Hello,

So, here it is. The last installment to this story. Thanks to all those who reviewed, and I took your advice to heart and made this story into a two-shot. Hopefully, this will explain a lot of things. Sorry it took me forever to put this out, but with school and my other fic, I didn't have any time. Now, on with the story.

- The Book of Counted Sorrows

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor will I in the foreseeable future. Honestly, if I owned Naruto, do you think I would be wasting my time with fanfics? ;)

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When I Look At You (2)

Neji watched his love as he slept. The rise and fall of the muscled chest fascinated him to no end; every breath intrigued him. Unable to quench his need to touch the other, Neji laid his left hand on Gaara's rising chest. As the red-head exhaled, he felt his hand slowly descend. It thrilled him.

How such a simple act as breathing could fill him with joy, he could not guess. He doubted he would be as fascinated had it been anyone else. But this was Sabaku no Gaara, the youngest Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand, once the vessel of the biju Shukaku, and wielder of the deadly weapon: chakra-infused sand…and keeper of his heart.

The Hyuuga continued to watch him as he slept. He couldn't think of anything else he would rather be doing at the moment…well maybe not anything.

But soon enough Gaara slowly opened his eyes to the waking world leaving behind the world of dreams, a world he had never visited as the vessel of the demon Shukaku.

As always, Neji watched as his eyes fluttered for a second before he fully awoke, instantly alert to the world around him.

Gaara turned teal eyes on him, and Neji couldn't help but smile as his lover's eyes misted slightly but filled with happiness—they were together again.

"Did you sleep well?" Neji asked the red-head, but his smile soon faded as Gaara continued to stare at him, unfazed by his question.

"How?" was the single world he uttered as he looked into lavender eyes; eyes that quickly turned away from him when he asked the inevitable question.

Silence hovered between them for a minute, both unwilling to break it.

Neji was sitting on the bed, his back turned away from the red-head. His body like Gaara's was clad in snug silk black boxers.

Neji ran a hand through his long locks and sighed as he turned toward the shorter male.

"Luck," was the single word he uttered as his lavender eyes met teal. "Luck and intervention from the most unlikely source."

Still uncomfortable about the entire subject, Neji shifted his eyes away from Gaara and instead chose to look at the rumpled sheets on the bed. Gaara instantly recognized his unease and let Neji takes his time before beginning his tale. He wished he could ease Neji's discomfort and take back his question, but he desperately needed to know the details of his miraculous return from the dead.

He had grieved for three months, three months of heartache, three months of unimaginable pain…he needed to know.

"That day," Neji began in a low and steady voice, "the shinobi at the border spotted two figures clad in black robes with red clouds outlined in white…they were Akatsuki," Neji gritted out as his fist clenched automatically.

Gaara shifted his eyes from Neji's façade to his fisted hand, but said nothing at the Hyuuga's display of anger, and instead allowed Neji to tell the story at his own pace.

He remembered reading the report. The sand shinobi at the border had immediately sent an urgent message to him as soon as they recognized the two Akatsuki members. After receiving and reading the urgent message, he had immediately headed out to Suna's borders accompanied with a large number of his Jonin. He was ready to defend his village, his shinobi, and most of all his loved ones.

"When I received the news, I was already in the outskirts of Sunagakure training," Neji continued, bringing Gaara's thoughts back to the male beside him.

The Hyuuga turned toward him and pulled him onto his lap. After settling the red-head onto his lap, Neji ran his hand through blood-red locks before he continued.

"Having already fought one of their members before, I knew the border shinobi would need all the help they could get and immediately set off; ready to lend my strength. It wasn't long before I reached one of the posts and immediately caught up with all the happenings. It seemed they had identified one of the Akatsuki members…it was Deidara."

Neji stopped for a second before he continued on. "Though they informed me that the two missing nin's weren't trying to enter Sand Country, I couldn't take the chance…not with your life," Neji said as his arms around the younger male tightened, clearly remembering the consequences of the blondes last entrance into Sunagakure.

Gaara tried to turn around in order to face Neji but the taller male wouldn't let go of him, so he gave up and just spoke. "Neji, I am no longer the vessel of Shukaku. I wasn't in danger," the red-head tried to reason.

"Y-O-U D-I-E-D!" Neji gritted out, barely restraining himself from outright yelling. "I was there fighting Kisame with the rest of my team. So don't you dare tell me you weren't in danger! I wasn't going to let him take you away a second time!" Neji spat out, breath quickening as he lost the battle to keep his calm.

Ever so gently, Gaara placed his hand on Neji's arm, slowly pushing it away so the older male would loosen his hold. Understanding what the red-head wanted, Neji relaxed his arms and watched as Gaara turned around, straddling his hips as he faced him. Without saying a word, the Kazekage slowly lowered his head and captured the older male's lips in a sweet kiss. Neither deepened the kiss, instead drew it out, each taking comfort in the sweet gesture. When Gaara finally pulled back, he locked his eyes with Neji's own. "What happened next?" he asked Neji, though he already knew.

"I went after him," Neji whispered. "I was no longer the inexperienced Jonin I was when I first faced Akatsuki. I was strong enough to face them as an equal in battle…So, I went after him never once considering his own growth over the years, or his partner—I was blinded by my emotions…Had I faced either in a one-to-one battle, I would have won, but together they were stronger than me…"

Gaara's eyes misted over with unshed tears as he remembered what happened next—it was branded in his memory for all time.

Not one of the Jonin under his command was able to match his speed; thus, he had been the first to arrive to the border where he was immediately informed of Neji's actions. Without a second thought, Gaara instantly went after him, using all of his chakra to increase his speed…but he had been too late.

The heated battle had moved out of Suna's borders and deep into Rain Country. Neji had heavily injured the blonde Akatsuki member and had most likely killed his partner—he just didn't know it yet. The Akatsuki member had taken a full out attack from his improved gentle fist technique; the damage he had done to his organs was un-repairable.

Far in the distance, next to a rushing river, Gaara was able to make out three figures in the midst of battle, and he saw as Deidara's partner used an unknown jutsu trapping an exhausted Neji high in the air. Without hesitation, he immediately sent his sand ahead, but again he was too late.

He watched as Neji used the last of his chakra to break free of the trap. Too exhausted to move, the Hyuuga fell to the ground at an increasing rate. Still miles away, Gaara screamed out in horror as he watched Deidara deliver the final blow. Creating two sharp spears from his clay, the blonde Akatsuki member hurled the twin spears at an incredible speed at Neji's falling form. Depleted of chakra, Neji was unable to dodge the deadly attack, and so, Gaara became a witness to his death as the twin spears ripped through muscle and sinew, hurling his body at an incredible speed into the rushing waterway.

His sand was unable to save his love.

"I fell in battle," Neji whispered, ashamed of his loss. "After the two spears pierced my body, I felt a blinding pain and didn't even notice as my body hit the water at top speed. The rushing water immediately dragged my body down…for a few moments I felt as if I wasn't going to make it. The pain was incredible and the water flung my limp form into every obstruction on the bottom of the river until I couldn't tell which way was up and which was down."

"Neji," Gaara whispered as a lone tear ran down his cheek.

Reaching out with his right-hand, Neji wiped the tear away from the soft cheek, offering the suffering red-head a gentle smile before he continued on with his tale.

"I don't know how long I was underwater, but through nothing but luck, I was able to break though the surface and take my first breath. The spears had long dissolved in the water. I don't know how long I stayed afloat before I was once again sucked under. And like before, I managed to reach the surface. I don't know how long I struggled in the rushing water but after what seemed like an eternity, I felt the water begin to speed up at an exponential rate and I realized I was nearing a waterfall…I knew I could never survive it."

Stopping his tale, Neji ran his right-hand through Gaara's red locks, while his other hand skimmed his soft porcelain skin. "You were the only thought in my mind as I felt my body go over the roaring waterfall. I knew I had heavily injured Deidara and it was only a matter of time before his partner succumbed to his injuries. Knowing you were safe, I embraced death….I had no regrets."

This time, Gaara's tears didn't stop as his small form trembled from suppressed grief.

"I should never have stopped looking for you," Gaara sobbed out. "I'm sorry, I-I'm s-orr-y," he murmured through his grief and self-loathing. How could he have given up on the one person he loved on this earth?

"Shhh, little love," Neji cooed out as he wiped away the river of tears from the lily soft skin. "You have nothing to be sorry about. Please don't cry…your ripping my heart out with your tears…Shhh."

After much coaxing, Gaara finally stopped blaming himself. But Neji had yet to finish, now more than ever he needed to know what had happened.

"What happened afterwards?" a calm and collected Gaara asked him.

"Deidara."

"What do you mean?" the shorter male asked in confusion.

"I was unconscious when it happened, but apparently, as he was flying on one of his winged creations, Deidara spotted me and caught me just before I hit the jagged rocks at the base of the waterfall. All I remember is waking up in a dark cave, chakra binds on both my arms and legs. He told me that after delivering that final blow, his partner had succumbed to his injuries, and at the same time he spotted you not too far away. Having fought you before, he knew he had no chance of surviving if you engaged him in combat, so with all other options closed to him, he retreated. He was actually surprised you didn't chase after him, or commanded some of the Jonin to capture him. In his current state, he was no match for them.

Flashback

Tied down on the damp floor with chakra bindings, an incapacitated Neji stared daggers at the blonde Akatsuki member in front of him. "Why did you save me?" the prisoner growled out.

Playing with his clay, it took Deidara a moment before he answered. "For my own benefit, I assure you, hmph." Putting his clay aside, the blonde nin scooted closer to his prisoner and looked at him closely almost in scrutiny.

Neji's normally calm lavender eyes were filled with hate as he stared back at Deidara's blunt gaze. "What?!" the Hyuuga yelled out.

Deidara smiled, "I was just wondering why your eyes are filled with hate every time you look at me? Why did you attack Tobi and me head on? Are you suicidal or something?" Deidara asked him. When the leaf shinobi in front of him had engaged them in a direct attack without any back-up whatsoever, he and Tobi had been more than a bit astonished. But what surprised the blonde even more was the nin's obvious target. The leaf shinobi was clearly targeting him and had only attacked Tobi in order to get him out of the way. Deidara had been shocked seeing as he had never seen the leaf shinobi in his life. Why did he want him dead?

Deidara was curious by nature and often let his curiosity get the best of him, so when he saw the leaf nin nearing the powerful waterfall, he had rescued him from almost certain death.

"I won't let you hurt Gaara again!" Neji spat out.

Deidara cocked his head to the side. Gaara? Searching his memory for such a name, he suddenly remembered. "You mean the one-tailed biju. The Jinchuuriki?" Deidara asked in clear confusion. "Why would I hurt him?"

"You killed him once before, I wasn't about to let you have another chance." Neji spat out.

Deidara laughed, a belly laugh that started at the pit of his stomach and made its way up until it spilled out in jubilant chuckles.

Neji looked at the missing nin in anger, but could do nothing but wait until his laughter subsided.

Wiping his tears away, Deidara patted Neji's head, and received a low growl in return. "Let me get this straight," Deidara began, trying to control another giggle fit. "You engaged Tobi and me, in a direct attack no less, knowing we were both Akatsuki members? And not only that, but you attacked us without any support because I captured that Jinchuuriki a few years ago. Even knowing their was about a one in a million chance that we were after— what his name again?...Oh, yes— Gaara?...Are all Konoha shinobi this stupid, or are you just special?" Deidara teased him.

Neji said nothing and simply glared at him.

Deidara sighed, and ran a hand down his face. He was exhausted. "You killed my partner you know that," he casually told Neji. "That's my second partner you Konoha brats have killed off. Now what am I going to tell the boss when I return?" he asked himself out-loud. Shifting his eyes toward his prisoner once again, Deidara saw the rage-filled eyes directed at him. "You must be head-over heels for that Jinchuuriki to throw your life away in such a manner," Deidara told him in a somber voice.

Neji's eyes widened in shock. How did he know?

Deidara caught sight of his shocked face and chuckled. "Don't act so surprised, it's all over your face. Besides, now I won't have to kill you. You should be happy."

Neji eyes turned from shock to confusion. "Your going to let me live? Why?" he asked in suspicion.

"It's obvious your feelings toward him are returned with equal intensity. Why else would that Jinchuuriki completely forgotten about me, a member of Akatsuki, the same member that attacked his village and captured him in order to remove the one-tailed biju? Why would he choose one shinobi over his duty as Kazekage?...When I last fought him, his duty as Kazekage came first to him, even before his own life. But it seems his loyalty has shifted since then…You are indebted to me, both of you."

End Flashback

"He kept me alive—barely. We moved around every time the search party neared our location, and he waited until you called off the search, which to his annoyance took longer than he had anticipated. After the search was officially canceled, he kept me for another week before he left me in a small town in the outskirts of Waterfall Country where an old couple took me in. It took me another two weeks before I was healthy enough to travel. I made my way back to Sunagakure…back to you," Neji told the red-head before he captured his lips in a kiss.

After they pulled away from lack of air, Gaara stayed silent. What could he say? But he had to say something. "Two of his partners have been killed at the hands of young Konoha shinobi, with some help from Suna as was the case with Sakura and Chiyo. He knows Akatsuki is not as invincible as he once thought…he knows they might not survive the war they've waged against the five shinobi countries. How could he not? So he's covering every possible outcome of this war," Gaara assessed. Neji nodded, in agreement.

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They stayed in bed well past noon, simply basking in each other's presence, all thoughts of the outside world banished from their thoughts as they re-learned each other's body, every slope and curve was explored until their wasn't an inch of each other they hadn't yet touched, kissed.

However, such indulgence couldn't last forever, which they were quickly reminded of when they heard Kankuro and Temari's voices outside Gaara's chamber. They were pounding on the door, clearly worried over their little brother's absence.

"Gaara, are you okay?" Temari yelled from behind door as she launched one of her wind attacks in an attempt to blast the door open. In any other case her attack would have worked without a flaw, but Gaara's sand kept the door from budging much to Temari's annoyance.

"Gaara you can't mope around all day. You have a duty to this village as Kazekage. Gaara! Are you listening to me!" Temari yelled.

Silence was her only response.

Now she was becoming worried. Was Gaara ok? Why did he lock himself in his chamber? Why wasn't he answering her?

"Gaara," Kankuro yelled out, "if you don't remove your sand, we're going to blast this door open. Do you hear me?"

Again no answer. "Damn it!" Kankuro cursed as he readied himself to attack, next to him, Temari did he same. Behind them stood a group of Jonin who were worried over their Kazekage's behavior.

However, just before they launched their attack, they heard as the sand began to withdraw, and a few seconds later the chamber's door slowly began to open. Both siblings sighed in relief, until they saw the figure that opened the door.

"You don't know how thankful I am that such brash behavior doesn't run in the family," Neji said as he stood in the open door-way clad in a white Kimono. Every shinobi outside the Kaze's chamber stood in shock at the site of the ninja everyone had assumed was long dead.

"N-N-eji," Temari whispered as her wide eyes took in the sight of the male.

"Yes, I'm alive, and it seems that I've been keeping the Kazekage preoccupied for longer than I thought."

"We thought you were dead," Kankuro murmured. Neji shifted his attention to Gaara's older brother, "By all rights I should be. I'll tell you what happened at a later time, but for now, I would just like to spend some time with your brother."

Temari was the first to get her wits about her, and practically shoved Neji back inside Gaara's chamber and gave everyone strict orders not to disturb them.

Her shining blue eyes were filled with psychotic glee when she turned to Kankuro, and in a cheerful voice she told him to get his butt back to work. Apparently, the Kazekage was going to be busy all day, and couldn't be bothered with paperwork, or any other small detail that popped up.

So the day continued on, ending a lot more boisterous than anyone had anticipated.

The next day, Gaara returned to his duties, a smile on his face for the first time in months. The days events ran smoothly, filled with happiness and joy. The sand shinobi began to make-up any excuse to pass by the Kazekage's office in order to hear their leader's tinkling laughter. They were happy their Kazekage had returned to them—he was no longer a mere shell, but fully alive once again.

And when they found out about the Hyuuga's plan, they all came up to Neji volunteering their services. Apparently, the secret that Neji had been keeping from Gaara before the disastrous turn of events and the reason for his odd behavior as well as his resignation as Konoha's Ambassador all stemmed from his decision to ask for Gaara's hand in marriage.

Not knowing how to go about asking his siblings, much less how to ask Gaara, Neji took to meditating for longer hours. He had written home and asked Hiashi for both of his parent's wedding rings. It had been this item, tucked inside a velvet black box that he had hidden away from Gaara's sight when the shorter male had unexpectedly transported himself into their chamber. Furthermore, he couldn't ask Gaara to give up his position as Kazekage, so he had given up his position as a leaf shinobi; thus, he could no longer be Konoha's Ambassador.

A week after Neji's miraculous return and after the enormous party Temari had had insisted on having, things had returned to normal. Neji thought it was the perfect time to ask Gaara to marry him—he had already asked and received approval from his older siblings. All he needed to do now was ask Gaara himself. Though he knew Gaara would most likely accept, there was still a possibility that the red-head might turn him down; thus, his unease.

As he was planning the best way to ask Gaara, several sand shinobi, including Kankuro and Temari had volunteered to help. He was grateful for their help…that is until Temari took over the entire event.

Neji had wanted a candlelit dinner, a single rose in the middle of the table and romantic music playing in the background. After dessert, he planned to get on one knee, and pop the question. However, once Temari got involved his plans for a small and intimate atmosphere were completely thrown out the window.

His candlelit dinner turned into a full out banquet, with a menu to match. The soft romantic music tinkling in the background turned into an orchestra, and his one single rose transformed into a shower of both red and white petals. By the time Temari was done planning Neji was a complete wreck. How could he ask Gaara to marry him in front of practically the entire village?

Indifferent to the bout of nerves that suddenly struck the Hyuuga, Temari ordered the preparations to go on as planned. So, on the day he was supposed to pop the question, dozens of shinobi distracted the Kazekage, keeping him in his office longer than normal. All the while, dozens of other shinobi scrambled to get all the preparations done on time. This would not have been so difficult if they didn't have to be extremely quiet, lest the Kazekage hear them and do some investigating. So, the day dragged on: Kankuro sneaking the orchestra in under Gaara's nose, Temari ordering everyone around, and Neji pacing back and forth in his chambers as his nerves increased. At one point he even went up to Temari telling her to call the entire thing off, he didn't think he could go through with it. However, after dragging the Hyuuga away to "calm him down" a cheerful Temari returned with a still nervous Hyuuga, except this time he wasn't complaining. At dusk, the preparations were finally completed, and none too soon because it seemed Gaara was tired of being kept in his office all day and was heading to the dining room where Kankuro had informed him Neji was waiting for him.

Thus, Gaara made his way to the dining room. He knew something was going on, what with all the things that had gone wrong all day. Every time he thought he was finished for the day another of his shinobi walked in with yet another urgent report that needed his immediate attention. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn they had done it on purpose since most of the "urgent" reports could have waited until the next day. And now, the same ninja who had occupied him all day were now following him to the dining room. Something was definitely going on.

Inside the dining room were almost a hundred people; each waiting for their Kazekage's arrival. They couldn't wait to see his face when they surprised him. All too soon, the door to the dining room began to open and in stepped Gaara.

When Gaara entered the dining room, he was astonished to find the room filled to the brim with his shinobi and various other people from the village. "What's going on?" he asked to no one in particular, but a shower of flower petals was his only answer courtesy of Temari. As the soft petals rained down on him, Gaara looked at the people in total confusion, but before he could repeat his question the crowd in front of him began to part to reveal a long-haired male. "Neji?" Gaara questioned as the older male, dressed in a white Kimono, walked toward him, a black velvet box in his right-hand.

Everyone stood quiet and simply watched as the Hyuuga walked up to the Kazekage. They couldn't wait.

Neji forgot all about everyone in the large room and placed all his focus on the teal-eyed male in front of him. When he was a few feet away, he dropped down on one knee and flicked open the box to reveal a set of simple yet elegant rings. Looking up at Gaara's wide and surprised eyes, Neji smiled; all traces of his nerves gone. "Will you marry me?" he asked in a clear crisp voice.

For a moment Gaara couldn't say anything. The world had narrowed to only he and Neji, and after another few moments passed by the enormity of the situation finally hit him.

Still on one knee, Neji was beginning to get worried. Why hadn't Gaara answered? Did he want to marry him? But, before he lost himself to his own doubts, he was thrown to the floor as Gaara literally threw himself on him. The red-head's momentum brought the two to the floor, where Gaara began to apply butterfly kisses all over his face. "Yes," he said in between his kisses.

Hearing his answer, Neji immediately became ecstatic and switched their positions so that he was on top and captured Gaara's lips in a kiss that was anything but chaste.

"Ahem…" a voice interrupted them. "People here are waiting to congratulate your engagement, so if you two could hold off for a minute we can get this party started," Temari said.

Getting the message, Neji immediately got off Gaara and offered him a hand.

So, the rest of the night was spent in merriment as a line of people came to congratulate the newly engaged couple.

That night Neji and Gaara celebrated their engagement in their own way.

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Two years later

"Sakura, Sai, Kankuro and Ten-Ten have taken down two members. Over," Kakashi reported through his electronic equipment as he followed his nin dogs to Naruto and Sasuke's scent.

"Copy that," Shikamaru answered on the other line. "Temari and I have deactivated all the traps in the east and south end of the cave. We're heading toward the western side right now. Over."

"Contact me if you run into trouble. Over," Kakashi told him.

"Understood. Over," Shikamaru answered as he and Temari found yet another trap, cleverly hidden inside the bedrock.

It had been two years since Neji's miraculous return from the land of the dead, and the inexperienced Jonin from both Konoha and Suna had grown powerful, surpassing their sensei's expectations.

They were now ready to launch a final attack on Akatsuki. So, a team of the greatest shinobi that both Suna and Konoha had to offer was assembled. Lead by both the Kazekage and Hokage, the attack was launched.

A solemn voice cracked through Kakashi's microphone, "I've taken care of Itachi, and Naruto has finished off Kisame," Sasuke said without any hint of emotion.

"Copy that," was all Kakashi said. Though he wanted to say something more, now was not the time.

"Have you heard from Gaara and Neji?" Naruto's voice came out from the mike.

"No. The last time I had contact with them they said they were entering a room in the northern side of the cave. Over," Kakashi informed the blonde.

"Understood. Over and out," Naruto said from the other line.

Inside a torch lit room Neji and Gaara faced a blonde Akatsuki member.

"So, it seems I made the right choice in keeping you alive, hmph," Deidara said, addressing Neji.

Neji glared at the Akatsuki member in front of him and was about to launch his attack when Gaara's hand stopped him.

Surprised by Gaara's action, Neji flicked questioning eyes toward him.

Gaara ignored his inquiry, and instead grabbed his mike and spoke into it. "We've disposed of Deidara."

A few seconds later, Kakashi's voice broke through the silence, "Copy that. That's our last target. We'll re-group at location A."

"Understood," Gaara said before turning off his mike.

Neji looked at him in shock, but Gaara never took his eyes off Deidara. "Our debt is repaid."

Deidara nodded.

"Use the northern side of the cave to escape. If another shinobi spots you, we will not intervene," Gaara warned the blonde.

Deidara smiled. "Understood." He turned around and was about to make his way out, when he suddenly turned around to face them once again, "Congratulations," he said with a goofy smile plastered on his face as his eyes crinkled with mirth as though it was a big reunion. Seeing their shocked faces, Deidara chuckled, "The matching rings," he pointed out in explanation.

With those last words, Deidara ran down the hall and toward safety.

Everyone had gathered at the designated location. Tsunade, Sakura and the other medic nins were checking on the injured, while Kakashi and Kankuro were making sure everyone was accounted for.

A few minutes passed before Tsunade, accompanied by Hinata, walked up to Neji and asked him to check the cave and the land beyond to see if, by chance, an Akatsuki member had made it out.

Over the years, the range of Neji's Byakugan had increased tenfold and he could see beyond any Hyuuga member ever dreamed of. Unable to decline the reasonable request Neji, along with Hinata, activated his Byakugan and searched the cave and the land beyond. He searched meticulously, through every crook and crevice. Satisfied that the cave was indeed devoid of all life, Neji searched the land beyond. For a long time he searched until he reached the range of his vision. But then, he saw him—Deidara. He watched him until he passed the range of his vision.

Deactivating his blood-limit, Neji turned to Tsunade—next to her stood Gaara. He looked at Gaara and the red-head knew he had spotted the blonde Akatsuki member. Gaara shrugged telling him to do as he wished. The debt was already repaid, they owed him nothing more.

"What did you see?" Tsunade asked him having already interrogated Hinata since her range was not as far as Neji's and had thus finished her search before him.

"The cave was devoid of life, and aside from a few animals, the land beyond was empty as well."

Tsunade nodded, and left the Hyuuga alone and returned to her patients.

Gaara walked up to him, and the two of them transported to a nearby stream. Neji held Gaara close as the two watched the setting sun from the bank of the river. As the sun sank making way for the moon, Neji noticed as the sun's last strays reflected off Gaara's ring. Bringing his own matching ring to the light, Neji felt a flood of happiness.

He had everything he could ever want, and now, the last threat to their happiness had just been abolished.

Neji turned to Gaara and whispered in his ears words of love and devotion. Gaara shuddered as Neji's lips made their way away from his ear and down his jaw. His expert lips soon reached a lush mouth and immediately took of its bounty. Gaara surrendered to the moment as Neji lifted him off the ground his legs instinctively wrapping around him. And so they spent the night together under the glittering stars, basking in their love.

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So, there it is. Hope you all liked it.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.