Gaara didn't want to go to school. If possible, he was feeling worse than he had all week. Add the problem with both Hyuuga and Uzumaki, he had a reason not to and needed to go to school. Well, Hyuuga technically wasn't a reason. He didn't have to interact with him and either Hyuuga's memory would be altered or believe the lie that the hunters told him, and Gaara had already admitted he should stay away from him, but he was still hesitant to go incase their paths did cross. Knowing his luck, he would run into him eventually. He wasn't sure whether he was nervous Hyuuga would avoid him or nervous he would approach him as if nothing was wrong.
In the end, after reminding himself that Uzumaki was still missing, he went to school.
He hoped Uzumaki would be there, to ease his worries and have something to work with. Things were never that simple. Uzumaki was still missing. Just as he was planning to start his own search, he was relieved when Uchiha volunteered to "deliver his homework" to him. In Gaara's state, he wasn't sure if he was in any state to go looking for Uzumaki. If he was attacked again while he was out alone, he wasn't sure if he could protect himself in his weakened state, and if he did, he wasn't sure of the power he would draw on to survive. The last thing he would ever want was to hurt Uzumaki. If Seth ever gained control…
Gaara withheld a sigh, finishing the class notebook and quickly put it away so he could wait to see if Uchiha managed to find him. He was ready for the day to be over with when he saw Hinata enter the classroom. As usual, she kept her eyes down and head bowed as she walked to her desk and began packing her school bag, getting ready to go home for the day. The scent of flowers lingered on her skin as she passed by. The smell helped mask her natural odor that would normally be torturous to him in his hungry state. Instead, it was a mild discomfort.
He heard Hyuuga had returned home after the incident. She would have seen him. Without realizing it, he was standing behind her, causing her to jump when she finally noticed and taking a step back. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him until she averted her eyes in that submissive manner of hers. She did that for nearly everyone, but Gaara couldn't help but take it personally. Too many people averted their gaze when he passed, trying to avoid trouble and conflict with him. Why did he care anyway? He should just walk away, and yet he was still standing there, looking down at her in silence which could only be seen as intimidating or creepy.
After some time when Gaara didn't move or speak, she spoke up albeit softly. "C-can I help you, Gaara-san?"
Gaara continued to stare, and the silence stretched. She squirmed under his gaze, her eyes looking for a way to escape. To her credit, she looked for her escape discreetly. It wasn't completely obvious. "Did your cousin come to school? I need to speak to him."
She shook her head, her hair swaying behind her in its ponytail. "No, he said he wasn't feeling well."
"I see…" A mix of conflicting emotions came with the girl's response, and he wasn't sure what he wanted to feel, so he did the only thing he knew how to, shove all of it to the back of his mind and ignore it. Without thanking her, he turned to leave, taking a few steps before she spoke again.
"Neji-nii hasn't been coming home lately. I know he doesn't come home often, but he hasn't even been coming home for clothes." Gaara could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. "Do you know where he's been going?"
If she was asking, then she had to have an idea. She wasn't accusing in her tone. She was still soft spoken, but he could also hear the determination in her voice in asking the question. She cared for him and worried about him, something Hyuuga didn't or tried not to notice. That kindness probably acted as a choker to Hyuuga and probably harmed more than helped.
Gaara chose not to answer, walking away from her. She didn't follow or press him for an answer.
Why was he asking about Hyuuga at all? Had he not come to a decision not to bother with him? Uzumaki was the priority in his life. Uzumaki's life was in a precarious situation. He should not be distracted by anything besides ensuring Uzumaki's safety, yet he was here, asking about Hyuuga again.
Dizziness washed over him, the world see-sawing in his vision, tilting one direction then the other. He grasped the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for the dizzy spell to pass. Why couldn't he just starve to death and put himself out of his misery? If Seth would let him, he would have tried.
He took some deep breaths, gathering his bearings. Once it passed, he stood up straight, and continued as if it never happened.
It was nearing 6PM when he left school. He was in no condition to search for Uzumaki, so he took up residence around the corner of Uzumaki's house and waited.
There was no guarantee that Uchiha would truly look for Uzumaki or bring him back. Gaara didn't have much of a choice but to trust him until he could get back on his feet. It did give him the opportunity to see how much he could trust Uchiha.
So he waited, just around the stone corner, listening for Uzumaki's return.
The sun set behind the mountains and the temperature dropped as night started to settle and the streetlights came on to illuminate the streets. People often tried to avoid walking in front of the Uzumaki and Jiraiya household. Because of that, Gaara did not see many people walk by, but he still saw people, a few giving him a wary look before walking faster or gossiping once they were out of earshot. As midnight drew near and buses stopped for the night and local stores closed, even the light foot traffic stopped all together. About an hour after that, he heard and felt Uchiha's presence settle on the house across from Uzumaki's home.
Minutes later, he heard the slow, shuffling walk of Uzumaki coming down the street. Gaara peered around the corner, confirming it was in fact Uzumaki. Uzumaki's face was drawn, lost, and empty. As he came closer, Gaara could make out the streaks of dried tears on Uzumaki's cheeks and clothes that were days old covered in dirt and wrinkled from being drenched with water.
Gaara's heart clenched, seeing Uzumaki's state. He felt guilt claw at him, worming its way inside and making his control waver. He had never wanted to see that familiar expression on Uzumaki's face. Not again.
Uzumaki stopped outside the gate to his house, staring at the entrance, debating whether to go in or not. He shuffled on his feet, looking down at them, and for a brief moment, he looked as if he was going to run away and cry, except he looked too tired to cry anymore. He took a step back when Tsunade threw open the door and ran to him, calling out his name with a mixture of overt happiness and relief until she was a few steps away and suddenly became angry. She slapped him across the face and started lecturing him while crying and eventually hugging him, bringing Uzumaki close.
Gaara looked away, leaning against the wall once more. Uzumaki was lucky. He was well loved and cared for. He would never know how lucky he was, and Gaara wanted him to remain that way. Because of his carelessness, Uzumaki had lost hope and may lose his family. All because he was distracted by a cheap meal that had landed in his lap.
Now that he was aware of it, it was a temptation he had to fight, and he was failing. He needed to get himself together and keep himself focused. Uzumaki first and only. Nothing else.
Having renewed his resolve, he went to greet Uchiha. If he could find out why Uzumaki left, maybe he could make Uzumaki's transition a little easier.
Kakashi resisted the urge to cover his mouth and nose at the putrid smell of a decaying corpse. The poor victim was a foreign child. She was Vietnamese and no older than 12 with a small round face and long grungy hair. She could have been Samara's double with the once white hospital gown she wore. Her head was several meters away from her body. Hair fanned out around her head like a demented halo.
Since finding the first strange hybrid corpse two months ago, more and more have been appearing. Vampires that were decaying like zombies. From the state of decay, this body was probably the earliest version of this new creatures they had found. It showed signs of bloating. The skin was bubbled and blistered, marbled with the veins underneath clearly visible. Some of the blisters were ruptured, maggots wiggling around inside them, eating away at the body. Some hair and nails had fallen out, but the body had yet to reach the active decay stage of decomposition.
She had been hiding in the junk yard, hiding her smell amongst the trash and garbage, attacking and killing rodents and birds that came to eat. She had been completely feral, unable to even speak and barely functional, but she had enough wherewithal to not draw attention, unlike the others they had found.
He was grateful that the location was in the junkyard. It made bringing the body in much easier. Normally he'd burn it, but the increased appearances of these creatures were concerning. They needed more information.
Sai was on his hands and knees, a calligraphy brush in hand, drawing a circle divided into four parts on a large thin piece of paper that was 1.5 x 1.5 meters long. Each quarter circle held a unique symbol with Chinese characters on the edges that Yashiro could not read with the cursive writing. Once the final character was drawn and the circle completed, it glowed a soft blue. "It's done."
"Thank you for your hard work," Kakashi said, carefully picking up the child's body with care. He deposited her inside the circle, lowering her slowly feet first. Her feet never touched the paper. It went through the paper, rippling like water as he lowered her further until she had completely submerged. He quickly retrieved the head and put it inside the circle as well, disappearing inside as the body did.
Once Kakashi had finished, Sai, touched the corner of the paper and the glowing ceased. The Chinese symbol for 'body' appeared in the center within its own circle. Sai folded the piece of paper quickly and neatly, depositing it in a small backpack filled with paper and art supplies. "I'll deliver this back to the lab. If you would excuse me, Kakashi-sensei." Sai bowed to him.
Kakashi waved him off, ready to finish up this mission as soon as possible. Clean up work was always the worst part of missions. It required careful and thorough searching of anything that could be considered supernatural. It was usually long and boring. Normally it would be left to the new trainees, but they were so understaffed that the normal three person squads had been turned to two.
Burning the last animal corpse, he was ready to turn in for the night. He had a stack of tests to grade, and he wanted to check up on Iruka as well. Iruka had a habit of forgetting to take care of himself, and he had been weirdly concerned about Uzumaki Naruto. He had been on edge since the boy stopped showing up to school. Iruka was too attached to the child. If something were to happen to the kid, Iruka may do something stupid. If he did the grading on the flight home, he may be able to check up on his friend shortly before he had to prepare for the school day.
"You've done good work, Kakashi-san. Your work is quick and clean as always."
Kakashi stood from his crouched position, the fire flickering right before dying out completely, leaving the charred animal remains at his feet as he turned, head bowed. "Elder Danzo," he replied politely. "What brings you to Hokkaido?"
"An errand," the elder responded. Unlike before where he was dressed in classic Japanese attire, the older man was dressed in an expensive suit, leaning lightly on his cane. "I had heard you were in the area. I hoped to ask if you would accompany me if it wasn't too much of an inconvenience."
It really was; however, Kakashi could not deny the request of an elder, and Danzo knew it. "It would be my pleasure," Kakashi replied. Inwardly, Kakashi groaned at his mission being prolonged without warning. He didn't get overtime for the extra work and it still didn't get him out of going to school tomorrow either as long as he came back before classes started. Perhaps this was the real reason hunters died young.
Fortunately, Danzo had a car waiting for them, so at the very least, Kakashi didn't have to find his own transportation back. Kakashi opened the door for the elder, allowing him to enter first then sliding in after.
"To the General Store, Kuwahara-san," he told the driver. The driver said a simple affirmative, pulling away from the junk yard, putting the car into motion.
This was only the third time Kakashi had been alone with the elder. It was always uncomfortable with the status difference between them. The respect gained from living long enough to become an elder was the same respect one would give to a messenger of the gods. They weren't deserving of worship, but they held power by the people they knew and the knowledge they contained. They gave commands from higher ups without explaining their motives and you never knew how much they really knew or if they knew anything at all. So he didn't speak, waiting to be spoken to.
Danzo didn't speak as the car took them further into town, tapping his finger on his cane to the beat of the soft Enka music playing. Not being one for Enka, Kakashi did his best to tune it out, hoping this escort wouldn't take long.
Thankfully, the junk yard wasn't too far out of town, and they reached their destination in a quarter of an hour. The car had stopped in front of a marketplace. There was a long stretched of road that had small shops on either side, many having small stands placed outside closed down for the night. There were a few lights coming from establishments that served food or alcohol, so the occasional drunkard would stumble out.
Kakashi got out first, holding the car door for the Elder, bowing for the whole process while Kakashi thought distantly about how much his back was starting to hurt these days and pondered if he was still too young to say he was starting to get old.
Elder Danzo walked ahead and Kakashi followed, still thinking about his back while keeping an eye on their surroundings for any threat. Damn, he didn't bring his pain killers with him. Shooting pain down his spine to his tailbone was always fun. It always took several minutes for the pain to pass, but he was learning to live with it.
Danzo led them into the marketplace, taking a right into an alley. There were more store entrances, but as they took another right into another alley, he felt the air shift around them. He couldn't quite describe the feeling. There was a pocket of warm air, contrasting the cool Hokkaido autumn air, then a single lantern turned on, illuminating a wooden store sign that simple read, General Store.
Danzo opened the sliding door, entering the store. The scent of spices burned Kakashi's nose even before he entered.
The store was old. Everything was made of wood. The floor, the walls, the shelves, and the displays. The cubies were filled with different dried roots, ferns, and leaves, giving color to the otherwise bland store. The register was placed near the front on a long wooden peninsula, barring customers from going past the entrance.
Only one other customer was present, holding a lit pipe in his hand. He was tall and slender almost like a woman, wearing a very loose fitting yukata and wooden getas. His hair was long held up with an ornate golden needle.
The man gave them a quick glance, confirming to Kakashi that the man was not human with his snake eyes staring into them, then went back to ignoring them.
Seeing the creature, Kakashi grew uneasy, but did not move for his weapons. He did however, put himself between the elder and the snake demon.
"Sorry for the wait, Orochi-kun" an old woman emerged from the back, holding a small parcel in her hands. She was small with curly grey hair. Her voice was chipper and overly friendly as she addressed the customer before them. "Tell the water goddess to take one in the morning and two at night with a cup of green tea for two weeks. She should feel better in no time."
"I hope so," he responded, taking the box with long bony fingers. His voice was low and smooth but not creepy or unpleasant. It was warm and strangely comforting even knowing it belonged to a snake. "Thanks, Baba."
"It's my pleasure to do business with you," she said, holding her hand out.
The snake smiled wryly, reaching into his sleeve and putting five golden coins into her awaiting palm. The old woman's fingers curled around it. "Please come back again," she called out as Danzo and Kakashi stepped aside to put as much distance between the departing snake and them.
With the previous customer gone, the old lady turned to them, the pleasant smile on her face as she spoke, "Welcome, Elder Danzo. Are you here to retrieve your order?"
"Yes, Merchant. I am."
"Very well. Please wait here as I retrieve your order." She disappeared into the back once again.
Something was off about the old woman. She looked human, and he didn't sense anything that would say otherwise, yet he felt unsettled by her. His instincts told him there was more to her than she appeared.
"Kakashi-san, what do you think of the rise in supernatural activity?" It was an innocent question from Danzo. With everyone going on missions more and more, it was relatively a normal question.
"I don't know. All that I can say is that it keeps us busy." Kakashi responded very carefully. Danzo was like a strict grandfather. He always had a strict tone even when he was trying to connect with his subordinance, but his voice was never devoid of a slight affection for everyone that made people want his approval. The problem was that Danzo's approval was almost impossible to get. It didn't stop a lot of people from trying though.
"The world has always been full of supernatural beings. Long ago these supernatural beings ruled the world, and we humans lived in fear, being devoured, used, or protected by them. Even today, ghosts and demons still hide in the shadows and gods walk among us."
A large clay pot rumbled in the corner of the shop, its lid shaking. Kakashi's eyes locked on to it. He thought, perhaps he had imaged it because when he located the source of the sound. It stopped. Another couple of seconds and the lid shook again.
"Why don't you take a look, Kakashi-san." Danzo gestured his hand towards the pot.
Kakashi glanced between the pot and Danzo. What was he playing at? But the rumbling pot drew his attention as if it was calling to him, urging him to come closer.
He took a step, paused, then took another. He tried to ignore the pot. Looking into the unknown never went well, yet he kept getting closer until he was standing next it, the lid shaking continuously now. Curiosity was pulling at him, controlling his actions, ignoring his inner protest of the stupidity of doing this. The pot was tall enough to reach his waist and it took both hands to remove the wooden lid that laid on top, now dormant as he reached out to lift it from its resting place.
Inside was water. A sweet scent wafted towards him, reminding him of peaches. Other than the smell, there was nothing strange about it. He leaned forward to get a closer look, his reflection looking back at him. The sweet scent, however, drew him closer. The closer he became, the clearer another image became. Two men were standing together. The world around them was scorched and burning with charred human corpses covering the ground. Recognizing the two men, Kakashi stepped back, dropping the lid, shocked by the vision he had seen in the reflection.
"What is this?" Kakashi asked breathlessly, staring at the jar as if it was cursed.
"What did you see?" Elder Danzo asked calmly.
"I saw Kurama-sama and Seth-sama free. The world around them was scorched and there were dead civilians everywhere." Kakashi tried to contain the fear. Two lords freed at the same time. The destruction they would cause would be on a catastrophic level. "What was that?" he asked again, more demanding this time.
"The future. That pot reveals future events that will come to pass. Every one brings misfortune." Danzo walked over and squatted down to pick up the lid. "Our goal is to try to prevent these events from coming to pass." He placed the lid back in its rightful place. "We only have a 24 percent rate of success, but any success is better than none."
Kakashi could say nothing. A future with both Kurama and Seth roaming the earth as they pleased… could they even stop something like that? When they were originally contained there were many more hunters than were available today. Was it even possible?
"As hunters, we must stay vigilant. A vampire is currently on our island and has shown interest in one of the vampire lords. The foreigner who controls our forces has a soft spot for the boy. By the time we can convince her of the threat, it may be too late. It is bad enough she has allowed the two hosts to become allies. We cannot allow the situation to become worse."
Kakashi had a hard time looking away from the pot. A part of him wanted to know more and the other half was terrified to know. He started to walk to the pot once more, but the old woman returning stopped him.
"I have what you ordered, Elder Danzo," she said, holding a medium-sized wooden box in her weathered hands. Her dark brown eyes locked onto Kakashi. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, Merchant. Thank you." Danzo pulled out a small bag from his pocket and placed it in the woman's hand, the sound of coins shifting in the bag.
Kakashi stepped up to take the box, but the woman's gaze on him hadn't wavered. "Hello, young man. I am the merchant. Welcome to my store. Please return whenever you find yourself in need."
"I will do so." He said it to be polite, yet when the words left his lips, he felt that it was telling the truth. It was eerie.
He was more than ready to leave the store, and thankfully, the elder didn't stay a moment longer than he needed to. As Kakashi followed him out, he found himself looking back at the small, old woman standing there with that perpetual smile, still watching him. Even as the door closed behind him, he felt as if he had left something behind and had the urge to go back.
"Are you ready to go back?" Danzo asked, turning around to address Kakashi.
A pause and then an "Of course," left Kakashi's lips automatically.
They walked together back the way they came, Danzo keeping up polite conversation. Kakashi responded in kind, but more than once, he found himself looking back, wondering how much of what he saw in that store was already written in stone.
Gaara was sitting on the bed, curling his little toes and feeling the stiff linens underneath them. Three days he was gone. Three days without hearing the cheerful voice try to talk to him or tell him stories. Three days without being greeted with a smile.
Without the boy across the hall, it was too quiet. He was alone with his thoughts. He should be happy. The bad man hadn't come to see him. Neither did the mean men that usually beat him. He was all alone. He loved being alone before. It was the only time he felt safe, but he sat, anxiously waiting, checking every few moments to see if the boy had returned.
The door at the end of the hall opened, the clanking sound of the lock echoing loudly. Gaara sat up. His heartbeat accelerating in anticipation of seeing the boy again. The boy made him feel something. Gaara didn't have a name for it. He wasn't good with words. His vocabulary was limited, and he rarely spoke, so he couldn't really describe what he was feeling. He felt light and his heart was beating fast and he had difficulty sitting still. He liked this feeling. He wanted to feel it again. It felt nice. He hadn't looked forward to something other than sleeping before. He liked it.
He got off the cot and ran to the glass, pressing his face against it to try to catch sight of the boy as soon as possible.
Gaara's heart sank when the boy finally came into view. The wide smile the boy always wore had been erased. His jaw was slack and his lips slightly parted. His eyes that were normally bright and full of energy were dull and lifeless. The boy was put into his cell across from Gaara's. Instead of yelling and cursing, he just curled up, hid his face in his arms, and remained silent. No yelling, no protests, just silence. The only movement that came was shivering that racked his body every now and then
They had broken him. Just like the others. Gaara was never going to see that smile or hear those stories again.
But he could fix it, Gaara thought. He broke things all the time, but they came back fixed. Maybe he could try.
So how do you fix a person?
Fix you say? You are so naïve.
Gaara jumped, turning to the speaker with surprise and fear.
The man had golden-brown skin that contrasted the gold and white cloth he wore around his waist. He was barefoot and wore gold anklets and bracelets that went halfway up his forearm with a matching gold necklace. In one hand he held a staff curved at the end like a hook, and on his hip, a khopesh. His hair was curly and messy, stopping just short from covering his eyes. The dark eyeliner made his eyes look darker despite the brilliant golden brown color, having the eyes of a jackal. The man smiled, showing off his sharpened teeth that resembled a wolf and gave him an animalistic edge, appearing just on the edge of feral and civil.
He pointed his staff at the boy across the hall, his eyes looking down at Gaara. The small boy was replaced with Uzumaki, his face showing that same hopeless expression he had returned home with the night before.
You can't fix anything. That boy is broken and beyond help. The lies you've been feeding him for years has just sewn discontent into his heart, stirring up inner chaos.
"That's not true," Gaara whispered. He looked back at Uzumaki who was staring at him with those blank, lifeless eyes.
The man's smile widened, splitting his face more than was humanly possible, furthering the jackal imagery. Don't lie to yourself. If you weren't here protecting him, he wouldn't be on the brink of losing everything. Everything you have done until now was pointless. Just like your own existence.
"Shut up," Gaara replied weakly, still staring back at Uzumaki.
You have less than a year left yet you waste it chasing after this fox, putting him up on a pedestal, worshiping him as a god.It's insulting.Seth approached Gaara. Gaara turned his head away, but Seth just used his staff to caress the side of Gaara's face. It was almost done lovingly, but still held a superiority over Gaara rather than affection. You have me. A real god. You should take what you want. Do what you want. You should have these humans worship you. That human for example. The one you've grown attached too. Neji, isn't it?
"Hyuuga," Gaara corrected, but he finally gathered the courage to look at the god in the eyes. The unsettling golden brown eyes of Seth peered into his soul. No matter what Seth said, his eyes gave away the god's true feelings. He thought of himself superior to Gaara and cared nothing for his wellbeing. Everything that came out of his mouth was only to benefit himself.
Whatever you say. Either way, you should take him. He belongs to you. He's your prey. Don't you miss never being hungry and being able to slumber undisturbed? His tempting tone morphed into more of a command as he spoke his next words. Use me. I'll lend you my powers. Do it, and no one can stop us.
Gaara swatted the staff away from his face. "Why would I use your powers when you had your throne stolen right from under you? To me, you're nothing more than a nuisance."
The fake affection stopped altogether, but that jackal smile was always there even as his eyes narrowed, looking as if he was about to eat Gaara. Foolish human. Just you wait, I will be free. One day. And I will kill every human that crosses my path, starting with your precious little fox. Until then, I will watch as you continue to destroy that boy's life. Keep lying. Keep manipulating him. Keep creating chaos. I will be waiting for my chance. The moment your control slips, your body is mine.
Gaara sat up, his heart racing. The dream was vivid in his mind. Seth's form was still standing before him when he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and finally noticing the concerned Uzumaki standing next to him after a couple of moments. It took four seconds for him to realize it was Uzumaki who had awakened him from his nightmare, something Gaara was thankful for. Seth's words were still fresh and his threat sent a chill down his spine when just looking at Uzumaki.
"Are you okay?" Uzumaki asked his brows furrowed with worry. If Uzumaki had awakened him, his dream must have been bad. Even at school, he was usually left alone to sleep. Only if he started drawing attention to himself because of a nightmare did Uzumaki go wake him up.
"Just a dream," Gaara responded. He looked around, trying to get a sense of time of how long he had been asleep. It wasn't long. It was only period three which had become self-study when the teacher called in sick. "What did they want with you?"
Uzumaki's face went from concerned to uncomfortable, looking back at the manuscript he had on his desk. "Not much. Just asking where I ran off to," he tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. Gaara knew better, but he didn't pry more than what Uzumaki told them himself.
Uzumaki went unnaturally silent, tapping his pen on the paper, unconsciously making dots on the page. Gaara closed his eyes, careful not to fall asleep this time when he did, listening to the slow rhythm of the pen. "Uchiha asked me to move in with him," Uzumaki said, trying to act nonchalant.
Now that Uzumaki mentioned him, Gaara noticed he wasn't in the classroom. "Will you?"
There were a few more taps of his pen before he answered. "I think so." He sighed then slouched in his seat. "I think it's a change I need right now."
Gaara nodded in understanding while feeling a slight weight off his shoulder. It was unexpected, but Uchiha appeared to be taking Uzumaki under his wing, putting another set of watchful eyes on him. The hunters would think twice before attempting to do anything to Uzumaki on Uchiha's property and would buy him more time to figure out something to do when his bargain with Nara came to an end.
A knock on the classroom door drew everyone's attention. Even Uzumaki was curious as he leaned to see who had come to their classroom.
"Um, sorry to bother you, but is this Gaara-senpai's class?"
Gaara recognized the voice immediately. In the corner of his eye, he could see Uzumaki staring at him with the question burning in his eyes. He wanted to know who was asking for him. Wanting to avoid that line of questioning, Gaara got up to meet her just as the classmate who had answered the door turned to look for him.
He sent Matsuri a small glare for asking for him at school, but the girl looked terrified. She held her hands behind her back, but the air around her was slowly dropping in temperature. "Gaara-senpai, a teacher wanted your help on something. I'm supposed to take you there." She did well, pretending not to know him. Her voice didn't betray her familiarity with him. It quivered in a way that could be mistaken for extreme shyness or nervousness, and she didn't look him in the eye. She kept her gaze lowered with her head partly bowed. She could pull off a young middle school student forced to seek out the big scary bully at a teacher's request.
"I see," he replied.
Matsuri paused, waiting to see if he'd say anything else. When he didn't, she awkwardly started walking, leading him away from the classroom. He watched her from behind, noting the way frost appeared with each step, leaving small puddles when it melted nearly instantly after they formed. She was leading him towards the stairwell when he asked, "What happened?"
She had already started descending the stairs. Slowly turning around, she looked her age. Small and frail. "Someone… someone tried to kill me on the way to school today," her voice was barely above a whisper even Gaara had to strain to hear her. "I almost died." She lingered on the word 'died'. The reality of what almost been sinking in. Her shaking increased and she held herself to try to make it stop. "I really almost died."
"Get control of your emotions," he commanded when the ice crystals started to cling to the stairwell.
"But he… I almost."
"Do you still think you're human?" Gaara asked. He sounded cold and indifferent when he asked but she still flinched at his words as if he had yelled. "You aren't. Your demon blood has awakened. Any hunter halfway good at their job will notice. You best learn to accept you're a target now, a better reason to learn to control your powers."
Gaara walked down a few steps. Now that he was out of the classroom, he may as well take care of a few things. "Whether you're part human or not, it doesn't matter. People will try to kill you now. If you want to survive, don't trust anyone."
"Did that happen to you?" she asked, quietly. It was enough to make Gaara stop. "Is that why you don't trust me or Hyuuga-senpai?"
Gaara's jaw clenched. "Iruka-san should be informed." Gaara continued taking the lead to the faculty office. Matsuri followed, but not directly behind him as she usually did. She kept her distance, continuing to be subdued.
She was going to get killed one day. She was so naïve and tender. In the world she lived in, such qualities were a luxury she could not afford. If she didn't learn, someone close to her would kill her. She'll be betrayed. But it wasn't any of his business. He gave his warning to her. Whether she followed it or not was up to her.
He opened the door to the faculty room. All the teachers looked up from their desks. There were some looks of surprise, a few looks of disgust, and only one smiled at him though his eyes were now wary "Gaara-kun, why are you out of class? Did something happen?" Iruka rose from his desk, coming to intercept them.
Gaara's eyes flashed over to the teachers in the room. Most of them were just normal civilians. "We need to talk, Iruka…sensei," he tacked on at the end as an afterthought.
"Sure thing, Gaara-kun." Iruka noticed Matsuri behind him, his smile becoming more forceful. "Why don't we talk in the counselor's office."
Stepping out, Iruka closed the door behind him. "I take it this is a 'special' conversation?"
With a nod, Iruka waved them over to a room down the hall. Across the faculty room was the infirmary and beside that was the school's counselor's room. The counseling room was important to the school. With young hunters that attended the school, it was essential in keeping them sane until they were used to the sight of death, which may include comrades.
It also served as a good quiet spot to speak about private matters. No one dared go near it unless let in by the counselor. If anyone were caught without permission, it was grounds for immediate termination or expulsion for faculty and students alike. It was drastic, and the excuse for such measures was that everyone was entitled to a safe place to speak about their problems and anyone willing to violate that space and potentially hurt someone who was vulnerable was not needed at the school. Since the school was a coveted school by both students and faculty alike, no one dared to even pass by the office if they could help it.
Iruka knocked on the door with his knuckles. A middle-aged woman answered the door. Her glasses sat on the edge of her nose and her hair stopped short just below the ear. She had a modest air around her, wearing a simple cardigan and skirt that stop just above the knee and carried a few extra pounds of fat on her around the midsection. She smiled at Iruka, greeting him with a voice that could only be described as dream-like. She stepped aside and allowed them to enter.
The room looked like a counselor's office. There was a desk in the corner where the woman worked, but the main focus was the sofa and chair in the center. Everything was a soft color, brightening the room and the carpet was plush.
Matsuri sat down first, plopping down onto the sofa. Iruka waited to see if Gaara would sit. When he didn't, he asked, "What did you need to talk about?" The friendliness that he usually held in his voice towards Gaara had diminished. It was hard to decipher where Gaara now stood with him.
Gaara gestured for Matsuri to speak with his eyes.
Matsuri looked at Iruka then back at Gaara. She was hesitating. Maybe she was finally taking what he said to heart. Grasping her hands in her lap, she spoke. "I was attacked this morning. I was taking the mountain path to school. I found a good place for meditation and go there sometimes to practice. I just got back to the main road when someone in a black cloak grabbed at me."
Gaara's back tensed, finding himself leaning forward. "Black cloak?"
She nodded. Her nails were digging into the back of her hands, doing the best she could in restraining herself. "He had a dagger, and he swiped at me. It happened so fast. All I really remember was screaming. I froze his hand, encased it in a block of ice before I really knew what happened. He wasn't even fazed. I ducked as the knife came at me, and this cop just came out of no where and," she stumbled over her words, becoming flustered as she tried to explain what happened next. "The dagger went through his hand, but he fought him off, told me to run to school immediately, so I did." Her eyes welled with tears and she bit her lip trying not to cry, glancing over at Gaara excessively as she did so. "I was so scared; I couldn't even say anything. I tried to tell a classmate and my homeroom teacher, but they… they didn't want to hear what I had to say."
"I see. Thank you for telling me," Iruka said sincerely. The small amount of kindness he showed with his words had her smile through the tears that slid down her cheeks. She looked lighter, more relieved. The air in the room was warming and becoming comfortable again almost instantly.
Gaara watched them. In the end, Iruka offered her the comfort she needed. Just being kind and gentle with her and she lapped it up, trusting yet another human who could hurt and betray her. She hadn't heard a single thing he had said.
"Is there anything you can recall about the police officer who intervened or the person who attacked you?" Iruka asked.
"I didn't get a good look at him. The officer looked young though. Early twenties, maybe. His hair was on the lighter side too, and curly. I didn't really look too much at him either."
"Don't worry, it's a start. Why don't you go to the infirmary and get some rest until you feel ready to go back to class? We'll have someone escort you back to your apartment at the end of the day."
"Alright. Thank you, Sensei." Iruka was polite until she left the room. Once the door slowly closed behind her, the atmosphere grew heavy and tense. Iruka leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, quiet.
It gave Gaara his own time to reflect on what Matsuri said. Especially the cop. A picture of the man who addressed him about Uchiha entered his mind. Could it have been the same person?
"Someone appearing out of nowhere in black, that sounds like—" Iruka started.
"The person who attacked me," Gaara finished. "I may not specialize in sensing presences, but no ordinary human could sneak up on me or survive having their hand completely frozen."
"I agree," Iruka said eerily calm. The discomfort it caused made an unpleasant tingle shoot up Gaara's spine, putting him on alert.
"Are they your hunters?" Gaara asked, eying the exit depending on the man's answer.
"There was no order out for you or Matsuri-chan. If they are, they're acting on their own," the lack of warmth from Iruka was working against Iruka's explanation, putting Gaara further and further on edge, finding it hard to resist walking out the door.
"But you aren't certain."
Iruka's eyes darted up. His expression was cold, but his eyes still had a flicker of anger in them. "What do you want me to say? You led two people to their death and murdered an innocent civilian with your own hands. The shinobi were already cautious of you, and now they have what could be considered proof to them that they were right."
"They? Or we?"
Iruka stood, refusing to answer him. "Can you check to see if any cop went to the hospital or clinic for an injury this morning, matching Matsuri-chan's description," he asked the counselor who had been sitting in the corner of the room during the conversation and was in the process of peeling a talisman off the wall. The talisman was meant to keep unwanted guests outside the room from overhearing, a basic precaution that could be broken if one had the know-how.
"Iruka," Gaara dropped the honorific. "They or we?"
Iruka took a slow deep breath, trying not to show what he was thinking, micromanaging his every action. "I forgot how dangerous you were. An innocent man is now dead because of it. There were reasons why you were supposed to be watched. You aren't human."
Gaara's eyes drifted as Iruka spoke, knowing where he was going with it as Iruka went on. It wasn't his fault the man was dead. Gaara could still easily die from blood loss or a fatal wound. It was harder to kill him, but still very possible. Was he supposed to just lay there and die?
Yes. They expected him to.
"Don't worry, Iruka," Gaara watched a crow that had been perched on the other side of the window fly into the sky until Gaara could no longer see it. "In less than six months, you will never have to see me again."
