Chapter 10
Naruto was distracted. Temari, in all honesty, was surprised that she had even noticed such a thing. But his eyes were distant, his smiles were small and few, and his tails curled and uncurled in agitation underneath his gold-embroidered blue cloak. He fiddled with her fan, clicking it open and shut in his hands.
"Hey,"
He didn't respond, only proving to Temari how distracted he really was. The fan clicked again. She removed herself from her seated position on the grass and sat down on the tree stump directly in front of him. Still, he did not respond. She frowned and placed her hand firmly over the fan he was flicking.
"Naruto!"
His head snapped up, eyes suddenly boring into hers. She nearly recoiled.
"Miss Temari," he said, blinking, "I apologize. I am…"
"Distracted?" she finished, lips pressed thinly together. "It's very obvious. What's bothering you?"
He glanced away. "Nothing you need to worry about."
Temari narrowed her eyes. "Tell me anyway."
He looked back into her eyes and she could see the gears working in his mind, debating furiously whether to trust her with this quiet burden or not. Finally, he put his elbows on her knees, using her legs like a table.
"Just something Father told me."
Temari kept quiet, instead of pushing him to speak. She removed her hand from its grip on the fan, placing her fingers in his golden locks of hair reassuringly, completely on a whim. The silver circlet glinted, red gem set in it cool to the touch.
"I didn't understand. I don't understand," his expression was odd, "but, I think that it may…Temari-san?" Naruto looked up at Temari, sensing the change.
Her posture was ridged, teal eyes focused intently on something between the trees. In her eyes was something he had not yet truly witnessed—fear.
His hackles rose and he turned to face whatever it was she was looking at. He inhaled deeply and, in one swift movement, stood.
"Show yourself!" He demanded.
Gaara solidified out of the shadows like some nameless phantom, his expression hungry. His sand rustled the leaves from the bushes around him, already free from the gourd that contained it.
Temari hesitantly, shakily, rose to her feet.
"Gaara, listen. I…" her words rose to a sharp shriek as her brother's sand exploded in their direction.
She squeezed her eyes shut, covering her head with her hands. However, she never felt sand graze her body, enveloped instead by something soft and warm. She opened her eyes to Naruto's back, one hand and several tails wrapped around her waist protectively.
"Temari," he spoke softly, "Go to the lake. Take the flower in my sleeve. Nichi will keep you safe. Understand?"
She nodded. Honestly, she hadn't the sense of mind to do anything other than what he asked of her. As wary as she was of the Demon Prince, despite the fact that they could very well be enemies by the time of the Chuunin Exam finals, she feared Gaara much more.
The two demonic males started each other down. Naruto growled, a deep, rumbling noise from the back of his throat, fangs bared to moonlight. "Such offense is redundant here, Sabaku no Gaara."
The redhead's eyes glowed. "You are well-informed, Demon Prince of Konohagakure."
"You have dishonorably come into my territory and attempt to attack me. What have you come here for?" Naruto ordered.
Gaara tilted his head to one side. "Why do you exist? What is your reason for living?"
"You have not earned the right to my answer. You will leave now or I will make you."
The Suna-nin grinned. "Just try."
Sand zipped forward once again, golden in color but potent with old blood. Naruto parried the attack with a burst of flame from one tail. Crude glass fell, scorching the earth. The sand slithered back to Gaara's side, and the Demon Prince vanished with it. The redhead's eyes widened when the Prince suddenly appeared in front of him, past his defenses, their faces inches apart. A clawed hand struck the Suna-nin in the chest, sending him flying back and gasping for breath. Sand rose up obediently to catch him as he fell.
Naruto stood up straight, golden tails whipping around him wildly and watching Gaara with frigid eyes. The other Jinchuuriki stood, gasping quietly, eyes glaring fiercely. He threw out a fist and sent a blast of sand toward the Prince. The blonde clapped his hands together and the sand split, ripped apart by a blade of wind.
"You will cease this irrational behavior." Naruto said coldly. He then vanished and reappeared several feet to the right, as another blast of sand shot past him. He sped toward the other Jinchuuriki, zigzagging as he dodged the redhead's attacks. He drew his hand back, chakra gathering into his fingertips and his claws exploded into bright, crackling flames. Naruto thrust his claws forward with a cry, fangs bared.
The sand caught the Prince's hand inches from the redhead's face, the flames flickering out of existence. Gaara's eyes widened before a cruel smirk curled his lips and sand began crawling up the blonde's legs like a parasite. Naruto narrowed his eyes. His form shimmered momentarily before vanishing completely. The sand went limp in shock.
Another attack hit him in the face and he was sent flying once more, three slashes gouging out a good portion of his Sand Armor. He managed to catch himself more quickly this time, and kneeled on a platform of sand hovering several feet in the air. Eyes the color of copper rust glared into chilling blue ones.
"Convinced yet?"
The blonde demon was answered with a blast of sand, which he effortlessly dodged. Naruto set his eyes firmly on the other boy, exhaling loudly through his nose. He crouched, settling on all fours briefly before leaping into the air. He threw his hand out, claws extended, and four blazing blades of wind tore through the sand and Gaara's right leg. The redhead dissolved into sand. Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he barely had time to spin around before he was hit.
"Sand Shuriken!"
He crossed his arms in front of his face as several dozen spinning blades of sand whipped into him, sending the kitsune flying. Shreds of blue and gold material scattered; marred with flecks of blood from wounds that healed almost as quickly as they came.
Saliva flew from Naruto's mouth as he flew back and he ended up doing a complete back flip before landing on all fours, skidding back several feet. He wiped away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and licked it from the back of his hand, eyeing Gaara with more respect and wariness. The golden fox couldn't deny that he wasn't used to fighting these types of battles. He was far more accustomed to hiding in the foliage and catching the trespasser by surprise, however, that wasn't an option here. Nor was killing the redhead. He slammed one tail into the ground.
Gaara's eyes widened and he was forced to leap away as the ground split from under him, almost like a miniature earthquake. He landed on a tree branch and cried out, grasping his forehead as he felt his hahaue stir angrily. He grunted through the pain and sighed heavily when her overbearing presence dissipated, leaving him to his own devices. He panted, arms hanging by his sides.
"I refuse to continue this battle any further." Naruto stated, lowering his hands. He turned away as his tails ceased their thrashing.
Gaara growled furiously. "Don't turn your back on me!"
Naruto spun around as more sand shot toward him, and he held out his palm. The sand crashed into a violet barrier, futilely trying to break through. The grains backed off when it became clear that they could not penetrate the barrier. Gaara dropped from the branch and onto the ground, lips curled in a snarl.
Naruto eyed his Suna counterpart with something akin to sorrow.
"How long do you plan on cowering behind your sand, Gaara?" he asked quietly.
"I am not a coward!" The redhead snarled, sand darting out once more.
The Demon Prince vanished, reappearing beside the redhead and nailed his fist into Gaara's ribcage. The tanuki-bearing boy soared away, crashing into open ground. He coughed several times as he pushed himself up, sucking air back into his lungs.
Naruto stood up straight, folding his arms. "You cannot hide from me."
"Who's hiding?" The other male gasped. "You're the one with the cheap disappearing act!"
An earthen fist emerged from the ground, catching the blonde jaw with a crushing upward thrust. His body soared upward in a slow, graceful arc. For a moment, his mind was elsewhere, sky spinning, all sound mute, eyelids fluttering as his brain restarted.
He managed to land lightly, nonetheless fingering his rapidly bruising chin. He took a deep, slow breath to gather his wits about him. Blue eyes snapped open, vertical pupils sharp lines of darkness. He reached Gaara in one bound, forcing the ninja onto his back.
"It's not easy, is it?" the sapphire-eyed demon murmured. "It's just as difficult to truly hate as it is to love."
Gaara's eyes flashed from within their black prison-rings, having the other man off him with a mere thought. "What would you know about it?"
"I know a lot more than you think."
He bared his teeth. "Temari told you."
However, Naruto shook his head. "Temari didn't have to tell me anything. I know you, because we are the same."
"I'm not like you!"
"Aren't you?"
Gaara hesitated then.
"You thought you were the only one. I can't begin to tell you how wrong you are. You aren't the only one who has suffered, who has been treated as a broken tool, who had been betrayed." Naruto dodged a vicious tentacle of sand. "Who broke your heart, Gaara?"
"Shut up!" Gaara screeched. "Shut up! You think you know everything about me, you don't! You don't know anything, so shut up!" Sand exploded toward the blonde demon…
…and was intercepted by another person entirely.
"Gaara, please stop!" Temari shouted, her arms taking the sharp, weighty blow.
In that moment, Gaara saw someone other than his sister.
"Yashamaru," he wheezed, "You… damn you! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
Yet, even as he ravaged the landscape with furiously spinning sand and soul tearing screams, the two had already vanished, leaving nothing but a few golden hairs in their wake.
End Chapter 10