Surrain: NOW will you marry me?
Chapter 19: Uncovered Pasts
Gaara made his way silently to Naruto's hospital ward, deftly climbing the wall and sliding fluidly in through the window. Landing lightly on the floor, he padded noiselessly to Naruto's bed, a rare smile gracing his features as he watched the blond sleep. On an impulse, he reached out to stroke Naruto's cheek; a rather childish notion, he supposed, but he'd had his share of childish notions way back when he was a child and the notions, though rash, didn't particularily land him in trouble.
His fingers had gotten within an inch of the slash-scars on Naruto's cheek when the blond snapped open his eyes, heaved himself out of the bed with a mightly leap, and wrapped his arms around the startled redhead, pulling him down onto the bed. With surprising speed for one so critically injured, Naruto flipped them over, pinning the surprised Gaara onto the bed by his shoulders, laughing playfully all the while. He let go and managed to roll out of the way not a second too soon as Gaara's fist shot past him out of pure reflex. Seeing the chagrined look on the redhead's countenance, he giggled some more before pulling himself upright on the bed. Gaara calmly dusted himself off, a mildly scandalized look on his face, though he was inwardly amused.
"Had it been anyone else who would've done that to me, I would've slaughtered them and painted the walls red with their blood. You're extremely lucky you are who you are." He stated in a deadpan voice. Naruto just giggled some more.
"Lighten up, Gaara. Even spies have to have fun sometimes." The corner of said Gaara's mouth twitched, the only indication of his inner amusement.
There was a sharp snap, and Neji, Kabuto, and Sasuke let themselves in, closing the door quietly behind them.
"You have arrived." Naruto scoffed at the most obvious statement the redhead spoke.
"We have arrived. Kabuto has a lock on the coordinates of the drug-ring. It seems they are meeting once again at The Bleeding Sun. They have no knowledge of Sakura's apprehension." Gaara nodded.
"We leave tonight."
Quickly checking Naruto out of his ward (much to the obvious dismay of the nurses, but Gaara's eyes weren't normally ones to be defied), the party of five made their way stealthily down to Sasuke's sleek black sedan, parked conveniently in front of the hospital. Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke squeezed into the back seat of the car as Gaara took the wheel, Kabuto right by his side and calculating wildly on his trustworthy laptop. The Uchiha let out a sigh of relief when he saw that his butler wasn't driving, but relief turned quickly to horror as he made the unpleasant discovery that Gaara was even worse. Naruto practically dissolved into hysterics as Sasuke retched sporadically out the window during regular intervals of the ride.
Three minutes later, the car pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.
"We're here." Gaara deadpanned. Naruto sniggered.
"You seem to have a habit of stating the obvious." A frown was his reply, sending Naruto into paryoxyms of snickers. Irritably flicking his coat behind his back, Gaara turned and led the way into the bar.
Naruto shivered slightly at the corrupted aura that emanated from the bar with a sinister air. It wasn't as potent as it was when he encountered it before….perhaps it grew with every passing day. Swallowing to calm the uneasy fluttering in the pit of his stomach, the blond followed the other four members of his group into the bar, knowing full well they were treading on thin ice.
Gaara walked up to a man nearby, leaning against a post, a soggy cigarette hanging limply from his mouth, eyes at half-mast. The man cracked open an eye, flicking a vague glance over Gaara's lean frame. At once his eyes focused and sharpened, and he straightened his posture, spitting out the cigarette and readjusting his cap. Dusting off the ash from his coat, he inclined his head towards the redhead. Gaara spoke.
"Found you anything remotely worth investigating, Kankurou?" Kankurou nodded and jerked a thumb haphazardly at the door behind him, curling his lip at the sign that hung from it.
"Authorized Personnel my ass. They're holding a meeting in there, and I'm supposed to be checking for the password to let people in. It's pitch-black in there, with only a solitary candle to light the room, so you'll have an easy time trying to hide. Just pull your collars over your faces." Pulling his hat down over his eyes, he gave Sasuke a wink.
"And try to keep the elegant strut from your walk. It gives you away." Naruto turned and sniggered mischievously at the scandalized look on the Uchiha's face.
"I told you so."
Dodging the fist that shot out at his face, Naruto pulled up his collar, took a deep breath, and slowly turned the knob to the door, sliding in with the four of them. Shadows stirred restlessly to witness the incoming newcomers before sinking back down. Kabuto shivered. The bloodlust was so thick; he could've slit it cleanly with his knife. He tightened his hold on the thin handle of the blade, swallowing the bile that threatened to rise. A sinister voice slid silkily out of the darkness.
"You're late." Sasuke spoke up, lowering his voice to a low, dangerous whisper.
"Our apologies. We were delayed by a few little hindrances." The hooded figure in the middle of the room shifted, his eyes glittering like beady chips of obsidian in the flickering candlelight of the room. Another figure came to his side and bent. The cloaked man turned and whispered into his ear, ushering silent commands. The other nodded and looked up at the party of five.
"We will accept your apologies; however, our leader demands an explanation on why such a small party of intruders would dare to invade our meeting."
He spoke as if merely chatting over small cups of tea, his tone soft, mild and pleasant. Ominous swishing sounds were heard, and as one, the rest of the figures in the room pulled out their knives, pointing them at the five. Naruto felt a surge of terror. They had been discovered, and he had a vague feeling they weren't about to be released that easily.
The blond turned to Gaara, gasping slightly at the malicious smirk on his face. Gaara stepped forward and turned to face the man that spoke, walking with calm, measured steps around the room, circling the man as if he were about to move in for the kill. The man followed Gaara's pace with his eyes, looking straight into the cold mint-chips, matching Gaara's bloodlust with his own mild glance. The temperature in the room now grew so cold, Naruto would've bet his life that the mercury in the thermometer would've broken the glass and crawled over to the fire to warm itself. Gaara smiled, a sickly sweet parody of a smile and lowered his collar, exposing his face to the light of the dying candle. The figures started their restless roil once more, shifting and writhing in the background.
"It's been a long time," Gaara commented. The man in front of him drew back as he witnessed the redhead's countenance. The redhead's smile widened, taking on an animalistic edge.
"I haven't seen you in such a long time; perhaps it would be nice if we were to have a little….reunion." Naruto inwardly commended the redhead on his immense self-control; Gaara's bloodlust had grown so intense, the blond found it physically painful to be within reach of its aura.
"It has been a long time," Gaara repeated, nodding thoughtfully, then turned the full power of his glare on the uneasy man before him. His gaze seared right through the very flesh of the other, slowly slicing up the flesh and bone before him, spilling blood and ripping skin. The man squirmed slightly, balked, then straightened at the ominous noise from his master.
"Yashamaru."
"Gaara-sama," the man stuttered, drawing back. The figures in the background recoiled; the bloodlust that permeated the air took on an edge of amazement. The right-hand man to their leader had just addressed this…this child as one superior? How could this be? At another deadly glance from his master, a new courage seemed to come over the man.
"Gaara-sama, why did you not die?" The redhead smiled silkily, his answer a sharp, cryptic remark.
"I do not perish so easily, my uncle. Your little bomb had absolutely no effect whatsoever." Yashamaru seemed crestfallen. Drawing his knife, he advanced towards the redhead, a rather remorseful look on his somewhat gentle features.
"Then I must make sure that you perish, here and now. It is for our safety." Gaara smirked, drawing his own long, thin blade.
"High time, Yashamaru. I have been looking forward to this day."
Without a word, the blond man darted at the redhead with surprising speed, his knife slicing through the air at his face, but Gaara hadn't survived countless missions without gaining experience. He calmly sidestepped and ducked as Yashamaru jerked the knife at his face, managing to lightly nick the other man's wrist with the point of his blade before spiraling away, a mocking smile on his lips. The shadows in the background shifted restlessly, itching to join the battle, but hastily obeyed their leader as he held out a hand to stop them.
"Gotten old, have you, uncle?"
A mild frown crossed Yashamaru's countenance as he lunged again, his deadly gray blade slicing millimeters from Gaara's right ear, severing a few strands of shocking red hair. The redhead dodged and sliced through the air in a wide sweeping arc, forcing Yashamaru to duck and stumble right into his waiting foot. Jerking up his knee, he disrupted the blond man's balance; Yashamaru stumbled, and Gaara took the split-second opening to jam his knife into the other's shoulder, giving it a sharp twist to render it useless before pulling out his blade with a look of utter contempt, skipping back lightly. The redhead smiled perversely. He wanted more. He needed more. Yashamaru fell to the ground, wincing slightly in pain. Gaara curled his lip disdainfully as he lightly regained his balance, surveying his blade in disgust, sarcasm dripping in his tone.
"Truly amazing. After all these years, your blood is still the same color as mine." Yashamaru stood, a look of pain marring his features. Gaara scowled, his voice soft and dangerous, his eyes glittering maliciously.
"For some reason, that pisses me off!" The last comment ended in a harsh bark.
He bent over backwards at an impossible angle as Yashamaru's blade sailed past his nose. Malachite eyes widened as the man smirked and reversed the blade, plunging it down at his shoulder. Gaara landed on one hand and managed to turn to the side; the knife left a long, bleeding gash from his collarbone to his shoulder. Balancing precariously on his hands, Gaara flipped his feet up and kicked his opponent squarely in the torso; Yashamaru stumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding shoulder. A mild grin graced his gentle features.
"Skilled we are in combat."
Gaara lunged once more, his knife gyrating towards Yashamaru. The man prepared to block; his eyes widened as the redhead disappeared mere seconds before coming in contact with his uncle. A split-second later, he reappeared behind Yashamaru's form and thrust, his long blade shrieking towards the man. Yashamaru quickly jumped to the side, though a bit late; the knife managed to tear his shirt. In a shocking explosion of speed, Gaara shot forward as Yashamaru readjusted his position, deftly sliding his blade in and out of the man's ribs with all the reflexes of a hummingbird on crack, skyrocketing away before Yashamaru had time to realize what had happened. Naruto inwardly admired the almost graceful way the redhead moved, as if engaging in a lithe dance with his opponent. He couldn't deny the obvious fluidity of Gaara's sinuous movements; it sent chills of anticipation and suspense down his spine to see his friend fight.
Yashamaru was breathing heavily now, his breath coming in pants. Gaara's breathing was also labored, though not as much as his uncle's. Managing a grin, he shot forward with a new burst of energy, bringing his knife in a quick reverse crescent, harshly slicing through Yashamaru's chest, leaving a bloody slash on his exposed torso, growing more vengeful with every blow. The blond man winced again, snarling slightly at Gaara's rather triumphant expression. Drawing himself up to his full height, Gaara looked condescendingly down at the wounded man before him, making a rather imposing figure indeed.
"Yashamaru, you should've checked to see if I really was dead way back when you set off the bomb. That one little mistake has proven to be your downfall." And with a last sick smile, Gaara lunged at the man, knife thrust rigidly in front of him, closing in for the kill.
In a last-ditch attempt, Yashamaru stood and valiantly tried to defend himself, slashing madly at the incoming redhead with a series of quick movements, but to no avail. Gaara artfully dodged all of the slashes, reversed momentarily, and surged ahead with a last burst of energy, plunging his deadly silver blade up to the hilt in Yashamaru's chest. For a moment, the man stood stock-still, shock coursing through his body. Coughing slightly, he raised his face to Gaara, a disbelieving smile on his face. Gaara's face was impassive, showing no emotion as he twisted the knife and wrenched it from Yashamaru's dying body. Crimson libation flowed from his wound and arterial blood blossomed from his mouth.
"G-Gaara-sama….how…"
The light flickered in the blond man's eyes, and then went out completely as he fell to the ground, death quickly clouding his vision, rendering his eyes staring and lifeless. Gaara bent and calmly wiped his blade on the corpse's tunic, firmly resheathing it before turning to face the rest of the figures so shrouded in the shadows. He tilted his head to the side, a pleasant, rather perverse smile on his face.
"Anyone else wish to try?" The constant bloodlust in the room took on a prominent edge of fear. Gaara smiled, inhaling in the essence, reveling in the surge of power he just received.
"Very good."
The man in the middle shifted again and stood, his cloak billowing down. The shadows stiffened simultaneously; their leader was going to fight this dangerous young man. Sinuous hands reached up and lowered his hood, then reached down to extract his knife from his sheath. The man stepped out from his place in the middle and turned to face the redhead. Gaara smiled at the familiar face, a series of lightning-quick half-thoughts and a batch of emotions (none too pleasant to any normal person) flashing through his brain.
"That was a beautiful fight, young man. Very well done." Gaara smirked darkly.
"Well Father, it looks like it's down to us." The rest of the figures shifted again more agitated than ever. Naruto, Sasuke, Kabuto, and Neji also tensed, hands resting at the ready on their blades. Gaara flicked a disinterested gaze at the four.
"You may take on the others if you wish." That was all both parties needed.
As one, the figures in the background reared and plunged towards the four males like a murder of crows after carrion. Naruto and the others did the same, the two colliding with an awesome bang. Metal clashed chaotically and bodies were roiling about, locked together in a graceful dance of death.
Naruto was facing off against a particularly well-built man, the numerous scars on his face suggesting he'd survived more than one brush with death. His nose was bent at an odd angle, suggesting he'd been smashed into a wall one too many times, and sinister, twisting tattoos in odd designs ran the length of his forearms, coming to a halt at his wrists. The blond quickly ran through his options in his head, touching briefly on the advantages and disadvantages. The man was heavily built; he'd have speed on his side, that was for sure (constantly running from angered civilians during his times as a prankster did tend to improve his legs after doing it constantly for a period of ten plus years).
Smirking mischievously, Naruto drew his thin blade and gestured mockingly towards the vexed man. The man growled and lunged suddenly at the blond, who darted nimbly to the side, rapping the man sharply on his cranium with the handle of his blade as a passing gift. The man stumbled; Naruto stuck out his foot, effectively tripping him before thrusting the point of the blade deep into the man's back, merely rendering him unconscious. He smirked contentedly. He loved facing off against untrained enemies. Time was saved if one could quickly disable their foes. Smiling, he retrieved the butterfly knife from the unconscious figure's pocket before rejoining the battle.
Neji grappled with his lean opponent, a determined scowl on his handsome features. Breaking the hold, he made as if to spiral away, then reversed and deftly rammed the heel of his palm into the hooked nose of his foe, sending bone splinters deep into his brain. Another quick blow to his torso sent the man flying, and Neji quickly turned, blocking the downward thrust from his next adversary. Stiffening his index and middle digits, he rammed them sharply at the junction of the man's humorus and shoulder blade, causing his arm to twitch spasmodically. Before the man could react, Neji turned and thrust backward with his knife straight into the man's collarbone, snapping it soundly. The man screamed and fell and Neji turned to his next opponent.
Sasuke and Kabuto were rendered back to back as they each fought off their individual opponents. The Uchiha grinned as he deftly evaded the wide arc made by his opponent's blade.
"Didn't know you could fight, Kabuto." The gray-haired man smiled, dodging a punch to his face and throwing one in return.
"There are many things you don't know about me, Sasuke-sama." He gritted his teeth, trying hard not to yell as a knife lodged itself in his arm. Cursing as blood blossomed from the wound. Kabuto quickly took down his foe with a quick stab to the neck before whirling to help Sasuke with his.
The Hyuuga found himself locked in a choke-hold with his opponent, his arms pinned by the free arm. Struggling, he felt a tremendous pull as his captor yanked him down by his hair, exposing his neck to a thin, deadly blade. He could feel the lechery reeking from the other man.
"Such beautiful hair, missy. So soft and satiny." Neji felt a surge of annoyance. Missy? His blood boiled.
"I….am…not…a…WOMAN!" Ramming his skull backwards, he smirked in satisfaction as his head connected with what felt like a nose. The man reeled backwards, clutching his throbbing appendage. Neji's smirk widened.
"Though if you wish it, I will respond with somewhat feminine actions."
Striding forward, he lashed out and kicked the man soundly in the crotch; typical for any female who wished to dispose of any male hindrances. The man howled and dropped, clutching his throbbing balls and rolling around in agony. Neji sniffed and plunged headlong into the fray of bodies. A blond flash caught his eye and he turned momentarily to watch Naruto in his heated duel against a man thrice his size. He nodded slightly in admiration. The vivacious blond was a whirl of teeth, claws, and metal, quickly overwhelming his opponent.
Gaara rolled and dropped as his father drew yet another slash across his bleeding torso. Dodging the kick that came out at him, he felt a chain encircle his chest, restraining his arms and forcing him to drop his knife. He spat to the side. So dear old father had decided to play dirty, mmm? Well he had a few tricks up his sleeve as well.
Pulling a strobe grenade from his shirt with his hands, he rolled it full force towards his father. It hissed and sputtered; for a moment, panic flashed across Gaara's eyes. Then with an awesome explosion, the grenade erupted in a shower of white-hot light and shrapnel, lighting up the battlefield and shining straight into the eyes of Gaara's father. The man reeled backwards, momentarily stunned by the glare. Gaara lunged forward and sank his teeth into the soft folds of his father's neck, biting down as hard as he could before twisting his head and tearing away, leaving prominent teeth marks on his neck. As his father recovered from the shock, Gaara used the bought time to pull his arms free. Flicking a blade from his sleeve, he shot forward, dodging the punch that came rolling out at him and ramming the blade into his father's chest. The man let out a gurgling, choking noise before dropping silently to the ground. Gaara smirked.
"May the devil have mercy on your poor, corrupted soul." Kicking aside the body, he turned and joined the roiling mass of fighting bodies.
SOooooooo, Yashamaru AND the former Kazekage...does anyone know Gaara's father's name? It's kinda hard to mention him in the story if I don't know his name...anyway. Cya in D next Chappie