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(Author's Ramblings)
Asylum: Well, I am yet to find a WELL written HS fic so I've set out to write one of my own. No fear I am still writing 'Don't say I'm not a Monster' but I got bored waiting for my Beta to do her job.
Seth: Sure THAT'S your excuse.
Asylum: Shuddup! Go complain to Christie to Beta my story if you want me to update so badly!
Seth: Fine I will!
Asylum: Gooooood luck!
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(Prologue)
New school, new people, new teachers and, once again, a new life...
Gaara wasn't one for change. His mother had died when he was born, the only person who ever said they loved him tried to convince him to kill himself, his father had killed himself a few months ago and his siblings never talked to him anymore.
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(Intro)
After their father's death, social services deemed Temari stable enough and old enough to look after her brothers. She took what money they had and moved into the city of Konoha where there were higher-paying jobs and cheaper rental places. Kankuro and Gaara were enrolled into Konoha High School and Temari took a job at the local coffee bean, just down the road from their run-down, cheap rental apartment.
Kankuro had a part time job at the movie house and Gaara would've been a normal teenaged boy… had it not been for his bear. The bear, given to him as a child, had started off like a normal teddy bear, until he received a voice. Shukaku.
And so our story begins…
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(Story Begins)
"Gaara, have you packed yet?" Temari called upstairs. Her question received no vocal answer, instead a skinny, pale, red-headed sixteen year old quietly handed her a small box. Inside laid a laptop and power cable, a tattered teddy bear and quite a few tubes of eyeliner.
"This is all you want?" Temari mentally compared her boxes to Gaara's as the silent boy nodded. Temari sighed, watching the red-head pick up a guitar case and shoes, waiting for his sister to follow on, Temari complied. Kankuro sat impatiently in a run-down Ute, slamming his palm on the horn.
In the setting sun the three siblings drove off, leaving their family home for good. As soon as the house was out of sight, Gaara gestured for Temari to pull over, which she did. Gaara slid out, walking back the way they'd come, saying nothing.
"Maybe he forgot something?" Kankuro offered while Temari tutted. Fifteen minutes later, Gaara returned and the three drove off again, heading towards Konoha. In the dark rear end of the car Gaara smiled, three fire engines roaring past, towards the Sabaku residence.
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Hours later found two of the Sabaku siblings asleep in the back and front passenger seat of their car, off the side of the road. The other Sabaku sat awake on the bonnet, glancing up at the sky. The three of them were only three hours from Konoha but Temari wanted to be safe and sleep until dawn then begin again.
Temari had pulled over in a clearing not to far from the road but deep enough into the forest which surrounded Konoha that they wouldn't be disturbed.
Gaara turned his head towards a rather loud noise to his right. A pair of wide white-ish eyes stared back through a bush, startled. Gaara slid off the hood, his black-rimmed eyes never leaving the white-eyed threat. Kankuro shifted in the back seat, drawing Gaara's attention and the white eyes left the bush, the owner unknown.
Gaara sighed, opening the boot of the Ute in search for his box. Once located, Gaara pulled out Shukaku the Bear, returning to the bonnet.
Ah, Panda-chan, so glad you got me out of that bloody box.
Gaara smiled, genuinely in a totally non creepy way, at his teddy. 'I'm sorry Shukaku, but I can't let Kankuro ever see you, who knows what he'll do…' Gaara gave the sleeping boy a glare and sniffed.
You should sleep more Panda-chan, don't worry I'll watch over you. The bear coaxed. Gaara nodded, slowly drifting off into a semi-conscious state on the front of the car.
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(Change Story)
A white-eyed boy stared at the red-head lying on a run-down Ute in the middle of his clearing. He shifted his foot and the red-head turned to look at him, his white eyes wide with shock. The boy left the Ute hood, holding his gaze until something took his attention and those black-rimmed teal eyes left his.
The white-eyed boy quickly shuffled back away from the bush he'd hidden behind and ran back towards Konoha. Slowing, he pulled leaves out of his long dark brown hair and entered the city. He hailed a taxi and it drove him home.
"N-Neji-n-niis-san, y-your h-home," A girl around his age with the same white eyes stuttered once the white-eyed boy opened the door.
"Yes I am." Neji answered simply, pulling his hair to the side as he shrugged off a jacket. "Where is Hiashi?"
"A-asleep…" The girl blushed, embarrassed over nothing.
"Does he know I went out?" Neji asked, the girl hesitated, "Hinata, does your father know I went out?" Neji advanced on the nervous short-haired girl.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry N-Neji-n-niis-san…" Hinata looked near to fainting, relieved when her cousin stopped advancing on her.
"I'm in for hell in the morning." Neji commented absently, leaving his cousin's company for his small, neat and sterile room.
"I-I'm s-sorry"
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(Gaara's Story)
Gaara woke to the feel of an unnatural vibration underneath him. Gripping Shukaku tight, he slid off the bonnet, taking the back seat as Temari drove out of the clearing. Kankuro complained loudly in the front seat until Konoha loomed up in the distance, Temari stepped on the gas, passing through the gates and taking the third left.
Half an hour later the moving van showed up empty. "Where is all our furniture?" Temari demanded.
"I'm sorry miss, there was nothing left." The moving man stated. Gaara drifted closer.
"What on earth do you mean?" Temari was quickly loosing her temper.
"The house was burnt to the ground." Temari's jaw dropped while Gaara sniggered to himself, returning to his empty room. Shukaku sat next to the opened laptop and the tattered guitar case. His life possessions mapped out on the floor. The laptop screen blinked white, reminding him of those eyes last night.
"Hmm," Gaara mumbled to himself. The eyes had looked human enough, but they had been such a peculiar shade of white, there was the possibility that the eyes belonged to someone blind but the likelihood was close to zero. After all, the eyes had looked straight at him.
"Gaara, Kankuro!" Temari called, "We're going out for breakfast, since we've got nothing." Kankuro thumped out the front door, moody as always. Gaara left his empty room, stopping when his sister offered him a jacket.
"It's cold outside." She mumbled, Gaara's thin, cold fingers curling around the black material. Without a word, the red-head slipped the hoodie over his head, opening the door of their rusted, dirty car.
"Damn car!" Temari shouted, frustrated. The vehicle refused to start so Temari sent Kankuro out to fix it. He stepped back and kicked the front of the car viciously, causing the engine to roar to life. Jumping back in, Kankuro buckled in and Temari stepped on the gas.
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Dinner was uneventful, Kankuro ate like a pig, Temari whacked him to an inch of his life and Gaara scared the waitresses with his 'evil death glare of doom' glare, pulling up the black hood. Kankuro burst out laughing, causing Gaara to raise a non-existent eyebrow in question.
"Te-Temari gave you one of m-my hoodies!" Kankuro gasped out eventually. Silently Gaara raised a hand to his head. Two pieces of cloth stood up from his head acting as cats ears. Gaara scowled, standing and leaving the cheap restaurant.
"Oh, Gaara!" Temari called, turning on Kankuro, "see what you did?" Kankuro raised his hands in defense. Neither made any move to follow their brother.
Gaara crossed the road, hands deep in his pockets. Cars whirred past him, hood still up. Half way down the street the smell of coffee hit Gaara's senses and the red-head gravitated towards the heavenly smell.
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(Neji's Story)
Neji slowly got bored in his room, his thoughts wandering to the red-head in his clearing. He stood, pacing restlessly for hours, Hiashi resting barely meters away and Hinata in the living room with Hanabi, still watching a movie at this early hour. He had to get out, the clock read five o'clock and the Hyuuga knew a great coffee shop not too far from here.
Sneaking out the window, Neji slid down the tiling of the first floor roof, grabbing onto a conveniently placed tree. Hiashi would kill him if he ever found out about his constant adventures into Konoha at night but, funnily enough, Neji couldn't bring himself to care what his murderous Uncle thought.
Neji walked down the still busy streets, following the bitter sweet smell of coffee. The shop was small, warm and had walls of books on both sides, it was a mini library mixed with a coffee shop. The mix of smells from the books and the coffee dragged a smile onto the Hyuuga's stunning features.
Neji sat in his usual booth and the waitress brought him the usual along with a book by Neji's favorite author. He'd been coming here for years and the waitresses and waiters remembered his face and favorites.
He took a long swill of the bitter sweet liquid, froth tickling his nose and eyes closed. Setting the glass down and swallowing his mouthful, Neji opened his eyes and felt his jaw drop.
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(Gaara's Story)
The coffee shop door was open, heat rushing out to combat the horrible coolness of the early hour, Gaara's watch read ten past five in the morning. The coffee shop walls were lined with books, the sales of the coffee were made along the back of the building.
A soft intake of breath to the red-head's right caused him to incline his head, emerald met white. White eyes like last night, so they were human.
"Excuse me," The owner of said white eyes spoke up, beckoning Gaara closer. "I'm sorry to bother you sir, but, no it's silly. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Where you in a clearing last night? Or is it normal for people to have white eyes like your own?" Gaara's voice cracked, it had been years since he'd spoken and his vocal chords weren't used to the exercise.
The boy with white eyes looked stunned at Gaara and nodded, "that was you on the hood of the car?" Gaara nodded back.
"Sabaku no Gaara," he offered his hand which white eyes took, "Hyuuga Neji"
"Mind if I join you?" Gaara gestured to the seat opposite Neji.
"Not at all, please sit." Neji suppressed a smirk at the cat ear hood the boy was wearing; choosing to call a waitress over instead. "What do you want?"
"A double shot in the dark, Grande" Gaara ordered. The waitress gave the thin boy a glance.
"You know that much caffeine…" She began but Gaara cut her off.
"That's my order." Gaara spat out, glaring slightly at the poor waitress, who scampered off with his order.
Across from him, Neji laughed. Gaara gave him a questioning look. "Why are you laughing?"
"You, that poor girl almost passed out!" Neji's laugh subsided to giggles, until he noticed the waitresses arguing over who would take Gaara his coffee. Eventually the coffee found its way over to the red-head.
"Put it on my tab." Neji told the girl. Gaara tried to refuse but Neji wouldn't hear it. "It's a mere three bucks, if you want you can pay me back later if you want."
Gaara pulled a face, deciding to change the subject. "What were you doing out there?" Gaara took a drag from his glass, the hot; caffeine filled liquid sliding beautifully down his sore throat.
"I've been going to that clearing ever since I moved here. It's where my father… well, you don't need the details." Neji waved it off a genuine smile on his face. Gaara couldn't help but think that he was incredibly, well, pretty. "How about you?"
"My family just moved here, my older sister doesn't like driving late at night." Gaara explained, scratching his blood red hair underneath the hood of Kankuro's jacket.
"How old are you?" Neji asked, his long fingers steepled, his café latte forgotten.
"Sixteen, yourself?" Gaara saw surprise flittering across Neji's face. He knew he didn't look anything like normal sixteen year olds, what with his thin, short frame, blood red hair, pale skin and light, black lined green eyes.
"The same," Neji recovered beautifully, had Gaara not been concentrating on those white eyes he wouldn't have seen it.
"Do you live around here?" Gaara asked, rubbing his throat. He wasn't used to this much talking.
"Yeah actually" Neji cast a glance at his watch, "here's my address and phone number, call anytime." He quickly scrawled down his details, handing it to a rather shocked Gaara. "I don't know why I'm giving you this either but whatever. I'll see you at school."
With that, Neji left a confused Gaara sitting in a lone booth questions chasing each other around his head.
Why did Neji just give him his personal details? How did he know what school he was going to? Gaara was just too confused; he didn't want to contemplate this anymore. Settling down with his coffee Gaara took notice of the book Neji had been reading: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe, his kind of book. Once he'd moved the book, Gaara noticed the mobile phone sitting next to the book, Neji's phone.
Gaara heard Temari shouting at Kankuro and drained his cup. Walking up to the counter he handed the cashier a fiver and the mobile phone. "Give this to Neji next time he comes in, along with this." Gaara handed the trembling girl the note and a slip of paper with only his number, he still didn't know the number of their apartment.
Leaving the coffee shop he met up with his siblings, once again sinking into silence. Temari tried to start a conversation, but fell silent at the lack of enthusiasm from her brothers. The three drove home, Kankuro and Temari sleeping in the car, Gaara staring at the piece of paper that rested on his laptop. Shukaku stared at him.
Are you going to call him, Panda-chan? The bear asked in Gaara's mind.
'I don't know yet…' Gaara tapped his phone, thumb hovering over the keypad.
Maybe later, eh Panda-chan? Gaara nodded to the bear's silent question, putting the phone down, allowing his fingers to drift over the latches of his guitar case. Pulling out the instrument, Gaara's fingers ghosted over the metallic strings, eyes closed and a small smile on his face.
Goodnight Panda-chan…
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(Neji's Story)
Hyuuga Neji stood, leaning against the wall of the coffee shop, head spinning. He'd just given a stranger, whom he knew next to nothing about, his address and phone number. How stupid was he? Neji started arguing with himself over whether or not to go back in there.
You don't know the guy; he could be a murderer for all you know.
But it just felt so right, I'll see him at school anyway there's only one school around here anyway.
A blonde girl shouted at a brown haired boy and soon Gaara left the coffee shop, blind to the Hyuuga who still lent up against the coffee shop wall. Neji knew he had to get home soon, Hiashi was going to kill him if he wasn't home when he woke up.
He checked his pockets for his wallet, keys and mobile. Not finding the later in his pocket, Neji returned to the shop, looking around the booth. He felt a tap on his shoulder and straightened up.
"That scary little red-head boy told me to give you this, Mr. Hyuuga." A waitress held out a five dollar bill and a slip of paper, along with his phone.
"Thank you." Neji took his belongings, glancing at the piece of paper. On it held a series of numbers, a phone number, Gaara's phone number. Neji smirked, pocketing everything. He left the shop and ran home, taking a quick nap before being woken up by Hanabi twenty minutes later.
His only thought that night: He looks like a red panda with cat ears…
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(Author's Ramblings)
Asylum: My new AU Gaara and Neji story, this is a side story because I'm still waiting for my Beta to do her job! –Pointed look at Christie-
Basically a High school fic with parings as follows: SasuNaru, GaaNejiGaa, GaaSoriGaa, DeiSori, ItaOro, ZabuHaku, ShinoKibaHinata, KakaIru, SakonKankuroUdon and TemariShika, just to list a few.
I'll probably update this one when I'm bored or feel the need to, so don't expect really frequent updates, especially with my exams coming up.
Seth: Which you still haven't studied for.
Asylum: Shut up, go bug Christie to Beta my story for me.
Seth: Fine, fine…