Haunted

By: Junsui Kegasu

A/N: Hee…this might be a while…I don't know, I wrote myself out with the last chappie of LaF.

Disclaimer: Iiii own nothing! ..Oooo! (sings) SEN NO YORU WO, KESENAIIIIDEEEE! …I think those are the lyrics. …I don't own See-Saw, either.

After much searching around the house, Gaara finally found another hoodie. It wasn't his; it was Neji's, but it kept him warm. So, now bundled in two hoodies, both of which went past his hands to act as gloves, he thought he was prepared.

Well, as he learned as soon as he stepped into the icebox beyond radiators, Kankurou wasn't kidding when he said this was the coldest day of winter yet. He really needed to get a real jacket.

He would brave it, though, for Kankurou! He noticed that it had snowed again, but thankfully, the sidewalks had been shoveled, albeit crudely. There was still a layer of snow, maybe an inch thick when it had been fresh and fluffy that had remained, hardening into an ice sheet from all the busy people walking over it.

Slipping more than once on the friction-free surface, Gaara made one block before he was out of breath. Surprisingly, walking on the ever-slippery surface took more energy than it should have.

Or maybe that was because his cold was getting worse. He really hoped it was the first one. Although, the second one, regrettably, would make sense, considering he was feeling rather dizzy and his head was pounding and burning at the same time.

He really hoped Kankurou wouldn't notice. Kankurou would worry, and Gaara hated to have Kankurou worry about him. Unfortunately, it sure seemed to happen an awful lot.

It took him a few seconds for his brain to realize that the pedestrian-aiding light across the street was flashing 'walk'. Gaara hurried across the road, knowing that if the light changed again, he'd be waiting for quite a while in the cold.

He found himself panting by the time he got to the sidewalk on the other side. This trip was really going to be long…but he needed to get there right away. Kankurou was expecting him, and knowing the older, protective man, he would think an alley cat or something raped him…

Was it just he, or was it getting colder every step? It was almost like Maoshimao Café would be the calm within the storm, but every step closer to it was more dangerous.

Kankurou would kill him when he realized that Maoshimao Café was not even close to where Neji lived, this storm was horrendous! This must've been the worst winter they had had in years.

Trying not to be pessimistic, which was proving difficult, Gaara struggled against winds, which were now strengthening. He needed to get to the café! There were just a few more blocks…he could do it…

…Or could he?

"Um, excuse me, sir…?"

Kankurou snapped back to reality. He had been staring at the door again, completely neglecting his customer.

"Oh, sorry…what was that order again?"

The woman in front of him sighed impatiently and snapped her order to him. Getting it this time, Kankurou called to the back, telling her it'd be just a moment. This woman had been the only customer in hours. What had happened to the café?

Again, he was watching the door. The weather outside had steadily been getting worse after he had hung up with Gaara, as if it wanted them to be yanked apart by such boundaries. He really should've just picked him up…this weather would harm the redhead…he could feel it.

Did Gaara even have a proper winter jacket? Kankurou was unsure; every time he had come over thus far in the winter season, his only form of protection against the bitter chill was a hooded sweatshirt.

No wonder he got sick so easily…Kankurou would need to buy him a proper jacket. Something told him that Gaara would be visiting a lot more often than he used to, and he needed a jacket before February.

For some reason, February seemed to be the coldest month of the year.

However, there might just have been an exception this year, after all, it was only January, but Kankurou was pretty sure it was below freezing.

Great, those thoughts definitely weren't helping. He was very worried; Gaara had sounded sick on the phone, what if he got sicker coming out to see him? Kankurou didn't want that, Gaara had just gotten over being sick…

Of course, he also knew that Gaara being sick was somewhat inevitable, especially in winter. It seemed to always happen because of his immune system, but there was nothing they could do about it.

There was medicine that could enhance his frail system, but Gaara never liked pills…to the point where if he tried to swallow them, his throat usually rejected them. They weren't sure if it was more a mental thing or not, but either way, he couldn't help his system.

'They make pills for everything nowadays,' he thought bitterly. 'Why can't people just go back to the syrup stuff? It tastes nasty, but it's easier to swallow most of the time…'

When the agitated woman's order came, Kankurou handed it to her, in too much of a daze to even bother counting out the money she handed him. Without separating it into the proper compartments, he shoved it into the cash register, lost in his thoughts and staring at the door.

When the door did open, his head shot up, eyes focusing instantly on the figure that had entered.

…Damn, not Gaara. It was just Gai, one of the people who made the coffee sold at the café.

"AH, THE EXUBERANCE OF COFFEE!"

There was an audible moan that resonated through the building; no one really liked Gai. He was rather overzealous and Kankurou for once felt lucky that he was at the cashier – it was boring, but Gai was the kind of excitement you willed to go away.

"Oh, Kankurou, you look like you could use a good cup of coffee! Why are you so down looking?" Gai asked him. Kankurou cringed. Of all days, why was Gai talking to him? He didn't want to hear anything the bowl-haired, loud man had to say, not at all.

What was he supposed to tell him? 'Oh, I was hoping you were someone else. Sorry, I didn't want to see you at all'? He settled for not answering, hoping it would drive Gai off.

How long had he been working at Maoshimao Café? Six months? Seven? He should've known…Gai didn't take silence from anybody.

"…Kaaaaankurou?" he sang, poking him in the head. "Kankurou? Answer me! I'll make you some coffee! Come on, answer me!"

However, Kankurou was no longer paying attention to the hyper man, he was far too busy staring at the door, which had opened again.

Red.

Gaara.

"Hey!" he called out, startling Gai, who pulled back instantly, looked at Gaara, shrugged, and skipped into the kitchen with loud greetings.

Kankurou made his way out from behind the counter (it's not like there were any customers anyways) and hugged Gaara, noticing instantly that the boy was shivering. He pulled back, frowning.

"Did you walk here in just a hoodie?" he exclaimed, Gaara's rosy cheeks and snow-covered clothing jutting out at him.

"T-two…" he told him, shaking.

"…That's not enough…you really need a jacket," he told him, shaking his head and embracing him. "Am I any warmer?"

Gaara nodded, instinctively snuggling into the warmth. After a moment of bliss, however, he sneezed violently, one icy, sleeve encased hand coming up to cover his mouth.

"…That reminds me…" Kankurou muttered absently, putting his palm to Gaara's forehead. Perhaps he was inexperienced, but the boy felt really, really hot. He needed a thermometer.

Sheepishly, Gaara pulled away from the touch – while his hands would've been warm anywhere else, they felt icy on his forehead, which currently felt like a volcano had exploded, the lava being his fever and the explosion being the earsplitting headache that had plagued him since he started his trek.

"You two lovebirds need to get a room!"

Kankurou felt a vein twitch. Why must everyone interrupt them?

"Fuck off, Kakashi," he growled, turning to face his silver-haired companion, who was currently grinning from ear to ear. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, since Kakashi liked wearing a navy scarf around his neck and lower half of his face, obscuring most of his face from view. He must not have liked his face, since both that and his left eye were covered, the eye with a patch of silver hair that hung lank.

Kankurou, however, knew why he covered it: he had been in a fight back in high school and had gotten stabbed, leaving a scar over his eye and said eye not gone, but blinded and turned a bright scarlet.

Personally, Kankurou thought it was cool. But Kakashi's preferences about himself were the least of his worries. "Do we have a thermometer anywhere?" he asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Ha, ha, that's funny," he said jokingly. Then, however, his tone changed to a voice dripping with sarcasm. "We work in a fucking café, Kankurou."

Kankurou rolled his eyes. "We don't even have like…a first aid kit?"

"Kankurou!" Gaara piped up. He didn't want Kankurou spending this much attention on him.

"With Ibiki? You're funny, kid, real funny…" he walked back into the kitchens, leaving Gaara and Kankurou alone.

"…Well, you're running a fever, I know that much," Kankurou concluded. "And you shouldn't have walked over here. I'm driving you home – no buts!" he added at the look on Gaara's face.

"But-"

"Nope!"

"Kankurou,-"

"Don't want to hear it!"

"NEJI!" he cried, startling the older man.

"Wh-what?" Kankurou asked, confused.

"He…he doesn't know I'm here and he'll get mad at you…" Gaara mumbled, fiddling with the edge of the hoodie under the ice-coated one.

Kankurou's heart sank. When would Neji get out of the picture? Gaara was too afraid to be sneaky under the bastard's reign…

"Gaara…I don't care about Neji," he started, eyes narrowing. "He needs to get a life other than fucking you."

Gaara flinched, hid gaze drooping. Instantly, Kankurou felt bad. "…I'm sorry…" he told him, embracing the barely-legal redhead. "I keep depressing you!"

"No…no…it's okay…" Gaara said quietly. "I need to…to…you know…try to break away from him…" he whispered, as if afraid Neji could somehow hear him.

Something began to swell in Kankurou's chest, making a grin break out across his face, threatening to tear it in two. Gaara was finally starting to strengthen…soon, he'd be able to completely defend himself and walk away from that abusive control-freak.

"…I'm proud of you," he told him, still grinning. Gaara made a noise of question. "You're…you're trying to break away from him…Gaara, this is great…'cause…you really need to stop letting him walk all over you," he explained, rocking Gaara gently.

The redhead was silent for a while. Kankurou noted that his shaking had subsided and his body felt a little warmer in his arms. "I guess…" he finally mumbled, clinging to Kankurou's blue work shirt, which was by now soaked through from all the snow, melted or not, that had clung to Gaara's red locks.

"So, do you want something to eat? My treat," he offered, changing the subject.

"Oh, but I couldn't…"

"Gaara, 'my treat' means it's free because I work here so I have connections," Kankurou reminded him, playfully ruffling his hair. "Now, what do you want?"

"…Some hot chocolate would be nice…" Gaara told him in a small voice, poking his index fingers together. Kankurou laughed and bent down to plant a kiss on his forehead.

"You are so cute when you do that," he told him, going back behind the counter and disappearing behind the doors to the kitchen. Sighing, Gaara took a seat in one of those chairs that swivel, but don't roll.

He twirled around for a moment, amused by the way the white, gray, blue, and even the red of his bangs falling into his eyes swirled and blurred, creating a dizzying collage. After only a minute, though, he began to feel nauseous, though he hadn't eaten anything that day, and decided to sit still, staring and memorizing the graffiti on the tables.

"Karin (heart)'s Tristan"

"Jodie LuV's Mark"

And finally, only barely distinguishable on the white top of the table, nearly scrubbed off,

"Koga (deformed heart) Brian"

If he wasn't mistaken, Koga and Brian were both male names. He and Neji never expressed their affection publicly, even when it had been bountiful, since society was so cruel to homosexuals nowadays.

He had learned that the hard way.

"Move it, fag…"

Fag. Faggot. Fairy. Flamer.

He hated those terms, hated them so much, but it seemed that ever since eighth grade had began, his secret had gotten out. He wasn't ashamed of his sexuality, oh, no, and he was by no means flaunting it publicly, but he hadn't wanted some of the bullies at school to find out, especially with Kankurou not in the same school as him.

He knew it made him feel like a wimp, but he couldn't help it. Kankurou had always been there, and he had always been the perfect kid to pick on: Small, redheaded, and shy.

Maybe it was his hair color, but he had always been distinguishable in crowds. Maybe he should just dye it black or brown…then he'd mix in easier and…

"I said move it!"

…Things like this wouldn't happen. Flinching as he was shoved aside, he made his way through the hall, though he knew that he'd be late for class.

Why was homosexuality so bad? It wasn't like he could help it…after he had confessed to his mother that he was pretty sure he was gay, she had launched into an hour-long rant about how most of her brothers were all gay, and it was therefore on her side of the family.

It wasn't fair to hate something that couldn't be helped.

In high school, he had learned to start hiding the fact he was gay, not telling anyone, but never dating, either. Word had gotten out two years ago when Neji had asked him out, which was part of the reason he had dropped out.

Neji was a gorgeous person with long, ebony hair and eyes that penetrated you to your very core. All the girls loved him and as for the gays, well, most of them admired him in secret.

...When he had been in high school.

Gaara had comenear the endNeji's reign of swooning girls and internally swooning boys, and yet it had been he who had been sought out by the drop out. He had been a sophomore when Neji left, but in truth, while her had been there,he hadn't really cared either way, trying to block out all feelings of attraction towards anyone. His bullies had followed him to high school.

Once he left, Gaara didn't really care either way. At least, not until Neji asked him out a year later. All the girls had glared at him with nasty, falsely intensified glares, and his bullies had found out, tormenting him with it verbally.

Kankurou didn't know about it. Nor did his mother; as far as they were concerned, high school education was getting him nowhere, so he had been allowed to drop out without home argument or shunning from his friends.

Life had been good for a while, a year and a half approximately. But he had made Neji hate him; he had been bad. There was no chance of bringing Neji back…none at all…

Should he just let him go and move on? He wanted to; Kankurou promised much better things in a relationship, and for longer, but…

He hated to say it, especially in front of Kankurou (He saw him flinch every time he mentioned it) but he still loved Neji, if even just a little. It was so confusing; he loved Kankurou, he had been able to assess that, but…there was Neji…

Placing his head on the cool surface of the table, Gaara willed the headache building up to go away; he didn't need this. Apparently, he was already sick.

…Junsui Kegasu has a special announcement for all who read her fics. (Both of them):

REVIEW. HAUNTED.

See, I KNOW you all want me to get it on with LaF, but I was truly disappointed with only getting 6 reviews and 51 hits for the last chapter since it was posted over a week ago. LaF, on the other hand, has 12 reviews and over 90 something hits since it was posted five days ago.

Yeah.

I was kind of sad, I want reviews for this; it's my baby. I don't get inspired without reviews, and thus far, I have stuck very, very, very strictly to my original plan of updating LaF, then Haunted, then LaF, and so on and so forth with the occasional new fic thrown in every so often.

Neglecting this won't make me go onto LaF faster, it'll just slow this down.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't complain – my sister is lucky for one review a chapter, but…you know, it's below my average…I was just a little disappointed and thought that (since I apparently need to speak my mind) I should tell you all that.

…Review puh-wease!