Chapter Eleven: "The Safe."
The orchestra music now bombed loudly, the guests where starting to pick up their steps to the beat. The food and decoration was flawless, presenting bright and yet dark Sand like colors giving off its lively features. The silverware shined in its place, as the white tablecloths were as soft as ever. The drunken laughs and sexual play spread through out the ballroom, but mostly centered by the king and his one-night-mistress.
The red head wrapped his arm around his waist and tucked his hand within the obi, startling the young boy and causing a bright blush on his face. The older male began to pace a steady breathe on his lovers neck heating the butterflies in his stomach. The man whispered endearments into the boy sparking up his heat and making him squirm within his grasp. The blonde would plead for him not to say another word, but the other man's mouth would talk still, enjoying the blonde's protest.
His hand pushed deeper inside the obi trying to make contact without being noticed by the company that sat near them. It wasn't working to well, the man's lover would whimper and twist more into him making his statement of protest.
Lover's near them would giggle and foreplay slightly, badly hiding their affection of love then they were.
"Then kiss me." The man's hoarse voice whispered into the blonde's neck. The boy would hesitate, but yet give the man what he wanted. He wanted only for it to be chase, but the Prince of Sand had something else in mind making it in to a more passionate kiss. The blonde pushed away the man.
"I want people to know." The man would tell him.
The blonde's eyes widen, but leaned in closer to give his love a sweet and powerful kiss.
"STOP!"
The people in the thrown room froze and turn to see who were the ones to intrude on the fun. The twin guards, Ukon and Sakon stood in the great room's large doorways in a panic like state. They started to shout in unison.
"THE CASTLE IS TO EVACUATE IMMIDIATELY! THERE IS AN EXPLOSIVE DIVICE WITHIN THE--"
Before the two could finish the room was filled with a small ding, and then all went black.
Gaara ran franticly holding dearly to his lover's hand squeezing it tight making sure they were not to get lost. Through Naruto's eyes he could see the red liquid drench both of them, but not as well as Gaara's blade that he carried. Both their breath heaved for more oxygen as they ran. The blonde kept hearing Gaara yell not to let go of his hand. He wouldn't even dare to do so.
"Gaara! Get to the safe!" Neji shouted hysterically over the other teeth-clenching screams dragging Mili in tow.
"I'm trying! We have to get the key first!"
They started to run faster now, it seemed like they turned every corner in the whole castle. Naruto's mind was racing, none of this made sense at all. It was all confusing the only thing he could ask himself was: Was this related to Sound?
They would stop at the edge of the hallway corners, as Gaara would peer around to see if it was clear. He nodded signifying it was okay and they would run pass the hallway gaps to get to 'the safe'. Naruto would always spare a glance down the corridors which they ran pass. The view was always a horror; this was just the same as others. The polished floors would be covered in red while dead bodies lay on the floor. He could get a peripheral of Sakura healing the wounded men. He couldn't even yell out her name to let her know that he was alive.
They couldn't stop running. That wasn't an option not until they reached the safe.
You could hear the four people breath heavily craving for the outside oxygen when they were running towards the horses stables in the knight's yards. The Sand knights fighting the Sound around them; before they could reach the stable doors Gaara, Naruto, Neji, and Mili were stopped by a few Sound knights drawing their swords and forcing to attack.
"Mili!" Gaara yelled to her. "Neji and I will hold them off, Get the picture, go to the safe make sure to take my crest, from there you know what to do! And take Naruto."
The hazel-eyed woman nodded, caught the surname thrown to her, and grabbed Naruto into a tight grasp.
"Don't come back for us." Neji gently said swinging to the left and dodging the Halibut and Mace being thrown at him. Mili sought to hold her tears back as she pulled Naruto through the fighting crowd to the stables.
The horses stomped wildly and flared themselves with in their stalls. Mili threw herself to the dusty shelves upon the walls now crying out.
"W-what are w-we lo-looking for?" Naruto hesitantly stuttered. Mili started to cry harder now sharking her head violently and throwing her hands in the air. The horses neighed at high hertz as more photos and medals were thrown. "M-Mili?"
"A-a picture." She managed to say between her sobs. "The picture of G-Gaara's mother and him."
Naruto furrowed his brows. "A picture?"
Mili nodded her head throwing frames to the side recklessly nearly hitting a horse. "It h-has words on it! It's the only one that shows her face."
The woman's breathing became short and heavy much like she was hyperventilating. Her breath were now the staccatos against an orchestra sting instrument.
+Flashback+
Naruto liked to come in the stables to take a glance at the medals strung from corner to corner grayingly collecting dust, the pictures of Gaara and his siblings riding horses, but most of the pictures were a family pictures. What intrigued Naruto was that in every family picture there was a woman with a dark hole was burned into her face.
Except for one.
The dusty picture showed a woman of short faded blonde hair and strong aquamarine eyes were holding a small, stubble baby with the same crimson hair as his husband's.
Naruto wiped some dust away in the corner of the picture where the words shown:
Gaara, my little monster.
Naruto carefully slipped the picture from its frame and into his pocket.
+End Flashback+
the blonde stood still and repeated the words carefully and slowly. "Gaara . . . My little monster?"
Mili jolted around to stare at him. "W-what? What did you say?"
A scream outside the stables brought Naruto back from his locked mind. "I know where the picture is! Com'on!"
The blonde bolted out of the stables with Mili behind trying to catch up.
When they got out side it was deserted. The trees rustled in the wind, the corpses laid motionless on the floor and the cold air flowed softly.
"Neji and Gaara, must be at the safe already. Oh my poor Honey-Bunch! I hope he's okay!" Naruto heard Mili cry.
"Mili," Naruto turned to her seeing her glazed and teary eyes. "What is that picture purpose?"
At first, Mili opened her mouth but nothing came out. It became soundless out side giving it a scary feature because the wind stopped.
"Mili, I'd like to know."
The woman shook her head from side to side finally giving him an answer. "It's the key to the safe."
"Where's the safe?"
"I can't say here there might be someone listening." Naruto nodded at that and stated to run back to the castle again.
Their feet echoed along the hallways, everything seemed to be quiet now. Except for the small village pass the castle walls, down the pathway and through the village gates. The Sound knights seem to be causing havoc down there, due to the yelling and cursing heard from afar. The two ran as fast as they could down the hallway. They passed the crumbled thrown room and torn doors to Naruto and Gaara's chamber. When they got inside the wonderful room has fallen to pieces. The curtains were ripped and stringy, the bed was flipped upside-down, the mirrors and the glass doors were shattered, and the toilet was cracked and the gold rimming was chipped off.
Naruto threw the hamper to the floor spreading the clothes everywhere. "Where is the safe?" He asked scramming clothes everywhere looking for his navy pair of pants.
"The L-library."
+Flashback+
Gaara turned a corner pass two or three doors then stopped. The red head faced the door to his side and opened it. Naruto looked within the room shutting the door behind him.
It was a library.
The walls were filled with books and books beyond all literature; Naruto had a feeling that Iruka would someday suggest this room for reading. There were ladders and stairs that lead to the higher levels for access to more books. He realized that the two were in a castle tower or else the books wouldn't have so many levels than there already were.
"Gaara, what's going on?"
The red head turned to Naruto and gave him a blank look. "You are not to go into this tower without me accompanying you."
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, he had heard this before somewhere, Ukon and Sakon had announced that to him.
"Why?" Naruto bit his bottom lip in a bit of anger.
"It's forbidden." Gaara bluntly pointed out.
"Just like the Dungeons?!" Naruto voice was rising. Gaara scrunched up his face just a little.
"Yes."
+End Flashback+
Naruto picked up a pant legging and dug his hand into its pocket pulling out a small paper. Mili gave a small gasp and walk towards Naruto to see what was in his hands. Sure enough it was the picture of the dirty blonde woman holding the small baby in her arms.
"You had it?" she asked. The blonde nodded.
"So this . . . this is her, this is truly her?" Naruto's eyes widen at the picture.
"Yes, Neji told me it is Gaara's most prized possession. Neji always complained of Gaara always announcing that 'The key lies with her'." Mili's voice was calmer now and her breathing has sufficed.
Outside of the chamber there was a loud rumble and the wall started to crack around the edges of the door. The roof started to fall and the room began to shake. Naruto slipped the picture into his obi tightly.
"I think they found. The Sound." Mili started to panic again, her eyes began to swell up with tears. "I don't want to die, I never told Neji the rest of how much I loved him."
She shook her head remembering the very long speech to Neji, claiming her undying love. Naruto shook her by the shoulders yelling to her that they were going to get out of it.
The wall burst open flying parts of bricks everywhere. Mili and Naruto ran to the underside of the flipped bed to hide. The whole revealed a large man with a spiked mace walking in.
"Com' 'er kitt-ie kitt-ie kitt-ie. I know ya' hi-ding in 'er." He called spitting chew off to the side. " Com' out! Com' out!"
The large man gave a heavy laugh as he dragged the mace across the furniture looking for them.
"Stupid Bafoon." The man hears before smoke clouds started to form in the room. Everything got hazy like mist and Naruto couldn't see a thing. "Hey! This way, hurry!"
He felt someone take his hand; he found Mili's and grabbed hers hard.
They ran out of the room and into the hallway. Naruto started to cough the smoke he took in from the chamber.
"Are you alright? The both of you?" The soft girl-like voice asked. Naruto nodded still coughing a bit while Mili patted him on the back. When Naruto finally looked up to thank the woman, he gasped.
+Flashback+
Six people stepped through the dining room entrance door. One being Baki, and four guards, two holding up the delinquent, who was a woman with comb black hair and big coal like eyes. Gaara had walked up to the woman who was limp in the two's arms. Which Naruto realized them as Gaara's most trusted guards, the twins, Ukon and Sakon.
"Please explain to me how these documents got into your hands." The woman looked up at him her face twisted inhumanly.
"The Sand Nation will fall." She whispered, but load enough for half the room to hear. Gaara gripped her chin tightly in his hand bringing her face to his.
+End Flashback+
"Y-you!" Naruto stumbled back. "You're that woman I—"
The longhaired woman laughed hysterically and shook her head. "First off, I'm NOT a woman. I get that mistake often. My name is Haku. I'm from Snow Island, but when the Sound invaded our island I was separated from my family and forced to work with Orochimaru and those wicked sons of his!"
The man gave a shiver.
"You're helping us?" Mili asked Haku nodded his head flowing his long hair up and down.
"Yep, that's right. You see if it wasn't for Blondie here, I would probably be dead. I don't know what you did, but you sure changed that man of yours."
Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"When the king came down to sentence me of death your man suggested otherwise."
"My man?" Naruto questioned. He had never referred Gaara as 'his man'. Haku just smiled, but it started to dissapate when he heard the Sound knight get up and away from the smoke.
"Come on we've got to get out of here." Haku yelled.
"We have to get to the safe!" Mili screamed after him. "It's this way!"
She pointed towards an unlit hallway, the opposite of Haku. The man nodded and followed, Naruto tagging along.
"Mili, how do you know this?" The blonde asked as the three were running.
"It's a well secret between Neji and Gaara, so of course I would know it." The brunette and purple said. "Neji told me when they were boys and Neji would visit during Haishi's business, him and Gaara would wander around in the Library. Since it's the largest tower in the entire castle. They would find things, secret things in there."
Haku smirked. "How clever, secret passageways?"
Mili nodded in agreement. "Yes, they were implanted there for 'privet gatherings' that were latter on banned from the castle."
"Secret gatherings? For what?" Naruto huffed running faster to catch up to Mili.
"Supposedly they were groups of anarchist living within the castle walls." Mili stopped at the familiar large double doors that Naruto remembered when he encountered Gaara's sexual-romantic side. They opened one of the doors to find Gaara and Neji standing in the corner of the room. Mili ran directly into Neji's arms.
"Thank you, Haku." Gaara's horse voice said he then turn to Mili. "Did you get it?"
Mili looked to Naruto and nodded. Gaara's face seemed to have darkened slightly when Naruto took out the picture and handed it to the red head. Gaara snatched the picture from Naruto's hand he walked to the back of the room and lifted a floorboard. He set the picture face down inside the floorboard and it made a clicking sound. The floor opened up to reveal a whole. "Okay, get in, everyone now, before Sound starts to come."
Neji hopped in first he landed with a soft 'oof'. "Okay, next." Mili went after her husband and then Haku. Naruto looked down into the dark hole. Before he could jump down Gaara grabbed him and placed a kiss on his lips. The redhead looked at him softly.
"I'm sorry." He said and pushed Naruto down landing flat on his face. Gaara was the last one to go down. When Gaara touched the floor, the floorboard automatically closed itself and the troches lit.
"Gaara," The blonde said as he got up from the floor. "I think it's time for me to know everything."
OMG! I did it! I suceeded!
I know that in the begining it was kind of off track and I'm sorry. I will have you know that things will undo in the next chapter.
Although it may start to go a different way than before. . . I have started to come up with way more ideas than usual.
Thank God too. LOL.