Gaara was walking through a dark corridor, looking for the darkness and calamity it gave. He needed to think. Blond ball of sunshine was really moving him. So much he had even begged it to come back to him and cried openly in front of it just in the urge to touch and to hug. That was outrageous, in some kind of surrealistic way, since he, Gaara, was not a clingy person, not nice and especially NOT touchy feely. If anything, he was scathing and dangerous. And yet...
He remembered meeting Naruto when he was little. Even then the little goof had a nice effect on him. But not as strong as now... Was it the feeling of 'likeness'? Was he 'liking' Naruto? Was it friendship? It seemed like a very thoughtfully screwed up friendship. He spent most of his life alone. He didn't get that kind of things. And now he had to endure the beating heart, flippy frogs jumping in his stomach and drug-like scent, which made him want to probably eat the blond, since he couldn't get enough of nuzzling, licking and tasting. Maybe that was some kind of sickness? He was so confused...
'Gaara!' the hyperactive blond nearly tackled the redhead in his haste to cling to the other. Gaara was acting really weird, weirder than usual. And now that they were okay again, Naruto didn't want to have the older boy angry at him anymore. For some reason he had gotten really angry at him admitting he was crying and denying it, but he really didn't understand what was the big deal with it- everyone cried. Kankuro cried almost as much as he did, actually. 'Where are you going now…?'
He stumbled, not expecting the sudden tackle. He was so deep in his thoughts he ignored the obvious scent that was overcoming him now in waves.
'What?...' he asked, looking at the blond 'Out... I want out.' Then he showed to the small tunnel that led to the outside world. He actually wanted to go out alone in some grass-field surrounding and think a bit, but since Naruto was with him again, he wasn't really eager to kick him away. 'Want to come with me?'
Naruto stopped at that, actually looking at the older boy seriously.
'Out?' he breathed the words as if it were a piece of some ancient language he couldn`t quite make sense of, and he licked his lips and shifted a bit. '...Neji and Shikamaru said we shouldn`t go out.'
'And your point is?' he asked, feeling a bit annoyed that Naruto brought them up like if they had a say in that matter. It wasn't working for him. If he wanted out, he would go out. 'It's not like we're going to escape. Just walk around a bit.' He added, trying to sound reassuring when Naruto started to become stressed. He looked at him for a moment, then turned and took his leave. 'Babies shouldn't walk around by themselves on the outside. Stay home.'
'Don`t call me a baby, I`m not one!' the younger boy immediately followed, wanting to go out more than anything in the world, but... But these people had helped him so much, and he was so happy here... He didn`t want Neji to have problems with his family because of him, or Shikamaru with his bosses, or- But Gaara was going to go out. And he`d always, always wanted to see the outside.
'Yes, you are.' he answered, scratching the lock and trying to get it opened 'You'll be easily hurt outside. You really hadn't grown since...' the lock has jingled, signaling it was opened. He opened it and crept slowly outside, searching in the bright light the scent of trees and flowers. He wanted to be out in wild. He knew it had to be somewhere close... He glanced back at Naruto. 'What are you still doing here?'
'I`m not a baby! ' the blond protested loudly, his hand automatically reaching for the other`s shirt and clinging. '...You told me to stay with you.'
Gaara had told him he wanted to be with him, so he wasn't going to leave him alone now. The redhead stared at him in silence. Then he licked Naruto's cheek quickly and grabbed him across his hips to quickly push him with himself. Yes, he did say something like that. No, he wasn't going back on his words. Maybe he won't be able to think everything out, but some nice walk would do him good too. He wasn't there since...
...when? He remembered being carried with Temari on Kankuro's back, but he wasn't in his best state of consciousness then. He only hoped he would find his way back. Especially when he had Naruto with him. 'But if you'll get mortally wounded I'll kill you.' he whispered, going through the tight passage that led them to the real outside world.
'Wouldn`t I die anyway?' the younger boy asked, excited about the prospect of being outside anyway. He didn`t remember being out. He`d been asleep when they loaded him in the plane and when he woke up he was down here already. He moved forward, his pupils dilating at the dimming light, not that he needed his vision to find the way. He didn`t need Gaara guiding him either, the scent of fresh air was easy to follow, and he did so quickly. 'What`s outside like?'
White feet stopped their movement for a moment. What was outside like? He stared at the door beside him, thinking, wondering...
'It's like in newspapers.' he said, then let go of Naruto and started rummaging around the new lock 'Only worse. It's...' He searched for a word, trying to push the wings and be as quiet as possible with this. Wind blew through the small opening in the door and he flared his nostrils, effulging himself in the new, completely unknown smell. Then the lock sang, and the door was opened.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Naruto, slowly creaking it open. Click-clacking of the stilettos and a loud beeping of cars could be heard.
'It's...' he said again, unsure of what to say 'It's... different.' Because he hadn't really remembered it like that. He didn't know the place. So much have changed since his last free walk upon the street...
Naruto had stopped and was now glued to the redheads back, hands digging lightly on his shoulders as he peered curiously over one of them.
'Different how…?'
He knew it was different from the books they gave him to read. Not like fiction, not like the movies. He knew because he had been told, but he couldn't imagine how. Where he was sting now wasn't that different from the labs, only he could go anywhere and almost everyone wanted to talk and pet him, but that was it. Outside was a different things, and from outside came the food, but he didn't know what it could be like.
He looked up, a little overwhelmed by the sound of so many people moving, and moved closer to the older boy.
'Isn't anywhere with less people? I don't want them to see me.' He was weird. His eyes were different than them, and even if it wasn't that much… he didn't want to be found and taken back to the lab. He'd kill himself before that.
'They see you now.' he said, and moved forward, still sniffing, turning around. People were passing him by, noticing, but not really looking at him. Some child has pointed at his black marks under his eyes, then it pointed at Naruto's cheeks and giggled. He caught up a sweet smell of the forest floor and started walking toward it. He glanced back once, looking if Naruto was going after him, but suddenly a loud beep has startled him, and a big machine stopped only a few inches before him. If he hadn't jumped back, hissing, it would have probably hit him.
'What the hell are you doing?' could be heard. More cars was starting to pile up along the strange, blue road he walked upon and beeped, shouted and screamed at him.
He tried to ignore them, but they were just too loud. So he decided to leave. Strangely, when he took a step forward, another line of cars has formed, shouting at him and screaming. He looked back annoyed, wondering if not actually shut them up by some violence. Someone threw a sweet smelling drink in the metal can at him and hit his head. He growled, sniffing and trying to find the right trail of the forest scent again.
'Naruto' he called, wanting to have him close by himself.
The younger boy shrunk back at Gaara's words, and even further back when people started noticing them. But Gaara went out and Naruto let out a high cry of alarm and seemed stuck between leaving and following his companion. He didn't like out. He didn't like out one bit too many people, too much noise and they were staring at him and the lab people could find him and-
He whined low on his throat, claws digging on the metal of the door as he started clawing at it in his distress, his eyes starting to change from blue to purple. He wanted to go back, and he wanted Gaara to come back with him, but he was going AWAY! And so many people were STARING at him now, and if he went close he'd be seen too, and-and-
Someone threw something at Gaara and his claws actually ranked the metal hard enough for it to give into the pressure and scratches to appear in the surface. In a moment Naruto was between the redhead and the glaring light and noise, eyes red and furious as the marks on his cheeks extended and roughened, a furious growl escaping his chest.
The redhead caught the vague scent again. He wanted to go by it, but he stopped, startled, hearing a furious growl and feeling the strong wave of strength coming from Naruto. What was he doing? Was this a sound of... warning? Could Naruto be... protecting him? It couldn't be. Nobody protected him from anything. And yet, it looked like that.
He felt an alien throb pounding inside his ribcage, and a sudden urge to nuzzle the blond till he couldn't breathe, but that was too ridiculous to do, so he didn't act on it. And in addition they were getting even more attention now. Too much even for his own likings, and too much for such a private thing as nuzzling.
'Stop making a scene.' he breathed, still touched by the sole act and grabbed the blond by the hand and tugged him to go with him. He felt the forest. Forest was a good place to nuzzle him for this foolish act.
Naruto allowed the contact, and even let Gaara start dragging him away, but the red eyes were still trained on the screaming people and he didn't stop growling until they were completely out of sight. When they were at what the blond felt a safe distance he used Gaara's hold to pull him closer and reached up for his face, his hands feeling quickly for the wound on his forehead and starting to lick the small trail of blood clean, a sort of whine escaping his lips. Those people had hurt Gaara. And now he smelt all fruity, too, like Tenten`s bubblegum.
It felt really nice. Even if his wound he hadn't even noticed he had stung a little. He breathed, closing his eyes at the feeling, but instantly opening them and pushing blond boy away.
'Stop that.' he snarled, looking around 'People don't do that! You'll get us in trouble!' And really, there had to be a pair of old people that was looking at them strangely. He decided to ignore them and started walking forward, feeling the fresh air closer, seeing more trees... Only, it wasn't that many. And they even looked like they've been collected and reshaped, with nicely formed roads full of white stones around them. Even the splash of water, the one he took for a little waterfall, came out as an ordinary fountain.
'What is this?' he thought, feeling puzzled 'Where is the lake? And birds?'
Naruto growled lightly at the old people, not deeming them a threat but not wanting them to get too close to Gaara anyway. He followed the redhead, his eyes still that disturbing shade of red as he spied in every direction to try and make sure nothing dangerous would sneak on them. A few persons were still staring at them weirdly, but at least Naruto was confident they wouldn't try to approach them, and that was enough. He stopped next to the taller teen, looking around the park.
'Gaara?'
'Forest.' Gaara answered quietly 'We're in the forest. It's like in newspapers... only worse.' He was obviously let down by what he saw. He looked around and then took a few steps forward, standing near the fountain. He dipped his head underwater, but when he saw no fishes, he started to drink. That only ended with coughing fit. Water tasted awful. He walked back to Naruto and placed his hand on his hip, getting him close to his side.
'Don't drink it. It's probably poisoned.'
He glanced at the sky, searching for wild animals, but found only a few grey birds. He didn't like it in a bit.
'Gaara, don't drink that water!' Naruto immediately dragged the redhead away, fingers smoothing back the messy wet hair. 'That's a fountain Gaara, you are not supposed to drink from it! People toss stuff into it, like pennies, and pennies are dirty!'
That's what he'd been told, at least. Once he'd tried to eat some pennies that had fallen from one of his assigned guards and the man had gone on and on about bacteria and microorganisms that would make him sick. He licked the other's lips to get the water off him, made a face at the taste and licked them again.
'This isn't a forest, it's a park. There are no forest in the cities.'
So... they were in park? How far in the city they actually were? Could that be it was too big to sneak out of it in one night? How was he supposed to get away from the laboratories like that? And the food...
...the food would be good even right now. Thankfully, there was some little bar on circles, which seemed to sell warm meat of dogs. He didn't particularly care if he ate dogs or cats, his taste buds were practically dulled by scientific food he was given back in the past.
'Come on.' he said and took Naruto by hand, closing the space between them and colorful tetra-house-cycle.
He didn't have money. He didn't need any. As usual, he just walked near and grabbed whatever he wanted to get and walked away, dragging Naruto with him.
'That will be 9,90... hey, miste- HEY! Thieves! Stop!' Gaara didn't actually spare a glance to anything that was happening beside him, including Naruto. He just held tightly on blond's hand and jumped on the nearest tree, crawling to the most steady branch and sitting on it. Totally ignoring the shouting. He ate in silence. It hadn't tasted as bad as he thought it will. It didn't even smell of Akamaru, one of the lab worker's dog. He licked his fingers after munching on first two bites. Then he looked at Naruto, like if he was wondering if not to share. After a moment or two, without a single word, he gave the blond the rest of food. It seemed like if they gathered quite a publicity. Very loud publicity. He growled in his chest, and when they didn't shut up, he yelled: 'Silence! Or I'll murder you!' And growled some more, when the silence did not come.
Naruto followed the redhead, much more worried by the attention they were gathering. Gaara didn't seem to care, but Naruto did. Thieves meant they were stealing something, which meant they were supposed to pay for it… and they didn't have any money. And he wasn't hungry either. He pushed the food away and curled as close to the redhead a she could, trying to block out the noise and the people, not that it worked.
'Gaara.' he said, his voice uncharacteristically low. '…let's go back.'
The redhead stopped growling for a moment, looking at Naruto. He sniffed his face curiously, then slowly got up, holding his balance, looking down.
'If you're so scared, then go back on your own.' he murmured gravely 'Maybe I'll come back for you later.'
And then he took a step forward, jumping in-between the gathering. No, he really wasn't planning on getting back. Not for a moment. Naruto whimpered and moved nervously on his perch, not knowing what to do. This place wasn't safe, nowhere but back where they had been was safe and Gaara was still calling attention. And he was so scared, so very very scared but he couldn't leave Gaara alone, what if he started crying or he got captured or they hurt him- As if reading his mind, the beefy man that had been tending to the hot dog cart put a strong hand on the redhead's shoulder.
'Listen, you better pay up, or-'
In less time that it took anyone to even register the offense, the red-eyed blond had pushed the man away brutally, sending him sprawling into another pair of onlookers and skidding several meters before stopping.
'Don't touch Gaara!' he snarled, his body bent down animalistically and claws ranking the concrete.
The mass of people wavered, stepping back. Someone has screamed, somebody started screaming 'run!' and 'they're dangerous!' but beside that everyone was standing like petrified llamas in the middle of the road. Gaara had slowly brushed off his touched shoulder and came close to Naruto.
'Seriously, I swear…' he murmured under his breath, then grasped the blond by the skin on the back of his neck and squeezed it painfully hard 'I can't leave you for a freaking damn minute!...'
He looked at him harshly, showing his canines. What a pain. He couldn't get away like that. He had to go back and drop this baby in its den, or it would end up getting hurt or hurting him in the process. The things he was doing were awfully cute, but it wasn't about the cuteness, it was about getting away. Naruto made another high pitched cry of pain at having the skin of his neck pulled like that, and he trashed to make Gaara let go of him, looking at him with wide, confused and fearful eyes. Why was Gaara angry at him now? He just wanted to protect him!
'Calm down.' the redhead commanded and tossed the blond onto shoulder 'We're going back.'
And he skipped on the path he knew he took when he was getting there, still ignoring the people who were now starting to panic. He ran across the street, managing to stop only one line of cars and he crept closer to their exit - now entrance. It engulfed them in the darkness, in the old scent of the known place and still air. It felt like home. Like an old cage. But if he was quick enough... maybe nobody knew that they left on the first place... But the running that could be heard along the hidden paths in the darkness already told him that it was a wish to not obtain. He put Naruto down on the floor and hoped to the entrance again, but it was just as he thought.
Electrically closed after only one more usage. Clever bastards were supposing that they might actually want to come back for something and closed them off. They'll probably make them stay in glassy cages again without food, like in the past. His life was hopeless. Why did he even agree to taking the blond with him? Why? It couldn't be that he would actually miss him when he left. Though yes, it could, the previous disappearance proved it enough for him. It wasn't his life that was hopeless. It was definitely something wrong with him. Because even now... even now he had an urge to just gather him in his arms and make sure it was better now. Like the blond wanted. He brushed carelessly the yellow hair and whispered crisply: 'You okay now?'
Naruto, of course, was crying. He didn't understand anything that was happening, outside was HORRIBLE and Gaara had wanted to leave him alone, then he'd gotten mad at him and then he'd pinched him and if they had been followed everyone would be in danger because of them. He whined and shied away from the other's hand, curling into a little ball. 'Leave me alone,' he sniffed. Gaara was playing again and he didn't want to do it at all.
Gaara stared at him, puzzled.
'But you said... you said you wanted to...' He really didn't know what to think of those sudden tears of the blond. He did what the other wanted and now Naruto was crying? A small sniff had clenched his insides painfully yet again, so he got on his knees and got closer to the boy before him. 'Don't cry' he said in a hushed, tired tone 'Don't cry, baby... don't...'
He reached out and slowly stroked the yellow mess, ending up in brushing some tears away. Ah, it hurt him now too...
'Don't cry...' he repeated quietly 'I won't do that again... I promise...'
'Oh, I'm sure you won't.' And that wasn't Naruto's voice. He turned around only to see a group of people standing in the circle around them in rather aggressive manner. In one instant he shifted, turning his torso on them, like if he wanted to hide the blond behind him.
'I took him out.' he said, before his reasonable self got a chance to think up some believable lies 'It's my fault. Totally.' He looked at the face of his brother, which was visible in the group, but violet face has only looked left, not meeting his eyes, refusing to help. He glanced at his sister.
'It's my fault.' he repeated, deciding to cling to that lie 'Don't punish him.'
'I'm not a baby! Don't call me that!' Naruto whined, leaning into the other's hand and clinging to him despite his conscious minds bets efforts to tell him otherwise. He had felt the other men's presence in the back of his mind, but he hadn't cared until Gaara turned around like that and started saying things…
'Wait, wait.' he sniffed, quickly rubbing his sleeve's over his eyes to get himself to stop crying.
Temari-chan and Kankuro were there, but also Neji, Shikamaru and Iruka and lots of blind-people, and everyone looked angry at Gaara- He clung to the redhead's side, eyes wide.
'Punish? You aren`t going to punish Gaara, are you? He didn't do anything bad!' Maybe he had gone out when he shouldn't, and they had stolen stuff but Gaara hadn't meant to and it was his fault too, he had followed him and they couldn`t- 'They already hurt Gaara, you don't need to punish him!'
'If you're hurt, you will be going to the hospital wing.' the noble heir of Hyuuga family spoke 'And then you will be getting your right treatment. Are you hurt?'
'No.' was the cryptic answer.
'Very well.' Gaara eyed the man with long hair who was looking at him without a single blink. Blank eyes almost, almost mirrored his own face in this dark corridor.
''Very well' what?' he asked rudely, looking back and forth the group of almost identical people with white eyes. He was a little hurt from that fruity can, but he was not going to admit that out loud. His appearance was a failure enough.
'We don't know, geez.' Shikamaru said, looking at them with a harsh glare, not matching his lazy posture 'You just sneaked out in the middle of the day on the street full of people. Do you know how troublesome is that? You don't exist as a race, as living beings in the grey mass' consciousness. This will take us ages to explain.'
'Walking on trees... inhuman strength... we already have some reports. What were you thinking?' This time it was some older male from the Hyuuga clan. Gaara glared.
'We weren't.' he admitted viciously. He had no other words he could speak up if he wanted to not be held in chains and with no food.
'That's right. Naruto...' The man with brown ponytail and a big scar across his nose spoke up 'I'm disappointed in you. How could you...? You know very well that you are forbidden to leave the place!'
'I said it's not his fault!'
'Be quiet, Gaara. We heard you.' Neji Hyuuga looked at them with a stoic face. For a moment or two there could be seen a glimpse of anger, but nothing more. 'It seems that it's more about you two instead only for one of you...' Words rolled off his tongue in manner of a gentleman. But their meaning was not what Gaara wanted to hear. He looked, his eyes widening, at Hyuuga. 'It think it would be good to separate you two for some time.'
'I'm sorry.' The younger blond mumbled guiltily, looking at the floor to avoid their eyes. They were right, he shouldn't have left, he should have stopped Gaara. 'I'm sorry, I just wanted to be out a bit, I was going to come back, really!'
'But what if something happened to you? What if the Akatsuki found you and took you back? Because of you two we are going to have to relocate immediately, this place isn't safe anymore for any of us!'
Naruto fisted Gaara's shirt, a deep whine of distress emitting from his chest. It wasn't the volume or the words, it was the fact that they were right.
'I'm sorry.' he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. Then Neji`s words sunk in. 'I- no. No, I want to stay with Gaara.'
'You're not the one to dictate any, I repeat, any conditions Naruto.' was the cold answer of Neji. 'And we won't go soft on you only because you wanted to go out. It's almost like if you wanted to get yourself caught by Akatsuki! Do you think that 'I just wanted to be standing in the middle of the ground where everyone can see me' is forgivable? Do you think that 'I just wanted to see if razor blades will cut my skin till it bleed, I didn't want to actually die' is forgivable? No, it's not. Silence, Gaara!'
Gaara in an instant stopped a deep hostile rumble he was giving off at the new tirade of Neji.
'Go pack your things, whatever you have. We will be moving out tonight. You two will be held separately and with no possibilities to communicate. Be proud of yourselves, damn it! You can only thank your recklessness!'
'Neji... maybe you're too harsh...'
'Of course I am, Kankuro! How am I supposed to treat such crime? If you know, then maybe you will tell me what to do? You can take my place as the head of the operation then, very well!'
Kankuro didn't answer, looking completely defeated. Gaara blindly touched Naruto with his hands and slowly crawled back, pressing them both to the wall, the furthest thing he could do in any escape he could.
'No.' he said, looking at the faces before him 'I said it's not his faul-...'
'Take them to their rooms. If they'll get aggressive, use this.' he said, showing a syringe with green liquid. Sleeping drugs. Now he knew he wasn't going to win this battle. No once he could get away with such thing, when he had so many problems with sleeping.
'What?' this was Temari. Temari had been just as angry as the rest of them, and just as ready to chew them up for being two little selfish idiots, but at no point had she even considered they would do something like this to them. 'Drug them? You are going drug them and lock them up?' She stepped away from the Hyuuga leader as if he were something filthy that had spilled next to her.
'No, I'm going to lock them up separately and drug them up only if they'll not submit willingly.' He didn't even turn his face to her, already preparing to take his leave. 'I something not clear in what I said, Temari?'
'Yeah, what the fuck makes you think I'm going to let you?'
'Temari-san, please.' one of the older Hyuuga tried to touch her shoulder, but she slapped his hand away.
'Fuck you Hyuuga! You might be the leader, but Kankuro and I are only doing your shit to keep our brother safe. We put our money and our asses in the line to get him out of that place because they were torturing him, and now you are going to start doing the same?'
Temari didn't normally raise her voice like this, and they definitely should have been grateful for that simple fact.
'Fuck, are you listening to yourself?'
This time Neji did turn his stoic face to her.
'Are you?' he said, while his marble facade shone undisturbed in the dark corridor. 'Your money, your asses, my conditions, my rules. You agreed to that when I asked if you want to use me as a rescue team.'
He stepped slowly to her, his dark boots lightly click-clacking in the cold floor.
'Do you really think you're that smart?' he asked, coming a few inches from her, disturbing her personal space 'If yes, then show me how you do it without my help. Show me how to punish them without causing a massive hysteria, show me how to keep your egoistic bastard of a brother who listens only to himself and goes on a rampage without usage of my drugs, tell me how to do it without chaining them down, making them wear blinds, without hitting them till they faint!' He looked back at one of his co-workers.
'Get him to his room kindly.'
'Wha... what?' 'I said: get him to his room kindly, just like she would want it to be.'
'B-but...'
'No 'buts'.' A loud gulp could be heard, then a young man slowly came closer to the redhead. Gaara obviously tensed up. 'P-please, c-could you g-get up...'
'No!' he hissed, almost crushing Naruto with his closing to the wall 'Don't come near us!'
'But I insist that you-... you sister said...'
'I don't care!' Long fingers with short, but sharp claws lashed out and wounded the held out arm. Wild cry of a man echoed through the corridor, followed by a hostile rumble from Gaara's chest. Neji slowly turned his face to Temari, not once leaving his gaze from her.
'I'm only being merciful' he said calmly 'To everyone of us.'
'We agreed on the basis that you'd HELP HIM!' Temari grit her teeth and stepped even closer, not one bit intimidated by the taller invading her personal space, if anything, even more angered by his words. 'We accepted your conditions to get Gaara out of a place that was doing that to him! And hell, if you are going to treat him like that, to do the exact same things, then yes! If this is the help you are going to be giving us, we are definitely going to be better on our own!'
'I'm only being merciful.' Neji repeated calmly 'To everyone of us.'
'Keep your shit away from my brother and I will be merciful to your ass.' she hissed, pushing him away from her and turned towards the pair. Naruto whimpered and shrunk back with Gaara. 'Gaara, you did enough for a day.' she hissed, her green eyes as hard as his. 'We need to get out of here. You can see Naruto later.'
'No, he can't.' Neji's voice still was as calm as before 'If you're going to get out of here, do it immediately. We will evacuate with Naruto as fast as possible, without giving directions to our new base to anyone from... out.' He turned to his co-workers yet again 'I keep up my orders, we are moving out, pack yourselves. And yes, those rules apply to you too, Shikamaru.'
'That's not fair, man!' could be heard an unhappy groan 'Who knows how long we will be out in this troublesome nowhere! I need to have contact with my woman!'
'You won't, that's an order. Take Naruto away to his room, use force if it's needed. As for Gaara' he faced Temari and Kankuro, who was standing away, pretty scared 'You can do with him whatever you want. I don't care will you do it, just leave the base immediately.'
Gaara's hostile rumble was still growling in the corridor.
'Stay back, you pieces of meat!' he snapped angrily 'Anyone who comes near me will be sliced to pieces! Anyone!'
'But Gaara... we're not with them anymore...'
'I will kill you!'
Kankuro shrunk in his position again.
'Don't I get to choose what to do?' Naruto said suddenly, his eyes welling with tears again as he stared at the older boy. 'Why are you treating me like this? I'm not a thing!'
Gaara looked at him, for a moment worry flashing on his face, but vanishing as fast as it came.
'I'm not keeping you from talking.' he said, still glaring at the people before him. Neji was already gone. 'I'm between hell and high water, don't look at me.'
Shikamaru obviously didn't want to take part with any side.
'I just want to have my job to get money to pay rent and keep my woman healthy and fed.' I
ruka stood back, wearing black gloves, that kept skin from high temperature.
'It's hard to explain, Naruto. But what is done is done. Please, let go of Gaara. He can't stay with us anymore.'
'You better start looking for a new one.' Temari said, not looking at the lazy genius. She shouldn't have felt so betrayed by his words, considering how well she knew him, but she still did. 'This woman is getting the fuck out of here.' She brushed past Kankuro, hitting him squarely on the shoulder. 'And thanks for the backup, idiot. Go pack, we are leaving.'
Naruto shrunk back from Iruka, turning his blue eyes towards the person clutching him.
'Gaara…?'
'Yeah, and how are we going to pay for our living? Have you forgotten we are in debts, Temari? All money you had went for searching for your troublesome brother over there. It's not easy to find a new job in laboratory! You live off what I get, both of you!' Kankuro shrank again, seeing the pointy finger shoved at his face. 'And now it's gonna be three. How are you planning on living after I get fired? Nobody will hire you three, your faces are known in the whole country! And not for good reasons either!'
'I'll go pack' whispered the middle sibling , still massaging the place where Temari had hit him and walking off scurriedly.
'Stay back!' Gaara howled yet again, lashing out curtly at one of the laboratory workers. 'Don't you dare to lay finger on me, you!...' Then he turned to Naruto and quickly kissed the base of his nose, laughing sardonically. 'You see, baby, the difference between you and me is in our completion. You are supposed to be perfect, and I am just a frailer experiment...' he snapped his canines at Iruka's fingers, which were trying to get a hold on Naruto '... so I don't really understand what's going on... human's talk is just a big load of nonsense. An utter blabber. I don't listen to unimportant things and I move WHEN I WANT TO MOVE!'
The last part was screamed at someone who grabbed him by shoulders and almost got him up, if it wasn't for a strong kick Gaara gave him. Then he looked around and caught his sister's gaze.
'You hear me? I move when I want to move.' he said cockily, throwing her an open challenge.
Temari flushed at her lover's words, feeling like if someone had decided to try and squeeze her lungs for shits and giggles. She couldn't believe Shikamaru would just throw something like that to her, rub something so- so humiliating on her face.
'Then good riddance for you.' she said, her voice barely a whisper. It hadn't meant to come like that, she would have liked it to sound so much meaner, so much stronger- but it hadn't. There wasn't enough air in the room and she couldn't raise her voice above that. Her eyes went to Gaara's, and held. 'What we do is not your business anymore, Shika. We are leaving.'
'Wha... ha!... Hey! Don't turn your back on me, Temari! I am only thinking about our future here, troublesome woman! Don't get emotional on me when I'm only trying to be reasonable!...'
'I am staying!' Gaara added, but he really wasn't in power to say anymore.
'I am really sorry, Temari, but I have to do my job and he is not allowing me to do so. And there's nothing more valuable on this world for me than my medic's career.' was suddenly heard, and a face of the laboratory doctor, Kabuto Yakushi, was shown. 'Don't worry, I inserted the simplest sleeping pills liquid I could think of, he will be full fresh in no more than two hours. Please, take him away.'
'No, I'm staying!' this time Gaara added more sluggishly, still holding onto Naruto, but visibly drifting off. 'I am!... I really am... am I?...'
'Come, Naruto.' Iruka's hands were the most gentle hands Naruto could get in this bunch of low workers. Really.
Temari didn't turn around, just kept walking in her room's direction. There was that much that she had to pack, but she didn't want to talk to Shikamaru, and the least he saw him, the better for his well being. And Gaara? He could stay in the fucking floor until they came back to drag his ass somewhere.
'Gaara…?' Naruto repeated his voice small and lost as he clutched at the older boy, having to support his weight when he started falling down. This couldn't have happened just because they went out a few minutes right? Right? He looked up at Iruka, allowing the man to take him away a step, then another, just staring at him with huge, confused blue eyes.
'This is a dream?' This wasn't happening, it was just a dream.
'Wait... no...' Everything was spinning in a white, yellow, golden light. He fell. The floor was barely there, just a bit of chill against his cheek when he touched it, looking at the world from behind smaller and smaller slits his eyes were becoming. 'This is a dream?' he heard from the distance and caught a glimpse of something... someone... looking like a sunshine shaped into grotesque ball...
'Yeah...' he whispered through his dry lips 'A dream...'
He looked forward trying to remember the beautiful mirage before he woke up, so he could remind himself in the morning what kind of vision he had. Just this one thing before he woke up... And when he finally was sure that he is ready to wake up, he slept. Shikamaru stood beside him, watching how Naruto was taken away. He wasn't going to leave it like that. Even if - then not in this lifetime. Because he wasn't hunting Temari just to lose her over a job.
'Life is so troublesome!...' he said, looking with sadness at disappearing figure of Temari. 'Don't you think so?...'
Gaara didn't answer.