A/N: no, i am not listening to Faith Hill right now. no, i am not in the process of making three NarutoXGaara AMVs using Goo Goo Dolls music. no, i am not changing the supposed-to-be title of this chapter ("A Letter A Day While Gaara Is Away") to chapter 28. and i am certainly not overly happy about the ending scene at a not Halloween party. also, i'm not hinting that the next chapter is full of fluff and danger. nor am i mentioning how logn this chapter turned out to be (about 7,000 words).
nope, none of that at all. what made you think i was doing any of those things? :0
Chapter 27: All Mixed Up
The Uchiha Clan Estate felt empty now that it was in Sasuke's lone custody. And it felt worse because he was home from school and in a bad mood. He's finally able to express his raw emotions without being seen by his fellow juniors, but in a echoing abode. How depressing.
"Fucking Gaara. What does Naruto see in him, anyway?" He slams a few things around, mostly pillows from the couch. They plunk down hard, making soft poof-ing noises and thuds, yet the sounds don't quite fulfill his needs. "I mean, why did he have to go and kiss him for? And right behind my back, too! Just when I thought…" Sasuke pauses. When he thought what? That he could go about being Naruto's friend without obsessively crushing on him? He should've know better. His nature is to obsess over the emotions of his teenaged body, like getting revenge for his parents and family or being attracted to someone enough to do anything to have that person, or to have his revenge. There's a word for that; it's called being possessive. Sasuke realizes this, and mentally slaps himself. "Shit, I'm a compulsive, possessive bastard. Great; it's like how I've always dreamed I'd grow up." He shakes his head. Who should he blame? His brother, his family's death, Naruto, Gaara, or himself?
In the end, he was left with himself to blame. Being home alone at this very moment proved that. Gaara never did anything directly to him (at least not without good reason; he did provoke Gaara to punch him silly that one day at Kohl's…), Naruto has always been his friend despite all the circumstances, his family didn't mean to die and leave him stranded, and his brother had spared his life.
Hold up. His brother had spared his life? Had he really, or was it sheer lack of opportunity that saved Sasuke from death's clutches?
Sasuke mulled this over as he straightened up the pillows he threw and couch cushions before taking a seat. "Come to think of it, Itachi was trying to tell me something before I ran out the door to tell Kyuubi and Naruto what had happened," he recalls, although tried not to think about where Naruto had actually been while he said the murderous information to Naruto's uncle. (Which had been in Gaara's arms, Sasuke bet. During a fucking kiss…)
What had Itachi been about to say?
He had sounded so sincere that day in court when he was dragged away. 'I'm sorry it had to be this way, little brother…'
Was he really sorry?
"Dammit, I'm reading too far into this," Sasuke grumbles.
With an exasperated sigh, he stands form the couch and heads for the kitchen. Comfort food was in need. He pulls the girl's pie from the fridge and plunks a slice onto a plate, digging out a fork and taking an eager bite. He hadn't admitted it to them, but this tasted like heaven to him. He adored dark chocolate, and the rich accent of raspberry was a nice compliment to the bitter sweetness.
Humming idly to himself, Sasuke head for his computer. Maybe he'd send Naruto an e-mail, or check to see if the dobe was on instant messenger. Plus, he'd like to check his Facebook. MySpace is for wannabe chumps, he always says.
Tch, Naruto's not online, unless he's invisible (again). And another chain letter comment from Shino on his Facebook. Poor guy doesn't know when to stop sending them… must be a cry for attention or something. Sasuke rolls his eyes and shakes his head, proceeding to take another delectable bite of pie. He opens a new message screen and stares at it for a moment. What should be say to Naruto? For all he's concerned, Sasuke doesn't like him anymore, and they're just friends. If only Sasuke's heart would agree with that statement.
Licking his finger of whip cream, Sasuke types an e-mail. An idea sparks in his mind. Why not invite Naruto – as well as others – to his mansion-like home this weekend for a Halloween bash? The holiday was coming up rather soon, and he said he needed a distraction like a chaotic house party. So why not do it this way? He can forward the e-mail to just about everyone in his grade. That should do the trick.
Halloween reminded Sasuke: in about a month or two to come, right before Christmas, the production of Rent by his school would be playing. Funny how time flies; by that time, Itachi would have been in prison for three months. It's kind of mind-blowing to think of the future…
So he stopped thinking about it and enjoyed his pie and planned for this weekend.
o0o0o0o0o
From: DarkAvenger(at)comcast(dot)net
To: Addicted2Ramen(at)yahoo(dot)com, Cherry-Blossom-Ripple(at)comcast(dot)net, FuzzyBrowsAttack(at)yahoo(dot)com, Cloudwatcher-Shadowtacker(at)hotmail(dot)com, FattyMcLarge(at)yahoo(dot)com, OceanEyedGurl(at)hotmail(dot)com, Sharpie45(at)comcast(dot)net, violetblush(at)yahoo(dot)com, BeetleJuice514(at)hotmail(dot)com, HyuugaMan(at)yahoo(dot)com, InuzukaHowl(at)comcast(dot)net
Subject: FWD: Halloween bash this Saturday
Everyone –
Saturday at dusk I'm having a Halloween bash.
Dress in costumes, any kind.
Bring whatever you like, and leave getting the keg to me.
There'll be pop and pizza as well, and I'll set up my Xbox and Wii to play whatever.
I'm hiring a DJ, unless any of you want to volunteer.
Forward this to anyone you can think of; I want a full house.
Since I have this estate to myself, I might as well trash it, right?
Sasuke
Naruto frowns up at his computer screen, which currently displayed this letter. It was kind of perplexing… Why does Sasuke all of a sudden want to host a party? He was never the type to party in the past. Kiba is someone Naruto would expect this from, not Sasuke.
With a shrug, Naruto forwarded it to everyone on his contact list that wasn't listened in the original sent list. One of those people included Gaara, but at the moment Naruto forgot all about Sasuke's dislike of the redhead.
Plus, the excitement of the event began to pump through his veins, distracting him. Should he cosplay as an anime character? Should he go as a movie villain? Should he be something from his childhood, like a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle or a comic book hero? Actually, being one of the TMNT sounded good to him. Mikey especially; he's the funny one and wears friggin' orange! How can Naruto resist orange?
Nodding to himself about his costume choice (and not caring if anyone else gets the brilliant idea to be Michelangelo), he clicked 'send'. Panning over to iTunes, he selected a playlist at random. Techno music, something rare of Naruto to listen to, filled the air surrounding his bedroom. He bopped his heel in time with the beat, smiling about what happened less than an hour ago when school ended.
Naruto had been headed for the parking lot for his bike (still weary of cars, it seems) when he spotted Gaara marching towards the theatre. "Oi, Gaara, wait up!" he had called to the other boy.
Gaara had stood still and turned slowly as Naruto approached him, a strange look on his face. "Need something?" he had asked.
In return, the blonde had nodded, yanking a piece of paper from his pocket. "Mr. Umino wanted me to share this with you," he told him. He held out the page to Gaara to take.
When he had handed Gaara the Faceless-and-nameless grading scale, the strangest thing happened; it was like that day over a month ago…
"You see something you like?"
"Er… no," Naruto retorted with a huff as he leans back and adjusted himself in his chair.
Gaara's eyes bore into him. "Then don't stare; it's rude."
Kakashi had plopped a stack of graded papers on his desk. His head jerked up as he glanced at his teacher. "Huh?"
"Pass these out, Uzumaki. Unless you rather have everyone wait until their next report cards to see their grade."
"Oh, um, sure…" The very top paper had been Gaara's. "Here," he said lowly between clenched teeth. For the faintest fraction of a moment, their hands brushed at the knuckles when Naruto let go of the paper. The contact was small, but in that second Gaara's muscles tensed all over his body. When Naruto had walked away to give the next graded paper, he had puzzled over the redhead's reaction. He had wondered if it was out of hate.
But this time, as he gave Gaara a different graded work of their combined effort, he felt a spark and watched Gaara's ears pinken as their fingers made contact.
Ever since that new reaction, Naruto's been wondering what Gaara's true reasons were for saying he didn't want him at the play. Was it out of hate like that day in chemistry? Or did he tense and try to ward Naruto away out of some other emotion? The blonde would like to think so.
Naruto grins and stands from his computer's desk chair. Whatever the reason, maybe it means he can ask Gaara to Sasuke's party. Like a date. But a real one that actually ends nicely. Who knows, maybe he can get Gaara to go as a different Ninja Turtle… like, say, Rafael? Raf's the tough one in the group, and his eyemask is red; just like Gaara's hair. It would be interesting to see them dressed like those two, since they're polar opposite individuals. Come to think of it, he and Gaara are polar opposities as well. Perhaps that's why they attract so effortlessly, like magnets. Which is why he won't give up on his crush, even if Gaara's words stung him earlier today.
Content for the time being, Naruto stretches and plops himself down on his bed to do some homework. That's when Sakura calls.
Picking up the phone before Kyuubi can, Naruto clicks the gizmo on and greets the girl on his caller ID. "'S up, Sakura?"
"Did you get Sasuke's e-mail?" she asks, her voice oozing with eagerness.
"Sure did," Naruto replies. "What about it?"
He could picture Sakura giving him an eye roll. "You're going, aren't you?"
"I got nothing better to do on Saturday," he jokes.
She chuckles. "Thought so. Want to go together? Matching costumes like last year?"
In the previous year, Sakura and Naruto – along with Lee, Neji, TenTen, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Ino – dressed up as Harry Potter characters. Sakura had insisted on being Hermione; which made Ino and TenTen argue with her, although in the end TenTen decided to be Cho Chang. Neji went with Sirius, Kiba wanted to be Ron, and the list goes on and on. Since he was the only blonde male, they made Naruto Malfoy, even if he whined about it and wanted to be Harry (who Shino got the honors of being). They couldn't get Shikamaru and Chouji in on it because the two had decided to go as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
"Actually, Sakura… I was planning on being a Ninja Turtle, so –"
"Ooh, great idea!" the pink-haired girl replies from the other end. "We can do all the characters from there! I want to be the reporter woman who friends the Turtles… what was her name again? Ah, doesn't matter. Who should be Casey, or Master Splinter, or any of the Turtles? And then there's the issue of the Shredder…"
Naruto shakes his head. Ino must be rubbing off on Sakura, because she's being overly-bubbly about this. Then again, if it's something she likes, Sakura can get pretty excited over it. She's a soulful, emotional person, who half the time is punching you out due to PMS. "Sakura-chan," he coos, "That's fine and all, but I was hoping to be Mikey and get Gaara to be Raf."
There's a short silence in where Naruto pictures a sly smile spreading across her face. "Oh? You mean… you're going to ask him to the party? Like a date?"
Yes. Absolutely. That's a given, and exactly his thoughts from a little while ago. But he can't go telling his yaoi-loving friend this much; she's already bugged him enough about liking Gaara. And yes, "yaoi-loving"; both Sakura and Ino think guy-on-guy action is sweet and forbidden and charming. They both read all kinds of yaoi manga and fanfictions and watch all the yaoi animes. It annoys the hell out of Naruto and Kiba. Neji tends to be indifferent about their obsession, and Lee doesn't seem to know or care. Sasuke, on the other hand, is most likely just as guilty as the girls, but Naruto can't be sure.
"No, not like a date," he says in a high, weak voice. He's terrible at lying. Naruto clears his throat. "I might've kissed him, Sakura, but I don't think he wants to date me. He kinda said something to me, so I'm not sure if he's interested. I try flirting all the time, but…"
"Whoa, hold on a sec. What did he say? And when?" she wonders, her voice sounding more serious and concerned.
Her blonde guy friend sighs. "Today, before technology. We were walking to class and the play auditions got brought up, and well… he said he doesn't want me at the play."
Sakura thinks for a moment. "How did he say it?"
"He said it coldly. Like, 'I don't want you there'. It hurt, Sakura…"
"I'm coming over."
"Huh? But it's a school night!"
"So? We need to talk!"
"Sakura, it's no big deal," Naruto tries to convince her. "I'm over it now. I have a plan."
"Sasuke's party?" she guesses.
Actually, the plan was to go incognito at the production and watch Gaara from afar, but that sounded reasonable; she thought he meant he had a plan to get Gaara less cold towards him, and that's part of it, so he shrugs and buys into the small lie. "Yup."
"Clever," she chuckles. "…So I take it it's a no-go on the matching costumes?"
"You can get everyone else to, but I'm not doing it this year."
He imagines her fake-pouting. "Fine, be like that. It's not the same without you, though."
He laughs. "You'll manage."
"Alright, well, I'm going to go now. And no, not to your house, since you seem fine. Just don't give up, you hear me? I told ya once, and I'll tell ya again: I approve of Gaara, so you two better get together!"
More laughter on Naruto's part. "Okay, Sakura, I got it. Bye now."
"Bye, love. Kiss-kiss!"
"That's Ino's phrase," Naruto chuckles.
"That's the point; I'm making fun of my oh-so-loveable sister from another mister." And then she clicks off.
Sakura really is strange. But he's sincerely glad that they're friends.
o0o0o0o0o
A knock at the door. "Gaara, can I come in?"
Temari.
"Hn," he grunts in agreement.
His elder sister slips into the room, coming to sit beside him on his bed while he reads a book. The title on the spine tells her it's a collection of Edgar Allen Poe short stories and poems. He only reads dark things like that when he's depressed or troubled over something. Temari sighs as she leans back on his bed to rest her dully throbbing noggin against the cool wall. "I'm going back to college this weekend. Uncle Shukaku is going to live with you for a while."
Gaara snaps out of his story (a classic favorite, The Pit and The Pendulum) and looks at her. "Why?"
She casts her dark teal eyes to him, all the laughter gone from them. They've been like that since their father died. "He's depressed about his brother's death, Gaara. You can't blame him for wanting to be closer to his family."
"He'll only have me around." It was a statement made to show how little Gaara's thought of in their twisted family. His siblings were the lone people who actually liked him and somewhat knew him.
Temari lifts her head and reaches for Gaara's sock-covered foot, giving it a light squeeze. "He likes you, and wants to get to know you better. He says you remind him of himself as a child."
Gaara stays silent, his eyes drifting back to the book in his hands.
Temari scoots up higher on the bed. She crosses her legs Indian-style and faces her younger brother. "Look, I know it's weird to you and you'd rather not, but give Uncle Shu a chance, will you? He doesn't drink like Dad, doesn't get violent unless provoked, and is pretty funny once he lightens up. He used to come by a lot when we were little, remember? Back when Yashamaru –"
He cuts her off. "Don't say that name," he snaps.
Temari's jaw clamps shut. "Sorry," she says after a moment. "Gaara, please. He has no one else to turn to but us, and Kankurou and I have school. He needs you."
"No one needs me," Gaara replies softly. He meant more than this one situation. Sure, he's needed in the school's play as Tom, but he doesn't think he's needed in anyone's heart. That's where he's wrong. And Temari sensed that was what he meant.
"I need you," she replies. "I need you to help our uncle, I need you to get through high school, I need you to be here when Kankurou and I come back, and I need you to talk to us more."
Gaara shoots a glare at Temari. When she gets low-voiced and serious on him, he hates it. Part of him doubts her words, because Temari – with anyone else other than him – will act completely opposite to this. She's not a solemn person like he is; she's a spicy, cocky, witty individual. When they went to the mall she acted like that, all smirks and upbeat-voiced, but right now… She was being gentle. It made Gaara uncomfortable, because no one else is gentle with him. Except maybe Naruto, but that's a different story. "Why must you insist on lying to me?"
Temari blinks and looks wounded. She frowns. "Since when have I lied to you, Gaara?! Unlike some people, I don't blame you for anyone's death! I know you didn't kill Mom or Uncle Yashamaru, and…" She gets determined. She's never said these next words to Gaara because he's never wanted to hear it, but in this moment, he has to. "I love you."
The redhead freezes, something unrecognizable stirring in his stomach and burning his heart like food that didn't settle with him. Yet he had hardly eaten anything today, so he can't blame bad cooking. "What did you just say to me?"
A faint smile. "I've always cared about you, and loved you. Since Mom died early, I feel like I've taken on the role of mother for you and Kankurou. You've never let me say it, but I had to. I want you to believe me, and trust me; on everything. And for now, I want you to trust me about Uncle Shu's stay here. Can you do that for me?"
Gaara makes a movement forward, looking like he was about to set his book aside and embrace his sister. But he doesn't. He lays the book to his side but doesn't take his hand off it, and leans back again. "Alright," he mutters. "I'll trust you."
"Then do you believe me, too?" she inquires, her words floating into Gaara's skull and sticking like glue.
Deep down, he believed the entire time that Temari loved him, more motherly than sisterly. She was protective of Gaara, and Kankurou was as well, in his own way. Gaara knew that, even if he's never admitted it. So, moving his lips a fraction of an inch, he mumbled, "Yes."
Temari got her spark back for a second, and it caused Gaara to lose the burning churn in his abdomen. Then she stands, kisses Gaara on the forehead without protest from him, and leaves. The kiss tingled and lingered on the spot she left it, making the poet very tempted to wipe it off like a five-year-old. He doesn't, however, and instead continues reading. But his brain isn't processing the words on the page; it's thinking about what his life has come to in these past few months, and how a different kiss from another blonde was being rekindled in memory on his lips.
o0o0o0o0o
Halloween is a day away, but Sasuke's bash is tonight. Heh, you drink and dance and be merry one night and the next you're out playing pranks and trick-or-treating. Who could ask for a more festive weekend?
"Hey, Dad, can you help me with this effing shell?" Naruto grunts, being careful not to swear in front of the adult like he has in the past. He squirms and tries to get the turtle shell to lay correctly on his back and get the chest plate to do the same on his front, but he was facing difficulties.
Kyuubi chuckles and comes to Naruto's aid. "I remember being a Ninja Turtle when they first came out," he says. "I was a senior in high school, I think. Or a freshman in college. Somewhere around 18," he says as he jerks the shell into place and straps it on properly. He hums as he looks the costume over. "You need green paint for your skin."
"I have some, I just haven't put it on yet," Naruto replies. He waddles over to the kitchen table and picks up a tube of body paint. "See?"
His adoptive father tries to hold back laughter. "You might want to practice walking, Naruto," he says lightly. "And how you're supposed to dance, I have no idea."
Naruto frowns. "Yeah, I know…" He sighs as he smears paint on his face and neck. He was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, so didn't bother to paint anywhere else on himself. As the paint dries, he sits down and ties on his lily-orange eyemask. "Hey, you do know this is a crazy house party, right? Doesn't it bug you that there's going to be underage drinking and possibly high rooms and bumps in the night?"
That's Naruto's way on mentioning alcohol, drugs, and sex. That's what all high school and college parties seemed to be filled with these days.
The businessman shrugs. "So long as you're not holding the beer, smoking the dope, or getting freaky with some random girl, I'm okay with you going. I think your mother and I raised you enough to know better an be above all that shit. And if my brother-in-law had lived, he would've taught you the same thing."
Naruto nods and placed a smile on his lips. "Well, in that case," he starts, standing from the couch. "I'll see you around 1:00 in the morning. Bye, Dad!" And he heads for the door.
"Now hold on a second there," Kyuubi grins. "Are you taking the car or your bike? Because I'd feel better if you took the car."
A contorted expression takes over Naruto's newly painted green face. "Uh… do I have to? I mean, I'm still kinda shaky behind the wheel, and with drunks on the road…" It'd be like how Mom died, minus the motorcycle, he finished in his mind.
Kyuubi sighs. "I know what you're thinking, and that won't happen. Please, take the Nissan. Or else I'm keeping your green ass home."
A crooked smile spreads across the blonde's mouth. "Alright, alright, I'll take the car. You put up a good argument, Mr. Bijuu." Naruto used Kyuubi's last name in mock respect, as if he were one of his uncle's clients. Kyuubi hated his last name; it made him sound like some demon, which he was in a metaphorical sense from all the scams he's done in his business, but that's beside the point. He wished he could get rid of it… Kushina was lucky not to have to take it as a maiden name since they were only half siblings.
"Get out of here, you rascal," Kyuubi says with a wave of his hand. Naruto winks with a thumbs-up and scurries out the door. "Pfft, teenagers," the middle-aged man scoffs when his nephew if gone. He plops himself down on the sofa. "I wonder what Shukaku's up to; I need something to do. It's practically Halloween and I'm bored off my ass."
Speaking of the Sabaku family, Naruto had failed in asking Gaara to the party. In the end, he had chickened out. All through school, and even when he had been about to call said redhead. He was hoping he could find Gaara there (if he even decided to go) and maybe sneak another kiss before the night was done. Hmm, I wonder what costume Gaara picked… Naruto thought idly as he drove his way over to the Uchiha Estate. It was after dusk, approximately 9:00 p.m.
When the door opened and Sasuke had Ino hanging off of him like a monkey, Naruto cracked a smile. "Hey," he greeted over the loud music that played in the background.
"Hey yourself!" Naruto returned, taking a step inside passed his friend. "Got a lot of people here already, I see."
Sasuke smirks. "Hn. News travels fast."
"Is that Kiba as the DJ?" Naruto laughs, mock-squinting like a captain at sea to the other side of the room.
"Yeah, he volunteered. Said he had better music than any hired DJ. So I let him." Sasuke explains, and Ino tugs at his arm.
"Let's dance, Sasuke! Please?" she's saying. She was dressed like Madonna; how predictable. Sasuke, on the other hand, was like Batman from the new Dark Knight movie. Surprisingly, he was the only Batman, and he made a damn sexy one. At least Ino thought so.
Naruto catches an eye roll behind the mask on Sasuke's pale face. "Fine," he agrees. "See you later, dobe," he says with a passing wave. "Refreshments in the kitchen, kegger out back."
Naruto nods and watches the couple move to the dining room, which Naruto realized Sasuke cleared out to make a dance floor. With no one's direct attention on him, Naruto takes in the scenery.
Tiny jack-o-lanterns hung in strings from the ceiling, black lights lined the walls, and miscellaneous lamps with blue, purple, red, and green bulbs lit any shadowed area. It was like a night club but classier, and Naruto noticed a few people wearing glow sticks, bracelets, and necklaces. The music he recognized as something old form the 80's, something resembling 'The Safety Dance'. The air smelled crisp from multiple open windows, letting all the fall chill in to cool off the sweaty dancers, beginning drunks, and to air out the house from being otherwise stale.
Ah, just how a high school party should be.
Making his way to the kitchen, Naruto spotted a few original and very unoriginal costumes. A couple of Superman and Wonder Woman were kissing on the loveseat, an Inuyasha and Kagome were conversing with Pepsi in their hands by Kiba's sound system speakers, and there were a couple werewolves, vampires, and zombies; the usual creatures of the night. He even found a handful of ninjas (none were Turtles like himself, he noticed), robots, fairies, and a Wizard of Oz character or two.
Suddenly, a Darth Vader bumps into him. "Oh, sorry," Naruto says. The Darth lifts his mask to show Shino's face.
"Hey Naruto," Shino says in a careless tone.
"Hey man!" Naruto replies idly. "Uh, you see Sakura around anywhere? Or Lee? Or maybe… um, Gaara?"
"Sakura's dressed as that girl from Gone With The Wind, if you want to find her. I don't know what Lee is, and I don't think Gaara's here." Shino replies, returning his mask and sounding muffled and deeper. He must have a voice changer built inside to sound like Darth himself.
"Thanks," Naruto grins. He was a bit panicked that Gaara hasn't been seen; but the night is young and he could simply be fashionably late. So, with Sakura in mind since her costume was the only one given, he grabs a 7Up and scouts the vast party scene for her.
He finds her in a curly brunette wig and scarlet dress on the deck in the back yard, a slice of pizza in her hand. He waves her down, and she spots him. "Naruto! You're here! Finally… I've been waiting since 7:30 for you," she scolds. She give him a small hug with some problems with the shell on his back and front. Sakura giggles. "I see you went through with being a Mutant; not that you weren't already one," she jokes.
He laughs. "Gee, thanks." He plucks the pizza form her hand and takes a bite.
"Uhg! That's my pizza, Naruto!"
"Not anymore," Naruto retorts, shoving the rest in.
"I hope you choke."
"And I hope you can tell me if you've seen Gaara."
Sakura raises an eyebrow. "I thought he was coming with you?"
Naruto sighs. "Unfortunately, I chickened out in asking him out."
He gets a smack on the back of the head for that one. "Idiot! You should have asked him! What if he doesn't come?"
"I'm afraid of that," Naruto admits. "But I think he will. Something tells me his siblings would want him to have some fun."
In fact, that's exactly right. Temari left yesterday (Friday), but before she went she saw Gaara looking at the letter Naruto had forwarded to him. "A Halloween bash?" Temari had said to the redhead. "Gaara, you have to go! Kankurou would force you if he was here. Hell, he'd crash something like that."
At the time, Gaara had been completely against it. "No way."
"Aw, but Gaara, it's just the thing to cheer you up. I know you've been down lately; why else would you coop yourself up in your room more than usual, reading nothing but depressing Poe stories? You have to go to this. I bet Uncle Shu would agree with me."
"Don't bring him into this," Gaara had told her. He sighed in defeat through his nose. "Have it your way. I'll go."
"Ooh, I wish I had time to go costume shopping with you!" she said in a tone that clearly showed disappointment. "Oh well. Be good at the party tomorrow, okay? I'll call you Sunday when I'm back in my dorm."
Gaara had nodded and exited the yahoo mail window. As for that costume… he threw together some things he already had.
And now, in present time, he stepped onto the threshold of the Uchiha Estate at about a quarter after ten. He sighed to himself and walked around back, not quite ready to enter the house yet. How did his sister convince him so easily? Maybe, considering the fact that Naruto had sent him the e-mail, he wanted to secretly go. So here he is, seeing two kegs on the side of the back deck and the shell of a turtle talking to a brunette. Scratch that, a bubble gum pink-haired girl who has to be Sakura Haruno talking to a Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtle. In the light, the person could be either Michelangelo or Rafael, Gaara couldn't tell. Red and orange looked similar to him at night. Although he thought he caught a glimpse of something tucked into the Turtle's belt, and it doesn't look like the sai Rafael uses.
As he got closer and head for the patio door, however, Gaara heard Sakura and the Turtle talking.
"So, have you seen Lee yet?" Sakura asks with a chuckle.
"No, why?" replies the mysterious Ninja Turtle. Gaara tenses at the sound of the voice. Shippuuden…? Naruto?
"He's dressed as GIR from Invader Zim. You know, the little robot? He's that, but in the bright green dog suit. He says he was going to be Dib or Zim, but thought GIR fit his personality better." She laughs, and out of the corner of his eyes Gaara sees her shaking her head.
He hears who he thinks is Naruto laughing with her, and then he speaks. "Why does that seem so hilariously fitting?" More laughter. "Anyway, I better get you more pizza since I stole yours. And look for Gaara, if he's here yet."
That confirms it. The Ninja Turtle is Naruto. And he's looking for someone that's a few feet away from him.
Silently alarmed, Gaara rushes into the house before Naruto can catch up to him at the patio door and see him. He makes his way around random bodies, some dancing, some talking, and some drinking. The scent of candy corn, potato chips, and cheap beer met his nose and he scrunched it under his mask.
Yes, a mask, for Gaara was cloaked as The Phantom of the Opera. Sadly, the mask was meant for the wrong side, meaning it wouldn't cover his tattoo if he slicked his hair back like the Phantom. So Gaara was left with his bangs over one eye and a mask surrounding the other. Which made him very recognizable. And as much as he'd like to gravitate towards Naruto for the remainder of the bash, he was not in the mood right now. He needed to emotionally prepare himself more.
Naruto saw the Phantom's black suit and in the oddly-colored lights thought the wearer of the costume had black hair. So he ignored the other teen he saw and shrugged as he stepped into the kitchen for more pizza. It was there that he found Chouji, munching on BBQ chips and slugging down a Root Beer. "What's up, Naruto?"
"Nothing, just getting some pizza for Sakura. I ate hers," he explains, so not to sound like an errand boy.
Chouji was disguised as Jigsaw, with swirls on his cheeks and lines painted down the sides of his mouth like a puppet's. But his girth made him recognizable. "You see Shika anywhere? He's dressed like Freddy Krueger."
Naruto shakes his head. "Went for the horror movie theme, huh?" he asks cheerfully as he grabs a slice of pepperoni.
Chouji nods. "Yup. It was Kiba's idea. He's Jason, if you noticed."
"I did," Naruto grins. "Hey, I gotta run this out to Sakura. I'll catch ya later."
"See ya."
As Naruto made his way back through the crowd to the girl waiting for him, he saw Hinata talking to Kiba behind the DJ station. She was dressed beautifully as a Japanese geisha, her hair up and beaded in her forelocks, her dress reaching the floor, and her face makeup as perfect as Mulan's. Naruto smiles at the odd pair, one an American movie villain and the other an eastern beauty. Go figure.
He saw someone dressed as San from Princess Mononoke, complete with a teeny, black-purple crystal dagger around her neck. Where is her Ashitaka? Naruto wondered with a curt laugh.
After he delivered Sakura's pizza, he came across Lee and chattered for a while. Lee seemed a bit goofier than usual; did someone slip him some beer? It didn't matter, though, because Neji was Lee and TenTen's destined driver. Neji never drinks, and when he does, it's not much. He can hold his alcohol really well.
Gaara, a ways away, was trying to get into the groove of dancing. He wasn't very good at it, but he liked to let the music carry his body. His eyes were closed and he did random moves that had no name, but fit the beat of the song.
Suddenly, Naruto sees him. The only hint he got was the hair moving aside on someone's half-masked forehead to reveal the kanji for love. Naruto's face couldn't smile any brighter. "Uh, I'll talk to you later, okay, Lee? I just found someone I've been looking for all night."
"Sure," Lee says lazily.
Naruto pushes passed the partygoers and makes his way to come up to the redhead. The ground seems to shake beneath his feet, and Naruto nearly laughs. It could be the thrumming bass of the music, but Naruto likes to think it's Gaara's dancing. Once again, Resshin peeks through.
"May I cut in?" Naruto jokes, speaking to the invisible partner Gaara was dancing with.
Gaara's eyes flutter open and he stares at Naruto for a full minute. He lifts his half-mask from his face to get a better look, almost as if the blonde Ninja Turtle in front of him is a mirage. "Naruto?"
"Where have you been, Gaara? I've been looking everywhere for you! Looks like you decided to come, eh?"
His e-pal doesn't respond, just replaces his mask and turns his body to dance. He felt angry with himself or letting Naruto find him. He should have faced the blonde from the beginning or came to him himself. Yet he hadn't.
"Come on, don't be like that!" Naruto protests, starting to dance around to the front of Gaara.
He dances close, too close, and Gaara feels his face heat up. Thank God the Uchiha used dim lighting. "What is with you?" the Phantom asks with a frown.
Mikey cracks a smile. "You didn't think I'd let you get away with one kiss and virtually no more e-mails, did ya? Prepare to be spammed, because with that play coming up you're going to be too busy to hang out with me, so I'm going to e-mail the heck out of you. And as for another kiss… well…" Feeling bold, he dances so close he's practically grinding on the other boy, his face nearing Gaara's.
A few people give them weird looks, while others don't even notice. One person in specific sees it, though. And he wants to roar.
Because as Gaara's stunned lips begin to react for the first time and as Naruto inwardly pats himself on the back for a job well done, Sasuke is clenching his drink so hard it crumples and pours cool, sticky liquid onto the floor.
This is all mixed up, he thinks sourly as he glanced towards Ino, his supposed 'girlfriend', whom at the moment was chatting with TenTen and Sakura. I'm with someone I don't even like in the way she thinks, Lee's probably just as hurt as I am, and two people who used to hate each other are kissing? What the fuck is this, a conspiracy?!
Sasuke focused on his breathing for a moment. Up, down. Up, down. Slower, slower, calmer, calmer. There, all better. He looks away from the blonde/redhead couple and noticed Sai staring right at him from Ino's direction. Who invited Sai? The guy was nuts, totally uncomprehending of human nature, emotion, and interaction. A freak from the ANBU.
"We need to talk, Uchiha," he says coolly.
"Can't. Kinda seething right now," Sasuke says between grit teeth.
Sai takes one look at Naruto and Gaara and nods. "It's been expected that they'd get together; I've known since that day in art class. I knew all along who his e-mail partner was, thanks to the ANBU's copy of the school records. You'll have to learn to live with it. If you will live, that is."
The raven-haired boy stops dead and burns holes into Sai. "What are you saying?"
Sai folds his arms over his chest. "What I'm saying is: the Akatsuki is after you. I'm not telling you because the ANBU is going to protect you, but I'm telling you so you can protect yourself. They have something planned to make you suffer, something involving a blonde, I heard. Now you have a girlfriend and a best friend that fit that description. So unless you want to get either one of them hurt, I suggest you figure out what the Akatsuki wants with you and why."
The vampire-pale boy vanishes in the sea of Halloween freaks, and suddenly Sasuke is left with Ino tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey Batman, is everything okay in Gotham city?" she jokes, but sees the look on his face and makes the question serious. "Sasuke? Are you all right?"
Sasuke shakes his head 'no'. "I think the beer is making my head fuzzy," he lies. "I'm going to lay down in my room."
"Oh, um, okay. Want me to come with you?" she asks out of concern, and partially out of hormones.
"No," he says sternly. Then he storms up the stairs, leaving Madonna hanging.
Meanwhile, Naruto is reveling in the fact that Gaara's lips are replying. He's about to work his tongue inside the cavern known as his earthquake's mouth, but suddenly someone taunts, "Get a room!"
"Bugger off!" Naruto snaps, snatching a phrase from a British movie he saw once. He thinks 'bugger' is another word for the f-word, but he's not sure, nor does he care. It sounded close to 'bug off', so it didn't matter.
"Why?" Resshin's voice says.
Naruto looks back to Gaara, realizing it's the same as at the arcade. He smiles gently. "'Cause I'm not letting you go, even if you don't want me at your play, or probably in your life. I'm here and you can't stop me."
Gaara pushes him away. "I hate that you're so persistent."
"And I hate that you kiss me back and then shove me off to the side! You're extremely confusing, you know that?"
"Better than being lucid," he retorts. He removes his Phantom of the Opera mask and tosses it to the floor. He takes a few steps, but Naruto reaches out and grabs his shirt. "Let go, Naruto." Gaara practically growls.
"No way, José. I said I wasn't letting you go, didn't I?" His tone is indescribable; something without a name, a combination of stubbornness, sadness, cockiness, and playfulness. "I need you here to talk to me."
Gaara pauses in his tugging on Naruto's grip. That's like what Temari said to him the other day: "And I need you to talk to us more." He gives Naruto a reluctant look. "Fine. You want to talk? Let's talk. But not here. Outside."
Naruto nods and a smile reaches the corners of his mouth. Finally, some conclusion! But what will he say to the redhead?
