Mocking, mocking, in the night,
Go away, you evil sight.
Mutters followed him along his lonely path down the endless boulevard. He almost shut his eyes, trying to will the voices away. It's…
"Look, it's that demon kid."
"I swear, he'll murder us all in our beds someday."
"The Kazekage's tried to get rid of that plague, but it refuses to die!"
"Die? Ha, you've got to be kidding me! I think it's some sort of dead thing, back for vengeance."
"Yeah, it certainly looks dead- those eyes really creep me out!"
Worried mothers shepherded their children away and husbands stood in front of their family, neatly clearing a path for him. Their eyes hooded in suspicion, and a few more sayings were exchanged.
"Really, what's with that gourd?"
"Maybe he carries his cremated remains in that or something. I didn't think a spirit could wander too far from its body…" A few shudders of disgust followed that statement.
The four-year-old boy acted as if he hadn't heard a word of the exchange, but inside he was shaking. What if they tried to jump him, like last time? He just wanted to get home, but they just wouldn't stop talking about him…
Everyone in the market scowled at him, trying to get him moving so business could run as usual. It's just… It's just a…
The scenery shifted slightly, and suddenly, the lane didn't run off toward his house anymore. The street melted into Konoha, right near the Ramen Bar.
The little boy frowned slightly, fluidly growing ten years in the space of seconds. He strode forward now, crossing his arms as his pale emerald eyes flashed. He was getting out of here, if it was the last thing he did…
And he was in Konoha, standing in the middle of the street, as the old village behind him turned into fog and drifted away.
A blonde, blue-eyed, hyper individual popped his head out of the Ramen Bar and grinned at his appearance. "Hey, Gaara," he yelled, completely ignoring the fact that he was but three feet away. "Come and join me, will ya? I'm pretty bored since Iruka-sensei and Kakshi-sensei are off in some important meeting. Sakura's there too, but that's just 'cause she's Tsunade-baba's student."
Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow and joined Naruto in the kitsune vessel's all-time-favorite-place. He pushed though the cloth in front of the bar and grew two years while strolling into the office of the Kazekage. Temari and Kankuro were there, waiting (somewhat impatiently) for his arrival, shifting slightly in his presence.
Temari stepped forward, fingering her fan. "The Hokage send the shinobi you requested, and one extra," she said, frowning. "She said you'd be…pleased…to see him."
The Kazekage turned his head slightly to one side, prompting further explanation just as a receptionist stepped in with a shadowed figure standing behind her. "One Uzumaki Naruto, here to see you, Kazekage, sir," she said smartly. "He said he knew you pretty well…" she let the sentence hang. Not many would claim that, she seemed to say quietly, so I figured he was sincere. He nodded slightly, the figure stepping forward.
Red slit-pupil eyes glared, and a laughing, heavily fanged mouth mocked him. A blur of orange, three whisker-like birthmarks, a shimmering kunai, pain like nothing ever felt before…
Gaara shot up in bed, cursing. He had forgotten that if he let his shields down, no matter how tame Shukaku seemed, it still used him for nightly entertainment.
The flame-haired boy shook his head, sweat flying everywhere, as he thought, It's just a dream… Distant laughter and a fox-like grin mocked his statement, disappearing in a flash of steel.
A/N: OK, people, don't ask where this came from. This has, if you're wondering, no correlation whatsoever to any of my other stories. Boredom is a scary thing…
Oh, yeah. If you're wondering, I am working on a new story with a tentative title of Bloodied Blossom. I'm not QUITE sure that's what I'm gonna call it, but if someone can guess what it's about, the prologue will be dedicated to them…and they'll get a sneak preview! (As long as I get an email address…)
One word (and you know what it is!) REVIEW! Please! Tell me what you think! Feed a starving…uhhh…feed me! Sayonara!