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Chapter Four…
What Spring is Good for…
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Back when I used to have nightmares…
When I was living in the hell hole Itachi found me in… I would
always picture the biggest monster as a giant red and burning fox,
engulfed in flames and grinning madly as it slowly came towards me.
Its paw would raise high above my head and just before I scream it
comes crashing down on me and I feel my head break open with a sick
squish. I knew it would come and crush me but I never screamed until
the thoughts somehow processed. I knew it was coming though I never
tried to run. I knew it was going to kill me but I never ran away
from the death it promised.
The fire burns my skin sometimes and
the heat of his claws as he tries to put me back together again
consumes me…drowning me in screams that echo throughout my
hollowing mind until I'm moved somewhere; in front of an iron cage…
There's water on the floor and it smells of musk and blood. The
cage in front of me conceals a boy with the fiery red hair like the
fur of the fox from before and he's crouched down low, withdrawing
in on himself and making the noises similar to a motor. A growling
that somehow makes me walk closer, feeling the water begin to slow my
movements.
I get closer to the cage…But as soon as I reach it
and set my hands on the bars, wrapping my cold fingers around the
steel…I'm burned by the heat of them, scalding me so badly it
feels like my skin would peel off any minute and I'm staring a
menacing boy in the face. His eyes pierce through me with a golden
flame, threatening me with a snarl. Fangs protrude from his lips as
he snarls at me… And I'm afraid.
After Itachi found me the nightmare sometimes continued, developing new scenarios to put me through.
"Let me out!" He screams
as he thrusts his arms through the all too well spaced bars. I fall
backwards into the water and fall through, landing in the living room
of a home so warm and so tender… A strange calm envelopes me
suddenly and always I twist my body in the direction of the kitchen-
where I know it's placed- and cry out a name that means peace to
me, "Iruka!"
But he doesn't answer and I turn my eyes…always
to the chair he always sat in and find him there.
Three deep lines
run down his neck, bleeding dark red and dripping still while some
blood is stuck and dried. His face holds such horror and surprise I
shake. His eyes…one is always gouged out- like the police said when
they found him- and hanging there useless. There's blood all over
him…His knees have been bitten out and the knee caps are on the
floor, white and licked clean.
As I shake I feel my clothes stick
to me and the blood is on me.
I laugh. I laugh and laugh and laugh until I can't breathe and even then I laugh harder.
"Let me out!" I cry in between fits of laughter. With my head thrown back as if in ecstasy I laugh, my eyes tearing, streaming hot liquid and falling to the floor. "Let me out!" The burning hands of the boy grab one of my own in a caring gesture but the smile he wears tells me otherwise. He's behind me and he did this. He did this! "Let me out." He whispers softly with his lips pressed sweetly against the skin of my neck.
My hands shake and I can hear them rapidly beating at the floor with an almost gentle rhythm, my nails tapping the wooden floor constantly. The blood on them dripping and staining the wood beneath them in splattered spots. And I cry out between sobs. "Out! Let me out!" And I wake up…
Itachi isn't always there when
these nightmares occur because they're so sporadic but when he is…
I'm not too sure what transpires after I'm roused from the
dreams. I wake up screaming loudly and feel his colds hands holding
me still, one lets go as the other's grip tightens, and he slaps me
across the face to get me to stop my trembling as well as silence my
screams.
It's not the impact of the force that snaps me out of
it but the coldness of his hand. And my eyes…wide and terrified of
what they'll see next turn to look at him slowly. Very slowly.
It's his expressionless face helps me relax. He's not scared, or mad, or evil… He's just there. Not saying a word and watching me with little life behind his eyes. Probably from having just been woken up but, still.
After that is what I don't recall.
But in the morning it's hard to wake up.
The most terrifying nights that I endure…are the nights he's not there. The nights where I wake up to that wretched thing's laughter alone.
--
The week came when Gaara was going to come to his first shoot. I was excited to say the least! And of course Itachi would notice…
He was driving me to the studio and I guess I was a little jumpy, smiling a whole lot, and singing softly with the song on the radio.
"I take it you liked him then, Naruto?"
I stopped all my happy actions, looking at him with confused eyes. "Yes." I answered.
I should've known Itachi had had the gull to transfer the boy to my school so I could see him before I had to take pictures with him. This news normally would've had me seated quiet and very still, but I couldn't help but smile up at him. "I like him a lot, Itachi-sama." I leaned forward and planted a small kiss on his pale and icy cold lips. When I pulled away he was smiling a very gentle smile.
"Then I don't want to hear any problems with you from the director." The car stopped; parked beside few other vehicles; all belonging to people that worked here.
"You won't!" I stepped out first with a hop, expecting to hear his door open but…
I looked back.
"I won't be staying with you today. I have to go visit my brother. I'll pick you up when you're finished."
My heart sank as I took a step back and smiled faintly for him. "I understand, sir. I'll behave." I promised, closing the door.
I expected him to drive off right there but he hesitated and rolled down the window. I bent down at my waist to see inside, tilting my head to the side in a curious manner. "Yes?" I asked, blinking twice for some affect that always seemed to happen, though I wasn't sure what that affect was.
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
Something uncomfortable began to
twist inside my stomach.
Why would he apologize to me?
I felt my eyes begin to burn a little bit and I backed away with my head down. For some reason the words 'I'm sorry' seemed to hurt me so far down I wanted to run from it if I could've. I took another step back and covered my face with the back of my hand. He drove off as I wished he would. I didn't want to see him anymore right now.
--
Was it really such a strange thing to feel so helpless with the words 'I'm sorry' simply because I couldn't say 'I forgive you'?
--
I was sitting in my dressing room waiting for one of the assistants to leave me my clothes when Gaara walked in dressed in a black and white kimono with a layer of red under it. A collar clearly visible around his neck.
I smiled, just then remembering that they like to debut new pets in the colors closest to the pets they portray.
"You look cute, Gaara!" I ran over to him to get the closer look I knew I didn't need to have.
He blushed lightly, liking my smile.
"They told me to come to this room for a briefing so the director wouldn't have much trouble with me."
I nodded in understanding.
That meant they really didn't want him to mess up. I must've been their best if they were going to be this strict with him.
I wanted to be nice to him. Something about Gaara's eyes told me he was as close to being as broken as I was.
People like us deserved one another, right?
"You can sit there." I said pointing to the mass of plushies fans had sent to the studio for their favorite pets.
Gaara listened, finding a seat among the assortment of giant bears.
I took a quick look at him.
They were right to make him a panda. Bears somehow suited him. The thick eyeliner around his eyes helped a lot too.
It was strange looking down at someone like him.
He looked sort of…broken. Like a mirrored image of myself. Or what could've been me with a different body.
Gaara was…
I came close to him on my knees and edged ever closer, reaching out a hand to his face.
We were going to have to be close.
Maybe Itachi had picked him because of his eyes.
The lost and pure look of someone unable to love somebody fully because no one ever fully loved them. We were one and the same but something about him was so different from me that I had to see…
His eyes were wide at first when he saw what I was doing but he relaxed under my hand.
I wasn't here to hurt anyone on this earth but myself. I knew that and I was passing that knowledge over to him as I scooted closer.
Blush, light and pink, spread across his cheeks and he closed his eyes. I could feel his nervousness as I brought myself on his lap, careful to leave most of my weight away from his hips as best I could. The boundaries would be crossed soon enough, but not by my own doing.
I could feel his breath on my mouth now that I was this close to him.
He wasn't leaning forward or back. Not resisting nor trying to take control of the situation either.
He was so perfect. My own soul's twin.
Were we so alone?
His eyes opened only enough to watch what I was doing.
"Naruto.." he breathed out.
I smiled a small and almost twisted smile.
He was mine.
I leaned in forward, closing the centimeter gap, kissing him lightly.
His lips were soft and his touch was so gentle. I inhaled quietly as we kissed, taking in his scent as he opened his mouth, welcoming me to come inside to explore my new favorite person. He let me search before he timidly began to play with my tongue with his own, closing his mouth a bit to graze the muscles in a bit of playful pain. I was amazed at the sincerity of it all. This was the way Gaara kissed.
I pulled away, putting the kissing to a slight pause; I intended to continue. Now I found myself looking down at his clothes. The kimono he wore was as slippery and smooth as silk. It wouldn't take much to get it off, but I…
The door open and lazily we separated just enough to see who it was. Me not noticing how much Gaara was reluctant to part.
"Well I'm glad to see that you two have no problem getting close to one another." A woman's voice started up and I was instantly irritated; women usually knew when to leave a room or when not to enter.
I didn't recognize this woman.
She had messy black hair and red eyes, and I wondered if maybe she was Gaara's manager.
We stayed silent. No need to answer a statement.
"Well," she went on. "You must be Naruto," I shook her hand quietly, keeping my face passive. I didn't want her making any assumptions on me just yet. First impressions count for a lot and I just ruined mine by being walked in on while tasting her pet. "I've heard so much about you from your manager."
"Itachi-sama?" I asked cocking my head.
"Yes." She smiled uneasily.
I understood now. "Are you looking for him?" I asked.
She nodded of course. As I expected.
"He's not here. I'm sorry, ma'am."
A tug at my sleeve so light I would've brushed it off had I not just remembered Gaara. Turning to see him, it was hard to point out any sort of true emotion that his eyes were displaying. My own eyes traveled upward to his crimson colored hair. I wondered if it was natural… I shook my head.
The door clicked and I assumed the woman had left.
And like that I was on him again. My lips on his. My heat being forced onto him as I scooted myself onto his lap fully. I slid my tongue from my mouth and ran it across the line of his bottom lip, rocking my hips into him earning a small gasp that I used to force myself in. It was one thing to want him-quite another to have him, and I was so curious… So hoping. He tasted so sweet and he was so hesitant in everything. So…gentle. He wasn't forcing anything on me like I was doing to him; realizing that made me feel sick in some ways. My hunger mirrored something like Itachi's…and he was the last thing I wanted to be. I wouldn't force anything on Gaara…
I stopped the kiss to look at him; his lusty green eyes, now somehow a darker shade, staring me through and waiting for my next few moves.
Maybe he was giving himself to me… Maybe not.
"Ahem!"
I jumped up and off him.
"I thought you said you had somewhere to go!" I snapped, looking at Itachi who apparently just walked in without my notice… Only to see the woman next to him. I felt my face heat up.
The click I had heard, and stupidly assumed it to be the woman leaving, was Itachi coming in?!
I glared.
"A warning would've been nice." I pouted angrily.
The woman snickered, "Same goes for you two."
I turned my glare to her.
Itachi was looking at me with an almost passive look. He turned to the woman with a look I now recognized; I was in for a punishment later…and some mild verbal abuse now.
"What else would you expect from a whore? Spring edition calls for this sort of thing anyway. It'd help to build up some kind of trust," he turned his cold eyes to Gaara behind me. I stiffened. What would he tell Gaara? "It's what they're taught to do. For Naruto…sex is just another tool to get what he wants."
I felt Gaara shift his weight and stand. My chest squeezed tightly around what felt like my lungs. I couldn't breathe anymore. Itachi just basically told him that I didn't care. That I never cared. This was just my job…
My fists clenched and Gaara walked over to the woman pulling the sleeve of his kimono up a little higher, and I wondered when I had managed to pull it down.
"Naruto," Itachi continued as if he didn't just tear the threads I had attached to Gaara. "This is Gaara's manager, Kurenai. You will not abuse her client again."
I nodded, keeping my eyes downcast. "Yes…" I gave a mental sigh. "Nice to meet you, Kurenai-sama. And I'd like to make it clear that I…wasn't abusing your client at all." I said, hoping to repair the damage Itachi had done. "I'm not a child but I'm not an adult just yet either so I'll admit…Hormones are kind of out of whack." I was falling into my character now. Fox. I had to be Fox for this. "What you saw today won't happen again. I'm sorry for being rude earlier when you were looking for my boss. I didn't know who you were and Itachi-sama doesn't like to be disturbed by strangers. I hope you'll excuse that."
Itachi was watching me with quizzical eyes.
Yes, I had all three of them
listening to me. Only Itachi seemed to recognize the difference in
myself. And the look in his eyes was telling me that if I didn't
shut up he was going to hurt me this time. And he was going to make
me beg for every bit of it… I heard that accursed voice laugh in
the back of my head. It always did find the worst things to be amused
at.
I was going to hurt for this, but…
My eyes glanced the sea foam green of my new found redeemer.
"Also," I couldn't shut up. "I look forward to working with Gaara. And contrary to what Itachi-sama might say, I've never had a partner so using myself as a tool in this case seems very much out of the question. I just think he's really sexy." I said winking and much to my bliss Gaara blushed, looking away from me as quickly as he could from embarrassment.
"Well." Kurenai smiled. "The brat certainly has manners; I'll give you that, Itachi."
He turned back to her and nodded. "But I'm afraid he's still got a lot more to learn."
--
The lights were blinding for this one…
The kimono they had picked for me
was a kimono similar to the one Gaara was wearing but had more detail
in them. The color was a bright orange with a burnt orange trimming;
the trimming itself branched into the rest of the kimono, decorating
the rest of it with twisting swirls and taking the shapes of
butterflies from all angles. The bottom was torn to look like a
diagonally cut skirt, shredded quite nicely, too.
My neck wore a
black leather collar and my wrists were decorated with shimmering
gold bracelets done up with red, green, and blue jewels. Large
earrings to match my bracelets adorned my ears chiming as I walked to
the set. Orange and yellow eye shadow traveled down curving at my
cheek bone and tracing a whisker like pattern on both of my cheeks. I
personally loved dressing like this on some levels. The other levels…
I'd feel my pride take numerous hits.
For the 'Spring Edition' all pets started in a field of flowers, playing with one another… I use the term playing loosely. The first shots for Gaara, I assumed were to be clean.
I saw him coming towards the same set from an opposite door.
Kurenai and Itachi leaned against one of the farther walls talking to each other casually. He didn't look too interested in her and she just looked like it was such a privilege to know him.
I stopped a few inches away from Gaara and looked at him with a serious face. I didn't know how comfortable he was with this sort of thing so I wouldn't dare smile like it was easy.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
He stared at me, into me, through me… I shuddered and he smirked suddenly. "I'm ready." He said softly and a shiver ran down my spine. The confidence was staggering.
I smiled warily and looked over to the double doors opposite of us where the director walked in with his cup of coffee.
His name was Madarra, a very much
high strung tight wad… he was related to Itachi and I guessed that
that was how Itachi even got into this type of business. I didn't
like him. Every 'pet' he looked at, he looked at with a
cruel smile. He used us in this way, and the sick bastard enjoyed
it.
He looked a little stressed today though which only meant
trouble for Gaara. Madarra's best method of self relieving stress
was to watch his little puppets dance in his rhyme. A horrible song
of exposure, vulgarity, insanity, and lust.
I could almost feel the panic that must have been rising from Gaara if he only knew what he was in for. What his manager had done to him by letting him work here.
"Naruto," I straightened up.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want you to be the vulnerable one for this month's issue. Itachi just told me what happened in your dressing room and I'm afraid that you being a -seme would ruin your image."
I pouted.
Really?
And why the hell couldn't I be –seme?
"Gaara," Madarra continued, turning his red eyes, a trait I learned was unique to the Uchiha, on Gaara. Poor, unsuspecting, Gaara. "That puts you in the demanding role. I believe your look would pull that off quite nicely. Itachi did well in finding you."
Gaara nodded mutely. I arched an eyebrow.
Did Gaara know that this was a set up?
"The plans for today," he grumbled, pausing to rub his temples. "Consist of twelve simple frames. A story plot for you two, if you will."
We listened of course. And my stomach twisted.
"We'll need to use another partner to be attacking poor Naruto here and then have Gaara come to his rescue or something."
This didn't sound like the usual. I felt myself tense a little as he spoke. There was no telling where this would go.
"When Gaara finds you, Naruto, I want you to act like you have to repay him. Gaara, be reluctant."
I saw from my peripheral that Gaara nodded once again.
At least he was listening close enough.
"When you give in try not to hold back on any moans you end up letting out when he sucks you off. The more real it looks the better it'll be. Naruto," Gaara had sharpened by now. I was just...listening.
"Yes?" I asked my voice void of any sort of enthusiasm.
"Don't get your costume dirty."
"Yes, sir."
"Next I'll have a shot of the both of you with all the other pets at a festival. Gaara and you will be seated next to each other. Here I just want your fingers laced beside the both of you. Then for the next couple of shots, Naruto will play the willful little laky-bothering you where ever you go until you jump him."
"Jump him?" Gaara questioned.
I let my bangs cover my eyes.
"Fuck him senseless." Our boss deadpanned, sending Gaara into some stiff form of shock. I didn't look up.
Gaara was shaking…
--
End Chapter Four
Well this one was mainly focused on Gaara and Naruto obviously…
I'm quite proud of myself. Haha. So leave reviews, tell me what you think or what you want to happen. Should Gaara yell, "I quit!" before it's too late? Should Naruto jeopardize his job for Gaara's sake? Or should they listen?
