Seeing Red
Chapter Two
The wind swept through his blood red hair as well as the tree branches around him. Gaara clutched some of the sand that fell from his gourd as he tossed and turned in his sleeping bag. It was still night. A younger Gaara walked up towards his father's bloodied up body. Kunai knives and other weapons stuck out of his body his head was drowning in a pool of his weapons. He wore a blue-white robe with his Kazekage hat – beaten to the ground severely. The tears spilt down Gaara's cheeks as he sunk to his knees. Naruto approached the whimpering red head and saw the sweat forming from his brow down his pale face.
He ran quietly to the red head side's and touched his shoulder lightly. The sand shifted on the ground – unascertained by Naruto – but it retreated within seconds. The red boy was shaking horribly from his nightmare.
The fires engulfed Sunagakure and Gaara watched in horror while clutching his maroon cloak around his body. At night the desert was cold and he was shivering. His eyes darted around searching for someone who could help him. There was no one around and he cried out for anyone to come. Suddenly, he grew into his sixteen year old self – with his clothes ragged and stained with blood of dead things. The tears still spilt down his pale face. The picture of the man that killed his family; he glared at the ground and rammed his fist into the ground.
His light green eyes – still stained with tears – gazed at the sky crazily. The sun reflected down at him and it blocked his eye sight.
"Gaara…" He looked up at the source of the voice. His face went paler than usual.
Naruto began shaking violently the red head hard now out of panic and anxiety. It was scary for the blond to see his new friend frightened in a nightmare and it made him angry that he was facing it alone. He'd wondered why he'd found a young boy like Gaara alone in the woods. Where were his parents and siblings? But he were anything like Naruto, his parents weren't around for a long time. But Naruto really didn't know Gaara's secret.
"Naru-Naruto…?" He whimpered out to the blond. The blond stroked the blood locks on the boy's head lightly. Naruto then clutched Gaara and held him against him tightly as if shielding him from the rest of the world.
"Gaara…" Naruto's voice drifted off into the air. He began approaching the red head slowly. The red head flinched back breathlessly and the tears spilt down his pale cheeks staring at the blond.
"Stay a-away from me." Gaara stammered with fear throughout his light green eyes. He bit down on his lip and closed his eyes hoping he's disappear. He could hear the screams of his sibling's being struck to death. The man launching the kunai knife at his mother's back.
His bitten lower lip trembled and it began to bled lightly. A tan hand caresses his pale – tear streaked – cheek softly and Naruto's thump wiped away the blood. Gaara's eyes fluttered open to stare remarkably at the blond boy and he was smiling thoughtfully at the red head. Naruto's tan fingers began to wipe away the tears falling from his eyelids. The wind blew through their wild hair and Gaara sniffled.
"Wh-why…do y-you care?" Gaara stuttered out the few words he knew to ask his question with the tears still flowing down his face. His vocabulary was as small as a six year olds. Naruto leaned in to his ear and Gaara could feel his breathing.
"Because…you and I…aren't so different, Gaara." His light green eyes fluttered then widened. Naruto leaned out from his ear and Gaara stared in horror at the blond. His bright blue eyes had changed to a baneful, yet seductive scarlet and his fox whiskers were bigger.
The blonde's fangs were revealed and he licked his lips leaning toward Gaara. His lips formed into a smirk. Gaara's eyes snapped open with the sweat pouring down his colorless face. He stared up into the fretting azure eyes of Naruto and jumped away from the blond in dismay. Naruto was surprised and as he moved towards him the red head just kept flinching away in horror. What's…wrong with him? Naruto wondered still staring at the red head curiously. His entire body shaking from the blond.
"Gaara, its alright. Don't be frightened." Naruto attempted to persuade the red head and the sand shifted. No! Gaara thought and the sand halted in its tracks. Gaara slowly crawled back over to the blond. "Yeah, that's it. Come on."
Naruto reached out –with his hand – to the red head and Gaara clutched it tightly with his own hand. He helped Gaara up and the red head hid behind him shyly. Sakura and Kakashi were ready within minutes and they began walking back to home. It was then Gaara noticed that their headbands signaled them from being from Konohagakure. The same village that wiped out Sunagakure and killed everyone else except Gaara. They might know something about that man. He thought.
Naruto couldn't help, but observed his friend more closely. His black suit was ragged and half hid clothes were torn at his legs, arms, and shoulders with huge holes. Dried old blood stains were around his shoulders and – well what was left of – arm. He musta been through many fights to get that much blood on himself. Which begged the question; when was the last time he'd had a bath? Maybe days at least was the last time. He kinda wished he could've asked the red head how old he was and his vocabulary extends. Gaara appeared to be around sixteen.
They reached the green entrance gate into Konoha with a red-black symbol in the middle of it. People could be heard from outside the village and there were a group of people at the entrance waiting for someone. Three kids stood there and one was smoke. Gaara clutched the back of Naruto's shirt in shyness and hid his eyes. One of the kids glanced their way and called out Naruto's name. The dark haired boy with the smoke in his mouth.
"Oi, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei," The boy called out cheerfully. The tall blond haired girl waved at Sakura.
"Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto called back to him with a bright smile. He peered over his shoulder to Gaara who nodded with his permission. "Its okay. Their friendly. He's Shikamaru, the blond girl's Ino, and the other guy is Chouji." He introduced them to the red head, but not directly.
"You guys have a mission?" Sakura asked Ino. She nodded with smile. "Yep, Tsunade wants us to go and help out at a ghost town."
Shikamaru – being as smart as he is – spotted the red head easily and frowned at the blond. "Who's that?" Naruto exchanged a gaze with Gaara – who was attached to the blond's sleeve – who looked at Shikamaru.
He shook his head after a minute stubbornly. Naruto told the dark haired boy that he'd rather not say – Naruto knew why – he couldn't trust the Nara teen yet. It seemed he had gained the blond's so easily. Kakashi had told them they had to go to the Hokage tower. They all waved back to the three wishing them good luck too. There were merchants and tourists passing by the group all trying to catch the attention of many people. Then Gaara noticed people giving off looks aiming straight at Naruto and him – mostly at the blond. There were some mothers and fathers glaring at him with loathing.
But then Gaara heard someone murmur that made his eyes widened, "Monster." He spotted Naruto biting down on his shaking lower lip and he heard the blond growling under his breath. Gaara almost flinched away, but he didn't and touched his arm.
Naruto turned to him and shook his head. "I know. I probably shouldn't let that bother me."
They approached a tower and they climbed some stairs. After they exit the stairwell they entered a dark hallway with at least several wooden doors. Gaara heard a woman yelling from one door and they stood in front of the door. Naruto firmly knocked on the door and the woman yelled for them to come in and Naruto opened the door slowly. Kakashi and Sakura walked in first – Naruto and Gaara followed in from behind. Oh boy! Naruto thought in wonder.
The fifth Hokage has long light blond hair hanging on her back tied in two pigtails – but some locks were hanging in her face. She has golden cat-like eyes staring off at Naruto spotting Gaara from behind him. She was tall and pale. She has a violet diamond on her forehead – very noticeable. She appeared to be in her mid thirties – but from what the Shukaku whispered in his head – her charka was more powerful than a thirty year old woman.
"Naruto!" The Hokage yelled at him. He gave an annoyed look towards her. "Who is this boy?"
He stiffened and his eye looked at Gaara. "His name is Gaara, Granny Tsunade. I found him yesterday hiding in the tree stump and he hasn't spoken much to me." Her eyes widened slightly that only Kakashi and Sakura caught closely. Gaara glanced around the office.
He spotted an array of photos of men all staring seriously at anyone who could've come into the room. They were creepy looking as if they were ghosts staring down at him. The fourth portrait was a man with spiky blond hair and rough blue eyes, Gaara felt his entire world suddenly frozen. His fair emerald eyes turned to crazily and his body – that normally shook out of fear – stopped. The room grew suddenly quiet and Gaara pulled out a kunai knife out from his pocket. Naruto suddenly felt a huge presence and saw the kunai knife from the red head. The blond swiftly touched his wrist in order to prevent the red head from doing anything to hurt his friends.
His blue eyes glared down at him in disapproval. Gaara glared back at him biting down on his lip. Without warning, Gaara threw another kunai from his other hand at the photo. Sakura sprang up and gripped the boy's wrist tightly – he heard a crunch- and he cried out in pain. Naruto growled loudly his eyes flashing a red. "Sakura, let go of him!"
"He threw a kunai that could've hurt Tsunade-sama! He's an assassin." Sakura exclaimed frowning at the blond seriously. Her green eyes glaring into Gaara's.
"He wasn't aiming to hit Tsunade! He's my responsibility, its my fault." Naruto pleaded for the blame to be placed on him. Gaara gawked at him strangely. Why would he do that? Why would he take the blame? "Please, Granny Tsunade."
Tsunade folded her arms and sighed heavily at the blond's statement. "Naruto, you'll be watching Gaara for now on. Just make sure he isn't so armed, I'll allow him to stay with you. But," Her golden eyes locked with light green sternly. "I don't want anymore moves like that ever again. Got it?"
He nodded nervously and Sakura released his wrist. She dismissed the two demon containers without haste and wanted to talk more to Kakashi and Sakura. Once Naruto and Gaara were walking alone on the street, the blond stopped and turned to the red head gazing at him darkly. His blue eyes locked with pale olive eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Naruto demanded with a stern frown. Gaara glared down at the ground and clenching his fist.
"I-I…" Gaara attempted to speak, but nothing came out. Naruto then realized that he couldn't talk very well and his eyebrows went up. "I-I…Naru-Naruto."
His eyes looked down sadly at the ground and then approached Gaara who kept trying to speak. Naruto then saw tears streaking down the boy's pale face as he stared down at the ground. The blond Kyuubi host whispered his name and the red head's head titled to his name. Gaara sniffed and clutched the blond's hand tightly in his own. He began mouthing, "I'm Sorry." It was hard for him.
"Its alright. I know it isn't your fault." Naruto replied with a small smile. Gaara nodded, but inside he blamed himself entirely. He tugged at the red head's hand. He looked up at him. "I'll you some new clothes when we get back home."
Gaara nodded and they walked to Naruto's house. When they did arrive, Naruto went searching through his clothes and found a new – non harmed – dark red jumpsuit. (It's the suit he wears in Shippuuden, DUH!) There was also a black belt that could strap his gourd with, better slip-on shoes to wear, and a slip on light gray vest. Once Gaara removed his rained shirt Naruto spotted all kinds of scars on his back and in his reflection on his chest; burnt marks, scratches from random creatures or other things, unhealed cuts that still bled a little. Naruto grabbed a wet towel and softly touched on of his wounds – Gaara flinched a little.
"Sorry, you need to let these heal Gaara. Or you'll be in more pain." Naruto told him smiling slightly. Gaara nodded with a blank face and allowed the blond to heal them – by pressing the Kyuubi's healing power into Gaara. Naruto's charka chilled Gaara. "How did you ever through so much pain, Gaara?"
His eyes darted down to the ground in sadness – it was as if Gaara himself was still searching for that answer. The wounds – such as the cuts – still needed time to heal, but Gaara could sense the blond was suffering from loss of charka. He was half through healing his chest, but then his eyes fluttered from exhaustion and halted. His red charka vanished and he nearly fell over, but Gaara caught him setting him on his bed. The red head put on the dark red suit and peered at Naruto. He was already up and clutching his head – Gaara recognized this – it was his demon talking to him. Naruto spotted him and smiled weakly.
"You'll sleep here tonight." Naruto informed him weakly. "I'll be on the couch." Gaara shook his head in protest. He gestured to himself first then pointed at Naruto then to the bed. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You want to share the bed…together." Gaara nodded with a hopeful smile.
Naruto chuckled faintly. "I guess I can't argue with that smile." He laid down on the bed and tucked himself under the blankets. Gaara followed his example and they stared at each other in silence. Naruto smiled slowly closing his eyes.
"Sleep now, Gaara. We'll work on teaching you to speak more, okay?" Gaara nodded and closed his eyes tightly.
