Exploiting the Bodyguard.
Brought to you by Azarni-chan
Pairing: Eventual GaaNaru (only a few preliminary chapters before this happens)
Elongated Summary- Warning- Contains plot spoilers!!: (Heh. I just typed 'Cummary' instead of 'Summary'. Oops. Dirty mind. Hehe, 'Elongated Cummary' X3) Naruto is weakened on the Kyuubi's incarceration anniversary, and the Akatsuki think it ideal to nab him. Gaara decides to protect him, but arrives too late. After, he is assigned as Naruto's 'bodyguard'. Or, 'babysitter' as Gaara puts it. Far from being lovebirds, they are a pair of friends who grow closer through their interaction, and Gaara begins to feel…something other than the urge to maim towards our little blonde, and Naruto thinks Gaara looks 'yummy' in dark green. Written in bouts of insanity and fatigue.
Warnings: Sexual themes (non-con-ish), violence, language, graphic lemon in later chapters, Shounen-ai, slight Sasuke bashing and general insanity. Do not read without a ready supply of sugar and a mail-bomb to send to me when I leave you at cliffies.
Prologue:
Midnight was a daunting time in Konohagakure no Sato. If you were awake at said time, you could hear the whisper of the trees, moaning of secrets only fathomable to them, oblivious to the dark, silent shapes moving among them, slipping through the watching Konoha nin with such ease and grace that not a flicker of movement could be seen as they passed.
Uzumaki Naruto was one such awake at the stroke of midnight. He was always awake at this time on this day; it was the anniversary of the day that the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been sealed inside his small, oblivious body.
It had been three years since Naruto had found out that the Kyuubi was sealed inside him, and he would never forgive Kakashi for telling him on his thirteenth birthday.
The moon shone brightly in the dark sky, and Naruto stood leaning against his windowsill looking out at it, a sad smile on his delicate face. The whisker scars on his cheeks shone faintly in the moonlight and the tan on his slender body was dulled to a beatific silver sheen, his hair turned to white by the grand luminescence shining down upon Konoha and through his window.
Clad only in a pair of mid-thigh length orange shorts and his nin-shoes, Naruto sighed and shoved gently off the sill, making his way slowly across his small bedroom to the small bathroom adjoining it.
If he had have lingered at the window a mere moment longer, he would have seen a shadow flit past and come to a halt on one of the nearby rooftops.
He made it three steps through the bathroom door before hearing a soft swoosh behind him, and, turning, the whole world went dark.
Chapter One- Approximately a week before the prologue takes place.
Sunagakure no Sato was a bustling, teeming place at any given time of the day. The Sunans weren't by any means a gentle people, but they were still a smoothly functioning one. Merchants screamed their wares, ninja flitted past on unknown business, couples screamed and made eyes at each other and money changed hands (under tabletops, in whorehouses and guardhouses and illegal slave houses alike.).
Yes, Suna, the village hidden amongst the sand, was a very prosperous city indeed, not lacking in funds or man-power. Their Kazekage was kind (as he could be), generous (to the point of publicly butchering five men involved in child sex slave rings), and moral (only because his siblings kept him from annihilating all the whorehouses and illegal sex rings). Yet the people loved him, and no complaints were made (whether this was from fear or respect is yet to be seen).
The village was happy (apart from numerous murders evidently taking place in side alleys), but in the Kazekage's Mansion, a heated, intense discussion was taking place.
"We cannot, under any circumstances, underestimate the Akatsuki. They are far more cunning than we give them credit for." The teal eyes of the speaker bore into those seated around the table in the council chamber, his soft, strong voice gripping them all in a vice as unbreakable as a dead man's fist, or the Sabaku Kyuu he wielded.
"We also cannot spare the forces of ANBU needed to venture such a jeopardous mission as you are proposing. With all due respect, Kazekage-sama." The elderly council member was just what he appeared; slick and devious. The Kazekage knew very well his true motives.
"Do not recite your bullshit at me, Hotari." The Kazekage snapped in a cold voice, "I know very well exactly why you don't want to proceed with this mission. That same reason is why I am in the seat of power and not you. So either agree with me or politely resign your seat on the council. I, personally, could not care less."
"Hotari's right, Kazekage-sama," said another, of same like as his fellow council member, but thicker build and several chins, "We don't have the nin to spare-"
"How dare you rattle off numbers at me!" the now livid (although for all the world you could not tell from his blank facial expression) Kazekage snapped amidst their ceaseless quarrelling, "One would think that I, of all people, would know how much nin we have to spare! Do not try and fool me, my dear council, or you may find yourselves suddenly twenty feet under an unmoving pile of sand. I would thank you to not underestimate me, either."
Another of the thouroughly stupid council members (because they must be, standing up to this particular Kazekage) began his futile argument, but the red-head blasted right over him.
"IF we do not have enough ninja, I will go myself!"
Silence fell in the small circular chamber, the only noise audible being the barely contained snicker from Kankuro and the whack he received from Temari.
"Y-you what, Kazekage-sama?"
"Surely you cannot be seriously thinking of-"
"I can, and I am." Gaara cut him off coldly, "If you are so insistent about us not having enough ninja to complete this mission, then I will go."
He sent a venomous glare after this for punctuation and resumed his seat, not realising that he had stood somewhere throughout the argument, hands clenched on the edge of the table, knuckles white from the strain.
"Kazekage-sama," the only woman on the council, a portly middle-aged woman with grey hair and a weathered face, spoke, "You cannot risk your safety for a-"
"For what?" Gaara growled menacingly, his voice so low and soft that they had to strain to hear it, some even leaning forward in their seats, "For what, Nivin? Dare you say it?"
"Otouto-" Temari warned, stepping forward.
He put his hand out in a gesture to stop, and she proceeded no further, instead giving him a look that said he had some explaining to do later.
"Dare you say it?" he continued, sweeping his cold gaze over them all, "Dare you utter the name? I know what you are all thinking, and I ought to have you all executed for merely thinking it. I warn you, Council; do not anger me, for you will definitely regret it. I will go on this mission. Regardless of the amount of nin, I have decided that I will go. He is in danger. And yes," he addressed Nivin, "I fully intend to risk my safety- which, might I add, is much safer than your's currently is- for a demon." He blatantly ignored the flinches that accompanied his lashing of the word, "Do you want to know why? Because I am one, too. And if you cross me, you will very much be hoping that your mother never met your father. So I will go, for this demon," again, he ignored the flinches and winces, "with all of your good grace and blessings. You do not have a choice."
Indeed, they did not. Sand had mysteriously being winding its way around the room and now held fast all of the council members' ankles in an iron grip.
"Y-yes, Kazekage-sama," Hotari cringed as he stammered, "I acquiesce to your…request. You may leave with my b-blessing."
Immediately, the sand released his shaking legs.
It wasn't long before the others caved, too.
And perhaps, just perhaps, a small smile of triumph graced the beautiful face of the most formidable man in Suna.
And just perhaps, the little demon they had been discussing could be got to in time. The eve of the Kyuubi's incarceration anniversary was drawing closer, and the Kazekage of Suna was determined to thwart the Akatsuki in their mission with one, lethal mission of his own.
"This is an opportunity we simply cannot let pass up," Uchiha Itachi drawled arrogantly, "The Shukaku has slipped our grasp before, but the Kyuubi can do no such thing. It is weaker in this time frame than the sand demon."
"Itachi," hissed Orochimaru, placing his hands delicately on the rough tabletop, claws glinting menacingly in the moonlight, "You step outside your boundaries. Need I remind you that I am the leader in this organisation?"
He was met by a glaring silence from the other man.
"I understand," continued the snake-like sennin, "that the Kyuubi no Kitsune is weakened on the coming day, as I am the one who acquired that information." With a menacing glare, he continued where he had left off before the Uchiha had interrupted him, "We no longer require the power of the Shukaku; it has only one tail of power. The Kyuubi has nine. We are to believe that the Uzumaki brat has control over two at this point in time. However," he paused to silence any possible interrupters with a blank stare, "we also cannot underestimate the Kyuubi's power. Not to any degree. The night of the imprisonment anniversary shall be when we move in. Uzumaki will be weakened, and alone. That is when we shall strike. Have three squads ready by Thursday."
"But Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto interrupted, "that is only two days-"
"I am aware," Orochimaru grated slowly, "that it is only two days, you imbecile. The anniversary is in a week, and you will have three squads ready by then, or your will forfeit your life. Is that clear?"
Kabuto shuddered, "Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
"Good. Now, send me those rebels from Mist you captured. And bring my robe; I do not fancy ruining this outfit with their filthy blood."
"Don't you think it would be wise," Temari queried, "to send a message to Konoha's Hokage to let them know about this? They can put Uzumaki under heavy ANBU guard; the gods know that they have enough to spare."
"No." Gaara deadpanned, "The Akatsuki will more than certainly intercept any message we have to send; whether it be on paper or a nin. I will not risk them finding out that we are aware of their movements."
They were in the lavishly decorated Kazekage's suites, seated on pale cream coloured couches around a beautifully carved, round coffee table. Temari and Kankuro had followed Gaara back to his rooms after the meeting, and simply refused to leave, even through Gaara's (empty) death threats. They could be a very persuasive pair, especially armed with certain knowledge of the existence of a small, stuffed fox toy that Gaara had attempted to destroy on many occasions, but could not bring himself to maul, on the pretext that it had been very expensive. (Which his siblings knew very well that it translated to "It is special and I don't feel like killing it." Not to mention its uncanny resemblance to the totem of a certain little blonde boy they were currently discussing.)
"Well," Kankuro sighed, pushing himself off where he was leaning against the wall, "we'll just have to set off straight away and hope that we get there in time."
"We will." Gaara said stubbornly. Although to him, he had said it with authority; to his brother and sister he sounded like a pouting child.
"You really like him, don't you?" Temari smiled fondly…and tried not to laugh when she received a Death Glare.
"Who?" Gaara grated.
"Uzumaki." Kankuro jumped in on the teasing eagerly. Perhaps a little too eagerly, judging by the look he was receiving from his little brother.
"Are you asking for a premature death?" Gaara growled, "Because I would be all to happy to deliver one, brother."
Kankuro took a step back, putting his hands up in defence.
Temari snickered as she remembered a similar situation from when they were younger, when Gaara wasn't allowed to go to a Konohan festival their father, then Kazekage, had been invited to. Their little brother had thrown everything in his bedroom around the room with sand, threatening to take their fathers' head off. Needless to say, he went to the festival.
She stopped her reminiscing, however, when Gaara transferred his glare onto her.
"We're just saying, Otouto," she said kindly, "that he is your friend. And you don't want to lose him. Ne?"
"Aa."
They both breathed a sigh of relief.
"We will leave tonight. Ready yourselves." The red-head changed subjects so they could not taunt him any longer; they had a bad habit of doing so, and Gaara (since his minor change in personality) was simply unable to stop them, as he was lacking in certain…urges, towards his brother and sister any more. Such as killing them, and (unfortunately) severely maiming them.
"Hai, Kazekage-sama."
"Sure thing, little bro," Temari replied to the irritated-sounding order, "But will it just be us three? I mean, we are hardly enough to fight off the Akatsuki."
"We'll be enough." Was the reply.
Temari tried not to snicker; had that been a pout she had seen?
Gaara glared, and his siblings gave in, lest the Kazekage order them to stay behind out of irritation; at least, if they went along, they could protect him and watch his back.
Gaara, meanwhile, was happy that Temari hadn't tied him down to prevent him going. Even though she didn't know it, he wouldn't dream of using his sand to hurt her, or Kankuro. Not anymore.
Not since he had met Uzumaki Naruto, his friend.
Gaara smiled at the word. 'Friend'. He liked it.
The sun set over Konoha on the tenth day of Spring, the trees bathed in a soft light that drained the harshness of the sharp buildings sprawled throughout the expanse of the village. Vine trellises hung against almost every wall, and box gardens graced every window sill; the people of the Village Hidden in the Leaves were not fickle about their name. Greenery blossomed everywhere; on rooftops (which, surprisingly, didn't hamper the ninja flitting about), on walls, market stalls and fences.
The Godaime Hokage stood on the balcony leading into her office, breathing in the fresh spring air and cursing violently in her head.
The Council had petitioned her again, about Uzumaki Naruto.
They wanted him dead.
"Our options were to use him as a weapon or to kill him." Council Leader Otoki had said, "We didn't use him as a weapon, thanks to that idiot Third Hokage, and he has lived too long. We must kill him."
As if the poor boy didn't have enough on his plate, what with the constant beatings from the villagers, which the Council pretended not to notice, and the Kyuubi's imprisonment anniversary coming up!
Now the poor kid had his Council out to kill him, too!
Tsunade was suddenly very glad that it was her who was in charge around here; if one of the council had been, god forbid that Naruto would already be thoroughly, irrevocably dead.
Thanks to whatever Gods exist that they don't know how weak he is around the anniversary, she thought, hands gripping hard on the balcony's rail, He'd be pinned to a tree somewhere with kunai and shuriken by now if those bastards did know. Or if any of the ninja apart from Iruka and Jiraiya knew.
She was thoroughly sick of all the complaints she got every day; of all the missions sent to her to assassinate the sunny little blonde. Sent, no less, by the villagers themselves! By some of Naruto's neighbours, even.
She ought to have them all mauled and hung up by the-
"Balls?" A voice sounded behind her, sounding highly amused, "That would be a good sight."
She whirled, "JIRAIYA!"
"You called?" The sennin smirked, twirling an ink pen in one of his hands, one of those horrible little notebooks in the other, no doubt filled with perverted ideas and graphic porn.
Even she had to admit that the man was a good writer. Not that she had read any of those Icha Icha books. Voluntarily, anyway. There was that time when he had tied her to a chair and…
Now, now, she was getting sidetracked!
"Jiraiya!" she chirped (a little to squeakily for her liking), "You are…right! How did you know what I was thinking?"
"You were saying it out loud." He replied, "with an evil smile and the whole I'm-going-to-kill-many-people-for-fun aura you get sometimes. Do you have your period?"
"Do you want to die?"
"No, then." Jiraiya smiled widely, "So, why so melancholic? Did the Uchiha survive his last mission again? We do have to start giving him harder ones. I swear he keeps coming back alive just to spite us."
"No," she replied, sighing heavily, "Not the Uchiha. Although it would help if he suddenly got the urge to jump off a cliff. A very high cliff."
"Then…" Jiraiya pondered for a moment, placing the index finger of his left hand (still clutching the pen) to his chin in a comical picture of thought, "I know! The Council is pissing you off again. Right? Right?"
Tsunade sighed, moving to sit on the balconies' rail, "Yes. They petitioned again for assassination."
"Assassination?" Jiraiya queried, grinning, "Of who? That annoying pink-haired girl?"
"No, you idiot." Tsunade frowned, "Of Naruto."
The Sennin's grin immediately disappeared, "What? They want to-?"
"Kill Naruto off, yes."
"What did you tell them?!"
"I told them to fuck off and die. What do you think I said? 'Sure thing, here's a kunai to do the job! Make sure he's not breathing when you leave!'?"
"Okay, okay," Jiraiya held up his hands in defence, disturbed at the mental image of the sunny blonde with a kunai in his chest, draining all the life out of him, "But seriously, did you use those exact words?"
Tsunade grimaced, "'M afraid so."
Jiraiya grinned, "You're in trouble."
Tsunade grinned back, "Yeah, I know. Too bad I have about ten rules they don't know about lurking up my sleeve. Not to mention those old Jutsus I found in the Third's old storeroom. They won't know what hit them."
"Literally." Jiraiya barked a laugh, "So how do we stop the Council from making the kid have an 'accident'? Can we kill them all and say that Uchiha did it? Or that I slipped and I accidentally burped a fire Jutsu?"
"Jiraiya?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
Naruto woke to darkness.
The blackness was all around him, and he couldn't for the life of him see anything.
Groaning, he tried to stretch his muscles- only to be encountered with the fact that he wasn't lying in his bed, and that his hands seemed to be tied together at the wrists.
Wha…?
Trying groggily to remember what had happened, he gasped when a shooting pain shot up his spine from his lower back. Groaning again, he wriggled around a little to find out his physical situation. With a jolt he realised that he wasn't lying down at all; his wrists were tied to what seemed to be a rung in the middle of the roof, and he was hanging with his feet just touching the ground.
How had he…that's right! He had been attacked in his bedroom, on the way to the shower. He had turned around to see a black blur- a ninja- and everything had went black. He couldn't feel a bump on his head, however.
So they used drugs, then. He thought, That explains the grogginess. But…where am I?
Blinking a few times to bring his night vision into focus, he glanced around him. He could just barely see the outlines of the room; it looked to be a small cell. In front of him, there seemed to be gaps all along the wall. Bars, perhaps?
He was in a jail cell.
It was dark, so he was probably in a dungeon, somewhere underground. And his lower back was hurting like hell.
What did they do to me? Naruto thought, distressed, And who are they?
Wriggling around until he felt the shooting pain again, Naruto winced, and came to the conclusion that it wasn't his back that was injured; it was inside him that was aching.
So…they did…something. Whoever they are. Naruto made a distressed mewling noise, and told himself to calm down and figure out his situation.
Who would have taken me? No one wants me as a prisoner except…the Akatsuki! Could they have…of course they could have. Shit. So now I'm in the Akatsuki's lair, and the Gods know who's done what to me. I'm not too injured…yet. And I can't see more than two feet in front of me. So how do I get out before they try to take the Kyuubi?
…And why hadn't the Kyuubi healed him yet?
He shouldn't by any means be feeling the pain from…whatever they had done to him, and yet…
Did they already take it?
Naruto started to panic. Had they taken the Kyuubi? But why would they still have kept him alive if they had? Surely, he must still be there…
Naruto had no other choice but to actually ask the demon. Much as he didn't like doing so, because it hurt when he talked to it, it looked like there was no other option. This presuming that it was even there. Which was why he was asking.
Naruto mentally slapped himself and told himself to get a move on.
'K-Kyuubi? Are you…there?'
Waiting for an answer, and fervently hoping there was one, Naruto tried not to wince as the echoes of his mental question rebounded back around the expanse of his head. Sometimes, he thought the demon made it hurt when speaking to him on purpose.
Yes, you idiot. Can't you feel me? You woke me up from a good sleep.
'I…couldn't feel you.' Naruto was overwhelmed with a momentary wave of relief upon hearing the Kyuubi's grating mental voice.
What?
A moment of silence in which the blonde presumed the Kyuubi was investigating.
There is a…sort of boundary, blocking my chakra from flowing with yours. You are hurt, kit. What happened?
'I…have no idea. I think they did something, with chakra. Whoever took me.'
'Whoever took you'? What are you talking about?
'The Akatsuki captured me. I'm in a jail cell.'
Hmm. Yes, I…I can feel pain behind the seal that keeps me captive. Has someone violated you…? No, I don't think so. Perhaps with chakra probes. To block my chakra, perhaps. I can sense chakra burns inside you.
'I'm worried. They're going to try and take you.'
Would that be so bad?
'Yes! It would kill me!'
All the blonde heard was a chuckle, and he was alone in his cell once again, this time with a pounding headache.
So, someone shoved chakra probes into my seal. Naruto thought, Ow. Though it makes sense that they blocked the Kyuubi's chakra. I think they blocked mine, too.
Experimentally, he wiggled one of his fingers, trying to form a miniature Rasengan.
Nothing.
So they had blocked his chakra, too. Confronted with the silent, black void in front of him, Naruto sighed forlornly. No one would care enough to come and get him.
He wondered what the Akatsuki would do to him once they were finished with extracting the Kyuubi. Then shuddered; his options weren't pretty. Orochimaru alone was daunting; Uchiha Itachi was a nightmare. He prayed that he would die quickly, and that no one innocent of this whole, stupid thing would get hurt in the process.
He'd go out with a fight, though. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve, even without the Kyuubi's chakra, or his own. He just hoped that they didn't bring anyone else into it; if any of the others were hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.
You'll just have to pick someone else to be Rokudaime Hokage, Tsunade-baa-chan. I'm sorry. I've let you down.
To Be Continued
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Any inquiries or complaints will be welcome either through reviewing or on eliasreb jpc .vic . edu . au (just delete all the spaces). I am rather fond of this story, as it is a few bars above anything I've posted so far. I just can't seem to be able to shake off the writers' block that has been plaguing me! X(. Anyway, updates may be rather infrequent, as I have year 12 and martial arts to uphold. Thank you for reading! Please drop me a review on what you thought, even if its only two words. XD thanks!