"Where is he?" Baki asked his students. The last two mornings when Gaara hadn't shown up his demand had been full of anger, as if they had been careless to let him escape. Today, there was only resignation in his voice. "This time?" he added with a sigh.
"W-we don't know, Sensei," Temari answered, quaking as she confronted him. Her nerves were fried from the eventful days in the Hyuuga house, and Baki mentally dismissed her immediately. She would have nothing useful to tell him.
Kankurou cleared his throat to take his sensei's attention away from his beloved sister. "All we found in Gaara's room was that annoying Hyuuga girl. No sign of Gaara. Sensei, what news?"
"Word from the Third Hokage," Baki replied, giving up on Gaara for now. "Tomorrow we leave this mansion."
Both Genins sighed in relief. "That's good news!" Kankurou grinned. "Finally we can get away from this wretched family! One more formal tea ceremony and I'll develop a demon of my own."
"Our relocation was only temporary, after Gaara's... outburst," Baki informed them delicately. "The Sand diplomats in Konoha managed to convince the Third that the murder was an isolated incident. And despite our own reservations, Gaara hasn't broken any laws since then."
"That we know of," Temari put in for both of them, her voice tired. Both her companions looked at her with concern.
"Temari-chan, go to bed," Kankurou told her. "You're a wreck. You're no use to anyone in this state. Baki-sensei, I—"
"No, not this time," the Jounin interrupted, his voice bleaker than ever. "Today I will go looking for Gaara."
"For me?"
Baki's eyes popped open wide and he was moving before the Genins could think of reacting. Sand flared again; again, and blocked kunai dropped to the ground in droves before the Sand Jounin got control of himself.
"You didn't hear me, Sensei?" Gaara asked calmly. Of course he hadn't. No one could hear Gaara; his feet didn't quite touch the floor.
"Your stealth is impressive," Baki admitted, not a hint of remorse showing on his face as he retrieved his kunai and replaced them in hidden sheaths all over his body. "You're dismissed," he snapped to the rapt Genins. Temari looked relieved, but Kankurou kept his expression carefully neutral, betraying none of his private emotions. "Go find something to do."
Not happy about the insulting dismissal but having no words to argue, they obeyed. Both glanced back at their enigmatic brother as they rounded the corner.
Baki said nothing for several moments, just looked steadily at Gaara with his one visible eye. His pupil showed no signs of nervousness, and it was Baki who broke their locked stares. "It's time for us to leave this place," the Sand Jounin muttered, dropping his gaze.
"Nani?" Gaara gasped, in the instant before he got a hold of himself. Baki's veil twitched, betraying the Jounin's smile at Gaara's loss of control.
"We were only relocated here while they smoothed over your actions," he explained. "We depart and return to our rooms at the Academy tomorrow, after the morning meal."
Gaara's world was frozen for an instant. Then it revived under a breath of warm relief.
Hinata would be safe! He would be alone again, but Hinata would be safe!
Baki was watching him again. Gaara realised he had been staring into empty space for several moments, his silence only giving further confirmation to Baki's suspicions that something in this house was affecting him. Gaara turned his awful glare onto his sensei.
"Good," the Genin said with no hesitation. "The only blood of interest here is the bad blood between the two families. I will be glad to leave this place." He turned and walked away, making not a sound.
Baki grinned at Gaara's back behind his veil. Once again, just talking to him had put Gaara on the defensive. He knew that Gaara himself, as so many times before, had no idea why his sensei made him feel so uncomfortable, so—childish. Even knowing that his guardian would allow no harm to him was no comfort; the demon was silent whenever he looked at the veiled Jounin.
But Baki, baptised as he was in fire by the great high priest Shukaku, knew exactly the source of his power over Gaara.
The flame-haired Sand-nin lay on his futon, staring at the ceiling. His gourd rested above his pillow. Fitting, he thought bitterly. After all, he's in control...
The knock at his door was the last thing he wanted to hear. At least it wasn't Hinata's pathetic little tip-taps, or Kankurou's heavy blows uncaring about Gaara's sensitive ears. Temari, he guessed, come to talk and make herself feel better thinking she was comforting her young brother. He didn't move.
The knock persisted. Whoever it was seemed to know he was inside.
Gaara stood up with a heavy sigh. It was testament to his inner conflict that he had no thoughts of summarily executing whoever was disturbing him, wrapped up as he was in thoughts of leaving the Hyuuga household. He reached the door and opened it slowly.
It wasn't Temari. It wasn't Hinata, either, or even Kankurou.
Neji Hyuuga stood outside the door, his back as irritatingly straight as an iron rod. That explained the repeated knocks; obviously he could see right through the wall with his Byakugan.
"What do you want?" Gaara turned away disinterestedly. A day or so ago he would have jumped at the chance to kill this one, but now... "I don't want to see you."
Neji was unmoved. "I know. You must know I have no desire to see you either." He paused. "You wish to kill me." He stated it more than asked.
"Yes," Gaara told him casually, not bothering to look at the Hyuuga. "You want to kill me too."
Neji inclined his head. "Then let us serve both wishes. I came with the intention of challenging you to a fight."
Gaara turned back with a flicker of interest. A battle? "A fight, you say," he said softly, sand rising unbidden to encircle him like a halo. "You know I do not fight to a surrender."
"Even against my cousin?" Neji jabbed unexpectedly. Gaara flinched, his eyes narrowing. His surprise was real when Neji shook his head. "No, that was beneath me. I will not put it on those grounds. We do not fight for Hinata-sama, or over her. We fight because we have no choice, two genius Shinobi in a space too small to permit both of us."
"You really are Hiashi's nephew," Gaara observed, seeing Neji's face tighten even further at the insult and simultaneously feeling some of the tension leave his body at the change of subject. "Full of hot air and speeches." A pause. "You are wise to keep it on that footing. Your blood will be older than your years." His eyes half-closed in anticipation. "Even Hiashi acknowledges you as a genius. You can solve my problem for me. You can make me... feel alive!" His eyes opened wide, abnormally so, and his face took on the grimace that passed for a smile when he wanted to kill.
"Fight me," Neji told him calmly again, no nervousness showing at this cold assessment despite the sand emerging from the gourd and flooding the room.
So sweet! Shukaku crowed, his exultation shaking Gaara's whole body. A true genius Shinobi! The sand stirred, awaiting only Gaara's will to unleash its killing fury.
Neji's hands flashed through the seals in a twinkling. "Byakugan!" Comforting, warm power filled him, radiating out as Chakra soaked in blood flooded the visibly dilated veins around his eyes.
The harmonics in the word, accompanied by the release of Chakra, assaulted Gaara even as he raised his hand to seal Neji's fate. Hinata had said the same word with the same seals, had stood just where Neji did with the same empty eyes...
Shackled, not quite understanding, Shukaku and his protests were thrust to the bottom of his mind. Gaara turned away abruptly as the sand fell to the floor behind him, dropping away from Neji's tense stance. The moment shattered. "Go away."
"Nani?" Neji demanded, not dropping his taijutsu stance. "Fight me, Sand filth!"
Gaara glared balefully at the other Genin over his shoulder, eyes murderous. But it was pointless to attack, he knew. The same force that had prevented his attack on Hinata held him back here, and trying would only compound his frustration. Instead, he sat down on the edge of his futon, his back to Neji. "Go away. Get out of my room."
Had he brought Hinata into their argument, even Gaara's mixed feelings wouldn't have saved Neji. But as long as he regarded a battle over his cousin as beneath his honour, he was powerless to force Gaara's hand. Frustration was evident in his voice. "Fight me! For the honour of the Hyuuga!"
He could almost have laughed at the ambiguity of that statement. If Gaara ever laughed. "No."
"Fight me, damn you!" Footsteps clomped loudly; Neji was coming towards him, stomping to emphasise his approach. He could almost feel the kunai reaching for his kidney, aching to bite...
Gaara closed his eyes. "No!" he shouted, putting the sand behind his words. An unstoppable wall thrust Neji from the room and filled the doorway behind him, sealing it tight.
He heard Neji's muffled curse behind the barrier, then his receding footsteps.
There was silence for a moment. The tension in Gaara's neck gradually eased, and he let out a long breath. Before he could even begin to sort through the previous few minutes, however, another voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Gaara." His head came up, and he turned to stare incredulously at the opaque curtain. The last voice he had expected to hear. Temari. "Gaara, open the door." The forced calm in her voice told him there was something wrong. "Neji wants to fight you." In the pause, the Sand-nin felt his stomach turn to ice. "Gaara, he's got a kunai. Please open the door."
The sand fell away from the door like water, revealing Neji's arm tight around Temari's neck. "I thought you'd change your mind," he remarked, not fazed in the least.
Gaara stood up, his eyes locked onto the Hyuuga and blazing. "That's too far," he choked past the anger rising in his throat. The sand covering the floor started to swirl, then to rage.
"You idiot!" Temari twisted her head around to snap at Neji, the words somewhere between a shout and a whimper. "You have no idea what you've awakened, do you?"
"I understand better than you can know," Neji responded, his voice as coolly regal as ever. "In case you have forgotten, I cannot move freely in the head house. Perhaps this will force my uncle's hand." He gave Temari a shove, forcing her to stumble forward, falling past her brother into the room. She made no move to stand up, curling as far away from the imminent battle as she could. She was out of her league here, and knew it. They looked like some kind of gods from her fetal position, both so beautiful and remote, the two most powerful Genins in their respective villages, maybe even their whole countries. Gaara never took his gaze from the Hyuuga boy's face, who slowly and deliberately raised his hands into the hakkeshou ready stance.
Chakra ballooned; Gaara snarled, the expression mirrored on Neji's face. A fist of sand rocked the room, sweeping everything before it to crash like a breaking wave on—
Sudden emptiness. Gaara swung around, his eyes darting in every direction as he tried to locate his foe. His gaze fell on Temari.
Then a hand, wrapped with so much Chakra it made the air scream, reached past his absolute defense and with no apparent effort, pushed him casually to the ground.
He fell gasping across his futon, not hurt in the least but shocked to the core. Across the room, Neji was similarly sprawled on the ground.
Hiashi Hyuuga stood between them, Chakra raging around him and the Byakugan enhancing his terrible gaze still further. Temari cowered back, shivering in fresh fear. She had no idea that stately, formal Hiashi held this kind of power concealed behind his empty eyes...
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Neji, staring at the Hyuuga patriach with undisguised hatred, so fierce that it transcended her understanding of the word. As the warring Genins recovered from the shock and stood, Neji streaked forward, his hands flying out to strike at his uncle.
Not for nothing was Hiashi the pre-eminent Jounin in Konoha village, but then neither was Neji the village's number one Genin. And in mastering the Hyuuga open-handed style and advanced bloodline at his young age, Neji's understanding of the Byakugan was second only to this man. Palms lashed out, striking and weaving in a dance as graceful as it was deadly. Gaara and Temari paused, watching the amazing duel, but Shukaku didn't hesitate at all. Just as Neji landed a solid blow on Hiashi's bicep, the demon streaked forward, hurling globs of sand and detonating them with violence enough to send both combatants flying through the air.
Hiashi was on his feet almost before he landed, still maintaining an eerily detached silence. Neji took longer to rise, and it took several moments for Temari to realise that she couldn't feel more than a trickle of Chakra flow from him. Blocked tenketsu, she thought vaguely. Everything he had must be going into holding his Byakugan now.
Hiashi didn't advance. He had already demonstrated that he could step around Shukaku with ease; plainly, Gaara would need to become much more powerful to challenge him, at least with Shukaku's lunar rebellion holding him back. The incredible speed that both Kakashi and Hiashi displayed... the stories of Konoha's elite Jounins had not been exaggerated.
In their hearts, both Temari and Gaara believed Gaara could not be beaten. But further battle now was pointless; there were too many Jounins in the house, ready to defend Hyuuga honour.
"I do not wish to fight you, Gaara-san," Hiashi told the Sand-nin calmly, raising his palm in a gesture of peace. "I sought only to end your battle before any bloodshed."
At that moment, a sudden belated blur of motion to one side solidified into Baki, the desert Jounin's veils flapping with his haste and almost—almost—revealing his mysterious face. "Hold, Hyuuga!" he called, his harsh voice an open threat, immediately bringing the full tension back to the room. "Laying a hand on my student will forfeit your life!" There was a hushed silence; everyone present turned to stare at the Sand-nin threatening mighty Hiashi. "If not by his own hand, then by mine," he finished grimly into the silence.
Hiashi's face was at first surprised, then momentarily angry, and finally resigned. He bowed slightly in acceptance, the ripple along the strong lines of his jaw the only sign of tension as he released his Byakugan. "Then our friendship ends here. It is good that you are leaving my household, else I would have cast you out on the morrow. You are assured our hospitality for this last night, but your friendship I forever renounce." He glanced at his nephew and his eyes tightened again, but not with the Byakugan. "You too should leave," he suggested, before he strode away down the corridor. In reality, Hiashi knew that Neji would not accept his aid in the dangerous situation. He didn't have time to explain now and knew he wouldn't listen anyway, especially after the surprising attack on Hiashi himself. He shook his arm gingerly, testing the wound Neji had inflicted with true respect and a touch of pride. Now standing where Shukaku had thrown him, though, the branch family Genin saw only the Hyuuga patriarch abandoning him to his fate, again.
Hiashi's departure left Neji alone facing three aroused Sand-nin. Temari had come forward during the distraction with hands raised in the Seal of the Tiger, ready to unleash a fire jutsu on him. Baki was in a half-crouch, obviously prepared as his Jounin rank implied to wreak destruction. But most frightening of all was Gaara; cracks appeared and disappeared all over his face as his explosive rage battled with the fine control necessary for the sand armour. The same chance nostalgia wouldn't protect Neji again; emotion itself paled in the face of Gaara's wrath. The decision was obvious—there would be no battle tonight. His unbelievably intense gaze never leaving Gaara's face, Neji backed down the hall in silence. When he had retreated ten meters, thinking that to be a safe distance as any from the volatile trio, he turned and walked calmly away. Temari snorted as he rounded a corner.
"Watching over his shoulder with the Byakugan all the way," she said wryly, releasing the Chakra she had built up to somewhat relax her strained nerves. Gaara would hear too much about this from Baki for her to get involved now. They could talk in the morning. "Goodnight sensei, Gaara." She departed, trying to make it seem as if she wasn't fleeing the room as the sand slowly made its way back into Gaara's gourd.
Gaara's lip curled, the cracks on his face disappearing as he finally wrestled the sand armour back under control. "I will return," he said, not looking at his watchful sensei and apparently talking to himself. "I will return and empty this house." A flicker of doubt. "But for Hyuuga Hinata..." he murmured, his eyes dropping away in sudden thoughtfulness.
Baki shook his head, the contempt radiating from him almost palpable in the silence. "Put him to bed," he ordered curtly, speaking past Gaara directly to Shukaku. The young Sand-nin had time to open his eyes wide in shock before the invisible armour sheathing his limbs moved of its own volition, encasing him like rock and walking him mechanically back to his futon. Shukaku laid him down gently, holding his lips firmly to prohibit any protest. Only the sheer outrage in his glare allowed him to promise death to Baki with his eyes.
And Shukaku was there, as the sensei slid the door shut with a low, insulting chuckle. Sand formed into a face before him, a face that scowled at the violence it saw in Gaara's thoughts.
Had he any voice at that moment, Gaara would have screamed.
Don't. Ever. Even. Think. Of. Such. A. Deed the demon told him flatly. I will not support you against Baki, and you are nothing without me. The sand armour slumped away from him then, smothering his breath for just a teasing instant before returning to the gourd.
Just long enough to remind him who was truly in control.
Gaara shook with rage, his fists clenching at his sides. He couldn't accept this, the demon giving him ultimatums. For now though, it seemed he had no choice. With the waxing full moon, and the building excitement as the Chuunin exam approached, he was powerless to say no to Shukaku's influence. He would influenced more and more by the demon over the next fortnight... already he doubted his ability to act of his own will.
But he couldn't leave just yet. He had one thing to do before he could leave this house, and he had to act while he still had authority. He summoned the sand with a thought. "Take me to her," he whispered against Shukaku's growling protests. "Take me to Hinata Hyuuga... one last time."
Hinata rubbed her eyes. Something had woken her... her yawn caught in her throat when she saw the shadow against her wall. The silhouette of a flower... of a desert rose.
She moved to the window, knowing who she would see. Gaara, of course, his sand formed into the image of the dry flower. Standing with his arms crossed, he looked as cold as ever, but he had come to her.
She immediately forgave him his distance. By his arrival, he had told her everything she needed to know.
ALTERNATE GAARA vs NEJI SCENE: Omake for making you all wait too long " Rated for profanity!
It wasn't Hinata. It wasn't Temari, or even Kankurou.
It was Buzz Aldrin, America's No. 2 spaceman. Ahem. Hyuuga Neji stood outside the door, his back as straight as an iron rod. In fact, his back WAS an iron rod which doubled for use as a walking stick. In fact it WAS a walking stick. The mind boggles. "Gaa-baka!" he roared, pouting his lips cutely and causing Charm and other fangirls to nosebleed. "YOU TOOK MY ODANGOS!"
Sailor Moon popped in. "Nani?"
Both Shinobi looked at her, but decided she was too badly drawn to waste Chakra on (she was drawn in the low-budget first series style). Shukaku formed into the shape of a donut. Usagi started to drool, then to froth. "SHE'S GOT A SACK!" Gaara yelled. "BETTER DO WHAT SHE SAYS! MAD USAGI!" So Usagi chased Shukaku until she ran out of breath, fell down, got sand in her hair and was devoured by rabid squirrels. Most accidents happen in the home.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... (ABRUPT SCENE CHANGE!) "OMAE O KOROSU! BYA-HA-HA-HA-KUGAN!" His hands flicked through the seals as he swung his arm in an Elvis-impersonation fashion, and Gaara suddenly appeared to be naked to his enhanced vision. "DIE MUTHAFUCKER!" Neji screamed, miraculously performing the Sexy no Jutsu (actually reducing his bishounen attraction factor) and inducing weird shit nosebleeds on all the Hyuuga family members watching through the walls with their Byakugan, hentai peeping toms that they are. Shukaku had fun flying through the walls and eating all the blood, because that's the happy kind of demon that Shukaku is.
Then Gaara ate Neji in one bite, got Hanabi pregnant which broke Charm's heart, married Hiashi, and they lived happily ever after until one day Temari slept with Hiashi and Hizashi's corpse at the same time just so that she could match Charm at the I've-never-done-that-before drinking game. Gaara killed them both after lots of angsty brooding and establishing a deeper link with Kiba, who was later to become his LoveKittenMeow. Sakura laughed so hard her brain fell out, which actually improved her ninja skills because now she wasn't such a wack prissy tart that Charm has serious issues with. Ino went trash-rocker, got six maddison piercings and spent the rest of the series following Gaara around asking where she could find his eyeliner.
AKAMARU: That is some SERIOUSLY weird shit...
EVERY CHARACTER IN NARUTO: HUH?
AKAMARU: Um, arf?
ECIN: Oh.
KAKASHI: (waving Jolly Roger flag) Arrrrrgh, me hearties! Sharingan, avast!
END.
A/N: It's been a long week. And no, you won't ever see that again; it'll be down after a few days. Just needed to get that off my chest.
This chapter took a LONG time; I found Baki's REALLY hard to write, especially in the Hyuuga clan house. I have no idea about him at all. During the Chuunin exam in the anime, it seemed to me that Neji was making a big deal of not noticing Gaara at all, so I wanted to give them some history. The fact that I don't like Baki really comes through, doesn't it? He's too much of a Kakashi-wannabe, no matter how strong he is...
Hoping to finish within a week from now, but can't promise- computer simply too unreliable and won't get my own till Saturday. Next chapter probably won't be till I'm back at college, around Sat-Sun... this was 4/3 or even double length to make it up. I tried a weird bits-and-pieces writing technique I learnt at university to write this chapter, so let me know how it went!
Next chapter- Hinata. Four more, planned out and with most of the dialogue written. Gaara has one last thing to say to Hinata—and it's not 'I love you.'