Unsolicited

Chapter Five

-Rupture-

Akito let out a small sigh as he and Toshiro walked around the village. He'd been in Suna for three days now, and he had to say, it was a pretty okay place. Similar and yet different to Konoha. The only thing that he hated were the stares he got from the villagers. It was like they had never seen a little boy before, and it was beginning to piss him off. Toshiro had noticed them too, but didn't say anything, for which Akito was grateful. He didn't want to acknowledge the stares, because to him, that would be like admitting out loud that they bothered him.

His days were already becoming routine, as there wasn't really much to do. In the mornings he and Gaara made breakfast for everyone, and then Gaara went to work while Sakura walked the twins to the academy, letting him and Toshiro do whatever they wanted until picking up the girls in the afternoon. By now he knew his way around the village, as he had a near photographic memory. So he and the redhead had sparred a few times. When they got bored with that, they walked around and looked for something else to do.

He had already bought the things he wanted for his room, and the other day he and Toshiro spent their time setting everything up and rearranging Akito's things. He could sleep more easily in there now, as he had almost everything he'd had in his old room in Konoha, only a bit different, and cooler. Once they finished putting everything away, they went out and got some ice cream, which Akito had to admit didn't taste too bad, considering it was salty.

Yesterday had by far been his favorite day though, since he and Toshiro had discovered a women's lingerie store, and had gone inside. They managed to remain unseen by the shopkeeper as they roamed the aisles and looked at all of the strange things, commenting on which ones they liked best, whether it was lace or silk. The crotchless panties creeped both of them out though, because they didn't see the point in them. If you wanted sex that badly but didn't feel like taking off your underwear, just push it aside, right? They weren't experts on it or anything, but it seemed a lot more sanitary to the both of them.

They left shortly after that, as the young redhead had seen a few outfits that he was sure his mom had, and was beginning to get creeped out. At a loss for what to do, they wandered, until happening on Toshiro's Uncle Kankuro. The brunette man didn't see them, so they followed him around and pulled a few pranks on him, convincing him that he was being haunted by ghosts, not stopping their games until he ran off screaming, going in the direction of the Kazekage Tower, most likely to tell his younger brother about his misfortune.

Today they weren't doing much, having already trained and gotten something to eat at a kebab stand. He looked over to the boy he considered his best friend. "So, what should we do now?" he asked. "Your Uncle is probably still hiding in that church, so I doubt he'll be much fun to mess with today."

The redhead shrugged, appearing deep in thought. "I don't know. I don't really feel like doing anything though." He sighed, closing his eyes and just thinking on what they could do before they had to go get his sisters.

"Me either." The ebony haired boy said. He looked around and noticed that they were coming up on the park. He didn't really feel like joining in a game at the moment, but he could see that the kids were playing something he'd never seen the kids in Konoha play before. As they neared, he looked to his friend. "What game is that?" he asked, pointing to the kids.

"Air ball." Toshiro said simply, watching the other kids hit the ball up with their feet, keeping it in the air. "Basically, you can only use your feet or legs, and you have to keep it up in the air. If it touches the ground, you lose. If you let it fall, you lose, and the person who hit it over to you gets a point, and the one with the most points wins."

"Seems simple enough." He said, watching as the kids continued to play. Someone kicked the ball too hard then, causing it to fly in his and Toshiro's direction. Reacting quickly, Akito ran and leapt into the air, kicking the ball back towards the field where the kids were playing, so that they wouldn't have to run and get it. What confused him though, was that they all stopped moving and laughing, and were just watching the ball fly through the air until it hit the ground, bouncing a bit from the impact. Then they all looked over at him, their gazes almost unreadable.

A boy with orange hair walked over to him then, seeming upset. "What did you do that for?!" he asked, glaring slightly at Akito.

"So you could keep playing." The young Uchiha said carefully, unsure as to what the problem was. He thought that what he'd done was a nice thing to do, and so didn't understand why everyone was acting this way.

"Doubtful. Uchihas never do anything nice for other people. My father said so. I bet you just couldn't help showing off, trying to show us all that you're better than us." The boy said.

Toshiro shook his head and sighed, gesturing for the other male to leave. "Jin, just go back to your game and get over it."

Jin transferred his glare to the redhead. "Why, so he can continue to think that we should bow down and worship him the way those losers in Konoha did?"

Akito frowned. "But I don't think I'm better than you. I was just trying to help."

"Yeah well don't. We don't want your help, and we don't want you in our village. Nobody wants you, for that matter."

Toshiro decided to speak up once more in an attempt to stop this before it went too far. "Jin-"

"People want me." Akito said with conviction, feeling himself begin to get angry. He tried to temper it though, because he didn't want to cause a scene so soon after arriving in the village.

"No they don't. The Kazekage and his family don't want you, they only took you in because nobody else wanted you. Your own father probably didn't even want you." The other boy sneered.

Akito began to shake, and then he felt something in him snap. Suddenly he had tackled Jin to the ground, pinning his arms with his legs. "Don't you ever speak of my father that way!" he yelled, punching him in the face. "You know nothing! NOTHING!" he continued to hit Jin, vaguely noticing when his hands began to get bloody. But when the boy stopped moving, Akito didn't care, not ceasing his blows for a second.

Toshiro went wide eyed, trying to rip Akito off the boy by wrapping his arms around the other boy's midsection. "Akito stop! What are you doing?!" he yelled, sounding so much like his father it was scary.

As if waking from a dream, Akito stopped hitting the boy beneath him and went limp, allowing the redhead to drag him off the body. By now they had drawn quite a few bystanders, and even some of the Suna nin had shown up to see what the commotion was. A Jounin came up to them then and took charge of the situation. "You two, get this boy to the hospital." He pointed to two of his comrades. Then he looked at Toshiro. "Toshiro-sama, I need to take Uchiha-san to see Kazekage-sama. You may come if you wish, otherwise I would suggest going on home." He said respectfully, warily watching Akito as he said all of this.

"But we have to go get my sister's now." Toshiro said, becoming extremely nervous with the situation. "Can't I just take him home and talk to my dad then?" he asked, gesturing to the still motionless Akito in his grip.

"I'm sorry Toshiro-sama, but this matter is very serious and should be dealt with immediately. I will take Uchiha-san to see Kazekage-sama, and you can go get your sisters." The man said.

The redhead looked down to Akito and sighed. "Akito…will you be ok? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." Akito said, breaking form his friend's grasp as he stood. "Go ahead and get the twins. I will be fine." He turned to Toshiro then, his eyes appearing lifeless.

"Alright." He nodded, placing his hand comfortingly on Akito's shoulder. "Don't sweat it. I'm sure everything will be great. Just make sure you come home." He smiled. Akito nodded, and then obediently headed off with the Jounin towards the Kazekage Tower.

The walk was a short one, too short for Akito's liking. He couldn't believe he'd just snapped like that and attacked that boy. He wasn't even going to stop, not until Toshiro stopped him. If he hadn't been stopped, he probably would have killed Jin. He didn't look up as they passed the other villagers, but he did hear what they were whispering about him. Words such as 'monster', and 'psychotic', could be heard, and despite them hurting deeply, Akito didn't visibly acknowledge them.

When they reached the tower, they went straight to the floor where the elder redhead's office was located. The Jounin knocked on the door, waiting until he heard the okay from his leader to open the door. They walked in, stopping a bit away from the redhead's desk.

"Kazekage-sama, something serious has happened." The man announced after a respective bow.

Gaara sighed and glanced up, but his annoyed look vanished the second he saw Akito, and was replaced with worry. "What happened?" he asked standing and walking over to the boy, kneeling down and examining him. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" he asked, actually sounding concerned as he tilted the young Uchiha's head slightly, seeing some blood and searching for a wound that was not there.

The Kazekage looked down then, taking Akito's hands and turning them over. "What happened?" he repeated.

"It's not my blood." Was all Akito said.

"Kazekage-sama," the Jounin spoke up, getting the redhead's attention. "Apparently Uchiha-san and another boy got into a scuffle at the playground. I do not know the details, but when I arrived on the scene Toshiro-sama was trying to pull Uchiha-san off another boy's body. That boy is currently on his way to the hospital, as he was beaten unconscious."

Gaara glared up at the Jounin, looking very unpleased. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear any of that because I was so distracted by the incorrect suffix you used."

The man blinked, and then realized his blunder. "Um…Uchiha-sama?" he said, though it came out as a question, because he wasn't sure if it was the right answer.

The elder stood, placing a reassuring hand on Akito's head. "Akito-sama." He corrected him. "Now, I'm sure there was a perfectly good explanation as to why he was lashed at. Children aren't always the kindest of nature. So I suggest you actually investigate instead of jumping to conclusions, and leave the matters of my family to Sakura and I. Are we clear?"

"Yes, my apologies Kazekage-sama." The man bowed. "I shall see to it right away." He said, before exiting the office, leaving the two alone.

Gaara glanced down once more, clearing his throat so he had the boy's attention. "So what happened?"

Akito looked up at the redhead, his eyes still devoid of all feeling. "Toshiro and I were walking, and he was telling me about this game that I saw the kids playing. The ball came over to us, so I kicked it back onto the field, but all the kids just stared at me. And then this boy, Jin, came up and said that I was showing off, because I think that I'm better than everyone else."

The redhead sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Come here." He gestured, Akito came over to him, still appearing the same. "Akito, you can't let things like that get to you. You have an extraordinary bloodline that so many people are jealous of. People are going to think you hold yourself higher than them, even though you don't. You know, when I was little, people called me a monster and hated me, and I had no one that I could rely on. So I want you to know that if you ever feel like that again, hold it in and run home and you and I can just let go and you can get all your anger out with me, and we can exercise with it. Alright?"

"But…he said that nobody wanted me." Akito said, sounding broken. "He said you only brought me here because of my eyes. And he said that my father probably didn't even want me either." His lower lip trembled a bit, and he unconsciously clenched his fists at his sides.

Gaara smiled slightly, placing his hand on Akito's head once more. "Akito, do you really think that if I didn't want you I would have taken you to my home and saved you from that psycho blonde? I will admit, at first I was surprised. I already had three children. All of who are difficult to deal with in their own way, but you are just as much a part of my family now as they are. And do not listen to what anyone says. I know it sometimes might be hard to believe, but your father loved you, as much as he could love someone. You were the world to him. And you are the world to us too."

"I just wish I could've seen him…before…" the young boy trailed off and looked away, not needing to go into detail. "I never really cared when he went on missions, because he always came back, and he barely ever got hurt." His gaze met Gaara's once more, but now it was almost back to normal, which was a good sign.

"Sometimes, it's better that we are left with the memories of seeing them, than their final moments." He said, remembering the details of what Sakura had told him. And it sounded pretty gruesome. "After all, now you only remember the good things, instead of him dying."

"I guess." Akito sighed. "So…you're not mad at me? For what I did?" he asked, somewhat hesitant. Usually when he got into trouble with his father he was punished by an increased, rigorous training regimen, not to mention he had to live with his father's disappointment for however long it lasted, and that was the worst part. He hated it when people were disappointed in him, it was worse than anger.

Gaara shrugged and waved it off. "Trust me. I seriously doubt that what you did was out of malicious intent. There's always a few kids who are complete asses. I just don't want you making a habit of it." The redhead smirked, messing up the young boy's hair.

"Eh," Akito waved it off, smiling slightly. "If the other Genin from Suna are all talk and no game like that kid was, I highly doubt they're worth my time." He joked.

"Well," Gaara leaned back, smirking. "I have to say, if anyone will be in competition to you, I have a feeling it's going to be Natsumi."

He shrugged, the smile still on his face. "We'll just have to see." He looked around then. "So…can we go home now? I don't want everyone to worry, since I didn't go with Toshiro to get the girls."

The redhead laughed and nodded, "Well then Natsumi's probably freaking out. I know she's taken a fancy to you quite quickly." Gaara walked over to his desk and arranged a few things so it was all in order before pushing his chair in. "I wonder what's for dinner tonight."

"Whatever it is I bet its good. I like Sakura's cooking." The Uchiha's eyes widened in slight alarm. "Please don't tell her I said that. She'll get all weird and emotional."

"Please." Gaara scoffed, walking out with Akito. "You think I want to deal with that either?"

"Well you married her." Akito pointed out with a smirk.

"Only because she's amazing and puts up with me." He pointed out, not caring that some of the villagers were staring in utter surprise that their Kazekage was being so animated and talkative, with an equally normal Uchiha.

"I wonder if I'll ever find someone who will put up with me." The boy wondered aloud.

They both thought for a while before Gaara spoke. "I think you will. You Uchihas are pretty good looking and strong. Plus, if I could find someone, I know you will. I mean, I tried to kill Sakura when we were little. So you never know who the right one is." He snickered then and nudged the boy. "Maybe it's even someone like Natsumi."

Akito gave the redhead a skeptical look. He wasn't sure if he would be able to put with someone like Natsumi for the rest of his life. By then they were coming upon the Kazekage's mansion. When they entered the house, they could barely take two steps into the front room before Sakura was running out of the kitchen towards them.

"Akito, are you okay?" she asked, checking him over despite having heard from Toshiro that he was just fine. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine." He sighed, pulling away from her. It was strange, nobody had ever been worried about him before. But he liked it. A little. Not enough to stick around to be coddled though. "I'm just gonna go wash up for dinner." He said, before disappearing up the stairs.

Sakura looked to her husband. "Is he really okay, or is he just saying that?" she asked, a bit unsure.

"He's fine." Gaara nodded. "There's not a scratch on him. Just the other kid's blood. I've already talked to him and I think everything will be good." That's when they both heard a loud yell and a thump from upstairs. The Kazekage sighed. "I think Natsumi just saw him."

Upstairs, Natsumi had Akito on the ground, hugging him tightly. "Akito! Are you ok?! I heard a stupid fat lard was being mean to you!" she nuzzled him affectionately. "When you weren't at school I thought you had died!"

He scoffed. "I wouldn't die by the hands of some loser. I'm fine. This isn't even my blood." He said, just laying there and letting her hug him.

She sat up and hovered her face over his, staring so intently at his eyes that he felt as if she might be staring into his soul. "So you're ok?" she finally asked.

"Yes. I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled, nuzzling him once more. "What are you doing?" Satomi asked, standing in the hallway awkwardly.

Akito looked over at the other pink haired girl. "Natsumi was making sure I'm ok." Was all he said, since that was all they were doing.

"Okay." she blinked. "Natsumi get off. Don't you remember that talk we had about personal boundaries?" the elder twin sighed, arching a delicate brow.

"Oh Akito doesn't mind," she smiled, nuzzling him once more.

"I don't mind a whole lot, but I would like to wash this blood off my hands." He pointed out, raising his hands to show them to her.

Natsumi blinked and got off, dragging him up and pulling him into the bathroom. "Alright! I'll help you."

Akito looked confused and then went wide eyed when she pulled his blood-stained shirt over his head. "Wait, what are you-" he tried to say, but was silenced once more when she turned on the shower and shoved him in.

She took his hands and began to wash them with soap. "Scrub. Scrub. Scrub. Wash. Wash. Wash." She sang.

"I can do it myself you know." He gave her a light glare, though he didn't stop her from tending to him.

Natsumi stopped and looked up at him, finally realizing what she was doing and that she was probably being annoying. "Oh…I'm sorry." She frowned and hurried out of the bathroom.

Akito sighed and rolled his eyes, finishing rinsing off all of the blood. When he was done, he turned off the shower and got out, grabbing his discarded, bloody shirt and going to his room to change clothes. When he reemerged from his room, he could smell a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen, and knew that Sakura was probably almost done with dinner.

He went downstairs and entered the kitchen, grabbing the stack of plates that were on the counter and taking them into the dining room, setting the table. "Yo, yo, yo. Akito." Toshiro said, walking in and sitting down on his normal spot. "I see you're all good. How was your shower?"

"Weird." Satomi interjected as she came in, looking bored and sitting down as well.

"Pretty much." He agreed, going back into the kitchen and grabbing the silverware and napkins. "Where's Natsumi?" he asked as he set everything up.

Toshiro shrugged, obviously not caring as his mother brought in a plate of steaks and a salad. She went back and pulled out the baked potatoes and sat everything in the center of the table before taking her usual spot.

"Thank you for setting the table Akito." She smiled kindly at him.

"You're welcome." The boy said before going and grabbing everyone a glass of water. When he came back Gaara and Natsumi were still absent, so he just took his seat like everyone else.

It wasn't much later until Gaara came in and took his seat. "Natsumi has informed me she is not hungry." He explained to the group as he placed his napkin in his lap.

"Why? Is she feeling okay?" Sakura asked, concerned.

The elder redhead just shrugged. "She just said she wasn't hungry and she wanted to go to sleep. So whatever. At least she's sleeping." He sighed, picking the best looking steak and putting it on his plate and beginning to eat.

"Alright then." She said, also beginning to fill her plate. Everyone else did the same, though Akito couldn't help but wonder throughout the entire meal if the youngest's absence was his fault.

When dinner was over Akito excused himself from the table and went upstairs, going down the hall until he was in front of Natsumi's bedroom door. He hesitated, wondering if it was okay for him to enter. Then he grabbed the door and quietly entered, shutting it before walking over to where he bed was located. "Natsumi?" he whispered, wondering if she was actually asleep. Not getting a response, he walked closer and took a look at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was even. He reached out and brushed some of her hair from her face, and when he saw her body tense slightly, he knew that she wasn't really asleep.

"Natsumi…are you mad at me?" he asked softly, hoping she would answer him this time.

She pulled the covers up and shook her head, hiding her face from him. "I'm just tired…"

"But…you ran out of the bathroom…and you didn't come to dinner…" he trailed off.

"Cause' I'm not hungry." She said a bit more harshly.

"Um…okay…I'll just leave you alone then." He backed away from her bed, turning to head to the door.

She tried to hold it in, but she could already feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She hated being annoying and she knew she was, and even now, making it worse by making him worried. "Night." She whispered as strongly as she could.

He looked back at her and frowned slightly. "Goodnight. I hope you sleep well." He said, before leaving her room as quietly as he had entered. He went back to his own room, dressing and getting ready for bed. As he snuggled into his sheets, he couldn't help but hope that Natsumi would be back to her old self tomorrow. Because no matter how annoying she got, he liked her better when she talked his ear off than when she was silent.