SUMMARY: Team 5 goes on their first mission. Sari goes on a date with Abiru. Ittetsu finds strength. Matsuri goes on a walk. Enjoy – plot is more evened out between the characters P.S. Team 5 consists of 14 year olds (so they aren't really young)
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, sadness, but it's for the best
Matsuri, Sari, & Ittetsu
Team 5
CHAPTER 3: Love, Hate, the Drunk and Other Stuff
Ittetsu hit the little 3 year old over the head with the bat yet again. Don't worry, it was foam, and the 3 year old was clunking him in the shins with a very painful wooden spoon.
Matsuri and Sari had gotten Komaza and Reki, two wonderful, cute little kunoichi-to-be's. Hayate leaned next to the window of the home, waiting for the approaching parents so the kunoichi could help Ittetsu get the spoon from the kid, and the foam bat from Ittetsu.
When Hayate saw the two happy parents coming back from a much-needed night out, he signaled to Matsuri and Sari. Sari shuffled both Komaza and Reki into her arms and rushed them to their cribs, and Matsuri quickly took the spoon from the baby boy and the bat from Ittetsu.
"Grow up, will you." She hissed in Ittetsu's ear before sniffing indignantly at the crazy hyper baby boy. "Take care of that." She said. When she grew up, she'd rather not have a boy. At the thought, her mind traveled to Gaara. Blushing horribly, she turned away to toss the spoon in the toy bucket, and then the foam bat in the kitchen. Correcting herself, she switched the objects and came back into the main room. Hayate gazed at her in question, being there was still a small hint of a blush on her cheeks.
When Sari and Ittetsu came back into the room, the parents shuffled in, looking happy with themselves.
"Mission accomplished." Sari said, giggling. She was the only one in Team 5 that was okay with such a mission such as babysitting.
…K~S
Abiru jumped in out of nowhere, his arms wrapping tight around Sari's slim waist. She giggled, complaining that his embrace tickled. Ittetsu looked away, sickened. If only she knew who Abiru really was! Anyway, he couldn't worry about that. He'd promised his aunt and uncle that he'd help out at their restaurant. He hurried away, dreading the hours of sucking up to some of the more annoying customers that his aunt and uncle got.
Sari on the other hand was enjoying herself. She turned in Abiru's embrace and pressed her lips to his soft ones. His curly hair tickled her forehead.
"Wanna go on a date with me tonight?" Abiru asked, looking into her eyes from under long, brown lashes. He smiled shyly, melting Sari's gullible heart. She nodded eagerly.
Sari turned to Matsuri. The light brown haired kunoichi blushed when Sari caught her staring, and looked away quickly to the moon, which hung low in the sky. Blushing she disappeared in a strong jump, and traveled over rooftops of the village.
Sari was confused about why Matsuri was going in that direction. Shaking it out of mind, she turned back to Abiru. "So, where are we going tonight?"
Abiru smiled slyly before relaxing his features into a more vulnerable state that he knew hypnotized Sari. "A nice little restaurant I know. I've heard things of the staff. Very hospitable." He leaned into Sari, his nose brushing her ear, his warm breath spraying her neck. "Shall we go?"
Sari blushed and nodded.
…K~S
Matsuri turned over on her side, looking wide-eyed at the picture of Gaara and herself. She'd forced Gaara into taking it. No. Gaara never did anything forced. It was more like she'd asked him until he agreed. He didn't smile in the picture, but that was okay. It wouldn't be him, if he smiled.
She turned again, lying on her back. The ceiling paint was chipped and occasionally fell onto her. She'd learned a long time ago to thoroughly shake her hair out before leaving for the day. Chipped paint was as good, or bad, as having flakes.
She often went to sleep thinking about Gaara. She really did love him.
She turned yet again; facing her coat she never bothered wear. Yet why was it there? Perhaps, because desert nights were so cold, and perhaps she wanted to be somewhere else. With someone else instead of rolling in bed all alone with sleeplessness.
Before she could change her mind, Matsuri shot up, slinging on a skirt and long sleeved shirt, and pulled the coat on. She stepped into her shoes at the door and walked out, forgetting all about the dangers of this part of the Sand.
…K~S
"Um…"
"Yes?"
"Isn't that…."
Abiru chuckled under his breath and nodded. "Why, I believe it is. Ittetsu, love the get up, are you going to be our server tonight?"
Ittetsu stood in front of Abiru and Sari, trying not to make a show of something. But suddenly he felt stupid and ridiculous in the bright white dress-like throw-over, the too puffy pants that stopped half way down his calves, and the embroidered, throw-up colored smock with the big tie in the back. He had to borrow his aunts' uniform, and because she was both bigger and taller than he, the uniform made him look foolish and too scrawny for his own good.
"Yes." He said quietly, looking at his hands. He couldn't seem to look at either of them. Not at Abiru because he didn't want to look at the face of his enemy. Not at Sari because, well, it was all too embarrassing.
"Isn't this the time that you ask us what we'd like?" Abiru asked, folding his fingers under his chin. He smiled haughtily, and this time, Sari noticed.
"Abiru, please." She murmured. Turning to Ittetsu she smiled softly. "Can you get us-"
"Uh…" Abiru cut in, mock-glaring at Sari. "Isn't the man supposed to order?" he snorted unpleasantly. "Learn your place, woman!"
Ittetsu gasped at Abiru's rudeness, and Sari gapped, her eyes bright with hurt and confusion.
"Learn my place? Please Abiru, stop acting like this." She pleaded, still invisible to the true skin of this parody of a nice guy.
Abiru snorted and ordered, but Ittetsu didn't hear him at all. Instead Ittetsu stiffly pivoted around and went and said some random thing to his uncle in the cooking room.
…K~S
Matsuri walked hurriedly down the long pathway. She could see the Kagekaze residence, and unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, she could see a single person standing on the roof. Gaara.
She wondered if he could see her coming, if he could feel her giddy happiness in the air. She decided quickly that she didn't want him to think of her as so eager for his company. Yet she was.
Across the street from her, a man with a suna headband that hung lazily around his neck crashed through an old bar. His eyes sagged and his mouth hung slack. He wore his flak jacket, the sign of a chunin, sloppily. So much that Matsuri contemplated taking it from him.
As the drunk's eyes found Matsuri, he staggered towards her, his arms swinging at his sides, his stance, though dizzy and drunk, predatory and stalking.
Matsuri walked quickly, yet he followed, every once in a while calling drunkenly for her to slow down.
She mashed her teeth together. Trying to pay no attention to him. He wasn't going to ruin her walk to-
The drunk jumped with a surprising stealth for someone so wasted, and grabbed Matsuri by the neck. Matsuri lost her footing for a second and they both went down.
"Enemy, enemy!" the drunk crowed, still holding a withering Matsuri on the sandy ground. Finally Matsuri cleared her mind and jabbed hard at the drunks' stomach. He curled into himself, letting her go. Matsuri crawled off her knees and stood, ready to clear the distance between them, but the man grabbed her roughly by her skinny ankle. She could feel it twist, and the pressure he applied to it wasn't helping. She hit the sandy ground face forward, her elbows scraping the ground, bloodying at the impact.
Matsuri wanted to summon a jutsu, but the only ones she knew would hurt the drunk, and she didn't have any weapons on her. Gritting her teeth she kicked hard at the drunks face. She could hear him howl, but he didn't let go of her ankle, just crushed it harder. She could even feel some chakra enhance the strength of his grip. She cried out, too pained to think straight. Help me, some one!
…K~S
Ittetsu came back with the random orders and set them down on the table for Abiru and Sari. As he turned away, however, Abiru called him back. Sari had a look of what now? And Ittetsu was thinking close to the same thing, except his thought had a couple of curses in them, mostly towards Abiru, but the question was the same.
Without warning, Abiru practically jumped over the table, grabbing a handful of Sari's dark, long hair, and pushing her face into his. Ittetsu froze as he saw Sari's eyelid quiver from the pain of the collision. He gasped at the intensity of the kiss that seemed all one sided. Sari's mouth was curved down, her eyebrows mashed together.
Ittetsu wanted to leave, but he was frozen.
"Abiru!" Sari managed around her 'boyfriends' lips that weren't so soft anymore. "Stop."
"No" he growled against her lips. Sari gasped, and Ittetsu felt a heat reach his face and body. His hand shot forward against his will and he pulled Abiru by the shoulder off of Sari.
Abiru spilled onto the ground in a messy heap.
"She… she said stop, Abiru. Stop means stop." Ittetsu breathed out, a little scared about what Abiru might say or do. "Now… go, you aren't welcome here anymore."
Abiru smirked and stood up. Standing all the way up, Ittetsu realized that Abiru was still about an inch shorter than him, even with the curls.
Abiru turned back to Sari, who wasn't watching her boyfriend, rather Ittetsu. "Let's go, Sari." He grabbed for her arm, but she maneuvered the arm away.
"We're done," she said, solidly.
Finally, Ittetsu thought. Her eyes have opened!
Abiru glared at Sari for a moment, before laughing. "Fine, bitch. I was going to break up with you anyway." He rolled his eyes and turned to walk out, but his stagger was broken, his shoulders hunched. For after all, he wasn't such a big person as he seemed.
…K~S
Matsuri didn't have time to react as a wave of sand, silver in the moonlight, slammed into the drunk, pushing him away from her and into the wall.
She gazed up as someone kneeled next to her head, curious blue eyes, made dark in the low light gazed down at her.
She crawled up and hugged Gaara, needing his arms around her, the warmth of his body despite the cold.
He wrapped his arms around her in return, his lips against her hair. "Are you alright, Matsuri?" he asked.
"My ankle." She said. Gaara nodded and a mass of sand formed under them, moving them quickly back o Matsuri's house. Once inside the shabby apartment, Gaara set her on her bed and Matsuri wordlessly pointed to the little medical stuff she owned. She really needed to get more.
She was confused for a moment as Gaara fixed her ankle for her, checking the bone before remembering. "You're uncle was a medic-nin. You must have picked something up." She said. The subject of Gaara's deceased uncle, Yashamaru, used to be a touchy subject for them, but since 4 months after training with Gaara, Matsuri had earned the key into his deeper memories and thoughts. And to his heart.
"Yes," he murmured, tying the gauze carefully but tightly into place. "You have a twisted ankle, and it is going to be very sore. So, um, no missions until it's perfectly healed."
Matsuri frowned, but nodded. "Thank you, Gaara." She said, turning her frown upside-down.
Gaara stood and looked around, and Matsuri held back any words of objection. She'd told Gaara where she lived, that she used to live in a better home when she had parents, but she'd never invited him, or anyone really, into her shabby abode.
"I don't want you living here anymore, Matsuri." Gaara said as he walked back to her. "Isn't there anyone you could stay with?"
Matsuri opened her mouth eagerly but quickly snapped her mouth shut.
"What?" Gaara asked, sitting beside her.
"I was going to ask if I could stay with you." She admitted.
Gaara's lips twitched, but he shook his head. "It wouldn't be best. I meant a friend of cousin?"
"I don't really have any friends." She murmured.
"What about… Sari?" he asked. "Sari's on your team, isn't that so?"
Matsuri nodded. "But it's not like I know her well enough."
"You could try." Gaara said, leaning into her. Matsuri blushed.
"I guess I could." She whispered, lifting her chin up, her lips slightly parted. The couple looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before leaning into each other, their lips gently pushing against each other. Matsuri's eyes fluttered in surprise, but closed and she leaned more into Gaara.
They kissed in silence for about 8 seconds, and broke apart. Matsuri was sure her whole face had colored an unattractive shade of red, and somehow Gaara kept some composure, with only a slight pinkening to his cheeks.
"I love you." He said softly, but there was so much truth, knowledge, and even pain behind his words. His words were the truth.
Matsuri felt overcome, and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you. I love, love, love you."
…K~S
Ittetsu looked at Sari, and Sari looked at Ittetsu and a few people eating still glanced at them, and Ittetsu's uncle randomly gazed at them, and chuckled, thinking his nephew had game. Nope. Ittetsu had Sari's attention. There's a difference, after all, between gitten' and gettin'.
"I'm sorry about Abiru." Sari said. She had a serious look in her brown eyes that looked misplaced. But she was studying him in a new light, now, other than the slightly moody genin that she barely knew that would never look her in the eyes, though agreed with her on everything she did.
"Don't be." He mumbled, picking a few wooden splinters from the cheap chopsticks his uncle had made him sculpt with his kunai.
"You stood up for me…. I can't even stand up for me!" Sari exclaimed. Still Ittetsu was silent, his head down and his face shadowed.
Sari bit her lip. "Look at me," she said, grabbing hold of his hand. Ittetsu froze, a blush spilling across his face. He glanced up at her from under his lashes, like Abiru used to do. But Ittetsu wasn't Abiru. Sari smiled softly. "You helped me out, thank you."
Ittetsu picked his head up and gazed at her. "Yeah," he said, his voice bitter from anguish. "But it still doesn't change anything." He pushed himself up and walked away from the table and Sari.
Change what? Sari asked herself. She put a perfect hand to her heart. She'd thought she'd felt this feeling with Abiru, but he was gone. Then what was this feeling?
…K~S
Ittetsu moodily stripped out of his uniform and back into his regular clothes, when he walked out of the employee changing room, he saw that Sari was gone. A few people who'd eaten and saw the whole mess between Sari, Abiru and himself eyed him with pity. Well, he didn't need their pity. He rushed out of the shop without picking up his earnings from his uncle, and shuffled down the streets to his home where dumplings and noodles would be waiting for him.
On the way, he couldn't stop thinking about Sari. He remembered the first day he'd ever talked to her. It had been also the first day he decided he hated Abiru's guts. The pig had threatened him at the blade of a kunai, and even jabbed him with it, only to reveal that the weapon had a useless, and very dull and rounded off edge. The jab still left a bruise, but that was all. Abiru and his friends went off laughing, leaving Ittetsu to cry in the dirt. He was 5 at the time. Suddenly a warm hand touched his shoulder, and the most beautiful face looked down at him. Those caring chocolate brown eyes gazing right into his own. She'd asked him if he was okay, and even spent the rest of the day playing ninja with him. Sari. That was her name. Still, after a day, she'd forgotten him. They never spoke again until…. Ittetsu realized why he loved her so much. She was kind, and innocent. Her heart was so big. Even if she wasn't the strongest kunoichi, and forgetful.
He loved her, thus he loved her as a whole.
Flaws and all.
…K~S
Matsuri rested with her head on the comfy pillows. She was in Gaara's guest room, until she could find other arrangements. She hadn't realized that he'd really seriously wanted his precious person out of that house.
She giggled, happy in the comfy bed. I wonder how the other's nights are going?
I thought this went very well, and very lovedovey. I'm just happy I was able to write two chapters in one day – winning – anyway, that was Matsuri's first kiss, Sari's first break up, and Ittetsu's first step towards Sari's heart. Hope that didn't give anything away. I'm considering changing the rating on this, howeva: drunk people, intense kissing, Matsuri's suggestively talking about bunking with her boyfriend? I wish there was something between K+ and T, like maybe K++, for 12 year olds who go to schools where talk of the themes I listed are openly conversed about… yeah, I doubt it. Anyway, keep reading. Next time, we'll work on tightening the bonds – Keomi~Sage