Suna's Kekkei Genkai
Chapter 4: New clothes, new style, new mission
I've got nothing to say
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I REFUSE TO GO IN THERE!!!! LEMME GO YOU UGLY B--" a loud thwack cut the echoing screams of terror short.
Naruto and Neji stood on either side of the reluctent Gaara, making sure (on pain of torchre) that he didn't bolt while Temari tried to force Kankurou through the door where he had his hands and feet stopping his way. Gaara had never paid attention to Kankurou when he was have his 'periods of insanity', but the way he was carrying on now, the sand demon vessel began to think that 'The Mall' (DUN DUN DUUUNNN!!! dramatic soap opera music) was a very unplesent experience indeed. He glanced at a group of people leaving and had the sudden impulse to sneak away and avoid the whole thing. Neji and Naruto seemed to have sensed this and grabbed his arms.
"Aw, com'on Gaara!" Naruto said. "Going to the mall is fun! Even Neji likes it. He's here all the time in the Arcade." Neji nodded to back him up.
"In the what?"
Neji felt his whole world drop out from underneath him.
STARE.
"We're going to the arcade," Naruto said in an absolute voice.
"No, we'll do that afterwards," Temari said, dragging Kankurou up to them. "The three of us need clothes for this country since all our clothes are desert ones."
"Clothes?" Gaara looked down at what he was wearing and frowned. He'd never cared about what he weared except that it was comfortable to walk around the desert in. Kankurou had been wearing the same outfit for four years now.
"Why is Neji here?" Kankurou asked from the floor.
"He's going to help you pick clothes out," Temari said. She dropped Kankurou in front of Neji. "Well, you boys do your thing, I'm going to shop for my own clothes."
"Wha--huh?" Kankurou said pausing in his freak out. "You mean we're shopping seperately?"
"You and Gaara are going together."
"Oh, ok then," Kankurou stood up calmly and dusted himself off. Temari glared at him then walked away into the endless beautiful abyss that women love and no man in their right mind would willingly dare to venture.
Neji turned to the two sand brothers. "Do either of you know what kind of clothes you're looking for?"
"I got some normal clothes, but they're back in Sunaga," Kankurou said. Neji nodded then turned to Gaara. "Gaara's been wearing the same outfit since he was eight," he explained.
Neji pondered this for a while, studying Gaara. "You know I could see him in goth." he told Kankurou after a while. Kankurou looked at Gaara and nodded.
"Or skater type," Kankurou added.
Naruto and Gaara: .....?.....
"Follow me," Neji led them up to the second floor of the mall where dwelt a store that contained loud music and SNG and H-R's favorite clothes: Hot Topic. As they walked in, they were greeted by a teenager who called himself 'Spike'. Neji explained their 'predicament' and turned to introduce him to Gaara, but the Sand nin had long been destracted by the lights, colors, music, rings, braclets, earrings and other items that were shiney and was on the other side of the store.
"I want these," he told them.
"We'll get some later, clothes first," Kankurou called.
'Spike' had Gaara take off his sash and leather strap. then looked him up and down like Neji had done. "Small?" he pondered aloud to Neji.
"Probably extra small," Neji said jokingly (Neji made a joke!). He promply received a glare from Gaara.
"What's your favorite color?" 'Spike' asked Gaara, who was now glaring at Kankurou who was laughing at him or Neji. Who know the Hyuuga knew so much about clothes?
"......" Gaara turned to him. "Black."
"Easy enough.(it's practically the only thing the store sells) What else?"
"Red."
"What color do you hate?"
"Pink."
"He likes shiny stuff too," Kankurou said from where he was looking at shirts.
"Hold on," 'Spike' walked away, coming back a few minutes later with several items of clothes over his arm. He handed them to Gaara, who took them then glared up at 'Spike'.
"Why are they so heavy?"
Josh shrugged. "Mine are heavy too," he demonstrated by lifting his pants up and let them drop. He opened the door to the changing room. "Go try them on."
"Do you want help?"
Gaara paused. If Naruto helped him, and he looked funny, Naruto would laugh at him and never let him live it down. Same with Kankurou. Hot Topic might be short an employee if 'Spike' helped him. That left Neji, who he decided was the best choice. "Neji," he said going into the dressing room. Neji followed with a slight smile of amusement.
(outside pov)
"How do I put this on?"
"Like this."
"Turn around."
"Huh?"
Gaara made a noise like some one makes when their using their hands to talk. It sorta sound like "eeeh!" when you want them to turn around.
Neji gave a sigh and appartently turned around. Pause. "Are you done yet?"
"Hey!"
"Sorry!" (the death glare could be felt outside) "Do you want help?"
"(mumble grumble) yes."
Pause and ruffles of clothes. "Hold this.....give me your hand....other one....there. Done."
Silence.
"Let us see Gaara," Naruto called in.
"....no....."
"Does it fit him?" 'Spike' called.
"Yes," Neji answered.
"How many outfits do you want?"
"A few," Kankurou said.
'Spike' disappeared to find Gaara new outfits. Kankurou looked down at the ones he'd picked out for himself. Sighing, he pushed open the curtain that covered the dressing room ("Hey!") and stepped in. "I'm just gonna try mine--" he stopped when he saw Gaara, who was looking more self concious then Kankurou'd ever seen him. The puppet-user looked the sand-user up and down. "You look cool!" Kankurou told him as Neji stepped out.
"I do?" Gaara looked at himself in the mirror. He had on black shorts that came just past his knees with red seams and lots of useless zippers, rings, chains and straps hanging down. His new shirt was black, loosely skin tight (like a 'skater' shirt), with the words 'I'm here what more do you want?' in white on the front. On his left arm was an elbow length, fingerless fishnet glove. Covering that was a black fingerless glove with rings on the side (H-R is proud of herself. She drew Gaara like this next to Gaara-mirai. If you want the picture sent to you please contact my agent, Shukaku, via email or review).
"Yeah you do," Kankurou said, like 'duh'. He tried his clothes one, making a point of not taking his hood off in the process. After they had tried on and puchased their new clothes (they put the bill on the Kazekage's tab) they went down to the arcade and goofed off until Temari came down and helped the manager kick them out for 'disrupted behaver'.
When the sand nins returned home, Sakura was just leaving. She smiled and complemented on their new clothes, pausing a little longer with Temari to do that girl-clothes-talk-thing that I have yet to understand what's so facinating about it. "Oh, Gaara, Tsunade-sama said she needs to talk to you about something important," she pointed up to Gaara's room. "She's in there."
Gaara went in, but didn't go straight up. He went into the kitchen first and made himself a sandwich and got out a drink. he stopped in front of the mirror on the living room wall and looked at his new outfit. He shook his pants slightly to make them jingle lightly. He smiled ever so slightly, then went up the stairs. Gaara smelled the new paint before he stepped in. When he did, he stopped short, the sandwich about to be bitten, and scanned the room.
His room was no longer the annoying bleach white, but black with red fire-like marks (how they knew he liked black is beyond me). The floor wasn't cluttered with his stuff anymore. It was all carefully hung from the ceiling and window pane and sill. His chair was in the corner now and there was a new love seat sofa-that-was-also-a-bed in the room where Tsunade was reclining, sipping soda.
"What do you think?" she asked the speechless Gaara as Kankurou stepped in behind him.
"Holy shit...." Kankurou looked around the room. "Can you do mine too?"
"This is just a little present for Gaara. Besides, I'm mad at you," she said taking another sip.
"Why"?
"I've been in your room."
"Oh," Kankurou left, laughing, to go reset his booby traps.
"That pink haired girl said you wanted to talk to me," Gaara said.
"Sakura," Tsunade corrected. ('Mental note...') "Yes, I did. I have to go on a peace mission as Hokage that may take a long while. Such as a month or two." She paused for Gaara's reaction.
She's bailing on training you, Shukaku told him sneering. I told you, who would want to train a monster like you?
Gaara didn't answer the demon. He almost believed him. Tsunade mey be a bitchy-monster, but she acknowledged his hard work. Now she was leaving. His face must have fallen slightly, because Tsunade was looking at him extra kindly.
"I've decided to take you with me as my student and assistant," she told him.
Gaara's face visibly lit up. "Really?" he cried before he caught himself.
"Yep," Tsunade said holding back a laugh. "I'll train you mroe on the way," she stood and walk passed him. "You didn't think I'd leave you behind, did you? What kind of friend do you think I am?" she shut the door behind her.
Gaara continued to stare where she had been sitting. His hand slowly reached up and clutched his chest. It felt tight and swelled. "Friend..." he whispered.
"Gaara?" Temari opened the door and peeked in. "They did a good job didn't they?" she stepped up to him. "Gaara?"
He came out of his trace-like state with a shudder. He mumbled something, but Temari didn't hear him. She questioned him and he mumbled again. ".........she...acknowledges my existence...." Temari didn't understand what he meant (but we do, of course), but she smiled at him anyway.
Three days later Kankurou, Temari, Neji, Shizune, Jiraiya and Naruto saw them off. Naruto was pissed that he couldn't go, but he was a good sport about it in front of Gaara. He whispered warning to the sand nin, until Tsunade yelled at him and made him leave Gaara alone. The two turned and began walking away from the village.
"Gaara!" Naruto called after them. Gaara stopped and turned around. "When you come back, you and I can fight and see who's new justu is the best ok?"
Gaara nodded and raised his hand in good bye. 'Having friends is good.'
Shukaku: (mumble grumble)