Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ From Here to Eternity ❯ Breathe In, Breathe Out ( Chapter 26 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Kat: Happy birthday, Socks, you crazy bastid! Yaaaay! This chapter's all for you!
Okay. I officially love everyone. You all made me feel SO much better! Thank you all for such… encouraging reviews. -grins- YOU ALL GET COOKIES! And Junsui gets and extra half, because she ALMOST got all of the screennames.
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Dad was already gone when Kankuro got up the next morning, but he was still uneasy about going downstairs. The pills were hidden in his backpack, and the Kabuki make up was darker than usual today. He went down the stairs slowly, making sure not to cause any of them to creak or groan.
Temari was in the kitchen already, her head bowed, and a hand tugging lamely at one of her ponytails. She was staring blankly into her cereal bowl, her eyes cloudy.
“'Ri? I thought Summer was s'posed to pick you up,” Kankuro said casually, sitting down next to her, once he had retrieved his own bowl and spoon. Temari's head snapped up, like she had been released from a trance. Her eyes strayed down to Kankuro's cheek for a moment, before she stood up, and said,
“She was. She called last night and said her car was in the shop, so she's getting a ride from someone else…” She trailed off, leaving the kitchen. Kankuro sighed, and leaned his head forward on his elbow.
Yashamaru had left the night before, to go and stay the night at his new apartment. He would be getting a moving van today to bring all of his stuff from his old apartment out in Sunaga, and Kankuro had promised he would help after school. He sighed, and dumped some cereal into his bowl.
A little while later, Gaara tensely stepped into the kitchen, his dark-lined eyes warily glancing around the room. They finally rested on Kankuro, and he relaxed.
“Dad's at work already,” Kankuro informed him, boredly balancing a spoon on his nose.
“…Oh.”
“You want some cereal?”
“…Why not?”
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Haku tried. He really did. But when he opened his mouth to say “Hello” to Itachi that morning, all that came out was a choked gurgle, and he had to dash off to the bathroom before he burst into tears. Kankuro was coming over to his own locker before the small sophomore brushed past him, one hand to his mouth.
“Haku? Haku!” he said, twisting around, and watching him disappear into the early morning crowd.
“What's wrong with him?” Itachi asked, slamming his locker shut, only to have it spring open again. “God dammit… Did he and Zabuza break up or something?” Then he laughed at the idiocy of the remark, before smashing the door shut again and again, until it stayed.
“Uh… hm.”
Itachi turned to stare at him.
“…Did they?” he asked in amazement, his eyes wide.
“No, no… It's nothing. No worries.” Then, before Itachi could say anything else, Kankuro turned on his heel and walked away.
Itachi blinked, very confused.
“What… was that?” he muttered to himself, before shrugging, and walking off to first hour.
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“Haku, will you calm to fuck down?” Kankuro hissed, pressing both hands to the outside of the locked stall door. Haku was inside; he could hear the sniffles.
“H-Haku isn't huh-here r-right now!” a tearful voice stammered. Kankuro sighed, and shook his head.
“I know it's you, Haku. No other guys in this school wear flip-flops,” he said, glancing under the door. Sure enough, two sandaled feet were rested on the floor. They were drawn up, and out of Kankuro's sight line. “Haku… come on… you've got to calm down,” Kankuro said, desperately. “If you don't then Itachi's gonna think something's up. And if that happens, then we'll never be able to help him! You… don't want that to happen… do you?” he asked, his voice breaking. He leaned against the door, and shut his eyes, the reality of what was happening coming in like a wave. There was silence within the stall. Suddenly, the door opened. Kankuro steadied himself, and looked down.
“Oh… Haku…” he said, resisting the urge to rub his eyes and mess up his make-up. “Come on… stop that…”
Haku furiously rubbed his watering eyes, his mouth twisted in a grimace.
“I'm tuh-tuh-trying! I c-can't… I just…” He hiccuped. “Kankuro… I'm s-scared… Wh-what if he tries to do it ag-gain? What then? H-He could r-really die… Kankuro… he could DIE!”
Kankuro wrapped his arms around the sobbing Haku, trying to keep calm himself. “Jesus Christ…” he mumbled into Haku's hair, squeezing his eyes shut.
“H-He was m-my first friend, Kankuro, besides Zabuza… wh-what'll I do if he dies? If he d-dies… I couldn't take it. I… I just…”
Kankuro pressed Haku back, his hands on his shoulders, and bent down so he was at eye level.
“Haku. I need you to listen to me very carefully,” he said as calmly as he could muster. “Are you listening? Are you calm?”
Haku took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Okay. Itachi is not going to die, do you understand me? He is not going to die.” Kankuro wasn't sure if he was convincing Haku or himself. “He needs help. But not now. If you go up to him, screaming about the pills, then he'll… I don't know. I don't know, but I know it won't be good. What he needs right now is for you to stay calm and not mention this to anyone.” He paused. “You haven't, have you?”
Haku shook his head.
“Zabuza?”
“H-He doesn't know.”
“Okay.” Kankuro sighed. He hated not telling Zabuza, but the guilt would probably drive Haku to tell him, anyway. He released Haku's shoulders. “Go splash some cold water on your face… you look… uh…”
“Terrible?” Haku offered with a shaky laugh. “Yeah… I didn't sleep… much… last night…” Then he turned, and walked over to the sinks. He turned on the `cold' tap, and let it run for a moment. Kankuro leaned back against the wall, and pulled off his hat, running fingers through the messy brown locks.
“You should really consider a haircut,” Haku said knowingly, before filling his cupped hands with water, and bringing it up to his cherubic face.
“…Can you say, `Hypocrite'?” Kankuro laughed, jamming his hat back on his head. Haku got some paper towels to wipe his face off, then dropped them in the garbage.
“All better?” Kankuro asked, giving a small smile. Haku nodded, his eyes dull.
“I hope so,” he said, sighing.
At that moment, the bell rang.
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Gaara had had a deplorable night. He hadn't slept at all. Not one wink. His head was propped up with his hand, and his eyes were blurry. He had hardly bothered putting eyeliner on today; just a little bit around his lids. He yawned noticeably.
“Tired, Gaara?” Naruto asked, folding a paper airplane, and sending it drifting down through the room. It came to rest in Mr. Jiraiya's untamed mane of white hair. Naruto clapped a hand to his mouth to choke down his laughter. Close to the front, Kiba turned, and gave him a thumbs up, which Naruto returned heartily.
“Meh,” Gaara mumbled, his head slipping from his hand, and dropping forward on his desk. “…Ouch.”
Naruto burst out laughing for a moment, before pressing his face into his arms, his face red. He looked like he was suffocating. Gaara sat back up, and rolled his eyes. Jiraiya went right on blabbing, his back to the students.
Gaara rested his head back on his hand, and attempted to read what was on the board, but it made his eyes hurt, so he stared at the back of Jiraiya's head instead.
Before he knew it, he was walking into biology. Seated at one of the back tables with Naruto, he found he was able to stare at the back of Sasuke's head instead of Jiraiya's.
The back of Sasuke's head was much nicer than Jiraiya's, in Gaara's opinion. It was nice and black, easy on the eyes, not like the shocking white. But it wasn't Gaara's favorite part of Sasuke's head. He much preferred the front… with the nice eyes… and the nose… and the forehead… and the lips…
He rubbed his eyes, and shook his head. Time to wake up, Gaara.
Woah… was Orochimaru saying something about a test? Or a quiz? Or maybe homework?
Gaara found that he couldn't be bothered at the moment. He was a bit preoccupied.
What the hell was Dad doing home already? Gaara wasn't even sort of prepared. He bit down on his lip. When did he leave again? Let's see… It was October now… Was it Tuesday? So he left… on…
Gaara was suddenly aware that the entire class, Orochimaru included, was staring at him.
`This is happening way too often,' he thought, before straightening up.
“Uh… what?”
Orochimaru rolled his yellow eyes, a twisted grin appearing on his face.
“Why don't you come and see me after school, Gaara. We can talk about this little problem you seem to have… failing my class because of sleep deprivation certainly isn't an option,” he said, his fang-like teeth glistening.
`With venom,' Gaara thought, before shivering. `How the hell did he know I was tired?'
`Well, it's kind of obvious. Your eyes aren't even focused.'
`I'm talking to myself. This can't be good.'
“Gaara… you okay?” Naruto's squeak interrupted his conversation. “I mean… you look out. And that's coming from someone who's seen you at your absolute worst.”
“Mmm.”
“Gaara…? Oy ve…”
Sasuke had turned to look at him. Gaara stiffened considerably, his insides turning from slop to mush. Sasuke offered him a weak grin, then turned back to stare at Orochimaru as he spoke. Gaara felt better already.
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P.E. was a disaster. Gaara was usually standoffish about changing, but today he flat out refused.
“I'm not doing anything today,” he said, forcing his eyes to stay open. He looked blearily up at Anko, who sighed.
“I don't want to have to give you a lower mark than an A, Gaara! You know that,” she said, shaking her head. “Here… take this, and take a nap in the nurse's office.” She scrawled out something on a bright pink piece of paper, and stuffed it into Gaara's hands. The pink-ness hurt his eyes, and the dull throb that had formed in the back of his skull skyrocketed into a full-blown migraine. Anko shook her head.
“Gaara… I hate giving anyone anything less than an A. I know you can participate… come on, now! Don't gimme that look!” she said, as Gaara glared half-heartedly. “Go… go to the nurse. Now. I won't fail you… this time…”
Gaara took that as his cue, and stood up to leave the locker room. But as he walked, he bumped into something hard.
“Ow! Watch where… Oh, hey Gaara.” It was Sasuke. Gaara found that he was too tired to bother being embarrassed.
“Hey. What happened with your grades yesterday?” he said, his eyes struggling to stay focused. To his shock, Sasuke blushed.
“Oh… that… well…”
“ALL RIGHT! LET'S GO, LADIES! ON THE FLOOR IN ONE MINUTE OR ELSE!”
Sasuke jumped, his eyes widening.
“See you later,” Gaara said.
“You're not coming out?”
Gaara displayed the pass, turning away from the pink. Sasuke shrugged.
“Okay. Later.”
“Later.”
It wasn't until he was out in the hallway that Gaara realized.
“Oh my God… I just talked to Sasuke without stuttering or blushing!” he said in surprised, his eyes widening. “… Nice.” He floated the rest of the way to the nurse's office.
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“WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?” Haku cried, tears filling his eyes. His stare was fixed on Itachi, whose eyes were wide. “I just don't understand! There… There's no reason… I just…” He swallowed hard, and dropped his gaze to the floor. “I'm so confused… Nothing… makes sense to me now. I… can't do this. I can't take it! They told me. They told me everything. They t-told me not to say anything, but I CAN'T! I can't s-stay silent! It's killing me,” he said, his breathing hard, “and I know it's killing you, too! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?” Then he fell silent, and wiped his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, before bowing, and walking off the stage.
“WONDERFUL! MAGNIFICENT! AMAZING! FULL POINTS, HAKU!” Gai erupted, giving a standing ovation. “VERY YOUTHFUL! I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES!”
“YOSH!”
“Way to go, my man!” Ten-Ten said with a laugh, clapping Haku on the back as he took his seat.
“Yeah! Good job!” Kankuro said.
“That was really… realistic,” Chouji put in, blinking.
“That was… a little scary,” Itachi said, scratching his head. Haku made a point of staring at his feet.
“Didn't he do a nice job, Zabuza?” Neji asked dully, his white eyes boring holes into Zabuza's dark brown ones. The edges of his mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile.
“You're going down, Hyuga.”
“I'd like to see you try.”
“OKAY!” Gai called, whipping out his clipboard. “THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT `ANGUISH' PERFORMANCE BY HAKU! NEXT… WE NEED `LOVE'! TEN-TEN! DAZZLE US WITH YOUR YOUTHFUL ABILITIES!”
“Yeah! Okay! Whatever!” Ten-Ten said, before walking onstage.
Kankuro turned, and looked at Haku. His face was unusually pale.
“A little… too realistic…” he mumbled, before turning, and watching Ten-Ten.
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“Come on…” Kankuro said, grabbing Haku's arm, and pulling him to the side of the hall at the end of drama. “Do you want to find out about these?” he said, pulling the pills out of his jacket pocket, then shoving them back in. Haku's eyes darted down to them, then up to meet Kankuro's.
“Yes.”
“Then come on.”
Kankuro dragged Haku against the wave, forcing the crowd to part. After a few minutes, most of the students had emptied out, so it was easier to walk.
“Christ… think there's enough people in this school?” Kankuro asked Haku, letting go of his arm, and walking at an exaggerated pace.
“Where are we going, Kankuro?” Haku asked, glancing around. Kankuro pushed open the door that led to the stairs.
“Come on,” he said, looking over at Haku. Then he disappeared through the door. Haku took a deep breath, and followed him up one flight of stairs.
The school was divided into four stories. First floor; freshmen wing, auditorium, band room, and gym. Second floor; sophomore wing, junior wing, and cafeteria. Third floor; senior wing, and extra rooms, like the art room, the home ec room, and the highly capable classroom. The fourth floor was basically just the janitor's closet, and a few extra rooms that weren't really finished. The school had been rebuilt a few years ago, and they had never bothered finishing the rooms. Then the roof. Kankuro stopped at the third floor.
“Come on. He's in the pottery room,” Kankuro said placidly, walking swiftly down the deserted hall.
“Who? Who's in the pottery room?”
“You'll see.” Kankuro said. He stopped at the very last door. The word `Pottery' was stamped across the door. He turned to Haku, and said, “Ready?”
“For WHAT?” Haku had gone from depressed to irritate. “What the heck is going on, Kankuro?”
“The person in here,” Kankuro said, jerking his head back at the door, “is some what of a drug guru. Not really… but he knows a lot about… everything, really. I think he can help, but only if you want to.”
Haku blinked.
“Uh… sure?” he said. “Kankuro… why are you being so weird?”
“The person in here… is even more of a girl than you are,” Kankuro said after a pause. “So, really, you probably don't have to worry.” He laughed. “You'll feel right at home!” Then he twisted the door handle, and opened the door.
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Sasuke was worried sick. He had asked Orochimaru at the end of class if there was any way to get his grade changed, and the man had told him to speak to him after school. Great. Joy. Sasuke put his arms behind his head, and stretched, staring at the ceiling. Orochimaru wasn't in his classroom, where Sasuke was at the moment, staring up at the fluorescent lights.
Suddenly, the door opened. Sasuke dropped his arms, and spun around.
“Ah… Sasuke… good…” Orochimaru said, walking in, and sitting behind his desk. He was holding a stack of papers, and he began to go through them, putting them into three separate piles. Sasuke stood awkwardly for a full minute.
“Um… S-Sir… I was wondering,” he said nervously, desperate for something to do with his hands. He linked them together behind him. “Is there any way I can ch-change my grade?”
Orochimaru looked up slyly.
“You want… to change your grade?” he said. “You have a C+ right now, correct?”
“Y…Yes.”
“And I suppose you want to bring it up to an A…”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm…” Orochimaru drummed his fingers against his chin. “Just like your brother.”
Sasuke flinched at the remark. Orochimaru noticed. Perfect.
“He was doing poorly in my class his freshman year as well,” Orochimaru said, resting his chin on closed fists. Sasuke looked up.
“Really?” he asked in astonishment.
“Oh, yes… I believe he had a D, though, not a C+.” Orochimaru smirked. “You're doing better than your brother did.”
Sasuke could hardly hide his rapture. Better… than Itachi? It was wonderful! Then Orochimaru's face turned grave.
“But… he did some extra work and managed to retain a 4.0 at the end of the quarter,” he said. “You could easily beat Itachi in this class, Sasuke. You're nothing like he was... like his is.”
Sasuke was in euphoria. No one had ever said that he wasn't like Itachi before… that he could be better…
He bit his lip. Orochimaru had seemed so creepy at first… but now…
“Wh-what do I have to do to raise my grade?” Sasuke asked. “I'll do anything!”
“Come back and see me tomorrow. I may have something for you by then,” Orochimaru said.
“Yes! Thank you, Sir!” Sasuke said. Then he turned and left the room. But once he was out, he slammed into something small and hard.
“Ow! What the… Oh. Hey, Sasuke,” Gaara said, rubbing his forehead.
“Hi, Gaara.”
“…Why were you in… Oh, right. Your… uh… grade.” Gaara cleared his throat.
“It's okay… I'm going to get it changed,” Sasuke said.
“Oh. Well, that's good.”
“Yeah.”
“Uh… see you later, then?”
“Yeah!”
Gaara watched Sasuke walk away, before going into Orochimaru's office.
Time to face the Snake Man.
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Kat: Bah. I could have made it longer, but I chose not too. Muah. Review, and maybe I'll update again today! Oooh! Shock!
So… really… review, eh?