Yup! Talk no jutsu is a thing in this fic.
Gaara knew what was coming the moment Tsunade phoned his father. Rasa would never let this slide.
"You will not be expelled because of the three strike grace given to students in this school. As you are aware, this is your second grave offense." Tsunade spoke with authority. "A third offense would get you expelled and the only school that would be willing to enrol you is a military school or a vocational training school."
Gaara was in her office feeling smaller than he already was under her gaze and pressure. He didn't need to be reminded, he knew that he was just this close to expulsion.
"You have bad grades already and your behaviour towards everything makes matters worse. Gaara, I see potential in every child and you are no different. I don't want you wasting your life away because you couldn't contain your anger."
Tsunade sighed. She knew he was undergoing therapy from his school files but it was as clear as day that he was unresponsive.
"Your punishment would be in-school suspension for two weeks and it would start today. In other words, you would be a janitor for two weeks. Do whatever they tell you to even if it is from the pet center. You will also apologize to Daimaru when he comes back to school, am I clear?"
"Yes lady Tsunade." Gaara muttered.
"Good. Now meet Mrs Murasaki for a janitor's uniform. You're dismissed."
Gaara walked out of the office without lifting his gaze from the floor. He didn't need to see the scared looks onpeople's faces as he passed by, he could literally smell it. He got to the non teaching staff lounge room and knocked before allowing himself in.
"Aah, you are that trouble kid." Mrs Murasaki, he presumed, said as he entered. "Good. Here is your uniform for two weeks. You will start with the cafeteria today. Here's the key to the janitors closet (because KSA always keeps it closed to prevent, you know), everything you need is there. The hall must be clean with no spots, understand?"
Gaara didn't answer. He just gave a small bow and accepted the key and uniform. The tacky purple colour of the pullover clashed with Gaara's hair and eyes terribly. The redhead cursed mentally at whoever decided that purple pullovers would be a good janitors uniform as he changed into the thing.
It was too big on his lithe form so he had to roll the sleeves of the hands and legs. On his way to the closet, he could hear the terribly hidden snickers of laughter from students as he passed. His judgment had been swift, lunch break was just concluding when Mrs Murasaki released him so there were still lingering students on the hallways.
Gaara did not hesitate to throw a warning glance towards where the snickers came from and was greatly satisfied when the group trembled at his look. Rude as they were, students gathered to watch him take the cleaning tools he would need from the closet.
Gaara walked through the whispers, snickers and low teases emotionlessly as always to the cafeteria. The place was a mess.
One would think rich and brilliant students would be clean and neat but not these ones. Some didn't trash their plastic plates, some left food all over the table and floor, some poured drinks all over the place. Gaara sighed and began working on the tables.
The dining hall was big and he was the only one cleaning as punishment so by the time Gaara was done with everything, it was teetering towards the end of the last period of classes already.
Sweat matted his red hair and his hands shook from exertion but this was just the beginning of everything. As soon as he returned all that he used to the closet, Mrs Murasaki led him to the kitchen to wash the pots and utensils the cooks used in cooking. Staff dishes were also in the mix.
The redhead exhaled loudly, his bangs flew up from his forehead at the force. He didn't regret what he did though. Daimaru deserved to be teased with death.
It was evening by the time he was released from school. Once Gaara got to his house, one of the servants came to greet him with a news he had been anticipating all day. "Hello young master Gaara. Lord Rasa requests your presence in his study as soon as you arrive." The maid informed.
Gaara was emotionless as he made his way to the study where his father was waiting for his arrival. The moment he closed the mahogany door behind him, a pen holder came flying at Gaara. The object missed Gaara's face by a hairsbreadth but some pens stabbed his skin. Gaara didn't blink. He knew this would happen.
"You had one job Gaara, one. Just lay low like you don't exist and stop disgracing me. Is that too difficult for you?!" Rasa growled. The man had brown hair and dark eyes, looks which Kankuro (Gaara's older brother) inherited while Temari (Kankuro's older twin) inherited his mother's blond hair and green eyes.
Gaara was an imposter with blood red hair and mint green eyes. They say he got recessive genes from his great grandparents but that might have been a lie to not make him feel bad when he was younger.
"You strangled a student?! What the hell is wrong with you?! What did I do to deserve you, you demon of a child?!" Rasa was really angry, Gaara noted dully. His green eyes never left the floor even as Rasa strode over to him and gave him a harsh blow across the cheek. "Before you kill me, I would kill you first. Kneel."
Gaara did as Rasa commanded while the man rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and fetched a golf club from the sports rack at a corner in the room. The first hit came without warning which caused Gaara to fall on his chest with a groan. He was still exhausted from the day's activities but he was quick to brace himself for more hits.
Only grunts escaped his mouth as Rasa hit him. Gaara ended up with a broken knee by the end of it. His breaths were heavy and his skin and joints were burning. "Get out of my sight." Rasa spat. "I told Karura to abort him but no she didn't. Look where her stubbornness got her."
That last statement was meant for Rasa's ears alone but Gaara heard it and his heart broke. He knew about how he was born prematurely and how it killed his mother but he didn't think she considered aborting him or that his father wanted her life over his. The hurt lasted for a moment though before his face pulled into a sneering grin.
"Too bad you can't kill me anymore, father." Gaara sneered. He received more beatings for it but the look on his father's face satisfied him. Gaara limped out of the study only to find Temari and Kankuro in the hallway to their rooms. They both averted their gazes as he limped past them.
"G-Gaara."
Gaara turned around to see Temari holding out a bottle of aspirin and some ointment for him. He looked at her but her eyes were not on him. Gaara bit back the temptation to throw the items on the floor and accepted them instead. He limped into his room and locked the door closed. Looking at the ointment and aspirin bottle, Gaara had unbidden flashbacks about when they were younger.
The three of them used to be really close. He remembered how they would sit on the sandy floors of Suna and build sandcastles and different sand sculptures, even poop. Everything changed that fateful day. Gaara's stomach growled with hunger but he knew that he would not be getting dinner tonight unless he went to get some at midnight. After treating himself Gaara curled himself to sleep.
-
"Yashamaru, what is the meaning of love?"
Gaara could see his five year old self asking his uncle curious questions. He could see his uncle's gentle smile as he cut himself with a pocket knife. Gaara had screamed in horror but Yashamaru only grinned.
"Physical wounds like this heal over time but wounds to the heart never heals. Love is the only thing that can heal a wounded heart. It is with that love your mother gave birth to you. She was willing to die for you even without seeing you. That is love, young lord Gaara. Love heals."
Yashamaru's face suddenly morphed into something wicked and Gaara had a sudden growth sprout. He was suddenly seven and his uncle was above him with a knife sunk deep in his lungs.
"You...you are truly a m-monster young lord Gaara." Yashamaru whispered. Blood spewed from his lips with every word he said. "Your m-mother never loved you. She died cursing y-you. That is why she named you the self loving demon, 'Gaara'. You took her life and n-now mine. You are not created to love, you are created to destroy."
Gaara screamed as Yashamaru used the broken bottle in his hand to engrave a word on his forehead.
愛
Meaning love.
"You were never loved, young lord Gaara."
-
Gaara sat up drenched in his sweat. His hand flew to his scar where he placed a tattoo over it as throbbed with inexistent pain. This he recognized as phantom pain, a phenomenon where the body felt pain whereas there wasn't any due to trauma.
Lies.
His uncle lied to him.
Love doesn't heal, it hurts.
He thought his uncle and mother loved him. He thought he was loved.
It was all a lie.
"I love myself and I live for only myself." Gaara whispered his self calming mantra. "I love myself and I live for only myself. As long as there are people in this world that makes me feel otherwise, I would kill them. I would never disappear!"
Love doesn't heal, it hurts
Xxx symphony xxX
"Hey, hey, hey!"
(AN: I couldn't help myself)
Suigetsu and Ino barged into the class with dark excitement followed by Juugo who was silently trailing behind his gossip of a best friend.
"Guuuyyysss!" Ino screeched. "Have you seen it?!"
"Seen what?" Sakura who arrived at school earlier than her best friend asked.
"Sabaku in a janitor's uniform!" Suigetsu answered with a laugh. "Right now he is fixing the trash bags over the bins, who wants to watch him?!"
"So the rumours yesterday was real?! I want to see!" Karin yelled and sped out of the class.
Sakura wanted to go, she really wanted to but she had to put up a front for Sasuke who was in the class working on some math problems as usual. Ino rolled her eyes at her friend's antics and dragged her by the hand away from the class.
Many other classmates ran out of the class to see the red devil janitor, leaving Sasuke and Shino alone in the class.
"Where is the fire?" Neji asked as he entered the class along with Hinata. They were on their way to the classroom when students suddenly started filing out of classes like an angry mob.
"Everyone is outside, that's because Sabaku no Gaara is supposedly wearing a janitor's uniform." Shino informed.
"Janitor's uniform?" Neji echoed.
"Hn. Do you want to join them, Hyuga?" Sasuke quipped without looking up from his textbook.
"Not quite, Uchiha." Neji replied taking his seat.
"Good morning everyone!" A sing song voice started but died down when the owner realized that the class was half empty. "Ahre?! Where is everybody?"
"Good morning Haku-kun." Hinata greeted.
"Hina-chan! Finally, somebody realizes I've been missing in school for weeks." Haku exclaimed happily. Haku was a very androgynous person with doe brown eyes and long brown hair. Many a times he was hit on because he was thought to be a girl. His signature black choker did not help matters one bit.
"At least one person realized your absence." Shino muttered bitterly.
"Shino-chan! It is nice seeing you again." Haku entered the class fully and dropped his black bag pack on a table. "Aren't you two going to welcome me back?" He asked the two geniuses whose faces were in books as usual.
"Hn." Sasuke was monosyllabic as usual.
"Hn to you too."
"Hello Haku." Neji greeted absently.
"Ah!" Haku suddenly brightened upon remembering something. "Did the great Hyuga catch your tattoo?!" He asked. Haku knew when Neji got the blue tattoo done on his forehead during the long vacation. The two long haired men were in the same holiday violin classes when it happened.
Neji had been angry about something his uncle did and so he stupidly went to get the tattoo done, at least that was Haku's point of view of the story.
"Yes, he caught it." Neji sighed. "My ears rang for weeks." Sasuke scoffed at this but everybody in the class understood that was his way of laughing. Haku also gave a soft laugh and looked around the class.
"Seriously though, as I was coming I saw a crowd. What did I miss?" Haku asked.
"Gaara-kun is the reason why the school is rowdy." Hinata responded softly.
"Sabaku-chan?! Wow, that must be graphic. Purple would clash with his hair!" Haku yelped dramatically. He was one for fashion after all.
"Only you Haku, only you." Neji chuckled softly at his classmate's antics.
Xxx symphony xxX
"Guys!" Karui and Omoi barged into the class. "Hot news! Gaara is a janitor for I don't know how long and hotter news, he is going to apologize to Daimaru-senpai right now!" They stumbled over their words, dropped their bags and ran out of the class with their phones to video the epic moment.
"This would be awesome!" Kiba yelled and grabbed his phone too.
"I want to see too." Matsuri muttered and went out of the class with Yukata and Tamaki.
"What's up?" Tenten who was just arriving at the class asked the girls who explained what was happening in the school to her. "Can he apologize?" Tenten wondered out loud.
"Only one way to find out. Let's go!" Tamaki grabbed Tenten by her hand and dragged her to the big school lawn where Gaara could be seen approaching Daimaru in the tacky purple janitor uniform.
Iruka and Naruto noticed the rowdiness of the school from the giant gate as they were coming in. The older one among them saw Yamato-sensei not too far off and walked towards him to ask questions while Naruto met with Lee and Shikamaru who were as equally confused as he was.
"Good morning Yamato-sensei." Iruka greeted. "What's the commotion about?"
"Oh good morning Iruka-sensei. Sabaku-kun was supposed to apologize to Daimaru-kun when he comes back. Today happens to be the day." Yamato explained. Kurenai and Asuma also came to settle beside them to watch how the fiery redhead would apologize for his actions.
True to Yamato's words, Gaara was standing in front of Daimaru who wore a neck cast. The senior's gaze was smoldering but Gaara's gaze was stronger, that was until it suddenly dropped when he bowed a perfect ninety degrees. Phone cameras were working full time to capture this moment.
"I-I am gravely sorry for my irrational actions. Please forgive me!" Gaara's voice rang out in chilly waves. It was obvious that this was a practiced speech, something he just wanted to get over with quickly, and that made Daimaru angrier than he already was. Rasa had compensated his parents enough to make them drop the charges filed against Gaara but the little twerp was going to pay for his actions.
"It is as clear as day that you are not truly sorry for strangling me." Daimaru looked around and saw the phone cameras among the crowd. An idea popped into his head and he barely held his smirk in. "To show that you are truly sorry, why don't you kneel before me?" It was an order, not a question.
"Why that little-!" Iruka was about to defend his student when Yamato's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"This could trigger a change in him. Leave him be." The brunet said calmly.
The look on the other teachers' faces told Iruka that they all agreed to Yamato's statement so he succumbed.
This was the greatest form of humiliation Gaara had received yet. He had handled the demotion to the recuperative class well. He took in Daimaru's insults at the cafeteria to some point and he took in the embarrassment of being a janitor and cleaning messy toilets (which were done on purpose) quite well but this went right to his heart. Kneeling. That meant subjection and total humiliation.
He could hear whispers of bets being made on whether he would kneel or not and some laughter. Daimaru was the one to attack him first by insulting him but why didn't people see him as a monster? He had insulted his moth and name yet nobody saw Daimaru as a bully. They saw him as a victim just because Gaara retaliated. They didn't know how much it hurt to be reminded that his mother died hating and birthing him. Nobody knew. They only saw his facade and mask.
Gasps and small laughs filled the air as Gaara's knees touched the ground. His expression was dull and stony as usual but Naruto who was watching from behind Daimaru could see the emotions in his eyes. Those mint eyes were the mirror reflexion of his eyes before Iruka came into his life.
"I am gravely sorry for my irrational actions. Please forgive me." Gaara spoke softer this time. His nails dug into his palms, betraying his humiliation and hurt from this turn of events. Daimaru was satisfied with his work and left the place. Some students stuck around to take pictures for memes while others laughed about the recent scenario on their way to class.
Naruto was left on the lawn with Gaara who was still on his knees. The blond didn't know why he felt uncomfortable so he left to class.
"Hey Naruto, you're not your usual stupid self today. What's wrong?" Tenten asked but he didn't answer. Gaara's eyes kept playing in his head again and again to the point that Genma-sensei had to throw a whiteboard marker at his forehead to keep him focused in class.
"Dude, what's up with you?" Kiba asked once it was lunch break. Naruto was one of the most garrulous people in their class so seeing him silent and spaced out was disturbing.
"Nothing. I want to be alone." The blond whispered and went out of the class. He didn't go to the cafeteria. He decided to walk around aimlessly while trying to organize his thoughts.
A soft metronome beat interrupted his line of thought and attracted him to where the sound was coming from. It was the school's studio room. Naruto peeked inside and saw who he was not expecting to see inside. It was just the very person that occupied his thoughts; Gaara.
The redhead was unaware of his presence much to his relief so Naruto watched silently as Gaara made a simple beat progression on the DJ machine. Though simple, the beat made sense with the various under beats Gaara added to it. From what it seemed, Gaara had been working on this rhythm for quite a while now. It was really, really good.
Naruto started when Gaara started talking but calmed later when he realized that he was just rapping to the beat.
Born as a beast. Because of me all these lives are deceased
Devoid of peace, want it to cease, made as a weapon to chain to a leash
I want to be free, liked by the people surrounding me
Evil, they're branding me not understanding the person I am and I'm trying my best but I'm cursed by this sand
See the children they ran and I cannot feel pain but there's a pain in my heart
Writhing in agony tears me apartI do not want it to last
Look for a cure, it is all I can ask
Push me to the brink, I can't think, now I've had enoughYashamaru said that all I needed was my mother's love
Gaara's eyes slipped closed with pain he would never allow anyone to see.
Assassination, the hate is building, the latent powers awaken
My fate is sealed and I'm aching
The sight of my assailant and the words he's saying, I'm a failure and nothing else...
Gaara's voice dropped. "If no one else would help, I can only love myself." He whispered the last words of the rap to himself. Gaara released a sharp grunt and clutched his forehead in pain. "I love myself and I live for only myself." He whispered to himself and that was where Naruto stepped back.
The blond ran away without looking at where he was going. Gaara wasn't the monster between them two, he was. Naruto knew above everybody how it felt to be isolated and be called a monster and yet he...and yet he...
Naruto stopped running and heaved heavily. Who was he, of all people, to judge?
Rap used in the chapter:Rustage ft CG5 – Gaara rap.
Good day everyone and good bye! See you next chapter.
-Star.