I'm back again with another chapter of Lion in the Desert! For Lion in the Desert to be one of the best stories? How you stroke my ego! I'm really pleased you think that way, but there's thousands of Naruto fanfictions out there - probably all better than mine, but y'know, different strokes for different folks!
Special thanks to:
MidnightCherryBlossoms
GaarasMyBoyzz
QueenoftheKill
Shifuni
Rei Bara
Jessluvswriting
Haru's Cowgirl
HockeyandMusic
ichigo1508
Only a small band of readers, but I really cherish each and every one of your support! You are the reason for why I strive to better my writing! (How do you come up with such awesome screennames? My name's so blah. My mom said so when she saw my avatar's name on a game. Sob.)
Disclaimer: I die a little inside every time I say I don't own Naruto. Sob.
This story will not have any relation to Naruto's dream of achieving Sasuke Uchiha's return or deafeating Orochimaru. This happens a little bit after the Rescue Gaara arc. In other words, kind of AU. Thought you should know.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The dry, irritating sound that came from opposite of Naruto irked him. Being someone who hated mornings - especially mornings when he found that he had forgotten to buy more instant ramen and had none to eat for breakfast like right now - more than the idea of eating nothing but vegetables for an entire week, Naruto was anything but cheery.
"Shishimiya. Could you, like, lower down the volume of your eating?" his voice came out dry and scratchy, having just woken up. Naruto unceremoniously stuffed a slice of slightly burnt toast into his mouth.
Presently, it was just the two of them seated at the table; Kakashi had gotten up early to send off a report to Tsunade at the central aviary, while Sakura was at an early-morning sale at some apothecary in town. Naruto had been less than pleased to find the eccentric girl in a chair, chewing in a somewhat mechanical manner on her cereal.
The crunching stopped. Kohaku looked up from the carbohydrate-filled bowl, eyes vacant as usual. "I was unaware that it is possible to do such a thing," in his disgruntled state, Kohaku's voice ground against his testy nerves dangerously.
Rubbing a palm across his face, Naruto let out a tired groan, muffled by the half-eaten bread in his mouth. Kohaku resumed eating, her chews still loud - in Naruto's opinion - and oddly rhythmic.
After the squabble from the day before, Naruto really had no idea what he was going to do with the odd rufous-headed girl. He had tried the initial approach of asking her basic questions about herself - it was a massive fail on both parts. Yes, she'd given him an answer - it was just that she had gotten a bit too basic; answering with the data that everyone who wanted to know could find out by themselves with a bit of research in the Konoha Archives. Naruto wasn't sure whether or not she had misinterpreted the question. After all, Kohaku had mystified him a time too many with her surprisingly weak inability to pick out sarcasm when it could be plainly heard.
Naruto had tried to give Kohaku leeway during the lesson in the academy, but his impatience clashed with Kohaku's iron determination to stick by the basicity of step-by-steps, making it virtually impossible to work together. He'd tried to be patient - something which was a rare occurrence for Naruto - but damn, was she hard to work with!
Making a decision, Naruto swallowed the last half of the bread in one go and downed the milk in his glass. Placing the now-empty glass onto the table, Naruto noted that Kohaku was not in the least interested in what he was doing, but instead continued to steadily stare down at her cereal as she ate. Well, at least that was one thing he actually liked about her - she wasn't a nosy parker like most people.
He cleared his throat loudly to catch her attention. Kohaku stopped, midway in directing the cereal-laden spoon into her mouth, and looked up. "Do you wish to say something, Uzumaki-kun?"
"Um. No. Wait. Yes!" Naruto fumbled with his words, something that happen too often for his taste when it came to speaking to the cold, detached Kohaku when they weren't arguing, "Actually, Gaara gave me the go-ahead to bring the students out for a field trip today. So we're going into the greenhouse jungle for some basic wildlife training,"
"I see," a chilly gaze swept across Naruto with evident displeasure, "You have taken the opportunity to make decisions with neither my consent nor my opinion."
Naruto had learned to be careful to discern the hidden questions and words between her lines. In this particular one, it was, "Stop gloating and lording it over me."
"No! It's not what I meant!" Naruto hastened to add, "What I wanted to say was, it'd be good (Naruto had wanted to use the word 'great' but he just couldn't bring himself to lie in such a bold-faced manner) if you could come along. They haven't been in places with many trees and stuff, while you're like me, a Konoha shinobi, so it'd be easier to demonstrate things with you there."
Still with the frozen mask of no emotion, Kohaku answered with a mere nod and "I will see you there, then, Uzumaki-kun," before standing up to clear away her bowl and glass.
Now alone in the small kitchen, Naruto let out a grunt, a somewhat bewildered expression on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard from Kohaku.
"Well, at least we finished that conversation without anyone storming off or simply walking away."
xxxx
Many pairs of wide, earnest eyes blinked in a bemused manner. Tweens dressed in various shades of brown in practical shinobi attire stood in a loosely collected group, staring at the often-absent teacher in charge of their class, Kohaku, standing in front of the large glass doors of the greenhouse. There was an awkward silence when they had suddenly hushed, ceasing all talking, when one of them had pointed out her nearly unnoticeable presence.
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I got lost!"
Naruto came running up towards them, grinning from ear to ear. Cornwall eyes gleamed with excitement as he dangled a ring of keys from his fingers. "We've got the whole greenhouse to ourselves for two hours! Let's make the best of it, yeah?"
With their ever-cheerful, regular teacher in the picture, the unquiet tension dissolved; the students clamored at the doors, Kohaku having sidestepped beforehand to avoid the predicted crowding. When the heavy brass lock unlatched, Naruto threw the doors open and all of the students hurriedly entered the greenhouse, many gasping in amazement, for it was the first time for most of them to see lush greenery in the otherwise arid desert that was the Land of Wind.
Naruto chuckled to himself as he pocketed the keys, turning towards Kohaku. "So, what 'cha make of it, Shishimiya? Pretty genius of me, huh?"
xxxx
Kohaku had been perplexed by Naruto's invitation. At first, it seemed fishy; almost suspicious, even. But Kohaku knew of Naruto - he definitely wasn't one to plot and plan things with subtle grandeur. In fact, the auburn-headed shinobi was aware of the extravagant capers that Naruto used to get himself into (And still did so, every now and then.) and knew despite that, Naruto wouldn't have the tact to use a greenhouse. Therefore, there was no room for any qualms in the matter of Naruto's invitation to join his class (Even though it was Kohaku's rightful place to join them.)
The girl opened her mouth to say, "Considering the conditions of the training grounds in Sunagakure, it was rather astute of you to come up with the idea of using the greenhouse as a training site."
As begrudging as she felt towards Naruto, she had to admit the truth. It was rather genius of the blonde to actually think of using a recreational facility like the tropical greenhouse as a training ground, since it was made to be as naturally close to the ones found in tropical climates as possible. Kohaku could not help but be impressed by his acumen.
A sense of déjà vu washed over Kohaku, making her feel the way she felt not too long ago, when Gaara had taken her out and talked to her. It reminded her of the reason why she was here in the first place, which was to give Gaara's advice a try. Why did Naruto and Gaara resemble each other so much, when they were two completely different individuals?
Kohaku was flummoxed indeed.
xxxx
Naruto lifted a blonde brow, crossing his arms behind his head as he began to walk towards the students, who were forming a line. "Well, if astute is a good thing, then thanks, I guess," there was a trace of doubt in his voice, still unsure of what to make of the strange comment made by the girl.
Seeing that the students had lined up, Naruto started reading out the instructions he'd had asked Sakura to carefully write on a piece of paper the night before. Hey, Naruto had been the one who had thought of conducting a training exercise in the greenhouse, but that didn't mean he would turn into an efficient teacher overnight, right?
"A-and remember to stick with your - goddamn how do you pronounce it - oh yes! Your partner! Stick with your partner in case you get separated from the group," Naruto finished reading the instructions with a flourish and stuffed the paper into his pocket. "Any questions?"
A dark-haired boy raised his hand. Naruto nodded in his direction. "Yeah, kid?"
"What's that sensei gonna do?" he jerked a thumb towards Kohaku, who was mutely standing a small distance behind Naruto.
Naruto rubbed his chin. "Good question. Well, Shishimiya's gonna help me set up the various traps around here to test you people! So when you hear a whistle, that's your cue to start through the obstacle course, alright?"
A chorus of 'yes' rippled among the small group of academy students, and Naruto started walking away, Kohaku quietly following him.
xxxx
"…And that's the last one!"
Rivulets of sweat gleamed as they trickled down Naruto's bare neck, him having taken off his jacket whilst tinkering with the traps in the greenhouse. Kohaku quietly tugged at the rope that held back the wind shurikens, and checked the invisible string that triggered the trap with a single pull. The training exercise had gone off without a hitch, and the students had done fairly well with minor scrapes and cuts. Now, the two Konoha shinobi were working to dislodge all of the unactivated traps before leaving. Naruto paused in wiping the sweat off his neck, watching as the girl went about, checking the trap in utter silence.
He felt uncomfortable, no doubt about it.
"Why're you so…quiet?" Naruto blurted out without meaning to.
Kohaku paused from above the tree she was in, and looked down to speak to Naruto. "I was unaware that it was a compulsory requirement to be vocal,"
Naruto let out a heavy sigh, avoiding the intense look burning in Kohaku's cold eyes. As emotionless as Kohaku's eyes were, they were kind of creepy when one looked straight into them; it felt like one was staring at a horror movie doll, glassy eyes that followed your every movement. "Well, it's not really compulsory, but, oh heck, never mind," he mumbled, walking away from beneath the tree.
"Uzumaki-kun!"
Naruto, barely having time to register what was happening, found himself pinned down by a body hurtling itself towards him, both narrowly missing the onslaught of massive shurikens, now embedded on the trunk of an unfortunate tree. Realizing that he had squeezed his eyes shut in the few seconds, a dazed Naruto slowly opened one eye. Kohaku was getting off of him with a bit of difficulty, pulling herself away from Naruto. Understanding dawned upon the blonde when he looked around himself.
"Did you just save me?"
Incredulity registered into Naruto's face as he surveyed the stabbed tree. He shivered to think of what would've happened to him if Kohaku hadn't been there when he accidentally triggered the trap. Naruto's hand self-consciously snaked up towards his neck.
"God, I'm such a moron," Naruto muttered distastefully, ashamed at himself for falling for his own trap. His eyes slid over to Kohaku. Her eyebrows were slightly scrunched; her face in a slight wince with an otherwise stoic expression. Naruto noticed the quivering in her right arm, as Kohaku's other hand slid into her weapons pouch, drawing out a kunai.
As the russet-haired girl raised the knife, Naruto was puzzled by her erratic movements until he realized what she was about to do.
"Hold it!" Naruto barreled towards her, ripping the kunai out of her hands in a vicious manner. His hand shook as he threw the kunai onto the ground; he was enraged.
"Are you insane?" his voice was shaky as he screamed at the silent Kohaku; it cracked on the last syllables.
Kohaku stared at him blankly. "My arm is of no use to me anymore. It is basic shinobi knowledge to get rid of any obstructions and distractions that come in the way of the mission. My broken arm is an example of that."
"Are you crazy? You don't just hack off your arm just because it's broken! You go to a freaking hospital to get it put into a cast and let the bones heal!"
Kohaku remained staring mutely at him, unable to answer the words that Naruto threw at her in his fit of rage. Her right arm rested uselessly against the ground; it was obvious that Kohaku was in pain from the slight expression of discomfort on her face. A quietness settled over the two as Naruto remained glaring at the girl while Kohaku returned his hard look by meeting his eyes boldly with her own.
"You're a weirdo," Naruto finally mumbled, scratching the back of his blonde head as he extended the other arm towards Kohaku.
The girl eyed Naruto's arm, seemingly wondering what was his purpose of doing so. "What - may I ask, Uzumaki-kun - am I supposed to do with that arm of yours?" she asked, voice querulous.
A pair of blonde eyebrows shot up, disappearing among the hairline. "Really, Shishimiya? Really? Do you have to ask?"
Naruto scoffed as he bent down to grab hold of Kohaku's uninjured side in a clumsy motion. Obviously, Naruto was unused to being careful and gentle.
As a pair of umber eyes trailed the loud boy's actions with observational intensity, Naruto chose to ignore them as he settled to hoist Kohaku up onto her feet. The girl stumbled a bit - she'd twisted an ankle during the fall - but her face showed no signs of the current agony she was in. Naruto had to commend her for the tenacious front she was putting up, but he had a nagging feeling that Kohaku was probably impervious to such pain, for some reason.
As Naruto kept a firm hold on the good arm he'd slung across his shoulder to support the shorter shinobi - in case she deigned to escape in her condition - Kohaku helplessly limped and shuffled alongside the blonde, obviously having difficulties keeping up with his long-legged strides.
"Uzumaki-kun. Please unhand me. I can handle myself perfectly well, and I do know the way to the hospital. I am no child."
Naruto's reply was a derisive snort and an eye roll. "Ch-yeah. And let you go to some place to lop off both your arm and foot? I may be a moron, but I'm not stupid,"
"Are they not both the same?"
"Shut up! I'm helping you out here!"
xxxx
Another of Naruto's trademark sulky scowls descended onto his face while Kohaku mulled over the situation; she was in a ruminative mood. She was not concerned about the twisted ankle - it would take a day or two, but it would be as good as new soon enough, unlike the main problem lying in her broken arm. She hadn't stopped to think when she'd pulled out the kunai - it was just one of those things that she had been trained to do; instilled into her mind since she had been old enough to begin training as a shinobi.
Naruto's vehement objection had come as a big surprise, when he had wrenched the weapon out of her hand immediately after realization dawned upon him, and it left the girl perplexed, trying to figure out why he cared so much about something that did not even concern him.
Was it because of the guilt he felt, for being the reason why she had broken her arm? Or was it because he was simply a nosy parker who stood to make things his business?
Despite the multitudes of logical explanations that swam around in Kohaku's private mind, only one thought shone among the others:
Because it's Uzumaki Naruto.
As casuistic and erroneous - words that did not define the way Kohaku saw things - as that reason was, the girl could not shake off the strong feeling that it was the right one. Because it was Naruto. The one who cared about everyone and everything, despite their misgivings and disagreements. He, after all, was the only one who could make that man stand on his guard with a watchful eye.
In spite of herself, a smile crept up to Kohaku's eyes; warmth melted the cold orbs. A corner of her mouth had twisted into a tiny, barely distinct curve.
Now she knew why someone like Gaara had a high opinion of Naruto. It wasn't just childish frivolities and play that made Naruto the person he was. It was the way he handled things; the way he could put aside differences when it came down to it.
"Uzumaki-kun."
Wary cerulean eyes looked to the side, looking at the girl beside Naruto. "Yeah, Shishimiya?"
"Thank you, Naruto-kun."
xxxx
"…And then she was all, 'Thank you, Naruto-kun' and I swear, I nearly tripped over and fell when I heard it! I had to make sure I wasn't hearing things three times before I answered her! I even checked with the doctors at the hospital to see if I suffered a heat stroke or something!"
A cool air rustled the fair locks that crowned Naruto's head gently from the air-conditioning in the domed room. Naruto was seated on a chair, legs pulled up and crossed as he folded his arms behind his head like he liked to do when he was regaling stories to people. Seated on a plush armchair, opposite of the Konoha shinobi, was the young Kazekage himself, dressed in his dignified robes of blue and white.
Presently, the two boys were having a conversation, initiated by Gaara's usual, "How was your day, Naruto?" and Naruto had replied with, "You wouldn't believe half the things that happened to me today!"
Naruto would come by with daily reports on his and Kohaku's batch of students - because Naruto was actually the only one doing at least some work - at the end of the day, when Gaara was finally done with the paperwork that came in monstrous piles and all he wanted to do was sit down and relax. Usually, they would discuss about things like ninjutsu, taijutsu and - reluctantly on Naruto's part - geijutsu that they happened to know or hear about, and sometimes - rarely, to be exact - about political situations that happened to interest Naruto.
Basically, they didn't usually talk about things like Kohaku calling someone other than Kakashi by their first name, mainly because it never happened.
Gaara couldn't help but envy the blonde boy - after all, it wasn't like Naruto was the only one trying to chip away the harder-than-diamond shell that Kohaku was encased in. Gaara sure as hell was trying just as hard as anyone else, possibly even more that that!
It was probably wrong to admit, but Gaara was covetous of Naruto's natural ability to make anyone open up to him. Gaara wondered to maybe take some character lessons from Naruto, but then he realized a minute later, that Sunagakure would probably fall into a state of chaos if that were so. Naruto was a great guy, but he definitely needed some serious maturing first. (Not like Gaara could say that himself.)
"Did she hit herself hard on the head or something? A concussion, maybe?" Gaara asked, voice quiet and even, compared to Naruto's loud and exaggerated tones.
Naruto shook his head. "Nope. The doc said all was fine after he checked her arm and foot. Just a bit of chakra healing will have her back to normal in a week at most. Your village's got some really kickass medic-nins, you know that?"
Gaara smiled, rolling up the lengthy sleeves of the formal robes and folding his arms in the way that he felt comfortable in. "Thanks," he said, "So are you both on a first-name basis now or something?"
Naruto shrugged. "M'not so sure about that. After we were done at the hospital, Shishimiya just up and left without saying anything but 'Thank you'," he explained, "That's why I keep alternating between her name and her last name by accident. Man, it's confusing!"
Gaara tapped his fingertips on his lips thoughtfully, wondering what to say next. Really, Kohaku's mood was probably more volatile than she would like to let on, underneath that phlegmatic mask of hers. Gaara was just about near confusion just trying to unscramble the puzzle that was Kohaku.
xxxx
Letting his pale fingers run along the weathered spines of the hardback books in the massive case that held them, Gaara's jade eyes slowly scanned the kanji printed on them. Temari had called him a 'damn apeshit crazy' workaholic when she had glanced at the clock that spelled out midnight as she had caught Gaara walking out of their small manor earlier, when she'd been groggily taking a glass of water to drink.
Gaara had had a certain clause in a set of paperwork that had been bugging him all night, despite the fact he had told himself that he would get to the archives in the library first thing in the morning and check it out. His conscience had rendered him sleepless, and for someone who was finally able to sleep after fifteen years of insomnia, it was definitely not something Gaara would like to experience ever again.
Hence the midnight visit to the library's off-limits (except to him and a few select others, of course.), restricted archives section.
As Gaara let his gaze linger between 'Compiled Works from the Kazekage Mansion' and 'Sandy Reports' (Gaara wondered who the hell could think up of such stale, dumb titles.), a small noise distracted the redhead.
Chink. Chink. Creak. Click. Tap tap tap.
Senses immediately shifting into battle-mode alert, Gaara thought well to mask his chakra and lower his breathing until he himself could barely hear it. Slowly sliding over to where the door of the room was, Gaara could not make out any presence of a human being. But the door was slightly ajar, so there was definitely someone other than himself inside the archives.
As he directed some sand at the stand-by, Gaara slowly walked past the aisles, looking for the intruder. A slight shuffling noise attracted the wary teen, and as he walked closer to the source of the sound, he could clearly make out the sounds of pages being rustled.
A midnight bibliophile, perhaps? Gaara could hardly think of anyone who would even want to read the boring books in the restricted section - everything was about the dull politics of Sunagakure. It amazed Gaara that there were actually a fair amount of books written about the politics to fill a small room. Thinking that the authors had probably wasted their time writing about such dreary topics, Gaara sighed to himself in a pitying manner, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be looking for someone.
Seriously, who would even read about politics for fun?
As Gaara's eyes finally located a human shape, his night-vision started to confirm the features of the infiltrator.
Short in height; lithe stature; wisps of hair tied in a messy bun gleamed a copper sheen in the weak moonlight; a metallic glint on the bicep of the person's arm…
The floating grains of sand suddenly lacked Gaara's control as they dropped onto the wooden-boarded floor; seafoam eyes widened in incredulity.
"Chibi?"
FAQ Time!
So it's good Naruto and Kohaku are finally making progress, but where's the Gaara-Kohaku action at?
Probablyyyyyyyyyyyy... one day.
If there's never going to be any Gaara-Kohaku action, does that mean the GaaraxOC thing in the summary is a fluke and it's actually NarutoxOC?
Geh. Of course not. Why would I lie? And did I say there's never going to be any Gaara-Kohaku action?
Who the heck thinks that cutting off their broken arm will solve problems and be non-obstructive? It's darn troublesome alright, to have only one hand!
You see, if you wait for later chapters, you'll probably understand why Kohaku thinks that way. Yep.
Why does Kohaku seem to have PMS?
For a cold person like her to show emotions is probably like an alcoholic confessing about his problem. So, it's hard. (Also probably because I write the chapter at various times with different BGM soundtracks accompanying me. Curse Square Enix for coming up with awesome soundtracks!)
I don't think Gaara's a workaholic. Who the hell told you he was one?
Well, I thought that since Gaara loves his village, he has to do everything in his power to keep it safe and peaceful, right? Paperwork included, if that's what it takes. And I think Gaara's a guy who takes his responsibilities seriously. And anyways, don't you ever have that nagging guilt when you procrastinate? 'Cause I sure did when I was doing my Principles of Accounts homework with a half-written chapter of Lion in the Desert waiting on the screen of my laptop.
Why do Naruto and Gaara have guy-talk sessions? I don't really see them doing it.
I, for one, actually do see them doing it. After all, Gaara's the kind of guy who rarely talks to people, but probably tends to do a lot when he's with people he's comfortable with, for example, Naruto. And also, Naruto's a big blabbermouth, so who else is a better listener than the stoic (But lovable, yo!) Gaara?
So, I await your constructive criticism and feedback!
Luv,
Pichuzilla