Hello again my lovelies! Fourth chapter of TOAL is here on my nonexistent schedule! I know the last chapter kind of sucked, but I hope this makes up for it. I'm going to start getting into the characters back stories, which I'm hoping won't take more than a chapter or two. Thanks to NarutoSPsyren, Melikalily and yukiyuki-chan-nya, for your awesome reviews, and subscription.

Kyuubi sighed as he watched his brother zip around the house like some sort of drug addict. This was one of the characters he really could care less for. Haipā(1) was definitely not his favorite right now. Especially when it's currently 5a.m. and you're trying to sleep, but can't because there's a figurative little gnat buzzing around your head.

"C'mon, c'mon! Its perfect time for a run! Why are you so lazy? Come run with me!" The blonde whined to the huddled mass under the blankets. A messy head of hair accompanied with a sleepy expression finally came up from the blankets to glare heatedly at the fidgety blonde.

"Naruto, please explain to me why you need to go running at 5 in the morning on a Saturday? The morning drug addicts and meter maids aren't even up this early. Didn't you stay up all night yesterday working on some sort of project?" The lethargic teen asked.

"Uh huh, uh huh! But Naru wants to run now! C'mon, c'mon!" (A/N: Inspiration for this character came from our dearest Akatsuki member Tobi! )

"Naruto how about you go running and I'll meet you in about 4 hours, give or take. Sounds good?" If the redhead wasn't under the influence of sleep he would have realized what a horrible idea this was. Like seriously, who sends their little brother out into the world when their like this? No one does.

"Ok, Naru will go run around until aniki shows up!"

"Grab a jacket [yawn]." The redhead ducked back under the covers and then proceeded to nap.

The blonde nodded vigorously, even though the redhead couldn't see, and left the room. He sprinted down the hallway and into his room, where he then proceeded to tear the room apart, looking for his orange hoodie to go over his black workout shirt.

Naruto raced down the stairs to the kitchen to grab an apple and his already packed drawstring bag. Blue sky's greeted him as he exited the house. Starting off with a steady jog the blonde took off down the street.

'Ok, where to now. Gotta go! Gotta go! Oh, look a birdie! Hi birdie! Are you going to sing today? That's so cool! But I can't stay Mrs. Birdie I gotta go! Gotta go! But… where to? Hey look there's Yamashita-san! And snowball-chan (cat)! But snowball-chans so mean! Don't hiss at me! Little furry demon! Bye Yamashita-san! Okay! Keep going! Focus! Focus! Oh, a pretty flower! Naruto! Focus!' (A/N: I dont know, kinda thought it was funny.)

The blonde kept jogging until he came to a clearing. The area was filled with play equipment, but at five in the morning the kids that were supposed to fill it were not present. To Naruto the park looked deserted and depressing. Wiping the sweat from his brow the blonde entered the clear park, sitting on a nearby bench, and breathing deeply. The air was indeed chilly, and it cooled the droplets of water on his skin, making him shiver like a leaf in a windstorm. He rose from the bench, walking around the park until he came to a slide. He was about to climb on when a familiar pain shot behind his eyelids.

xXx

I looked around my surroundings confusedly as I tried to figure out where the hell I was. I'm so tired of this freaking disease. You have absolutely no idea, how scary it is to open your eyes and not know where you are. It is beyond terrifying. The only thing that I can make out is that I've been running, and that I'm in a little place outside Konoha. As I continue to walk around all the equipment in the park I come across some more benches towards the back, where everything is hidden from the road that runs down the middle.

"What is that?" I say to myself as I come across a lumpy mass on a bench. I'm a little wary about approaching it because it's shivering so there has to be something alive there. But what is it? An animal? Your average day hobo? I don't want anything to attack me while I'm out here.

I walk a little closer to the 'thing' only stop dead in my tracks. There's only one person I know that has red hair and a red tattoo on their forehead. It's Gaara! But before I wake him I notice how blue his lips were and the bruises on his neck and face. He's been abused.

I gently shook him awake not wanting to startle him. I didn't know where his mind was at the time, so I didn't want to upset him further.

"Gaara, wake up." Nothing happened. I tried a little harder this time. "Gaa-"

Before I could utter the last syllable I was spun on the ground, hand behind my back, and knee digging into my spine. 'Ok, that was a stupid move.' Naruto Uzumaki's list of things to never do again: Rule# 326 Don't ever wake a sleeping Gaara.

"Gaara, Gaara it's me Naruto." I turn my head to the side so he could see my face, and not try to kill me. The pressure let up gradually until I was completely free. Green eyes stared at me impassively as if the owners of the eyes didn't just try to kill me. I take a seat back on the bench, patting a spot next to me for him to take. Eventually he sat, but the intense stare didn't let up one bit.

"What are you doing here, Uzumaki?" Hm, good question.

"I'd tell you if I knew my own self. But the better question is why are you here?"

"Hn." I knew he was going to say that. He's staring ahead now. Usually he's the one protecting me, but right now he needs me even if he doesn't realize it yet. He looks so lost right now, like he's carrying the world's weight on his shoulders. I know that look. I saw it in the mirror every day for 3 years.

"You're hurt."

"Hn." I knew this was all I was going to get out of him. If he didn't want to talk about it right now then we wouldn't… yet. I pulled off my orange sweatshirt and handed it to him. He looked at the hand quizzically, but made no move to take it.

"Put it on, your cold. Don't worry about me I have another one." I dug into my pack and pulled out my insulated windbreaker. Hey! Don't judge. You never know when the heavens will open up and pee on you! And those sweatshirts don't repel water at all.

After five minutes of glaring at my hand he stiffly put on the item. It didn't help though. You could still see how blue his lips were. He needed to warm up, and as much as he tolerated me, I don't think he's the type for hugs.

I got off the bench, holding a hand out (which I knew would be ignored) for him to take. His movement wasn't as fluid as they should have been when he rose from the hard metal.

"Follow me, and I'm not taking hn (no) for an answer." With my little sentences done I turned towards the exit, which was located on the other side of the park. He followed behind silently, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts.

Who would do that to him? And why was he sleeping on a bench in the park? I knew he was there all night because he was sleeping very deeply, and he told me once before that he was an insomniac. So he must have gotten kicked out of his house or something, unless he left on his own volition. He could have escaped after he got beat up? Did he even get abused? I could just be jumping to conclusions. He might've just gotten into a bad fight at some sort of club, but the legal age to get into a club is 21 isn't it? Fake I.D., duh!

By time I'm done with my rambling I realize a couple of things. One: Were back in town, two: its way later than when I think I left, and three: I'm hungry and there's a café just calling my name down the street. I look behind me to see that Gaara is still behind in my orange sweater with his eyes elsewhere. His skin was a little peachier than what it was, but his normally pale color was ever present.

I made my way to the warm looking café, mouth already anticipating the hot chocolate that just has to be there. Right?

xXx

"So are you going to tell me why you were sleeping at the park?" I asked the redhead that sat across from me in the booth we shared. The comfy café was a rich burgundy shade that just made everything feel better. The hot chocolate in my palm warming me up further than what I already was. I insisted that Gaara get something, because I knew he was still cold, and didn't have any money. Apparently the more aware part of my brain made my crazy side (whoever that was today) pack almost all my essentials. I say all because for some reason I can't find my cell phone.

"Hn." Wow big surprise.

"Gaara if you want help you're going to have to tell me." I must have struck something within him because for the next minute he glared his hardest at me.

"And who said I needed your help, Uzumaki?" His tone was low and dangerous, but I've never backed down from something, and I wasn't about to start. He could hate me all he wanted to after we were through talking.

"I do. You want to know why? Because people usually don't sleep on park benches in the freezing cold covered in bruises." I shot back. It went on like this for some time, back and forth, continuously until I tried to appeal to his softer side. (A/N: C'mon we all know it's in there. Somewhere deep, deep, deep down in there.)

"Gaara, you don't have to tell me whatever your situation is or who beat you up, but I would like to know eventually. I care about you a lot. Your one of my precious people, and I don't want to lose you." He grunted again , but I could tell he was contemplating on telling me or not. I wasn't going to push it though. We sat there in relative silence until he broke it.

"My father kicked me out." I nodded.

"So you haven't any where to go?" He shook his head, eyes still fixated on the table. "Great!" He looked at me crazily, but I was too caught up in my next sentence to focus on anything. "You know I always wanted someone other than my brother to bug at all times of the day." Realization dawned on his face a couple of seconds later. I was afraid my face was going to burst open from the huge smile I wore.

"Naruto, I don't think your father would agree to that." He said lowly.

"He's going to agree to it because I'm going to make him. You're a friend in need and I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to feed you, wash you, brush you, clean up after your doodies," I guess he didn't find the joke that funny, because the way he's glaring at me makes me want to crawl in a hole.

"I'm kidding duh! C'mon I bet my idiot brother's freaking out right now, because he doesn't know where I am." I got up throwing some money down on the table for our waitress/barista and left.

xXx

One second. One second was all it took for me to be almost tackled to the ground by my huge idiot brother. He was all red in the face and panting like he just ran a marathon. He probably had some sort of anxiety attack. Ha, that's what he gets… jerk. He was so busy reassuring himself that I was there and talking a mile a minute that he didn't even realize that we had a guest. Gaara cleared his throat impatiently as he stood at the entrance.

"Um, what's he doing here?" The idiot asked me as he continued to sit/crush my pelvic and stomach areas. If looked at in that way it would have been sexual except for the fact that I was in pain.

"Air levels… decreasing… light getting… dimmer. Need more… calcium." I said in my best William Shatner. I thought it was pretty funny, that is until the weight that was on me continued to stare at the redhead at the door. "KYUUBI! GET THE HELL OFF ME!" I shouted.

He scrambled as fast as he could to get off me. It actually did more damage than it did good, but at least he tried to make it speedy for my sakes.

"Now that the greetings out of the way we can go in the kitchen and discuss this like men, over tea and cookies." I said as I strolled pass the two redheads. (A/N: Ok, I couldn't resist. XD)

So here we are now, staring at each other from across our circle table, triangle formation of course. Kyuubi is nervous for some reason, he keeps glancing at Gaara subtly as if the raccoon is going to eat him. The cookies and tea lay forgotten in the center of the table without a single crumb defiling the surface of the porcelain.

"Um, why is he here again." I guessing he got fed up with the tense silence.

"Well, he's going to be our new roommate,"

"Tenant. I'm not going to stay here for free." I rolled my eyes. Seriously, what's with boys now a days with their idiotically high levels of pride.

"Well, whatever but the gist of what I'm saying is that he's going to be staying here until further notice. Understand?" My brother dumbly nodded his head.

"Did you ask dad about this? I mean, if he's got nowhere to go I'm all for it, but I have no clue if Iruka will. I don't want him to flip out if he comes home to find some goth looking kid living here. No offense." He added lastly, quickly looking over at Gaara to see if he would murder him.

"I'll talk to Iruka when he gets here, and we'll see what we can work out." I said, and my brother knew that when I put my mind to it, it would be done. No matter the consequences or the odds.

"Alright, I'll let you handle that flaming ship to hell then. So psycho, you don't mind if I call you psycho right? Great, I doubt you'd like it if I called you fluffy. And I don't know you well enough to call you by your first name so psycho it is." I kicked him as hard as I could under the table. He tried to play it off but his damp eyelashes told another story. I could see the smirk on Gaara's face and I knew he was appeased for now. Until my idiot twin had to go and open his mouth again.

"So psycho, why in all the seven hells does it look like you got hit by a train?" I tensed slightly, I knew he was going to ask, but I didn't know he would ask like that. I don't know why I was so nervous, maybe I expected Gaara to kill, or at the very least maim. I certainly didn't expect his response.

"I got into a fight with a ninja." Blink. Blink. Stare. Was-did Gaara make a joke? I laughed so hard that my body hit the ground with a sharp thud, but the pain barely registered as the fight for air battled throughout my respiratory system.

"You done?" Kyuubi asked me as his strawberry blonde head peeked over the table. I guess he didn't like not getting a straight answer, but he should have realized the gravity of the situation that just happened. Gaara just made a joke! The guy was so serious that his farts were on key! Ok, I've never heard him fart (nor do intend to), but still. He was so tense that if you put a piece of coal in his pants a diamond would fall out.

"Ah, yea I'm good now. Kyuu, I'm hungry feed me." I demanded. I'm a prince darn it!

"And why should I do that?" He was still peeved, but I could care less.

"because you wouldn't want me to tell Iruka that you let me out of the house, without a cellphone to run around the city when I wasn't in my right mind." His eyes narrowed in what he thought were a daring way, but he just looked like a sulking puppy. He pushed himself harshly from the table to the refrigerator.

'Ah, sometimes mental disorders are just peachy.'

xXx

"Gaara do you play?" I asked as I held up my copy of the newest COD. He grinned at me wickedly before sitting down on my favorite orange gaming chair (he must be crazy!). Ok now I'm annoyed. I might just have to hand it to him when we go against each other. Tch, all cower in fear before me! He should respect that.

"Do I play? Do you even have to ask?" Ok, Mr. cocky pants!

"Just don't go crying when I take you to church (A/N: That's like one of my favorite songs by T-pain. It's also a nice workout song.)

"Hn." Ok he just threw down the gauntlet! No one smirks at me like that! Unless it's Sasu-kitty (he smirks at me all the time like that so I don't pay him any mind.) By the way what is a gauntlet? Is it like a goblet, but more violent looking? Yea that's probably what it is.

Four games later and were tied in score. It's probably six or seven already, but I don't care. I'm on the floor and he's in my chair, were both on edge, but I'm not going to let it get to me. I'm determined to get more kill shots than him! No way am I losing a third time and giving him the satisfaction. Ok thirty seconds left! I check our stats and we're pretty even, he has one up on me, but I'm not deterred.

25 seconds. BAM! Headshot! Take that terrorists in some poor, desolate third world country. Ha, you're going down raccoon.

"NARUTO!" Uh-oh. I knew that voice. And it sounded angry. But I'm so close! 20 seconds left. Please Iruka don't! My prayers went unanswered as an angry brunette who looked beyond frazzled. I had to split my focus between the flashing screen, a devilishly grinning Gaara, or an irate brunette.

10 seconds. Oh my, he's getting really upset that I'm ignoring him. BAM, another kill. Oh hey Mr. Terrorist I see you! BAM!

3 seconds! Ah a whole pocket of you over there. Good night!

"Yes!" I jumped up once I saw the results!

"In your face panda-chan! Who's the best killer in the house? Naru is the best killer in the house! Say, who's the best killer in the house? Naru is the best killer in the house. Hey men, who's the best killer in the house? Naru is the best killer in the house! To the ladies now! Who's,"

"Ahem." I stopped my little wiggle/victory dance immediately, turning back around to face my maker.

"Oh, hi dad." Ok so I admit it. I'm a little bit scared of Iruka. It's just when he gets that infuriated look in his eye all cuteness that he once had disappears, and out pops this terrifying person.

"May I see you out in the hall son." Oh, he's definitely going to kill me. That idiot must have blew the situate=ion all out of proportion. 'I bet he didn't tell about him letting me run free this morning.' I thought with contempt.

"But I don't want Gaara to get lonely you know." I scratched the back of my neck harshly. It was a nervous tick that I developed in America.

"I'll live." I looked back at him, he had the cat that got the cream expression on his face. Let's face it, I'm screwed six ways from Sunday.

As I walked out of the room after my dad, I could've sworn I heard the dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun dada song. Maybe it was all in my head. Weirder crap has happened. We stopped when we far enough away that Gaara wouldn't hear our conversation, or my screams.

"Naruto, do you want to explain to me why you have taken people in from off the streets to live here?" Wow if that's not exaggerating if I've ever seen it. I'll have to remember to sock it to my twin when I see him next.

"Gaara is not off the street, he's just having some really bad family issues, and can't go home right now… or ever. But don't worry he's ok now, and plus he said he'll pay you for his stay here. Even though I told him it wasn't necessary." I can see now that he gets it, but he's still apprehensive about it. I knew he wouldn't turn the broody redhead away; he was too nice for that.

"So whad'dya think?" I asked. I was a bit wary at his silence, but after a minute of silent contemplation he agreed. I hugged him so hard he practically died of oxygen deprivation. I ran/skip/tripped on my way to the room to share the good news.

"So I take he said yes?" I could only nod my answer, because I was panting so hard. And then I pounced.

"YAY!" I shouted. I already knew this was starting to be a great year.

xXx

I sighed as I sank down into my regular seat in my homeroom. I was so tired! Gaara had kept me up all night with his insomnia. And he had the nerve to smirk at me when I was moving in a whirlwind trying to get ready, while he sat calmly. Ugh, bastard.

"Why are you two late?" Neji asked. I was about to open my mouth and say something, but Gaara beat me too it.

"We rode to school together." I don't know where he was getting at, but I don't think I like it. I could see Sasuke's jaw clenched and his teeth were gnashing together. Neji didn't seem like he minded, but his regal brow had creased slightly.

"Yea Gaara lives at my house now." They looked kind of surprised, which I guess they have the right to be.

"Naruto why do you look so tired?" Oh, Neji that's why I love ye. He's always worried about me in some form. Again I was about to answer, but being the bastard that Gaara was he decided that he would take the responsibility off my hands.

"We had a weekend orgy." That's what he said, with the most serious face that he ever had. I would've believed him also if not for the fact that I was there for yesterday, and the day before.

It's actually kind of funny how the classroom seems to go completely quiet before someone says something embarrassing or crude. I don't think my cheeks could get any redder as everyone at my table, and all my classmates stared between the both of us. I was about to deny the rumor, but then Kakashi showed up. Honestly? Of all the days, he chooses today to be early (or as early as he could be)?

"Ok class sit back, and shut up." Oh screw me.

A/N: poor Naru-chan, but it's going to get worse before it gets better. You have any ideas on how to torture our poor blonde? Write a review! Share your knowledge with me I crave it! First review on this chapter gets a cookie! Ja ne!

(1)Haipā – means hyper in Japanese. Wasn't that hard to figure out. Isn't Tobi just adorable?