Oblivion
Chapter Twelve: Friends
Things were…different now.
Weren't they?
The two were in what looked like a storage room, except with a bed. The walls were an off-white color—not like the blinding white in the regular hospital rooms— and there were a few cabinets in the corners, probably stuffed with towels and nurse's attire like the cabinets in the other room they'd been in.
Naruto had the small urge to laugh.
If he was told that he would be lying on the same bed as Gaara a few days ago, he probably would have started shaking like a nervous idiot, wondering what the hell he could do to screw things up in such an…intimate situation.
But now…
"Gaara?"
The redhead blinked up at the ceiling for a moment, before he turned to face the blonde. Naruto smiled up at him. They had never stayed this close to each other for this long. It had probably been an hour since Kurenai had shoved them in here, apologizing for the smallness, and the single bed, but it really felt like minutes to Naruto. So many things were going through his head. He had his body turned to the side, facing Gaara, while the policeman was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Naruto wasn't able to sleep, and he wasn't surprised to find the redhead in the same predicament.
"Can't sleep?" he asked lightly. He wasn't nervous. Only tired.
Gaara was really looking at him now from what Naruto could tell from the dark. Their faces weren't that close, but enough for Naruto to think he should have been a bit more nervous than he was.
"No."
Naruto risked another smile. "Me neither."
Naruto thought he saw the redhead blink at him, before turning away again.
Naruto sighed—contentedly. He knew for sure now that Gaara's indifference didn't have anything to do with something Naruto did. It was just the way Gaara was. He was unabashedly staring at Gaara now, knowing he wouldn't be judged for it. He wasn't taking advantage of the policeman's…condition. He was only taking notice of it, and putting it to mind every time he wondered what the redhead thought of him.
He considered talking to the Gaara some more, but decided against it for now. The redhead's eyes weren't closed, but they were dimmed in a way that suggested fatigue. Naruto wasn't sure how he himself looked. He knew he was tired—exhausted even—but he couldn't sleep. Not just yet. He shifted a bit in his position so that his head was further up the pillow on the bed. Now his head was leveled with Gaara's instead of all the way down. Gaara didn't move when he moved, which both disappointed and relieved Naruto. He didn't want to disturb him, but at the same time, he wanted the redhead to do something.
When Gaara only continued to stare at the ceiling, Naruto sighed and resigned to simply looking at the policeman. He shifted in place so he had his hands folded in front of him, partially obscuring the view of Gaara from the chin down. When the two of them were this close, Naruto could have easily reached over and brushed Gaara's hair with a finger.
Naruto blinked. What was stopping from doing that? He knew Gaara wouldn't mind. He wouldn't do anything about it—
Wait. Naruto shut his eyes tightly. He was doing it again. He was using Gaara's condition to justify actions that he wouldn't have done otherwise. It wasn't nearly as bad as forcing the policeman to take him back home early in the morning, but it required the same mindset. Naruto had to treat the redhead like everyone else deserved to be treated. He had to realize that it didn't matter what Gaara would do, it was whether he gave the blonde permission to do it. Naruto understood now, why Kurenai always asked the policeman things, making sure that he was okay with things before she actually did them. She wanted to make a point. She wanted everyone to see that his opinion mattered…even if it seemed he would agree to anything.
Naruto's fingers twitched slightly. Did that mean…that he would have to ask the redhead if he could touch his hair? Naruto blinked and shook his head. No; that was stupid. He would keep to himself, and that was that.
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. He figured that, if he closed them, the sleep would come to him.
It wasn't long before it did.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, it almost hurt to. There was no window in the room, but the white walls, for some reason, were enough for him to wince as he blinked. His limbs felt like lead, and they cracked when they tried to stretch. His stiffness, however, didn't prevent him from reeling back when he saw Gaara looking back at him.
"A-ah…" Naruto started, startled. "You're…already awake?"
Gaara said nothing.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Gaara's eyes. They were dimmed, the same way they were before Naruto fell asleep, and slightly red. "Gaara…" he started slowly. "Did you…sleep?"
The redhead blinked slowly in response, and Naruto, for some reason, knew what that meant. "You…didn't?" he asked incredulously. He didn't know what time it was, but he felt as if a lot of time had passed since he'd fallen asleep. He sat up on the bed to look at the redhead better.
"Gaara…why didn't you sleep?"
Gaara, apparently not interested in the blonde anymore, turned away. He blinked at the ceiling a few times, and were it not for the small twitch of his mouth, Naruto would have turned away. Instead he sat up a bit more, and looked down at Gaara.
"Gaara?" he urged lightly. He almost found it funny how he was being as confident as he was. A mere two days ago he would have cowered under the picture of authority he'd place over the redhead, and now he was urging him, the way he would to a child, to speak up.
Gaara blinked at the ceiling another time before his eyes traveled slowly to meet Naruto's.
Naruto shivered slightly. He was wrong to think that Gaara still didn't scare him. Those eyes. They were…Naruto didn't know what word to describe them. He only knew that eyes like that could look predatory or dangerous when they needed to. But at the same time…he knew he didn't really have to be afraid of Gaara—so he spoke again, "Why…didn't you sleep?"
The policeman continued to look at him before he blinked, and turned to look at the ceiling again. Naruto stilled when he saw the redhead open his mouth. But before he said anything, Gaara suddenly sat up in the bed, making the blonde fall back a bit. Gaara had a sheet that was too small to reach to his feet—which Naruto only now noticed still had boots on—so it took no time at all for the redhead to pull it off and stand up from the bed.
It took Naruto a while before he started standing up too. He didn't know what was going on, but he figured it would be better to trust the redhead. "Are we going somewhere?" he asked as he placed his feet into his tattered sneakers. Gaara, unsurprisingly, said nothing. When Naruto turned around, he saw the redhead looking at him, possibly waiting for him to finish up. Naruto stood up slowly, and waited. Gaara looked at him for a moment more before he turned and walked towards the door. Naruto sighed and stood up to follow. Old frustrations were coming back to him, like his need for Gaara to say things.
When the both of them stepped outside of the room, Naruto realized how unadjusted his eyes were. The blaring light of the hospital assaulted him in a way that it didn't before. It wasn't like the sting you felt when something was too bright—the pain that you felt in the back of your eyes— instead Naruto felt something aching right in his eyeball, as if a contact was misplaced in the whites of his eyes, but less intense.
Naruto wasn't sure if Gaara noticed his discomfort until he felt the policeman's hand on his arm. It was then that he realized his eyes were closed, or at least squinted enough to block the light. "G-Gaara…" he started lightly. A tear fell out of his eye, but it had nothing to do with emotions. "I think…I don't…my eye—"
He stopped when Gaara began pulling him along, down the hallways. Naruto stumbled for a few moments, before he started to walk steadily. He decided to close his eyes completely. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with them. He felt the throb of panic rise in him. Why was it that everyday something was going wrong with him? The blonde put a hand to cover his eye then, because they'd entered a corridor where it was particularly bright. There were also a lot of people around, if the commotion was any indication. He didn't know what anyone was saying, and he didn't know how he looked to all these people. All he knew was that his eyes were stinging, and Gaara was leading him somewhere.
They were walking fast enough that Naruto felt the need to jog, but couldn't. With every step his hand was partially lifted from his face, and light beamed through his eyelids. It wasn't as bad when his eyes were closed, but it still hurt.
It was a while before Gaara finally came to a stop. Naruto heard a bit of shuffling and people's voices before Gaara suddenly let go. The blonde would have reached for him, only he'd blinded himself at the moment. Naruto risked removing the arm he'd hung over his eyes to see where they were, and regretted less than a second later. The pain wasn't as bad as it was when he'd just exited the room Kurenai had left them in, but it was enough for him to never want to try it again.
"Kaze-san?" that was a woman's voice Naruto wasn't familiar with, but at the same time it gave him a bit of relief because it meant the redhead was close. "What happened?"
"Sarutobi." Gaara's voice.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sarutobi? Who was that? Oh, right—
"Kurenai-sensei is busy with paperwork right now, I'm afraid. Is there anyone else—"
The woman stopped suddenly, as if she'd been interrupted, and Naruto suddenly felt someone tugging him again. "Wha—"
"Kaze-san? Please don't go in—!"
The woman was cut off again, and Naruto felt himself being pulled through a door—possibly one of the double doors that were around the hospital.
He was proved wrong though, when he heard Kurenai's voice. "Gaara? Naruto?" there was the sound of a chair scraping back and Naruto realized that they weren't in a hallway anymore. The acoustics suggested a small room. "What's going on? Naruto, why are you covering your eyes?"
Naruto heard steps coming closer to him, and panicked when a soft hand touched the arm covering his eyes. "W-wait," he started. "I…every time I open my eyes…the brightness—it—"
"Shh…" Kurenai started, and now Naruto felt both hands on his arm. "What I want you to do is shut your eyes as tightly as you can, and remove your arm."
Naruto hesitated a bit, but he finally did as he was told. There was a period of silence after he did so. He felt Kurenai's fingers trace areas around his eyes and on his cheeks.
"Hmm," she finally said, after a long time. "There's nothing unusual surrounding your eye, which means it isn't some sort of allergy or infection from any outside bacteria like I thought it would be. That means that whatever is bothering is actually caused by something in your eye." She paused then, and Naruto heard her cluck her tongue. "You said your eyes hurt every time you open them?"
Naruto nodded. "Where it's bright."
Kurenai 'hmm'ed and Naruto felt her hands on his chin, tilting it. "Alright then, Naruto. I'd take you to one of our patient rooms, but those rooms are brighter than the hallways."
"Uh…" Naruto started. "It…it isn't as bad…as before…"
"Really?" Kurenai said. And Naruto felt her pull away from him. "Would you say that the pain has dimmed down enough for you to stand the pain of a light in your eye?"
Naruto hesitated before shaking his head no. "S…sorry."
"It's understandable."
Then Naruto heard a click, and all of the sudden, the lids of his eyes didn't see that blaring orange anymore.
"I've turned off the lights Naruto. I want you to open your eyes."
Naruto did as he was told. There was a slight pain, but he knew it was only because he'd kept his eyes closed for so long. It was completely dark until a small light emitted from the corner of the room. Naruto blinked rapidly a few times.
"Don't close your eyes, Naruto." said the white light, or rather Kurenai, who was holding it. It was as if a flashlight was emitting from a pen or something. Naruto took a small step back when the light took a few steps forwards. "What I'm going to do, Naruto," started Kurenai, "is I'm going to run this light across your eye. It isn't fluorescent like the lights outside, although I'm not sure that will make a difference. I want you to try your best to keep your eyes open, Naruto."
The blonde took a deep breath and watched Kurenai come closer to him with the light in your hands. Every time Naruto's eyes landed on the light, it hurt a bit, but not like it hurt outside.
Finally Kurenai was in front of him, and Naruto could see her raise her arms. He wondered what he was supposed to do, but then Kurenai's hand was at his jaw, and tilting his head slightly back. "Naruto, I want you to stare at the ceiling." Naruto did as he was told. He then felt and saw the light. He winced a bit, but didn't close his eyes.
"Hmm…" started Kurenai. "It's…it's strange because sensitivity to light is not one of the side effects of gastric lavage…"
Naruto didn't know what she was talking about.
"…I understood the nosebleed you had yesterday. It's an uncommon, but natural side effect of the procedure, but sensitivity to light…" suddenly the light was on his other eye. "it's..." she paused for a long time then, before she changed the position of the light. Finally she asked, "Naruto, you were born with gray eyes, right?"
Naruto blinked a few times. "I…when I was born…" he paused. "They were blue."
Kurenai shifted the light. "Blue? Not…gray?"
Naruto shook his head. "I…they changed….after…When I left school."
Kurenai 'hmm'ed and put the light right above Naruto's eye. Naruto winded a bit, but more from the anticipation of pain then actual pain. He realized that it didn't really hurt to have the light in his eyes anymore.
"I," he started. "Don't really…feel the pain anymore." He said lamely.
Kurenai nodded her head, but her brows were furrowed. "I don't know what to say Naruto. I'm not an expert on eyes the way an optometrist would be, but I know for sure that…your eyes are changing."
Naruto blinked before slightly pulling away to stare at her. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.
Kurenai pulled away from him completely but left the small light hover in between them. "Your eyes, Naruto. They're changing. I don't know how, or why, but I know they're changing." She paused to look around the dark room. "Do you think I could turn on the light now?"
Naruto nodded his head.
Kurenai nodded back and disappeared to the back of the room. There was the muffled sound of her footsteps, and a click. And then the lights were on again. Naruto squinted, but it didn't hurt to keep his eyes open. When he looked around the room he saw that it was in fact more of an office. Naruto almost jumped when he saw Gaara standing near a wall with his hands at his sides, staring at him.
He had to take his attention away from the policeman when he saw Kurenai walking back towards him. "Uhm…h-how are my eyes changing?" he asked, before she reached him.
Kurenai paused and looked around the room as if looking for something again before sighing. "You'll take a look in the mirror later. There are bright blue flecks floating in your eyes, Naruto." She said. "Right in the center surrounding your pupil—which has strangely still not fully dilated since I turned on the lights…"she finished slowly.
Naruto blinked as much as he could with his eyes squinted the way they were. "I…don't understand."
Kurenai shrugged. "I don't understand it either, but I know what I see. You don't have any history of wearing glasses, do you?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Did you feel you needed glasses at any point in time?"
Naruto shook his head.
"That's what I thought." Kurenai said knowingly. "At first I thought you might have caught some sort of infection, but it wouldn't have explained why your eyes were so sensitive to the light, and it doesn't explain why your pupils are so slow to dilate."
"Ah," Naruto started. "Dilate…that's…that's when my eyes get bigger and smaller right?"
"Your pupil, yes."
Naruto looked away. "Yeah. I remember, my eyes—uh, my pupil—was always…slow…to do that. A-a doctor said that."
Kurenai blinked at him. "That makes things more complicated then." She said. "You're eyes are changing, and I don't know why. We'll ask Kakashi about getting you an appointment with an optometrist." She sighed and went back to her desk. "I'm sorry I'm rushing through this, Naruto, but I feel we have more pressing matters besides your eyes, at the moment." She gestured towards the two chairs in front of her desk. "Please sit."
Naruto did as he was told, already afraid of what the doctor was going to lay on them now.
"Gaara?" Kurenai said politely. "That means you to." She didn't wait to see if the redhead would take her offer. Instead she turned right back to Naruto and gave him a sigh and a shake of her head. "Alright, Naruto." she said lightly. "Kakashi told me something about a deal he made with you. Something about you telling him the information he needed so he could incriminate a group of individuals responsible for smuggling illegal drugs into the city."
Naruto felt his heart race. With all the things going on, Naruto had almost forgotten the reason he'd been in this mess in the first place.
"I don't think Kakashi would have brought this up so soon, but there was an incident. It happened almost two days ago, but it was picked up by another branch of policemen. Kakashi was only called yesterday night about the whole thing."
Naruto shivered slightly in his seat. He didn't like where this was going.
"Naruto, two days ago, a large amount of an unidentified powdered white substance was found on the floor of an apartment building—only a few blocks away from yours. The substance was found by a janitor, supposedly the day after it was deposited, and the janitor, apparently experienced in this sort of thing, identified the substance as crystal methamphetamine. He called the police. The policeman that came forward took the crystal—which had been in a zip lock bag half full—questioned the man, who turned out to be telling the truth, and after a day of holding it, finally took the bag to the main branch—Kakashi's branch—which identified the meth as the exact type they'd been trying to track down the owner of. Kakashi thinks that you might know something about this meth. He's hoping you could tell him something that might give him a lead on who he's supposed to take down."
Naruto's eyes were fully open now—but what he would have given to have been able to shut his ears. His heart wasn't racing in his chest. Instead it was beating sluggishly. Naruto breathed with difficulty multiple times before the first coherent thought passed through his head.
Shit.
He'd completely forgotten about the meth. Completely.
Naruto let his hands dig into the sides of the chair he sat on. He didn't know what to say. Did his acquittal from jail follow him into this act—the one that he didn't tell Kakashi about? He didn't think so. All Kakashi knew was that he'd overdosed on suspicious drugs. He didn't know that Naruto had left a large amount of it in the staircase of a building, for hundreds of people to see and possibly be affected by it. Naruto didn't think that Kakashi would forgive him for that, and he didn't think Tsunade would be able to keep him out of jail for doing that.
If that was the case, then what was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to lie? Should he tell Kurenai that he knew nothing about it and get on with his life? Was there any way that they could find out it was him if he didn't tell the truth—
"I can see you turning this around in your head, Naruto." Kurenai said slowly. "I wanted to wait to see what you'll say but…I think it's better if I tell you this first." She sat up in her chair and gave Naruto a look of sympathy. "When police questioned people in the building, some said that a crazy blonde, about your height and size, came into the building a few days ago, screaming and shouting obscenities against a door. Police identified who lived behind the door and when the person came out to speak to him…he confirmed that you were indeed that blonde, Naruto."
Naruto shut his eyes. He didn't think Sasuke would rat him out like that, so it had to be that rat face bastard from hell Neji. Naruto twitched slightly. It was still fine though. Just because people knew he was in the building that day, didn't mean that—
"The person they spoke to seemed to know you well, Naruto." Kurenai continued. "And Kakashi decided that it would be…beneficial to speak with them. Like an interview."
Naruto took a moment to process what Kurenai just said, before he allowed his heart to stop. He blinked a few times, before he swallowed the wad of spit accumulating in his throat. "Wh—" he paused to swallow again. "What?"
Kurenai sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Kakashi's interviewing, probably at this very moment, someone who claims to know you. I don't know much about the details except that Kakashi thinks this interview will give him a lead on what he's been trying to figure out these past few months." She paused to brush her hair back, "Naruto, I don't know what kind of deal you made with Kakashi concerning your acquittal, but I want you to trust him. Kakashi wouldn't do something that would put you into trouble unless he was prepared to get you out if it."
Naruto only blinked at her before put his head down. It was worse than he thought, then. Neji, with his big mouth, was probably going to tell Kakashi everything he knew about Naruto, including who his friends were, and where he usually got his drugs. Naruto wasn't sure if he'd ever revealed this information to Neji, but he was sure that Sasuke, as trusting as he seemed to be of the long haired man, told him quite a bit about Naruto.
"Also, Naruto," Kurenai said, bringing the blonde out of his thought. "Kakashi…told me what they found in your stomach after your gastric lavage—the stomach pump: it was crystal methamphetamine." She looked grave for a moment, before shaking her head. "I want you to tell me the truth Naruto. If you can't say it to Kakashi, at least say it to me. Do you, or do you not have anything to do with the meth that was found in that building two days ago?"
Naruto didn't know what his face looked like, but he knew it was anything but innocent. He felt himself sweating slightly. He was torn. He didn't know what to say. What these people didn't understand was that only thirty percent of his silence had to do with him. The other seventy percent had to do with Haku and his—her— incoming child. Naruto shook his head, not realizing that Kurenai would take it as a denial.
"Naruto." Kurenai said, her voice thick with disappointment. "Please don't shake your head like that. All the evidence leads to you, and we have witnesses who could reveal everything you done. You don't want to be caught lying, Naruto. Your grandmother's money can only protect you so much."
Naruto let his eyes flutter. Then he had his answer. Kakashi's deal with him wouldn't hold up in this situation. He had to tell them what he'd been doing there, and who he'd gotten the crystal meth from or else they'd put him away when they found out from someone else. Naruto risked brushing a hand through his hair in nervousness. "I-I…" he started. "I don't…" he wondered how much he should really tell Kurenai. She seemed like the kind of woman who would tell what he said to others simply because she thought it would be best for him. She wouldn't understand that he had friends to protect. So instead he shook his head and turned away. "Nothing."
Kurenai looked at him with disappointment. "Naruto…" she urged lightly. "Please; Kakashi is coming today. He might bring his witness. Don't do this to yourself."
Naruto almost scoffed. He'd straight tail it out of here before he allowed himself to be in the same building as Neji.
"He'll want to speak to you when he comes."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. The thought of Neji was bringing bitterness back into his system. He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Kakashi, and how angry the gray haired policeman had made him. The blonde crossed his arms and put his head down.
Kurenai didn't say anything to him for a long time, and Naruto didn't look up to see how her face was changing. He heard the woman shift in place and move a few papers around before she finally sighed. "Alright then, Naruto." She said, almost angrily. "Keep everything to yourself. But when everything blows up in your face, I want you to know that I told you so—"
"You don't understand." Naruto said, suddenly, unable to take it anymore. He didn't like it how these people were making it out to seem like he was a bad person for doing this. He'd made mistakes, and he was scum on the bottom of someone's shoe as far as he was concerned, but he was doing this for someone else. Not for him.
"What don't I understand?" Kurenai asked. "Tell me, so I can understand."
Naruto shook his head. "I can't."
Kurenai sighed gustily and stood up. "Fine then." She said. "Keep it to yourself. You aren't allowed to leave the hospital until Kakashi arrives. See if you can keep your mouth shut when he tells you everything the witness told him."
Naruto heard the bitterness in her voice, and he felt bad. He stood up with Kurenai and watched as she walked to her door and opened it. Naruto made a move to step out with Gaara right behind him.
"You're dog's in room 254." Kurenai said finally, before she shut the door behind them. She didn't slam it, but Naruto still jumped a bit.
The two of them stood there for a few moments in silence. Naruto turned to look at the redhead, and saw him looking back at him. Naruto offered a small smile. "Ah," he started. "Can we, uh, go and see Kiba?"
Gaara blinked at him. Naruto blinked back. Then Gaara blinked again.
Naruto fidgeted a bit, in both confusion and impatience. Was Gaara trying to say something? When the blonde stared more at the redhead, he realized that he wasn't going to say anything. Naruto sighed and took a small step back. "Gaara," he started. "We're going to Kiba's room."
Gaara still said nothing.
Naruto squinted. "Uhm…is that…okay?" Naruto didn't want to force the redhead to do anything. If anything, Gaara's silence simply meant that he didn't want to go.
Gaara surprised Naruto when he gave a small nod. The blonde blinked a few times. "O...okay?" The redhead only stared at him, apparently not the kind of person to repeat things twice. Naruto decided that the first nod was enough for him, and began walking slowly to where he thought the staircase was. He looked back every once in a while to see if Gaara was following him. When he saw that he was, Naruto sighed and continued on his way.
Naruto laid his body on next to Kiba's sleeping form. He'd had an entire one sided argument with Gaara concerning his standing up while Naruto sat in a chair before Naruto boldly made the policeman sit down as he took his own spot on the bed. He could see Gaara from above a small tuff of black dog hair. The redhead was staring into space, instead of anything in particular as Naruto ran a steady hand across Kiba's body. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to be on the bed with patients, but he didn't care. He wanted to be as close as possible to the dog. His dog.
A small sigh escaped Naruto. As much as he enjoyed laying here with Kiba, what Kurenai said to him kept running through his mind. Kakashi was going to come and ask him questions that he couldn't answer. For all he knew, today would be the day that he was sent to jail.
Naruto closed his eyes. If only there was a way that he could go to Phone Booth, tell Haku and Zabuza to hide or make a run for it, so Naruto could tell Kakashi information they needed, without them getting into trouble.
Naruto opened his eyes.
What was stopping him? Naruto sighed as he remembered. Kurenai told him he wasn't allowed to leave the building until Kakashi came to speak to him. Damn it, Naruto thought. Just when he thought he was actually coming up with a good idea. The blonde shifted in his bed so he faced the ceiling. What was he supposed to do then? Lie to Kakashi and hope the decision didn't bite him in end? Tell the truth and hope that he wouldn't still be sent to jail? He didn't know.
Naruto scratched his scalp lamely before sighing and closing his eyes. What difference did it make anyway? Naruto, it seemed, was bound to be screwed in whatever situation he was in. If he went to jail because of all this, he would think of it as a sentence that was long overdue.
Ah, but wait. How could he think that when…when he had so much more on the line now? What would happen to Kiba if they sent him to jail? They would put him in the streets or into some sort of dog pound, and Naruto heard how terrible those places could be.
The blonde sighed and shifted so he could see Gaara again. This time the policeman was looking down into his lap with his hair falling over his eyes. Naruto opened his mouth to say something before closing it again. He wasn't sure if talking to Gaara was going to help him any. Gaara seemed like the person who you could spill your heart into, but he wouldn't say anything, or give you any advice. He wouldn't have any ideas to alleviate your pain.
Naruto started to sigh when he paused.
Gaara…was the kind of person who said nothing. No matter what Naruto told him, the redhead wasn't likely to tattle to anyone else, right? Naruto suddenly sat up on the bed. Come to think of it, Gaara was there when Naruto had left that crystal meth on that staircase, and yet he'd said absolutely nothing. Gaara hadn't just forgotten about. He chose not to tell. Why was that again?
It was none of my business.
Right. That had been Gaara's strange reasoning. Naruto shook his head and turned to face the redhead. It was weird thinking of how Naruto viewed the man in the past. He was scarier back then. Strange and untouchable. Now that Naruto thought about it, he'd gotten the redhead all wrong hadn't he? Come to think of it, Kakashi even told him that Gaara would be different—the kind that Naruto could spill the beans to without any consequences.
Naruto took a deep breath. "Gaara?"
The policeman didn't move for a few moments, but when he looked up, Naruto sucked in another breath. Gaara didn't look any different. It was just always a surprise to see him. He was…exotic. Naruto couldn't think of any other word at the moment.
"I…" he started slowly. "I want to…" Naruto blinked. What the hell was he supposed to say? That he wanted to use the redhead as a living diary just for a moment? Naruto decided that it would be best to just go into it. "I…Kurenai said that…—I don't…"Naruto looked away. "I don't know what to do, Gaara. I left those drugs on that staircase…a-and I swear I didn't….mean to—it's just that—" Naruto stopped to shake his head; he wasn't making any sense. "Everything is just so messed up." He continued. "And now Neji's going to run his big mouth and probably tell everyone about…" Naruto paused; this was the part where he would have to trust Gaara. "He might tell everyone about Zabuza and Haku."
Naruto stopped there and looked at Gaara to see how the policeman was reacting. The redhead only stared at him with no particular expression on his face—the same way he looked on the staircase. Naruto took a chance and continued. "Zabuza…was the one who sold me the meth. I had to…" Naruto shut his eyes. "I had sex with him to get it. A-and Haku is…he's Zabuza's…partner. He's also pregnant." Naruto looked up to see Gaara's reaction again. The policeman looked the same as always. Naruto wrinkled his nose. "I…I want to tell them that the police are after them. I-I want to visit them at their club—Phone Booth—so I can tell them to run. That way…if someone…exposes them…they'll already be gone."
Naruto sighed when he finished, he'd been watching Gaara, and the policeman didn't really make a move to respond. This both irked and pleased the blonde. Gaara not saying anything now, meant that the information was probably safe from everyone else, but at the same time…he wished the redhead could at least…say a few reassuring words. Be more of a friend then just…a living, lifeless diary.
But still…"What do you think…I should do, Gaara?" he asked because he figured, he had absolutely nothing to lose. Gaara wasn't…stupid. There was a chance that maybe he'd have something to say.
To Naruto's surprise the redhead blinked. It wasn't the slow and impassive blink that he did out of necessity. This one made it seem as if the redhead was…surprised? No that couldn't be, because…because what? The policeman was human just like everyone else. He had emotions, right? Naruto was so caught up in the fact that he'd seen some sort of emotion on the redhead's face that he didn't react as fast as he would have when Gaara stood up from his chair.
"Gaara?" the blonde said, moving to stand up as well. "Where are you going?"
Gaara only looked back when he had his hand on the door knob. He looked at Naruto with a small frown, and nodded slowly towards the door. "Haku. Zabuza." He said lightly.
Naruto squinted at him, putting his feet into his shoes. "What? What about them?"
Gaara took his hand off the doorknob and turned to stare at Naruto fully. He didn't say anything for long moments, as if he was waiting for Naruto to figure it out himself. The blonde could only blink at him from the other side of the bed. He found himself being slightly annoyed. He knew Gaara was capable of forming sentences. He saw so first hand in the hospital, when he told that blonde policeman off. "Gaara," Naruto started slowly, trying to sound more curious than impatient. "What do you mean?"
Gaara only blinked at him before he put his hand back on the doorknob. His fingers twitched for one moment before he opened his mouth to speak. He tilted his head at first, as if he was at a loss for words before he spoke. "You have…" he started slowly, "to tell them."
Naruto blinked, not understanding, before he gasped softly. "You mean," he started, "You want….you'll let me…tell Haku and Zabuza?" Naruto made his way around the bed and walked towards the redhead. When he looked into the policeman's eyes, he saw nothing there, as usual, but Naruto somehow knew he'd interpreted correctly. "I…" Naruto shook his head. "I don't…What about Kurenai…Kakashi? They'll…She said I couldn't leave until Kakashi came…" Naruto waited expectantly for Gaara to speak. When he didn't for several moments, Naruto sighed and looked away, making his way back to the bed. "We can't leave the hospital…" he said shaking his head. "We'll get into trouble."
Gaara seemed to hesitate. He turned to face Naruto carefully, before his hands twitched lightly. He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words. Naruto eyed him expectantly, fingering the sheet where Kiba lay. He wasn't as impatient as he would have been yesterday, before he knew about Gaara's…disorder.
When the policeman didn't say anything for long moments, Naruto sighed and looked away. "It's probably better that we just wait for Kakashi to come…and question me, I guess. I'll…I'll have to lie to them, Gaara." He risked a look at the redhead, and found him staring at him with blank eyes. "But I have to do everything I can to protect my friends. Do you…understand that?"
"No."
Naruto blinked at that. When he looked up, Gaara wasn't looking at him. He was instead looking at something on the ground. Naruto was surprised. At first it was because Gaara rarely said anything without being prompted, and then it was because of the actual answer. "Uh…" he started lightly. Then he stopped. Gaara just said that he didn't understand what it meant to do anything for a friend so…
Naruto blinked. So Naruto would show him. With nervous determination, he found his way towards the policeman again. "When you have a friend…" he started lightly. "A really good friend, Gaara…you do everything you can to help them when they're in trouble."
Gaara blinked at him.
Naruto smiled awkwardly at him. "I might get in trouble," he continued. "But Haku is…He's my only living friend. So…" he put his hand on the doorknob. "Will you help me get out of here, so I can help him?"
Naruto looked at the movement of Gaara's eyes carefully. He seemed to hesitate, more so with Naruto's explanation than his actual decision before he finally inclined his head in what looked to be compliance. Naruto smiled at the policeman again, before he turned the doorknob and made his way out the door. Instead of the sort of looming and uneasy presence he usually felt when the redhead, tall as he was, stood behind him, Naruto felt…safe.
Naruto had been foolish to think that it was going to be a big deal getting out of the hospital. There were no officers blocking his way, or nurses on the lookout to see if he was going to leave. It seemed that Kurenai actually trusted him to stay and wait for Kakashi to arrive. Naruto didn't know whether to be pleased or worried about that. He hated disappointing people and doing this meant that the red eyed woman was never going to trust them again.
Naruto shook his head. They were walking outside now and with the sun as high as it was, it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday. He'd told Gaara that he knew how to get to Phone Book from his house, but wasn't sure how to get there from the hospital. The redhead had simply led Naruto to a bus stop, where they waited for the bus for about ten minutes. When the bus came he was about to tell the redhead he didn't have any money, but the bus driver had greeted Gaara with a smile and let them both in without paying the fare. Naruto had blinked at that. It seemed pretty much everyone knew the redhead around here.
Maybe ten minutes into the bus ride, Naruto started to find the neighborhood familiar, and they had gotten off where he thought was closest to Phone Booth. It was still a five minute walk, but it was no trouble considering it would have been at least thirty if they had walked from the hospital.
Now that Naruto was finally back in his neighborhood after what seemed like an eternity away from it, he felt a pit of depression come to him. He recognized the corners where he used to sleep when he was too tired to go home, the places where he got beat up, the stores he got kicked out of, the ally's where he got high. It brought back too many memories of his past. Maybe Kakashi had been right. Maybe Naruto couldn't live here. Especially not with Kiba. He didn't think he would fall under the influence again, he just knew that this kind of place just wasn't…it wasn't right for him. Not for someone who wanted to change, who wanted to be a better person.
So lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't stop when they reached Phone Booth, disguised as an abandoned workshop during the daytime. Naruto stopped in front of the small building with a sigh. He knew Haku would be home—Zabuza didn't allow him to go outside—but he wasn't sure if Zabuza would be. Naruto supposed Haku was the one he really wanted to talk to anyway. When his husband came home, Haku would just tell him what Naruto said.
The blonde took a small step back from the building and looked up at the windows to see if he'd see any open windows. They were all shut, and Naruto sighed. He would have to knock and possibly be hassled by one of Zabuza's look-out goons.
Before he knocked he turned around to see how Gaara was doing. The redhead was looking at the building with a blank look. Naruto sighed and turned to knock. You never had to knock hard on the Phone Booth door. There were always people there to answer the door.
On the fifth knock, a long rectangular peep hole slid to the side to reveal a pair of dark eyes. "What's the password?"
"Is Haku there?" Naruto asked lightly. "I need to speak to him. Tell him it's Naruto."
Naruto saw the eyes blink, as if hesitating. No, Naruto didn't know the password, which probably changed every day, but hardly anyone knew Haku's real name, much less that he was a boy.
The rectangular peep hole closed for a moment and Naruto heard feet walking away. He sighed and waited. One minute later, the door was opening, and instead of seeing an unfamiliar guard of sorts, Naruto saw Zabuza, with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. Naruto twitched slightly and tried to smile back. Now that he thought about it, it really was Haku he wanted to speak to. He had no real interest in helping this man. As he walked started to walk towards the beady eyed man, he saw Zabuza freeze, frowning at a sight behind the blonde.
"Who the fuck is this kid?" he asked with quiet ferocity.
Naruto blinked before he looked behind him. He was surprised when he saw Gaara less than a few feet away. He'd almost forgotten about the redhead. Naruto tried to smile again. "Uh…h-he's my friend." He said lightly.
Zabuza glared at Gaara before eyeing him up and down. Then he spit at a spot next the policeman's feet. "He's not my type." He said. "He'll have to pay full price if he wants something from me."
Naruto blinked multiple types, spluttering a bit before shaking his head ferociously. "N-n-no. G-Gaara doesn't…he wouldn't…" Naruto tried to formulate words, but he couldn't. The thought of Gaara actually selling his body for drugs sent…disturbing images through his mind. Finally he held his head downcast and took a deep breath. "Gaara doesn't do drugs, Zabuza—"
"Bullshit." The man said with a small laugh. "I know a druggie when I see one. Look at that face. This kid is probably high right now."
Naruto frowned up at Zabuza. "He doesn't," but then he stopped and shook his head. There was no use arguing about something like this right now. "I—Zabuza we're not here for drugs. There's something I want to tell you. Both of you. Where's Haku?"
Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "What the hell do you want to tell me?" he asked, ignoring Naruto's question.
Naruto blinked up at Zabuza slowly before responding. "I can't tell you out here. Let us inside."
Zabuza took a step aside to allow them in, but stopped Gaara with a hand. "Your friend has to be searched, blondie."
Naruto looked back at Gaara worriedly. "Do you…mind being searched Gaara?"
The redhead looked at him, but didn't get a chance to answer as a large man, possibly the one who first answered the door, started patting Gaara all around.
Naruto would have continued to watch but Zabuza snapped him out of it. "What the hell do you want to tell me, kid?"
Naruto blinked, lost for a moment, before he nodded his head. He'd rehearsed a bit of this when he was on the bus. "You and Haku have to run." He said gravely. "The crystal meth—"
Naruto didn't have a chance to finish.
"Hey boss!" yelled the man behind them. "This guy's a cop!"
Naruto blinked. Then he blinked again. And then he tensed all over. Oh. Shit.
"Zabuza," he started, but the beady eyed man was already stomping over to his goon who was pointing a gun at Gaara. The goon held a badge in his hand.
"This was in his pocket." The goon said, breathing hard, as if this discovery was taking a lot out of him.
"Zabuza," Naruto started again, already panicking. "It's not what you think. Gaara's—"
"Gaara…" Zabuza said lightly, as if testing the name in his mouth. "I knew I heard that name from somewhere…but I didn't think…" he paused, and took the badge away from the man. "Hmm…" he said lightly. "Hatake Police Department. This shit's legit."
Naruto's hands were shaking. His heart was pounding. He'd completely forgotten that Gaara hardly had any business being here as a policeman. How could he have been so stupid as to—
"You know, Naruto." Zabuza continued. He slowly took the gun away from his goon and pointed at Gaara himself. "Hold the fucker still." He said. The man did as he was told, coming up behind Gaara quickly—as if afraid the redhead would run away— and holding his hands behind his back.
Naruto put a hand to his mouth. "Zabuza, please understand. This is not—Gaara won't…he's not like the others. He—"
"Don't worry your little head, Naruto." Zabuza said lightly, a small smile on his lips. "You see, I always knew I would be betrayed somehow, someday, by one of my customers…but I never thought it would be you."
"I'm not betraying you," Naruto started to say, but Zabuza interrupted.
"Breathe easy, blondie. You'll be dead before you see the way I mutilate your friend here." Zabuza paused to cackle, before he shook his head and continued. "I know what happened. You don't have to tell me. You got high, you met a policeman who was gonna take you in, but he felt sorry for you and decided not to, for the simple price of you giving away where you got all your goods—"
"That's not—"
"Ah, but your tears say more than that, blondie. Your tears tell me that you've got feelings for this deputy hog. Tell me Naruto, you fuck em' yet? Has he seen that carcass body of yours?" Zabuza cackled again, before he turned to look at Gaara fully. The redhead, Naruto saw with blurred eyes, looked as impassive as usual, with his eyes revealing nothing. Naruto saw Zabuza frown.
The blonde shook his head and shouted. "I came here to tell you to run away!"
Zabuza paused and looked at him. "Run away from what?"
Naruto blinked, surprised that Zabuza was paying full attention to him, and continued. "I…the police…found some of the meth I…bought from you in an apartment building. Some people…know me there, and they know that I know you—so they'll…they'll find you, Zabuza." He sighed; glad to have finally gotten that out. Even if something did happen to him, at least Haku would be able to run away before Neji blabbed.
Zabuza looked at him with a deep frown. "So you're telling me," he started gruffly, "that you fucked up." He finished.
Naruto blinked. "I…" he looked away. "Yes."
To his surprise, Zabuza smirked. "Well, it's sweet of you to come and warn us, Naruto. But that still doesn't explain why you brought a cop with you." He laughed then, and shook his head. "Interesting story, Naruto. But I'm still going to blow both your heads off."
Naruto shook his head desperately, "No, Zabuza! You don't understand! Gaara's not—h-he—" Naruto paused in a frustrated gasp. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell Zabuza that Gaara was different, even if he was a cop, but that wouldn't change things. The redhead was a policeman and that's all that mattered to Zabuza. Naruto shut his eyes and clutched the sides of his head. His heart was racing, and his mind was tossing thoughts in his head. He regretted bringing Gaara along. He should have come here on his own, no matter the consequences he would face when he came back—if he came back. Naruto shook his head. But that didn't matter, did it? It was one thing to get hurt, but it was another thing entirely to get someone else hurt.
"Don't go and have a heart attack on me, blondie." said Zabuza with a chuckle. He pointed the gun away from Gaara and turned to fully face the blonde. "It's a shame, really…" he started with a softness that didn't become him. "You are…were…one of my favorites…" he finished with a smirk and walked towards Naruto. "I can't promise to let your little friend here go, " he said, with the same softness, "but I can promise not to make him suffer… if...you…" Zabuza stood right in front of Naruto now, looming over him with half lidded eyes and parted lips. One of his fingers reached to trace Naruto's chin.
Naruto flinched backwards and closed his eyes. "Listen to me," he started in a whisper. "Gaara won't do anything, I swear. And if…if you kill him—" the thought took Naruto's breath away. "Then you can't run away." Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at Zabuza, hoping that something in his face would prove to the man that he was telling the truth.
Zabuza only stared down at him with hard eyes. "You think I'm scared to kill a cop, kid?" he said with quiet fury. "Let me tell you something: Murder is worth the same no matter who it is you kill. A cop, a civilian—it doesn't matter." He spat on the ground. "I'm gonna blow your friend's head off, but not before I teach you lesson about threatening me."
Naruto's eyes widened when Zabuza grabbed his arm. "What—" Naruto was cut off when Zabuza squeezed his arm hard enough to hurt. "Zabu—ah—!" Naruto gritted his teeth when the man twisted his arm behind him. The blonde heard the man chuckle, and he closed his eyes in pain. He hissed when Zabuza dug his nails into his skin.
"Listen to me kid." said Zabuza right in Naruto's ear. "When I bend your arm backwards, I'm going to turn you around, throw you on the floor, and ram you into the ground." He said, with dampness in his breath that made Naruto shiver terribly.
Naruto bit his lip to keep the sob from leaving his mouth and he shut his eyes tightly. Everything was going wrong, he thought with another painful cry as Zabuza threw him onto the floor.
"Now," Zabuza said, moving to undo his belt. "This is the last time you'll get to do this, so I'll make it good."
Naruto adopted a horrified look when Zabuza began to undo his belt. When Zabuza said that he would ram the blonde into the ground Naruto didn't think he meant— "Wait!" he yelled, desperately. "I-I-I—Please, Zabu—!"
A foot came crashing into Naruto's face before he could plead, and his back collided harshly with the floor. Naruto let out a strangled cry and held his face where Zabuza's foot had kicked him. He felt blood leaving a crevice on his face and he doubled over to scream again—
"Aarrggh!"
Naruto opened his eyes; that wasn't his scream.
When he looked up, he saw a blurry version of Zabuza, whipping around to face something behind him. Naruto tried to wipe his eyes to see better, but ended up smearing blood into his eyes. Naruto opened his mouth to cry out, but another cry interrupted him. Naruto didn't have time to think of who made the sound when another loud thump sounded in his ears, then a shout—a disbelieving bark—and a clink of metal, like the cocking of a gun. Naruto, in a rush, scrambled for the hem of his shirt and wiped what he could of the blood from his eyes and nose. When he looked up, the gasp he wanted to make turned into something more of a choke of disbelief.
The goon who'd been holding Gaara was now on the floor, holding onto his stomach with his mouth open in a silent scream, and Zabuza, who'd been holding the gun, was now staring into the face of a gun held by a less than enthusiastic redhead. Naruto wondered fiercely how the hell this could have happened, and how on earth Gaara was able to keep a face so neutral, as he held a gun to an enemy's face.
"Gaa…" Naruto couldn't finish; he had no words, and a line of blood was finding its way on his lips.
The policeman didn't seem to notice him. Gaara had a line between his eyes that might have been a look of thought, but Naruto couldn't tell. He wanted to shout and say something, but he didn't know exactly what. He knew he couldn't just sit there,; he had to…he had to do something.
Naruto, slowly but surely, stood up from his position from the floor. He winced every once in a while, as he tried to straighten himself up, but he found himself relax when he was finally up. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"You won't shoot me…" said Zabuza softly, with a hint of amusement in his voice. Naruto could only see his back, but he could picture the cocky look on the man's face. "You can't shoot me." He repeated, a bit louder. "That's the common thing about all you cops—or at least the pansies the government send here. You guys get in trouble for shooting people like me, yeah? You have to take me in, expose me for what I've done, and get credit first. Well let me tell you something. All of it will be in vain. I've got people. When I'm gone, all the evidence will disappear with me. So just shoot me, or just let me go. Pick one."
Naruto twitched. What? What the hell was Zabuza saying? Didn't he realize that—
Wait. No, no he didn't understand what kind of person Gaara was. Very few people could. But amidst his worry, Naruto also felt curiosity. What kind of decision would Gaara make, in a time like this?
Naruto scratched that thought with a shake of his head. He didn't want to wait and find out. "Ga-ara," he called out. He coughed a bit when his voice came out as a croak. The redhead had his eyes fixed on Zabuza. The only indication that he'd heard Naruto was the small twitch of his ear.
Naruto nodded. He knew Gaara was listening. "Don't shoot him, okay?" Naruto said lightly. He didn't want to tip-toe around the subject. "He's..." Naruto paused, searching for words he didn't have. "We have to…get out of here…" Naruto took a few steps towards the two, keeping a steady eye at the goon who was now staring at the gun pointed at Zabuza with wide eyes. He didn't look like he would make a grab for Naruto. Naruto took a chance and went around the man until he was facing the redhead's profile from only a few yards away.
Zabuza looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before he smirked. "I knew it." He spat. "There is something going on between you two." He seemed to relax as he crossed his arms. He shook his head and chuckled a bit. "Again, I knew it—I knew this would happen. But from you Naruto? It's incredible. Fucking incredible."
Naruto tried his best not to pay attention to Zabuza. He was looking at Gaara with wide eyes. So far the policeman hadn't looked away from Zabuza once. He wasn't glaring—not like he had with Kankuro—but that small…tightening—Naruto didn't know what else to call it—in the corner of his eyes told Naruto that there was something going through the man's mind at the moment. "Gaara," he started again, louder than last time. "Put the gun down, and we can leave."
"Ha! You really think I'll just let you leave after this, Naruto? Let the big guy kill me."
Naruto looked at Zabuza with what he hoped was a warning in his eyes, and looked back at Gaara. He opened his mouth to say his name again, when a sound from ahead alerted him. Three of the four pairs of eyes turned to look at the noise. Naruto sucked in a breath when he saw Haku appearing from behind a corner towards the back of the large room. He had a suspicious look on his face, at first, but the look turned to one of horror when he saw the four men in front of him.
"Zabuza…?" Haku blinked. "Naruto? What's…"
"Why the hell are you awake for?" yelled Zabuza. "You stupid bitch—the one time I want you to sleep in you decide to wake up—!"
"Zabuza, I heard a noise," Haku started desperately. Then he stopped and stared at the gun in Gaara's hand. His eyes went dangerously wide. "Zabuza…" he said gravely.
Naruto, filled with relief and devastation, took a step towards Haku.
"You get the hell away from him!" yelled Zabuza, not moving but still with his fists clenched to the side. "Your blonde bastard friend is a traitor, Haku! He brought a cop to snuff out all our supplies and send us to jail!"
"Haku—!" Naruto pleaded. "Don't listen to him, please. He's got it all wrong. Please ,just listen to me—"
"How can I listen to you when that man has a gun pointed to Zabuza's face?" yelled Haku, his face turning red with fear and teetering on rage.
Naruto looked desperately between Zabuza and Gaara. "Gaara, please. I'm asking you, put the gun down—please." Naruto hastily wiped a tear away from his eyes. Whenever he was flustered like this, angry and desperate like this, he would cry. It embarrassed him almost as much as it angered him. "Please, Gaara." He tried again. "For me, please. Put the gun down."
Naruto stared at the redhead for what seemed like an hour before the policeman twitched. It was an odd kind of twitch, as if he'd just woken up from a long sleep or something. The movement came from his neck up, as if the redhead had been trying to swat a fly with his nose. Then, with a slowness that made Naruto want to jump off a building, Gaara's arm lowered until the gun was at his side, away from Zabuza.
The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He said, making sure that Gaara heard it loud and clear, to show how much he appreciated it. When he turned to look at Zabuza he found the man's face stunned, and staring at the gun that now lay at Gaara's side.
"I was only joking around…" he said lightly, trying to put a mocking tone into his voice, but only managing to sound dazed. "but you two…are together. Aren't you?" The man looked up to glare at Gaara. "Tell me, red." He started, getting the roughness back in his voice. "If blondie over here told you to shoot me, would you have done it? What are you, his bitch?"
Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. Damn it, Zabuza, he thought. "You've got it all wrong." He said, more anger than despair in his voice this time. "Gaara's not…we aren't…Gaara's my…he's my friend. He won't…he wouldn't…We didn't come here to hurt you."
Naruto turned to look at Haku then, who was still looking at him with betrayed eyes. "Haku," Naruto started softly. "I came here because Neji, Sasuke's—friend—might tell the police about this place. He hates me. He has…reason to…do that." He finished lamely. "I just…wanted you guys to be prepared, because…my grandmother—she," Naruto closed his eyes. "She's helping me now, a-and I can't go back to…" Naruto let out a shaky sigh, "I can't go back to…this. B-but I don't want you guys to get in trouble." He opened his eyes. "I'm under…" he blinked. He didn't know what word to use for this. "I…the police…They have their eyes on me. Some of them…really want to take you down, but Gaara," the blonde gestured towards the redhead, "he's…he's with me. He won't do anything. So trust him. And trust me." He looked hard at Haku. "Please Haku, you're the only one…you're the only real friend I have alive. Trust me. And hide."
Haku face, instead of the understanding that Naruto hoped it would shifted into, morphed into disgust. He put a shaking hand to his large belly and took a step back. "Get out of here, Naruto." he said lowly. He inclined his head so his hair was in his eyes, but the blonde could still see the betrayed glare in them. Zabuza, who had taken a few steps back as well, was smirking at Naruto.
Naruto breathed out noisily. Then he blinked and shivered. "Gaara," he said. He walked up to the policeman and took his arm roughly. "Let's go."
He had to drag Gaara, but by the time he'd finished opening the door, with tense fingers, the redhead was following compliantly. When they were outside, Naruto let out a sob. No tears came out; his body seemed to realize that he'd shed enough, but he was feeling pain all over. His heart was making that slow throbbing noise again, as if it was teasing Naruto's chest with the thought of stopping. "Gaara, "he whimpered, his voice thick. "Did you see the way he looked at me?" the blonde closed his eyes tightly. "I think…I think I've lost them all." Another sob escaped him, but again, no tears. When he looked up, the sun hurt his eyes, and the same pain from this morning was coming to him. He started to wonder if coming here was really worth it, if having to see Haku's face, so betrayed and hurt, was worth the pain he was feeling right now. Naruto shook his head. Of course it was. Now they would be alert. They wouldn't be caught by the cops as easily as they would have had it not been for him coming to warn them.
Naruto tried to content himself with that thought, but still, his heart ached, and his eyes were burning. But still, they had to head home. He squint his eyes so he could see what was ahead of him, but only saw the tall policeman, with the sun haloing his red hair majestically. Naruto smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Gaara." He said. "I'm…I'm always a mess, aren't I? But you see…" Naruto felt his face grimace as he held in another gasping cry. "I think…I think I've lost all my friends."
The redhead surprised him, after several tense moments, by lifting one hand—the one that didn't hold the gun—and looking at it with, from what Naruto could tell through squinted eyes, passionless inquiry. Gaara turned his hand over and stared a bit more, and then he looked up at Naruto, with a slight frown on his face.
"But I am still here." He said lowly.
Naruto blinked. "What?"
Gaara's brows furrowed and he held up his hand to Naruto's face, showing Naruto something that he couldn't quite see. He held his hand up there for a while, and when the blonde only continued to stare, he spoke. "I am still here." He repeated. "Not lost." The redhead shook his head, "You haven't lost them all. I am still here."
Another blink. Then—
Oh.
Oh.
It took a lot, for the blonde face not to split with the smile he gave Gaara then. "Gaara, " Naruto started, with a thick voice, but he couldn't continue. He remembered now, about what he said about Gaara being his friend when he was talking to Zabuza. It seemed the policeman took it to heart. Naruto shook his head in wonder. He didn't think he'd ever meet a man like this again. He…he wanted to hug the man.
But he refrained himself.
Just barely.
"Gaara." He said, after clearing his voice. "Let's go back to the hospital."
Gaara eyed him for a few long moments, as if trying to understand the sudden change in the blonde's behavior, but then nodded his head, and started heading towards the direction of the bus that would take them back.
Naruto started to follow but stopped, taking a quick look at the door where Haku and Zabuza were hidden behind, and hoping, sadly, that they would heed his warning, and run away. Naruto shut his eyes and shook his head. There was sadness, shame, and disbelief running through his head now. But…but none of those emotions could hold up to the feeling of wonder that built in him as he followed Gaara, the policeman, the redhead, the Schizoid—
His friend.
Author's Notes:
11,300 words!
Yes, it has been four months since I've updated this story. Yes, you have permission to kill me for taking so long. =)
I apologize, but you know—school, and all that. Hopefully the next chapter will come around faster since I've got everything ready for my freshman year in, (drum roll) college! I got accepted to each one I applied to…now to just PICK one.
Picking a college will not be a reason to delay any more updates, so no worries.
Also, I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit...dare I say it, cheesy, haha. But I suppose cheesy is how I roll. =)
Now I'm off to update LFFB.
Story Notes:
Ah, next chapter we'll have some old characters coming back into the scene, and I think we'll be finally heading to Gaara's house! I hope you're as excited as I am.
Please read, and review, or flame, favorite, alert—whatever. Any kind of recognition makes me happy happy happy. Again, sorry for the late update. I made this chapter the best it could be for your long wait. Hopefully the next one will come sooner than this one did.
Till next time.