I stared at the ground, eye twitching slightly as I made my way towards the school exit, ears red with embarrassment. It was happening again. I was being bullied, by the scariest guy in my school. I was tall, brunet, dark eyed, tan, and athletic. But none of it helped, especially considering whom my bully was.
I quickly moved through the halls, reaching my locker. I paused. Did I want to risk getting my stuff and have him find me again? Ah well, why not. I twirled my combo in, grabbing my backpack and grabbing random things to stuff in it.
"Where are you going in such a hurry Inuzuka?"
I froze in shock, cursing my dumb decision as I turned to face him. "Hi Gaara! Um, how are you?" I gave him a weak grin. He just stared at me emotionlessly like usual. "So, what's up?"
"I wasn't aware you cancelled our daily after school meeting." He glared at me.
"Yeah, I kinda got somewhere I gotta be." I chuckled weakly. "Reschedule?" A punch to the gut told me otherwise. "I-I guess that's a no." I wheezed. Another punch to the gut was my affirmation.
I had been plagued by Sabaku No Gaara since the beginning of the year, exactly a semester ago, for reasons I was unaware of. He was crimson haired, sea foam eyed, and pale skinned. He had what looked to be eyeliner around his eyes every day, making him look sorta like a raccoon. (Not that I would ever tell him that!) He was short on height but big on strength and attitude. And I was his chosen target. He was a force to be reckoned with.
I let out a soft 'Oomph!' as I got a blow to the side, followed by a blow to the right cheek. It hurt, but if I gave him the reaction he wanted, where would my manly pride be? His glare intensified.
"Does it hurt Inuzuka?" He grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me down in his face. "I hope it does. I want it to hurt. Hurt so bad you'll be ashamed."
"A-Ashamed of what?" I growled out, hissing slightly through the pain. "I have n-nothing to be ashamed of!"
With a wordless snarl, He pummeled my stomach, before tossing me by my shirt to the ground, stalking away. I lay there and watch him go for a moment, before slowly getting up. I ignored the pain in my body as I grabbed my backpack, heading down the hall at a limp and leaving the school.
What had he meant?
"Yo! Kiba! Where ya been man?" I cringed at the sound of my best friend's voice, and turned to the side just in time to dodge his flying hug. He hit the ground, cursing the whole way while I laughed. "OW! The hell was that?"
I grinned. "You shouldn't just fly out of nowhere and not expect the person to react Naru-Tard." He glared at me.
My best friend's name is Naruto Uzumaki. He had sunshine blonde locks, blue eyes, tan skin, and was my other half. Together we pulled pranks, stayed out past curfew, and had tons of fun. We did just about everything together. We had known each other since we were little, and while everyone else avoided him, I became his first friend.
"Shut it dog breath!" I grinned at the nickname. "Ready to go?"
"Of course! Let's ditch this joint!" I tried to hide my limp as I walked. But, apparently everyone was against me today.
"Kiba, why are you limping?" Naruto's inquisitive voice came from just behind me.
"Nothing. Just . . . twisted my ankle in gym!"
"Liar."
"How would you know?"
"We have that class together."
"Oh . . . yeah . . ."
"Is it happening again Kiba? Is Gaara bullying you?" I could hear the frown in his voice. Taking a deep breath, I turned to him, a fake smile on my face.
"'Course not! What do you think I am? A weakling?" I laughed a fake laugh. "Now, c'mon Blondie!" I turned, getting into my red truck, waiting for Naruto to get in the passenger seat. I turn the key in the ignition, looking out the window and meeting sea foam eyes from across the parking lot.
Gaara was standing there, probably the whole time, watching. He had a frown marring his normally expressionless face. His eyes swirled with emotions I was unable to distinguish from this far away. Suddenly, he looked away, turning and walking away. I frowned.
"Earth to dog breath! We goin' or what?" I snapped out of it when a hand waved in front of my face. "Jesus Kiba! Wake up already!" Naruto laughed. I growled slightly, putting the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot, driving towards the crazy blonde's house. Gaara stood there, and out of the corner of his eye, little to my knowledge, watched me drive off.
"Inuzuka."
I flinched at the softly, yet coldly, spoken word. Damn, he was back. Turning around I looked down, smiling at the redhead who was staring impassively up at me. "Yes Gaara? What can I do for you today?"
"What is your relationship with Naruto Uzumaki?"
I blinked at him. "What?"
"You heard the question. Now answer it." He glared at me, crossing his arms tightly. If I hadn't known any better, I would say Gaara was pouting.
"Um, we're friends, best friends actually if you want to get technical. Why?"
He stared into my eyes, seeming to be searching my soul to see if I was lying. With a swift nod, he turned and walked down the hallway, disappearing into a classroom. I blinked again, before realizing he hadn't bothered answering my question. I sighed and shook my head, making my way to my class, smiling when I realized I was going to first hour for the first time without being maimed. Today was a good day.
"When you walk away, you don't hear me say, 'Please, oh baby, don't go'! Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight, it's hard to let it go!" I sang along with the radio as I washed a black dog. I worked part time at a vet's office, washing the animals, walking them, and playing with them. For me, this was heaven on earth. Sure, it was my parent's vet clinic, but still.
"Kiba! When you're finished, get your ass in here!"
"Yeah, yeah Hana! I'll be right there!" I yelled back. I quickly rinsed the dog, drying him and putting him back in his cage with a pat and a bone. Walking into the office area, I grinned at Hana. "Hey, I'm here."
"About time. I want you to show the new guy around. He starts today." I nodded. "He's in the back room." Turning, I grabbed a rag and dried my hands, moving to the back room, a friendly smile on my face.
"Hello, I'm Kiba Inuz-!" I stopped, mouth agape, eyes wide as I stared at the person in the chair. He stared right back, eyes slightly widened but not enough to throw off his badass look. "Gaara?"
"Hi." He mumbled, standing. "Didn't know you worked here."
"It's my parent's clinic!"
"Shut up."
An awkward silence rang through the room. I fidgeted and he just stood there, staring at me unperturbed. Sighing, I smiled. "Guess we're work buddies then."
"We are not buddies. Nor are we friends. I don't like you, you don't like me." Gaara muttered with a slight glare. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I refrained for the fear of no longer having them.
"Fine, fine. This way!" I waved him hesitantly into the back room. He followed behind me, and I couldn't help but feel slightly creeped out.
Entering the back room, I immediately joined in with the song. "Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on! Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothings like before!" I could feel Gaara's questioning stare as it bore into my back. I grinned, leading him down the line of animals, explaining their needs, likes, dislikes, and schedules. He listened quietly, asking a question now and then. Soon, the tour was over, and I turned to him with a smile.
"That's about it! Looking forward to working with you buddy!" A punch to my gut was my answer to my question. I doubled over, wheezing, and when I stood I saw Gaara's back disappearing into the office area. Well, beggars can't be choosers.
I ran my hand through my hair, walking to my next class. I hefted my bag farther up onto my shoulder, rubbing one of my eyes with my other hand sleepily. Yeah, I over slept and missed the first three periods. Student of the week!
I grinned at Iruka-Sensei as I walked in. "Hey Sensei! What's up?" I earned a disapproving look. "Um, I'll just take my seat now!" I sat with a grin. Iruka just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Thank you for finally joining us Mr. Inuzuka." He turned back to the class. "As I was saying, today we will be starting our English project we talked about at the beginning of the year. I will partner you all up into pairs." He handed out papers to the class as he spoke. "Some work will be inside of class, while other times it will be up to you and your partner to meet up outside of school."
"Great, just what we need. A project." Shikamaru, the lazy kid in the back muttered with a sigh. "Troublesome." Naruto and I chuckled at our friend who just sighed and laid his head on the table.
"I'll start assigning partners." Moving to his desk, Iruka pulled out a sheet of paper. He began to read off the partners. "Group one: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Group two: Shikamaru Nara and Neji Hyuga. Group three: . . . "And because I honestly didn't care I decided to go into Kiba-Land and ignore whatever the hell Iruka was spewing at the moment.
As I dawdled around in my own world, I wasn't aware that my partner had been assigned to me and was now sitting silently beside me. I felt a smack to the back of my head, glaring up at Iruka. "The hell was that for?"
"Watch your language." Iruka reprimanded. "And work with your partner." He turned and walked over to Naruto, his brow jumping in irritation. I turned to look at said partner and tried not to groan out loud.
"Hi Gaara. Fancy meeting you here. Too." He ignored me. "Guess we'll be getting to know each other a ton more, considering we go to school together, work together, and now have to work on a project after school together, you beat me up . . ." I would have continued, but the 'continue-and-I-will-castrate-you' look in his eyes made me consider whether or not I wanted to keep my balls. I decided I did. "So, what's the project for?" He looked at me like I was an idiot, which I'm not! I paused. Most of the time . . .
Okay, basically all the time to be honest. But that was by choice! Wait, was he talking to me? I blinked, my unfocused eyes refocusing on the irritated redhead. "What?"
"I said, we have to read and analyze poetry, and then write our own." Gaara muttered, obviously irritated at having to repeat himself. "Got it that time stupid?" I nodded with a grin.
"Stupid has got it!" I chuckled. His glare obviously meant he didn't find me amusing. "So . . . you know anything about poetry?" He just gave me a look (I seemed to earn a lot of those) and looked back to the front of the classroom towards Iruka-sensei. I shrugged and went back to Kiba-Land for round two.
At the end of the class Gaara stood and left through the doors, so being the idiot he proclaimed I was, I followed. He was at his locker by the time I caught up with me, gathering his things for his next class. Grinning, I slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Hey work-school-project partner-bully buddy!" I felt him tense under my arm before I found myself face down on the ground. Well hell, that hurt. I looked over the arm twisted behind my back threateningly and met his eyes. "I can see you're busy. Want me to come back later?"
He growled. "I told you. We are not friends-"
"We're not buddies, not even partners. So leave you alone, right?" I grinned, and felt my arm twist farther. So he didn't appreciate cockiness, good to know.
"Watch yourself Inuzuka." He glared holes in the back of my head.
"Can't. My face is in the ground." It really did hurt when my arm was twisted the far. "Could you please let me go? Thanks!" He did nothing. "What's the matter? Want to keep a hold of me that much?" I snickered at the sexual innuendo, a snicker that was cut short by a growl and the pop of my bone out of place.
I let out a high pitched yelp as my arm fell uselessly to my side, a kick aimed at my side knocked the breath out of me. I received another kick to the side before Gaara turned on his heel and swiftly walked away. I whined softly in pain, laying there because I was unable to rise from that spot due to my useless arm.
Who knows how much time passed. Could have been seconds, maybe minutes, maybe an hour. Soon though, someone kneeled next to me.
"Kiba? Are you okay?" I opened my eyes. Shikamaru sat there, looking at me, bored but with a hint of hidden concern in his eyes. "What happened? Are you hurt?" I closed my eyes, shaking my head slowly.
"I . . . fell." I whispered. He rolled his eyes.
"Gaara's beating you up again, huh? Better get you to the nurse's office." As he went to lift me I winced at the pain in my shoulder. "Dislocated your shoulder didn't he? C'mon Kiba." He lifted me farther up so I was standing, and helped me limp to the nurse's office.
As we walked, I pondered how Shikamaru had known it had been Gaara who had beat me up, not me falling. Though it was highly unlikely that I'd fall and bruise myself while dislocating my shoulder since I was the soccer teams' star player. Shikamaru was very intelligent (unlike Naru-Tard) and seemed to figure things out pretty quick.
Shikamaru knocked on the door, which quickly opened to reveal the nurse, standing there, big and busty. She smiled. "Hello Shikamaru, Kiba. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?" She looked me over. "Let's lay you down on a bed and I'll check you out."
So, after about fifteen minutes of looking and two excruciating seconds of having my shoulder popped back into place, I was relaxing while Tsunade put a relaxant on the bruise on my side. Shikamaru was napping on another one of the beds, the lazy ass, and soon I was rousing him. I looked a little worse for wear. A bruise on my side, my hurt arm in a sling, a bruise across my jaw from the other day, and my limp still going strong. Other than that, I was just plain old Kiba.
Shika walked me to my car, both of us in our own thoughts. I looked at the truck, sighing and thinking about how much it was gonna suck trying to drive when Shikamaru spoke.
"You should be careful, watch your back. Don't underestimate him because of his height. And you should tell your parents." I chuckled.
"Nah, I can handle it. But thanks Shika." I pulled myself up and behind the wheel, cranking up the engine. I left him standing there as I drove, blaring music to sing along to as I grit my teeth to ignore the pain in my shoulder.
I pulled in my driveway, turning off the truck and getting out, pulling my backpack over my unhurt shoulder as I locked the car. I entered my house, determined to get up stairs into my room before my parents noticed I was home. That's called avoiding the problem, you see?
But, naturally fate was against me today (As per usual), and they just happened to be in the hallway leading to the stairs. Mom's sharp intake of breath and dad's widening eyes told me they had noticed the limp, bruises, and sling. Damn.
"Kiba?" Mom's voice was slightly timid. "What in the world happened?"
I grinned at her. "I ran into a tree."
"And it hurt your shoulder and bruised your cheek, while it gave you a limp?" Dad's voice was disapproving of my comment. Lord help me.
"Yes." And here I go putting my foot in my mouth, making it all worse.
"Tell the truth Kiba." Was dad's reply. I sighed.
"It's nothing dad. Relax guys. I'm fine." I passed them, moving up the stairs. I turned the corner, visibly relaxing when I could no longer feel those stares on my back. They didn't need to know what had happened to me, it didn't matter.
I lay there on my bed, reading a book, not bothering with dinner though I was starving. A soft knock sounded against my door at about eight and Hana's timid voice came.
"Kiba? I have some pizza for you. Pepperoni, your favorite! Can I come in?" I sighed, replying.
"Fine. Come in." Hana entered, bringing a plate with three pieces of the promised pizza. She sat on the bed next to me while I ravenously ate the delicious pizza, not saying anything until I had finished.
"Kiba, won't you tell me what happened?" I shook my head, laying back down on my bed and reopening my book. "Please little brother?" I ignored her gaze on me. "I won't tell mom and dad, I promise!"
"It doesn't matter." I replied. "There's nothing to tell. I ran into a tree."
"Kiba!"
"That thing came out of nowhere! It was crazy!" I ignored her as she tried to protest. "I didn't know trees could move that fast! It was-!"
"Kiba Inuzuka! Please, just tell me! I want to help you!"
I sighed. "Hana-."
"Please." I looked into her sad brown eyes. "You can trust me." I sat up, laying my book to the side, studying her.
"You won't tell mom or dad or anyone? No matter what?" She crossed her heart and nodded. "Fine. I'm being bullied, but I can handle it." She gasped softly. "But it's nothing. He just hit me a couple times and popped my shoulder out of place because I was teasing him. But I'm okay."
"Kiba . . . You should get some help." I shook my head.
"I'll figure out something. Don't worry."
It's safe to say Hana left my room worried about me and with a heavy heart. But I felt a tiny bit better knowing someone other than Gaara, Shikamaru (Somehow!), and I knew. So sleeping was easy that night, a lot easier than it had been for a while.
I was back at school, and you know what my plan was? Avoid Gaara like the plague! Sound like a good idea? No? Oh well.
I mean, thinking about it now had the fact that Gaara was flipping ninja and could find me like a dog in heat meant I couldn't hide. Not for five minutes. So when I found him next to me at my locker I couldn't understand why I felt so shocked. I mean, really. It wasn't that surprising. But what was surprising were his eyes.
His sea foam green eyes, so pretty now that I had looked into them and saw how nice they actually were, looked sad. The usually emotionless eyes held a slight strain of feelings in them. They shined with something neither he nor I could figure out. He looked up at me, closer than he had ever been without hurting me.
"Kiba." His voice was soft, and weak. "Help."
I blinked in shock. He wanted MY help? I glared at him slightly. "Why? Why should I?" He was silent. With a snort, I shut my locker, turning and walking down the hall. "Forget it. I'm not helping you."
"P-Please." I came to quick halt, looking slowly over my hurt shoulder. He was acting weird, different then he usually was. If my life was a story an obsessed fanfiction author wrote, then I'd have to say he was being out of character. But that's not the case, is it? Nope.
"With what?" He looked down, his eyes hidden by his crimson bangs. "Gaara, what do you want me to help you with?"
"Come with m-me." I slowly followed after the tense and scared looking redhead, following him out the school doors to his car. "T-There." He shakily pointed. Moving past him, I looked into the front seat of his truck and saw . . . a kitten?
Slowly my shoulders began to shake, and I moved my hand up to cover the laughter that threatened to spill out. This is what scared the big and scary Gaara silly? That's precious. I laughed harder, and soon I couldn't contain my laughter anymore, buckling over to hold my stomach. Gaara glared at me, a slight blush on his face.
"S-Shut up and get it o-out!" Gaara muttered. The kitty mewed pathetically, and Gaara jumped, looking like he was gonna pass out, which just made me laugh harder. "Hurry!" I straightened, wiping the last vestiges of tears out of my eyes, chuckling as I leaned in and picked the kitten up.
"Gaara, it's a cat. Chill." I gently pet it on the head, smiling as it began to purr. "It's adorable."
"There is nothing 'adorable' about those furry demons. They have claws and fangs and everything. So not adorable!" Gaara's fear made him act funny. It was amusing. "Get rid of it!"
"No way. We need to take it to the clinic." I shook my head. "C'mon. You're driving or holding the kitty." Gaara immediately moved past me, making sure to stay well away from the 'furry demon' and got in the front seat. Soon, we were on our way.
Gaara stomped into the clinic, more pissed off than normal. I followed, a new bruise appearing on my shoulder. I guess I deserved it. I did shove the cat in his face a couple times to watch him spaz in panic. It had been hilarious, but I paid for it when we got out of the car.
"HANA!" I shouted. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" She appeared in the doorway, an eyebrow raised.
"What do you want brat?"
"Look what we found!" I showed her the cat. Her eyes lit up and soon the kitten was in her arms while she cooed at it. Gaara shivered.
"It's so cute! Where did you find it?" I looked at Gaara to explain. With a sigh, he did.
"The demon got into my car so we brought it here."
"You brought HIM here." Hana said with a smile.
"Whatever."
"Well, what are you guys gonna do with it? We have no room for it and Mom's allergic to cats Kiba." I blinked.
"I completely forgot about that! I don't know, can't you just keep it here for a few days?"
"We can't Kiba."
I took the kitten from her, smiling sadly down at him. He looked up at me with a pitiful mew that broke my heart. I sighed.
"I'll take it home."
I looked at Gaara, confused. "What?"
"I said, I'll take the demon home." Gaara repeated.
"Why?" He glared at me. "Okay . . . Are you sure you want to? You don't have to."
"You're coming over to take care of the damn thing. I will not be responsible for it."
"Um, okay." I smiled. "Thanks Gaara." He ignored me, looking at the cat like it was going to kill him. "But are you sure?"
"Don't question me."
"Sorry!"
"How are things?" I jumped, then turned to face the lazy boy behind me.
"Damn Shika! Make a frickin' noise or something! You scared the shit outta me!" I complained, ignoring his somewhat smirk.
"I take it things are . . . tense?"
I shrugged, pulling my backpack over my shoulder. "I guess. You know how I told you about the kitten?" He nodded. "Well, I have to go over to Gaara's house to take care of it. Alone. With him. In his house." Shikamaru frowned, worry coloring his expression.
"Want me to come with?"
"Nah, I can't show him I'm afraid! And isn't it 'too troublesome' to be my body guard?" I grinned. Shikamaru smiled back.
"Of course it is. It's you."
"Ready to go." I rolled my eyes at his "Question". It was more of a 'you-better-be-ready-or-I'll-drag-your-ass-out' statement. I nodded.
"Yup, let's go Shorty!" He glared warningly at me, and when I grinned at him, he turned away quickly, moving to my car. I blinked, following, moving to peer around and see his face.
"What?" He growled.
"Gaara . . . are you . . . blushing?" His sea foam eyes were closed, a light blush slowly beginning to form and darken on his cheeks, moving over the bridge of his nose, hidden only by that layer of eyeliner.
"No!" I jumped slightly at his uncharacteristic shout. I grinned, poking his cheek, amused as his blush grew and spread more.
"You are!" I laughed happily. "Your so-!" I stopped, eyes widening as I took a step back. Gaara looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes mirroring mine in shock, both of us knowing what I was going to say.
I thought he looked cute?
"I'm what?" Oh, now he was just being mean. He couldn't just let me crawl under a rock and die quietly, he had to embarrass me more then I already was.
"Nothing, let's just go." I quickly got in my car, knowing that I was blushing now too. He quietly got in the passenger seat, and I could feel his eyes on me the whole drive, speaking only when he was giving directions. I pulled in the driveway of an average sized house. It was brown, with a neutral colored door and trim, the lawn well taken care of.
"You have a nice home." I smiled.
"It's not my home." He got out, leaving me staring at his back in confusion. 'Okay then . . .' I got out, following him to the front door, where he produced a key and went in, me close behind. We removed our shoes and coats, the silence getting a tad bit awkward.
"So, where is he?" Gaara pointed, answering my question. I went over to the shut door, noticing Gaara didn't follow, had just crossed his arms and stood back. I opened it, grinning as the kitten tumbled out, telling me he was standing on his back paws with his weight on the door.
"Hi buddy!" I picked him up, cuddling him to my chest. "Gaara." I directed my attention to the redhead. "Go get the cat food and stuff in the back of my truck." I ignored his glare, opening his mouth to tell me off for telling him what to do, playing with the kitten instead.
After the cat was fed and watered, I sat with him in my lap, scratching his tummy as he fell asleep. I felt something cold tap against the backside of my head. I blinked and turned my head, seeing Gaara standing there holding a soda out to me, his expression blank, something stirring in his eyes.
"Oh, thanks." I smiled and took it, opening it without waking the kitty up. Gaara sat down next to me, eyeing the kitten with trepidation.
"It's kind of cute when it's not awake." He muttered, tilting his head to the right slightly in contemplation. I smiled.
"Pet him."
"No thanks." Gaara shook his head, taking a sip of his own soda.
"He won't hurt you." He didn't look convinced. "I promise. I won't let him."
Hesitantly, Gaara's small hand- wow, he had tiny hands- reached out, touching the soft fur of the kitten slowly. He flinched when the kitten let out a sigh, then relaxed when he became peaceful again.
"See. It's fine." I smiled at him. "Just like I promised, right?" Gaara nodded slightly, and then did something that made my stomach drop into my feet.
Gaara smiled.
Not only did he smile, he seemed to glow. I noticed at once how his skin was a healthy color, his eyes brighter than normal, and his lips looked oh so soft. He was . . . beautiful. I blinked a couple times, and without thinking, and in a blinding flash took a photo of him on my phone.
Gaara blinked once, twice, thrice and slowly he began to glare. "Oh hell no." I grinned.
"Did I just take a photo of you? Yes. Do I now have perfect blackmail of you? Yes." I chuckled, scooting away from the now murderous redhead.
"Delete it."
"Nope. Contact picture for you!"
"You don't have my number." I considered this.
"Give me your number!"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please Gaara?" A whiny note had snuck into my voice, and I could see the irritation it caused him. "Please give me your number?" He was silent. "That way I can contact you when I'm coming over to play with the kitten!"
"Fine." I grinned, typing in his number as he muttered it to me, clicking save with a gleeful smile.
"Yes! Thanks!" I stood and gently sat the kitten on the couch, stretching.
"I wasn't aware we were anything more than enemies." I froze, turning to look at him. He was staring at me again, his eyes boiling with emotions that I didn't understand.
"We were never enemies; we just have a bully-victim relationship." I gave him a half smile, sitting beside him once more. "I don't even get why you don't like me, why you think I should be ashamed. Can you tell me Gaara?"
He stood quickly, looking away before moving to the kitchen. "I'll make us something to eat." I frowned.
He was going to be a hard nut to crack.
I shivered as I hopped out of my truck, rubbing my arms to warm them. I looked up at the now familiar house with a worried frown. Gaara hadn't shown up at school today, and he hadn't answered when I called to let him know I was coming over to check on the kitten. But I wasn't worried, not in the least! I'm Kiba Inuzuka after all! . . . Doesn't mean anything you say? Well, fuck.
I knocked on the door then stood, waiting for the school skipping redhead to open up, but minutes passed. Worried now, I knocked again.
"Gaara? Gaara, open up! It's me, Kiba!" No answer. Frowning again, I walked off the porch to peer in the front windows of the house. Through the drapes, I saw a sight that made me gasp out loud.
Gaara was laying face down on the ground, in a puddle of dark liquid. Not breathing.
"Gaara!" I shouted, banging on the window. He didn't respond. I ran to the door, trying the knob, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pushed. I ran around the back, hopping the fence and trying the back door. Locked. With my heartbeat roaring in my ears and my heart pounding in my chest, I moved back around front.
I checked my cell phone. Dead. Nobody was home during that time of the day either. I ran my hands through my hair in agitation, eyes wild with panic as I looked for some way in.
"Damn it!" I shouted, moving to the window again. "Gaara! Gaara, wake up!" I turned from the window. "Damn it! Why is it so hard to get into one fucking house?" I looked around for something to use, what I wasn't sure. Naturally his front yard was bare of anything that could help, including rocks or branches to break a window. And there was nothing of use in my car. There was only on way to get in.
The windows upstairs.
I ran around back, hoisting myself onto the fence, looking around. Spotting a small handhold in the wall, a tiny crevice, I set my mouth in a grim, determined line. I reached for it, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I began to pull myself up, feet scrambling for purchase. I reached for another handhold, yanking myself up onto the small overhanging of the back porch. I paused, taking a deep breath as I tried the windows there. Locked. I turned my head, the chilly fall wind blasting me in the face, the rain from the night before making the surface slippery. There was another overhanging a few feet away.
I sidled down the side, holding onto a shingle tight, moving my leg down to the very edge. Guessing the distance, I knew I'd have to jump. I stood slowly, feeling the wind and all the forces of nature pushing against me. I took a step back, taking a deep breath before leaping off.
I hit the other overhanging, and slid down, one of my feet sliding off the roofing. I fell forwards, feeling my momentum pull me down; falling so only one hand was gripping the roof, the only thing holding me from a long drop.
I quickly grabbed on with my other hand, summoning the strength to pull myself up. Reaching for the window, I tried it. It was unlocked! I shoved it open and pulled myself through; thanking my lucky stars it was open. I shot down the stairs, sliding down the hallway before running into the living room.
"Gaara!" I cried, rushing to his side and turning him over, ignoring the dark crimson liquid now soaking into my clothing. "Gaara, are you okay?" I moved and grabbed the home phone and dialed 911, yelling in panic at the phone operator to come and save my friends life before hanging up. Like instructed in my lifeguard classes, I began to perform CPR, willing his eyes to open again.
"Come on buddy! Wake up, don't you dare be dead!" I leaned down and breathed air into his lungs before repeating the chest compressions. "Don't you fucking dare!"
The door opened, and two medics ran in. They pushed me aside and another officer came in, removing me with force from Gaara's side. I yelled at Gaara's unmoving body as I was pulled.
"Wake up damn it! Gaara! I'll never forgive you if you die on me!"
"Kid, calm down!" The officer said, shutting the house door. "Yelling will only make it harder on the medics."
"He is my best friend! I scaled his house to get in there! I will make all the fuss I want, don't you tell me to calm down!" I cried out in anger, pointing to the house. "That's my friend in there! DYING! Do you understand? I don't think you do! I-!"
"Are you Mr. Sabaku's friend?" The medic was at the officers side suddenly.
"Yes! Is he going to be okay?" I was suddenly drained of energy, my adrenaline had worn off and I was just tired and achy. "Please tell me he's okay."
"He's lost a lot of blood, but we have his heart beating again and he's stable, but we're putting him in the ICU to monitor his condition closely. He's going to be fine."
I sat on the front porch step, my head between my knees as my head spun. He was going to be okay. "Thank you for getting here so fast. And for helping him."
The medic knelt in front of me with a smile. "I think your voice was what gave his heart the ability to continue beating, no matter how feebly it was." He patted my shoulder and stood.
"I'm sorry." I looked at the officer with a rueful smile. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"Love makes you do crazy things." And he was gone. I blinked but decided to consider that later and stood, making my way to the side of the gurney that held Gaara. I smiled and brushed his hair out of his face.
"Thank god." I whispered.
"Would you like to ride with him kid?" I nodded at the man.
"Yes please."
I smiled as Gaara's eyes slowly fluttered open. "Morning sunshine."
"Kiba?" His voice was raspy than usual. "Where am I?"
"The hospital."
"What?"
"You lost a lot of blood and stopped breathing. I found you and ended up scaling the whole damn house when I found the door locked." I sat on the edge of his bed.
"Why didn't you go use the neighbors phone to call the police." I blinked then grinned sheepishly.
"That would have been too easy?" In other words, I panicked. Gaara chuckled and sat up a bit more. We were silent for a moment before I sighed.
"Wanna talk about what happened?"
"No."
Silence again.
"You owe me an explanation!"
"Why do you care?"
"Because you're my best friend Gaara!" I stopped, running a hand through my hair. With a sigh, I continued. "And because I care what happens to you."
"You hate me."
"Says who?" I blinked.
"It's obvious."He glared at me. "I'm your bully. Not exactly someone you'd confide in. And there's the fact that I scare you shitless."
"You don't anymore though. I've seen bits and pieces of your true self, and I can't honestly fear you anymore. The way you smile or laugh, how you show empathy when you wound, and sympathy for a kitten. You're a really nice guy, how can I fear you?" Gaara was silent. "I've seen you angry, happy, sad, jealous, confused, and many other emotions. I saw it in the way you stared at Naruto and I when we were leaving school and you thought no one was looking. I've seen how you consider things thoughtfully, and take you time to decide. They say that eyes are portals to the soul, and with you I'd have to agree. You may act stoic and uncaring, but your eyes tell a different story." I smiled. "And I like that. Your fun to be around, to mess with, and to discuss things with. I want you to trust me. Trust is earned, isn't it? Well, I think I've earned it, don't you?"
Gaara was staring up at me, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He had a soft dusting of red over his high cheekbones. He sat there for a second before looking down. "Fine."
"So you'll tell me?"
"If you stop interrupting me."
"Right!"
He sighed. "I was walking through my house, ready for school and all. When I entered the living room, my mother's brother was there." He pause before continuing. "When I was little he always said how much he loved me, and he was the only one who didn't blame me for my mother's death. In truth, he harbored the most hatred for me, and because of it he went insane. He had a knife and after he gave me the usual villain's spiel, he stabbed me, but stopped when he heard you calling me name."
I inwardly gasped. I had been that close to Gaara's attacker without realizing, and I had saved him by mere seconds. Good thing I skipped half of school.
"Last thing I remember was him saying he'd be back, before disappearing. Then hearing you call my name, before I blacked out."
"Did you tell the police?" I whispered, voice tight with fear.
"I gave my statement. He's in custody already." We sat in silence and \I once again thanked my lucky stars.
"Thank you."
I looked at him, tilting my head to the side. "For what?"
"Saving my life. In more ways than one."
"No problem. What are friends for?"
Something stirred deep in the depths of his eyes for a moment before disappearing.
"You haven't been beaten up in a while, I see." Shikamaru sat beside me in the grass where I was waiting for Naruto, slouching like normal. "Then again, I don't think Gaara has looked at you since he got out of the hospital." I looked over at said redhead, and frowned when he blatantly ignored me and kept walking.
"Yeah. Why though?"
"Maybe he's thankful, and won't bother you anymore."
"Yeah, maybe."
"You don't sound entirely happy. Or happy at all actually." I looked at Shikamaru and blinked. He sighed. "This is troublesome to have to say out loud. You like him, don't you?"
"What?" I could feel a slight blush creep over my cheeks.
"You can't keep your eyes off him. You were with him the whole time he was in the hospital, until after he testified against his uncle. You look lost when he isn't around but act like a happy puppy when he is. Kiba, you're in love."
My eyes widened slightly. "You think that I'm in love with him?"
"I know you are. So go, I'll tell Naruto he has to walk home today." Shikamaru sighed again. "How troublesome."
I got up and grabbed my back pack before making my way over to Gaara, sidling up next to him. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, eyebrow raised.
"What."
"Why have you been avoiding me since you got out of the hospital? You won't answer calls, texts, passed notes, anything!"
"I didn't feel the need to."
I growled in frustration. "Why the hell not?"
"Because if I did I'd cross an unspoken line." Gaara stopped walking and glared at me. I glared back. "I have better things to do with my time then fool around with you. You should be happy I'm leaving you alone."
"I'm not!" He blinked and tilted his head in confusion. "I'm not happy. I liked how it was before, granted it included me getting hurt and I didn't enjoy that, but at least you took the time to look at me! Now your acting like I'm below you!"
"Maybe you are."
"I know that's not true! You showed me different sides of you! And I know for a fact you haven't ever done that with anyone else!" I took a step closer to him, throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation. "What the hell is your problem now?"
"You."
"Excuse me, I don-!"
Gaara grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me forward, and I braced myself for the impact and pain that never came. His lips were as soft as they looked, and felt amazing pressed against mine. His hand on my shirt relaxed as I slowly unfroze and kiss him back, resting palm down against my chest. I moved a step closer and wrapped one arm around him waist, the other hand moving to interlace with his fingers. He made a soft sound of appreciation, and leaned his body against mine.
I broke the kiss before going under again, this time prodding my tongue against the seam of his lips, gaining entrance and slowly, timidly brushing my tongue to his, touching and prodding everything. I broke the kiss again, leaning back slightly to look at his face, dusted with that blush I loved so much.
"This definitely got more complicated. And public."
Its been a month since then, and we were happily together. Gaara and I sat on the couch in my house, watching a movie as I stroked his hair, supporting both our weight on the couch.
Everything had turned out nicely since then. Gaara's uncle was safely in a jail somewhere serving out a long sentence with no hopes of parole, I had my Gaara, and Gaara had found a great carpet cleaning crew for that nasty mess in his living room. Sure, we failed our project, but really, what do you expect? That's what happens when you mix love and drama in with a typical teenage life. That's what happens when you fall for your bully. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love you Kiba."
"I love you too Gaa-Chan!"
"Don't call me that."
"Yes sir!"
Wow! It's finally over. Took me all the second semester of school to write, I worked on it bit by bit every day, and I finally finished it! I hope you all enjoyed it, I love how it turned out, and I absolutely adore this couple!
Read and Review!
~Rini-Rose~