Merry Christmas everyone! Or Happy Holidays for those who don't celebrate Christmas, or for those who celebrate nothing and are still in school... happy break time! And for those who celebrate nothing and don't get a break... well... here's the chapter... lol
I know I said I wouldn't be that long but hey, I've got a job now so I'm busier than usual and OMG I HATE LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS! I mean, it's not like christmas SURPRISES you! It's on the same damn day every single year! GRRRR... lol, yeah I work at the mall in one of (if not) the busiest stores. So normally when I get home for work I'm too tired and lazy to pick up anything other than my pillow and the remote haha. Either way, here's the chapter and happy holidays .
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Concrete Angel.
Chapter Ten:
Naruto stood with his things already packed at the bell, dismissing the students from school for the day, and headed for the door without delay and jumped in surprise at a hand brushing his arm. He stopped and turned to see the new red-haired student sitting in his desk appearing as though he was still concentrating on ignoring the world around him. Perhaps he'd imagined it? Naruto shook it off and continued walking, not wanting to be hated -if he was not already hated - by him for merely standing in front of his desk.
Walking down the hallway, being shoved around by several people passing by him, he was confused to feel as though he was being watched intently - and it wasn't the normal glare of hatred or assumption, it was very similar to the feeling he received while Sasuke stared at him. Turning his head he scanned the hallways for the popular raven haired boy but did not find any trace of him, as he'd expected. Somehow he knew this gaze couldn't belong to his secret love, he'd passed by him in the hallway once today and was amazed at his dark and angry aura. It scared him and he knew it was because of what happened. Knowing this knew Sasuke wouldn't be giving him his normal stare. As well as the fact that this gaze was far more predatory than Sasuke would ever be.
This person's eyes caused him to pick up his pace, for some reason he did not want to be confronted and actually have to look into these eyes which bore into him with such purpose. Soon he found himself at the backdoor of the school and sighed when he saw Sasuke, crossed arms and stern face, leaning against the wall beside the open door.
Before Naruto could open his mouth to greet the perturbed Uchiha, his companion rose up from the wall and spoke. "Here, let me take that." Without waiting for an answer he took Naruto's bookbag from off his shoulder, one of the straps had been ripped off, no doubt Emi's fault.
"Uh... thanks..." the blond replied awkwardly, not really aware of how to deal with Sasuke's bad side.
Sasuke caught this and sighed deeply, "Look, I'm sorry I'm so edgy today. I just -"
"It's okay." Naruto cut him off. "I understand... it's just... a little weird to see you like this..." He added shyly, averting his gaze.
"Oh." Sasuke replied simply, shrugging the bag onto his shoulder and motioning the blond out the door. "Did you get around okay?"
Naruto shrugged, "As good as I could have. I've gotten used to getting about with injuries." He regretted those words as soon as they left his lips, for Sasuke's bad mood came back in full force. Hastily he tried to repair the damage already done. "But it hasn't happened very badly too often, rarely ever this bad in fact."
Though it didn't rid the raven of the dark aura, it did serve to calm him down to a more tolerable level. Yet, even though the tension dropped, the two remained silent for most of the walk to Emi's house.
When they were just two blocks away from the road the abusive aunt resided on, Sasuke broke the silent, slowing his pace, "Are you sure you want to go back?" He asked desperately, not wanting anything else to befall the blond.
Naruto shook his head. "I don't want to, but you know what will happen if I don't... it'll be worse and I might..." He trailed off, not daring to finish the sentence for both of their sakes. It was unbearable to say the least.
Sasuke merely nodded and stopped denying the fact that he could not do anything about it considering the current situation. He'd have to deal with it... but perhaps he could find someway to get Naruto out of there later on, when Naruto would be old enough...
"Sasuke?"
The voice shook the raven from his thoughts as he realized they were nearing Naruto's street, where they go their own ways. "Uh... sorry, my mind trailed off."
Naruto nodded, not really understanding but glad he didn't go to the solemn and angry place in his mind... "It's okay. So... I'll see you tomorrow."
Sasuke nodded, feeling the urge to want to kiss his friend goodbye but stopped himself and started walking in his normal direction. "Ya, see you tomorrow, Naruto."
Naruto gave a little wave, sighed to himself, then turned and began walking to the place even hell would reject.
"Uzumaki."
Naruto stiffened at hearing his last name. The voice which spoke sounded hateful, toward everything. It unnerved him and made him want to break out into a run and not look back. But he stayed where he was and somehow managed to turn around. He was astonished to see the new redheaded boy who'd walked into his English classroom yesterday. Since then he'd learned his name was Gaara Sabaka and he and his family had just moved here. Other than that, he knew nothing at all.
"I've heard about you. About your mother."
Here it is, now the new kid was going to hate him as well, probably call him a monster and that he should be put out of his misery before he follows in his mother's footsteps. Just like everyone else. Well, everyone except for -
"I want you to come hang out with my gang."
The blond just stared and blinked with blank eyes. Had he just accepted him? He wanted to be his friend... His didn't mind that what his mother had done? "What's the catch?"
"There is none. I know what it's like to have everyone despise you for no fault of your own. They hate you because of your past, even your family. Being called a monster."
Naruto was in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was someone else like him? Someone who actually understood and experienced what he had to endure every day of his life? "Why do people hate you?"
"They said I was born a monster. Something's wrong with me psychologically they said. My mother died at birth and my father blamed me for it. But he didn't want to kill me, he wanted me to suffer knowing what I was and whom I killed. I did for a while, I was always depressed, hated by everyone until he dumped me off on my mother's brother. He said he loved me like my mother always did. Convinced me that she would never blame me for her death and treated me like a son and a friend. He protected me from the people of the village who I couldn't help but defend myself against. But then he tried to kill me, before I killed him in self-defense he said that he had always hated me, and so had my mother."
The blond could do nothing but listen and stare. This story was like nothing he'd ever heard. He was like him in a way, but Gaara actually had the courage and strength to stand against the harassment. And he'd actually killed someone in the process... that was the biggest shock. To actually kill someone... but it was in self defense, he can't be blamed there. His uncle came at him first, like Emi always did him... did that mean if he could find someway to actually do that... No. No one would believe it was self defense, or they would pretend they didn't know and charge him with murder, lock him away and finally have their way. He couldn't let that happen.
"Quite a story..." was all Naruto could think to say. What did one say when you were told something like this? Once people in Konoha heard about this they'd probably treat Gaara the same way they treated him, though with this knowledge and the impression of Gaara in general, Naruto could only assume it would die down because Gaara could actually stand up against it... unlike him.
"I see the Uzumaki's already walkin' in his mother's footsteps." Kiba, who was leaning his back against the lockers next to Sasuke's open one, muttered.
The raven looked out from his locker and followed Kiba's gaze all the way down the hall to where the new redheaded kid and Naruto were standing and talking.
"His name's Gaara... something."
"Sabaka." Sasuke answered blankly, putting away his Math binder.
"So I guess you know about him." Kiba sounded somewhat disappointed at this.
"Just his name, nothing else."
The brunet now grinned, happy to know more than his honor-student friend for once. "He's in Science with me now, and his older brother is in my Construction Tech. class."
"Wouldn't his brother be in grade 11?" Sasuke asked, not taking his eyes off the redhead.
"Hey, not everyone's as smart as you. I'll probably have at least two 10 courses next year; Math included 'cause there's no way Ibiki's passing me."
"Hn." Sasuke responded flatly, which was unusual because normally when they spoke about Ibiki he'd make some kind of smart remark.
Kiba caught this and groaned in annoyance. "Ah, you haven't slunk back into that 'mood' of yours, have ya?"
"No." Sasuke shook his head. "What else do you know about him?"
"Not too much. His family's reason for moving is pretty tight lipped. Then there's his and his brother's attitude. Gaara doesn't talk but you should see his expression, I mean if looks could kill he'd be the last person left alive... then again he himself would die if he looked in a mirror or at his reflection."
"And his brother?"
"An arrogant bastard. If I could just have five minutes with the guy, I'd knock him into place."
"I'm sure you would," Sasuke rolled his eyes as his friend made a fist and bared his teeth. But he knew Kiba could back up his words unlike half the so-called "tough guys" at school. Still, the Uchiha did not enjoy the fact that this new kid with such a deadly look was speaking to his - er not his, it's not like he put claims on his or anything - Naruto so intensely. And Naruto looked... different. First he was shocked and surprised and then he had an expression even Sasuke had never seen before. And that... made him frightfully jealous.
"Hey Sasuke, what are you still doing here? Don't you normally disappear for lunch?" The raven turned his head to see a blond smiling and tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder flirtatiously.
Kiba, very dramatically, loudly and obnoxiously, fake coughed the word "stalker." This, of course, caused the diva to give her most poisonous glare.
"Shut it dogbreath!" Ino snapped, then shifted instantly from her vile and vicious mode to her sweet and charming facade. "So, Sasuke how would you like to-"
"What do you know about the new guy, Gaara Sabaka?" Sasuke interrupted, not wanting her to finish her request. If he hated anything -other than Emi - more than the fangirl raving, it was the hurt yet still determined looks he received after turning the fans down.
Ino was taken off-guard but recovered quickly. "Uh... not a lot. He transferred into my History class, he's really anti-social and uses WAY too much eyeliner. I mean sometimes it's hot on guys but he looks like a raccoon or something, his sister should keep a better lock on her make-up."
Kiba covered his ears and groaned in false agony, or maybe real... it was hard to tell sometimes with him. "Enough girl-gossip! My masculine ears can't handle it!"
"I'll rip your stupid dog ears right off your head if you don't shut your yappy mouth, Inuzuka!" Ino never could control her temper around the brunet. The two have never been on good terms, not since that day in elementary. Sasuke could never really remember what happened but it involved pudding and a very expensive new shirt Ino received for Christmas.
Sasuke shook his head, cutting him off before they started a scene. "He has a sister?"
"Yeah, Temari. Shikamaru told me about her. She's in Advanced Math and Physics with him."
"Right, Shika was talking about her in Construction this morning. She's supposed to be a lot like their brother. Kankuro was it?" Kiba added, getting a cold look from Ino as though he was stealing her gossip.
"So you don't know why they moved here do you?" Sasuke asked the blond, since he had no luck getting this information from the Inuzuka.
But to his luck Ino shook her head. "Nope. It's really secret. I don't even know where they moved from, no one really does. But I'm sure it'll get around eventually, someone's gonna let something slip and the wrong person is gonna spread it around."
"So when exactly do you expect to spread this information?" Kiba's sarcastic and upbeat voice invoked Ino to raise her hand to slap him."I swear Kiba, one of these days I'll get you and you won't even know!"
"Yeah, I mean your attack will be so insignificant that I won't even know it happened."
"KIBA!" Ino screamed and went to strike with her hand which was only to be caught by the brunet. Sure she was to blame for giving him a good comeback from her faulty wording but Sasuke didn't think Kiba should joke around that much. He'd seen Ino in a fight before and man it was not pretty.
As the two continued to bicker, Sasuke looked back to the end of the hallway to find the blond and the redhead gone. His eyes narrowed, Naruto wouldn't go off somewhere with him? They were supposed to go eat lunch together.
Happy Holidays, From Arra