Naruto didn't bother changing. Redhead first, changing second. When he made up his mind, he would go through with it. And he'd made up his mind of the redhead. He broke out into a sprint back to the school from the track. "Naruto, where are you going?" he heard kids calling. "On an adventure," he called back, laughing at his own joke. But it did attract attention. "Naruto, you loser, where are you going?" he heard Sasuke pant. Then he heard an exaggerated sigh and a huff, then footsteps as the raven took chase. "Seriously, where are you going?" he asked. "Gaara ran away," Naruto replied.

"Gaara? Why do you care? He's just being emo," Sasuke huffed. "Like you?"

They charged through the doors at the same time. Naruto smiled at his friend. Sasuke might not have cared about the redhead personally, but he cared enough about his blond friend to chase him and, presumably, help.

Sasuke leaned over, hands on his knees, to take a breather. "Come on, old man, don't slow me down," Naruto said. "Not-I (huff,wheeze) don't have your (pant,cough,pant) crazy energy," Sasuke managed. "I... just... ran... a load of laps... give me a... break."

Unfortunately, Naruto could give him a break because he had no idea where the redhead might be and had to stand and think for a moment. In the lockers maybe? He ran in and checked. No, not in the boys' locker room bathroom either. He must be somewhere else in the school. "If he's not here, then how are we going to find him?" Sasuke asked. "He could be anywhere in the school and the bell's going to ring. Besides, he might've just changed and went to lunch already."

"I know, but-" Naruto faltered. What could he say? Why was he so determined to find Gaara?

Maybe it was Gaara's panicked look. Maybe it was fear in his eyes, the desperation and his weird protective stance. Because no one had ever looked fearfully at Naruto. Ever. Usually it was just disgust or annoyance and sometimes flat out mean, but definitely not fear. It was someone else the redhead had been seeing and Naruto wanted to know who.

As for Sasuke, he was just in for the ride. Naruto was his best friend and he felt obligated to help him on one of his many wild chases. He certainly didn't like the redhead and he wasn't entirely sure why Naruto cared, but if Naruto was in, then so was he. They'd been friends since they were four. Sasuke had some idea what made the blond tick and he had some idea why Naruto was chasing a boy he barely knew. Because Naruto was like that. He could make friends with anyone and he had a wide heart that was sensitive to sorrow and misery. So that was probably why they were chasing this miserable excuse for a teenager, Sasuke thought, suddenly vehement, still not forgiving Gaara for punching him randomly.

"Now where would I go if I was upset? Well I can't answer that 'cause I don't know this damn school," Naruto shouted. "Pipe down or we'll be caught. You may have an excuse, but I don't, I snuck out after you, remember? Wait, I think I have an idea," Sasuke added. "Come on, let's see if he's there. It's a longshot, but it's better than nothing, right?" "How am I supposed to agree if I don't know what you're talking about?" Naruto called, but chasing after the raven anyway.

"I'm so sorry," Temari apologized. "This is my fault." Gaara didn't respond. He was listening. Straining his ears, trying to hear the voice. Shukaku, he decided to call it.

Even in flashbacks he couldn't remember why he'd named the voice Shukaku. It just seemed to fit.

"What could an eight year old do?" Shukaku used Gaara's voice to speak to her and Gaara almost panicked again. Calm, Gaara, Shukaku whispered. I'm here to protect you, remember? Temari, she didn't do anything, she's too weak, but I'm strong. I'll help you. I'll love you. Just listen to me and we'll help each other, okay? Gaara nodded. "Gaara? You should bandage that. You know what, I'll do it-" Temari froze as his small hand grabbed hers. "Don't bother, I'll do it," her little brother hissed. Temari stared at him. Since when did he get so... angry all of a sudden? And his voice, usually so hoarse, was smooth and silky, oddly unfamiliar.

"She didn't understand," Shukaku purred through Gaara's voice. When other people weren't around, they preferred to talk aloud. "She would never understand. About us. She would call you crazy." "But I'm not crazy," Gaara said. "I-I don't think so." He curled in tighter into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible, an instinct. "Of course not. Crazy people talk to themselves. You're talking to me. And you know I exist because I am strong and I make you strong. You are weak, Gaara, pitiful, without me. Without me, your father would've killed you by now," Shukaku said. "I know," Gaara said, nodding affirmative in the darkness.

He quieted immediately as he heard voices. Loud voices. Voices he knew.

"What makes you think he's here?"

"I don't know, I told you it's barely an idea. Now I had Art with him and I saw him drawing this weird bird picture of me-"

"Really, that sounds cool, can I see it?"

"No!"

"Why, is it bad?"

"No it was really good, but- argh, why are we talking about this? He was really good and I think he likes Art a lot, so I thought I'd check here, you know on a whim." There were footsteps, but none of them were close to his hiding place, so he wasn't took nervous. "You know, that kid is creepy-" nothing Gaara had never heard before. "He's a freakin' psychopath-" again, nothing new. "And I really don't like him-" he heard this one everywhere from anyone at anytime. "But-" But? Gaara had never heard that before, not in mid-hate/fear rant.

"He left his sketchpad behind and I... er, took it, to return it and I, er, opened it and saw this picture. Of his eyes. In one eye, there was this shell, like a seashell. An empty seashell floating on these really realistic waves. In the other eye, there was this weird, freaky monster thing, like a hell demon, like that one we saw in that horror movie once, remember? Except freakier 'cause of the detail. You should've seen it, it had this long tail and sharp fangs and-"

"Show it to me now, it sounds cool, believe it!"

"I didn't bring it with me."

"Liar."

"I'm serious. You can see it later. Stop hopping around like that, you look like such a loser-" there was a bang and suddenly the darkness of the art supply room was lifted and dim light burned Gaara's eyes. He suppressed a yelp and covered his eyes with his arm, wishing they would just go away and leave him in peace. "You idiot, look what you did, you broke the door and knocked over those paint jars, like Tsunade doesn't have enough to be angry at us for-" Sasuke stopped scolding as he heard a rustle. "There's someone in here," he informed Naruto.

"Sabaku!" Naruto roared victoriously. "Must be, Sasuke you're a genius."

"Loser." They both peered into the shadowy art supply room. And saw a dark form, huddled in a ball, his head in his crossed arms. From their point of view, he could've been dead or dying or sleeping. "GAARA! WE WERE WORRIED THAT YOU WERE HURT OR SOMETHING!" Naruto yelped as Sasuke's fist collided with his head. "Your brain is so small I'm surprised it didn't fly out of your head from your nose right now. You don't scream like that, you're only scaring him," the raven scolded.

"I'm not scared of you," Gaara snapped. "Either of you. Now leave me alone in peace, or is that too difficult for you?" He had his face up now and his eyes were angry. "I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz," Naruto said, rubbing his hair bashfully. "Can't you just go away? I don't need your help and I sure as hell don't appreciate it," Gaara said, his voice soft and thin, fine like silk. Dangerous. Laced with poison. Quite the change from the boy huddling in the corner with his head in his arms.

"Gee, fine, then just rot here in the darkness, see if we care, we're just here 'cause Coach sent us," Sasuke said, elbowing the blond to keep him from denying this. "So you're his messenger boy now?" Gaara baited him. "You'd better watch your step around here, new bow, because I won't be. If you cross me-" Sasuke let the threat hang in the air. "What, you can't finish the threat? Not after the beating I gave you earlier," Gaara jeered.

"Hey, you don't have to be such a jerk, we're just trying to help," Naruto said. "That's not how it sounds," Gaara growled. "You just threatened me. I don't take it lightly." "I can take you on any day," the raven snarled. "Think you can take someone your own size?" Gaara said dismissively. Sasuke didn't reply. He was having a hard time breathing, due to Naruto's arm around his neck. The blond restrained him, trying to keep him from lunging at the redhead.

"Right, so you're okay and that's great. We'll just be leaving now, okay?" Naruto said cheerfully, dragging his friend with a chokehold out of the art room.

Outside, Gaara heard the two scuffling and some yelling.

"Great, more enemies," he rasped. "Just what I needed." Then he remembered. Sasuke had his sketchpad. Shit. He had to get that back. Don't worry, I'll get it back.

With any means necessary.

Sorry for the brevity. Anyway-

NaruGaa fans, since there are so many of you, I'll definitely try at yaoi. I suck at writing romances though, so you'll have to tell me if I'm doing it right. I know, given the last chapter, that romance seems far off, but it isn't.

For those who don't like yaoi... I have nothing to say...