Stuffing Love

Chapter 1: Hot to wet

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The rain poured down in sheets, making the red hair cling to the boys face and back of the neck. The plane had landed a mere three hours ago and already he missed the dry heat and sand of his beloved home. His green eyes stared ahead at the house with deep hate. He despised this place. His night was not going to get any better it seemed, soon he would have to go inside.

Inside the house would be his 'family'. His father, brother and step sister, though he knew nothing of them he would have to live with these people. Mere strangers to him. He had been only five the last time he was in this town, this house and with these people. In truth he had never wanted to return here. Fate was cruel though. He had lost the only person he ever loved or cared for a week ago. His mother had lost the fight with cancer and he had, had no choice but to come back here.

His memory was fresh when it came to the place. It was the reason he could never sleep, had to take so much medication and the reason for his tainted hands. He could never look in the mirror with out being reminded of his days here. His grip turned deadly on the handle of his luggage. His ten minute wait about to come to an end he moved from the spot where he had exited the taxi and walked to the door.

He was not even sure if anyone would be home. He had waited over a hour at the airport before calling the taxi. He could already feel the love. He knocked once on the door, loud and clearly. It took a few seconds before he heard light footsteps approaching. His sisters, he guessed. The door knob moved then the door was opened. Before him stood Temari, dressed in shorts and a tank top. Her blond hair pulled into two pony tails. He stared at her as she started at him, her lips pursed together. He knew she was staring at the tattoo above his left eye. After a moment she licked her lips and moved aside. Gaara entered the house slowly.

"DAD!" Temari yelled before muttering about a towel and heading off. Gaara watched his senior walk away, she had been two years older making her seventeen now.

Gaara took the towel she offered before she ran off once more. He dried off as best he could after dropping his bag. He waited, standing just inside the door. It took longer for the old man to come down the steps then it took for Gaara to exit the taxi and come inside the house.

His father had aged greatly. Not that he had been young when Gaara was born, he had already been 46. Now the mans hair was completely grey and his face held wrinkles. Not the ones from laughing though. He looked at Gaara with the same blank face Gaara gave him.

"Thought you were coming Thursday." The man spoke first, then looked at the bag on the ground.

"Tuesday." Gaara replied dryly.

"Your room is set up above the shop." The old man looked his son over once more. "Is that all you brought?"

"A few things will be coming."

"Here's the key. Do you remember how to get there." The man held out a single gold key.

Gaara took the key before replying. "I remember." He stared at the man for a moment letting a word silently hang off the end of what he had said. The old man gave in and nodded lightly before turning away. He understood. His youngest child remembered everything.

Gaara wasted little time grabbing his bag and heading back out into the rain. He could have guessed he would have been sent away from the rest of the family. The main house was located behind the store that the family owned. The store was split into two parts down stairs, the store and the shop. Gaara opened the back door to the shop with the key given to him. As the door opened he was meet with the smell of his child hood. The smell of freshly cut wood and paint. Saw dust littered the floor around his feet. He glanced around the place before closing the door, he used the light from outside to locate the light switch and then shut the door and locked it.

He held his breath as his eyes wondered around. The shop was where his father and his brother, Kankuro, worked on their master pieces. Puppets carved by hand and made with only the finest of materials. It didn't seem like work that would cause a lot of fuss or make money… But his family was the name of Puppets. They were world known and the best. He moved to one of said puppets that had only been started. He let his hand run down the face that was being carved into the wood.

It hadn't always been so bad. He recalled in his days before the events sitting in the corner watching his father while he stuffed the stuffed animals the store also sold. Gaara stared at the corner where he would sit and then shook the memories away. He headed up the steps to where he would live. It was more than a room, it was an apartment. Nothing big… He checked the lights and noted that the fridge and bathroom had been stocked. The place had been cleaned of dust and the floors mopped. It still smelled of wet wood and paint that had been used down in the shop.

It was in the bedroom when he lost it, so to say. He dropped the bag with a big thud and approached the stuffed fox on his pillow. Why would they have kept this, why would they have displayed it for him? He held his head above his left eye and was brought to his knees. He needed his pills. Crawling to where he had dropped his bag he hurried to find the medications he needed to take. A handful of pills he swallowed with no help from water. He took all of his main medications; Zyprexa, Prozac, Xanax, a nausea pill and his sleeping pill - that never worked.

After a moment of deep breathing he stood up and grabbed the stuffed fox. Making his way to the kitchen he tossed the thing in the trash and took a bottle of water from the fridge before going to unpack his things. He was going to have to have his father refill his medications. They would never let a 15 year old boy pick those up with out an adult present.

Gaara opened up the window and took a seat by it, he pulled a cigarette out of the pack from one of his pockets and lit it, enjoying the first inhale of the thing he watched the rain. He would start school tomorrow… He hoped. Funny he hated school. He had a feeling he was going to hate being here more though.

Two hours later and he had managed to fully explore the whole upstairs and put up his things. He could already tell he'd get no sleep. So he pulled out his Kindle and brought up a book. He made himself at home on the bed dressed in a pair of silk PJ bottoms and a simple white t-shirt he started to read. He looked up as a noise caught his attention. It seemed something had feel in the kitchen. He ignored it. It was probly nothing. Old place made weird noises, or something may have been on the edge of the counter.

The footsteps, he could not ignore.

He dropped the Kindle on the bed and stood up. Maybe it was one of the strangers he would have to refer to as 'family'. He made his way to his bedroom door and opened it, then fumbled for the hall light. Once it turned on he was sure it wasn't his 'family'. Gaara had caught a glimpse of bright blond hair, not the more faded of his sisters. He made his way slowly into the kitchen and flipped the switch.

His eyes landed on the trash that had toppled over, while his ears picked up the sound of muffled sobs. He glanced around quickly and located a heap of body behind the kitchen chair. He was pissed. His first night and someone had broken in? Taking long strides he moved to the heap and grabbed the arm pulling the person up to their feet. He blinked as a stunned face looked at him.

Golden locks, blue eyes, whisker like mars on the cheeks and… Fox ears?

Gaara let go of the warm flesh and took a step back. He noticed the other boy was indeed nude and crying. "Who are you?" Gaara asked looking the boy over once more. Great there was also a tail.

The boy wiped his face and looked back at Gaara a moment before he threw himself at the boy in a hug. "Gaara! Oh, Gaara!" He called and laughed lightly.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked again while prying the boy off.

"You don't remember me?" The blond sounded hurt. "Naruto. Did you throw me away?" He asked now looking hurt. Did his only friend return just to throw him away once more? It hurt more the second time.

Gaara looked from the trash to the boy. He was sure that this was a strange side effect of his medication… Sure he had never had one such as this before, but maybe due to the change in his location… That had to be in. Because he was sure that if the boy said he was really a stuffed fox… He believed him. The resemblance was to much alike not to.

Gaara closed his eyes and the reopened them. The hallucination was still present. So he turned around and headed to the bedroom. If he ignored the matter it was sure to go away, he hoped. He was wrong as the nude boy followed behind him.

Gaara didn't mind ignoring the boy as he talked away right beside him on the bed… He did mind the fact that the boy was still nude. "Clothes, in the dresser." Gaara said after a few moments. The boy rolled his eyes and got off the bed swishing his tail as he did so.

"Are you even listening to me?" Naruto huffed as he slipped on a pair of boxers, backwards so he could stick his tail out the hole. It was a bit uncomfterable but he would manage. He then pulled on a shirt, backwards as well. After all he had never been dressed before. He had watched others though.

"No." Gaara replied. "I don't listen to things that aren't real."

Naruto bounced on the boy. "I am real. See." He made Gaara's hand touch his chest. Gaara was sure he felt the fast beat of a heart.

"You can't be real. You were a stuffed animal." Gaara reasoned with the now human stuffed animal.

"I am though." Naruto smiled. "And I've missed you! You just left me here alone." Naruto's smile faded. "Why would you do that?"

Feeling rather strange he answered. "I had to move away."

Naruto sat down on the boys hips. Not wanting the other to stop talking now. "Why didn't you take me?"

Gaara really had no idea why he was speaking to a stuffed animal that in his mind was human… This is what he decided was going on. It was only in his mind that the animal was a human. "Because…" He looked into the blue eyes of the male. His memories came flashing back to him. "We killed them."

A/N: Well it has been so long since I wrote anything. I hope you all enjoy this and I will update it as soon as I have the time to do so. If you are knew to my work then have fun figuring out what I like to write. If not then I guess you enjoy reading it as you have read this…
Much love to all! Happy 2012!