Woah! I got back pretty fast didn't I? Well, I need something to do so why not bring the story in sooner? Here we go. This is the start for the fate of Aya and Gaara and Kankuro and Mori! :] I listened to two CDs for this one: YellowCard (Ocean Avenue) and The All American Rejects (Move Along) for this one.
See, when you wake up at four in the morning and find someone leaning down really close to your face, staring at you, your reflex kind of is to hit them in the face. My reflex is special, so I hit them in the face really, really hard. I mean, some creeper staring at me while I sleep? He's getting hurt! Moreover, when they flail backwards, fall down, and hit their head on your luggage, you do feel the urge to laugh. Until you realize who it is. And have to wonder why the hell that person is in your room in the first place. Also, the urge to laugh is extremely strong when you see a kitten launch herself at the person in question, furiously biting his pant-leg like a guard dog.
It also kind of makes you wish Gaara hadn't left your room about three hours ago.
"Jebus!" I jumped out of bed, startling the blankets that had covered me so comfortably. As I looked down at the person sprawled on my floor, my eyes settled into a glare. This is the last time I ever stay in a hotel my mother booked. "Why exactly are you in my room, looking at me creepily, and tripping over my luggage? I told you - Actually, I never told you. It should go without saying not to enter my room at all, let alone so early! What is your problem? I like sleep, you weird person."
The person on the ground winced at my yelling, shrinking away from my pointed finger. He had no explanation for himself, only looking for a way out. I pulled Bast away from him, moving away as soon as my fingers enclosed her ribcage.
On a second thought, Gaara may have killed said intruder.
Sadly for him, the only exit (besides the window, which would involve some pretty ninja moves I'm sure this guy didn't have) suddenly opened. My savior was not my silent boy, my brother, my silent boy's brother, nor was it Mori or Temari. Candy burst into my room, holding a stuffed snake like a limp sword. This was almost enough to make me laugh in itself. While the boy was paralyzed, I put Bast in her cat carrier and locked the door. She hissed, swatted, and bit the bars. I tried not to laugh.
Kane's moss-green-gold-flecked eyes locked on the guy on the floor. They were wider than usual, not seeing correctly due to Kane forgetting his glasses. Any trace of sleep was gone from his face when he stalked over to us. I think I'm glad he refrained from hitting the hell out of the boy on my floor – I'd already hit him.
"You do not know how incredibly lucky you are that I was awake looking for something. If Akio or Gaara would have been the one to open that door, I guarantee you that this would be a lot worse for you. If you can give me a very good reason for being here, I'll only contact you're brother. He seems like a reasonable person. Right now, you just seem like a freak."
"No worries, Kane. I already him in the face pretty hard."
"Good girl. That's my little Papaya." He ruffled my hair playfully. I swatted his hand away from my hair.
My black-haired 'brother' sat on my bed, pulling me behind him. I rolled my eyes at him when he pulled that protective move. Obviously, he didn't see me – he kept glaring at the idiot on my floor.
"Sasuke Uchiha, explain yourself."
"Yeah, Chicken-ass!" I added, peeking over Candy's shoulder.
"Hn. I don't have to explain anything to you imbeciles. Calling my brother wouldn't do any good, by the way."
"Hey! You used that word! Are you related to Gaara-kun?"
The stoic raven-haired boy glared at me fiercely. "I have no relation to your creepy boyfriend. So don't suggest anything like that." Sasuke turned his head, his nose slightly in the air. He was a jerk. A pompous jerk, at that. I didn't like him.
"I don't like you. You're a pompous jerk."
"Hn. Stupid girl."
I tossed the boring, annoying alarm clock at him. And looked away nonchalantly.
"What the hell?" he yelled.
"Papaya doesn't like to be insulted. And insulting her intelligence is even worse." Kane glared harder at the boy.
"Why are you in my room so damn early?" I asked.
"Does it matter?"
"Kind of, you ass!"
"Just call my brother," he spat.
I took his cell phone, which had fallen out his pocket or something, and looked up Itachi's number. I dialed his number, and it only rang once before he answered.
"Yes, Sasuke?"
"It's Aya, Uchiha-sensei. Sasuke snuck into my room. I think he was going to rape and/or murder me. It's kind of creepy, and I don't want him in here. Would you please come collect him in the lobby?" I stuck my tongue out at Sasuke, who was protesting at my accusations.
I hope…
Itachi paused for a very long moment. "I'll be in the lobby. Bring him down. I apologize for anything that might have upset or hurt you. If you were thinking about suing-"
"I wasn't. As long as he stays away from me. My room is included in that!"
"My little brother will not be going anywhere near you, your belongings, your friends, or your rooms again. Again, I apologize. If you are looking for any kind of compensation, just inform me."
"No, no, I don't want compensation. Thank you Uchiha-san," I added politely.
"No problem, Hishiro-chan."
Click.
That was slightly odd…
"Kane? Can you carry him or tame him or something?"
"What? I will not be carried or tamed, or something! I will walk on my own. I have a very powerful family, Hishiro. I don't think you know what you're getting into. Stupid girl."
"I think I have something that will work." Candy reached over, fighting the raven-haired jerk so he would stay still. Sasuke refused, forcing Candy into frustration. Finally, the goofy, brotherly boy jabbed Chicken Ass in the neck. Said Chicken-ass immediately stopped moving, drooping like a corpse.
"OH MY JEBUS! Did you just kill him?" I looked at Kane with wide eyes. "I am not getting arrested for murder! Nor am I any kind of accomplice to you. Jebus, you weren't supposed to kill the bastard – even is he was an asshole and-"
"Aya, I didn't kill him. He's…sleeping…"
"Permanently!"
"He's not dead!"
"Oh… I knew that."
"No, Papaya-love, you didn't."
"Shut up."
"Help me carry this creep to the elevator."
"Ew. I don't wanna."
"I can get Gaara to help me out."
"You suck, Candy…"
"I'm not gay."
"Sure you're not."
"I'm not gay!"
"I wonder." I smirked at his narrowed eyes.
"Shut up."
"Don't tell me to shut up."
"I did."
"Gay."
"I am not gay!"
"Well, maybe if you weren't so close to my brother… I mean, you guys spent like a year together, backpacking in the mountains, checking out tourist sites, and not dating girls. So I always have wondered if, ya know, maybe…" I glanced at Candy, his eyes already rolling. "It's not my fault! I mean, since Misa my brother hasn't showed a slight interest in girls. Until you fell head over heels for Temari I really thought you were gay."
"I'm not gay, you're brother's not gay, my brother's not g- Never mind."
I laughed as he attempted to pick up Sasuke. I grabbed Chicken-ass's arms and helped Kane drag him out my door. Just because Candy gained some muscle from camping and odd jobs, it doesn't mean Sasuke was easy to carry. He was kind of heavy for a guy. Well, I think he was heavy. I could just be lazy.
"Go faster," I hissed to Kane. "This asshole's fat!"
A door to the right of the elevator opened, revealing a shirtless Kankuro. He was half-stumbling, so I figure he was barely awake.
"Muffin Top Mountain is this way, Sugar Plum!" I practically shouted to Kane. "We have to hurry before the Daisies attack us!" He giving was me a look that said 'WHAT-THE-HELL' clearly. It was blunter than Gaara's 'I-don't-care' face.
"Follow my lead, Sugar Plum~!" I began leading Kane towards the elevator, making him walk faster. We left a half-asleep, giggling Kankuro in his doorway.
As soon as we were in the closed elevator, Kane questioned me. "What the fuck was that? Sugar Plum? Calling me Candy is enough, Papaya. But what the hell does 'Muffin Top Mountain' have to do with anything? If you're using drugs of some sort, the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. And I'm always here for you, so don't be afraid to tell me. Akio would flip, but I'd help. And if you need-"
"Kane, you're rambling. And I said all of that stuff so he'd think it was a dream in the morning. It works. By the way, I don't use drugs." Jebus I hate elevator music. Why can't they play YellowCard or The Maine or All Time Low? I'd settle with even Creed. Sigh. Hotels are very annoying. Just sayin'.
That makes me wanna sing…
Broken this fragile thing now.
And I can't,
I can't pick up the pieces,
And I've thrown my words all around.
But I can't
I can't give you a reason
"Stop singing to yourself. It's good you're not on drugs. You come up with the weirdest plans, though."
The doors opened and I almost cried from relief of now hearing the suckish music anymore. Uchiha-sensei was standing in the middle of the lobby, looking all calm and collected. I was kind of surprised that the rest of the Akatsuki wasn't flocking him. His expression didn't even change when he saw his younger brother slumped against an elevator wall. I actually think he was trying not to laugh. It could just be me, though.
Itachi strode over to us, gloried with his air of collected emotions and a pro poker face. Kane and I stepped out so he could get his brother. He picked Sasuke up – like it was totally easy. I rolled my eyes when he was situating his brother over his shoulder. Show-off.
"I apologize for anything he has caused. It's probably best Sasuke's unconscious as well. Thank you for not causing much bodily harm or otherwise injuring him." His face showed nothing, but the clipped tone exposed a little of my teacher's anger.
Rather loudly, I yawned and waved him off. "I wouldn't have hit him in the face so hard if I hadn't been sleeping. What a jerk! Who interrupts someone's sleep like that?"
Kane laughed and guided me back into the elevator by putting his arm around my shoulders. When he looked at Uchiha-sensei, his face was hard though. "Aya is a much loved person. We all care about her very much and will not hesitate to act if Sasuke tries something like this again. I hope you understand – and I don't mean to threaten your family. But no one staying here wants any harm to come to little Papaya here." The man beside me tightened his grip on my shoulders slightly. "She's very important to us."
My teacher nodded, inclining his head a bit. He left without saying anything else, Chicken-ass hefted over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. The doors closed before I saw which way they went.
"Thanks Candy."
This time around, I didn't care about the idiotic music in the elevator. When we arrived at the floor we slept on, Kane gave me a hug and went off to his room with a few parting words.
"We love you, Papaya. You're safe with us."
"Good night, Kane. And thank you, again."
He waved me off and went back to his room.
I slowly crept to my room. Bast was sleeping now, not swatting the air, and chewing the carrier bars. I grinned and pulled her out, holding the grey kitten close to me. She was purring softly when I crawled into bed.
Just as I cuddled into the blankets and lay my kitten beside me, a soft knock came at my door. Before I could say come in, a red head peeked in my room. His face was slightly passive, giving away nothing. My heart leapt as he walked towards me slowly.
"Get lonely, Gaara-kun?" I teased.
"Actually, I heard something about 'Muffin Top Mountain' through my headphones. So I decided to check it out. After a few songs were over, of course."
I scooted over, dragging Bast with me. She sneezed and jumped over me, snuggling against my back. My silent boy sat next to me, pulling his bare feet onto the bed after him. Yet, he stayed sitting. I rolled my eyes.
"You," I said pointedly, "lay with me."
"Again? Twice in one night, Aya-chan…"
A tiny smirk appeared on the redhead's face as he followed my command. He crossed his arms behind his head, looking at the ceiling.
I took him in, from his pale bare feet to his fiery hair. I glanced over his – near perfect if I remembered correctly – chest, rising and falling gently; and his arms – strong and bare due to a tank top covering his chest. My eyes roamed over his legs – long and lean beneath the flannel. His face was my favorite to look at. With his eyes closed and his mouth calm, I've hardly ever seen him so peaceful. The soft red hair was mussed from lying down, and it made me want to touch it even more. So I reached out, running my hand through his hair again. I scooted closer, ignoring Bast's annoyed meow. Gaara cracked an eye open at me and smiled softly. My breathe hitched as my fingers ran over his hair, playing with it gently.
"I love you," I wanted to say. I wanted to shout it, whisper it while he held me.
Instead, I leaned closer, resting my lips against his for the smallest moment. When I pulled back, his expression had changed completely. It was the most vulnerable look I had ever seen him wear. The eyes I love so much, that I could drown in, were sweet and lidded. His lips matched they're smile with a perfection that made me kiss him again.
Once I had gotten enough of my urges out of my system (hey, it's not like he objected!) I lay my head on his chest and cuddled up to him. Muffin Top Mountain was forgotten as he twirled a piece of my hair between two of his slender fingers. The comparison was stark – his paper pale skin and my ink black hair.
I gazed up at him, watching the ceiling still. I was about to ask what he was thinking about when he yawned.
Wait.
Gaara just yawned. And I didn't yawn so it wasn't my fault. Was he…tired?
Woah. I think my eyes just fell out my head.
Hum. Why would Gaara yawn? Can you handle this much more of a wild story like this? And will Kankuro think certain foods before bed is a bad idea, or will he remember? Review please! Its very encouraging. :]
-Miss Moon