Chapter Three
"…Well that was not exactly what I would call a challenge…hmm those weaklings, is Kohona losing it's reputation for having the strongest ninjas, please…" Naruto said as he stepped inside their quarters and lied down on his bed.
Killing another ninja from his old village was always a thrill for the young fox ninja.
He examined his hand, not claws anymore as he didn't need to use the Kyuubi's charka for now, inspecting to see if any blood got under his nails.
Nope, good. Last thing he wanted was to have the scent of that no good bastard on him.
But besides gloating in a good kill he sighed bored and looked about his room. It wasn't very decorative nor did it have bright colors like neon or whatever. He had his walls painted red, red like Kyuubi and the furniture black as his whole attire matched with only those two colors. Same with Gaara, except Gaara had more black inside his room than Naruto or Haku. Haku was the only one who had a different set of color than the two demons. His collaborated with white and ice blue, his stuff looking as clear as crystal chipped and fine to look like ice. Each of them representing what kind of demons they were. Naruto was the fire, Gaara was the sand or darkness, and Haku was the ice. All three connected because they were special.
Ah the good old days and Naruto remembered back to when they all got together after Naruto left his old village with Zabuza and Haku…
They made their way through the night, traveling with fast pace to head to Zabuza's fortress where he was told when to train and stuff.
"You will wake up at four o'clock AM and a different teacher will come and teach you! No complaints, no crying or whatever, this is your life with no regrets, no second thoughts, understand that Naruto."
Naruto nodded and then Haku grabbed his hand and said he would show him where to sleep.
"You can sleep with me." He said and Naruto felt a flush come to his face. Even though the young boy who was a year older than him and looked like a girl, Naruto felt butterflies in his stomach as Haku grab his hand and dragged him to his room.
There was only one bed big enough to hold the both of them. And Haku showed him where the shower was and all other things in the room for him. Naruto looked around and then his eyes caught something sitting on the desk.
He picked it up and saw a young man and woman together in the picture. They were, both smiling and he could see why as the woman was holding a baby in her arms.
"Haku are these your parents?" Haku went over and his eyes turn sad that Naruto saw quickly come over the young boy's face.
"Hai those were my parents…my mother and father were poor but happy."
"What happened to them?" Haku was silent for a moment before he said in a very quiet voice. "They died…"
"Oh Haku I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask if you didn't want—" But Haku raised his hand and told him to let him finished.
"They died because of me. I killed them."
"What?" This was new to Naruto; he never knew his family but why did Haku killed his. There must have been a reason.
And Haku seem to have read his mind as he answer in a soft monotone voice.
"Back in my old village, there used to been special trait marks, genetics that made them much different than any normal person. Bloodlines that were taken from their homes and forced to go to war, leaving their villages in shamble and people to lie dying in their countries. A law was passed to kill anyone who had this sort of 'curse' and my mother had it but never told my father. She thought that I wouldn't inherit it but she was wrong."
He then saw a glass of water sitting by the picture and indicated for Naruto to watch. Naruto did and saw Haku move one hand and then the water came out but didn't spill out. Instead it float in the air in his palm.
"When my mother saw my gift, she realized I had it too and then my father found out somehow. He came home with a bunch of villagers and killed my mother and then tried to kill me. But I didn't let him. I killed him instead." He then released his power, letting the water fell back into the glass. Naruto saw the tears running down his face and felt his own too.
Even though he never had family, he knew what it might have been like to lose them.
Someone who was once closes to your heart and then is torn away from you because it was your fault even though you never meant to.
"Haku…" He went over to him and wrapped his arms around him, crying into his shirt, the tears staining it darker. Haku reacted slightly as he had just told his friend about what happened and how he murdered his family, and was hugging him.
Holding him, telling him that it wasn't his fault…
Haku wrapped his arms around the frail boy, bringing him closer to him and feeling the soft warm radiated from the boy.
It was warm, it was touching…it was love…he wanted someone to have again, a mother or father or someone to love.
A precious person, just like Zabuza and Naruto seem to be the one filling the empty space now of his own.
"Naruto…" He realized that Naruto wasn't breathing hard anymore and looked in his arms to see the boy had fallen asleep. It was pretty late and the two had training tomorrow with the Demon Brothers as their senseis.
He gently picked Naruto up and carefully laid him on the bed. He then laid sideways with him and then moved closer and then brought the boy to him, holding him as he laid his head on top of Naruto.
"Thank you…thank you for accepting a part of me and I will do the same for you." Because you are one of my precious people from now on. He whispered as he kissed the top of the boy's forehead then fell asleep himself, together in each other's arm.
It was days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and then months turned into one year before Naruto had fully advanced himself to a full fledge Ninja with his sensei and acquired newfound powers. But there was still more that laid dormant in the boy, Zabuza sensed and decided that perhaps he needed to find other ways to wake them up through other foreign villages.
"Zabuza-sensei! Zabuza-sensei! Where are we going?" The six-year-old Naruto asked as he and Haku followed behind Zabuza. It was a year that Naruto had left Kohona, following with his two new friends towards wherever they went.
Naruto had become aware of the new powers through the creature inside him as it gave him the unspeakable charka for his training.
Soon he was fully acquainted with Kyuubi. The fox demon at first didn't seem too fond of him but when the boy spoke of his hate and wanting to be stronger, the demon was more than willing, especially when he mentioned vengeances against Kohona.
'My my, already a year and yet you are wasting your time traveling.' Kyuubi said in Naruto's head as he and Zabuza and Haku headed past the gates of the Hidden sand village.
They traveled night and day, seeing other ninjas and taking care to killing a few while keeping their identities a secret.
Zabuza had given them masks to wear and Haku pretty much kept his over the years while Naruto later on created his own and made it look to be a fox.
When they reached the sand village, Naruto separated from the group as he wanted to go exploring by himself and Zabuza didn't seem to mind as no one was sensing them. Haku went to follow but Naruto had left without a trace.
Why he left Haku to not follow? It was because Kyuubi was telling the boy something and told him to head in the direction he order.
'But why?' Naruto questioned as they made their way passed deserted streets and empty shops.
'There someone out here…someone like us…'
Like us, Naruto was surprised that there was someone else out here like him, carrying a demon as well. He kept quiet and ran faster as he sense it, the other demon and then stopped to an empty park.
There seem to be no one but then he saw someone. He saw them sitting on the swings clutching a teddy bear, alone, unaware of Naruto as he sway back and forth, his feet barely touching the sand.
Naruto watched silently before he decide to make his presence known.
"Hey!"
The boy looked up surprised and Naruto got a good look at him since his face was hidden in the shadow even though Naruto just saw his flaming red hair but with the moonlight he was able to see clearly.
He was pale looking even though he lives in a desert with the scorching sun, a strange tattoo on his temple, 'love' in kanji written in red. His pale green eyes staring wide at him with surprise and confusion until they change to hard chips of ice as he glared at him.
"Who are you! And why are you here?" The boy snapped at Naruto. "Plan to assassinate me like all the others, ha I like to see you try. I killed a hundred ninjas in this village and I'm sure you'll make no different."
Naruto saw swerving under the boy's feet and guess he was planning to try and use against him. Naruto went into a fighting stance and waited for the boy to attack. The boy did, just as Naruto guess, with the sand coming from behind instead of front.
He knew that the area that they were standing on was made entirely of sand and due to him controlling sand he could use it anywhere. The opponent would have made the dumb observant of the sand in front of the kid instead of back, which was a big mistake.
Naruto moved away just in quick timing with help of Kyuubi's charka and stood on top of the swing set and Naruto saw the kid turn behind to stare.
He heard him gasp and Naruto knew the reason why.
Under the moonlight, Naruto with the Kyuubi charka flowing in his body, made his appearance change from his regular self to the one with demonic power.
His eyes were slit like and blood red, claws extended and fangs lengthen as his whiskers darken while he stared down at the boy.
"You're-you're a…a…" Naruto looked down at his claws bored and flexed them out to the boy. He gave a demonic smile and said in a half-animal voice that was almost like Kyuubi's own.
"You said you killed a hundred…Sorry but I beat you to the point, I killed thousands and the number keep going up, sometimes I lose count but it doesn't matter. Blood stain these hands already, and I will but not to you. You and I are a lot alike, I can sense it in you. So does Kyuubi. That's how he knew about you…"
"K-Kyuubi. You know Kyuubi?" Naruto nodded and jumped down to stand beside the boy. "Yep, he's inside me." He pulled his shirt up to reveal the spiral around his stomach. The boy looked at it and touched it gingerly with his finger. The simple brush made the fox growl and the boy back away a bit.
"It's ok, he's just trying to say 'hi' in it's own way." He then released his charka and then turned to normal. He then looked to him. "What about you, you have a demon sealed inside you too right?" He nodded and then touched the marked on his head.
"Your demon sealed there!"
The boy shook his head. "No it's, it's just I don't know where it is but it's in me all right. I didn't really know that there was someone else like me…"
Naruto nodded. He extend his hand to him. "The name's Naruto and sorry that I scared you first."
The boy reached out gradually and said, "You didn't exactly scare me. I knew you were there but was surprised that you were a kid with so much power. My name is Gaara."
"Yeah I guess I have that impression with ninjas before. What did you mean in the beginning with assassinate you?" He asked as the two walked out of the park. Gaara sighed as he looked away to the ground. "My father, the Kazekage sends assassins to kill me, he even send my uncle to kill me."
Naruto stared in shock. "Your-your father! The Kazekage tried to do what! No way, even if you are his own son?" Gaara nodded sadly, afraid his first and maybe last friend was angry with him. But Gaara felt Naruto grab his hand and then started dragging him off somewhere.
Gaara was surprised but didn't stop Naruto from taking him as then they were running, looking for someone until a boy's voice called out.
"Naruto, where did you go, I've been looking for you everywhere?" Both heads turn to see Haku running up to them and Haku stopped and stared at Gaara. He pointed at him and asked Naruto, "Who's he?"
"This is Gaara, he's just like me and I was wanting to go ask Zabuza-sensei if he could come with us." Haku as well as Gaara stared in shock at Naruto. Before Haku could ask why, Zabuza appeared and stared at the kid next to Naruto. "Oy who's this kid?"
"This is Gaara Zabuza-sensei and I want him to come with us." Naruto stated plainly as he stared at his sensei's covered face. Zabuza stared at the boy beside Naruto and saw there was something about this kid as well. He had heard rumors of another demon holder and that it was the child of the Kazekage.
"Tell me boy, are you Gaara, son of the Kazekage of this village?"
Gaara nodded. "Hai. I'm his son, but I really wish I was not." Zabuza was thinking this over. So this one was like Naruto. Another demon added to the team but he was also the son of the head village. There was fifty-fifty chances that hunter-nins would go after them and also not if with Naruto and Haku they take care of it. But seeing in Naruto's eyes he wanted to bring the boy along and Zabuza was willing to added another member to the team.
"Alright. Gaara are you willing to come with us then and leave this behind?" Gaara looked surprised at him then to Naruto as he couldn't believe it himself. He was thinking it over. He had a sister and brother, but he wasn't too sure if they cared for him. For all he knew they were afraid of him. Everyone was.
But these three, they weren't. Naruto befriend him and had asked their sensei to have him join them. To having found someone to take him in, he was more willing to take the risk of going wherever these strangers went.
"Hai I will go with you, Zabuza-sensei and Naruto and…" He didn't catch the last boy's name. He introduced himself. "My name's Haku and welcome to our team."
Then the four of them decided to leave. Together to form the most powerful team in the world.
"Oy Naruto, are you awake? Get up then, it's almost time for dinner and then surveying time once again." He heard the rapping on the door and Naruto opened his eyes and gave a sigh. He stretched out on the bed like a cat and right before he reached the door it opened and Gaara stepped into the room.
"Have a nice nap then?" Gaara asked as he saw his friend's position and made to turn away. Naruto smiled then walked behind him and purred in his ear. "The very best Gaara thanks for asking." He gave a soft kiss on his cheek then saw the sand killer's face turn light red as Naruto headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Naruto stripped out of his dirty clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. A young man with tan skin shimmering gold, long blond hair tied in a braid hanging down from his hips as he took the tied and let it unravel. Blue eyes that were deep sapphire pools of mystery that gaze back at him with wonder and secret that he dare not tell.
Naruto put the faucet on cold water and step in, letting his body soak in before scrubbing soap and lavished his hair. A ten-minute shower before he was clean and grabbed a towel and drying himself in the stall. Once he was completely dried he wrapped the towel around his waist before stepping out of the bathroom. Gaara was still there, now sitting in his chair as Naruto went to one of the drawers to take out fresh clean ones. Gaara watched as Naruto removed the towel and placed a fresh set of boxers then black pants. Grabbing a red silk shirt, Naruto turn to Gaara and saw him staring.
"You know, if you keep staring, you're going to be having to change out of your clothes with the blood spurting from your nose." And Gaara reached to his face and pulled back with blood indeed pouring from his nose. Naruto fetched one of the towels from his drawers and tossed it to Gaara. Gaara caught it in midair and held it to his face. "Thanks." He said, getting up and getting ready to leave when Naruto gave a wide grin smirk to him. "Nice to know I can give you a little show before dinner. Maybe next time you can have me as the main course." He shouted to Gaara as he stop dead in his tracks and turn to glower at him.
"Naruto!" But Naruto laughed as he exit the room before Gaara did with him following later in his track after the golden haired Kitsune.