Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Heart no Kuni no Naruto ❯ Chapter 10

Heart no Kuni no Naruto by Sakura (aka L-sama no Miko)   Chapter 10             &ldqu o;I-I’m home,” came a nervous greeting from the blond as he cautiously made his way into the workshop. Sasori’s eyes bugged out at the sight before him. Naruto had a pair of reddish orange fox ears on the top of his head and matching paw gloves on his hands, which one was holding onto a bunch of balloons. A big fluffy white tipped tail of the same reddish orange color was strapped around his waist. “You look ridiculous,” the clock fixer said icily. “I told you he’d hate it, Gaara!!!” wailed Naruto, hiding his red face behind the paw gloves. “Must you be a stick in the mud?” groused Gaara, “Even you have to admit Naruto’s cute like this, even if it’s just a little silly. He did this for you, you know. He’s always saying that you hardly leave and you’re always grumpy.” Truthfully, the Mortician did think the blond was adorable dressed like that. But Sasori wasn’t about to admit that out loud, especially in front of others. “G-G-Gaara!!! Don’t tell him that!!!” the blond stuttered, trying to shove the redhead out the door. “Why not? I didn’t even work.” “J-J-Just shut it ok?! It’s nighttime anyway!” the petite blond said, noticing the now dark sky, and started shoving the reluctant cat boy harder. “Go home! I’ve gotta go to bed so good night, Gaara!” “Fine,” Gaara said a tad hurt, “I’ll see you later, Naruto.”   **********************************************   “Man, I can’t believe I let that crazy cat talk me into that!” Naruto grumbled yanking off the ears and tail – after removing the gloves of course. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea to wear this stuff outside the park.” “I admit, it wasn’t like you,” Sasori said, coming over to the now scotch taped table after getting some more coffee. “Yeah I know… that’s why I did it. I thought it’d make you laugh because it wasn’t like me.” “Use your brain next time,” the taller redhead said placing a cup of coffee before the boy, “You should have known by now that most people here have animal ears and tails. I’ve gotten used to their stupidity.” “Oh yeah. Forgot about that, heh, heh,” Naruto said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Geez I feel even more of a dobe now! Stupid ex! Why does he always have to be right?!” “Hey, Sasori,” he piped, finally noticing the shoddily repaired table, “what happened to the table? It’s all taped up.” “Nothing for you to concern yourself with,” the clock fixer replied, coolly, “a few distasteful things happened while you were out.” “What do you mean distasteful?” The blond was about to press further, then noticed that there were quite a bit more clocks on the redhead’s desk than before. “I’m really sorry for being gone so long, Sasori. I would’ve been here to help with those.” “I appreciate your offer,” the taller teen said, with a tiny smile, “But my work isn’t your responsibility.” “But I want it to be!!” protested Naruto, “I’m really don’t want to be a freeloader, Sasori! Let me help, please! I’m not even tired! I can stay up some more.” “Naruto…” Sasori began, Neji’s words running through his mind, “Did you have a good time at Lee’s?” “Yeah, I had a great time! Though there was that one ride…” “I suppose you’ll be moving over to the park then.” “Huh?! W-W-Where did that come from?!!” “Or you can move into the castle since you and Kakashi Hatake seem to have some kind of arrangement with his rabbit form.” “S-Sasori!!!” “Hear me out. Think about it, Naruto,” the clock maker said, his brown eyes focused intently on the boy. “you wouldn’t be feeling like a freeloader elsewhere. I know you’re the type that’s always has to be doing something and I can’t change that. But wouldn’t you feel easier staying at a territory that’s not so bogged down with work?” “Now you hear me out!!” yelled the shorter teen, slamming his hands down on Sasori’s desk and making several of the clocks to jump slightly, “Yeah, your work does creep me out a bit, but I’m comfortable here! There’s no way I’m gonna be moving out!! Believe it!” “Comfortable?” the Mortician parroted. He sighed and looked away from those expressive sapphire pools, “Itachi Uchiha was here a short while ago.” “He… he came here?!” “Yes. It appears that he wants you to live with him.” Naruto’s eyes bugged out and his mouth started moving, but no words came out. “M-Me?! Move in with him?!” he finally got out. “I suppose that makes you happy to know that he has so much interest in you,” Sasori said bitterly, “and I’m sure you’ve been thinking of him quite a lot.” “W-What the heck are you talking about, Sasori?!! Answer me, damn it!” “I’m doing what we all are trying to do. And that is make Naru-dear happy.” The clock fixer was silent for several moments as he continued to go over what the dream demon had told him not so long ago. “…do whatever you want, Naruto,” he said, coldly and going back to his work. “If you want to move out, fine, I won’t stop you. You don’t have to worry about the clocks any more. Decide where you’re happiest and live there.” “I… I don’t wanna move out. But maybe Sasori’s the one who’s uncomfortable with having someone stay with him. I should have been paying better attention to what the others were saying about him being the loner type.” “F-Fine,” Naruto said smiling shakily, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes, “I can take a hint.” A single tear dripped off his cheek and into his cup of coffee. “NO!!! It’s not that I’m staying here just because he didn’t say I couldn’t! I…” “I-I don’t want to live anywhere else!!!” Naruto shouted, tears falling freely from his cerulean depths now. “You’re the o-only one who r-really makes me feel safe!” Sasori gasped and stared at the weeping boy in shock. No one had ever told him that they would feel safe with him around. “You w-want me to choose, Sasori?! Then I choose to s-stay here!! T-That’s what I want! You happy now?!” “If that’s what you want…” the older teen said, totally flummoxed by the boy’s tears and barely controlled sobs. “Just stop crying.” “I-It doesn’t matter what I want does it?” Naruto asked, turning to the door, “I know you really don’t want me here, Sasori.” “No I don’t,” he said getting up and going over to him. “But you’re always…!!” Both teens got the shock of their lives when the stoic loner of a clock fixer crossed the short distance between the two and pulled the petite blond into an enormous bear hug. “I’m sorry Naruto,” the taller one whispered into his ear. “I never meant to make you cry. Besides, I… I can never figure out what to do when you cry.” “S-Sasori…” He didn’t know what to say. All Naruto could do was just let the Mortician hold him close. Oddly enough, the soft tick-tick-tick of Sasori’s heartbeat didn’t unnerve him as Sai’s had.   ******************************************   Meanwhile&hel lip;             Gaara strolled lazily through Tulgey wood. “Night was short this time,” he mused to no one in particular as the sky was now light again. “I hope Naruto got enough sleep. Hmm?” The cat boy paused and sniffed the air. “I smell blood.”           & nbsp; The Cheshire Cat felt his excitement rising with each step he took toward the source of the blood. Eventually he came upon a cloaked figure covered in blood a few feet up ahead and corpses strewn around him; the sword he’d been carrying dripping with the crimson substance as well.             Gaara gave an appreciative whistle at the carnage laid before his teal eyes. “What was all this about?” he asked curiously, his finger on the trigger of his gun. “Did you do all this?” “He’s wearing a cape. I’ve heard about him… but he smells very familiar.” “Who are you?”           &nb sp; The cloaked man turned around, an eerily fake smile on his masked face. “Hello there, kitty-cat,” he said with the same false cheer.             “I-It can’t be!” Gaara cried, as the Knight of Hearts removed the mask.             “Well if it isn’t the Cheshire Cat,” Sai said smiling dangerously.   *****************************************   Back at Sasori’s…         &nbs p;   “Uh… Sasori,” Naruto said, wincing slightly, “You’re kinda crushing me here, I can’t breathe.”            ;  The taller teen blinked then quickly released the blond, blushing heavily. “Sorry… are you feeling better now?”           &nb sp; “Y-Yeah. Thanks. But it was getting real hard to breathe with your jacket in my mouth.”           & nbsp; “What would you expect?” the clock fixer huffed, “I’m not exactly used to this… living with someone else. Your crying is really inconvenient.”              “I-Inconvenient?! Are you saying that you were trying to suffocate me on purpose?! S-Sasori you bastard!!” The tears that had finally stopped quickly returned, welling up at the corner of the smaller one’s eyes.             “N-Not again!!” Sasori cried horrified.           &nbs p; “Hmph! I ain’t gonna cry!” spat Naruto indignantly, “You’ll try to choke me again!!”              “Look, Naruto, I… I said things the wrong way. Just forget I even said anything. As for you staying here, I don’t have time for crybabies. But if you leaving here makes you cry, then don’t leave.”           & nbsp; “Um… okay. Thanks I think,” the blond said flummoxed. “I… I’m uh… gonna go take a nap. I’m beat.”           &n bsp; “Whatever,” the Mortician replied, sitting back at his desk, “Do what you want.”   ***********************************************   “Honestly,” grumbled Neji, “He’s such an idiot.” “I know,” Naruto replied, sitting on the gray wasteland, “I can’t even tell if Sasori’s really a nice guy or a stupid jerk half the time! But he wouldn’t be Sasori if I could right?” Neji couldn’t help smiling at that. “It’s a waste actually.” “A waste?” parroted the blond. “If Sasori has feelings for you, he should just come out and say it. Who knows you two might actually work out if you got together.” “W-W-W-What?!!!” sputtered Naruto blushing profusely, “T-T-T-There’s nothing like that with Sasori ‘n’ me!!! Yeah he’s nice to me… most of the time, but that doesn’t mean he likes me! I like the guy, but only as a friend! In fact I think all of you guys are my friends too. Now that I know ya a bit better, there’s a lots of stuff I like about you guys…. well maybe not those two.” The blond shuddered slightly as visions of Itachi and Kakashi ran though his head. “Anyway, ya don’t have to be in love to have a relationship with someone. I like making friends. So that means I like ya too, Neji.” The dream demon stared at the younger teen nonplussed for several minutes before choking and coughing up blood. “Hey! You okay?” Naruto shouted, dashing over to the now kneeling brunet and fussing over him. “I-I’m… fine,” the dream demon coughed, “it’s just… you made me happy. You seem to be fitting in here quite well, Naru-dear. You’ve made friends, have fun with them. Do you still want to leave Wonderland, now that you’re beginning to find a place here?” “W-What are you talking about Neji?! Of course I want to go home! I… I have to go home! That’s why I’m having so much fun here. I’m not going to stay here forever, so I’m trying to make my time here worth it.” “…I see,” Neji said, sitting next to him. “How typical of you to say something like that, Naru-dear.”   ************************************************ & nbsp; Back with Gaara and Sai…           &nb sp; “So that’s how it is,” the Cheshire Cat said, never taking his eyes off the hooded Knight of Hearts, nor his gun, “You’re doing Sasori’s work. Don’t you already have a job? I won’t tell your mistress about this though, it’s pointless. She’d never get rid of you even if I did tell. Why bother with all this? It’s no secret you hate your real job, but you can’t escape from it. None of us can.”           &nb sp; “I am well aware of that,” Sai said, finally lowering his hood. “That’s the rules of this world. So it’s pretty much pointless for me to wear this mask and cape, since no one can see me unless I am doing my proper duty.”           &n bsp; “Pathetic,” Gaara muttered, coldly, “I was curious about that masked guy in a cape and wanted to find him so I could have a bit of fun. I’ve found him, but I’m no longer interested. I’ll play with you the next time I sneak into the castle, Knight of Hearts.” The cat boy then turned and started to walk away.             “You’re right of course,” Sai replied, “it won’t matter if anyone sees me like this. At any rate, I can’t loiter around here; I still have to get back to the Clock Tower.”           & nbsp; “Now?”          &n bsp;  The taller brunet raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you understood. I am helping out there after all.”           &nb sp; “I meant, you’re going looking like that?”        &nb sp;    “So what if ‘roles’ can be replaced, people can’t Sai!” Naruto’s previous words ran through the knight’s mind.             “Take that stuff off, it’ll scare, Naruto,” the Cheshire Cat growled, his teal eyes narrowing dangerously.           &n bsp; “Naruto?” Sai parroted, “He already knows. He didn’t freak out or anything like that. In fact, he was typically Naruto. He gave me quite the scolding, told me not to kill even if someone was trying to kill me.” Gaara stared in astonishment.           & nbsp; “You scum!” hissed the shorted redhead, frumious at the memory of finding the traumatized blond in the hedge maze, “You killed in front of him didn’t you?! How could you do that to him! Naruto isn’t like us! He values life!”           &n bsp; “As an outsider, he is entitled to his opinion,” the Knight of Hearts drawled, smiling cheesily. “But it won’t change the way things are in this world. It won’t change just because he showed up.”           &nbs p; Gaara said nothing, just lowered his head and looked away.             “My my, looks like you’ve fallen for him, kitty cat,” Sai smiled cheesily, “It’s interesting that you all are always fussing over Naru-kun like this. So interesting, that I’ve got an idea. I think I’ll kill him, and watch what happens next. There’s no rule against killing outsiders, so why not try it?”           &nbs p; The Cheshire Cat growled and hissed, his hair standing straight up. The irate redhead raised his gun and aimed it at the now leaving brunet. “I WON’T LET YOU HARM HIM!!!” he snarled.   ~TBC~     Sakura: I know, I know. I’m an evil little you-know-what. ^_^   Tobi: Tobi’s not as scary as you nee-chan. Tobi would never force Tobi’s parents to listen to that reeeeeaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyy scary Smurfs record. Nope, nope. Tobi’s a good boy!   Dei: Yeah, that thing’s pure evil, un!!   Sakura: Hey!!! I was a just a kid back then! Lay off!! ‘Sides I loooooove Smurfs!!! They’re sooooo cute!!!   Xellos: And they say I’m the twisted one. ^_^   Sakura: Et tu, Xel?!!! T_T   Sasuke: Well, at least she doesn’t have it anymore.   Kakashi: Thank goodness for that. ^_\   Sakura: Oh I wouldn’t say that just yet. ^_^   Sasori: You didn’t….!!   Sakura: ^_^   Kakashi: Oh sweet kami, she did!! 0_\   Oro: Good thing I had Kabuto tell you where to download it then?   Sakura: Yep. Thanks Oro-sama! I’ve missed that thing!!! I looooooove broadband. Anyhoo, lemme know what you think ppl.