Author's Note; I'm sorry these last few chapters are late! Unexpected dog sitting over the weekend. Anywho, this is the end of book 1, Help Me. Book 2 will come up in a few months. I'll be loading it when I am a few chapters into the last book of the trilogy so I'm just going to warn everyone now.
When it comes time for me to upload chapter 1 for book 2, Save Me, I'll post an added chapter on this story with a note saying that I'm loading up book 2 so keep an eye out for it!
For all those that have helped me out in this, comments/criticism or not, I'm thankful :)
Hope you all enjoy these last few chapters!
Chapter 53
Naruto
Okay, twelve days … completed! My Dad has actually kept his word and has actually found a job thanks to the detox center he was at and now pays the bills himself! Well, he'll be able to pay them once he gets his paycheck and he gets paid every two weeks.
He was surprisingly able to get a job in the police station and now handles all the paperwork like he used to. Tsunade mentioned to me yesterday that's what Dad did until we lost Mom. So I'm glad he's back doing something that makes him happy. Hell, it makes me happy that he's happy!
Gaara and I got into another fight just last night because I wouldn't stop bitching to him about how little we see each other now that Dad's home. It got so out of hand that Itachi told me I had to go because I broke something in the spare bedroom that probably cost a damn fortune. Gaara also had to go home because he looked like he had murder planned in his eyes. And that's the last I talked to him … he didn't even want to say hello to me when he got to school this morning, during any classes or during lunch and when we left school. I really pissed him off, and I really felt sorry for yelling at him like I did.
Itachi let me back in his house, though, after school today, but I wasn't allowed to be alone. I think I pissed him off too but you could never know with Itachi. He had the best poker face that I know of. It's even better than baa-chan's poker face.
Right now, I sat at the kitchen table with Sasuke working on homework together, and he had a pissed off look on his face too. I guess he was trying to talk to me about something and hell, I've been doing nothing but regret what I did to Gaara last night so that's been on my mind all day.
"Naruto, if you keep zoning out like that I won't help you." Sasuke said once I came back to the present and shook my head.
"I'm sorry Sasuke … I'm just … wishing I didn't do what I did last night." I sighed and dropped my pen. We were working on homework for Iruka; a five page short story, front and back so it's really a ten page short story and double spaced when typed up, about something we cherish most. God, and I had been writing about Gaara the entire time, so I tore every page I wrote on and threw it into the garbage.
"I know Naruto, but it's like once your father came back into your life on good terms, you turned into this asshole and a very needy asshole at that." Sasuke said, and he really didn't need to rub it in my face either.
"Whatever." I sighed angrily and started packing up my homework. "I'm going home." I hissed once I stood up and started to the front door to put my shoes on, but Sasuke grabbed my arm, keeping me in the kitchen and I glared down at him.
"Sorry, I've just … I've been really worried about you around your father. I know he's changed, and it's becoming more and more real. He's just scared something's going to turn in your fathers' head and he'll snap or something. He isn't trying to avoid you, but last night really got to him." Sasuke said, like I didn't know already. "And I'm in the same boat Naruto. Itachi's really trying to make sure your father keeps busy when he's home also as to not think about alcohol, you know that right?"
"Yea, I know, which is why Itachi also has him working for him part time to make up for the bills he owes you two." I said, crossing my arms and wishing Sasuke got to the point already.
"Tsunade also thinks that you shouldn't be alone with him just yet during the day." Sasuke added.
"Okay, I need to talk to Gaara face to face, I get it." I snapped, pulling my arm out of his hand as I threw my arms up.
"Not only that, but you really should give Gaara some time to adjust to having your father home and the fact that you two can't be seen together in case he sees you two." Sasuke said.
"Great …" I sighed, crossing my arms again as I looked at something other than him. "Take me to his house, I don't care how late it actually is. I'm talking to him tonight."
"Give me a few minutes and we'll leave. You can leave your stuff here if you want." Sasuke nodded as he got up and I threw my back pack onto the table. I decided I should be ready when he came back from doing whatever so I went to the front door, making sure I had my house key and my cell phone as I put my shoes on. This was going to be a long ass night.
"Going somewhere Naruto?" I heard Itachi say behind me, so when I turned around, he had on only a pair of pants and had his arms crossed as he rounded the couch to come up and talk to me.
"Yea, Sasuke and I are going over to Gaara's place and I'm going to talk to him …" I sighed, digging my hands into my pockets as I looked down so I didn't look him in the eye. "And Itachi … I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean to go that far."
"I know, Naruto." Itachi sighed before I could say anymore, then I saw his hand come close and pull my chin up so I could look at him. "And I should apologize for myself. You know I wouldn't go off on you like I did unless something was bothering me."
I sighed and nodded again when he let my chin go just as Sasuke came back to the living room with his newest high collar leather coat he got over the weekend that seemed to suit him well, especially since it was black. And when he saw Itachi standing next to me with no shirt on, he shook his head and walked up to us and put his shoes on.
"We'll be back whenever we can." Sasuke told him, and Itachi nodded as he brought his arms up behind his head as he stretched lightly.
"If you don't see lights on, that means I'm in bed, okay?" Itachi said, and Sasuke nodded as the two of us walked out the door, saying our good byes and headed out to the car.
When Sasuke and I got to Gaara's house, the entire drive in complete utter silence, and the silence was driving me crazy. All I could think about was how pissed Gaara would be if I showed up so soon after our fight.
"Maybe I shouldn't do this Sasuke." I mumbled when he parked the car in the driveway and turned the car off.
"I know you're scared, Naruto, but you need to face him before it gets too out of hand." Sasuke said as he turned to face me, and he looked serious, almost as if he was saying 'I can't believe you made me bring you here only to chicken the fuck out' with his eyes. And I knew that's what he was thinking. That's for certain. So I knew now that I couldn't back down … now that we're already here.
I sighed and got out of the car, Sasuke followed and the two of us went up to the front door after locking the car up.
"Did you call before we came over?" I asked.
"I called Temari, telling her we were on our way since she sent me a text yesterday that she's going to be off work tonight while Kankuro used her car to go to work." Sasuke answered, I knew he called while he went to get his stupid coat.
"So Gaara has no clue that we're here?" I asked, half way to the front door and I was mentally starting to panic.
"I don't know if she told him or not, that was up to her." Sasuke shrugged, then proceeded towards the door and I sighed once again before hesitatingly followed him the rest of the way to the door and hid behind him while he knocked.
When the door opened, I know I saw a mop of red hair past Sasuke's shoulder, though I knew I was hidden well enough from the eyes of the owner of that mop of red hair that I need yet to be alarmed.
"Oh, I didn't know you were coming over Sasuke." Gaara yawned.
"I called Temari, it was the first number my phone went to. I thought she'd tell you we'd be coming over." Sasuke said, and I knew that was the wrong thing to say.
"What do you mean we?" Gaara asked, and he sounded pissed. Oh God, I knew this was a bad idea, and I was holding my breath for so long that my whole body was shaking.
"Naruto came along … and he wanted to talk to you." Sasuke said.
"I don't want to talk to him right now." Gaara said after what seemed like forever, especially when I finally took in a sharp breath, realizing that I almost blacked out. But I didn't know because my eyes were closed tightly, waiting and ready for him to start yelling at me any second for being here in the first place.
"Then you don't have to talk to him, but at least let us in, it's freezing." Sasuke hissed, and I could tell he was getting impatient.
"Whatever." Gaara mumbled and I heard him walk away from the door and Sasuke walk into the house. I was about to turn away and go back into the car, but Sasuke turned around and dragged me into the house and closed the door behind me. Great, now I'm locked in the cage with a pissed off lion.
"What the hell do you want Naruto?" Gaara hissed from the couch when Sasuke took his shoes off and threw himself into a chair on the other side of the room, probably to keep himself physically out of it in case there was a fight.
I choked on whatever I was going to tell him that I thought of on the way here. I knew I was holding my breath again, only because I took in a small, sharp breath with each silent sob I made and didn't let any of that air go, like I was clinging onto it for life. I lowered my head so my hair hid my eyes, so he wouldn't look into them and see how pathetic I am.
"Well?" Gaara said again, and just from the way he said it, he was losing his patience.
I wrapped my arms around myself before my mind started racing and the only thing I could think of was to run away and as far away as I could.
I was about to do that, until I heard something said in my voice and it was so low, that I didn't even know what was said. Hell, I didn't even realize I had talked until Gaara spoke.
"What? I can't hear you Naruto." He said, and I heard Sasuke scoff from where he sat.
"I'm sorry." I choked, thinking that's what I said a moment ago, but I still spoke in barely a whisper. Then I heard someone get up from where they sat and walk towards me. I only noticed it to be Gaara when I saw a pair of dark brown flannel night pants with black socks and a maroon colored shirt stand in front of me. I made sure that was all I could see, because I was too scared to look him in the eyes.
"Could you repeat that … one more time?" He asked, his voice low. But I couldn't tell if he was still angry or not.
"I'm sorry." I sobbed a little louder, but I didn't stop there. For some reason, that's all I repeated and I lost count after ten because I wasn't really counting.
Even though I kept saying sorry, I felt Gaara wrap his arms around me and hold me close to him. I didn't even realize how hard I was crying until I buried my face in his shoulder and cried onto it.
I stopped with saying sorry and my words changed to me saying how pathetic I am and his hand came up to the back of my head and he petted my hair. God, I really must be pathetic to be this low. I'm blaming it on the depression.
"Shh, it's okay Naruto. You apologized and I accept it. I overreacted too so I'm to blame as well." Gaara whispered in my ear. "I'm sorry also."
The two of us stood there a while, though I know it couldn't have been too, because the door handle was starting to turn so Gaara pulled me away from the door and I was rushed to the couch where he sat down and pulled me next to him, holding me tight as I tried hard to dry my face, though I kept failing because the tears wouldn't stop. Luckily, before the door opened, Sasuke was able to find a sad movie that was on … and just over with the saddest part of the whole thing … just before Gaara's father walked through the door putting his keys in his pocket and stared at Gaara and me before he closed the door.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Just a sad movie." Gaara shrugged. I guess he didn't want his Dad to know we had been arguing since yesterday.
"Okay, Temari home?" His Dad asked.
"Yea, she's upstairs taking a bath I think." Gaara said as he waved his hand when his father walked by and into the kitchen when he took his shoes off.
"Alright, and hello Naruto, Sasuke." His dad nodded off as he waved back lightly.
"Afternoon Mr. Sabaku." Sasuke and I said at the same time, pulling my phone out when he was most definitely busy in the kitchen and typed in on a new message saying 'lets have a sleep over at Sasuke's house tonight' and showed it to Gaara real quick.
Gaara only shrugged and nodded lightly before he took my phone from me and probably changed the message around a little bit and tossed it over to Sasuke before I had the chance to even read it myself.
When I stared at Sasuke, he only stared at the phone before nodding and changed the message up before tossing it back to Gaara. God, can't I even read what they're saying on my phone? I felt left out, well, more like a third wheel.
"Dad, can I stay over at Sasuke's tonight so we can work on homework together? We're supposed to work on short stories for English class and Iruka-sensei wants at least some people to form a group and critique each others' work." Gaara said as he cleared my phone and gave it back to me.
"When is it due?" His Dad asked.
"Monday morning." Gaara answered.
"Sure, as long as you work on your homework." Gaara's dad said a few moments later and I couldn't be happier. But the thing I'm happiest about, is that Gaara and I were okay again. Of course that sounded selfish, but it was really lonely when he and I weren't talking to each other. Something I vowed to never let happen again.
"Thanks Dad." Gaara smiled and got up. "I'm going to go pack up." He whispered as he looked at me and rushed upstairs. And to be honest, that's the first time he and I looked each other in the eye … and he looked like he didn't sleep at all last night. Something else that can be blamed upon me and put on the list of selfish things Naruto can and will do.
"Take good care of him Sasuke, Naruto." Gaara's dad said a few minutes later as he walked out from the kitchen, heading down the hall to the steps and went upstairs.
"Will do Mr. Sabaku." I smirked deviously, which earned a choked laugh from Sasuke when he saw the look on my face. It was obvious that Gaara's dad didn't hear it, but I did earn a smack on the back of my head that I really wasn't expecting and I nearly jumped and fell out of the couch.
"Who was that!?" I cried out and rubbed the back of my head.
"That … was for last night." Gaara said behind me, and I frowned slightly, but it was soon gone when Gaara walked around the couch and pulled me up onto my feet when he grabbed my hands. Man he packed his bag pretty quick. I didn't even hear him come down the stairs and I gave him my best pout face that I could muster.
"Keep that lip out and a bird might fly over one of these days and poop on it." Gaara smirked as we headed to the door to put our shoes on and I had to choke back a scream to resent that little comment he made. But either way, Sasuke was behind us laughing so hard he almost couldn't keep himself up to put his shoes on … let alone stand. At least someone is having a good day.
