Title: He's Mine
Disclaimer: You should have figured out by now that I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
Summary: What happens when two boys compete for the affections of a certain, clueless blonde? NaruSasu. Shonen-ai.
(") represents conversation or speaking out loud
(') represents thoughts
Beta-ed version- everyone thank Iceheart19 for correcting all my errors!
It was a hot summer day and more so as a young 12 year old boy slugged through a desert. His daily clothes held no protection from the smoldering, hot sand as it clung to him like a second skin. It was discomforting as hell, but he made no move to rid them away, he knew it was a hopeless bout.
As a certain cloud swam toward his area, knowledge of a sand storm burned through his mind. He didn't know how he recognized such things.....he seemed to just know. One theory lied on Kyuubi, the kitsune demon imprisoned among his very being, but now wasn't a time to think of such things.
As he forced to open his eyes, deep cerulean eyes were quickly ravaged with grains of sand, causing the youth to scream in a moment of pain. The thing inside of him retorted at such a weak act, but he held it in. What choice did he have against a demon? Absolutely nothing. A frown cast upon his face as he desperately searched for a place to stay amongst the swirling inferno of sand. It was hopeless. All he could see was an infinite amount of sand, sand and sand. Disgustingly horrid sand.
Thoughts of an actual shelter and food had long disappeared from his mind. It has been merely four months since he had left the Leaf Village, but everything that it provided was an alienated feeling. At first it was fine, the forest provided food and building shelter among the canopies of trees that suited him quite well, much like the habitation of his demon. The trees soothed his nature, the mere thoughts brought him at ease. In thought, he actually missed the frocks of green more so than the village itself.
Why miss a village that loathes you?
Well, In actuality, the village wasn't so bad.
Kami-sama, had he finally lost his sanity?
Drowning the pain as the sand pierced his already open wounds, thoughts
of times among the village ran through his mind, ruining his mental
state. Cruel words and bitter criticism. Lies. How much did he crave to
think each and every single thing they had spat on him were lies. But
were they actually? They did tell the truth that he did hold such a demon among his being before even he, himself, knew of such things. But.....did they have the right to hate him because of it? Yes...of course they had...it was their choice. But why did it still hurt like hell? Well, that's one question he couldn't answer.
Why miss a village that loathes you? Easy. You don't.
Eyes heavy and lids closing, he fell into exhaustion. Dying wasn't such a terrible thing. It might be even be good. Goodness knows he needed something good in his life. Giving a long tired yawn and fitfully coughing the dirt that made way into his mouth, he fell into deep slumber as sand piled around his petite form.
He had no idea how long he slept...hours...weeks...maybe even months? Hey, it was possible. Okay, maybe not but how would he, an idiot, is supposed to know? When he awakened, he found himself looking at a sizzling camp fire with the glow of the moon lighting on his figure.
'What the hell?!
Soft, smooth clothing covered his once, scarred body; black it would seem.
'What kind of an oddball would bring black clothes in a desert?!'
Almost discernable footsteps rang through his ears. It was weird that he could do such things so naturally, but he approve of them quite nicely. He stood up in effort, the pain from his wounds not yet sealed, guessing that he had merely been asleep for a short time. He pivoted his footing to meet his host.
He was quite surprised. There was a boy standing in front of him, not yet a teen, but the process of being one with flaming red hair. Strange that none of the fiery color reached his icy green eyes. They were too cold to be in a boy his age.
"What's your name, kid?" The young boy spoke with a smooth voice, appealing to Naruto's sensitive ears.
"Well, I don't have one. Parents died before they could even name a
bastard like me," Naruto relaxed among the scrutiny of the boy as he fell down the linen blanket he had slept on. 'If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't bother rescuing me from the shit-hole I slept in.'
"So, you have no name." Naruto thought his face showed some seconds of emotion. But in moments it was gone, causing him to think if itwas really there. "Don't feel sorry for me." Hands behind his head, he looked closely at the still figure, "I don't need them and you can call me Naruto if you like. It's my orphan name."
"I give no sympathy to no one, it's below me." Gaara took no regards at the given name, nor given his as he took more time to analyze the first being he had actually saved. 'He heard my movements. This boy is impressive.'
"I didn't hear your name?" Naruto fell into the soft, silky textures of his blanket, eyes looking among the millions of stars.
"I have been given none."
"I see..." Smirking as a thought came to mind, Naruto seated himself up and smiled. "Then if you have none..." Smiling for the first time in a long while, he stood up as he circled the youth's form. "......I just have to give you one."
Not liking the smirk on his guest, Gaara cringed...an act most disagreeable to him as he watched the one man party that circled his form. The glint in the blue eyes got to him and so he spoke. "Gaara."
"Awwww. Not fair! I wanted to give you a name!" Playfully pouting, Naruto crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue in a sense of immaturity. "Whatever. Doesn't Gaara mean 'demon who loves none but himself?' or something?"
"You have some amount of intelligence? Bravo." Surprised at the joke he had made, Gaara's eyes flickered in surprise. What has gotten into him?
"Hey! I'm tired of everyone calling me stupid!" Naruto yelled at the person who had saved him. First, the village and now this Gaara person. Hell no!! No way he was going to take it.
"One would call a person stupid if the person is likely to be one."
"Well, I'm not stupid, so back off! You know you sound like a fortune cookie." Grabbing a fist-ball of sand, Naruto watched as its smooth fixtures slid through his fingers. "Say...how did you find me anyway? For all I know, I was piled with sand."
"Your blood."
"Wha-"
'Why am I even doing this?' Sighing an exasperated sigh, Gaara made way to explain. "I could smell your blood from my village. It was too strong for me to pass."
".........................."
"Does it surprise you?"
"Um....it's just weird that you could smell.... my blood. Because they were nothing but small cuts."
"No matter. There were plenty of it to cause my demon to react."
"Wait! What did you just say?!"
"Are you deaf, kid? I said my demon reacted to your blood." Gaara walked closely toward the boy, feeling an earth shattering force. 'Odd, this boy has two different chakra's. Could it be that he too has a demon? Is that the reason my own reacted to his blood?'
"Yes, I heard you...it's just strange to find that others have demons inside them." Slumping down to the ground, Naruto looked once again to the stars. "Did you run away from home too?"
"You sound like a child. Running away is a cowardly act. You do not deserve the demon inside you if you act so weak." Kneeling down, Gaara rummaged through a pack by his side.
"You think having something.... that this something inside me is a GIFT?!" He raised himself up to look down on the kneeling person. "Don't you dare lie to me! This THING is nothing but trouble! It's...damn it! I hate this stupid thing!" Finding hot tears crawling down to his face, Naruto realized how long he had stored such pain inside of him.
"Nobody told you to like the demon, but crying won't solve anything." Taking a small bundle, Gaara casually threw it to Naruto, which he caught with ease. "You should just try to control it...it won't disappear and there's nothing wrong with being powerful. It's disgraceful how you treat your power,trying to stop them from coming out and when you can't, you don't care what your demon could do."
"What do you mean?" he asked as he nibbled through the bread, which was wrapped within the bundle.
Gaara laughed a non-too-comfortable laugh, causing Naruto to shake in fear.
"Afraid?"
"No."
"You should be." Taking a dried meat for himself from his pack,Gaara continued his speech. "What I mean is, what happens when your demon takes control of your body? Think of what it can do. Kill, most likely."
"Your joking, right?" Naruto's voice was laced with disbelief that he could even kill.
"I don't joke, kid and there's nothing wrong with killing at all." He took a jug of water and drank from it. Wiping the water that had escaped to his chin,he stared at the boy. "You have never killed before?"
"You sound shocked. Let me guess, you've killed before." Sarcastic was oozing in his tone, but Gaara heard none of it.
"58 in counting."
Choking from a piece of bread, he coughed it up like a hacking cat and stared into the piercing eyes of the boy, hoping to find some teasing matter underlying from it but found no humor. Actually, he found nothing in those eyes. "I was joking! JOKING!"
"I wasn't." Turning away from him, Gaara made way toward the sizzling campfire. Shuffling his right foot, he threw it midway, causing sands to fling into the burning inferno. Naruto watched with his nerve racking as Gaara stretched his hands into the fire as it dispersed into nothing.
"Um...what the hell are you doing?"
"Are you blind too, kid?"
"You know you should stop calling me kid. I'm as old as you and I'm not blind OR deaf. Sheesh, your soooo weird, were you trying to burn yourself or something." Looking at the now dark campsite, Naruto looked into the full moon, being in ease at the light it gave out. 'Being with this guy in the dark might not be a good idea, especially with these intruders around.'
"Yes, I was trying to burn myself."
"Again, I was joking! JOKING!"
"I don't joke."
"Hmph, yeah...I get it. You don't look the kind to." Striding by Gaara's side, Naruto found that he was at least a half a head shorter than him; he was awfully in the short side. He scowled at the thought. "Anyway, why'd you turn off the light?"
"Do you fear that I might hurt you?"
"I'm not stupid. If you wanted me dead, you wouldn't even bother talking to a bastard like me. I just don't like being off guard."
"I would have guessed different with the way you acted before."
"There are others around us and it'll be easier for them to catch me unguarded with the fire off. Is that the reason you had turn the fire out? If it is, you're pretty stupid" Half lidded eyes searched his surroundings, his ears in tune with it. "I wonder why they haven't even made their moves yet. From what I guessed by their jaded language, they must have been hanging here for hours."
"They are inexperienced if they can not control their own boredom." He made way to grab his pack and placed it behind his shoulder. "Come on, we're leaving."
"Leaving?"
"If you want to stay, suit yourself." Shrugging his shoulders, Gaara calmly walked off. Naruto played out his situation in his head. No food. No shelter. Too much disgusting sand. Well, that was a no brainer.
"W....w...wait up!" Scampering to catch up with the eerily cold youth, Naruto strode by his side. "Say...exactly, where are we going?"
"To my village, stupid."
"Whatever, asshole...um...since you saved me and all...are we friends?" Closing his eyes as he expected a cold glare thrown his way, but after a few minutes and still not feeling the ugly energy, he became curious.
"Ah..."
Peeking from a half opened eye he found disbelief marred into the youth's pale face.
'Friend? Strange word.' Shrugging once again, he continued his walk. "Suit yourself."
Smiling like a kid in a candy story, Naruto hopped back to Gaara's side. "I'll take that as a yes...hey, what's that thing on your bag?"
"You really are stupid, it's a pack."
"No, I mean the other one. I know what a pack looks like." Lips pursed in anger, he waited for an answer.
"It's a gourd."
"Oh...what's in it?"
"Sand and the blood from the people I've killed." Gaara replied calmly.
".....Oh."
"Is that all you are going to say?" Gaara was surprised at the lack of disgusted outburst from Naruto.
"What else do you want me to say?" Naruto asked with curious face.
"Aren't you going to say how horrid I am?"
"No. Anyone who has a heart must have some good in them." Naruto looked satisfied with what he said.
"How do you know I have a heart?"
"That's simple, you saved me." Naruto fox-grinned as he answered.
"I see......"
"Yup...anyway, you might enjoy killing."
"I do."
"I was joking. JOKING!" A glare was sent his way and Naruto couldn't help but produce a shiver. "I get it. I get it. You don't joke. Sheesh, you don't have to glare. It's creepy." Again, Gaara produced a shiver to prove his point.
"Then, try not to be scared, stupid."
"I wasn't SCARED! You are just being creepy."
"Shut up.....or I'll kill you." A wisp of a smile gave out from his lips as he continued walking.
"Your joking, right?! Right!?"
"I don't joke."
"Hmph!" Crossing his arms in self defeat, he walked in complete silence, trying to ignore his newly made friend. 'Let's just see how long he'll last with my silent treatment." Half an hour passed with uncomfortable silence, the hot air thicker than usual for the two. 'I wonder why there isn't any sand blowing toward us. It's weird that none had even landed on my kin...not even my feet. Sure, I'm wearing sandals, but...weird.' Shrugging, he continued walking.
"Talk."
"Huh?" Naruto was confused.
"Talk."
"Now you want me to talk. Well sorry, but no. I'm angry at you right now."
Naruto's arms still crossed from his chest, he stayed silent at his side. But then a thought came to mind. "But maybe I will if you apologize."
"I see."
"Are you going to apologize?."
"I don't apologize."
"...................................."
-----------Two Weeks Later------------------------------------------
Gaara walked calmly down a pathway of over-crowded houses and stopped by a two story, brick house. It wasn't the most outlandishly furnished house, but it was quite large for its single inhabitant. Knocking was a futile attempt, he knew that, but it was worth a shot...maybe he might be awake...maybe. To his surprise, though he didn't show it, the door gave its traditional creak, with a frowning Naruto coming in his sight.
'That's right, he's still not talking. That oaf.' Grimacing at the thought, he entered without an invitation. He never asked for one, it wasn't his style. The house was his, of course, he never found any use of it until now since he preferred the family's manor. 'I see he had cleaned up.'
Taking in the place, he remembered how it had looked from yesterday. Empty ramen cups were lined up in the kitchen counter, the living room, and on the television. The carpet was rid of the ramen stains and many other unwanted inhabitants. He suspected that the couch was growing fungus with all the things stuffed into it and hope that it too was clean, especially under the padding.
It wasn't really his place to ask and it wasn't his place to care, so shrugging, Gaara walked into the kitchen and prepared himself and his friend(?) some breakfast. From the drowsy look of his eyes, he suspected that Naruto had barely woken up
"How hard is it to actually wake up at the regular time, stupid?"
Wanting to retort that no one in their right mind would want to wake up at 4 in the morning to some cruel, inhuman training, but couldn't, so Naruto stuck with glaring. 'I am not talking to him UNTIL he apologizes, that's a promise.' Nodding to assure himself, Naruto moved to grabbed two clean plates and placed them into the kitchen table. It was a routine that he got used to doing during his two week stay. Gaara would come wake him up and will be successful after many, MANY futile tries. He would change into his training gear, which consisted of a black shirt and lose black jeans; which he would guess was made of silk before heading into the kitchen. Gaara would then make breakfast and Naruto would fix the table. It was a nice, comfortable routine, where it included nothing, but eating some food in comfortable silence.
"Hey, stupid how long are you going to stay quiet?" This silence was very unnerving. Gaara didn't know why because he loved solitude, but it was creepy when it comes to Naruto. Which was again, weird, because he never even got into habit with the whole talking Naruto. He was becoming confused and he was never confused.
"....................."
Minutes of comfortable silence passed as they began to eat.
"All right, come on." Pushing from his seat, he took his plate and into the sink. From experience, he found Naruto by his side, waiting his turn to clean his own. When done, he moved to drying it, while the water rushed into Naruto's plate. When sure his plate was completely dry, he moved to place it back to its rightful place. Knowing the ritual he walked off into the living room to read some stupid magazine, his ears turning toward the kitchen, waiting the sound of water to cease, when so, Gaara stood up. "Ready?" Not waiting for an answer for he knew he would receive none, Gaara walked off into the door and drawn the knob into a turn, opening it.
They walked in silence, the moon guiding them into the training ground. The silence was really screwing Gaara's mental state and he couldn't stop the scowl forming on his lips. He knew he had lost this battle, so sighing, he made a stop causing Naruto to gaze curiously at him.
"Are you going to say anything, stupid? Curious? Anything?" This was his last chance to make the stupid ass to talk, until he had to do the unthinkable and unimaginable act and.......apologize.
"..............................."
"Guess not. Alright, alright, I'm s...s....so....sor....sorr....sorr...sorry." Gagging at what he just had said, Gaara glared at the person by him, who had the stupid nerve to laugh. Fixing a glare to the kitsune, he growled.
"I guess you do apologize. Now all I have to do is break your commitment not to joke."
Another glare thrown toward his 'friend'.
"That won't scare me, not with the way you've been throwing it my way every single day, even though you remind me of a snake I once saw." Striding down the pathway again, Gaara followed by his side. "You know, I've been wanting to say this since the beginning. You are fucking crazy! Who, I mean who in their right mind would train at this time of day. It's four! FOUR in the MORNING, you ass."
"Got that out of your system, stupid?" He didn't know why, he never asked why, but he actually liked the obnoxiously perky boy by his side; the quiet one annoyed him like crazy, which again was strange.
Breathing out a deep breath, Naruto gave a large open smile. "Yup!"
"Good because its not going to change."
Grumbling in the lines of 'assholes' and 'cruel friends' Naruto played his yesterday's workout, or more like hell. It was stupid plan, in disguise to try and kill him. He just knew it. First, it was a 10 mile run which would have been fine, but no. The ever-cruel Gaara demanded that he had to finish it by10 minutes and it was only something to loosen his muscles! Thank Kami-sama that he had Kyuubi's speed.
After that, he would be go through some razor sharp, swirling sand thingy. To describe it, the thing looked like nothing but a hurricane made of sand. Gaara said it was supposed to help him endure pain, which was damn it, really HARD because it was PAIN! The sands would nip at his very flesh and he highly suspected that Gaara had placed some kunais inside there.
When he was done exploiting the inside of the hurricane, which was for about half an hour, he was covered from head to foot with bleeding wounds. The only thing he tried to protect was his eyes because damn it, he was not going to go blind be cause of all this so-called training.
Then, if he survived that, he would go sparring with the oh-so-unbeatable Gaara, which one would think to be easy from the other two, but of course not, because he was a fucking killing machine!! He really was. No joke. I mean, he was sparring with a guy who actually loved killing!
They would spar into this large, quad area, which would be fine, if it wasn't dancing with roaring flames. They were extremely hot flames, 350 degrees to his estimation. To make it easier for his feet, he had to suppress some chakras into them this took a lot out of him because the sparring session took 2 hours, causing him to actually jump or more like fly from the height of it. Gaara stayed easy and stuck with kicks, punches and weapons and he had yet to block all of them. Gaara had also kindly explained by using gory details of what he will perform next, but of course that was only after he had completely managed to block all of his attacks. Big whoop.
"Thinking?" Gaara couldn't help but smirk as he watched his friend shiver with fear. It was disgustingly alluring. Kami-sama, what was HE thinking, finding a GUY alluring???
"You know what, I think this is some sick joke. You saved me JUST to kill me through this stupid shit you call training." Gaara could only smirk.
"Stop that! This is not funny. I was unconscious for two days because of blood loss during the first week I managed to go for round two."
"It was not my fault you can not heal yourself to continue with your training. Can you not try to block the hits by forming a shield in your form?"
"Unlike you, I don't have a magic gourd that can form a shield around me."
"I do not need a gourd to make a shield, stupid. I have enough chakras to form one."
"Well, yesterday I DID form a shield!"
"It was feeble little thing, in which the razors can still get through."
"Nuh uh. Well yeah, but I stopped some of them."
"That is not such a great feat."
"Oh, shut up!" Growling, he stomped through the human made track and guess what, it was made of stupid, disgusting SAND! He had thought he hadleft sand behind, but no, unfortunately, Gaara had to live in the Valley of Sand. Hooray!!
"You can not have any emotion during training, you do know that, right?" Making fun of a talking Naruto was actually fun. Now that was something he hadn't have for a long time. Fun.
"I know." Taking a large gulp of air, he breathed out, his face set in a grim line. "I'm ready."
"Good, because it's not going to be better than last time."
"I know."
AN: This is a revised version, beta-ed by Iceheart19 so everyone thank her okay. I had a lot of reviews telling me that the grammar and spelling errors of this story was really screwing it up and so Iceheart19 came into rescue and offered to beta this fic and so I have you like it. Also I want to thank to the people who reviewed this and telling me what's the difference between Yoai and Shonen-ai because I seriously didn't know.