Body having long since given up the fight to keep warm, it lay still among the carnage. Blood soaked the raven hair and stained porcelain skin. Nothing stirred on the once green ground save for the worms coming up for their feast. Eyes green enough to force away the creeping river of crimson stared into a mangled face. That was twice now, he'd lost his godfather.
Crystalline tears fought through slowly drying mud to add their own tint to the earth. For all the good this battle had done Harry couldn't help but wish it had never been. For laying amongst the black clad corpses of death eaters were the brighter colors of his family.
The flaming red of a clan of Weasley's had dulled to a dark maroon. The bushy brown of the smartest witch in his year stuck sickly to recently tanned skin. Remus Lupin was lost forever among the other monstrous bodies of the moon and he couldn't even bring himself to remember the countless others.
Dull eyes closed. He had nothing left to hold him to life. It would be okay if he was selfish, just this once. He could finally meet his parents and be at rest. As the blessed mercy of sleep took him, maybe forever, Harry registered the sad and lilting tones of a phoenix. He could go in peace.
Fawkes landed next to his favorite person. The death of Dumbledor had seen the exchanging of loyalties from him to Harry. Fawkes didn't want to see another protector dead so soon, he could feel the life saving tears welling up and knew without a doubt that these were his last. They dripped from his beak to the many wounds marring a toned body.
Contrary to popular belief, a phoenix could die. Not by evil or by spell but by its own compassion. Phoenix tears had the ability to heal only because when it cried part of its life energy was taken from it. With the last of his strength Fawkes fluttered onto Harry's back and sent them both to a place where the pain could hopefully heal. All the avian could do now was hope its protector could get along without it.
In the light of early dawn green eyes cracked. They stared in a forlorn manner at the brilliant light that flooded a clearing, cool morning dew forcing a chill into their carrier. Harry didn't know how he'd come to be here. He didn't know why he wasn't dead as he'd hoped. All he knew was that there was a burning sense of something in him that refused to let him continue laying there.
This feeling was almost familiar, though foreign at the same time. Shaking his head of thought Harry pushed himself into a sitting position. Glancing around, the brunet was slightly pleased to find a pack sitting against a tree. As great as that was he was highly unhappy to find himself in a very small body. A magical check found quickly that it was prepubescent too.
"What in the world?" Small hands flew up to cover a pink mouth. He sounded so small! A quick scramble to the pack as well as some digging turned up a mirror. Harry got a look at himself for the first time since he'd woken. Long black hair swayed slightly in the breeze, pale skin appeared sickly in the morning sun, but the most startling discovery was that his dark green eyes were now significantly lighter.
Blue flecks made them seem almost aqua. Next to this was the disappearance of his scar, no Voldemort meant no connection! He couldn't wipe the huge grin from his face as he shoved the mirror back in. Wherever he'd ended up was getting rather warm and he wanted to find actual shelter before night fell again. He tugged on the pack "Well then, lets find out why I'm here."
As it turned out, he should have stayed in the small cropping of trees. It was a single oasis amongst a vast desert of sand. Now, Harry had had a lot of survival training in preparation for the war. Had gone through things most adults only dreamed about in their worst visions. So a desert wasn't a big deal right? Wrong. With giant scorpions, no noticeable civilization, and a dwindling supply of water he was just vulture bait.
As his young body began to give out Harry wondered why he'd gone from dying in battle to dying from exhaustion. Perhaps the gods hated him? Why else take the glory of martyrdom from him for such humiliation? "Hey! Hey kid!" Great, he was hallucinating now. Who would be out in the middle of the desert besides him after all. Harry's world was swiftly going black around him "Oi, Tatsu!! Hurry over, I think this kid is in need of some serious-" the words cut off as Harry finally lost the battle and fell to the hot sands. He'd been wandering for several weeks with no reprieve from the harsh conditions and just couldn't hold out anymore.
When again he opened his eyes he was surprised to find a white ceiling instead of the dark sky. There were I.V. in his arms keeping him from moving much. "Where…?" Harry grimaced. His voice was even weaker than it had been! The sound he hadn't realized was going on around him suddenly stopped. A pinched face appeared in his field of vision. "Don't talk you little fool."
Immediately Harry didn't like this woman. She seemed the type that would hate you for having coughed while she was trying to relax. "Wandering around in the desert during the middle of the summer! They should have just let you die out there." Harry bristled. How dare she! "Well, who are you and what village are you from then?" Hah! If she thought she was getting anything from him after being so rude she was sorely mistaken!
Harry kept his mouth closed until she became frustrated and left to get someone else to come talk to him. There was a quiet thud and Harry's sharp eyes immediately turned toward the sound. A tall, willowy figure stood next to the door "If I lock this will you scream for help?" The man turned boy thought for several seconds before snorting. The other smirked slightly and the lock clicked into place.
"So what were you doing in the desert?" He asked casually. Instead of answering, Harry began to pull the I.V.'s out. The man seemed surprised at this "Hey! Don't do that, they're putting fluid back into you!" The boy scoffed at this. He didn't like hospitals and he didn't plan to stay long enough for the things to do any good so why leave them? "Where am I?" He rasped.
The man rolled his eyes "You're one of those huh? Well if you're bound and determined to leave then come with me. A kid shouldn't have survived so long in the desert as you obviously did. I'm Chimorai Tatsunosuke. Who're you?" Aqua eyes turned on the man calculatingly "I'm Shurachi. No last name." This was the identity he'd settled on several days ago, before he'd become delusional.
Tatsunosuke chuckled lightly "Shurachi-kun huh? Well, are you coming or what?" Harry, or rather Shurachi climbed out of the bed with a little grimace. What choice did he have, really? Shura had no idea where he was, no idea how he was speaking this foreign language (and it was foreign), and no idea what he was supposed to do as a five year old.
A bang on the door made him jump "We'd better hurry." With little hesitation the four year old hurried into the arms of the man who'd found him in the desert. They left through the window and it took all that Shura had not to scream in fear. Aqua eyes squeezed shut in sheer terror at falling to their death. A jerk made him squeak "You can open your eyes now kid."
Shura did. Scenery raced passed them making him think wistfully of flying. It was obvious they hadn't died however "Where are we going?" Tatsunosuke didn't even glance at him "To my house. I live in the actual village while that hospital is just a civilian facility on the outskirts." The rest of the run was silent as Shura thought about this. Tatsunosuke had said civilian, which meant he was part of some sort of military.
Did he really want to get involved with someone who fought? Did he really have a choice? They slowed to a stop on the roof of an apartment complex and Shura looked around the sprawling city. It was just starting to come to life as the sun went down. "Come on, I want to get you settled before I have to go on patrol." They walked down a flight of stairs after going through a door on the roof and stopped at apartment 113b.
Shura was given the spare key that was hidden in a flower pot next to the door. He thought that was an obvious hiding place, but didn't say anything. This man was letting an "annoying" kid live with him after all. He was set up with something to eat, shown where the extra futon was, then left to his own devices as his new "guardian" left for "work" as Tatsunosuke had put it. He explored the small apartment. There was a bathroom, bedroom, and living room/Kitchenette thing. Shura tried staying up long enough to see Tatsunosuke home, he really did. It was just so hard in this body. Around three in the morning he finally nodded off on the couch.
Over the weeks the two brunets had worked out a routine of sorts. Shura would wake up before Tatsunosuke came home and make some breakfast. By the time the exhausted shinobi got in he'd only have enough energy to eat then crawl into bed. There was the occasional day that he stayed up longer than that, probably to see what Shura did every day, but those were rare.
It was on one of these rare occasions that poor Shura got the shock of his life. Tatsunosuke came through the door with a satisfied little smirk on his face "What did you do Tatsu-dobe?" He'd quickly gotten to nicknaming the idiot he now lived with, obviously. Tatsu pouted for several seconds before he couldn't hold it in anymore "I enrolled you in the shinobi academy!" He positively beamed with joy at this announcement. Sadly, Shura didn't share his excitement "You what?!?!?! What were you thinking? WERE you thinking at all?
I'm not registered here! Someone could find out and kill me! You don't even know if I have any usable chakra!!" Of course he did. He'd been immersed in enough of Tatsu's books to try out a few things and he found it rather easy to do some of the weaker shokubutsu jutsu. Tatsu frowned "You should be happy about this though Shura-chibi! Now you'll be able to actually learn rather than devouring my books like a hungry scorpion."
Pink flooded Shura's cheeks. He hadn't thought the other had noticed how he was quickly exhausting the meager supply of scrolls and books. Crossing his arms in a grumpy fashion, Shura relented with a little snort and turn of his head. Tatsu made a happy noise then tucked into his breakfast with gusto. Shura had just started on the dishes when his "guardian" cleared his throat "When you're done get dressed, we'll go get your schools things today. You start tomorrow."
The plate he was holding nearly dropped. Tomorrow! That was hardly any time at all! He'd get Tatsu for this, the man would regret shocking Shura in such a way! Never the less he hurried with his washing and got dressed properly. The now young Shura rarely ever got to go out for any reason. He technically wasn't supposed to be living in the bachelor Jyonin apartment complex.
Sure the other guys liked him well enough, especially when he made things to eat for whatever party Tatsu was going to that night, but he knew there was only so much they would keep quiet about. Out of sight out of a report so to say. They left the apartment, locking it behind them, and headed out into the morning market. Several hours and a few giggling girls later Shura was sipping fruit juice from a tube like container while Tatsu was flirting shamelessly with the young waitress.
A scream caught the boy's ear and he turned away from his sneering to look behind him. Crying seemed to float on the wind while the barest hint of hateful words followed it swiftly. Gulping the last of his juice and attaching a quickly scribbled note (via napkin) to a senbon (which he'd stolen from Tatsu) at Tatsu, Shura moved toward the disturbance.
A small red haired child lay huddled on the ground while bigger looking children formed a circle around him and hissed nasty things. Strangely no one touched the poor boy, Shura was grateful for that small mercy. A wind picked up, tossing his coal black hair about playfully "Hey!" He was almost tempted to throw a rock at one of the boys when he heard the word freak.
His call did what it was designed to however, and attention was turned on him instead. "What?" Shura frowned. The way the girl had said that made it seem as if this were a normal thing to do rather than an act of childish cruelty! "Leave him alone! What did he ever do to you, huh?" There it was, the familiar spark of annoyance. Draco had looked just the same whenever Harry had gotten something right that he didn't. Harry was "dead" now though and Shura had taken his place. "He lived, that's what he did!"
Anger bubbled up in Shura "Well that's a stupid reason!" Great, now he was arguing with children. Tatsu would probably be laughing his ass off if he were there.
The whole group left the red head huddled on the ground and advanced on Shura. Unlike with the other boy, they didn't seem to mind beating him up. Small fists flailed out to try and make contact with his pale flesh. None did. When he thought they were getting to hyped up he brought his hands up and formed three quick seals "Shokubutsu: Tsukamaeru no jutsu!"
Vines shot up from the ground to wrap around the children's ankles. They squawked loudly as their balance was lost and immediately Shura ended the Jutsu. They were down and that's all he needed "Now leave me alone or I'll tell Jyonin-san over there that you were picking on me! He's my older brother and he'll get real mad." An aqua glare was leveled squarely at the girl that appeared to be the leader.
She huffed but retreated, taking her thugs with her. Shura moved toward the curled up red head "Hey, are you okay?" The boy curled in on himself even further. Aqua eyes lightened in worry "Kid? I'm not going to hurt you, promise. Just….are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"
Finally the other boy began to uncurl. He turned pained green eyes on Shura "I…they didn't beat me up. Mother wouldn't let them and they know it."
His mother? Why would she let them say such things but not hit him? Shura mentally shook himself of the puzzle "Would you like to have some juice with me then? I know how not nice it feels to be called mean things and juice always made me feel better." Not that he'd ever gotten juice after being called a freak or other such things at the Dursley's.
Regardless of this, those foam green eyes had brightened slightly and something akin to a smile was tugging at the other boys lips. "I'd like that." Shura helped the other boy stand then led him toward the tent he'd been drinking juice at earlier. Tatsu was still flirting but his senbon was stuck in their table. Shura threaded it through his shirt hem again then sat down on one of the provided pillows.
He had to tell the other to sit before the boy did and they ordered their drinks with little problem. Once both were situated with the long tubes Shura turned to look at his silent companion "My name's Shurachi, what's yours?" Shy green eyes turned on him "Sabaku no Gaara." Shura smiled then took a sip of his juice "Why were those kids being mean to you? You seem like a nice enough boy, if a little shy."
Shura grinned at the light blush that stained the other boys cheeks "I'm different than them. They're afraid of Mother. I can't think of anything else." Different? Shura couldn't see anything different about this kid. He looked just like all the other kids, maybe a little smaller. His confusion must have shown on his face because Gaara decided to elaborate. "Here, look."
A small hand came up just below the line of the table and Shura watched with a little bit of shock as sand began to gather. It formed a small ball, just floating there until Gaara let it drop back to the ground. Shura blinked "Well that was interesting."
"What was?" Both boys looked up in a guilty way at Tatsu. The man just grinned down at them until Shura scowled "Sit down Tatsu-baka. It's none of your business and the waitress is being chewed out for spending so much time with you."
The brunet sat with a little pout "I can't help it if the ladies find me adorable. Now, when did you swipe my senbon and who is this? Also, aim better next time. You nearly took out poor Kangeki's hand!" Shura smirked in a dark fashion "What if that was what I was aiming for?" Tatsu frowned but didn't rebuke him. He'd learned already that the boy wasn't one to care for another's opinion of him.
"This is Gaara, a kid my own age I can play with that isn't a horrid pervert." Shura took another sip of his juice then smiled at the stunned looking Gaara.
Tatsu huffed "Well, I can tell when I'm not wanted! Sadly though, we can't stay. I have go on patrol soon and you need to be inside when I do until I'm sure you can protect yourself a little better." It was Shura's turn to pout. In exchange for his need to be underestimated he'd become an actual child.
Aqua eyes turned with an annoyed little sigh to Gaara "I have to go, but I'll see you around sometime Gaara." He sucked down the last of his juice and stood with Tatsu.
Walking toward the intended opening of the tented restaurant, Shura was getting ready to say something sarcastic about a man he'd just noticed when sand covered his feet. It slowly worked its way up until his entire lower half was caught. Twisting to look behind him he found Gaara standing in front of their table. His small hands were gripping the juice tube tightly while his face appeared frightened.
Tatsu was already forming seals to blow the sand away when Shura smiled "Don't worry about it Tatsu," and a little louder, "would you like to come over Gaara?" The green eyes seemed to light up.
Hesitantly, the smaller boy came over to them "Can I?" Shura nodded and the sand crept back from him, reforming on Gaara's back as a crude gourd. Tatsu looked surprised at this for a second before he rolled his eyes and followed the silent boys home.
The next day Shura sat through boring lessons, endured the clumsy attempts at friendship, and lost the battle to stay awake half way through the explanation of why they needed to learn seals later in the year. Come lunch time he was eager to leave the stuffy classroom behind. The whole class shuffled down to the lunchroom, some staying in while others went outside to eat.
Since he'd been looking forward to getting fresh air Shura went outside. He was both pleased and displeased that he did when his aqua eyes landed on a group of kids. He could see just the barest hint of red in their center. Gaara? But he was only four! The red head had told him himself that he wouldn't be starting at the academy until next year!
Forgetting his lunch under the shade of a tree, Shura quickly strode over to the crowd. Gaara was caught by some sort of rope trap in the middle of them. His face was damp from tears and what looked like exertion as the sand on his back shifted angrily. The little boy wasn't letting it free to do as it wished it would seem. Unfortunately this want to not hurt anybody wasn't shared by the crowd and they threw things at Gaara that weren't just words.
When a kunai became airborne Shura darted forward. The knife was hurriedly knocked from the air by his stolen senbon then stepped on to prevent anyone from using it again. "Who threw that?!" The snarl sounded nothing like his usually quiet, caustic voice. Suddenly the jeering voices weren't so confident.
The crowd rustled and one of their peers was thrust forward with a little smirk. "I threw it. That little freak doesn't deserve to live here if at all. Plus, he's not an academy student so he's not allowed on the playground."
Shura had to close his eyes and count to ten "Who made you the boss of the academy? Surely not Koochoo (principal) -sensei." The boy puffed up in anger "You listen here kid, this is your first day so I'm guessing you don't know how things work here. I'll be graduating this year, I know the most high level jutsu, so I am the one in charge of this playground."
Aqua eyes looked up from where they'd been watching him absently pet the sand slowly crawling over his shoulder "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What was that? Something about leaving and apologizing to Gaara for your unfair treatment of him?" The sand seemed to move in amusement, making Shura wonder who really controlled it. Gaara wouldn't have found this sort of thing funny after all.
His distraction nearly cost him as a ball of water flew at him from the enraged child. Only Gaara's sand saved both of them from injury, he could hear the sand sizzling from the heat or toxicity of that water. Turning to the smaller boy he picked up the kunai and cut the ropes off. Small arms wrapped around his waist and a head of red hair pushed into his chest. Gaara was afraid. Afraid and seeking Shura for reassurance that all was okay. Why?
Deciding to wait until he wasn't so busy to ponder this Shura began to form seals. He brought his hands up to his chest on the last one and said with a glint of satisfaction "Shokubutsu: Hana Konton Tarumu no jutsu! Now who knows high level jutsu baka?" A forest of huge flowers now filled the grassy area they'd been standing in. Gaara and himself were hidden from the others by both sand and plant now while the fragrant scent pushed most people into unconsciousness. He handed Gaara a cloth that had been soaked in the antidote to keep the other boy from getting sleepy.
A similar cloth was now tied around his own face to free up his hands "Did they hurt you?" Gaara shook his head against Shura's chest. The older boy sighed "Are you alright though?" Again a negative answer. Shit, what had they done to Gaara? Little arms came up to wrap around the small body "You want me to kill them? I can if you'd like." Shura kept a serious look on his face as the tear stained one turned up to smile weakly at him.
"You don't have to kill them, I'm used to it." Well that just made him WANT to kill them. Shura felt the jutsu forced to cancel and tightened his hold on Gaara. The sand seemed to realize that the extra protection was gone now and tightened in on them.
It was trying to form a protective barrier between them and their new attackers from what Shura could see. "Who's in there? You have some explaining to do! You know there are no fights involving jutsu on the playground! I'll have your graduation delayed and you'll have to stay back another year if you don't answer me!" The voice was definitely feminine.
Just what they needed, an angry woman. "I need you to bring down your sand Gaara. We aren't in any danger, I promise." The face hid itself in his chest again, but the sand was reluctantly coming down.
Before anyone could see them he tucked the cloth antidotes back into his pocket. The sun hit them and Shura glared menacingly at the woman. She seemed shocked to see a first year and a boy not even old enough to attend were in the middle of the sand. Flapping her mouth like a fish, she had no chance of keeping them when the bell rang.
Shura led a subdued Gaara by the hand into his classroom and sat him down in Shura's own chair. The brunet stood next to Gaara as if he were some sort of guard. The second bell rang, heralding the arrival of his teacher. She was an average looking kunoichi by Shura's standards "Chimorai-san, who is this? I don't recall having had a student transfer into my class." Gaara seemed to shrink in the chair and wouldn't look up to watch Shura's performance.
Small teeth bit a chapped lower lip "Well Shinonome-sensei, this is Gaara. Tatsu-nii said you probably wouldn't mind if he came to school with me cause all the other kids are kind of mean to him and he won't distract anyone or anything! Right Gaara?" The red head nodded slightly but still wouldn't look up. As expected, Shinonome-sensei caved under the pressure of "pity me" and allowed Gaara to stay.
Shura stood in his place the whole class period. He'd have to bend over to write something on his paper but for the most part he'd zone out. This was all boring things he'd read several weeks ago. At least Gaara was being amused by this. He'd started taking notes almost as soon as the teacher had started talking about the mechanics of hand seals.
The final bell rang and the two waited for most of the students to filter out before leaving themselves. Gaara stuck close to Shura who had loaned him paper, pencil, and an empty folder to carry his things in. People moved out of their way as they walked down the halls and with each step Gaara got closer and closer until he was gripping Shura's shirt. The looks they got were full of fear and anger. It reminded Shura of his second year in Hogwarts.
Getting home, or rather to Tatsu's apartment, the two removed their shoes. Tatsu was snoring quietly in his room so Shura set to work making them some lunch. They ate in relative silence with Shura periodically asking Gaara about various things he'd seemed to enjoy during class. The sun was starting to go down when a loud banging on the door not only woke Tatsu, but the sand as well.
It hissed quietly on the floor around them, spilling from the little backpack Gaara had been keeping it in. Tatsu didn't spare the two boys a glance, they'd been doing the first homework assignment of the year, and quickly opened the door. A very female looking man stepped through and shut the door behind himself. He seemed to radiate barely contained anger to Shura. "Gaara-sama, I've been looking all over the village for you! You know you aren't supposed to wander off."
Stolen senbon in hand, Shura turned to this man. He was about to lay into him when Gaara's voice broke through "Sorry Uncle Yashamaru. Shura-kun was really nice to me though, he even saved me from some of those mean kids! Can't I play with him?" Well it would seem Shura wasn't the only one willing to play the pity me card.
Melting under the pleading gaze, Yashamaru nodded with a tired sigh. "I suppose you can play with him, but if he's mean to you in any way you tell me alright? Kazekage-sama would have my head if you got hurt."
Shura turned aqua eyes on the younger boy smiling in a shy manner. Kazekage? Was this the Kazekage's son? Hmmm "Gaara-sama?" curious green eyes turned on Shura at the honorific. A mischievous grin split his face "That's better than a nickname. Tatsu-dobe agrees with me too, ne?"
Yashamaru seemed shocked that Shura had called Tatsu a moron but the man just grinned at him and nodded. Shura chuckled lightly and went back to working on his homework. Gaara stared at him for several seconds before turning his attention to the book in front of him as well and filling in the answers as best he could. Tatsu left not to long after that to go on patrol and Yashamaru was nearly scared out of his wits when Shura started making dinner with the ease of one who has had many years of practice.
Around ten Shura settled on his futon to sleep while Gaara took up the position he'd had the previous night on the windowsill. Yashamaru shifted on his feet in an uncomfortable manner. On the one hand he was dreadfully tired, on the other he didn't want to sleep in someone else's house without their permission. His training as a shinobi paid off in that respect and he stayed up all night just watching Gaara.
The young boy sat staring out the window for nearly an hour before his sand moved to form a dome around Shura. Yashamaru moved over to the window to see what had made his charge nervous. A half moon revealed the forms of two men in the dark. They weren't moving, just sitting there, but it made him uneasy anyway. Gaara eventually moved away from the window and pulled some paper out of his new folder. Shura's pencil was commandeered for the purpose of drawing since he really had nothing else to do in the middle of the night.
They kept this pattern through the months that Shura had to be in school and only altered it when one or both of them had to do something else that day. Yashamaru had stopped watching them like a hawk after the first month. Tatsu now gave Shura an allowance of 1049 yen each week to be used on whatever they wanted. Most worrisome was that the Kazekage had found out about his son having a friend.
Shura had been having one eventful week after the other for nearly three months. First there was the kidnapping, Gaara had nearly gone catatonic when he'd learned Shura was in danger. Then there was the assassination attempt which ended with the poor guy's hair in flowery braids. After that someone had tried to kidnap Gaara and Yashamaru still had nightmares about the gruesome way Shura had killed the man.
It was one of those nights that Shura could manage to stay up with his friend. Yashamaru was watching them make tiny explosive tags then using them on logs in the small fireplace that all homes had for the winter. Gaara had finally managed to get one to work when the shadow slipped in. He'd been expecting this, Kazekage-sama wanted to see if Gaara's new friend would protect him to the death. Yashamaru almost felt bad for how they were manipulating the youth into becoming Gaara's body guard when he was older.
Shura tensed up as he felt someone slide into his home, his domain. Gaara's sand was moving uneasily as well but Gaara himself seemed oblivious to the sudden tension. "Hey Gaara, I'm going to go get something to drink. You want anything?" the boy shook his head no so Shura got up and headed down the hall toward his bedroom. He had an actual set of senbon, kunai, and shuriken that Tatsu had bought when he got fed up with Shura stealing his. Snatching up some of the deadly needles he stalked silently down the hall. Even when the panicked shout of his name reached his ears he didn't speed up to much.
"Your little buddy can't help you Gaara-sama." the honorific was sneered in a hating fashion. This shinobi had wanted to kill the red head for a very long time and when his Kazekage had handed him the mission scroll saying he was to kidnap then torture Gaara he'd almost been giddy. Sand was rising up to fight off the attacker but he'd been told a way around that as well and used it.
A quick disorienting genjutsu was used to give him an opening and a little dart found itself lodged in Gaara's arm. Poison seeped out that locked in chakra and the sand fell; lifeless. It was as a kunai came down to mar Gaara's pale skin that pain shot up the mans leg. He turned his head to find the boy from before standing behind him.
Senbon were held between his fingers, a cloth mask covered his nose and mouth, and fire seemed to be spitting from his angry eyes. Even the glasses couldn't filter the intense hatred this child held for him. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the akanboo's little protector. Do you really think a few senbon will take me down? I've been waiting for this moment since the little monster was born."
Another senbon flew and landed with a small squirt of blood in the artery of the mans left thigh. He cursed but left it in knowing that it would halt the bleeding. "I don't take kindly to people who break and enter. If you'd just been out to steal something I would have probably left you to the Jyônin of the village." The other senbon were flying as he spoke. Only one landed in its intended target however and the man immediately jerked it out and threw it at the ground.
"Sadly, you decided it would be more fun to try my temper and attack Gaara-sama." He was out of senbon "I cannot forgive this offence against him and myself. Shokubutsu: Shi Ha Chidarake no Jutsu!" Roots, leaves, and branches from the plants that Shura had stationed around the apartment a month ago all crept around the man who was then enfolded in a giant green flower. It looked like a bizarre sort of leaf to Yashamaru who was watching the whole thing from the window.
Shura rushed over to the fallen Gaara as the plant began to slowly contract. He settled on his knees next to the other boy "Gaara-sama? Are you okay?"
Dazed green eyes opened to stare up at Shura who sighed in relief. They blinked sluggishly "Shu'a? Wha…?" The eyes closed again and the breathing evened out. He was resting, good.
Rage beyond even the Kazekage's blazed in suddenly green eyes. Chakra flowed thick and angry in the room making Yashamaru shudder. A scream pierced the air as the flower changed colors to a brownish red. Horror filled Yashamaru as he realized why it had done that. The bud blossomed, showing off the crushed body of the kidnapper.
Vines weaved in and out of his flesh, soaking up the blood like it was water while the head sat perfectly pristine on the top of a tall pole thing that grew from the middle. Smaller versions of the flower eagerly dragged themselves and intestines along the petals before sucking the bits and pieces dry. By the time the ten minute process had finished a beautiful blood red flower tenderly cradled a large seed that had originally been the body of the kidnapper.
Shura ended the jutsu and the plant broke into its individual parts which then retreated back into their pots. He picked Gaara up with a little difficulty and carried him into the shared bedroom. Once the redhead was settled in a futon Shura snatched up some kunai. There were no windows in the bedroom so he wouldn't have to worry about that. Settling down in the door way, the young and experienced warrior fell into his watch.
Yashamaru had reported the brutality to a pleased Kazekage and the two boys had been left alone after that. The summer was fast approaching however and Gaara's father was already planning ways to put the two into mortal peril.
On the other side of the village, Shura found himself bouncing around the training arena at the academy. They'd just learned how to push chakra into the legs so they could move fast and jump high. Since he was the best at controlling his chakra in the class he'd been volunteered to go first against a voluntary opponent. He'd been rather surprised when Gaara had asked to be the other person in the arena.
The red head hadn't taken to chakra control like Shura had. There was simply to much and the demon inside of him tended to let its own chakra leak out to confuse his. So instead of jumping around like a monkey he was standing in one spot throwing deadly chunks of sand at his "body guard" as so many liked to call Shura. A shuriken that would have stabbed his leg was caught in the sand "Gaara-sama! You're supposed to be getting used to using chakra in your legs baka!"
Someone gasped "No." simple answer for something Gaara obviously didn't want to do. Shura chuckled quietly to himself and jumped off another wall just in time to avoid being squished by sand. The red head was getting faster he noted absently. They'd have to start practicing in the ruins outside the city like he'd promised the boy a month ago.
A buzz announced that their fight was over and Shura dropped to the ground with a little grunt. He'd seen the sand react as if to catch him. Gaara really was getting better at controlling it if all it could do was shift restlessly. The sand pushed up until it was chest level with him and produced the ten senbon and three kunai it had stopped. He took them with little thought then moved to check Gaara for injuries.
The class had learned to tolerate this dawdling on the practice field as any protest was either ignored or retaliated against. Once he was satisfied that Gaara was fine Shura led the way off the field. Today was their last day until summer break ended. It was just to hot to continue school through the summer so even if they didn't have the break there would only be a handful of children that attended.
Shinonome-sensei smiled at them "That was wonderful Shurachi-kun. You're very good at controlling your chakra just the right amount. And Gaara-sama, I see you've been practicing your control as well." Both boys blushed slightly "Well, you can head home if you'd like. There's nothing left for you to do here but watch the others." So, with permission to leave, the two made their way to Shura's apartment.
It was slow going as Gaara liked to stop and look at everything his eye caught sight of. Shura indulged him as he always did and even went so far as the buy the lolly pop Gaara had been salivating over for a week. He'd not wanted the boy to become addicted to candy after all. They walked through the door with Gaara finishing his treat and were almost immediately swept up in a bag.
They struggled of course, but the sand couldn't find a place to slip out and Shura didn't have any plants with him. He tried poking a hole for the sand with his kunai but it was some sort of uncutable material. They were moving quickly now. So their kidnappers were shinobi? From where though?! "Don't move Gaara-sama, we don't know how high up we are."
The sense of falling made Shura tense up and then they were hitting something cold. Metal clinked, a door shut, and what felt like a carriage began to move. Gaara scooted closer to Shura and asked in a frightened whisper "Where are we going Shurachi-nii?" Aqua eyes closed in the total darkness "I don't know Gaara-chibi, I don't know."
Over the course of the trip they were only taken out twice a day. Once to eat and once to use the bathroom. Both times they were blindfolded and one of them was held with a kunai to the neck to keep any untoward behavior from happening. These men obviously knew about Gaara's sand and Shura's plants. What Shura guessed was two weeks later they were taken out in the bag and set down. A tie and some chakra were taken off the bag but before Shura could wake up enough to do anything th\e men were gone.
Shura crawled out of the bag and took in his first bit of sunlight in quite some time. Stretching his aching limbs he took in the lush grass, healthy trees, sounds of children fighting. There were two packs and a bottle of sand propped against a tree not to far from them and he inspected them before coming back over to Gaara and shaking him from his meditation.
It was the only way his young friend could get any rest without fear of Shukaku taking over. Green eyes opened to peer questioningly at him "We've been dropped off next to some sort of hidden village. We have limited supplies and need to be back in our village by the time school starts." Gaara crawled out of the bag and looked around as well. Shura let him take in his fill while the brunet tested the packs to see which was heavier.
They weighed about the same so he took the one closest to him "We need to go Gaara-sama. They've most likely made a commotion so that this villages shinobi come to check it out. Seeing as we don't know if this is an ally village it would be prudent not to get caught." Gaara took one last look around before shouldering his pack and pocketing the bottle of sand. He was glad he'd worn the coat Shura had gotten him now. It had huge pockets and was designed to trap a persons body temperature so it stayed at a constant level.
Walking through the woods proved to be very amusing for Gaara. Shura, for all his talk about hurrying, couldn't help but be sidetracked by all the plants around him. He'd stop to examine this plant, or pause to collect some seeds. By the time they reached the edge of the training grounds they'd heard Shura had covered twice as much ground as if they'd walked in a straight line.
They sat and watched the purple eyed boy fight alone against a dummy until it got dark and he left. Shura moved them a little further into the wilderness "Make a sand dome Gaara, I want there to be a small opening facing the training ground. Do you think you have enough sand to do that? We'll have to be able to fit inside of it together." Gaara nodded and got to work while Shura watched the forest around them.
Once Gaara was done Shura scattered some of the seeds he'd gathered over the mound and coaxed them to grow. As a final touch he made a few flowers that grew in tall clumps grow in front of the small hole hiding it completely. Gaara stared in amazement, it looked like it had always been there! Perfectly natural and not at all a hiding place for two shinobi in training.
Roots slithered out of the ground at the base of a nearby tree to grow protectively around their gear. You couldn't tell people had been there at all when Shura was done adjusting things. Both boys set up a few small traps to catch small animals or unwary feet "We need to go into the village Gaara-sama. We were only left with clothes and the money I had saved up." Gaara nodded but looked a little uneasy about going into the village. People didn't like homeless children after all.
Shura led the way from the training grounds into the silent school yard, then out to the still bustling market place. After a few minutes he smiled. If they got nothing else from this he at least knew where they were now. Konohagakure. A sign above one of the venders had proclaimed it was the Konoha Lotus very proudly.
Glancing around provided a lot of insight into what was going on as more and more people came out with kimono's on. Finally, enough of them were out that people were noticing the ones not dressed for a festival. Shura grabbed hold of Gaara's arm and tugged him into a bathroom. "You remember Henge from class, right Gaara?" He nodded with a confused look "Why? Who are we going to Henge into?"
A small smile formed on Shura's pale lips "You'll Henge into yourself, only wearing a kimono. This village is having a festival of some sort and we're beginning to stand out." Gaara perked up. He liked to watch festivals. Never go to one because the people didn't like him around, but watching was fine. These people though, they didn't know who or what he was.
"You mean I can go to the festival if I wear a kimono?!" The excitement in the young boys voice made Shura's heart both hurt and happy. He knew of his friends plight and had skipped out on festivals to be with him twice since he'd been transported here from the battle. Before the brunet could answer Gaara had already changed into a light blue kimono with a little puff of smoke. Swirls of vine and flowers decorated it in sea green making a small grin arise on Shura's face.
Performing the jutsu himself, the older boy was left in a dark purple kimono. A design that at first glance didn't appear to be anything but pretty became red kanji for protection upon closer inspection. Gaara had to hide a giggle as he noticed this "My body guard even away from home huh?" Amusement danced in the sea green eyes.
Throwing back a cocky smirk Shura answered "Especially away from home. There's no telling what kind of woodland creatures will want you to pet them!" Both boys laughed and left the bathroom. Neither of them realized someone had been in the stall next to theirs. A small head of dark hair peered out with purple eyes. He took in the strange chakra of both children and resolved to look for them when the streets weren't quite so crowded.
Shura and Gaara went around to all the stands, played several games, and generally had a good time as kids. Occasionally Shura's hand would slip into an obi or sleeve to fund their fun but neither boy was really bothered by this. They found their way back to their forest hideaway with little trouble and after letting the Henge on their clothes drop crawled into the mound of plant and sand to sleep, or in Gaara's case fall into deep meditation.
The next day both boys changed into the clothing provided by the packs. They were more suited to Konoha than the tan, heat resistant clothing they usually wore. Gaara got the bright idea to cover his skin in a thin coating of sand so it wasn't as obvious he was carrying it while Shura slid seeds into any available place in his clothing as well as a few blades of grass.
The final touch was his trademark, something everyone in Suna now knew him by, an orange lily nestled in the holder provided by the two thin braids that met behind his head to keep his bangs out of his eyes. Once they deemed themselves ready the two followed a more worn path into the village proper. Half the day was spent buying non-perishable items while the other half was making themselves familiar with their surroundings.
If they could find out when the next caravan between leaf and sand was leaving they could sneak aboard and get home. Passing by the school as it let out turned out to be a bad idea. Shura noticed the presence following them right away, as did Shukaku. The sand slipped from Gaara to Shura where the older boy was touching Gaara's arm. Shura was sure to be the closest to the target after all.
"Gaara-sama, don't react but someone is following us." Gaara nodded. This had happened before and he'd learned quickly that it was best to just listen to Shura when he said something like that. The two boys continued on for several streets before Shura whirled around and threw a kunai at where he guessed the stalker was.
A surprised squawk reached the two boys and Gaara tensed beside Shura. The brunet narrowed his eyes and carefully slipped a cloth to Gaara "Come out!" Sand shuffled anxiously, waiting for the blood it thrived on. A boy, a little taller than Shura, stepped out from behind the tree he'd been hiding in. The senbon was lodged in his arm which he let dangle at his side.
Purple eyes stared into suspicious aqua "Why were you following us?!" Purple eyes glanced away for a second "Your chakra, it's wrong. You aren't from this village or I would have noticed you before." Shura pushed Gaara further behind himself "I don't want to fight you. I just want to know why you're here. I can't let you stay if you plan to harm the village." The two didn't relax but Shura didn't look like he was ready to tear out a throat.
Moving out from behind Shura, Gaara inspected the boy before them. He wasn't attacking even though he clearly had a right to. Shura had thrown a senbon into his arm on purpose after all. Green eyes turned onto a pale face, Shura never seemed to tan no matter how much sun he got "We'll talk with him." Surprised aqua turned on the younger boy "Gaara-sama!"
Gaara looked away, indicating he wasn't going to argue about this. Shura pursed his lips and wouldn't speak the entire way to the training ground; he refused to let Gaara take Neji to their hide out. Shura stood behind Gaara with his arms crossed as the two other boys took a seat on opposite sides of a large stump. Neji quirked a little smile as he saw the sour expression "I won't hurt him hogosha-san." Shura's expression worsened if that was possible.
Chuckling slightly, Neji turned his attention to a frowning Gaara "So why are you here?" The red head straightened "We were kidnapped then dropped off here. It's likely another plot by my father to prove Hogosha-kun's worthiness to be my friend." Shura stiffened slightly. Hogosha? Gaara thought of him as his guard? Well, hopefully it was just for Neji's benefit that Gaara had called him that.
Speaking of, the Hyuuga looked startled at the casual admission of Gaara's father trying to hurt them. Gaara didn't see anything odd about it and continued "He's done several things like this, though never so successful. He waited for school to get out to put any sort of competent people on killing us." Neji seemed to choke "K-kill you?!" Shura sneered "Yes, kill us. Gaara-sama, we really need to be finding a way to get home."
The purple eyed boy perked up "I can help you." Gaara, who had been getting up, sat back down. Shura sighed, but perked up as well. He didn't like being in Konoha without papers, not after seeing what Suna did to those who trespassed. Neji bit his tongue to hold in a smile "I could get you a map that details routes from here to Suna." Shura nearly snarled "How did you know we were from Suna?!"
Surprise was written all over Neji's face "You have sand with you. The only shinobi I know of that use sand in their jutsu often enough to carry it is sand shinobi." Shura glanced down at Gaara who was smiling sheepishly up at him. The sand had crawled up to pool on the stump without Shura's notice. Pale features relaxed in exasperation "Alright, you can get us the map. Just promise you won't tell anyone about us being here. I don't think we're supposed to send up a notice."
The three boys easily agreed to this and Neji left to find a map. The two from Sunagakure went back to their little hole in the ground to spend the rest of the day checking traps. When the sun went down they crawled inside to rest. Several days passed with them only leaving long enough to get supplies or check for Neji on the training grounds. On the tenth day of storing up non-perishable goods Neji came through. Shura collected the map and they were home within five days.
Tatsu jumped Shura as he came through the apartment door. The boy was forced to drop his pack to the side as a large body came flying at him. They collided, going out the door and into the hallway. A passing Jyonin smirked at a wide eyed Shurachi "You should have been on your guard Chibi-san. Tatsunosuke-kun has been beside himself trying to get permission to go find you." The Jyonin got a very nice view of Shura's finger.
Sometime during his stay the others in the building had taken to calling him Chibi-san. Probably because of Tatsu's supposed nickname for him. He really hated being called that, especially when it was partially true. Several other Jyonin passed the two in the hall with mixed greetings before Shura became fed up with it all and squirmed out from under the eccentric Jyonin.
Tatsu, as expected, made a show of being hurt that Shura didn't want his hug before letting himself be dragged into the apartment. The five year old rubbed at his face for several long seconds before turning dead eyes on Tatsu. Immediately the Jyonin sobered "What's wrong Shura-chan?" He became extra worried when the child failed to react to the chan. Aqua eyes closed "Gaara hates me and it's my own fault." The murmur was barely loud enough for Tatsu to catch. "What happened kid? You've never had any problems before." A sardonic smile curved the young lips "Before, heh. We're children, what do we know of problems? Obviously not enough."
That smile turned into a self mocking laugh "I should have known better than to make him sleep. I knew what Shukaku could do. Knew what he would do if he had the chance." Tatsu's eyes widened with horrified realization "You made Gaara sleep?" The whisper was loud in the silence of the apartment. Shura didn't bother to respond "He was tired beyond what simple meditation could fix. Barely able to stay on his feet, unfocused because of chakra depletion.
I told him to wake me if something came along on his shift but did he bother? NO. He just went ahead and fought an entire colony of spiders on his own; the fool." Pain sparked brightly for a second before the eyes dulled again. "I was so mad at him Tatsunosuke. I called him horrible things then performed a sleeping jutsu on him. Gods, it was huge! I'm just lucky Shukaku likes me."
Tatsunosuke sunk down onto the couch "Are you okay Shurachi? It didn't hurt you did it?" the answer was in the negative, but Tatsu was used to dealing with Shura by now and he could see the tight lines of pain that formed whenever the youth moved his left hand. He let it slide for now, hoping Shura would come to him if he needed help. They remained in silence together for the rest of the night not knowing that as they soaked in what had happened Gaara was being forced to kill his uncle.
It was three weeks later that Shura caught a glimpse of Gaara. He was being herded along by his older sister, a girl Shura had learned to never go near. When he tried to catch Gaara's attention the boy scowled at him and, very deliberately, turned away.
Aqua eyes stared after the retreating forms in shocked hurt before they darkened. If Gaara didn't want to know him anymore then he wouldn't bother the younger boy. Face closed off, heart carefully frosting over, Shura made his way back to Tatsu's apartment. He ignored the questioning look from his guardian, slowly changed into lighter clothing, and settled down to sleep on his futon.
The several weeks were a perfect schedule with little to no deviation. He would wake up, get ready for the day, and slip off to the city library to spend his time cooped up in a dark corner. The only times he didn't go to the library were when the memory of Hermione became to much for him and he had to go do something that couldn't be related to his old life in any way.
Usually that something was wandering in the immediate vicinity of the city, but still in the desert, looking for large insects or snakes to kill. He didn't feel bad about killing these creatures, the snakes around Sunagakure were to stupid to speak with anything more than one or two words and he couldn't understand anything else.
When school started up again he was careful to avoid running into Gaara. Despite this, he couldn't help hunting down anyone he saw picking on the boy or scaring the shit out of anyone he heard talking bad about him. If Gaara noticed his efforts then the red head didn't say anything and Shura spent his academy years reminding people why he'd won the fight his first day there.
It wasn't until he was nominated to go to the chuunin exams that there was any sort of interaction between the two of them. It was his last night in Suna before heading out to water country for the exams. He'd finished his packing and was just lounging in the fading rays of the sun on his roof when he'd felt a flare of chakra.