Disclaimer: I really don't own Naruto or the band Linkin Park. Though owning both does appeal to me greatly. I do however; own the plot so no copying it. Please review.
Before you read I want to dedicate this story to someone special to me that just died: my great grandfather. He was the only great grandpa I got to know and I wish I could have shown him all my work on FanFiction. This story is for him. And whatever happens after death, I just hope that he is feeling better and is happy.
Magnetic Attraction: Angel and Demon
The smell of burning metal was one that not many could appreciate at nearly three in the afternoon. Or any time really.
A red head stood, a pair of pliers in his hands, watching the handle turn carefully as the metal was chipped away. When it reached the end, he placed the pliers down and shut the machine down. He grabbed the chuck key, inserted it into the chuck and turned. Wrapping the end of the metal with a paper towel he jiggled it out. Measuring it with a micrometer he determined it was the right measurement.
"Hey, Gaara!" another boy called out at the red head loudly.
Sabaku Gaara turned and noted it was his older brother Kankuro. He was fairly average looking with brown hair, and dark eyes. His clothes were average as well; he wore all black, with brown work boots. The only thing that really made him stand out was his purple face paint that was applied in intricate designs currently covered up by plastic goggles.
"Kankuro," Gaara deadpanned.
Gaara himself was not average. He was tall for his age, with fiery hair and aquamarine eyes, shadowed in black. He wore baggy clothes that consisted of a red shirt with Linkin Park written in black graffiti letters. His pants were regular jeans that hung fairly low but not enough to flash everyone his black boxers. His own goggles were sleek and more modern like sunglasses.
"Come on, we have to clean up. All done for the day," his brother told him, picking Gaara's project up and examining it. He whistled. "Damn, you always get it just right, little bro."
Gaara took the metal away, heading for his locker. Kankuro followed, lifting his goggles up on to his head.
"It's not that I make it perfect; it's just that you can't get it even close," he mocked, putting his own goggles atop his fiery hair. Gaara lifted the latch to the door, and stepped in, attempting to close it on Kankuro. His brother sidestepped it, and walked in behind him, sticking his tongue out like the immature teen he was.
Gaara shut the locker door, plunging his perfect handle into darkness. He stalked off to the other side of the room, stretched to get an old broom and then headed back into the shop, where the other teenagers were busy cleaning up for the day.
"Sometimes I feel like you should be the older brother and I should be the last little brat," Kankuro huffed, sweeping his own section of the floor. He pushed the shrapnel into a neat little pile with his broom and turned back to the red head. "Why do you have to be such a stuck up little brat-snob?"
"If I would have turned out like you, then I am certainly glad that I am the youngest," Gaara told him, sweeping up the metal to join his brother's. Teasing his brother was just too easy sometimes. Scratch that. It was easy all the time.
"What's got your boxers in a twist?"
Gaara glared at him, scarier than most since he had such dark rings around his eyes. Kankuro, used to it, smirked and let the subject drop. If his baby brother wanted to talk to him, he would. It would not help to push him.
The teacher, a tanned, built man, yelled, "Alright, cleanings done, you can get ready to leave," he boomed.
Gaara put his broom back and fetched his shoes. They were Etnies, black and red. He slipped them on, not bothering to tie them. Sauntering back, he carelessly sat down on the bench, impatiently waiting for the bell to ring so he could be free.
Machine shop wasn't that bad. In fact, Gaara loved it. He could watch the metal turning, being shredded to become smaller, for hours and didn't mind the nasty smell of the oil he placed on the tool, smoking. All in all, it was one of the few things he didn't detest.
The actual room was large to occupy the machines that were needed for the shop. The ceiling looked like it was made of mold, but it was just regular concrete. Certain areas were closed off, for torches, and the lathes were over in the corner that Gaara had used. He liked the room, but he wished that the machines were more up to date. Some were still the older version and he hated to have to swap with the others and use them. They were such a hassle.
When the bell rang, Gaara bolted out of the shop, heading towards the parking lot, to beat traffic. He had his own car, pretty decent for a sophomore without a job. It was a dark blue Mustang, from the previous year. After one of his more violent outbreaks Gaara had been given it as well as his own apartment that he let his brother and older sister crash at from time to time. Mostly they stayed at the mansion of a house their father called "home" and Gaara called "hell".
Tearing out of the parking lot, he headed south, to the next town over. His Linkin Park cd was blaring "Numb" and he tapped his fingers on the wheel to the beat. He took a left, his path the same one he had been taking almost every day after school since he had gotten his license.
Gaara was not a normal teen by any standards. He had had bad times with his father beating him as a child, calling him a demon, and throwing glasses at him, damaging his psyche. His father never touched Kankuro, or his sister Temari, but for some reason he wanted nothing to do with Gaara. So, he had grown up hated, sheltered only by his siblings. The beatings stopped when Gaara was thirteen and towering over his father by about three inches. He thanked his genes for once, for making him so tall.
The nickname "Demon: had even stuck and it had been placed on his plates for his car. He didn't mind now; he was away from his father and he could live almost normally. He trudged to school every day, put up with his siblings' antics and gave free guitar and drum lessons to kids that couldn't afford it, having found it a good release after all the beatings he had taken as a child.
There was one thing he did that most people would call illegal and morally wrong. It was his obsession, the one thing he couldn't get enough of, no matter what. He hadn't shared it with anybody, waiting for the right time to tell. He was patient when need be.
Gaara pulled into an empty parking spot on a random street, being extra careful to not hit anything, as he didn't feel like being noticed anymore than was needed. He put his safety goggles on again, covering his distinct eyes, and swung himself out of the car, slamming the door behind him. Locking the car, Gaara followed a just barely visible path that he himself had discovered for a reason.
Gaara looked passively at the scenery. There were many trees, both pine and regular spaced out unevenly like expected. Finding wild flowers growing, he bended over and examined them up close. One type caught his attention. They were white with lavender on the outer part of the petals.
They remind me of her…he thought, and he plucked them from the ground, making sure not to knock the petals off. He couldn't damage them, since they reminded him of someone important.
Yes, Gaara had many problems, but finding someone he cared about was not one of them. He had found someone he loved greatly, worshipped even. He cared about her beyond anyone's scope of understanding.
A certain freshman from another school had caught his eye. She was beautiful, talented, modest, and was a damn good runner. Her name…?
"Hyuuga Hinata! Get that sweater off right now, before you keel over from heat stroke!"
"Yes, sensei," a small voice replied, not wanting to argue.
Hyuuga Hinata stripped her jacket off, revealing the ill-fitting team uniform. The blue and white top was tight across her large chest and her matching shorts rode up too high, showing off her legs. Feeling the stares of some of the guys in the crowd she blushed, and faced the ground shyly her long hair covering her face from view.
She was of medium height, with unique indigo colored hair that reached mid-back. Kiddy bangs reached to just above her lavender and white pupiless eyes, while longer strands framed her pale, heart shaped face.
Why do the uniforms have to be so tight? She thought, tugging on her top a bit, in hopes that it would magically grow to another size. She miserably looked at it and sighed
"The four hundred is up next!" the announcer boomed into the microphone, startling her.
Hinata followed the other runners to the red bouncy feeling track and got in line near the inside, tensing herself for the start.
Boom! The gun signaled the beginning and Hinata launched herself forward, running with effort but not enough to completely wipe her out. When she was running, she didn't have to worry about being perfect or trying so hard. She could just let herself go and do something that she enjoyed and wished to partake in.
The finish point loomed closer and she pushed herself harder, her heart beating erratically, and her breath coming in short pants. She ran hard and she crossed the line, running farther than necessary to stop. When she was finished, she patted her knees, and breathed in deeply, relishing the feeling of accomplishment, even if she might not have won.
"First place: Tenten. Second place: Hyuuga Hinata," the loud voice announced, telling them their times, and the places of the runners. Hinata listened to her own and then zoned out, just concentrating on breathing.
Hinata frowned; she always lost to Tenten. She was a year older, with brown hair tyed into two buns on either side of her head and matching colored eyes. She was an awesome runner, better than Hinata, with a fairly nice personality. Hinata didn't hate her, but rather she wished she could beat her at least once. But for a freshman she was doing awesome having lettered in only two meets.
Hinata walked back to the middle of the field, dug through her blue sports bag and surfaced a full water bottle. She guzzled the water hungrily and then capped it, placing it on top of her discarded purple jacket.
"Hey, Hina!" a loud, rough voice called out to her.
Turning to the right, Hinata smiled as she saw her long time pal Inuzuka Kiba. He was a wild child, the complete opposite of Hinata. He had messy brown locks, with slit like black eyes, and two red triangle birthmarks on his cheeks. His simple brown tee shirt and baggy pants completed the look and Hinata wondered yet again why he didn't have a girlfriend.
"Hey, Kiba," she said, softly, as was normal.
Kiba plopped down besides her, ignoring the icy cold gazes directed at him. "Good work as always, I must say," he complimented, patting her on the head. She pouted at him cutely and he grinned, his fang like teeth showing.
"I still want to beat Tenten though," she mused, fingering her bag.
"I know," he teased. "It's like, your goal in life. Or for the next three years."
Hinata stuck her tongue out childishly and he couldn't help but reach over and ruffle her hair again. She was just too cute to resist when she let herself out of her shell, which she seemed to do when he was around. He could proudly state that he was one of the few that could make her smile.
"HINATA YOU ROCK MY SOX!" a loud voice echoed through the course. Everyone turned to the source of the voice and there stood a blond, spiky haired teen with cerulean eyes and funny whisker like scars on his face. He was waving and Hinata could feel her heart speed up and her face flush. She waved back.
"That baka," Kiba muttered under his breath, so Hinata couldn't hear him. He knew that she liked the blond for some reason, but he couldn't fathom why. They didn't talk about it. How she could like Uzumaki Naruto was beyond him.
Hinata twiddled with her fingers, a habit that only resurfaced when around Naruto. She had been crushing on him for a year now, but he remained only a good friend to her. He was the only one that couldn't see that she liked him.
Naruto…she thought sadly. …Why don't you like me? Am I just not good enough for you?
It was true. Naruto was crushing on Haruno Sakura, a bitchy, manipulative wannabe whore with pink hair. She used Naruto to try to make her own crush, Naruto's friend, Uchiha Sasuke, jealous. Hinata envied her for having Naruto's love and affection. She wanted it so badly, as much as she wanted to beat Tenten. And that was a lot.
Kiba patted her once more on the head. "Look, I'll drive you home, once your meets done. I had better get my ass back to the bleachers before your couch kicks it. I don't want running spikes lodged back there."
Hinata giggled and waved as her friend disappeared in the crowd, jogging back to Naruto. She reclined on the grass and waited for the meet to be over.
Gaara was just one in the crowd today, just as he was whenever he went to one of her meets. He would blend in with the crowd from the opposing team, not really suspicious. He could be a boyfriend or a relative. Only the girls paid him any attention, checking him out and trying to make passes at him. He ignored them, focusing only on Hinata.
Gaara watched her friend leave her, trotting off to join the blonde. He hated them both. Gaara wanted her attention and they got it. Gaara was like most males; he thought of her as his and didn't want to share.
Out of the two though, he hated Naruto the most. He held Hinata's heart and what was worse is the fool had no idea. It burned Gaara to think of him, so he turned away and watched the girl relax a bit.
Gaara could pinpoint the exact moment he had fallen for her. It was back when he was a freshman and she was in eighth grade.
Temari had forced him and Kankuro to go one of her track meets. It was hot and Gaara had tried to pay attention but his focus was wavering. There was some girl a row in front of him, with a blonde boy next to her.
"Aright, Hina, watch Tenten. When you join the team next year, you have to beat her!" the blonde instructed.
"Right, Naruto," she answered softly. Gaara almost had to strain to hear her. It was not normal for a girl to be so quite. All the women he knew where loud, overbearing and generally a royal pain in the butt.
"You kick ass at running, so I know you'll be able to beat her," he enthused, and Gaara could see that the tips of her ears had turned red. For some reason he liked it.
"I don't think I'm that good," she answered modestly.
Gaara could feel his heart sped up, his hands shake and he wanted nothing more than to spin her around and see her face. However, he didn't need to, since he saw her face right before Temari dragged them away.
He thought she looked like an angel, the opposite of him. It was magnetic and he couldn't get enough of her.
For the next year he stalked her without her ever knowing.
Ever since then, he would follow her around after school, go to all of her track meets, and leave flowers at her house for her. She was his obsession, his love, and no one knew about her, even his own family. He couldn't tell them, cause his brother and sister would worry and his dad would find some indirect way of twisting it.
He watched her wistfully as she hefted her bag over her shoulder and then scanned the crowd for her friend, her eyes captivating him. They were her best feature he thought. They radiated all of her innocence and love. Something Gaara respected and loved about her.
Gaara milled around in the crowd, clutching the flowers behind his back. He wouldn't give them to her, as he couldn't let her see him. Not yet. He was patient when it came to something he cherished and wanted. He would slowly introduce himself into her life, let her get to know him, and then when she feel for him-he was confident that she would- he would take her away from everyone and love her like no one else could. She was his-even if she didn't realize it.
Hyuuga Hinata…get ready to become Sabaku Hinata.
Just a couple of notes here:
I was originally going to put Gaara in Automotive, but then I realized something…I know nothing about Automotive. Since I spent a week in machine shop I put him in that.
Yes there will be Sakura bashing. I don't like her. Frankly, if I owned Naruto she would have been dead a long time ago.
This is strictly a GaaHina. Just so you know.
Please review. I work hard and would like to know if I did something wrong like the track part.
I hope you enjoyed!