Lost and Found

By: Junsui Kegasu

A/N: Hee…Kinda left a cliffhanger last chapter. Figured to start the new one early.

Special note: Flashbacks will from now on be just italicized passages. Just so I don't confuse anyone…ALSO! Dear reviewers who I talk to online want credit. (Yes, I KNOW it was a joke. But SO IS LIFE!)

Disclaimer: …Why do I still put these up?

Chapter 14
To Kankurou, it seemed like Temari had taken hours finding the inhaler and bringing it down. By that time, Gaara was near having a seizure. He himself had shed a few tears, almost convinced that this was the end.

In truth, it had only been hardly over a minute before Temari zoomed back down the staircase, an inhaler clutched in her shaking hand. She brought it to the small boy's lips doing something that Kankurou wasn't paying attention to. (Sorry, I don't have asthma. I don't really know how inhalers work…) All he cared about was a moment later when Gaara began coughing. Kankurou sat him up in his arms, patting his back some.

He didn't stop until a moment later, when Gaara coughed up some mucus. He sighed, pulling the redhead close.

"Are you okay?"

"I…think…" Gaara answered quietly, trying to regain control of his breathing.

"You really scared me. I never knew you had asthma."

"I didn't think I did!"

"Alright, alright. Will the demon let you sleep?" Gaara needed it. Very badly, as far as Kankurou was concerned. He didn't care how much the younger boy had slept in a week.

"I don't know…he's not happy…" came the whisper.

Kankurou sighed. He couldn't very well force Gaara into sleeping, so he instead stood up with the redhead in his arms, noting again that it was eerily effortless to carry him up the stairs and back into the living room, where he sat on the couch.

Looking back to see if Temari had followed him, he heard her voice from the bedrooms, calling that she was calling it a night early.

Gaara mumbled something. Kankurou looked down, a small smile on his face. "What was that?"

"You make a good pillow…" the mumble wasn't any better than it's predecessor, but Kankurou heard it this time.

"Does that mean you're going to sleep?" he asked, slightly amused.

"…Maybe." Gaara said reluctantly.

"Go ahead and try. That thing wouldn't hurt me." Kankurou said confidently. In truth, he wasn't so sure about that, but whatever got Gaara to rest would work.

The redhead shifted some in his lap. "Mm…okay…" he said after a while, falling back against his chest.

Kankurou smiled. That was better. He leaned back against the couch, watching Gaara's breathing even out completely. When he knew the smaller boy was asleep, he picked up the remote control from beside them and turned on the television, being sure to keep the volume on the low side.

He didn't know how long he had been watching TV when Gaara suddenly whimpered. Looking down, he contemplated whether to wake the boy, or keep watching and make sure it wasn't a nightmare.

Before he could make his decision, two gleaming yellow eyes opened, staring at him. Terror seized Kankurou's senses. He knew what those eyes meant. He hardly ever saw them, but he knew what they meant. And he didn't enjoy the very rare occasion of seeing them.

"Y-you! Let him sleep peacefully!" he shouted before thinking.

"Hm? I let that human get away with far too much sleep. I need to kill something." The voice didn't sound like Gaara. Gaara's voice wasn't that deep or clear. He tended to mumble and stutter a lot.

"No, you don't." It hadn't quite clicked that in his lap sat a very potent creature. To him, it was still Gaara; after all, it looked like him. Even if the voice was different, the form in front of him was his baby brother, and no damned demon was ever going to change that.

"And who are you to decide that for me, human?" the voice spat at him. Those yellow eyes looked very hungry. Kankurou was beginning to reconsider whether or not talking back was going to get him everywhere. People had told him his mouth would be his bane.

"Well, I'm Gaara's brother. And you're in Gaara's body. Therefore, I shall treat you as I would treat him in the same situation." He decided to keep this up for a while. If things got dangerous, he'd duck out and let the monster have its way, but for now, he'd rather spare Gaara another beating.

"Hn. That means nothing to me. 'Gaara' and I are two separate people. I happen to possess his physical form, but we are two very separate people."

"Well, then I'm afraid I'll have to protect Gaara's body, then." By now, Kankurou had gone giddy with nervousness. He wasn't really thinking about his words.

"What are you, his father?" snapped the yellow-eyed boy.

Those words snapped Kankurou back to reality. "No. I am NOT my father. I never WILL be my father." He said shortly.

"Really now?" Shukaku had decided that if he couldn't reek havoc upon the village, he would instead torment Kankurou. "You know, you have his eyes. You have his glare."

Kankurou had heard this before. A lot of people had told him how much he looked like his father. It made him sick. "I don't care what I've physically inherited from him. I will never be like him."

"They say victims of child-abuse only continue the cycle as adults. Upon anyone, not just children." The demon stated, grinning.

Kankurou flinched. He knew this also. "Well…I won't let it. I refuse to turn out like him!"

"Funny, word has it your father said the same thing. He lasted what…six years into being a parent?"

"SHUT UP!" Kankurou yelled, standing up suddenly. He forgot that it was Gaara's body. All he saw were those eyes, mocking him.

When Shukaku landed, he felt the other part of him begin to wake. When Kankurou screamed, he knew he had missed his chance. Releasing his hold on Gaara's subconscious, he closed his eyes, allowing the host to regain control.

Gaara fell back again before he whimpered, reopening his eyes. He saw Kankurou looming over him, looking angry and afraid. Instinct told him that Kankurou was angry with HIM, so he closed his eyes to block out the familiar gaze.

Now that he thought about it, where did he see that gaze? That glare, that stare? (A/N: I be such a poet.) It looked so familiar, but for some reason, he could never place it. His mind always labeled it as 'Kankurou', but there was something that reminded him of fear. Something that reminded him of pain.

Deep inside, he knew what it reminded him of. But he refused to come into terms that both he and Kankurou had inherited anything from their father. This denial had kept him afloat somewhat in his own little world. In his own world, the conclusion was always 'I'm nothing like him and I never will be.' It was the only reason he hadn't just allowed the demon to consume him, and kill off any remains of 'Sabaku Gaara'.

Reopening his eyes, he saw that Kankurou's gaze had begun to soften. "D-did…did the demon come out?" he asked softly, his voice painfully small.

Kankurou snapped out of it when Gaara's eyes reopened. Once again, those emotionless jade orbs stared at him. When a look of fear and sadness washed over them, Kankurou knew he had scared the boy, and tried to calm down.

"D-did…did the demon come out?" Gaara sounded afraid, like he was going to get in trouble.

"Well…" he thought about lying to him so Gaara wouldn't become upset, but lies just made everything worse. "He did, but you didn't kill anyone."

Gaara looked surprised. "He didn't?"

"Well, I had to kind of restrain him…and that's why you're on the floor. Did I hurt you?" His voice, usually devoid of anything except for mild annoyance or disgust sounded concerned.

Gaara shook his head. His rear end was slightly sore from his landing, but he'd be fine. He'd had worse. Much, much worse. "I'm fine. Are you hungry?"

Kankurou blinked at the subject change. What time was it? He glanced at the cable box, which read 11:45. He had been watching TV for quite a while. "Yeah, a little. I'll make something. What do you want?" Helping the redhead to his feet, they started towards the kitchen.

"What do we have?" was the simple answer. That was actually a good question, considering no one had bothered to go grocery shopping since they had been in Konoha. All he could find were two packs of instant ramen, but they had both been opened and mold was beginning to grow.

"This is insane! Who opens ramen and then put it back?" Kankurou exclaimed angrily, throwing the ramen out.

"Well…we have…uhh…" Gaara tried to think. He was really was famished, but he didn't want to tell Kankurou when he had last eaten.

"Well…how hungry are you?" Kankurou seemed to sense the desperation in his voice. "We could walk to some place and get something."

Gaara shook his head. Hoping his stomach wasn't very loud, he answered. "Well…I'll be fine 'till morning…"

Kankurou gave him a skeptical look. "When did you last eat?"

"…" Gaara wasn't sure if answering that was the best idea.

"Gaara…" Kankurou said slowly. When the boy still didn't answer, he sighed. "Alright. Grab your shoes and a jacket."

"Shoes and jacket for what?" Both boys turned. In the entrance of the kitchen stood Temari, still in her pajamas. Her blonde hair was mussed from sleep and puffed out in odd angles.

"Well, there's nothing to eat, so Gaara and I are going out to get something. You wanna come?" There was no point in convincing the older girl to stay behind; she hadn't had dinner either.

"Sure, lemme just get on socks." She disappeared back up the stairs again.

Kankurou sighed. What an interesting family outing: Finding the closest place in walking distance to eat in order not to starve. Wonderful. He'd make it a point to go grocery shopping tomorrow. Or he could ask Temari to do it; she was better at that type of thing.

"Mou…Kankurou?"

Gaara's voice snapped Kankurou out of his thoughts. He looked down at the boy, signifying for him to continue.

"Did…the demon say anything to you…?"

Kankurou considered whether or not to tell him. He thought Gaara might get a little bit upset to know how taunting and almost violent the situation had become.

"…Yeah…." He said after a long while. "Why?"

"Well…he keeps talkin' 'bout stuff that he never used to…" Gaara trailed off, returning his gaze to floor.

Kankurou scowled. "Don't listen to him. He doesn't know shit. We will NEVER, and I repeat NEVER turn out like him. Okay?"

Gaara nodded slightly in agreement, bringing his gaze up a little.

Just then, Temari came back down the stairs, now clad in socks, and went to go grab her shoes. Kankurou and Gaara followed to go get their own, and they set out on a quest for a store open 24/7.

They had made it to the mini-plaza a little bit from their house, right by an elementary school (um…it's really not a mini-plaza. But, at the same time, it like…is. It's a group of stores all across the street from each other, and only AnimeGirl189 will know what the hell I'm talking about because I'm making it like my city because I'm effin LAZY.) when they saw that none of the stores, (:has to think about the order of stores since she doesn't go to them all:) a photography place, a barber shop, a jewelry store, a fashion store, a bakery, an ice cream shop, a general market, and a candy shop, were all closed.

"Bull. Shit." Kankurou said. "No fucking way. We're gonna have to walk all the way to Kroger's."

AND I END IT THERE! I'm SO sorry it's so short, and I'm actually not quite that happy with the length, but if I don't stop it here, I don't know where I'll end up stopping it! So…yeah. I'm gonna start working on the 15th as soon as I post this, though, so yeah. This has been late because my dad has been home, and my lack of sleeping pattern is at the moment out to get me. So…yeah!

REVIEWS!

13nmsdude – Ha ha. Even though you've only read the first chapter so far, I CONVINCED YOU TO READ IT! You seriously have no friggen idea how yaoi-fanboys are the most uncommon thing ever. KEEP READING!

littleanikaze – I know! I torture Gaara so much! It seems like asthma would suck. My little cousin has it really bad. Gaara's attack was more an off-hand thing from being thrown around, since I've heard trauma can trigger an attack, and then the basement was dusty.

Kanky-chan – It will happen. I told you how on the phone last night! It was GOD?

RP: TYPO, DUMBASS!

NO! LET ME BELIEVE IT WAS GOD! This one is really short too. Damn. Yes, the schedule is like…never in affect if my dad isn't home. But he has been. So poop. I will write more! I'm in a writer's storm, so I'll be typing a lot for the next chapter after posting this. You haven't been on lately to talk to e.e. So you can't really be restraining. Plus, I explained how talking to people gives me inspiration. Like for the entire next project.

Yoko-san – He is NOT always uke! Just in the ring of stories I'm reading! Most Gaara-yaoi fics have him as seme, and I really think he fits better as an uke. Yes! He can be really feminine, methinks… your Gaara? You does not own Gaara! Wahh! Kanky does! But yay for the Kazekage death wish. You'll see how that all works out. He's been retired for this entire fic. Yeah, that means the abuse is probably worse than it was in Sunaga. Um, Gaara's reason for Shukaku here is because in the beginning, the Kazekage wanted to save his third unborn child, and it was the only way he would've lived. No one knew about the side-effects at that point. Naruto does not have Kyuubi.

Mystical Moonstar – DUDE! Love your name! This is sad…I should like…put a tearjerker warning in the summary. You know what? I think I will! This wasn't very soon, but oh well.

Weevil Belongs to Rex – He can breathe now! And the fresh-air from the outdoors should help. He isn't fit to be a father! I should have an explanation as to why…eventually. Oh, I know where I'll put it!

RP: You're rambling.

Oh, sorry.

TheFutureFreaksMeOut – I thought it was short. And this one is short too. I'm sure everyone wants to kill the Kazekage. It will end happy! I'd bawl if I ended it sad! Kankurou the pro-wrestler….hm….I kind of like that! Imaginations are good little things. No problem for keeping you occupied. Fanfiction does that to me too.

Dragon Man 180 – HAHAHAHA! FOMCROFLMFAO! (Falling out of my chair rolling on the floor laughing my fucking ass off) I like that death:writes death down: Um, because Kanky and Gaara were suspended, the teachers didn't have to give them make-up work at all. You're really lucky if you get it. Tsunade probably couldn't do much about it, sadly.

Fantastical Queen Ebony Black – Yeth! It's being reposted:sparkle: Yay! I well-did a Temari bit! I should add more of those. I think I'm gonna end up having more KankyGaa brotherly stuff than NejiGaa. That's really sad. Gaara's dad IS a bastard…Was it really that powerful? I didn't really think so. I'd have to re-read it. Yeah, I usually don't like doing the abuse scenes. I'd rather go up to Temari and Kankurou, but I haven't added too many of them, so I thought it might be a good idea to. That's horrible being new. I was new in 3rd grade, but because it was 3rd grade, everyone knew that I was coming 'n stuff. That's horrible that people still don't know you go there.

Hurricane-rider – Whoooooa. My chapters have interesting effects on you:takes notes: We all hate him, we all hate him. Wow…poor poor Ken doll. OH WELL! HE IS THE KAZEKAGE, THEREFORE, HE SHALL BURN! Gaara couldn't breathe 'cause of asthma. But he can now. Yes, that is bad.