A/N: Hello everyone! BIG ANNOUNCEMENT (I guess?) First off, thanks so much to TheatricalPlacenta for Beta-ing this weeks chapter! And thank you ALL for being so patient with me while I travel abroad. I'm now well adjusted in the UK, living my new life (at least for another month and a half) as an American and England, and have already been through so many new, amazing experiences. I've seen Poland, Italy, and within the next two months I'll be seeing France and Israel (all while juggling school?) But I'm VERY excited to share with you all that I'm going to Cairo this week! YES, I'M GOING TO EGYPT.
From attractions like the great Sphinx to the pyramids of Giza, I'll be traveling with my two best friends in Egypt for four days. I'll even be visiting the original Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (not owned by Neji Hyuga, unfortunately!) I'm sort of in awe that this worked out but, I worked my ass off for two years in the states to save up for these trips, so I feel really fulfilled. I leave for Cairo this weekend, and I hope to come back with stories to tell, and more inspiration to make this fic enjoyable and more accurate! I've been relying on research, but now I can use experience!
Chapter Ten: In Motion
Cairo, Egypt
Museum of Antiquities
القاهرة
18:32
After years of working as the curator for the largest Museum in Egypt, it still amazed Neji that some people were incapable of reading signs.
Not that he expected these tourists to know how to read. That would be implying they possessed a shred of intellect. A slither of common sense. But Neji at least hoped, since they were visiting an institution of knowledge, they would utilize what few brain cells they possessed to solve even the most basic tasks.
Neji tried to hide his frustration behind a smile.
Dressed in typical bright baseball caps and ill-fitting tees and shorts, the imbeciles in front of him had the gall to look confused as he gestured at the clear exit doors behind them with a practiced ease, hoping to smoothly lead the rabble outside. Per his usual routine during closing time, Neji let out an exhausted sigh, tucking a stray hair behind his ear. The Museum had a busy day. Catching loiterers during the shutdown was a simple, yet dull task that demanded Neji's full attention. And while nothing had gone awry — his week had been a productive one — he found himself growing more irritated as the seconds ticked by.
He scanned the empty rooms. Briskly paced the dimming halls. Neji grimaced, hoping to catch a glimpse of barbed, blonde hair, and a cheeky grin trouncing toward him; however, Naruto was nowhere to be seen.
Neji should have expected as much. It had barely been three days, after all, and right about now the archaeologist was probably still seeking out that thief—the man Neji had gotten to know as Uchiha, the man that dictated nothing but his disgust.
He clicked his tongue, embittered as he traversed the steps up to the second floor. Just the name itself was unpalatable, leaving him feeling abnormally nauseous. It was like the very thought of the stranger he'd heard about between harsh breaths and clenched teeth filled his body with a disquieting sense of urgency. Confusion. Anxiety. . Fear?
.
Neji let out a breath he'd been holding, massaging his temple with his thumb and index finger. He barely registered he was hastening his steps, peering at each unattended room with receding interest. That thought he just had was ridiculous. Regardless of the stories he'd heard, the abilities of a petty thief did not agitate him. Rah knew how many of those existed in Cairo alone.
No, this sting was something else; dizzying, debilitating, it struck a nerve whenever Naruto spoke of Uchiha, even in deference. It was an emotion that transcended the altruism of a protective friend. It far overreached the envy of a scorned lover; what Neji felt was deeper, darker, and misplaced.
Growing up with the Uzumaki's, Neji became well accustomed to Naruto's inherently impetuous nature.
Once his mind was set on something, or someone, there was nothing Neji could do to change it—but that didn't mean the urge to try didn't exist, nor stop him from subtly, but still presently, trying.
Neji desired him. Desired and burned and ached like a dying man ached for water. His long time friend and family was an exemplary human being. From Naruto's body, which he'd coveted since puberty, to the archaeologist's brain, always hungry for knowledge, Neji wanted and wanted and wanted to continue wanting until the Great Pyramid of Giza turned to dust.
He'd come close, once. That night in the museum - the night Naruto's parents perished, a sixteen year old Neji had been presented with the perfect opportunity. If he had only acted sooner, Neji knew that he could have used Naruto's vulnerability against him that evening. Naruto could have learned to depend on him. Need him. However underhanded the tactic, Neji could have slipped into the cracks in Naruto's heart to erase the void left behind; a hole he knew Naruto, even to this day, desperately desired to fill.
With Neji's help he could have soothed the ache of loss. Naruto could and would have chose him if he'd only been persistent.
If he'd only pushed.
Neji often couldn't help but wonder if he had, would things have turned out differently? Would Naruto no longer seek solace in the sand with him around as a supplement? Would Neji have been enough? Would he have mattered?
"Still so greedy, are we?"
His racing thoughts were punctured by a laugh. A massive chill, like he'd been doused with cold water, had him freeze midstep.
Neji followed the voice into the empty exhibition space on his left. There, where Awrutshimaru's sarcophagus was to be put on display, stood a man with ash-grey hair finely dressed in a navy seersucker suit. The man, bathed in the shadows of the dimly lit room, peered at him amusingly from behind black rimmed, circular glasses. Neji immediately found himself wincing.
"It amazes me, really." The man continued, smirking. "Three-thousand years pass, Egypt changes, yet we still remain exactly the same? The God's sure lack… creativity."
Neji felt his stomach twist painfully, not knowing why he felt like he'd been viciously gutted from the waist down. Every muscle in his body was a tightly wound bowline. The longer he stared into the sharp eyes of the stranger the tenser he became. Eventually, it registered in Neji's brain that he was just standing there, stationary. He found it in himself to muster up a response to the odd statement.
"We're closed." Neji barely managed to say, frown lines marring his skin. He carefully rolled the next few syllables against the roof of his mouth first before trying again, not understanding why he felt so frazzled. "This room is off limits, sir. I'm going to need you to leave."
"Sir?" The stranger's eyes widened in mock surprise, another hollow chuckle leaving his throat. "That's new. We're friends… aren't we, Neji? You can drop the titles."
Neji knitted his brows together in concentration, perturbed. He gave the man a once over. Nothing registered, not even a semblance of familiarity.
"I've never seen you before in my life."
"In this life." The man corrected him, shrugging his shoulders. Neji said nothing. "Ah, so I take it you don't remember? That's a shame. I thought this would be easy."
"You've lost me." Neji deadpanned, frowning as the smile on the others face grew. It was disturbing. He could feel his patience wane as he crossed his arms over his chest, head beginning to throb. He wasn't one to be easily antagonized, but this person was, for lack of a better word, creepy. Neji wanted this conversation to be over.
"You must have mistaken me for someone else." He continued, looking off to the side. "This is our first time meeting."
"I suppose. I'm sorry for wasting your precious time. "
Sarcasm.
When this man used it, it was vexing.
"Not at all. Now, if I can assist you in finding your way," Neji replied, equally sardonic. He looked in the direction he came from, waiting for the person in front of him to start moving towards it. He was growing impatient. Uncomfortable. His foot tapped the floor, a clear signal that he was piqued. "The exit is that way. You have five minutes to leave the premises."
"Five? That's awfully generous of you." The stranger actually attempted to look like he was upset, his shoulders drooping. "But I hoped we could have a friendly chat. You see, I'm interested in discussing a business proposition with you."
"Well I'm not interested in discussing business with trespassers." Neji wasted no time in telling him coldly, his face rigid.
"Really?" A sneer. "That's awfully rude and... unfortunate , because this trespasser wishes to be of service to this fine establishment. I believe you should hear me out first before turning me away."
The man stepped out of the darkness, his steps panther-like and deliberate. A hand fished through a cotton pocket. The person found what he was looking for as he approached Neji with a business card, a light smile stretched across his pale face. Neji found himself reluctant to take it. But he wasn't Naruto and he wouldn't risk appearing childish simply because this man's very presence unnerved him.
"I'm sure you must have heard of me."
Neji glanced down at the paper in his hands, narrowing his eyes at the name in fine, gold print. Kabuto Yakushi, President of Sawiri Resorts, it read. When he looked up, he found Kabuto's steely gaze trained on him, smile completely gone and replaced with something calculative.
"Are my credentials to your satisfaction?" Kabuto asked. Neji handed the card back to him, grimacing at the way the light reflected ominously off of the other's glasses. His fingers deftly brushed against Kabuto's on accident. His spine straightened.
"I run a few Casino's here in Cairo but at my core, I am a… collector , of sorts, just like you. We have a lot in common."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Something dark flashed across the other's eyes.
"You'd be surprised with how similar we are." Kabuto remarked, offering a smirk. "I would even go as far as to say we're kindred spirits."
Neji didn't miss the way Kabuto's lips twitched up at the end of that sentence, as if he were suppressing a laugh at some private joke.
"Over the years, a certain number of antiquities have just fallen into my possession. I have a lot to offer your esteemed museum, with pieces dating as far back as the Old Kingdom, and I've come to give them a proper home. If you'll accept my proposal, I'll bring them first thing tomorrow morning."
"At what cost?" Neji cut straight to the chase, narrowing his eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe you're donating artifacts out of the goodness of your heart? I'm well aware of the black market value on goods like these."
"Haha. My cost is something of very little consequence to you, I'm sure. "
"I would appreciate it, Mr. Yakushi, if you could be more specific."
"Kabuto is fine, Neji." Neji didn't curtail his glare. He didn't like the way this man spoke his name. The pronunciation was wrong. Breathy. And personally, Neji was irked by the casual stance Kabuto took before him, as if they were friends from long ago. Kabuto continued to look lax.
"Again, what I present to you is an opportunity to draw visitors from around the globe. The only thing I ask for is a... private viewing of that new Mummy of yours. Ah, what was his name? Awrutshimaru, was it?" Kabuto's grin was a harrowing attempt at appearing eager. It only managed to make him look insane. "I would be honored to view this incredible new find before the general public does."
"That's all?"
"That's all." Kabuto acquiesced, grinning from ear to ear. "Surely you're used to offering guests backstage tours? Just five minutes with your wonderful new addition would be enough for me. Do we have a deal?"
Neji clenched his jaw.
In hindsight, what Kabuto was asking for was a small price to pay. If he indeed possessed a number of antiquities, as the curator, Neji knew he should be negotiating to ensure that they were in his care, working towards a solution so that these supposed artifacts could be preserved and studied. Instead, Neji's first instinct was to refuse this man. And while he rarely based his decisions on emotion alone, finding it belittling to come to judgement solely due to a gut feeling, he was tempted. Neji was driven by a force that far exceeded vexation, and he trusted it.
"I'm not interested." Neji told him, rolling back the cuffs of his sleeves. Whether it was to appear threatening or simply because of the heat, Neji knew the small gesture delivered a message nonetheless. He turned to walk away. "Two minutes, Mr. Yakushi, then security will be called. I have work to attend to, so please see yourself out."
He heard Kabuto laugh at his retreating form, his voice lilting and playful.
"You're making a mistake." Kabuto cooed after him. Neji struggled to ignore him, proceeding down the hall, towards the steps.
He was stopped by a hand tugging him backwards.
Neji nearly tripped on his feet, whipping head around to glare at Kabuto who was gripping his wrist tightly.
"Oh Neji, Neji, Neji ... it's in your best interest to listen to me."
Neji breathed in slowly, unable to place his unprecedented rage. He wasn't one to be so easily goaded, yet his skin was bubbling and itchy whenever Kabuto spoke.
" I'll give you two days to change your mind."
"I'm not interested." Neji repeated, trying to shake him off. "Let. Go."
Kabuto glared, raising the corner of his upper lip. Neji was pulled away from the stairwell with unprecedented force, pushed against the railing separating the two floors.
His words were lodged in his throat when Kabuto's face was merely inches away from his own, twisted into a cynical, perverse grin. Neji's heart stuttered in his chest. He couldn't move. He could barely breathe . Kabuto hummed, trailing two fingers along Neji's paralyzed form, up his bicep, appearing contemplative. Neji trembled as he watched Kabuto's other hand dip into his pocket. "You're colder than you were before," Kabuto murmured, tilting his head to the side, "...more questioning, less… compliant. "
His nails dragged along the skin of Neji's forearm, tracing a pattern he couldn't distinguish. Neji's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. He was paralyzed. Why was he paralyzed? The man pulled out an item from his pocket, Neji catching the faint glint of a blue crystal before it was encased in Kabuto's pale palm.
Kabuto's hands were cold when they snaked up his ivory-tinted collarbone, entwining around his neck. The tips of the others fingers pressed into his yielding flesh, leaving an imprint. Neji didn't register the accessory, a necklace, against his skin until it was carefully fastened around him. His entire body became rigid on contact.
"I wouldn't bother struggling against it, if I were you." Kabuto sneered. He stepped away, and Neji felt himself collapsing to the floor. "You should remember what's important soon. I would give it a day."
The pendant around his neck felt heavy.
His heart hurt.
Neji hissed in pain as the crystal glowed, more brightly this time, and Kabuto loomed over him.
"I'm sure Naruto would be sad to know that you left that necklace behind. It meant a lot to him, if I recall correctly. Haha, but it's been nearly three-thousand years, my memory just isn't what it used to be. I'm getting so old!" Neji closed his eyes, trying to block Kabuto's voice out. And he panted. Viciously, like an animal, his chest wildly heaved. Vainly gripping the amulet with sweaty palms, he tried to cleave it off with sheer force alone. No matter what he did, it wouldn't come loose, and the longer his hands touched the piece of jewelry, searching for a metal clasp, the more searing it became, almost as if it would scar his skin. Neji pulled his hands away from his throat, as if burned, and placed them flat on the floor, glaring up at Kabuto weakly.
He'd done something to him.
Neji felt strange.
Kabuto whistled as he moved away from the museum owner, only half-way down the stairs when he threw Neji's crumpled form a backwards glance. Neji was face down on the ground, his face pressed against the marble, eyes half-mast, when he saw Kabuto's features through the glossy flooring, contorted in amusement.
"Oh, and Neji, it really was a pleasure seeing you again."
.
.
"Good to… see me?" Naruto echoed, forehead creasing in confusion. He didn't know if Gaara had him mixed up with someone else or if they really had met before. Either way, Naruto's pragmatic side didn't want to correct him. Not when Gaara was his only hope of getting out of this mess partially unscathed.
Naruto's pulse spiked as Kabuto's goons rounded the corner. "Shit. Here they come."
Gaara held his stance, tightening his grip on his deadly Khopesh.
Spinning her dagger idly in one hand, Tayuya's carefree smile burned into Naruto's retina's, reminding him of her overwhelming power. She appeared completely relaxed, the assassin's leisure steps a drowned out echo amidst the wind, hissing the lethality of its nature. Jirobo loomed behind her, not nearly as giddy, but confident in his posturing nonetheless.
Naruto knew his hand to hand combat skills were just as imposing as her skills with a knife, so he needed to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in Tubby's cross-hairs again.
"You were hiding here, hm?" Jirobo smirked. The muscles in Naruto's abdomen tensed as he settled beside Gaara, facing his opponents who came to a halt just a mere three feet away. The other two, the pale man with the ash-grey bangs covering one eye and his spiky haired companion were missing. Dread snatched Naruto in its vice like grip.
He needed to get back to Kiba and Sasuke soon.
They were in danger .
"Kabuto was right. His protector did show up." Jirobo said, and Tayuya gave Gaara a quick once over. Naruto glanced at Gaara questioningly. He was his what? Protector?
"He doesn't look very strong…" Tayuya mused. "Still, it would be rude if we didn't show him our hospitality. Jirobo."
"Right." He grunted. On command, he whipped out a colt. Naruto glared at Tayuya, grinding his teeth together.
"You're going to have him shoot us? Seriously?"
"Oh don't you worry, that's not how you're going to die." Tayuya snickered, gesturing behind her. "It's only a friendly reminder that if any of you try to run away, he'll shoot. I'm going to take my time killing you - but I think I'll start with the warrior."
"Gaara has nothing to do with this! We just met!" Naruto growled. His stomach churned. He never meant for anyone else to get involved.
Gaara didn't seem the least bit concerned about what he'd willingly stepped into, though. The guy just blinked once, lips thinned and slightly down-turned as he began to walk towards the dangerous group, his cloak and scarf flapping behind him.
Concern for the stranger drove Naruto to reach out for Gaara's mantle, giving it a short tug.
"Wait, stop ." Naruto whispered harshly, curling his hand into a fist as he held Gaara back. Gaara paused in his stride, glancing at him. "They're tougher than y'think. I mean, you sure look like you know what the hell you're doing, but... I have a black belt and I couldn't put a scratch on these guys. They're insanely strong."
Naruto paused, looking for the right words. He knew right now wasn't the time to be humble. He should accept all the help he could get. However, the guilt that manifested inside of him was chewing at his consciousness. Kiba had already been caught up in all this. He didn't want a complete stranger dying because of him. He wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't stomach that, if it did.
"I'm just saying you… you don't have to do this." Gaara's expression softened as Naruto rambled aimlessly, moving his hands in no general direction. "I… I don't even know why you're doing this? Seriously, you have to be some sort of crazy person to get yourself involved. I won't let you get yourself killed over me."
"You're worried about me." Gaara's gravely voice stated amiably. Warm. Unquestioning. Full of something innocuous. And Naruto swallowed thickly, nodding his head.
"Well, duh. Of course I am. Do you see the position we're in?" Naruto frowned. He didn't have a weapon. At this rate, he would just get in the way. Gaara couldn't possibly take them all on his own while defending him. "If I just had something, I could help you beat these bastards black and blue. But I don't. I'll just be an obstacle for you and…"
Naruto's lips clamped shut. A pale, cold hand unclasped from the hilt of the sword to reach out and stroke his cheek, stunting the archaeologist into silence. He was left wide eyed and partially slack-jawed as Gaara just smiled tenderly, touching him intimately as though he'd been doing so his whole life.
Gaara's emerald eyes shone with admiration. Pride. "You really never change…" He told him, and Naruto's heart swelled with an emotion he couldn't place. Gaara's fingers tenderly traced over the scars on Naruto's left cheek, his gaze concentrated. It looked like he was committing every detail of Naruto's face to memory, every contracting pupil and hitched breath. "Even in this life, you put other people before yourself. I'm glad to see that you're exactly the same."
"Even in this life?" Naruto murmured back incredulously. There he went again, with the weird phrasing.
"Are you done?" Tayuya cut in, snapping Naruto out of his reverie. She tossed her head back with an exasperated laugh, glancing between the two. "Because if you're finished catching up, I'd like to start stripping the flesh from your bones now." Naruto tensed as she pointed at him with her weapon.
"Should I add a few more lines to that face of yours Blondie, or should I gut the lanky little shit with the wide forehead first?"
Gaara responded for him, chillingly devoid of enthusiasm. His eyes flared with something fatal when he looked in her direction. "I will enjoy killing you."
"Excuse me?" Tayuya glared.
"You're going to die, right here." Gaara repeated, lifting his sword into the air. He spread his legs apart and squared his shoulders, ready and willing to draw blood. "And I pray that Ammit will show you no mercy in the underworld. You will experience nothing but agony in your judgement."
"Ammit...?" Tayuya said blithely, almost like she had tasted something bitter in the name. Naruto watched her blow the crimson bangs away from her face. Her voice gradually grew more manic as she advanced on them, shoulders shaking with laughter. "Judgement? From the devourer of the dead? Hahahahaha! Let me tell you a little secret, darling. When I do die, I won't be answering to him."
Tayuya cast a quick glance at her partner, Jirobo mirroring her sadistic smirk with a chilling one of his own.
"For our servitude, our lives lie with the one, true ruler of this land… and our loyalty will be rewarded. Our PHARAOH will grant us privilege into paradise while your prince perishes ."
Gaara glowered.
Naruto was openly gaping because this was clearly One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest, part two. The twinkle in Tayuya's eyes was actually the sun shining through her ears. Kabuto's goons weren't playing with a full deck of cards if they actually believed, in this day and age, Pharaohs still existed. Naruto looked at Gaara, hoping to see this mutual understanding. Instead, he noticed the other seemed to cling to her every, delusional word like a vice, growing indescribably more serious.
"He won't lay a HAND on him." Gaara spoke, menacingly. "Never again."
"We'll see about that, slave. "
Gaara instantly tensed.
Naruto gasped when he was gripped by the scruff of the neck. He was pushed far away from the two as they clashed, falling back on his ass. Tayuya closed the distance between her and Gaara quickly, squeezing the dagger's handle with that predatory, spine-chilling intent to kill. She was taller than the redhead, aggressive and quick. She moved her body weight with the fluid grace of a trained assassin, slicing the air in easy, succinct motions. Gaara's momentum, in spite of the height difference, didn't falter as he moved sideways, seamlessly countering whatever she threw at him with the underside of his blade.
Clang. Cling! Gaara's pupil-less eyes were dulled in concentration when she spun around and aimed to puncture his abdomen. Gaara curved his back to avoid the stab, blocking the attack with the curved edge, painfully induced by the angle of his forearm. He wasted no time in tipping forward to swing back at her, overwhelming her modest dagger with the bulk of his sword and strength. Effectively gaining the upper hand, Tayuya soon teetered onto her heels, hissing under her breath when a particularly damning force in Gaara's momentum had her on one knee.
Tayuya was left to defend herself with only a hand to the ground and the other in the air, trembling against the impact of Gaara's vicious cuts; and Gaara didn't relent. With controlled breaths he pounded her into the ground with his sword, slamming the weapon against her dagger over and over and over again until the steel cracked and the ground beneath her splintered. She frantically looked around for a way out, an opportunity to turn the tables.
And Tayuya got it in the form of Jirobo taking aim with his colt.
She smiled. Silently, Tayuya thanked her partner under her breath. Jirobo clearly realized when he was needed. He wasn't a useless sack of fat after all as she suppressed a wide grin of satisfaction, intently watching him aim for Gaara's head.
Naruto's eyes widened and he stood up.
"Gaara, watch out!"
Gaara looked at his sickle, seeing the barrel of the gun reflected on it. Before Jirobo could fire he dodged out of the way, tumbling to the right just as the bullet whizzed through the air.
Naruto glared at the smoke fizzing from the fired gun. He bit the inside of his cheek, nostrils flaring.
"You promised he wouldn't shoot!" Naruto barked at Tayuya, causing her to snort. She tossed her weapon aside. Jirobo handed her the gun in its stead. Six rounds were left.
"I had no choice." Tayuya laughed, blowing her sweaty bangs away from her face. Her red irises burned into Gaara's as she took aim, through with playing. Naruto tensed up. As sick as Gaara's sword skills were, he was no match against a gun. Naruto raced for Gaara, hoping to push him out of the way.
"This was fun while it lasted."
Her fingers squeezed the trigger.
The rest happened as if it were in slow motion.
"Senetby wer mehtop, acht stech thic heset net Ra." Gaara murmured rapidly under his breath, the syllables guttural, pronounced, violent lashes against the drum of Naruto's ears.
Placing his palm in front of him right as the deadly shot pierced the air, Gaara closed his eyes, breathing in deep. Naruto skidded to a stop, watching with paling skin and a gradually slackening jaw as the mark on Gaara's forehead flared. In a dizzying, inconceivable flash, Gaara's fingertips glowed a dark red. The bullet that whizzed towards Gaara became stark still, stopping only a few inches away from Gaara's forehead, floating aimlessly in front of him.
It was like gravity no longer existed, and Naruto made sure to check as he lightly jumped, half-expecting to float into the sky. But no, he remained grounded; unlike the bullet. Naruto barely had time to process the reality of the situation when Gaara bent his index and middle finger, rotating them with visible strain. He continued to push against an invisible force, whispering an outlandish mantra. His focus was impregnable amidst Naruto's progressive choking noises of disbelief.
Gaara's scarf whipped around him, tufts of crimson hair rustling with the progressively strengthening wind.
"Acht stech thic heset net Ra, hect mewet jila setah tes."
The bullet changed direction.
Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor.
"Kiet." Gaara finished lowly. The projectile was a whistle in the wind when it moved, and Jirobo's blood sprayed.
Pudgy hands flew up to wrap around an equally large throat. Naruto watched in horror, in paralyzed fascination as Jirobo fell to the floor on his knees, clutching the exposed flesh the bullet had punctured. His blood soaked fingers frantically pressed against his carotid artery in vain, trying to apply pressure to his injury. It was no use. Naruto cringed as he heard the other man choke and gurgle on his own blood. It pooled into his mouth, cascading over his lips. Broad shoulders shook as the gelatinous, sanguine fluid spewed out of him like a fountain, staining the alley floor in red.
Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away. It only took a few seconds before Jirobo bled out completely, convulsing on the ground as shorts spurts of blood gushed. His trembling hands twitched and waned. His seizing came to an abrupt end, heaving chest slowing to a stop after a few more garbled moans of distress. Tayuya looked on in shock as Jirobo grew still. Naruto mirrored her expression, his own face equally frozen when Gaara sighed and casually made his way towards the body.
"Pathetic." Gaara's hoarse voice carried through the silence, lazily skirting over Jirobo's crumpled form. He set his sword down, knees bent to examine the corpse. Naruto winced when Gaara used his fingertips to dig into the dead man's exposed neck, the soft squelch of pliant flesh punctuating the sound of Tayuya's labored breathing. The outline of his nails revoltingly protruded against Jirobo's now white skin.
Gaara found what he was looking for when he tore the bullet out of Jirobo's throat, his hands a dripping maroon.
Tayuya was crippled with fear when Gaara's emotionless, vacant eyes cast her an almost pitying glance.
"H-He said…" Tayuya stammered, shaking her head. Her voice trembled with confusion. Rage. "How? How did a slave like you learn spells from The Book of Kek?!"
"I am no longer a slave." Came Gaara's cool reply. He threw the shell into the air and curled his blood stained fingers. The same cartridge used to end Jirobo's life flew through the air, and perforated her skull. "And you are no longer alive."
Tayuya fell backwards, her mouth still open from when she'd been seething. Although Naruto could barely see it since it happened so quickly, Tayuya had been murdered with the same lone missile that killed her friend. Her empty eyes were stuck staring at the ceiling in the alley, as if transfixed. Two lines of blood spilled from her forehead where the bullet split her skin. Naruto's stomach twisted, and before he knew it he was spilling stomach acid, momentarily grateful he hadn't eaten anything when Lee asked.
Gaara noticed Naruto doubling over, retching, and quickly wiped his hands on his pants, rushing to Naruto's side.
"Are you alright?" Gaara's face, unlike earlier, was filled with earnest affection. Naruto couldn't help but flush when Gaara ran his hands over his body, gently pushing away parts of his shirt to examine the abdomen underneath, checking for wounds. Naruto tugged his clothes down, flustered, forcing a laugh.
"Uh, thanks for worrying? I'm just peachy, promise. A-Okay." He wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Physically, he could live. However, he could have lived without the mental image of Gaara casually searching through the neck flaps of the deceased. The vomit on the floor was just much more aesthetically pleasing than the two dead bodies around them. Even if he wasn't a stranger to death due to his profession, witnessing someone die was another situation entirely, one he just hadn't been ready for.
Sure they were bad people, but Naruto wasn't made out of stone.
Looking at Gaara's deep-creased frown, he strained a grin, pushing the nausea aside.
"'M fine. That was just, ehrm... a lot to process." Naruto told him honestly. Really, he should have shit himself by now. But he guessed after what he went through with Sasuke, Gaara's magic tricks just didn't rattle him as much as they should have. "We should really get going."
"Back to Sasuke." Gaara affirmed, offering Naruto a hand to help him up.
Naruto took the hand. His confusion must have been written all over his face.
"You're wondering how I could possibly know that."
"Damn right I am."
Gaara took off his scarf, motioning for Naruto to dip his head. Naruto strangely didn't question it.
"I've been watching you. Both you, and Sasuke, for a very long time."
"That's sort of…" Creepy? Not really? For some reason, Gaara didn't feel that way as he wrapped the material around Naruto's neck, the fabric bunching up around his face. Gently, Naruto touched the scarf. It was soft. It smelled nice, too. "What's this for?"
"To keep you warm. There's a chill."
Naruto's mouth formed an 'o', taken aback by his new(?) friends kindness. His water-christened eyes were flitting to the sharp edges of his saviors sword abandoned on the floor. The Egyptian sickle-sword went out of commission around 1300 BC. The sight of the gold and crimson hilt had left him breathless since. Scuff marks littered the underside of the curved edge, indicative of years of wear. He was unable to suppress a lopsided smile at seeing such a unique weapon outside of a glass case.
"You come out of nowhere," Naruto shook his head in disbelief, "with a freaking Khopesh and save me with powers out of a Star Trek episode. Of course I have questions."
"That's fair." Gaara acquiesced, lightly smirking. "And I will answer all of them."
"Once we get back to Sasuke?"
"Once we get back to Sasuke." Gaara agreed, walking over to his sword and picking it up. He placed the weapon underneath his cloak. Naruto clenched his teeth. He thought about Sasuke, lying vulnerably in bed. The two guys who were missing from Tayuya's pack could have been retracing Naruto's steps. If they were lucky, it would lead them directly back to Kiba's.
Naruto didn't waste anymore time when he took off into a sprint, Gaara following close behind.
"Okay! Let's go!"
C/N: If you read my above note, yeah, I'm going to Egypt. Woop, woop! If you're interested in my experiences traveling there, I'll be posting about it on my blog. Also, KodamaCreative recently made a Shadows in the Sand artwork for me, it's BEAUTIFUL. I'll be posting there soon as well! As always, I know that my stories aren't always accurate, but I thank you all again for baring with me. You can find cleaner versions of this story on AO3, where I post it more frequently and more efficiently.