"-aara… Gaara!"
A lazy green eye peered up to stare into bright blue eyes from the comfort of his arms. It took a moment for his mind to clear enough of the fog that came with sleep, turning his dazed stare into a glare at the teen who woke him. "I was sleeping," he grumbled, his voice rough with a slight drawl from fatigue, sleep threatening to pull him back into wonderful unconsciousness. "You better have a good reason for waking me, Uzumaki."
The teen who had awakened him rolled his eyes, pulling up a chair from the desk nearby and sitting in it backwards, resting his arms on its back. "It's halfway through lunch, and you've been sleeping since the bell rang." Ignoring the glare sent his way, he proceeded to unwrap his melon bread, already deciding to eat lunch at Gaara's desk. "I don't know why Iruka-sensei doesn't throw things at you when you sleep in class. I only have to start dozing and he's attacking me with chalk." He took an aggressive bite out of his bread, clearly annoyed.
Gaara quickly decided that it was in his best interest to sit up before his friend dropped crumbs in his hair by mistake. Pulling out a bento box from his desk, he barely managed to remove the cloth around it when another boy pulled up a chair, slamming his own lunch down in front of him. "The teachers hate you, but their scared shitless of him. I'm surprised he hasn't been expelled yet." This boy had shaggy, dark brown hair, a stark contrast to Uzumaki's bright blond.
"Inuzuka," Gaara said without looking up at the boy. "If you do not remove your lunch from my desk, you will find yourself regretting it very quickly."
There was a rare silence from Inuzuka before he quickly relocated his lunch to his lap. "This is why no one talks to you," Inuzuka grumbled.
Uzumaki laughed, loudly and unrestrained, drawing speculative glances from their classmates. "Don't let him scare you, Kiba. He's just a big old teddy bear under that scowl." A playful smile spread on his lips. "All you have to do is give him a big hug. He'll open right up."
Inuzuka, who was in the middle of chewing on his grape tomato, choked and coughed violently, using his arm to cover his mouth before food sprayed on the subject in question. "Are you fucking crazy?! The last person who touched him, which was an accident by the way, was stabbed with a pencil."
Uzumaki's smile only grew as he threw an arm around Gaara's neck and stealing a sausage Gaara was about to pick up with his chopsticks, eating it. Gaara didn't show any annoyance at Uzumaki's behavior, choosing to pick up a mushroom to eat instead. Uzumaki hummed as he chewed, licking his lips when he finished. "Seems safe to me." He laughed at Inuzuka's horrified expression.
Gaara continued to eat, ignoring the contact and the conversation all together. A small bubble surrounded their small group. People steered clear of them when they could. The nearing desks surrounding them empty during the lunch hour. Gaara preferred the solitude, not particularly a fan of people. That was why the teacher put his desk in the back corner near the windows. As long as he could see out into the world. He was fine.
Uzumaki's presence around him was a novelty. Gaara had kept to himself throughout the years, actively deterring anyone who would think to approach him. The entrance ceremony was the same thing. He planned to spend the next three years in solitude, not planning to socialize with his classmates and ignore their presence as much as he could afford. But as he left the ceremony, despite his attempts to actively avoid him and make clear he wasn't looking for companionship, despite his cold, distant, and intimidating behavior, Uzumaki, Naruto approached him. Because it was Uzumaki, Gaara could not say no to his offer of friendship.
Inuzuka was an unfortunate side effect of that friendship. He was already Uzumaki's shadow long before they met, warning Uzumaki about the rumors surrounding Gaara's violent behavior. He put up with Inuzuka's presence for Uzumaki, and he could respect that Inuzuka was brave enough to stick around. Uzumaki had ignored Inuzuka's initial warnings, throwing his arm around Gaara's shoulder as if they had been friends forever. Gaara's tolerance for Uzumaki's behavior however did not extend past the blond boy, something Inuzuka found out within their first week of high school. Inuzuka still didn't attempt to touch him after 2 years after that initial incident, and there was still fear in Inuzuka, but he was comfortable enough to eat in Gaara's presence and spend their afternoons together as long as Uzumaki was present.
"Um, Uzumaki-san. I'm supposed to collect your notebooks." A soft voice drew the attention of three teens. She was fair skinned with long, black hair that reached her lower back. Her unusual lavender eyes, lacking pupils gave her the appearance of being blind, but her eyes were clearly focused on the boys in front of her. She merely glanced at Gaara, turning her eyes down when their yes met in a submissive gesture. She never spoke to Gaara directly, but she was one of the few girls in class who would talk to Uzumaki.
Her timid behavior annoyed him, especially knowing who she was. She shifted frequently under their gaze as if they were judging her, fidgeting with the sleeves of her white blazer.
Uzumaki smiled at her, leading her away from their small group, unconsciously trying to put her at ease. "About my notebook, Hinata-chan," he started, already about to go into an excuse as to why he didn't have his homework again. Gaara merely shook his head while Inuzuka rolled his eyes.
As Uzumaki gave his story, he made the girl smile, and slowly, she started to relax, engaging in small talk with him. If others actually gave Uzumaki a chance, Uzumaki would have no doubt been the most popular boy in school. He was sunny, open, and went out of his way to make people comfortable. He had the ability to draw people in. It was just buried under the label society had given him.
It was that ability that attracted Gaara. Uzumaki was able to smile through his pain, sympathize with others, and did it because deep down, he was kind. Though he and Gaara were the same, they were different. Uzumaki sought the love of his peers, Gaara shunned them.
Frowning at the turn of his thoughts, Gaara turned his focus back to his food. He was wide awake now. He was hoping to get a few more hours of sleep. Who knew when he would be able to sleep again.
Retrieving his notebook from his school bag, he placed it on his desk for when Uzumaki inevitably remembered he needed to get it. Inuzuka made no move to do the same. Inuzuka was just as bad as Uzumaki when it came to doing homework. It was amazing that they both managed to pass their first and second years.
With Uzumaki gone, the tension around Inuzuka grew, glancing at Gaara as if he was going to snap any moment. He was unaware that while Gaara did not think of him as a friend, he would no longer attack him either. He was able to control himself to a degree; though, Gaara did find some perverse pleasure in keeping that knowledge to himself. The smell of fear too intoxicating to resist.
Uzumaki plopped into his seat, sighing as he finished off his meager lunch of melon bread and canned coffee. "Why doesn't anyone ever pester you about school?" he grumbled, crumbling up the wrapper in his hands.
"The same reason the teachers don't bother him," Inuzuka replied automatically. Uzumaki made this complaint almost on a daily basis. Why Inuzuka kept answering him was a mystery.
"Because I scored a 486 on our finals last trimester, placing me in the top ten of the school." Gaara giving a proper answer.
Both Inuzuka and Uzumaki grimaced. Respectively, they had received a 213 and 230, placing last and forced to attend remedial classes over summer break. "It's not like you were first," Inuzuka muttered bitterly into his rice. "Shikamaru had a perfect score, and he sleeps through every class."
Because Nara, Shikamaru was a genius. Not that he was the only one. Gaara scanned the room of his fellow classmates. No, it wasn't because his companions were not smart that they received low grades.
"He's still top ten. We can't even claim top 50," Uzumaki defended automatically, a frown tugging at his lips. "In the end it, doesn't matter. I don't plan to go to college anyway."
"Lucky you. My sister keeps trying to sign me up for cram school," Inuzuka rolled his eyes. "I told her to shove it. Even if I somehow pass my entrance exams, my grades and records would make any college run the other direction.
"Does, Tsunade-sensei know you aren't taking the exam?" Gaara asked Uzumaki.
Uzumaki just smiled.
Gaara snorted. "I'll attend your funeral."
"What Baa-chan doesn't know won't kill her," he yawned, closing his eyes. "I think I'm going to skip next period." His hand disappeared into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "You guys coming?"
Inuzuka shook his head. "If my sister finds out I skipped again so soon, she'll kill me."
Gaara and Uzumaki couldn't help but smile. Inuzuka's sister was a force to recon with. She was strong willed, intimidating, and wasn't afraid to beat Inuzuka into submission. The only downside was like everyone else, she often tried to dissuade Inuzuka from being Uzumaki's friend due to his reputation.
"Gaara?" Uzumaki turned his eyes expectedly towards him.
Gaara didn't answer, already putting his bento away. Uzumaki patiently waited until Gaara properly put everything away, walking out together just as the bell rang.
Uzumaki smoked his cigarette, falling asleep soon afterwards under the warmth of the early autumn sun. Gaara had made himself comfortable sitting on top of the entrance to the rooftop, watching Uzumaki for a while. It was the beginning of the second trimester. It was hard to believe that come March they would go their separate ways. Gaara had to leave, but Uzumaki would stay here. Probably his whole life. The idea had sat ill with him for a long time. He wasn't quite ready to let go. Not again.
They stayed there until the final bell rang. They both returned to the classroom to pick up their bags and Inuzuka then made their way to the shoe lockers. Most students had extracurriculars or were busy with their cleaning duties. Inuzuka managed to avoid both most days. Uzumaki would at least clean when it was his turn, and Gaara would wait for him. No one bothered to put Gaara on the duty roster. He was thankful to Tsunade for that. Being at school was difficult enough as it was.
"Anyone for the arcade?" Uzumaki asked, pulling out his street shoes from his locker.
"Yeah, I'm up for it. Just let me get Akamaru first." Inuzuka almost tripped putting on his shoes in such a hurry. He must have been on the cleaning roster.
Uzumaki rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you bring him everywhere with you."
"He has separation anxiety," Inuzuka defended. "He gets cranky when I don't get him right after school."
"He's a dog, Kiba, not your girlfriend."
Uzumaki laughed as he dodged a playful punch from his friend.
"I can't. It's Friday." Gaara, who had grabbed his shoes first and was waiting on them, answered his question, getting them back on track.
"Right. Doctor's appointment." Uzumaki's eyes filled with sympathy, forcing Gaara to look away.
"Probably anger management," the other teen muttered.
Gaara didn't comment. Inuzuka was not wrong, neither was he completely right.
"In that case, lets hang out at the new café for lunch after school tomorrow." Uzumaki declared, taking the lead of their departure, unable to see the reddening of Gaara's ears. Not that Uzumaki had to look to know that his declaration had pleased him. "See ya later, Gaara."
"Stay out of trouble, Uzumaki."
The young man turned, looking exasperated. "Call me, Naruto already. We've known each other for two years already." Without waiting for a response, his exasperation vanished replaced with a mischievous smile. "And I'm not making any promises."
Gaara watched them go. Uzumaki had been trying to get him to call him by his first name since they had met. At some point, he had grown used to Gaara's stubbornness and no longer put up much fight, but Gaara knew that it bothered Uzumaki. It would bother him too if Uzumaki refused to use his chosen name.
He watched them a while longer, but he was short on time and could no longer dely. His car was waiting for him at the gates.
As he walked pass the other students, all of them scurrying to get out of his way, he felt their eyes on him and heard their whispers. It was difficult to tune out. It was always hardest on Fridays, bit it was the day he had agreed on, and he couldn't ask for more. He had to keep a tight leash on his emotions. If he was to keep from hurting his handler, he couldn't let their words agitate him further. He was already on edge.
He had grown accustomed to hiding it. The gradual increase of shaking in his hands, the anxiety that grew throughout the week, and the aggression that accompanied the feeling of hunger. Friday it was when it was at its worst, and there was little he could do to control it.
His driver was waiting for him, and Gaara got in, appreciating the silence that followed when the door closed behind him. The drive home was long as it was every day, but it gave him time to have solitude and quiet. His driver never spoke or looked at him. Gaara didn't even know his name. He came to pick him up, drive him to school then drive him home. The long drive allowed him to do his homework without interruption. He rarely had time when he was home.
The car pulled up to a tall glass building located in downtown, the flag for his home country flying out front proudly. Most days he wished it would burn. Instead he carefully, avoided looking at it as he walked into the lobby. The lobby was expansive, resembling a lobby of a government building with metal detectors, marble floors, security guards, and reception desk. He bypassed all that. No one checked him or interacted with him, and all of them were of Middle Eastern decent, just like him.
He got on the elevator, pressing a sequence of floors before the door even closed. Then waited. Though he was on the ground floor and there was only 1 floor below that led to parking, the elevator jerked, starting it decent underground. This was a private elevator that only he and a few others could access. It would lead to his room.
Going to his room was both familiar and daunting. It was windowless, but brightly lit. He had everything he needed, but it felt like a prison even though he was free to come and go as he pleased. The elevator opened to a lavish sitting room, decorated with modern and stylish furniture and décor that was barely used, a kitchen connected to the sitting room with quartz countertops and every cooking utensil he could ever want. Towards the back was his bedroom and office that matched the décor in the sitting room and to the left was a steal door.
Gaara dropped his school bag on the couch, in the process of taking off his school uniform, tossing it onto the couch as well. There was another set of clothes, neatly folded on the counter waiting for him. He dressed.
The clothes consisted of a thick black shirt that hugged his body and black spandex pants. Then there were the shin guards, the vest, and black boots. He glanced up, catching a glimpse of himself in a decorative mirror. He looked tired and hungry. Dark bags were under his eyes, and it was starting to become a permanent feature on his face. He quickly looked back down, securing the last Velcro loop.
Dressed, he went to the steal door, opening it. Searing heat washed over him, and bright lights overhead made him avert his eyes as they adjusted. He stepped in, his boots sinking into the sand the first few steps. The steps after, his boots barely sank a millimeter as he traversed into the center of a large room.
A man was waiting for him, his face showing his annoyance at having been kept waiting. Gaara could care less. "You're late," he said, arms crossed.
"I don't care," Gaara responded, stopping ten feet in front of the middle-aged man. The sand swirled around his feet as the man pulled out a Glock. "Let's get this over with."
