Note to self: If you mention anything other than 'please review,' the universe will think you're being cocky and rid of your reviewers. C'mon, people! From six to two… Ow. It was even a longer chapter! And one of my favorites so far. Maybe you hate me for the cliffhanger… Anyways, I can't claim ownership of the original Naruto characters, for fear of being sued. And as I sad, I am a broke teenager, so… Yeah. At least people voted on the poll! Which I haven't closed, because I'm me. So, yeah. Again. Point being, I don't own the original Naruto characters, you should review, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
I briefly wondered if the driver would hate me for telling him to floor it and get the hell out of there. All of that flashed out of my mind when I saw Kane getting out of the first taxi with a pained/angry expression. I gulped and hustled Gaara and Kane out the taxi. With a grunt from the driver, I fished out a twenty and slammed the door. Change would do me no good in this situation.
"Akio, my dear! Oh, and Aya!" My mother rushed to us, a smile plastered on her usually stoic and professional face. She hugged us at the same time, tightly and fondly.
'What the hell!' I thought.
My father, in all of his stoic glory, stood off to the side and actually smiled at us. My aunt Aiko stood slightly behind my dad, worry written all over her face. I sent her a look full of questions, and she shook her head sadly. My mom finally let me go, standing back to look at Kio-sama and me with a judging expression. She gave my older brother an approving nod, but shook her head in disdain at me. I put a hand on my hip and glared at her. She really should not judge what she didn't bother to understand.
"Why are you here?" My voice nearly shook with anger, and my glare was hard. Why did they have to come here and ruin my paradise!
My parents looked at me with appalled expressions, neither of them used to me being the disobedient one of Akio and me. Aunt Akio looked a bit smug, but didn't let her sister or my dad see. Another figure gracefully unfolded herself from the Lexus; a smile graced her soft features. Brushing lush, auburn hair from her light, golden eyes my sister looked at me with a mock-grin. With a pair of faded jeans covered in writing hugging her hips, a black bow in her leftward-swept bangs, and a tight red tank top, my sister looked lovely as usual. I gritted my teeth, feeling like a caged animal being taunted by a smart-ass mortal enemy. My fingers twitched into fist, wishing to punch her with all I had. Kane rolled his eyes at her, and Akio stiffened into a perfect-posture man. Blankly I wondered if anyone really hated her as much as I did. Honestly, I found it unlikely.
Very unlikely, actually.
"Oh, Aya, you have to introduce me to your new friends." She fluttered her eyelashes at the male siblings, and then noticed Kane. She swaggered over to him, running a finger down his arm. "Kane, how you've grown."
Now he looked like the trapped animal. Much to our surprise, Temari stepped up with a dirty look on her face and an iron grip on Kane's hand. She fluttered her eyelashes right back, managing a flirting smile. "Sorry, Kane's growth was noticed by someone else." My sister stepped back, but her smile didn't falter in the least. At least she knew not to mess with someone so much older.
"Oh, it's fine. I still see options." She placed a hand on Kankuro's shoulder.
"Not if I'm dating Mori," chimed Kankuro.
I could practically see the string of cuss words in her thoughts. Mori was the biggest competition my sister had ever seen. That's actually how we began to be friends. I was abruptly pulled out of my memories when my sister stepped up to my silent boy. Akio and Kane paled and stepped back with a gulp. My fingers twitched again, yearning to hit her beautiful face just one time. I know I could do enough damage with one swing, if allowed. My sister's golden eyes roamed over him hungrily, like a feral wolf. She wasn't cunning enough to be a wild cat; she had the eyes and attitude of the dog's wild ancestress. When she tried to touch him, Gaara gracefully sidestepped nearer to me. I resisted the urge to laugh.
"Do greet your older sister, Aya. I've missed you so much. And so has-"
"I don't want to hear his name. Just drop it." My voice steeled and the threat of tears stung at me. I fought them back without ease.
She huffed and fiddled with a strand of glittering amber. "Suit yourself, love." She pulled her coral-colored lips into a pout and turned her face from me – to my silent boy.
"You don't look so happy; is there anything I can do to help?" she purred, stepping closer again.
"No." I heard my brother snicker.
"Excuse me, but I never got an answer." Everyone turned from my sister to me. "Why the hell are you guys here?"
"Aya Miako Hishiro, we raised you better than that!" my mother scolded.
Now I snickered. "You two didn't raise me. You raised Akio and Akiko, your careers took off, and Akio raised me. So no, you didn't."
My mom was shocked.
"I have a backbone, as well as an opinion, Okaasan. You just never bothered to listen, care, or notice. Now, if you care to explain why you have come here, when the holidays never mattered before, I would be glad to be a bit more rational and welcoming of my unplanned and unexplained guests."
'Oh, she scorned me for going technical on her ass,' I thought as my mom fumed at the use of educated words and well-placed phrases.
"We simply missed you, Aya-chan." My father's voice was dipped with sincerity. The same sincerity he used to pull in unsure clients. His smile was that of the Cheshire cat, and his own light grey eyes shone with opportunity. Yup. Here on business, and I was the punch line in the deal. Damn it.
Playing along, I dropped the anger (for now, trust me; a woman could hold anger for a long while) and sweetened my voice. Throwing Akio a meaningful glance, I said, "Of course, Otousan. Come on in and make yourselves a home. My home is small but loveable, as I have come to call it." I took my father's arm as he beamed at me with a new hope and complimented me on my maturity level – after all, it wasn't easy to deal with three people dropping in on you without notice. I nodded and smiled lovingly.
Idiot.
"Aya-chan, I must tell you what's been happening at the Academy!" my sister squealed, not realizing the hoax. I winced at the thought of that horrible private school where I was forced to wear not only a blue and white plaid uniform, but also braids. Ugh, what evil.
Two idiots, actually. C'mon, luck number three.
As we entered the apartment, my mom smiled at the decorations (which included a couple pictures of me and my friends, portraits of my favorite family members (my grandma and Aunt Aiko), some decretive plants, and a humongous family portrait I was tempted to burn when it was sent to me. "What a lovely home you've produced, Aya-chan."
Aha, all three of the idiots were sinking. I am good!
"Aya-love has always been good at compromising with things, Okaasan." My brother's voice held a silent iced tone, and I nearly smirked. Mother ignored him.
"Oh, Aya, I'm sorry. We have to go. A meeting is set up in about an hour for your mother and me. We'll visit tomorrow. Aiko has the number for the hotel we're staying in. Don't hesitate to call on us, dear."
And just as quick as they came, my mom, dad, and the bitc- I mean my sister were pulling out the driveway. The Lexus spun away, leaving little evidence they were here at all.
"Aya, Aya, Aya. I am so sorry I couldn't warn you sooner. They called me asking why I wasn't home halfway to their house. But I never thought they would come see you. They left my house and I followed the car. I have no clue why they're even here!" Aiko threw her hands up, face flushed. She hugged me, repeated her apologizes.
"Aunt Akio, its fine. My dad has some business scheme. I can just tell. He wants me to help in whatever it is."
He face flushed in anger all over again. "I have to go, too. There's a roast in the oven for them; they invited themselves to dinner tonight." She rolled her eyes and kissed my cheek in goodbye.
Finally, it was just the siblings, Akio, Kane, and me. Everyone looked at me, wondering what to do next. I held up a finger, and fled to my room. Slamming the door, I picked up a little statue of a leopard. Testing its weight, I debated on throwing it. No, it was a gift from one of my cousins, and very pretty. Looking around again, I had really nothing satisfying to throw. Damn! Hmm…
My wall was sturdy. Without another thought, I pulled my fist back and slammed it into the hard plaster above my futon. "Damn it!" I screamed, not in pain but anger. I sat down, my good hand gripping my head and hanging them low. The hand with the bloody knuckles sat next to me, limp and throbbing. Even the blow to my innocent wall had done me no good in relieving the burning fury I felt. Why did she have to be here? When the look of her hungry eyes roaming over Gaara flashed through my mind, I reached behind me and punched the wall with my injured left hand once again – now red stained the light blue wall. Akiko was the thorn in my side, the splinter under my fingernail, and the migraine from large crowds wrapped up in a gorgeous box. Surprisingly, a couple tears did roll down my cheeks. Shock welled up with the tears when I realized I was crying, but even that didn't stop them. I hoped my sister got what she deserved, whether it was going to Hell or a smart woman punching her lights out. Whatever, I just hoped it was soon and I get to see it.
A quiet hand opened my door, but I didn't even turn to see. I knew it was someone I trusted, so there wasn't much to do about it.
"I think she's a bitch. She shouldn't go after what isn't even hers."
Temari's blunt comments made me smirk, but didn't stop my tears or inward pain. She sat next to me, leaning shoulder to shoulder with me on the futon. Thankfully, she said nothing of the tears staining the cool red carpet Aiko had given me last year. Instead, she just hugged me by putting an arm around me and squeezing. Then she stood up again, stepping in front of me. A small smirk lay on her lips when I glanced up.
"While you recover, I'll take the boys to my house and we can figure out what to do. A nice, hot-out-the-oven take-out dinner will be there. Come on down when you feel better, ne? Just don't keep us waiting long."
I nodded and she left. Kio-sama and Kane called out their goodbyes. My fan buzzed continuously. The only sound annoyed me slightly, so I leaned over to my dresser and slipped a CD in the little stereo that sat atop it. As Hit the Lights sang I curled up on my bed and wished I could sleep whenever I wanted as normal people could do. Sadly, I didn't even get to try because my door swung open, banging hard against my still-innocent wall. I shot up out of bed, suddenly forgetting my tears at all.
"'The hell are you doing lying in bed? We've got a bitch to take down. I heard she was touching my man with her little fingers. I swear she'll fucking pay for that one! She should know not to mess with whoever I've got; last time she ended up understanding…"
I hardly heard any of those words. Instead, a giant smile broke out on my face and I practically threw myself at Mori. My redheaded best friend hugged me close, and I wanted to cry all over again. I didn't, though. "Why are you here? I love that you are, but why?" We sat down, her lazing against the blue material and me sitting Indian style next to her.
"I did not want to hear Mom and Grandma Yumi fighting over every little thing. Apparently, my mom didn't either, so we turned around half and hour after we arrived. No big deal, now I get to be with you people and mess with Akiko at the same time. 'Holidays are already turnin' out better than normal!"
"Thanks, Mori. I really appreciate this."
"Aya, we're best friends. You don't have to thank me. Just say you're gonna go with us on whatever we say."
I grinned again, all tears forgotten like Steve on Blue's Clues. "Of course, Mori-san."
"Good. Now we need to get to Kankuro's so-"
"So you can maul him?" I finished.
"No, so we can get started. But yes, I like that idea too. So let's go!"
I laughed and, temporarily forgetting Akiko, skipped to Gaara's house with my best friend Mori.
Kankuro was sitting on the couch, eating a take-out box full of sekihan. Some really odd show with bright colors and irregular shapes played noisily on the television. As soon as he saw Mori, the rice and red beans was forgotten and he was hugging her. I rolled my eyes and continued on to the kitchen, where I heard arguing. Kane and Akio were in a heated discussion over something involving cookies and Temari was watching with a fond annoyance. I felt like I'd walked in on some teenage reality show.
"What's going on?"
They turned towards me, my brother face-palming, and Kane looking suspiciously unsuspicious. What idiots… Temari, ever so helpful, explained for me.
"They're arguing over what kind of cookies would make you feel better."
Now I face-palmed. "Seriously, guys? You were going to bake." I rolled my eyes and picked up the plastic bag of assorted cookie dough. I picked up a chocolate chunk roll and cut of the top. "Kane, get the butter. Akio, a pan please. Temari… I don't trust you in the kitchen. Go see if Baki and the lovely couple want some cookies. Now, Kane and Akio – listen to me…" I continued with instructions until the cookie dough was placed on the pan and ready to put in the preheated oven. The black oven mitt on my hand reached for the steel cookie sheet. Kane poked me in the side.
"Stop." He poked me again. "Stop." Again, Kane poked me. "Stop!" Once more… "I said stop!" When his hand reached out, I whirled around and pointed my mitted hand at him. "I fucking swear, if you don't stop, you will be in pain."
Kane stopped, a disappointed-puppy look on his face.
Kankuro and Akio began some conversation with him, as I reached to open the oven door they started arguing. I ignored it and placed the cookies in the oven. Waiting for them to bake, I leaned against the counter and sipped at a bottle of water. The argument escalated, but my wondering thoughts ignored them completely. A timer went off before I knew it, and I pulled open the oven door grumbling about interrupting-thought-process noises. Pulling the pan out, I picked up a toothpick to see if they were cooked thoroughly. Just as I reached to one in the middle of the pan, a loud bang sounded and was followed by Kane shouting "What the French, toast?" I jumped, nearly dropping the delicious treats with the movement. My brother, Kankuro, and Kane were now practically yelling at each other.
"Hey!" My voice was louder than theirs was, and much more commanding. Each boy looked at me with a sheepish expression. "Get the hell out my kitchen! And shut up or I'll have to fucking pimp-slap you with my oven mitt!"
A familiar but unrecognizable laugh sounded from the stairs. I turned to see Gaara on the bottom step, actually laughing at what I'd said. My heart sailed. I'd made him laugh! I began my own giggles, and couldn't stop. Soon, everyone was laughing with us. Baki came down, muttering, and stopped when he saw us. The look on his face when he saw Gaara laughing was priceless, and made me laugh even more. "What the fuck happened?" he blurted. No one could answer; we were overcome with giggles. Finally able to stop, I checked the cookies while trying not to snicker again.
"Maybe we should have picked out snicker doodles, Kio." Kane's joke hung in the air like a thick fog. No one said anything.
"That joke sucked." Kane stuck his tongue out at me, and grabbed for a cookie. I danced backwards with the now plated deserts and wagged my finger at him, as if scolding a little child for something.
"These are to make me feel better, ne?" I saw his eyes widen, and his face content with regret. "That means their mine."
Temari, who had just entered the kitchen with Mori, sniggered at her maybe-boyfriend.
"But I'm a good, generous person. So take two; I'll make more later." Everyone crowded around, taking a cookie or more. I grinned as Baki approached and grabbed a single cookie, trudging back up the stairs with a mumbling attitude. Mori dived into the plate, taking three. If I hadn't moved the plate, she would have cleaned it. Looking at the last of my cookies, four lying on the glass, I grinned. Gaara sat at the table, awaiting everyone else's retreat. They all separated, heading to different places. I plopped on the chair next to him, pushing two chocolate chunk cookies his way. His weary gaze was unsure of the sweets. I pushed them closer and gave my silent boy a stern look. He nibbled at one.
"Sorry you had to deal with Akiko. I really didn't know she would be there. If I did, I wouldn't have made you guys go through that kind of torture."
The red head didn't say anything, just nibbled some more.
"I don't even know why she's here…"
"I don't like her."
His blunt, truthful statement sent me into a victorious laughter. "Are you serious?"
The reply was a look asking me why he wouldn't be.
My victorious laughter ebbed, and I was left with a overjoyed grin plastered on my face. Reaching with my left hand, I grabbed for my water bottle on the table. Kane and Temari were laughing, putting a now empty glass in the sink as I did this.
My silent boy frowned, reaching for my hand. My heart sped up, thinking maybe something had gotten through to him; that he had understood what I didn't say and what my brother didn't approve of…
Instead, he turned my hand in his. "What did you do?" Gaara's warm, husky breath brushed my knuckles. I gulped, knowing the answer would not please him or the now-curious Kane walking towards me. Gaara looked at me with a question, and I looked down at my lap, where my good hand – which was considerably less swollen compared to the other – lay helplessly still and silent.
"I uh…punched my wall…twice."
The beautiful teal eyes flashed my way, making my head swim. Anger was hid in the sea before me; anger and hurt, swirling around each other and making me oh so dizzy. The intensity burned into my own storm-grey eyes as he looked at me. With the single glance, I was so dizzy and so confused. "Why?" he demanded.
"I was angry." My own reply was feeble, and Kane had disappeared from the room, going to fetch my brother.
Gaara's own pale hand cradled mine, turning it slowly to access the damage I had done. When he leaned even closer to it, I thought he was going to kiss my hand. Instead, he rested his cool cheek against it. Suddenly, I didn't want my brother or Kane or anyone to come back; I wanted to stay here and rest in the cool presence of my silent boy. However, after he pulled my hand away my brother stormed into the room. "Aya Miako, what the hell did you do to yourself?"
I groaned, and Mori was fluttering by my side with intent flashing in her eyes. "It's swollen. Kankuro, get some ice. Akio, stop yelling and fetch something to wrap it with, now." Mori squatted next to my chair, looking at me curiously. "Aya-chan? Are you okay?"
"Mori-san, it's just a swollen hand. I'm fine."
"You could have fractured or broken something. There will be bruising and pain for about half a month if you move it wrong." She tsked at me and I rolled my eyes, grinning. "It's not funny, Aya. You could have been hurt," she said solemnly.
"Okay, Mori. I'm sorry. I won't punch another wall. I can't promise about my sister, however…"
Gaara and Mori frowned at me simultaneously. I sighed at them, and let Mori apply ice and some weird bandage to my hand without complaint. When she was done, they all gathered back to the living room. I dropped my head onto the table and closed my eyes.
"Aya, you shouldn't hurt yourself." Gaara looked at me seriously, and suddenly I missed his laughter. I hid my face with my hair, letting it slide between us like a curtain of ebony. I knew he was disappointed with me. It ate away at me like some kind of burning hole in the middle of my soul. What the hell was this boy doing to me…?
"I'm serious."
Again, I didn't reply to him as my heart was being mauled by emotions. Stupid feelings.
Finally, his gaze burning into my back was enough to make me say something. "Gaara, I didn't mean to hurt myself. I was just…so angry she was here…" I raised my head up, feeling the anger come back so easily. "Why does she have to come and ruin everything! The way she looked at you made me sick; you're not something to look at, you're a person. You are a damn good person and the only thing she even planned on finding out was if you would screw her or not! I just-"
"Calm down Aya. It doesn't matter how she looked at me-" I interrupted Gaara this time.
"Like hell it does!" I thundered. With a fury greater than before, I stood up and slammed my hands on the table. The pain in my hand buzzed again, but I didn't care anymore. He sat silently, looking at me with a slightly shocked expression. "You are not some fucking jerk that goes around trying to get noticed by chicks so you can have fun with them. You are someone who actually cares, and would go to the end of the world for someone who you love. I can just tell! And she doesn't care; it fucking matters to me, Gaara!"
"Why?"
His reply, so quiet and so soft, drained the anger right out of me. I collapsed in the chair, resting my head on his shoulder with a sigh.
"Gaara, we both know why I care so much. We know why I care so much more than I ever did with the other guys she took from me. I just haven't admitted it yet. And you…I don't know. So I think we're screwed… But I love you anyways."
I hope you liked the ending! Angelofdarknessvampriss666, where are you? :C I missed your reviews! Anyways, enjoy and review, love it and I will love the reviews! Can you guys believe I haven't got a flame yet? I don't know whether to be disappointed or flattered! XD Anyways… Yeah!