A/N: for this beginning part with Naruto and Gaara, i got some mood music for you: 'Right Here' by Staind. gawd i love that song... -hearts-
HOLY SHITEEE, I BROKE 10,000 HITS. i lurve you guys! and oh my, i'm getting really close to 300 reviews... that's feck'n mind-numbing. plus, my fav and alert stats rose to 51 and 66 (was 48 and 64)? yayz! thanks so much, people!!
Chapter 25: A Chemical Chain-Reaction
All at once, the lone thing Gaara could see, hear, taste, smell and feel is Naruto. All his senses – his whole body – is taken over by Naruto. A warm, lightly pressured, uncertain mouth. A sweaty, meaty hand around his wrist to stop him from pulling away. A humming noise, like a content sigh, grazing his face from Naruto's nostrils. A blur of blonde hair and blue eyes fluttering closed before utter blackness as Gaara shuts his own lids. A flavor leaked through his sealed lips, along with a matching scent: burning leaves and ramen. The leaves could be from the chilly fall weather outside, and the ramen was probably the last thing Naruto had eaten.
The combination was intoxicating.
His first instinct – since all of his senses were filled and processed in a millisecond – was to pull away and run, out the arcade door, down the street, and all the way to the safety of his duplex. Where eyes didn't stare and nobody expected a love confession or some nonsense. A place where everything made sense.
Because, really, how did this make sense? One minute he was about to pick up a slice of pizza and begin gorging himself and before he can do that he's swept up into a full-on-the-mouth kiss. How did that happen? What brought this on? Why Naruto of all people? He's another male, an old enemy, a lab partner, a new friend, and…
And…
Gaara's heart skipped a beat. His second instinct was to kiss Naruto back. To slip his tongue inside, or to move his jaw, or to pucker his lips out of their tight, shocked line.
His third instinct was to speak. Say something, anything, but mostly 'why'. But that last 'and' from his thoughts was holding him back from speaking. And what? What else was Naruto to him? The first four things were merely fact… the last was something entirely different.
Naruto broke the kiss at a snail's pace, his lips un-sticking themselves and pulling away as his grip on Gaara's wrist released. Their noses grazed for a brief moment, and Naruto's hot breath came out and washed over Gaara's chin, making a shudder run down his spine and tickle his toes.
Why was his heart behaving so erratically? Why were his eyes only now choosing to open? Why was his face heating up into a wild blush? Why, why, why…
"Sorry," Naruto says to him, but Gaara can't comprehend the word at first. Once he does, he shakes his head minutely, trying to tell Naruto without words that he needn't be sorry. His vocal cords were dead in his throat, his tongue dry. He felt like a mute. But Naruto kept on talking for him, so it was alright. "I must look really stupid right about now…" He weakly places a nail to his scarred cheek, scratching lightly in mortification. "I did that without thinking…" Which wasn't entirely true, Gaara could tell. Naruto must have been thinking something.
"No…" is the one thing he finds he can say, his intelligent mind drawing blanks. 'No' here meant a great deal of things, like 'no, you're not stupid' (said fondly) and 'no, you didn't think' (said coldly) and 'no, you shouldn't have kissed me' (said sadly) and 'no, you were right to kiss me' (said happily) and 'no, don't come near me' (said panicky) and so on and so forth. It meant everything, that word 'no'; Because Gaara was terribly confused.
He had never gotten much affection when he was growing up, and any that was offered as he got older was either rejected or not allowed to happen. He's been hurt – emotionally and physically – too many times. So to have gotten a sign of affection out of the blue like that, well, it frankly blew a casket in Gaara's brain as though a hurricane had come and gone; literally.
"You…" was the next thing he could say.
Naruto cocked his head, wondering what he had brought upon Gaara's fragile emotional state. Havoc, that's what, the blonde guessed.
"Why?" he asks finally. Gaara places a hand on the edge of the pool table, trying to balance himself. He was on the brink of toppling over.
"Why?" Naruto repeats, taking that in. "Hmm…" he muses, throwing his hands behind his head and leaning against the table. He smiles faintly, the flush on his cheeks dissipating. "I'd say it's because I wanted to – no, more like needed to – and finally got the guts to. I've kinda liked you for a while now, and, um, was hoping I could turn this into a date." He clicks his tongue. "That was irrational of me."
I'll say, Gaara answers in his head. The shock was wearing thin, and he was growing more able to think. He runs a hand though his hair, starting at the bangs on his left side. His tattoo reveals itself for a moment, flashing dark red dashes and lines at Naruto before disappearing. Oh, the meaning of that diminutive Japanese symbol etched into his brow…
Something told Gaara that he still had time to run, and that he should do it this very second. He needed to bail, to regroup and think things over. A tiny voice, however, wanted him to stay put where he was and to settle things now. Where that voice came from, he had no clue, but it was like the one he had heard in the car that day a few weeks ago. And you know what? He decided to listen to that voice. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and didn't look directly at Naruto, but he wasn't running away, and that's certainly a start.
Naruto looks sheepishly over at Gaara. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
Was he angry with the blonde? Perhaps a little. That was unexpected and somewhat inappropriate. But that kiss had felt… wonderful. Hence, Gaara quavers his head 'no' in response.
Naruto looks relieved, and he smiles. "Well that's good," he says in a soft tone resembling a sigh. He clears his throat. "Our pizza will get cold if we don't eat it," Naruto offers, trying to move passed the moment. Even though every part of Naruto was begging him to do that again, every part of him wishing the redhead's lips would return the kiss the next time around. But Naruto bottled those urges up for later. If things played out correctly, he'd have the chance to give Gaara another kiss. And who knows? Maybe next time, the kiss would be Gaara's doing and not his. At least, he dreamed so.
Wordlessly, the paprika-haired boy reached forward and grabbed a square slice (the pizza had been cut oddly), the cheese sliding off the sides and threatening to drip sauce on his fingers. Gaara had lost his appetite. Yet he forced himself to take a bite; any excuse to not speak.
On the opposing side, Lee had exited the arcade as soon as Naruto had broken the kiss. He didn't want to see anything more. Once he was home (his father asking if he broke any high scores, though he ignored Gai and went to his room), Lee proceeded to change clothes, grab his boom box, and escape to the garage. Besides being in track, wrestling, and football, Lee was skilled in the martial arts. Namely styles of kung fu. It was something he's been doing since he was strong enough to thrust his fist forward and kick his leg up (4 years old).
He pounded the shit out of the punching bag that hung from the rafters of the garage, miscellaneous 70's music he wasn't paying attention to blasting from his boom box speakers. To his father, the video game must've made him want to do various fighting moves himself.
But that wasn't true.
What was actually going on in Lee's mind were racing thoughts in sync with his aching heart. They went something like this: Why did Naruto do that? He knew that I liked Gaara… and what about Sasuke Uchiha? He likes Naruto, and I'm sure he won't want to hear that they kissed. Kissing is a huge leap in youth, and especially in relationships. I'm disappointed I didn't get to be the one to kiss Gaara, but… He shakes his head, ridding his eyes of any tears they might spill. As hurt as I am, I can understand. Naruto must really like Gaara, maybe even more than I do. So if I interfere… it will only make things harder on Gaara. Plus, Naruto is my friend! I can't jeopardize our bond over some crush!
He calmed down after that revelation. Because he realizes something: he crushes on Gaara strongly enough to want him happy. And if Naruto makes Gaara happy, then Lee's fine with it. Besides, he isn't full-blown in love with Gaara; which means: if Naruto is in love with the poet, then he probably shouldn't interfere. And won't. It may take a while, but he'll find someone else.
It makes him sick at the moment to have witnessed such a thing, but in due time, Lee knows he can bounce back. It's how he was raised: don't let anything get you down for long. You have to live out your life to the fullest, and fuel your flame of youth to the best of your ability. And one kiss wasn't about to extinguish his flame.
Lee's what you'd call a 'fighter'. That's why he's titled 'Like a Rock'.
o0o0o0o0o
Sunday arrived.
Saturday night had been strange between Naruto and Gaara, and had ended awkwardly. Naruto felt like a moron and Gaara had been confused beyond reason. Not the best emotions for playing billiards or for polishing off a "date".
So all day Sunday, Gaara puzzled over things. He dissected the meaning of his emotions and sorted out his thoughts. He had plenty of time to do that, too, at his new job. He had gotten it just under a week ago. Naruto had guessed right when he was talking with Sakura on Thursday: the reason why Gaara hadn't answered his calls was because he had been at work.
He got a job at probably the best place for him to work at: Boarder's bookstore. A new spot opened up at the store in town, and as soon as he had seen that, Gaara jumped at the offer. And they hired him, because he knew a lot about books and coffee. Which gave him entitlement to discounts on both. His two favorite things in the world – reading and sipping caffeine – all at his workplace. Who could ask for more?
Sasuke could. He could ask for a lot more. Currently, he was asking for his whole house and at least 30 years in jail. It helped that Itachi belonged to a gang; it gave the court all the more reason to file accusations against him and get Sasuke what he wanted. Funny how Kyuubi was able to get a court date so soon. Either the court wasn't very busy these days (kudos to the ANBU) or Kyuubi had a lot of connections. It was most likely a mishmash of the two. It didn't matter. What mattered was putting crimes to justice. Even if it hurt him to do this to his own brother.
While he sat there in the courtroom, Sasuke fidgeted and grunted out replies and kept a straight face. He was uneasy, sitting here at a table in front of the judge, his brother parallel to him in the stand next to said judge.
And while Gaara stood around Boarder's, he also kept a straight face, but his thoughts were much more rampant.
Coincidentally, both boys' minds were on Naruto. Sasuke because he was worried how all this may affect him (since the ANBU was bound to find this out and do something to Sasuke for abandoning his mission), and Gaara because he was deciding things about (mostly his precise feelings for) the blonde.
It turns out – for the two – their answers came rather quickly. By Monday afternoon, in fact.
On Monday, during chemistry class, Gaara realized something: he didn't want Naruto to ever leave him. As a friend, as a lab partner, and as a body. In lamest terms, he missed the contact between himself and the other teen. Since Saturday, they haven't spoken or touched, and Gaara was missing it. What did this mean? Any idiot could understand that it meant he liked Naruto. How much, he didn't want to admit, because he feared it was as much as 'love'. Vaguely, he touched his tattoo under his hair. His e-pal caught him doing it, too.
"Headache?" he asks softly. Kakashi rambled main ideas about some science lesson or another from the movie that was playing on the television set above their heads. Naruto took notes on the teacher's words, albeit faintly.
The earthquake turns his head, staring straight into those blue eyes. He realizes one thing else: he's always liked Naruto's eyes. They held so much emotion and soul, and were the most unique shade of blue. Gorgeous. "No… I was thinking," he says. He glances down at the tabletop for a moment, the dimness of the room for the movie making it a darker black than usual.
Naruto smirks playfully. "What about?" he inquires. He turns his attention away from his note taking and focuses it entirely on his crush.
To tell the truth or to not tell the truth? That is the question. Gaara decided it was best to be honest. He presses a finger to his pursed lips, preparing himself to confess. He hoped Kakashi didn't interrupt; this was somewhat important. It was to him, at least. "I was thinking about that kiss," he whispers, wondering if Naruto even heard him.
Apparently he had. His eyes grow wide for a second. He glances around to make sure he was the only one who had heard Gaara's words. "Er…" Naruto starts, whispering as well. "And, uh, what are your thoughts on it?" He seemed nervous. And sounded very Shippuuden-like (which is different than his usual Naruto-like behavior. It was more serious, more sincere, and less goofy).
Resshin's inner thoughts that he kept to himself were: I want to do it again. But his outer thoughts that he shared with Naruto in this moment were childish, but honest. "You're good at it."
Naruto suppresses a chuckle. He hasn't kissed very much in his life… with other people, at least. He's done the classic thing countless times; that 'classic thing' being to practice on his own hand and arm. And even if he didn't French Gaara, according to him he was still 'good at it'. It was a funny thought to have the redhead tell him this, but also a flattering thing for someone to tell him. It made him feel a miniature sense of glowing on the inside. Playing it cool and flirty, he retorts: "We can try again some other time, if you like…"
Gaara could feel his face reacting, his cheeks tingling as they heated into a moderate blush. He looked away from Naruto's grinning face and coughed into his hand. Immediately he knew he shouldn't have said a word. If he was the type, he would flirt back and agree to 'some other time', but he wasn't the type, and felt openly stupid and discomfited.
He was in deep shit now. He knew he admired pretty much every detail that made up Naruto, and after that stunt the blonde had pulled on Saturday, he knew Naruto returned the sentiment. Problem is, how can he stand to go through with 'the next step'? Like admitting his feelings for real, or officially becoming a couple, or whatever else. He was shy and afraid, having too many conflicting things from his past. Yet he knew it was unavoidable, since he had – just last night – went to his phone and dialed the voicemail to hear that old message from when Naruto didn't know he was assigned to Gaara as a e-pal. He had done it to hear Naruto's voice again, even if he had just seen him Saturday and was going to see him again on Monday. So that does that tell him? It told him he was pathetically falling in high school puppy-love, which to Gaara was code for: NOT GOOD.
School ended shortly after, since all classes post-chemistry were pointless and boring in his eyes. Naruto wasn't in them. Shoot, there he goes again, thinking about his hurricane. School is over, that kiss is far behind him, and yet his mind won't stray from it. Damn it all. How can one thing affect someone so much? How can one kiss affect Gaara this much?
On the mirroring side of things, Sasuke walked into his house and plunked his schoolbag down to find his answering machine blinking. He strides over to the black box and presses play. A male automatic voice reaches his ears. 'One new voice message. Monday at twelve seventeen pee em: 'Sasuke Uchiha, according to our sources, you have failed your mission and found out the truth of your missing clan by yourself. You are no longer needed in the ANBU unless you have information on the Akatsuki for us. Otherwise, you are forbidden to usher the name of this group ever again, nor come by our headquarters. If you so choose to, we will take necessary precautions. That is all. Delete this message at once.' Bleep. 'You have no more recorded messages.'
Chills ran up Sasuke's spine. It sounded like a threat. And the voice of the speaker was someone he didn't know, which somehow made things worse. Suddenly, the phone rang, and he jumped in his skin. He picked it up off the charger attached to the voicemail machine. "Hello?"
"Hey Sasuke! It's Ino. How are you doing?"
"Oh… um… great. Just great," he says, shaking himself to rid his nerves of their anxious feeling. "How're you, babe?"
"Oh, I'm good; but you know how I can be better?" she asks lightly.
"How?" Sasuke replies, rolling his eyes but keeping his tone sounding interested.
"If me and you go out after school on Wednesday," she hints.
"Ooh, I can't…" Sasuke says. "I have to work. But I'm free Friday again." He did have some fun with her last time, and truth-be-told, he needed to get out more often anyway. Things needed to be taken off his mind, like this ANBU crap and his brother and blah blah blah. He'd prefer it to be with Naruto, or hell, even Sakura, but Ino isn't half bad. She's kind of preppy, but in a fun way, her snob level low on the charts.
"Okay," she giggles. "Friday it is, then. Where will we go this time?"
"How about the movies? There's a new one coming out. Something action-y, but has some romance in it, too."
"Sounds just fine to me," Ino counters. "See you then."
"See ya." And Sasuke hangs up, not bothering to say anything else for a goodbye. It wasn't his style. He collapses on the couch in the family room, his fingers making their way to his temples to rub out all the stress. Having a fake girlfriend, being rejected by a gang, having his brother possibly sent to prison… it can wear down a person.
o0o0o0o0o
Tuesday came, and Itachi's sentence got finalized. Convicted for murder, he was sentenced to 40 years, no bail, because he confessed and was proven guilty. 40 years plus his 20-or-so? That meant life, really. By the time he got out he'd be in his 60's.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way, little brother," Itachi murmured to Sasuke as the police hauled him away in handcuffs quietly.
"Me too, Itachi; me too..." Sasuke mutters with a broken tone. He felt rigid and cold inside.
And all this happened at 9:00 in the morning.
Sasuke wasn't going to school today. He knew the rumors would be spreading around like a mass of fruit flies, infecting everyone. And he didn't want to be there for that. Would you?
Reactions to the information were the main part of his absence from school. Especially the reactions of his friends. What would Naruto say? Or Sakura? What about Shikamaru or Ino, or anyone else he knew? Obviously, Sai must have heard it the second it happened, because the ANBU had already phoned him. What a mess…
In actuality, Ino was one of the first to be told, since it revolved around her boyfriend. Sakura got the news around the same time, having the status of "Ino's best gal pal".
"Poor Sasuke. It must be difficult for him. We should go to his house after he gets off work and bring him something," Sakura offered as soon as he heard the news.
"Well he's my boyfriend, so I think I'll bake him something I learned in Home Economics class. Do you think he likes dark chocolate/raspberry mousse pie?"
Sakura thought about that for a moment. She's known Sasuke longer than Ino has, and recalls all of his likes, one of them being dark chocolate. But the raspberry she wasn't too sure about. She shrugs. "You could try it. Whatever you make, though, I think he'll appreciate." And she sets a hopeful smile on her lips, a sincere gesture without teeth showing.
Ino returns the smile. "I think you're right."
For the rest of the school, random things were said with different feelings behind them. Some reactions more kind than others.
"What?! Itachi got sentenced for murder? Dude, who would've thought!" said one senior.
"Tch, serves the bastard right. I always knew something was wrong with Sasuke's older bro…" said the senior's friend.
"Aw, poor Itachi! I bet the guy was just confused and forced into it. He doesn't deserve this!" sympathizes one junior girl.
"Damn, it feels like we can't trust anyone these days!" exclaims one sophomore's older sibling whom he had texted. The older sibling knew Itachi from college.
"…Think Sasuke will join some gang because of this? Like he's been threatening to?" worries one of Sasuke's classmates.
"Actually, I think he's already tried. But who knows for sure? It's too troublesome to find out." Shikamaru responds to his worried peer.
…And that was merely the tip of the iceberg of the talk for the day.
The teachers tried their best to stop students from spreading this kind of information around, for fear of the wrong person overhearing it. That was the case for one conversation which caught Iruka Umino's ear:
"I wonder what'll happen with Sasuke now…"
"No man, more like: I wonder what'll happen with the Akatsuki now. Think about it: one of their members just got caught and sent to jail. They can't be too happy about that."
"How do you know that Itachi was in the Akatsuki?"
"Duh, everyone knows it; it's, like, common knowledge. I could name half the members in that group, in fact! Deidara, Kisame, Sasori, Hiden, Zetsu, Tobi, Pein is their leader, and then there's this chick with blue hair I saw once, and… that's all I can remember right now. Everyone else in it is pretty secretive, but those people I just named? They openly wear their black armbands with the red clouds on them. It's like Hitler and the Nazi signs, but more concentrated, y'know?"
Iruka reported this to Principal Tsunade. And she wasn't too happy about it. It meant some students knew more than they should, and that this one in particular might be working for one of the gangs. The chances were slim that he was, but you can never tell. So they brought those two teens in for a tiny chat. That ended with detention for after school that day. Why? They wanted to keep them safe and quiet. They didn't happen to work for either mafia, but the chances of someone working with the Akatsuki overhearing these boys and possibly wanting to do something to them for knowing to much was a risk Tsunade wasn't about to take. She had to protect her students for at least their parents' sakes.
However, – like when he found out about the events of Sasuke's and Ino's date – none of this talk seemed to affect Naruto very much. He and Kiba held a short discussion about it after hours that day when Naruto was secretly headed for the theatre to listen backstage for Gaara's audition for Rent.
"Man, no wonder Sasuke is so messed up. I had no idea that his whole family died that way, and by his own brother's hand! That really sucks," Kiba was saying.
The blonde shrugs. "I knew about his family's death, but I never thought it was Itachi who did it," he admits, cringing at the idea of it. He pauses for a moment. "Makes sense why Itachi wanted him to go to another school all this time: he was trying to get him out of the way so he didn't find out. Or maybe he was trying to protect him? Hell, who knows what Itachi was thinking. I just find it strange. And painful for Sasuke."
"Yeah, 'cause besides Sakura and me, he's your best friend," Kiba points out. "Even if… uh…"
"He used to like me. You can say it," Naruto grunts with the roll of his eyes.
"Right…" Kiba sweats, rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly, he grins. "Hey Naruto, where are you going, anyway?"
"Um… nowhere, you know? Just... walking around, avoiding going home," the other boy says quickly.
"Oh really? Then why are we headed for the theatre?"
"We are not."
Kiba makes a face and points to a sign on the wall above his head. 'Room 113, Auditorium'. "We're not, you say?"
Naruto snorts and hides his burning ears by turning his head. "So you caught me. I love musicals and wanted to hear the auditions, the horrible and great entries alike. Satisfied?" he lies, although it wasn't entirely false. He did want to hear auditions, he was only staying for one in particular: Resshin's.
"Hmm. Well, I think I'll join you; I like laughing at the sucky ones," Kiba smirks. He wasn't being mean; half of those 'sucky' ones are from people he knows and likes and is friends with. It's all in good fun. "Plus… Hinata's trying out for a part, and I want to support her."
Naruto looks intrigued. "Is she really?" he asks. If her audition comes before Gaara's, maybe I can watch hers first and support her before sneaking backstage. "Hey, I'll watch her audition, too. She'll need all the confidence she can get!"
"Knowing her, you're absolutely right," Kiba chuckles. Hinata tended to be self-conscious and shy, but Kiba knew for a fact that her singing voice was fantastic and she could really put her heart into her words, which is a major key point in acting.
Jokingly, Naruto leans closer to Kiba and winks. "You're really into her, aren't you? You guys have been dating forever, and you're not faltering like some guys would by now."
The red triangular paint marks on his cheeks suddenly blended in with the rest of his face. For once, the brunette was embarrassed. His blush faded as he turned his head. "Well, I'll admit I've crushed on her since we were kids, and I was jealous when she liked you and not me back in elementary school. But she's with me now and that's all that matters."
"Aw, you're in love with her, aren't you?" Naruto prods, his face turning fox-like in expression.
"N-no…" Kiba tries to lie, but Naruto sees with the way he stutters and doesn't look him in the eye that it's a lie. Kiba is in love with Hinata.
"If you say so, buddy!" the blonde chuckles, giving Kiba a hearty slap on the back.
"Let's get in there already," Kiba mutters out. He felt utterly humiliated.
"Sure," the other boy agrees, and the two stroll in and take a seat in the theatre's many movie seats (minus the cup-holders, since food wasn't allowed in here. One less mess for the janitor to clean up!).
"This is going to be good," Kiba grins, watching the Drama Club participants and other students who want in on this play skittering about in front of the stage.
"Totally," Naruto returns softly, thinking of Gaara. Hmm, what would the redhead do if he saw his hurricane in the audience? Because Naruto decided to stay and watch every terrible and wonderful performance from this spot in the back of the auditorium. Including Gaara's.
o0o0o0o0o
Meanwhile, things did not look good for Sasuke. The Akatsuki was holing a meeting, bright orange-haired and piercing-faced Pein at the head. He opened his mouth and scowled as he said: "Itachi got locked up in the Big House. Anyone know how one of my top members got sent away?"
Kisame cleared his throat, his shark-like full body tattoos rippling on his neck as though he had real gills. "I know how, Master Pein. My partner got sent there by his younger sibling, Sasuke Uchiha. Somehow the brat found out about Itachi's killing spree of his family a few years back."
"Oh?" Pein inquires, a disgusting smirk appearing on his face that meant foul deeds lay ahead.
Kisame nodded, his dark blue-dyed hair bouncing on the top of his head for a moment. Next to him, Deidara grunted. "So what should we do with this runt, un? Should we kill him?"
"That would seem fitting, but no. It'd be an easy escape. We don't want to let him off the hook with death… we want him to learn a lesson," Pein says arrogantly, that smirk eating up his entire face. His eyes flicker over to Zetsu. "Would you like to do the honors of spying on him? We need some information to determine the best method of… teaching." The word was used with a laugh, as though this was a full-sized board game to him. "After all, you're the stealthiest of us all; I guess that's what we get when we have a recruit who works at a greenhouse and owns a pet chameleon." Laughter followed this statement, with the exception of Sasori and Zetsu.
But he agrees. "I'll spy on him, Master Pein."
"Good." A pause. "Well, now that that issue is settled, we can adjourn." And they departed.
Deidara clicked his tongue as he walked out of the center meeting room of their hideout. He threw up his hair in a high half-ponytail, his black-painted fingernails and peach fingers weaving around and around until the ponytail was held tightly in place. "Stupid Itachi. I should've known he'd mess up, un."
Sasori shrugs. "It can't be helped."
"Tobi thinks this Sasuke kid will get beat real bad for turning his brother in!" says Madara, still pretending to be an idiot not related to the Uchiha Clan. The lone reason why they allowed him to join the group was for his fighting skills. He was valuable with those assets. Other than his fighting, though, he was the oddball of the Akatsuki.
Deidara bonks him on the head, nearly knocking his swirled mask off his face. "Shut up, Tobi! Nobody cares what you think, un."
"Wahh, don't hit Tobi, Dei-senpai! Tobi is a good boy!"
"More like a 'good for nothing'…" Deidara mutters coldly. For such a feminine-looking person, Deidara was cruel.
The short redhead between them rolls his eyes. He draws out an action figure and messes with it's limbs.
Unknown to the ANBU, he wasn't stuffing them full of explosives or weaponry, but instead with vials of poison that he could activate at any time. It was part of their plan: for the thousands of people who buy his little toys, each is holding a potential end to their bodies. The only way to stop the poison's effects? Get the antidote. An the Akatsuki won't give it freely, either; the reversal comes at a price. They'll have those hundreds of thousands of citizens across the country on their knees for the antidote. That equals big cash for them.
Diabolical? Naturally. It's how the Akatsuki does business.
A/N: don't worry about that poison plan. it's a dead end plan. Kankurou's goign to figure it out before it happens and he's going to tell the police and yadda yadda. it'll be a small event, so don't fret over it. what you SHOULD be focused on is Sasuke, Gaara, and Naruto. not even Lee. just those three boys. why? Sasuke's in deeper shit than he's ever imagined, and Naruto and Gaara are goign to get sucked into it somehow. plus, the next chapter holds the audition (full of NaruGaa fluff), and later on, the events following the play's premiere (with even more fluff). so yeah...
and OMFG, everyone, Gaara admitted to himself that he lieks Naruto. that's a big step for the over-analyzing redhead. XD ...other than that fact, though, i think this is a sucky chapter, even if the Akatsuki meeting was kinda fun (to write). it's like... filler. a lead-up to colossal amounts of action and fluff. yes, that's right, "action". as in, Sasuke's little "life lesson" from the Akatsuki. in the words of Kiba from this chapter, "this is going to be good..."