DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, its characters, its plot, etc. There are also some lines taken from Shonen Jump's translation of Naruto. (Please refer to "Orochimaru's Invasion Number 15: To Hurt…!!!")
Bad Luck
"Sometimes a simple thing will do
A friend who will just be there for you."
- Screech Boys, A Friend in Need
Gaara stared down at his ramen. Really, he didn't know why he had ordered ramen. For that matter, what was he even doing in this place? Staring down at the steamy bowel of "Heavenly Goodness that Even the Gods Themselves Wished Themselves to be Human"- as supplied by a certain blonde ninja- Gaara couldn't really remember moving through Konoha and into the ramen bar, nor sitting down and ordering a bowel. (He knew he must have because how else would he have gotten there and with a bowel in front of him? He wasn't stupid, of course.) However, in the end, he simply decided that he didn't really care for such stupid questions and just continued to stare down at the bowel.
"Um, sir," a hesitant voice came into Gaara's hearing. The red-head looked up to see a quivering form of a man standing before looking very much like he would rather be anywhere else. The thought floated through Gaara's head that he did not really like people like this. They took simply far too long to get to the point and Gaara did not like the implied arrogance that he had nothing better to do with his time. The man, unfortunately, did not prove to be different from his expectations. "Sorry sir, but is there anything wrong with the ramen?"
"The ramen?" Gaara echoed without really thinking. He looked down- missing the twitch on the owner's face that came from the sand ninja's lack of emotion in his voice- at the steaming bowel once more as though noticing it for the first time.
The owner forced himself to continue. "Yes, sir," he wrung his hands. "You see, you have yet to even pick up your chopsticks."
Gaara looked over at said chopsticks. They looked like any other pair of chopsticks, though he was starting to wonder if the man was talking about the tiny sliver of wood poking out of one. Instantly Gaara zoned in on the tiny sliver as though willing it to burst out into flames.
He remained oblivious of the freezing chill that ran up the spines of everyone present.
'What is it,' the owner wondered, 'with demon holders and ramen?'
"Ga-chi!" cried a voice familiar to all those at the ramen bar. In strode the Orange Blaze of Glory aka Naruto. Despite the tense atmosphere of the ramen bar, Naruto beamed with the pleasant surprise at seeing his friend. Oblivious to everyone else, Naruto walked right over and took a seat next to the red-head, who was still intensely focused on that one sliver of wood. Bravely clapping the fellow demon carrier on the shoulder, Naruto exclaimed, "What are you doing here? I didn't know you liked ramen."
Gaara, still not having any change in emotion, shifted his attention to loud blonde. His voice, surprisingly, held a slight quality of curiosity. "Like ramen?" he wondered aloud, not necessarily to the blonde. He looked back down at the bowel, which had lessened quite a bit on the steam. "I don't know yet. I haven't tried it yet."
"Hm?" Naruto blinked in surprise, and then looked down at Gaara's now slightly cold bowel of ramen.
There were a couple moments of silence and most people dared to turn back to their own bowels. Suddenly:
"Don't call me Ga-chi-"
"You won't know until you try it."
The two young ninja spoke at once. Gaara's monotone, trying to reprimand his friend, was won out by Naruto's exuberant voice. Said blue-eyed blonde reached over and grabbed Gaara's still unused chopsticks. He had been intending to help his friend into the Greatest Experience Known to Men (and Women), but instead received a flash of pain in one of his fingers. He stood up, clutching his hand, and dropped the chopsticks onto Gaara's lap.
"Oi," said Gaara, but he was once again overshadowed by his much louder friend.
"Ow! What was that? Something's in my finger!" Naruto shouted- for some presumed reason or another- at the ceiling.
"Hm?" the owner looked back at his two troublesome customers. Seeing Naruto making a fuss, he looked at the finger that the boy insisted on waving everywhere. "Oh my," he said with no real concern. "Looks like you've got a splinter."
Naruto instantly stood still and just blinked at the man. "Oh really," he discussed casually. Then, without any fuss, he simply pulled the splinter out. As everyone sighed and tried once more to finish their ramen, Naruto looked back down accusingly at the slightly throbbing finger. "I see," he murmured, unusually serious. "It's already begun."
"Don't make a fuss over such insignificant things," Gaara scolded quietly, laying the "evil" chopsticks on the counter. Then he looked to his companion. "And what do you mean? What has started?"
"The day," Naruto whispered, bowing his head, "of bad luck."
Gaara blinked slowly. "Are you…" he paused significantly, "… making that up?"
"No!" screamed out Naruto, once more standing up. He posed challengingly before his still-seated comrade. "Friday the Thirteenth! C'mon Gaara! Are you telling me you've never heard of it?"
Gaara's eyes drifted toward the side for a moment. Naruto stared him down, clenching his fists and sweat starting to break out upon his forehead. Then Gaara looked him back in the eye.
"No."
"Gah!" Naruto clutched his head and almost fell over. However, he managed to instantly recover and proceeded to use Scolding Pose (copyright of Iruka). "It's the unluckiest day of the year!"
"Why?"
"Geh…" Naruto was taken back by Gaara's question. His eyes instinctively looked off toward the side, sheepish. "I… I don't know." However, Naruto was not known for his ability to jump back for nothing. "But it really is the unluckiest day of the year! Everyone says so! And all those superstitions and stuff really come true, especially on that day! And…"
Naruto's voice seemed to fade out asGaara shifted to look back down at his bowel of ramen (which had stopped steaming as though conceding defeat). His brain felt as though many thoughts were going through it at once but he couldn't catch any of them. They all mixed together with Naruto's voice. Mixing, swirling…
Voices.
Hate.
Ball. Blood. Sorry.
Attempt at understanding. Attempt at kindness. Attempt at love.
Almost understanding. Almost kindness. Almost… love.
But almost isn't good enough.
"Everyone says…"
"Demon equals bad luck! Everyone knows that!"
"It doesn't bleed… but it hurts right here."
"…Go home, monster…"
"Why…am I such a monster?!"
"We…we're not really ones to talk," Gaara said quietly, surprisingly catching Naruto's attention. Almost absent-mindedly, Gaara picked up a nearby salt-shaker. He spun it around slowly, fingering the top and staring down at the pure white. "We're not ones to talk… about bad luck… And what everyone else thinks."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly hung his head and sat down.
"I never," he murmured, "I never thought of it that way."
To anyone else, this conversation would have made very little sense. But these two were different than any others in the world.
"But," Gaara declared a bit more loudly and he stopped twirling the salt shaker, "if you're really that worried about bad luck, then I suppose I can help."
"Huh?" was all Naruto had time to say before Gaara stood up and poured the entire salt-shaker (whose top had mysteriously come off) on top of Naruto's head.
Complete silence.
Gaara clapped his hands twice and closed his eyes respectively. "May there be no bad luck this year," he murmured firmly. Then he walked calmly out of the ramen bar.
He didn't get very far when a very loud, angry voice cried out after him.
"GAARA!"
Said person turned around to see a panting blonde covered in salt all over. It was actually quite funny and Gaara was almost disappointed when Naruto distracted him by talking. Or yelling, to be more appropriate.
"Why in the world did you do that?!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, arms flailing everywhere. "What could you be thinking?! Why would you pour salt on my head?!"
"Purification," was the straight-forward reply. Then, feeling pretty good about himself, Gaara continued walking forward. Lost in the sense of "I did something good today", he did not pay much mind to the cries coming from behind him.
"Purification? … Gaara, you idiot! It doesn't work like that! … Does it? … Either way, you shouldn't just pour salt onto someone like that! Oooh, wait until I get my hands on you! … What's your problem, old man? …WHAT?! What do you mean I have to pay?! For BOTH of us?! So not far! AND the salt shaker?! C'mon, old man! … No! I don't want to be kicked out! …NOOOOOOOO! NOT MY RAMEN!... Ok, ok, I'll pay. GAARA! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!"
"Gaara, there you are."
Gaara looked up to see his brother and sister waiting for him.
"What exactly were you doing all this time?" Kankuro asked gruffly.
"Ramen bar," Gaara answered simply.
The three siblings started walking away.
"Really?" Temari inquired kindly. "Did you like it?"
Gaara stopped.
Surprised, his two siblings stopped and looked back at him.
"What's the matter, Gaara?" Temari asked, a bit concerned.
"I don't know," announced Gaara. He looked his sister in the eye. "I wasn't able to try it." He continued walking forward with the two following beside him.
"Huh?" puzzled a confused Kankuro. "You were there all this time and you didn't even try it?"
"I shall have to go back later," agreed Gaara.
"Hey, maybe you should Naruto with you," Temari pointed out cheerfully.
"Hn," was Gaara's only reply.
-END
For Friday the Thirteenth,
Because I wanted something posted on that date.