[Credits: All corrections were done by Nora D.]
* * * * * * * * * * * *4b
"Huh...Sakura!!"
The girl a few meters in front of him stopped before turning.
Her face wore an exhausted look; there were big circles under her eyes and she seemed to have a hard time walking or even standing up.
"What do you want Naruto..." she asked tiredly.
"Well, I wondered if you could lend me your notes. Since there is a test coming soon..."
"What were you doing in classes?"
"It's not my fault...Kurenai-sensei talks too quickly for me to takes notes." he looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please?"
"Okay, fine...take them."
"Thanks a bunch!" he smiled happily.
"Yeah yeah..." Sakura mumbled walking away.
"All great! hehehe..."
"You seem to be quite hyperactive these days..." Shikamaru said, passing by.
"Pff, he's always bouncing like an idiot anyway," Kiba stepped in.
"What is your problem, dog face!?" Naruto spat at him.
"Look who's talking. Ever care to look at yourself in a mirror, cat face?"
"I'm gonna kill you!"
"Naruto-kun, Kiba-san, please stop..." Hinata intervened.
"Pfff...Coward..."
"Got to hell!"
Kiba only walked away.
"And tell that damn dog of yours to shut up!"
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata called.
"Huh?"
"Please, don't be mad at Kiba-san..."
"Huh? Umm...Yeah..."
He saw her blush lightly before leaving.
On his way to the rooftop his eye caught Sasuke's, sitting in a dark corner. He couldn't help it.
"I'm going to beat you this time..." he said resolutely.
"Whatever..." The other replied, barely looking at him.
"You'll taste the fruits of my special training...Wait and see!"
"What special training? Climbing trees like the monkey you are?"
There was no sarcasm in the gennin's voice.
It pissed Naruto off.
"Why you..."
"There you are! I found you Sasuke-kun!!"
Naruto made a face at the girl's sudden appearance.
"What are you doing here!?" she had turned to Naruto "Leave us alone." she ordered.
He rolled his eyes at her behaviour and left.
At the end of the corridor was Sakura, quietly eating.
"Hey, Sakura..."
"Uhn?...what again, Naruto...?"
She was definitely not in good shape.
"Ino and Sasuke are eating together over there. You gonna let her get away with it?" he asked maliciously.
"What?!!!" Now she was definitely in top form. "That Ino-pig!!"
Naruto watched the girl quickly grab her school bag and run away.
He smiled wickedly.
With those two girls around, Sasuke would never eat in peace.
That would teach him never to mock Uzumaki Naruto!
Now, dinner was done.
He had made it himself. And it didn't look that bad.
He heard Naruto exit his room.
"...All this studying is giving me a headache." he paused "This looks good...wonder how it tastes..."
He quickly sat on the table, happy at the sight of food and immediately started to eat.
Gaara took a mouthful of his bowl. He found the meal good.
He raised his head to look at Naruto.
The latter was spitting his food out.
"There is sand in it..." He pouted.
"Ah?"
He couldn't hide his surprise.
"Maybe you didn't wash the vegetables properly..."
He turned to the room's corner where his gourd lay. It was closed.
He quietly shook his head.
"You can have mine. There is no sand in it."
"Huh...but..."
"I'm not hungry."
He watched closely as Naruto's face became radiant.
"Great! Thanks a lot!" he smiled before devouring the meal.
He blinked, then hastily nodded.
"Say...don't you miss your village?"
He shook his head.
He had never belonged to the Sand village anyway.
He couldn't miss it.
"Oh... hum, what about your bro and sis' then?"
He shrugged.
It felt weird not to have them around like he used to do.
It felt like something was empty around him.
But it didn't bother him that much.
Naruto continued to eat in silence.
"I Just wanted to know, do you know anything about light reflection and trajectories problems? There is that damn exercise I don't understand at all..."
He nodded.
"Oh cool! How high were you ranked at school?" Naruto asked with curiosity.
"I wasn't ranked..."
"Huh? Why?"
"I...didn't go to school..."
"Ah...I see..." he looked up thoughtfully "...still, I'm sure you're pretty good..."
Gaara looked down at his hands.
"...Kankuro used to say...that I was above any Sand gennin's level..."
"That's great! hehehe...You're going to help me with my work then..."
Gaara watched him finished his dinner with excitement.
He didn't care about his village.
He didn't care about his village's Ninja Academy.
He cared about nothing.
Because right now, he felt good.
"Why would we part in teams again?" Naruto complained.
"Baka! I think they're gonna give us some missions..."
"Oh..."
"Where is Kakashi-sensei?!" Sakura desperately whined.
"Yeah...Where is he?"
"Hello! I got lost in the building." The man said as soon as he arrived.
"You're lying again!" she shouted.
"Yeah, stop giving such pathetic excuses!" Naruto added.
Sasuke barely moved an eyebrow.
"I see everyone is here..."
"You're the one being late!" the two noisy ninja yelled in unison.
"Okay..." Kakashi smiled carelessly.
"So, what's the mission about...?"
"Before, I must warn you this will be a very important mission."
The three ninjas took a serious expression.
"We are going to the Grass village to get a precious book. First, the book must not be opened. Second, it's a precious item from the local museum: be careful while travelling with it. Finally, we've got three days to bring it to Jiraiya-san."
"Huh? The pervert-sennin?"
"Kakashi-sensei, what kind of book is it?" Sakura asked.
"Like I told you, it is a treasure..."
"I mean, is it some dangerous spellbook?"
"Hum? No, not at all. It's the original manuscript of Icha Icha Paradise." Kakashi carelessly answered.
"Oh..." Sakura mumbled.
[...]
"WHAT?!!!!"
"It's ridiculous..." Sasuke said, speaking for the first time.
"Why do we have to get that?!" Naruto pouted.
"Why would Jiraiya-sama want that?!" Sakura exclaimed bewildered.
"Jiraiya-san is one of the greatest fan of this book." Kakashi said. "...I'll admit I'm myself quite a fan too..."
"That we know!!" Both Naruto and Sakura shouted.
"Anyway, we've got three days. So hurry up and let's go!"
In less that one second, Kakashi was already 100m away.
"How come he's in such a hurry so suddenly...?" Sakura asked herself, lazily following her sensei.
Naruto took a step forward, then paused.
He didn't warn Gaara he would be leaving.
"What are you waiting for dead-last? Forgot your guts at home?" Sasuke mocked.
"Shut up! I'll show you who is a coward!" Naruto barked back.
He sat down in his corner, waiting.
It was already late, and Naruto hadn't returned from school.
He had made dinner, and it had gotten cold.
He still waited.
No sign of him. No sound of him.
No one at all.
He didn't know why, but he started to pace the room.
First slowly, then quickly. Quicker.
What if something had happened? What if someone had attacked him and he was somewhere waiting helplessly? What if he was...
Naruto had a strong will. He was strong. He could defend himself.
He would come home sooner or later.
He was staring in pitch darkness.
No light around him.
No one around him.
He was alone.
The light gone. The blue sky gone. The white clouds gone.
Only darkness. Loneliness. Restlessness.
He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but he couldn't.
Sunlight had come.
He was alone.
For the first time in a long time he was alone.
What if Naruto had gone? What if he had denounced him? What if Leaf Jounin came to send him back to a closed place in his village? What if they tore him away from Naruto?
He breathed slowly, trying to calm his racing heart.
It was racing so much it hurt.
His heart hurt.
His heart hurt because he was alone.
His heart hurt because Naruto was gone.
His heart hurt because he felt betrayed.
A violent pain seized his head.
His forehead was hurting.
His forehead was burning.
His forehead was bleeding.
He touched the mark.
His fingers became bloody red.
Sand exploded out of the gourd.
Sand enveloped his body.
He fell into darkness.
