I love you all who reviewed wipes away tear it made me feel all specialful

I'M REALLY SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT! I'm sure you've all heard it before, but I have an excuse! Right now, as I write this, I'm outta town, with no internet. I was going to post this before I left, but my internet freaked out (which, for once, is not my fault, Charter has to come and replace everything, but before that, the appointment has to be rescheduled . . .) and so I tried to steal my neighbor's internet, but he locked it up! And we were leaving so fast that I never got a chance to call and ask wtf was going on with that . . . So I figured that there's free internet in the airport, last time we traveled there was . . . but apparently our local airport doesn't have free wireless. Then I come up here to Washington State to find that the lodge that we are staying in is so very old fashioned, I wouldn't have been surprised to have heard one of the (all foreign) workers asked me "what be 'internet'?" and so we find me now, sitting here, typing this little rant to the word processor realizing how stupid this must sound with no one on the receiving end . . .

Disclaimer: I own nothing . . .

-s-p-l-i-t-

Chapter Two

Frowning at the image of a boy dressed in a green button up dress shirt three sizes to big for him and black pants that the belt was the miracle that kept them from falling, a futile attempt was made to cover the crimson tattoo with short red hair. He had done his best to look good, yet not much could be done without money to buy nice clothes, the ones he had on he had borrowed from Kiba. Clothes weren't all of it, though, he noted the dark circles under his eyes, the tattoo and his scrawny form were beyond his control. Raising a hand to hide the tattoo again, his hand stopped in mid movement as he stared at the crimson soaking through the white cloth.

Oh, yes, he was beyond hope. No one in their right mind would hire this pathetic looking soul.

Sighing and backing away from his reflection in the car window, he headed to the door under the sign "L. A. Books". Upon walking inside, he found that he could breathe easier among the towers of books. He loved bookstores and libraries, they had been his sanctuary for years from the horrors of home.

Walking to the desk and being directed to a lady in a blue suit, he met her bright blue orbs and he almost stepped back from the shocking brightness exhibited in them. He watched as a questioning gaze filled her eyes which turned to understanding and then to pity – a look he had seen too many times before. It took approximately seven seconds for a person to get an impression – a final impression, not a first. He knew what hers was, and he only hoped it could be changed, maybe he had a few seconds left . . .

:o:

Mailbag slung over his shoulder and across his chest, camera dangling from his neck, and Kiba's dress clothes long since discarded, Gaara trudged down the street. His eyes were locked to his feet, even if he knew they were there, he didn't want to see the stares that were pointed in his direction. The pressure of people sending looks due to the worn out clothes and baggage that made him look like a bum, or those who saw the dark circles under his eyes and the tattoo, made him want to crumble and disappear, though his beacon of red hair wouldn't allow him to.

Admiring every crack in the sidewalk or weed that grew between the blocks, he apologized as he occasionally bumped into people on the crowded street, hands in his pockets to keep him from raising his hands to protect his face every time he came in contact with another human. It was times like these he really wished he could afford some kind of motorized vehicle, for just walking three blocks to the park was pure torture.

A gasp escaped his mouth and he toppled forward from the force applied to his shoulder. Tripping over his feet and grasping for his camera that slung around his neck, coming dangerously close to the ground, he had lost all sense of balance and would have made a head-on collision with the concrete had someone not grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into their chest.

Gaara bit back a scream and pushed away from the deeply rising and falling chest and thundering heart beat. The large hands grabbed his shoulders and helped the now shaking boy up to his feet. He avoided eye contact like it was a form of evil, the concrete a much more welcoming than the surely angry look that would radiate from the stranger. He grabbed his stuff before muttering a short "I'm sorry" and focused on moving his feet. To his surprise, though, a large, shaggy white dog blocked his way, forced to look up at the owner, he was sure his face matched his red hair.

"No, not your fault at all. Bear runs so fast that I have issues keeping up, sorry for knocking you down." Gaara managed to shoot a look down at the giant dog who he figured was the one called "Bear", quickly realizing why the he was given such a name. Bear drooled and left no time before rubbing against the redhead's leg and licking the dangling hand.

Gaara pulled his hand back as though he had been bitten, and the boy's laugh echoed in his ears, but it wasn't the laughing he was used to, the mocking, annoying, and distasteful laugh, instead one that was quite pleasant. Confused, he looked over the boy standing in front of him, too young to be out of high school, possibly in Gaara's grade, junior, tall, but then again, Gaara only reached 5'3", most everyone was tall to him, black hair that was loosely pulled into a pony tail, and storm grey eyes that could pierce right through your heart.

"I'm Neji, by the way." The boy snapped Gaara out of his reverie and back down to earth, where he noticed the outstretched hand. He stared at it for a minute before raising his shaking hand. Neji's strong grip on Gaara's hand almost made him wince, and wish to pull it back from the foreign feeling. It wasn't until Neji began once more that Gaara realized he was expected to talk:

"And you are . . ."

"G-Gaara." Annoyed at himself for how weak his voice had sounded as he stuttered, he bit his lip and stared into the laughing of storm colored eyes. He felt his body relax as he pulled back his hand and felt a tug on his leg from where the leash from Bear wrapped itself around his leg. After freeing himself, the dog tugged at his leash, whining, making it obvious that he wanted to continue his walk. Neji smiled and waved before taking off down the street after Bear.

:o:

After surviving the routine trip to the park, Gaara took off his bag and camera, setting it down in the green as though it were made of glass, before letting the energy leave his legs and allowing him to tumbling to the soft bed nature had made for him below. Smelling the fresh air, free from the smog of the city, and letting the blades tickle his skin, he basked in the oasis this place had given him.

He closed his sleep deprived eyes and listened to the sounds of the park, birds chirping, the soft breeze rustling the trees, the distanced street noise, and the sounds of children playing on the swingset.

"I bet I can make it across the monkey bars before you can!"

"I bet you can't!"

I bet.

Gaara shot up from his bed of green, eyes wide and sweat threatening to pour from his face. His breathing became hard and came out in short tight breaths. He pulled his knees to his chest rocked himself back and forth.

It was all just a game.

He couldn't stop the shaking that ran through his body.

Just a simple bet.

He covered his mouth with his hand, biting his finger to stop the scream.

I bet.

Running his hands through his hair, he forced his breathing to slow, and closed his eyes.

I won't loose this bet.

He had to stay calm, opening his eyes, he looked for something relaxing, something to ease his nerves. He wouldn't let the other take over.

Looking through the green, he found the relaxing item and focused on it. A boy laid out on his back, sprawled about in the blades of green. His dog curled up next to him, the boy resting his head in the shaggy mane. After a few deep breaths, Gaara ran a hand through his red hair and smiled as he realized that his other hadn't taken control.

Pulling his sketchbook out of the bag, he rested it on his knee and took a pencil in hand. Intent on drawing the scene that had kept him sane, he frowned as he realized who it was he was planning on drawing. Loose black hair and a lean, tall figure with a shaggy dog next to him rang two names through his mind: Neji and Bear.

After his moment of hesitation, he continued to draw, despite knowing those he had planned to put on paper. He figured Neji'd never see it anyways and he still owed them at the very least a drawing for keeping him who he was.

Gaara didn't know how long he sat there; he had a tendency to forget time when he was creating. He started off with his 2B sketch pencil, making soft outlines, turning shapes into figures, and figures into a human laying on his dog. He noted that his model didn't move, he determined that he must have fallen asleep, his dog, too. Instead of whipping out his tilda blending tool of wrapped paper, he decided to try something new. Pulling out his ebony pencil, perfect for shading in all tones, he crosshatched shadows with different values to give a textured look instead of smooth blending.

Looking up once more, he frowned as he noticed his model was no longer there. He could have been gone for at least a half hour and Gaara was so into his work that he wouldn't have noticed if he left. Shifting and sitting back, eyes scanning the finished product, he wasn't thrilled, but it wasn't bad.

"Damn, you're good."

Gaara jumped to his feet and turned away to face a storm eyed brunette. His eyes were wide with shock before a blush overcame his features and he looked away. He didn't realized he had wrapped his sketchbook in his arms to shield it from wandering eyes.

"Can I see?" Neji reached out for the sketchbook and Gaara hesitated before handing over the oversized sketchbook. Gaara tried to avoid eye contact, embarrassed by the sudden attention. "Where did you learn to draw like this?"

"I-I taught myself . . ." Gaara bit his lip, he hated talking, he couldn't stop stuttering and he could express what he was trying to say through his artwork with less effort.

"Wow, you did a great job of me and Bear, looks so real."

Gaara hated compliments, he didn't receive many and the ones he did, he didn't know how to respond, so he simply didn't. After a few seconds, he was shot another question, "Why'd you draw us anyways?"

Gaara paused and thought before answering, "I-I don't know, I j-just did."

"Hmm, cool." Neji handed him back his sketchbook and Gaara was glad to have something to hold onto to stop the shaking of his hands. "Well, I've got to go, I hope to see you around, though. Maybe I'll see some of your art, too."

As Neji turned to leave with a small wave, Gaara heard a sound erupt from himself, "You can have it, if you want." Before he knew what he was doing, he tore the page out, careful not to rip it, but frowning at the frills from the spiral. He brought it up to Neji and handed it to him before turning around, picking up his belongings, and taking off, leaving a speechless Neji in his wake.

:o:

Maybe he didn't want the picture. Gaara walked down the road, spaced out and thinking about the events that had unfolded. He scolded himself mentally and was about to die in the agony of what he had done. I shouldn't have given it to him, he didn't want it. Why did I do that to him? He'll just throw it away, it wasn't that good anyways, he was probably just trying to make me feel better. I look like someone who should be pitied – maybe I am. I'm so stupid.

Gaara looked up from his feet towards the sky, sighing. After a deep breath, he let his eyes wonder and frowned as he realized, he had no idea where he was. He didn't know how long he had been wandering, being stuck in his own little world, but from the setting sun, he guessed a long time. The shadows beginning to loom over everything, he made it to the end of the alley he had somehow entered, surprised to see a man sitting at the corner, cups in one hand and a marble in the other.

"Come on up, make a bet! Find the marble under the cups after I spin them around!" His smile reached his eyes as the redhead approached, but it wasn't the voice of Gaara that answered.

"Yes, I'd like to make a bet."

:o:

Well, that's it for this chapter, I was hoping to make it longer, but I was really no liking how this chapter was going, it's all blagh . . . Oh well, Until Next Time . . .

:ATTENTION:

The ezine I work for, Insidious Reflections, will be finally moving from an ezine to an officialprint magazine as of October 1st, 2005,with Issue 4! After two years of work, we're almost in print, just a couple of months, and we'll have accomplished almost every writer's dream!

www. Insidious Reflections .com

Where Sanity Lies Barren and Madness Pens a Twisted Tale . . .