This is another one of my poem stories, so I'll say this right now. THIS IS ONLY A ONE-SHOT! I appreciate that people like my other stories/poems, but multi-chapter fics are not my thing. I lose interest fast. Umm, this poem is actually a dedication to Dusk-Blood Ninja-Monkey Heart. HE needed some support and I felt it right to write about this topic just for him. I would not appreciate any flames on this topic…Mostly because I would simply roast marshmallows over them. XP! This isn't a yaoi regardless of the pairing rating. It's more of a shonen-ai. For those of you who don't like yaoi or shonen-ai, you could consider this a friendship/brotherly fic. The rating is for the topic. If you wanted a lime, then leave a message in a review and maybe I could whip up a little one-shot for you. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. I owe all of the character use to Masashi Kishimoto. Oh, and due to some complaining, I have decided to take my authors notes out of the fic. I DO OWN THE POEM HOWEVER! Every poem I have ever used, I have written! Thank you, and enjoy!
A sweet, gentle chime swept through the dusty roads of Sunagakure during the night of the full moon. The hanging bells in the temples on knolls singing their deceptively alluring songs- Beckoning the passing villagers with promises of a god to love them. Its saddening cry, heard only by two boys, passed un-noticed thought the clay buildings. Civilians and shinobi alike continued walking on the paths led by the pulsing radiance of the moon.
On the shingled rooftop of the Kazekage's building, the leader himself was perched. The pale skin of the young man was shining an un-earthly color, reflecting the majestic orb's light. His red hair was fluttering slightly from the warm updrafts that floated by every so often. His sea-foam eyes gazing unblinkingly towards the silver sphere resting peacefully in the heavens. The tattoo adorning his forehead held a deathly aura around it, as if threatening passerby's' to continue on their journey. His figure remained relaxed, even as a spike of chakra surged to his right.
The new arrival remained silent, drinking in the alluring presence of the man feared in many countries as a killer and a demon. The new man carefully observed the apparel that the Kage had donned for his midnight excursion to gaze upon the stars.
A semi-baggy, crimson shirt with a zipper covered his chest. A small picture of an hour-glass was over the left shoulder and directly underneath it, the kanji ai (1). The short sleeves had black borders near the seams and the golden zipper was three-fourths of the way up, exposing a bit more of the beautifully toned pale skin. A pair of slightly baggy, black cargo pants rested lowly on his narrow hips. On his feet was a simple pair of black shinobi sandals. All in all, the newcomer believed the Kazekage (2) looked even more appealing as per usual. He simply sat cross-legged with his hands resting lightly on his kneecaps.
A slight shifting of the wind was the only hint that the other man had joined the Kazekage in meditative stance. Several moments passed as both young men simply appreciated the comforting night atmosphere. Out of no-where, the newcomer opened a light conversation with the still form of the Kage.
"Y'know, Gaara, one of these days you're going to mediate so much that your legs will get stuck in that position." The boy received no response for several minutes before a small sigh exited the Kage's, Gaara's, mouth.
"Uzumaki… You are the only person I know that could make meditation seem like a form of torture rather than a relaxant." Gaara's only answer back was a large vulpine grin on the face of the blonde boy beside him.
Gaara slowly rose from his position and stood on the edge of the tiled roof, waiting for his companion to join him. Gaara turned his head and gazed appraisingly at the… unique outfit that the younger male had chosen to wear. (3).
His usual blonde spiked masses of hair had been tamed a bit and lie in light, fluffy layers, ending at his lower neck. His tanned skin blended beautifully with the thin, silk, white button up shirt. It ended around his belly button and the bottom and top two buttons were undone, exposing a bit of his deliciously caramel skin whenever the updrafts passed by. The small green jewel that hung around his neck lie in the small valley between his lightly sculpted pectorals, shining like a beacon and drawing Gaara's immediate attention to his companion's chest. A pair of slightly baggy, full length black slacks lay on the blondes narrow, almost feminine hips, showing off his toned stomach and small belly button. On his feet was a pair of blue shinobi sandals. The whisker marks on his cheeks and his bright cerulean eyes were emphasized by the white shirt covering his chest.
Gaara stared in awe for several minutes, appreciating the view given to him. He would have jumped a few inches if it weren't for his shinobi training when his shoulder was tapped.
"Hmm? What is it Uzumaki?" Gaara shook his head slightly to clear his mind of the tantalizing view presented to him. He jerkily turned his head to the left when he glanced over to his fellow Jinchuuriki's (4) face and saw it tilted a bit to the left and a large pout on his full pink lips. The impending nosebleed was forcefully being held in with the shreds of Gaara's will that remained.
"You know you can call me Naruto, right? Oh, and I was wondering if you'd like to take a walk around the civilian sector? The moons full, the night is warm and we haven't talked in a while." Naruto tilted his head back to its neutral position and nodded to the right of Gaara—towards the small shops lining the street.
Gaara gave a quick, sharp nod and jumped down from the two story building to meet the solid ground with a light tak. A moment later, another, slightly louder tak echoed on the path. After waiting a moment, they both set out down the street with no real purpose. Clay buildings with dusty glass windows lined the quiet road. The full moon set light reflections on the metal roofs, bathing the paths in an ephemeral glow.
Silence passed between the two teens as they walked side-by-side through the civilian sector of the village only the soft melodic ringing of wind chimes passed through the calm night. Upon passing a small Dango (5) stand, Naruto let out a soft sigh and whispered a confused "why" under his breath.
Gaara turned slightly to his left to glance at Naruto with a questioning look in his eyes. "Why what Uzumaki? I'm not a mind-reader."
The fox-like boy turned his head upright and gazed at stars, a serene look on his face and the glow of the moon outlining his face in shadows and a mysterious aura. In a calm, yet serious tone, Naruto continued on his thought process, "Why are we, Jinchuuriki, persecuted so much? When will we get any recognition?" In a lighter voice, he nearly whimpered out, "Why do we get so little praise for all we do?"
With that, Naruto lowered his head and allowed his pent up frustration, anger, pain, hatred and confusion out in a flurry of tears and heartbreaking howls. Gaara slowly turned around and, not knowing what to do, simply stared at the miserable sight. As the tears died down, Gaara softly spoke up, asking the question that had been plaguing his mind since the beginning of the short conversation.
"What brought all this on Uzu-…No, Naruto?" Said boy's head whipped up and to the right to stare at his fellow sacrifice (6). A small smile began to break through the reddened, flushed cheeks and the previously dulled cerulean eyes brightened. A sly, vulpine grin spilt the distraught boys face in half as he leapt up onto the unsuspecting sand ninja's body, long, feminine legs gripping a muscled waist and tanned toned arms wrapped around a soft, porcelain neck. "What the hell are you doing Uzumaki?" Gaara tried, unsuccessfully to escape the strong grip of the partial Kitsune. (7).
"YAY, you called me by my name! It's a miracle, call Ino!" (8) Naruto affectionately rubbed his whiskered cheek against his unwilling counterparts. After several more antagonizing minutes (only in Gaara's case), Naruto let go and perched himself upon a small stone bench placed strategically in front of a clothing store dedicated to Kunoichi (9). Patting the stone next to him, Naruto waited patiently for the Tanuki-like (10) boy to sit next to him.
Staring into the distance for several minutes, Naruto warily began his sad tale, desperately hoping his friend wouldn't lash out at the closest passerby. "Well, I suppose I began to rethink my value in life last week when I reported to the Hokage tower before this mission was assigned to my team and me."
FLASHBACK WRITTEN IN NARUTO'S POV:
"Man! I am freaking exhausted!" I stretched my arms above my head and leaned back to crack several of the vertebrate in my stiff spine as the team and I approached the looming gates of Konohagakure. The mission was originally assigned as a B ranked mission with the high possibility of bandits, thieves, or even C-ranked missing- Nin (11) and included a time range of eight days to two weeks. Then again, it was not an enormous surprise when, while we were traveling through the trees, A ranked Shukketsuhan Bara (12) appeared to make the mission even more troublesome (to quote Shikamaru) than it already was. Throughout my personal history of missions, I have had several falsely ranked missions. Take the mission with Tazuna for example, I, for one was not expecting the sudden appearance of Zabuzu Momochi. Anyway, with the mission upgraded to A, I was looking forward to getting to Baa-chan's office, giving a report then going home to take a nap.
"Urusai, Naruto no baka! (13). We're all tired!" Sakura, one of my teammates, gave me a powerful, not to mention painful, punch to the head. Of course, she also had to add chakra. Then again, I suppose I only have myself to blame for my abuse. I have been complaining about my exhaustion for the better part of three days, the journey back to Konoha being about eight. Then again, it's not my fault I feel as if I haven't slept in a month. Sakura deemed me able to keep watch every night when we set camp. That's eight hours of watching people sleep, and myself not being able to join them! Thank Kami-sama for being merciful and creating the wonderful technique of meditation… and soldier pills. My other teammates, being from the older generation of ninja, couldn't care less about my health due to their hatred of Kyuubi.
"Mahhh! Sakura-chan! That hurt!" I mocked her by holding my head in pain. She simply glared at me and proceeded to show our papers to Kotetsu and Izumo at the gate. They're probably the only people in the older generation, not including Kurenai, Tsunade, Ero-Sannin (14) Gai, Asuma, Raido, Genma, Iruka, Anko and Ibiki who give half a damn about me. Kotetsu flashed me a quick glance of pity whilst Izumo collected the papers and waved us into the village, giving me a fast thumbs up as I passed by. I smiled at them and sprinted ahead to try and reach the Hokage tower before my so called teammates could try and reprimand me again for something I had yet to do.
As I approached the tower I slowed down and walked to the secretaries' desk for permission to enter the missions' office. The dark brown walls were so bland with nothing covering them and the small lamps on the walls did nothing for me. Ah well, I wasn't like I lived in the place, so whatever. I tapped on the desk when I was close enough to grab the attention of the kind woman. She was tolerant of pretty much everyone, therefore, a check in my book.
Asahanada Memotosenryou (15) is a fairly average woman with, as her name implies, pale indigo eyes and light brown hair. While her name is fairly unique, her personality is very different from those of the previous secretaries Ojii-san (16) had during his time in the office of Hokage. I patiently waited for her to raise her head from her paperwork and when she did I almost laughed. She had black streaks of ink crossing across her nose and smooth cheeks, giving her the impression of an Inuzuka. She blinked a few times before realization flooded her eyes.
"Go right on in Naruto. She's just been doing "paperwork" for a while." It was well known to the people of Konoha that our great Hokage is addicted to sake and is rarely seen without a small bottle on her person. As I was walking to the wooden door that led to Tsunade's office, I heard the loud stampeding of Sakura behind me. She had apparently told the others to go home because they were not anywhere in the vicinity. She ran up to me, completely disregarding the people around her, and beat me over the head… again. It's a wonder I haven't gotten brain damage yet.
"Itsukasonouchi, Naruto no baka… (17) You should have waited for me! Let's go!" She then decided that dragging me by the ear would be an effective means of transportation and pulled me into the office.
Tsunade sat at her desk with a slight grimace on her face as she continued to sign paper upon pare, ignoring us. I decided to make my presence know in the only way I know how. "Tadaima Obaa-chan! (18)" She must have been in an already annoyed mood seeing as she threw a paperweight at me. Where does she keep those things? She probably hides them in her boobs or something. That must be what weighs them down so much!
"Gaki, okaerinasai (19). What happened on the mission then? She put her pen and paper down, folded her arms and awaited Sakura's rendition of the tale.
"Hai hai Tsunade- Sama (20), well, we were traveling through the trees and we were about half-way across the border between Rice Country and Fire Country when Naruto thought he smelled something a bit further ahead. I asked him to send a Kage Bunshin up ahead to discover the problem and that's about where things went crazy. The trees pretty much exploded out of the ground around us and, well, for lack of better words, tried to eat the squad. That's when I was suddenly attacked and knocked out by A ranked missing-nin, Shukketsuhan Bara. I felt a prick in the back of my neck and I'm assuming she put me to sleep with some kind of poison or seditive. Naruto will have to continue from here." Sakura could not have been more unenthusiastic when she said my name, could she? I could practically taste the hatred flowing off her lips and into my sensitive ears.
"Very well, you may leave Sakura. Naruto will finish the report. If I require your assitance, I'll call for you in the morning." Said pinkette nodded her head and walked out the door with stiff movements. The old woman turned her head to look at me and her eyes softened from her previous monotonous facial expression.
"Gaki, please continue on where she left off." I nodded my head as I recounted the fight in my head.
"Well Baa-chan, while the rest of the team was trying to get Suck-ura out of the line of fire, I was busy trying t think of a way to defeat an unknown enemy." Yes, Kami be blessed, I have finally moved on from Sakura. Honestly, after years of abuse from her, I have gone from thinking of her as my potential wife, to sister figure, to just another person I would have to go on missions with. I have finally grown tired of her constant scathing remarks. The mask I had built during my three years with Ero-Sannin, helped to give me an edge over the other villagers and shinobi who never knew the real me, as well as hold in my secret dislike for the pink haired banshee.
"I saw that the clothing the plant-orientated kuniochi wore helped to disguise any weapons she may have had underneath them. She wore a black battle kimono with ash colored shin and arm guards. Her only visible weapon was a kunai pouch that looked pretty empty. She didn't seem to have any Shuriken. I waited for her to make her move and when she did, I almost had a heart attack. Out of thin air, she produced a sword with a green; I'm assuming poisoned, tip and a rose encrusted hilt. I was probably an ANBU issue katana from Grass Country. I quickly drew a kunai and we engaged in a fierce, dangerous battle of kenjutsu. The small sword fight quickly drew to an end when I stabbed her in the left kidney, though, in turn, she managed to nick me in the bicep with her sword. If I didn't have Kyuubi inside of me I may have died. As it was, I should be glad she died from blood loss. I was left panting and it took me another fifteen minutes to recover enough to go and find my team. When I did, they were hidden in a small outcropping in the side of a cliff. The others were already in their sleeping bags and promptly told me to guard while they slept. They saw my condition and gave me guard duty for the rest of the journey home even though anyone could plainly see that I needed rest and some medical attention. Sakura awoke on the second day back."
As I finished my tale, I saw Tsunade gripping the table with her monstrous strength. I could hear it beginning to crack. She stared at me several minutes before walking over to me and embracing me for all I was worth. With that, I released the pent up emotions inside of me. Tears of pain, suffering, confusion and sadness cascaded down my face as I wondered why not even once; did my team questioned my failing health.
FLASHBACK END
That's about when I started to wonder if my anyone would miss me if I died. Gaara, the only people that care about me are too wrapped up in their own lives to help me with mine. I don't know how much longer I can stand to put up with this mercifulness life." Naruto lowered his head and waited for Gaara's response. What he got was not expected in the least.
Gaara leaned down to his fiery spirited friend's level and hesistently enveloped him in a tight hug, having never done so before, gently whispering soft words of kindness in his ears. "Though the rest of the world may not understand us, I will always be here to hug you when you hurt, walk beside you when you are alone, smile when you are crying and to whisper my help in your ears when no one else will. I am one of very few that understand the pain of being a sacrifice, thus I cannot abandon you in your time of need. Never give up!"
Naruto raised his head, a true smile completely unlike from the ones that usually stretched across his face, and whispered a small thank you in his red-headed friend's ear. The blond boy slowly stood up, gently pushing his counterpart's arms off of him. "Well, I have a mission to complete and I will be gone tomorrow." Raising his head to stare into the previously disturbed boys eyes, he said the words that would forever be marked down in Suna's history as the words that only a boy in suffering could say. "I promise. I promise on the trees the blow across the Land of Fire, the Sand Dunes of Suna, the Mists of Kiri, the Lightning of Kumo and the Rocky Mountains of Iwa that I will never be broken. I will persevere and never give up. I will be Hokage. DATTEBAYO!"
Patting Gaara's shoulder, Naruto whispered a quiet good-bye for now and walked away. Gaara slowly turned around and walked back to the shingled rooftops of Suna's highest building and perched down the cooling structure the second small smile in his life upon his thin lips. Thinking back to when he first met the boy, he saw how much he had changed. What once was a shivering, orange clothed genin had transformed into a dangerous, strong-willed potential Hokage.
A slight crinkle captured the boy's attention as he felt a piece of paper scrape up against his smooth alabaster skin. He looked down and saw that a scrap of parchment had made its way into the top of his pants. Reaching down, he pulled it up to his eye level and by the light of the full moon he read the scratchy handwriting that could only be described as the Uzumaki boy's writing.
"Dear Gaara,
By this point I have probably already talked to you about my problems and I will make good on the promise that I made you. I wrote this while I was… frustrated? Heh, don't get your boxers in a knot. Well, that is assuming you don't go running around commando. That might be why you have a permanent scowl on you face though. Is the tough fabric on you ass too much for you to handle? HEY, DON'T CURSE ME! Well anyway, see you soon.
-Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage of Konohagakure
Rolling his eyes, Gaara shook his head at the small snips at himself. Flipping the paper over, he was surprised to see a long poem of sorts covering the wrinkled paper.
Dreams. A place where I am free to express who I really am inside.
A place with no judgment, no rules, just me, myself and I.
A fiery hell with devils and dragons, heat and oppression, hate and fear
A beautiful meadow with clear blue skies, butterflies and flowers.
A golden gate encrusted with pearls, angels and hymns, choirs and love.
Friends and no enemies. Open arms when the day is through. Companionship.
A home with a comfortable aromatic atmosphere and a family to hug you.
A graveyard with moss, bones and deep, unrelenting fog. Only headstones for company.
Cool clear water to quench the thirst in your body.
Boiling torrents of acid to burn your parched throat.
Blood to stain the teeth and tongues of monsters.
Individuality and a right to be yourself. An angel, a demon or maybe a human.
A place where you can be either the savior or the destroyer of lives.
The arousing ability to threaten the lives of those who scorned and shunned you.
You could be who you believe yourself to be. An angel of darkness.
Forever cursed to cry and destined to die trapped in shadows.
Hope for those who hold feelings of hatred towards you overrules your baser instincts.
You feel as though your only hand of support is yourself at times.
You fight only for yourself and love only yourself.
Only accepting help from the claws of your inner demons.
The judgment of man-kind will change someday. Hope for people like us will be restored.
Discrimination against those who are unqiue, special if you may shall, be hidden.
Equal rights will be regained from those who believe themselves to be above persecution.
A chiming bell will wake the souls and hearts of the worthy.
The belief that all humans have a heart, a body, a mind… a soul!
You with your black wings and tattered feathers will strive to help the broken climb to freedom.
Your dreams may not be a reality as of now, but someday, somehow, you will rise above the petty hatred forced upon you and become a beacon of light for those who are shrouded in the darkness.
Those demons claws will disappear and turn into the soft touch of a friend's hand.
The water will cool; the graveyard will fall away into the meadow full of light and life.
The pain, confusion, suffering and hatred will all leave your melting ice cold heart.
Your dreams are the place for your angels to burst forth and carry you to where you feel safe.
Please, follow the small light ahead of you.
Gaara slowly folded the note, his facial expression blank. Tucking the inked hope, as he deemed it worthy of being called, back into his pants, he allowed a full blown grin of hope cross his features.
As the moon faded away and the first slivers of daylight broke over the large sand dunes, Gaara whispered one final sentence before teleporting back to his room to change into the official robes of the Kazekage. "Uzumaki, only you could manage to melt my icy heart and tell me to remain strong."
Casting a serene glance across his village, he made a ram hand-sign and disappeared into the endless sandy roads of the great village.
Whew! Finally done! That was my longest, and in my opinion, best fic that I have written so far. Please review. The poem had a double meaning and for anyone out there, who understands, just know that you can PM me at any time. Now, on a lighter note. I used a lot of Japanese and odd phrases, so use this… thing to figure it out.
1. Ai- this is the Japanese word for love
2. Kazekage- the Suna version of the Hokage
3. Naruto's outfit- honestly, since when do we see the brat in anything but orange?
4. Jinchuuriki- human sacrifice
5. Dango- you know that food that Anko loves? Well, that's it. It's basically a small rice ball covered in sauce.
6. Sacrifice- Refers to Jinchuuriki
7. Kitsune- fox
8. The Ino sentence- she's like CNN only better. With her, everyone will know the news very quickly!
9. Kunoichi- female ninja
10. Tanuki-like- Shukaku (Gaara's demon is a raccoon/dog hybrid and the Japanese for such a beast is Tanuki
11. Missing- Nin- A ninja that has abandoned their village
12. Shukketsuhan Bara- Bloody Rose. Not her real name but refers to her sword and usage of plant jutsu
13. Urusai, Naruto no baka- Shut up Naruto you idiot.
14. Ero-Sannin- perverted hermit
15. Asahanada Memotosenryou- Pale Indigo eyed
16. Ojii-san- grandfather
17. Itsukasonouchi, Naruto no baka- one of these days Naruto you idiot.
18. Tadaima Obaa-chan- I'm home Grandmother!
19. Gaki okaerinasai- Brat welcome home
20. Hai, Hai Tsunade- Sama- Yes yes Tsunade-Sama.