage tower with Naruto a while ago, they're trying to get a mission going to find the guys who did this to you."

"Go get him," she said, before amended. "Both of them."

Kankuro nodded, understanding she wanted time alone with her boyfriend. He left, with her promise that she would rest, and dragged the nurses with him.

"So," she smiled at Shikamaru. It was devious and the lazy nin was more than a bit nervous. "You love me, huh? That's the first time your lazy ass admitted to that."

She was surprised when he dropped down to his knees, his whole body shaking. He buried his face into the blankets as tears erupted freely from his eyes. Everything that he had been trying to hold in since he had seen her bloody and mangled body brought into the hospital earlier.

His unease that this was all a dream lightened a bit as he felt her thread her fingers through his hair, now partially unbound thanks to his restless night's sleep, and begin combing it.

"You're still such a crybaby," she said, softly and with affection.

He smiled into the blankets before turning his head to the side to look up at her with his right cheek still against the bed. "And yet you love me for it," he whispered.

She nodded. "And you love me."

Inhaling, Shikamaru pushed up so he could look at her. He reached one hand back to his pants pocket. "Well at least my breakdown served one good purpose."

"Oh?"

He brought his other hand up. He uncurled his hand to reveal a velvet box resting in the palm. "It means I don't have to get down on my knee to do this," he whispered.

Temari inhaled sharply, looking at him with wide eyes. Her breath quickened and the machines to her left were buzzing as her heartbeat increased.

"Temari," he said slowly, only partially looking at her. "Will you marry me?"

-----

...TBC...

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