Title: Iris
Author: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)
Pairings: GaaNaruGaa
Rating: T
WARNINGS: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.
Disclaimer: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon. I do not make money from this fan made work.
Summary: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.
Chapter 7: Naruto's Other Side
Gaara groaned as he woke to the sound of incessant beeping.
He floundered his hand, trying to hit the noise maker, but was hindered by an arm wrapped around his stomach, and a warm body cozied up to his. Gaara opened his eyes, and blinked in the early morning light, before turning to glare at the blond hindering him.
"Naruto," he hissed. "Let go of me!" Then he stopped, and jabbed the blond's shoulder with his finger, "Why is my alarm waking me up?"
"Nnn, naut time ta wakey sleepy beauty," he moaned.
The red head was about to kick him out of bed, when Naruto turned his head, and Gaara saw the right side of his face. He brushed the blond's face with his fingertips in concern, before turning to glower at the alarm clock that was getting louder every second.
Now that he was awake, he was able to reach over, and turn it off. Then he turned to the blond. He used just the tips of his fingers to lift the tan face from his side.
"Pet, what happened?" he asked, inspecting the black and purple bruise around the blond's eye.
"Wha-?" Naruto mumbled, blinking up at Gaara. Then his eyes flashed open. "Gaara! I-I'm so, so, so sorry!" he cried out, scrambling away from the red head. "I didn't mean to do it! If I did something naugh-Ah!" he cried out as he fell off the side of the bed.
The red head crawled over, checking to see if the blond had hurt himself even more.
"Argh!" Naruto cried out, scrubbing his nails through his hair, causing it to shoot out in different directions. "First the brat comes here to attack me, and now I made a fool of myself, jeez," he growled.
"It must be my lucky day; I didn't have to kick you out of bed," Gaara said, as he watched the blond from his position above him. Then he looked back to check the time, and cursed. He left the bed, tripping over bed sheets in his rush, and went to the bathroom to get ready for work.
"So," he began, after he spat out the toothpaste from his mouth into the sink. He was dressed, but his hair was still dripping water from the quick shower. He turned to look at the blond who was leaning against the door to the bathroom. "A friend from Konoha came over, and attacked you." The red head frowned, and then looked over at Naruto, "What kind of friend does that?"
"A good one," the blond said with a wide grin. Then his brow puckered, "I kind of left him outside because I meant to ask you if I could let him in, but then I fell asleep, 'cause I skipped the pouncing tactic, and went straight to the snuggling tactic." He blushed, and ran his hand through his blond spikes, then muttered, "Sorry about that."
Gaara waved it off, "You already apologized; once is enough. Does he look as bad as you?"
"I returned each blow he gave me!" Then Naruto paused, and his hands fumbled around each other, "But, I only hit him a little bit harder than he hit me, and I gave him one more pounding than he needed. He's three years younger than me, so I can't be too harsh, right?"
The red head frowned, and then said, "I suppose, but that doesn't mean you should let him hit you."
"Oh, I tried to dodge him, but he's really good!" Naruto's chest puffed up, "What can I say for my little protege!"
Gaara watched as the blond began to ramble on about the great achievements of his student, and he wondered if he had ever felt proud of Matsuri. He puzzled it over for a minute. He'd never said anything about how well written her work was. She was his student, but not once had he ever acted the way the blond was now.
"Do you tell him that you're proud of him?" Gaara interrupted him.
"Wha-? No way! Well, I guess you can say it every once in a while, but only when you're leaving or going away for a long time or something like that! Only when it's dangerous, too! You have to reassure your pupil that you can defeat anything in front of you! Even if you're scared shitless," Naruto said with a firm nod. "You also don't give away all of your secrets, so that they'll keep coming back to learn more."
Naruto paused, and looked at the red head, his curiosity showing in his eyes, "Are you asking this because you have your own protege?"
Gaara gave a slight nod, before toweling his hair one last time.
"Well, then don't do what I said! It's different between each pupil and master! Konohamaru and I are more like brothers, but I never let him know that. He's also my rival! He's trying to become the dojo's head, too, so I have to put him in his spot."
"Oh," the red head said. "I've never felt that proud of Matsuri, though."
Naruto shrugged, "What can I say? Give her some time, and she's bound to do something amazing! I mean, she is your pupil." The blond fidgeted, "Can I go and get Konohamaru?"
Gaara nodded, and followed the blond out of the bathroom, but then broke off, heading to the kitchen.
He heard the door open, and a petulant sounding boy said, "About time! I was beginning to wonder if you forgot me-" there was a loud smack, and then a cry, "Ow! Boss what was that for?"
He frowned, didn't Naruto say that his protege was only three years younger than he was? That would make him seventeen, but for some reason he sounded like a kid. He turned, and looked to see.
Inside of his doorway was a lanky teen with dark brunette hair, vivid blush marks on his cheeks. He was wearing a long scarf, and a happy grin as Naruto talked to him. It looked like an older brother giving advice to a younger brother, and if one happened to have blond hair, and the other dark hair, well, no matter.
Gaara went to his fridge, and rummaged through the freezer, and then said, "Here, Naruto."
Naruto looked over, and grabbed the tossed bags out of reflex. The blond peered down at them, and read aloud, "Peas and corn?" Then his eyes flashed, and he grinned, "Thanks, Gaara."
He pushed Konohamaru over to the couch and said, "Put this on your black eye." He gave the brunette the corn, taking the peas for himself. He placed the peas on his right eye, and leaned his head back so he didn't have to hold it in place. "Ah, this feels good. Who knew vegetables were good for you?"
"Of course they are," Konohamaru said, mimicking Naruto's position. "If they weren't, I wouldn't have been able to blacken your eye! Gramps told me to eat some spinach before I came here, and that I would beat you if I ate them!"
"You didn't beat me!"
"No, but I gave you a black eye! I've never given you a black eye before!"
"Th-That's because I gave it to you! I made a false opening, so that I could knock you flat!"
"Liar!"
"Brat!"
There was a bang, and the red head turned to see that his coffee table was knocked over, and the boys were wrestling on the floor. Naruto was on the offensive, but Konohamaru managed to roll him over and gave a triumphant grin, before the blond kicked him off. The frozen vegetables scattered over the floor.
"You're never going to make it as dojo head!" Naruto yelled, his eyes bright.
"Hah! All I'll have to do is beat your wimpy ass!" Konohamaru shouted.
They were about to run into the kitchen table, but, in a flash, Gaara was there, knocking both of them on the right side of their faces, grazing the blackening bruises. The two boys fell, howling.
"Gaara, what was that for!" Naruto hissed, glaring up at the red head.
"If you haven't noticed, you're destroying my house," his voice an icy wind.
The blond blinked, and looked around, before giving a sheepish smile to the red head, "S-Sorry."
"You're lucky I'm running late for work. This place had better be clean by the time I get back," the red head ordered before leaving the apartment. He shook his head as he heard battle cries starting up again as he closed the door.
"Gaara," a low, smooth voice said.
He looked up to see Sai entering his office. The dark haired man went straight to his desk, and sat on the edge of it. Gaara frowned, and looked up at the man. Sai ignored the look, and crossed his legs.
"Can I help you, Sai?"
"Sure," he said a sly look on his face. "I heard that you're living with someone. I was so surprised! Imagine! Our lone stranger Gaara, living with someone!"
Gaara closed his eyes in irritation before ignoring the black haired man, and marking something off on the article in front of him.
"I heard that the man has blond hair," Sai taunted. "I didn't even know you had a preference for blond hair. Are you having sex with him? Making him pay for rent with his body?"
"How did you hear about him?" he asked, ignoring the rest of Sai's questions in preference for his own.
"I heard it from a little birdie," Sai said, waving off the question. "You know, it's illegal to make someone pay for their body."
"What birdie?"
"Oh, you know," Sai said, waving the question away as if the red head did know. "Tell me, do you enjoy sleeping with the blond? You looked really cozy this morning."
He stood up, his chair hitting the wall from the force of it. Gaara glowered at Sai, and hissed, "I do not sleep with Naruto in any shape, way, or form. If you do not have any questions about your articles or on how to improve them, then get out." He pushed a folder of Sai's edited articles into the man with enough force that Sai had to get off the desk to stay upright.
"Right, right," Sai said, a quick, blank grin shaping on his face. "Tell Naruto that I said 'hi', we'll be sure to see more of each other in the future."
The red head was about to make an angry retort, but the dark haired man was slipping out of his office. He sighed, and slumped down into his stiff chair. Sai was becoming more and more of a nuisance with each passing day. He glared at his desk for a moment longer, and then reached for the next article. As he finished checking it, he pitied whoever wrote the article as it was covered in red.
He reached for the next one, and worked through the large stack. He was almost halfway through it when his phone rang. He frowned, and looked at the clock, 11.
"Hello?"
"Come to my office, now," the Veteran ordered over the phone.
"Yes, sir," Gaara said, sighing, a headache forming.
When he entered the Veteran's office, he relaxed, letting the cool green hues wash over him. He sat in a chair by the desk; it was as stiff as his own. The old man had yet to notice him, so he closed his eyes, relaxing until he did.
It was another minute until he heard his name. He opened his eyes, and looked up at the Veteran.
There was a moment of silence, and then the Veteran asked, "How long has it been since you've gotten a day off?"
Gaara startled, the pay wasn't good enough to take more than a few days off a month. "It's been over two months," he said.
The old man grunted, then said, "Well, I want you to take the rest of the day off, and you have tomorrow off." The Veteran ruffled through some papers, and said, "From now on, you have Mondays off."
"Wait a minute," the red head said scowling. "Why am I getting all this time off? If I'm not writing good enough, then tell me. I'll fix any problems I'm making."
"Hmm," the old man frowned. "Gaara, you're doing perfectly fine, but you're working too hard, and it's showing in your articles. You need a break. Breaks rejuvenate your mind, and you'll write better after taking a short break. Your mind will be refreshed, and you can look at your work from different angles." He looked at Gaara, and sighed. "I'm telling you this so that you will write better."
Gaara looked at him with incredulity.
The Veteran glared at him, "Get out of here! I don't want you around anymore!"
"What?"
"Scat! I don't want to see you until Friday! If I see you before then, I will fire you!"
"Sir," Gaara said, standing up, his hands out as if to calm a wild animal.
"Gaara, you have until three to get out of here, or I will fire you. One."
The red head glared at him.
"Two," the Veteran said, reaching into his drawer. The red head blinked as he saw a pink slip.
"You're not really-?" He watched as the old man started to write his name on the slip. He seethed, and left the office, just as the old man called out three.
"And I don't want to see you until Friday!" the old man yelled at him.
Gaara stood outside his door for a second, until he noticed the underlings looking at him, he gave them the evil eye, and they shrank away from him, going back to work. He heard laughter to his side, and looked over, an icy scowl on his face. "Kankuro," he seethed.
"I can't believe you got kicked out," the brunette laughed. He sobered, and said, "Although, that's the only way to get you out of this place." Kankuro came over to him, and placed a heavy hand on the red head's shoulder, "Enjoy your break, you deserve it."
Shrugging off the hand, he went to his office, gathering his work. "You should take the time to get a good lunch, too. None of this fast food, stuff, either," Kankuro said as he followed him into the office. The red head ignored him as he placed the articles he needed to work on into his bag. "Don't act like it's the end of the world, Gaara. It's not like you even got good days off. You're back in time to work on the Sunday edition, and that sucks."
Gaara grabbed his bag, and moved around the brunette, leaving the office. He waited for his brother to get out, before locking the door.
"You're just upset that you got kicked out," Kankuro snickered. "Don't turn that evil eye on me, you've already given it to me today. I'm outta here," he said. He turned and left, but before he was too far, he called over, and gave one last jab, "Enjoy your day off!"
The red head paused, then left the building, seething.
He walked past a few stores and restaurants, before spying a diner and entering it. It was better than going home to Naruto just yet. He didn't want to explain to the blond why he was home early. He was forced out of his work place, but that didn't stop him from hating the idea.
The diner was a place of raucous geniality. It was the perfect place for the blond, the red head noted. He could see him wandering between booths, talking to people; it wasn't the place for Gaara, though. He considered leaving, but the server spotted him at that moment, and pushed him towards a table. She managed to wheedle out his order, even though the red head was considering leaving.
He tapped his fingers on the table to the pounding rhythm going on in his head, much to the annoyance of his neighbor, who sent constant death glares towards Gaara, who returned them with more annoyance and irritation in his glares. His opponent cringed and turned away to the red head's disappointment. It was effortless intimidating them.
Soon, the ease of his victory was far from his mind as the lunch crowd came through, filling the small diner with loud voices and unrestrained noise; freedom from the silence of work. The pounding in his head was changing from a headache to a migraine.
"Here ya go," the server said with a wild grin. "Don' mind the work crowd, they don' bite."
Gaara looked at the woman whose smile disappeared as she fidgeted under his stare. "Can I do somethin' for ya?" she demanded.
"I'd like a to-go box," he stated.
"Why din' ya say it was to-go," she demanded, before storming off to get the to-go box.
Gaara sighed, and rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes.
"Here," the server said, shoving a box onto his table, the receipt fluttered to the ground. She let out a deep sigh before picking it up and placing it onto Gaara's table. He glanced at the amount, then placed the last of his cash onto the table, and said, "Don't bother about the change." She glared at him, and grabbed the bills before leaving his table.
He tossed what was on his plate into the to-go box without bothering to keep the food separated, and left the boisterous diner.
Outside, the stifling silence was welcomed. He kept his eyes downcast, away from the burning sun, as the pounding in his head hurried him to his cool apartment. When he reached it, he was surprised that the door was lock. He fumbled with his briefcase, fishing out the key he had used once or twice since Naruto had come to live with him.
Gaara glanced at the door with dislike as he unlocked it. It wasn't as if he demanded the pet to stay at his house twenty-four seven, but he detested that his door was locked. It used to be different; if his door was unlocked, it meant intruder. Now, it meant Naruto.
He frowned as he opened the door; the TV was loud, and there was pop music blaring from it. Gaara winced, and then glared at his brunette guest. He'd forgotten that he was even here. The red head spotted the remote on the side table, and muted it, glowering at the brunette who yelped in indignation at the sound turning off.
The brunette was about to make a snarky comment, but blinked when he turned and saw the red head, not the blond Gaara suspected the brunette thought had muted the TV. The brat was more comfortable in his own home than he was.
"Oh, hey," Konohamaru sulked.
Gaara frowned, and rubbed his temples before handing the remote over, "Just keep it down. I'm going to be working." He put the to-go box into the refrigerator, then headed towards his room, but paused before leaving, "Where is Naruto?"
"Boss?" the brunette asked sounding as if he was chewing on something. "Oh he had to run some errands, but he'll be back by, um, two? Yeah, I'm sure he said two." Gaara watched as the brunette's head dipped down, then it was brought back up. He saw the back of Konohamaru's head, but from the way he stiffened, something must have gone wrong. He was startled when the brunette cried out an expletive, and then got up and ran around the couch, past him, and into the bathroom, slamming it shut.
Gaara winced, the sound ringing in his ears. Pausing for a moment, he waited for the migraine to cool back down to its constant throbbing before heading to his room, ignoring the strange sounds coming from the bathroom.
He sat down on his desk, and tried to get to work. The article in front of him was a blur, though, punctuated only by the pounding in his head.
"I'm home!" Naruto's yell pierced through the fog in his mind.
He had never heard Naruto enter his house before, and it was odd that the blond had called it 'home'. He looked back down at his article, and picked up his pen, ready to write some more, but Naruto's laughter burst through his walls.
"You call that a disguise, Konohamaru?"
"Shut up! I-It's not like yours is any better! I-I could totally see through it!"
"Yeah? Then how come I got hit on by five guys before even making it back here?"
"'Cause they're all transvestites who can see through your wrapping paper thin disguise!"
"'Wrapping paper thin'?"
"Yeah, 'cause it's so flimsy of a disguise that it can't even hold to a paper thin one, so it's at wrapping paper level."
Gaara heard Naruto snort, "If you have to explain your insult, then it's not very good."
The red head sighed, and stood up. If they were going to continue to make such a ruckus, there was no way he'd get work done. He slipped out of his room, but paused before he entered into the living room, staring at a person he assumed was Naruto as it had his voice, but that was about the only similarity other than the blue eyes and blond hair.
Naruto was wearing an orange tank top with tiny black flowers, lace decking the top of it. He must have been wearing breast pads because there were two small, but noticeable bumps on his chest, a chest that had been pressed against Gaara enough times that he knew the blond didn't have female breasts, and yet they looked natural on him. The black skirt was to his knees, and had an undertone of a gray pattern. He couldn't tell if Naruto had shaved his legs because the couch hid them from his view.
Gaara didn't know what the blond did, but his face looked softer, rounder, more feminine. The black eye was invisible, and he couldn't even see the prominent whiskers that were a part of who Naruto was. His blue eyes, in contrast, were so much brighter, taking in all of the light. His blond hair was still the pointy mess it usually was, but he added hair extensions, pulling them back into a ponytail, and somehow making it look like his natural hair was longer than it was.
He looked like a young college girl.
The red head turned to the teen, and noticed, while not in a similar ensemble, that the brunette was dressed in the same way. The brunette was frowning, and Gaara noted that while Naruto looked like he was a woman, Konohamaru still had the masculine roughness that distinguished him from a woman. He also saw his black eye. They could be sisters, though, as feminine as they looked.
"I still don't understand this whole make-up thing," Konohamaru sulked.
"You have to wear make-up, though," Naruto said, his hands were fisted into his hips, and his face bore a similar expression to a mother scolding her daughter. "If you don't, then your disguise will be busted, and no one will think you're a woman."
The blond sighed, then reached into the small purse hanging off his arm, and rummaged through it. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. He bent over, face level to the brunette, and peered at Konohamaru's face. Then opened the thing he found, his bracelets clinking together with the motion. "Now, when you use powder foundation, you have to work it away from your nose," Naruto said with a gentle voice, as his hand moved to do what he was saying. "Pretend your face is a canvas, and make-up is your paint. The different paints you use aren't truly different, they are part of one whole. It's the same with make-up. You blend different things together to make a complete painting, rather than keeping it all separated." The blond leaned back, and looked at Konohamaru's face, then nodded. "That's better."
He closed the round disk with a snap, and tossed it into the purse before placing the purse on the side table.
He turned back to Konohamaru with a wide smile, "Gaara shouldn't be home for another couple of hours, we should go and see how good our disguises are!"
Konohamaru blinked, and, turning his head towards the red head's room, he said, "Um, Boss, Gaara's-"
The brunette froze when he noticed the red head leaning against the wall, watching them.
"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he fiddled with the long plastic necklaces around his neck, before looking up at Konohamaru in curiosity, then turned to follow his line of vision. He stared at the red head in open mouth shock, before stammering, "G-G-Gaara! Th-This isn't what it looks like!" The blond took a step back, and looked around, before crying out, "I'm not a pervert!"
Gaara's eye twitched as the loud cry sent throbbing pain through his head. "Do what you will," he said, before turning, his hand coming up to his forehead, as if that would make the pain go away.
"Gaara?" the blond said, concern filling his voice. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," he gritted out. "Ju-Just be quiet. I have work to do."
He took a step to his room, but, in an instant, Naruto was in front of him, frowning. It was reminiscent to the look he gave Konohamaru.
The blond took his wrist, moving his hand away from his forehead, bangles clinking around tan arms. "Do you have another headache?" he asked frowning in concern.
Gaara glared at him, but a sudden, intense slash of pain forced him to close his eyes.
In a similar swiftness, there was a press of something soft, and gentle on his forehead, a small indentation of warmth. A heat pervaded the front of his body that wasn't his own. He tensed at the touch, then relaxed. Blinking his eyes open, he saw a tan neck in front of him, and then there was a movement, a puff of warm breath against his forehead, before Naruto stepped back, grinning, and said, "I kissed it better."
The red head stared at him, mind blank as his hand wandered up to his forehead, the constant pounding gone.
"W-What was that?" he breathed out, a slight heat tingeing his face.
Naruto smiled, quirking his head to the right, Gaara blinked as he noticed that the blond was even wearing earrings, gold hooped ones, "A get better kiss. When something hurts, you kiss it better, and the pain goes away."
"A kiss can't make pain go away," the red head muttered.
"Sure it can," the blond said with a smile. Then he frowned, and said, "Oops, I think some of my lipstick got on your forehead." He glanced around, patting his clothes, and then sighed. Gaara watched him as he went to the kitchen, but was distracted by the fact that Naruto did shave his legs, and he was wearing bright orange stiletto heels. He watched the heels as the blond moved through the kitchen, not once tripping or stumbling.
"How long has he been doing this?"
"Since he was twelve," came the unexpected answer from the brunette.
"He looks completely natural," Gaara muttered.
"I know, right? I swear he's in touch with his feminine side."
"What about you?"
"Me? Oh, I do this 'cause it's fun. And it bugs the crap out of my old man," Konohamaru shared a grin with the returning Naruto, who glided across the ground as if it was air.
The blond turned to Gaara, and took a soft, damp cloth, and wiped away the lipstick stain off of the right side of his forehead. Then he placed the cloth to the side, and thrust a hand towards the red head, showing him two white pills.
The red head frowned in distaste, "I don't need to take any pills. I'm fine now."
Naruto glared at him, "I don't care. I don't want to see you in pain, and what if it comes back?"
"I don't like pills," Gaara said with an answering glower.
"Shut up, and just take the stupid pills," Konohamaru said. "I didn't come over to listen to a couple's bickering."
Naruto flushed, and Gaara scowled at the brunette before swiping the pills out of the tan hands and popping them into his mouth, and swallowing. Not making a sound, the blond passed over the cup of water he had brought with him, and the red head took it, washing out the distasteful powder the pills had left in his mouth.
The blond smiled as the red head handed over the empty cup. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Then he pushed the red head towards his bedroom, "Now, I want you to go take a nap. The only way I get headaches is if I don't get enough sleep, or if I don't get enough caffeine. I think you need a combination of the two." He opened Gaara's door, and motioned him into it. The red head glared at him, which had no effect on the blond's smile.
"If you take at least a twenty minute nap, or even rest for twenty minutes, I'll have tea made for you when you get out," Naruto bribed him. Then he added, "If you don't, I'll get Temari to show that picture at work."
"When did you two team up?" the red head asked, irritated.
"Oh, we've just been fawning over Avatar, and, you know, in between talking about Avatar and you, I manage to get some details and whatnot," the blond grinned, reminding Gaara of that cat in the animated Alice in Wonderland that his sister and brother had adored when Temari was eight.
"You talk about me?"
Naruto winced at his tone, "Just a little. Nothing much, I don't tell her anything personal, like, you know, whether you wear boxers or briefs, or anything like that." Gaara frowned, but moved to his bed and laid down. "Don't worry about it, just rest for now."
He didn't say anything as Naruto closed his door. He was determined to prove the blond wrong, but after a few minutes, his eyes betrayed him and he sunk into darkness.
When he opened his eyes, the room was dark. He panicked for a second, and then calmed himself. He sat up in bed, and looked through the window behind it, noting that it was still daylight, his room was just in shadows. He glanced over at the clock, and saw that it was four. He'd have been content to just stay in his bed; avoid the blond face that was be sure to grin when he came out, a knowing grin that said he was right. However, he smelled tea, and there was a call to the toilet.
He went about his task with quiet steps, but when he came out of the bathroom, cluttered with make-up, Naruto heard him, and turned his head to grin at him from the couch. It was the grin Gaara had known that the blond was going to show, but he ignored it, and headed straight to his tea.
"Boss! Look, they're doing a rerun of our martial arts movie!" Konohamaru bounce in his seat. Then he paused. "Oh, that reminds me, there's a practice spar next month. Tsunade told me to tell you, 'cause you're down here."
"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, "I can show off my new technique, and pound Sasuke once and for all!"
"Um, Boss, about Sasuke," Konohamaru hedged.
"What about him?"
"H-He's creating his own distinct style now, and he's going to be really tough to beat."
Naruto snorted, "Is that all? 'Cause I'm doing the same thing, and I'm practicing hard every single day. There's nothing for me to do here, but train!"
Gaara grabbed his cup of tea, and moved to sit at the table, looking out the sliding door, listening to the flows in Naruto's conversation.
"You're creating a new style?" Konohamaru's eyes were bright. "Are you going to teach me? You have to teach me, Boss!"
Naruto smiled, "Of course I'm going to teach you." He rubbed his knuckles in the teen's hair, "There's no way my pupil is ever going to beat me if he doesn't learn everything I have to teach, and I still have tons of things to teach you!"
"Yeah?" Konohamaru asked, "Like what?"
"Like how to sit properly in a skirt, and to remember you're wearing a ski-"
"Boss! I didn't mean that!"
"Oh, you meant martial arts stuff? You'll just have to wait and see then," Naruto said with a wink.
"Boss!" Konohamaru whined.
"Oh! That reminds me, I have something I'd like your help with, Konohamaru." The blond stood up, and headed to his room.
"Really? A secret technique? An attack formation?"
"No, no," Naruto laughed from within his room. "Just a second!"
A moment later, he popped out of his room, and dropped a stack of papers onto the table, almost hitting Gaara's cup. "Sorry," the blond said grinning when the red head glared at him. "Get over here, Konohamaru."
"What is it?" the brunette asked when he reached the table, pointing at the papers.
Gaara looked at them and noticed that while they were still wearing make-up, they had changed to pants and T-shirts, and they had taken out the hair extensions.
"It's a scholarship I'm working on," Naruto said, his eyes bright. "See, I'm going to use my inheritance and put a large portion of it into this scholarship. It'll be called the Namikaze-Uzumaki Martial Arts Scholarship for children and preteens. It's not just for kids who want to be martial artists, although, they still have to practice and get a sponsor, and do the stuff we had to do, but it's also to make opportunities for kids who wouldn't even be able to graduate from high school." There was a tone in his voice that Gaara didn't recognize. It was a breathless emotion, something caught in a moment when someone was talking about something they were passionate about; happiness that didn't stem from things received, but from things given.
The red head looked up, and saw Naruto's face holding the same passion found in his voice, a sort of light flowing from beneath the depths of his eyes, but shone throughout his whole face.
"You're really into this, huh, Boss," Konohamaru breathed.
Gaara watched as most of the light faded, but it was still there, still burning, and Naruto turned and said, "Yeah, I guess I really am." Then he clapped his hands, "Okay! So what I really need your help with is that I can't seem to balance the martial arts requirements."
"How so?" Konohamaru asked.
"Well, I want to make it so that kids who've never had any experience can join, but I also want to make it so that kids with experience can join. The problem is the kids without experience. We can't just hand a scholarship out willy-nilly, that'd be charity. Not that charity's a bad thing, but this is a scholarship, and, to be more definite, it's a sports scholarship."
"Right."
"The problem is, is that martial arts is not cheap, even in a normal dojo, and our dojo is the most expensive of them all. How can a kid who's dirt poor get into a martial arts school so that he'll have the experience and conviction that he's going to be a martial artist, or at least willing to work hard enough to get through school?"
"So, what you're asking is how can you make it so kids who can't take a martial arts class, because they don't have the money, receive this scholarship?"
"Right," Naruto nodded. "It doesn't make any sense, 'cause you can't just give them the scholarship, it lasts for a year, and is renewed if the student takes to martial arts. We can't just accept a bunch of kids, and then find out a month later that they have no interest at all in martial arts, or even school; that's a waste of money."
"Boss, why are you asking me this?" he whined.
"'Cause you're smarter than you look. Besides, you're also a martial artist in school, so you should at least have an idea!"
"Well, um, maybe you should make sure that there is a need for money first? 'Cause if they have the money, but the kid's not in a martial arts school, then you should know that they aren't going to be interested that much in martial arts. If you put up fliers or something, don't say anything about making special circumstances for the kids in need, 'cause the parents might scam you instead."
"Good, good," Naruto said, writing down what Konohamaru said. "But it's still not what I need! What are those special circumstances?"
"Um-"
"A probationary period," Gaara said, eyes locked onto the sliding door, even as they gazed on him.
"What?" the blond asked. "Could you tell us more?"
Gaara sighed, and turned to them, "A probationary period. When a student in need really wants your scholarship, but tells you that there is no way he or she would be able to afford getting into a class for martial arts, then you give them a month or two of lessons for free. If they turn out to be good, or interested enough that they practice extra hours, or something like that, give them a scholarship for a year. If not, then tell them that they weren't quite what you were looking for, and explain that they should try to find another scholarship."
The red head watched as the blond scribbled on the paper below him. "That's perfect!" he cried out when he caught everything. "So not only do the kids with money get a chance, but so will the kids who don't!"
"Yeah, Boss, but you need to put something on the flier to explain to the poor kids that there'll be exceptions, so that they'll be interested, and not think it's another way for the wealthy to prosper."
"Right," the blond said nodding. "I'll work on that later, but right now I need to figure out the rest of this. I was just blocked because of that one little problem."
Naruto scribbled something else down, then frowned, and looked up. "Hey, Konohamaru, are you staying for dinner?"
"Nah, Gramps'll pick me up," the brunette said, as he sat on the couch.
"Oh," Naruto said, looking around. Then he said, "Hey, Gaara, what's for dinner?"
The red head looked over at Naruto, and then down into the tea, "Whatever you want, I'm not making it."
He frowned, "Why not?"
Gaara opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by a knock. Naruto grinned, and hollered, "I'll get it!"
"I'm going back to my room," the red head said, loud enough for Naruto to hear.
"Wha-? Wait, Gaara!" Naruto frowned as the knocking continued, and sighed.
The red head was to his door when he heard the blond open the door and said, "You're here to pick up Konohamaru, right?"
"Of course," a grating tone said.
"Hah! Closet perv! I bet you thought I was a woman!"
"Of course not, Naruto. I was merely shocked by the fact that you're wearing make-up."
"Give it up, Gramps! You thought he was a woman!"
Gaara shook his head, and entered his bedroom, closing the door.
A/N: My own personal title is: Making Things Utterly Horrible for Gaara, so Naruto Can Ease His Irritation. XD
I really like Konohamaru. I feel that Naruto and Konohamaru are brothers in a different way than Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke are kind of like brothers in combat, whereas I get this really familial feeling from Naruto and Konohamaru. I also like Konohamaru and find him adorable, if I ever had a little brother, and he was like Konohamaru, I would spoil him rotten. XD Or maybe not.
About the cross-dressing... yeah, I can see Naruto doing this. I can't see him not doing it if he had a chance, and I can see him getting Konohamaru into the mix!
Oh, and about Sai. You're going to say he's being OOC, but he's doing it on purpose. Sai will return to his original characterization in the next chapters.
P.S. This has to be one of my favorite chapters. I enjoy writing all of the chapters, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and the last chapter, and the next chapter, too (I think I'm sensing a pattern).
P.P.S. If you're curious, Naruto uses Maybelline make-up (I don't own that, either!).