Note from the Author: I'm listening to the song, "Morningstar." So, as anyone who is familiar with this song knows, this chapter is going to be filled with angsty love. Who knows? Maybe I'll even have someone listening to it.
Yay for imaginary cities!
Swimmykitty458022: You know, I am actually kind of looking forward to school, because I draw most of my inspiration from the people around me (and bad '80s romance movies – but that's not the point).
BankotsusChick: o.O I love when people tell me that. So now the rest of my day is going to be amazing.
Book-manga-freak: :frowns: You poor thing:bakes you a I'm-sorry-you're-back-in-school cake: And thank you for loving my fluff.
It's what set us apart.
Temari had decided that, as a whole, the group needed to leave Los Angeles for a day. So they piled into their cars and took a three-hour road trip south to Suna. All the way, she babbled about how great the town was, how much she missed it – and all the friends she hoped to visit while she was there. If Shikamaru wasn't so bored with the whole idea, he would have been a little jealous of her affection for it.
Of course, Gaara had a completely different reaction to going home – none at all. He became very quiet, even around Ino, had refused to speak to anyone – glaring out the window as the landscape turned from grassy to dirt.
The outsiders' first impression was that it was dry – which wasn't a bad first impression, considering that it was dry. There was almost no vegetation on the whole of Main Street, aside from a few cactuses.
Lizards were abundant. One came dangerously near to Sakura's foot, and she shrieked and leapt into Lee's arms, screaming for him to get it away.
Shino picked it up, glared at it momentarily, then delivered it into the custody of Kiba and Kankurou, who he could trust to destroy it.
"Let's go!" Temari yelled excitedly, tugging at her boyfriend and, when his resistance caved, dragged him away, waving back at the others. "We'll meet back at the car for dinner at 6:30."
"Jesus, she's bossy." Kankurou muttered, eyes narrowed at his sister. "I'm so glad she's going to college next year."
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"This is the park." Temari said gleefully, slowing to a walk and grasping Shikamaru's elbow.
His eyebrow shot up, but he decided it was best not to mention that parks usually have trees and flowers ... and grass. "It's nice." He murmured instead.
She sighed heavily. "No, it's not."
He blinked at her bipolar response. "What?"
"It's not nice like Konoha is – it's all green and lush there." Her mood had taken a turn for the worse. "This isn't really home anymore, and that kills me a little." She found a bench and sat down on it, sitting cross-legged. "I know I've only been in Konoha for a few months, but I've forgotten most of my friends from Suna." Her teal gaze lifted to a sky that was blindingly white. "You guys are more important to me now." Her eyes turned to his face. "Does that make me a bad person?"
Shikamaru slumped down next to her, draping an arm across her shoulders and tilting his head back. "It makes you human."
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"I like your town, Gaara." Ino smiled at him as she picked through a souvenir shop.
"It's not my town." He replied curtly.
Her gleeful face turned toward a frown. "I thought you grew up here."
"I did." His answers were short, monotone.
"Then how is it not your town?"
"I hated it here."
"Talk to me like I'm a person, will you?" she hissed angrily, dragging him from the store and spinning on him.
He sighed. What Ino loved about his appearance was that he had a little boy's face. Now that face took on a note of helpless sadness, and her heart broke. "My father – he hated me."
"I'm sure he-"
"No, please – just listen." He leaned against the wall, laying his head against it harder than necessary. "My mom died during childbirth – you know, when I was born – so he hated me, because I killed her. And he treated me like shit." He decided it was better not to go into detail with that time of his life. "Kankurou and Temari did the best they could to keep me safe from him, but they could only protect me so much. Eventually, he tried to kill me – and, in just defending myself – I killed him instead."
She came close to him, blue eyes studying his face, trying to discern the blank look that had settled there. "You didn't do anything wrong," she whispered, embracing him, her head in the crook of his neck. "I would have done the same."
Gaara tensed for a moment, then seemed to remember who she was, sliding an arm around her waist. "I know. But that guilt never goes away."
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Kankurou walked out of the souvenir shop in time to hear Gaara say, "He was a great father to Temari and Kankurou – and I took him away from them too."
Something angry bubbled up in him, and he stormed over, pushing Ino out of his grasp – ignoring her protest – and glaring into his face. "Who the fuck said we wanted him?" he shouted, drawing the attention of several passersby. "You're our little brother, for Christ's sake! We were as miserable as you ever fucking were, because we were supposed to be taking care of you – protecting you – and we couldn't fucking do it right!"
Gaara stared at him, completely taken aback, and his eyes widened further when he hugged him tightly.
"Gaara," he choked out, "I don't think I'd ever been more relieved than when they pulled me out of class to say Dad had died. Temari and I sat there crying for two hours – because we were so fucking happy."
Ino smiled sadly at the exchange, strolling deliberately towards Sakura and Lee when she saw them to give the brothers a moment. "Hey, kids."
Sakura was blinking over her shoulder. "Yet another incestuous relationship?"
"Shut up, forehead-girl!" she barked, then grinned. "No – they're just sorting some things out. I think this trip was kind of nostalgic for them."
Lee gave her a pointed pleased look, because – as Gaara's best friend – he knew exactly what things she was talking about.
0
"It was too hot in Suna." Naruto murmured as he flopped stomach-first onto the couch in 'their' apartment.
The rest of the group had elected to go out to some clubs, but they were all so damn happy,and he just wasn't feeling up to it.
"Oh, hello."
His head shot up, and he blinked at a man with long dark hair and small golden eyes that were encircled by layers of purple eye shadow. He was kind of beautiful, in a creepy way. "Do I know you?"
The man grinned. "I'm your landlord." He drawled out.
"Oh, hey." Naruto grinned. "Orochimaru, right? Thanks for putting us up – we really appreciate it."
"Don't worry about it. You're Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah – how'd you know?"
Orochimaru's smile widened. "I know the names of everyone who occupies my building."
"I see." The blonde was getting serious creepy vibes from this guy now and decided that maybe he was up for a night out. "Well, um, I'm going to go meet some people."
"So soon? You just got home."
"Yeah. I just wanted to rest for a second, but now I'm okay so - hey, what the fuck are you doing?" He suddenly found himself pinned to a wall.
"You're quite pretty, you know." Orochimaru whispered, his breath hot on his cheek. "But you're so different from Sasuke-kun."
He tensed at the sound of his name.
That was exactly the reaction Orochimaru thought he'd get. "So you're lovers?"
"Were." Naruto whispered, eyes averted.
"I see. What's your secret?"
His glaring gaze lifted back to his face. "What?"
"How did you get him fall for you?"
He struggled hard against the grip that pinned his wrists to the wall. "He'll never want someone like you." He said softly, tone deadly.
Orochimaru frowned. "And why not?"
Naruto spat in his face, distracting him enough that he could get out of his grasp. "Because you're just like his brother."
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Am I the star beneath the stairs?
Sasuke figured Orochimaru wasn't going to care that he was carving lyrics into his apartment wall – he was so eager to get into his pants he could probably get away with anything.
Am I the ghost upon the stage?
His happiness – or what he'd thought was happiness – what he now figured was a drunken stupor – had dwindled away into nothingness when Naruto had appeared.
It wasn't that Naruto made him unhappy – he was never happier than when he was loved by Naruto. But it was driving him crazy being in the same building with the boy he loved not talking to him.
The knife movements grew erratic, the words more jagged.
Am I your anything?
Before he knew it, he was blinking down at the bleeding flesh he had accidentally slashed open. He watched the thick red liquid trail away over the edge of his hand and dripped to the beige carpet, seeping into it like paint. There was something fascinating about the deep color of the blood against the pale of his skin, and he found himself wanting more of that.
Pressing the blade against his arm, he made another quick cut. This one wasn't as deep – the blood coming out in droplets instead of a river. The pain was a stinging throb that he liked – that he seemed to need – that seemed appropriate. He deserved this.
As he continued to rip himself apart, the thought rang over and over in his head.
His vision was blurring, breath coming in spurts. Before he passed out, he crawled to his knees, and in a bloody scrawl beneath his last words, wrote, I deserve this.
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The group walked into the building just in time to hear a scream from the open door of the first apartment. Then Tayuya's pink head appeared, crying, "Somebody call a fucking ambulance!"
Naruto stared at her, his heart stopping. That was Sasuke's apartment. Pushing past her, he ran into the bedroom, gagging at the amount of blood that decorated the walls – the floor – the sheets – and the pale – oh, he was so pale – boy laying across the bed. Naruto knelt beside him, pushed his dark hair away from his face, pressed his forehead to a cool temple. "Sasuke." He whispered, closing his eyes in relief when he found a steady, if weak, pulse at his neck. "Don't die on me."
There was a sobbing gasp from the doorway that he recognized as Hinata's voice, then the hushing murmur of Neji comforting her and turning her away.
He didn't know how long he'd been there when he was slowly pushed away, and Sasuke was lifted carefully onto a stretcher by paramedics. One of them, noticing the blood that now covered the majority of him, asked if he was injured.
He only managed to murmur out a "Not physically."
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Additional A/N: o.O I promised you angst.