Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Heart no Kuni no Naruto ❯ Chapter 11

Heart no Kuni no Naruto by Sakura (aka L-sama no Miko)   Chapter 11               ; “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.             The gun went off, missing the slightly taller teen. “And just where were you aiming?” the Knight of Hearts quipped, giving him his patented false smile. “You didn’t even graze me. If you truly wish to kill me… you should aim here,” he continued, placing a hand over his ‘heart’. “Or don’t you want to, kitty cat?”           &nb sp; Gaara did want to get rid of that annoying man. With him out of the way, he’d have more of a chance with the adorable outsider. But would Naruto really want him to do such a thing? Sighing, the Cheshire Cat lowered his weapon.             “This is new,” Sai said still smiling that disgustingly cheesy grin. “I thought you were going to protect Naru-kun from big bad me. You two would have made a good couple, yet you gave up… just like that.”           &n bsp; “Oh I see now,” the brunet continued, “You realize this game will go on with or without him, so why bother protect an outsider. Is that it?”           &nbs p; “You’re wrong.”           & nbsp; “Oh?”          &nb sp;  “I’d just make Naruto cry if I killed you,” the cat boy replied.             Sai gave a mirthless laugh. “Surely you are joking. Naru-kun wouldn’t cry for me; we aren’t lovers after all. On top of that, I can always be replaced.”          &nbs p;  “I know, and you know. But either of us dying would still make him cry,” retorted Gaara. “I did try to explain things, but Naruto said that I could never truly be replaced. I’m sure he feels the same about the rest of us. That’s why I can’t kill you. Naruto knows you.”           &nb sp; The brunet gave a wry chuckle. “Your killing me will make Naru-kun cry? But if you don’t kill me, I could still kill him. How like one of your riddles Cheshire Cat. How can you save the boy? Let me break his heart or break his neck?”           &n bsp; “NEITHER!” growled the cat boy, raising his gun once more, “I may not be able to kill you, but I will stop you!” He fired the gun one more time, this time aiming for the Knight’s legs.             “Who knew you were such a romantic?” jeered Sai, “But you know; you can’t stop an elite swordsman by aiming for his legs.” With lightning speed born of years of practice and training, the Knight of Hearts drew his sword and slashed at the Cheshire Cat’s gun arm. The blade went snicker-snack and severed he gun from the chain connected to Gaara’s collar, then sent it flying toward him. Sai then used his sword like a hook and jammed the tip into one of the chain links, jerking the metal stick back towards himself. The shorter redhead was pulled along by the momentum and fell face down onto the forest ground. “You really should stop being so naïve. I’m getting annoyed enough as it is with Naru-kun,” the brunet said, stepping on the weapon. “So now, I guess I’ll have to kill you both. Sayonara, neko-chan!” Gaara groaned as the Knight of Hearts raised his sword, holding the weapon with both hands and pointing it downwards. The Cheshire Cat groped desperately for his gun and thankfully was able to wrench it from under the other teen’s foot. With the speed all cats had, the redhead raised the gun and fired, this time grazing the Knight’s upper right arm. However, Sai had already struck the cat boy in the chest. Gaara’s last ditch effort had caused the sword’s aim to be off just enough for it to be not fatal. Sai had missed his heart by mere millimeters. Also it had given him the distraction needed to get away. For just as Sai had turned his head to examine his injury, the cat boy made an adrenaline fueled leap into the bushes along the side of the road. “Tch. He escaped,” the knight grumbled, “He’s fast, I’ll give him that. Well, I’d better head back to the tower anyway.”   *******************************************   &n bsp;           Gaara gave a pained yelp as he attempted to staunch the blood flow with just one hand. “That bastard had to aim for the vital spots did he?” he hissed, “Now Naruto’s gonna get mad at me again.” Teal eyes widened as he watched the taller brunet from his hiding spot. The idiot was heading in the wrong direction! “I should have known,” Gaara grumbled to himself.             Breathing a small sigh of relief, the cat boy started to get up, groaning and wincing slightly as he shakily got to his feet; his hand still pressed tightly to the wound. “Since he’s always getting lost, I can get to the tower before he does,” he said forcing himself onto the forest path. “I’ve got to get to Naruto!”   ***********************************************   ;             Meanwhile, a certain blond cutie was slumbering peacefully, sprawled out on his nice comfy bed when a series of creaks, clanks, and thunks woke him up. “S-Sasori?” he called, groggily, still half asleep. There was another thunk for a reply, a much louder and closer one. “Is it a customer?” the boy wondered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and getting out of bed.             Upon opening the door, he gave an ‘eep’ in shock. Lying on the floor in front of his room with his clothes all torn and slashed up was…           &nb sp; “Gaara!!”           ;   Seeing that the Cheshire Cat was hurt badly, Naruto rushed to his friend’s side and began to gingerly roll the redhead onto his back “Are you okay?!” he asked, sapphire gems hardening at the blood matted crop top.             “N-Naru…” Gaara mewled plaintively.           &n bsp; “What happened?!” the blond demanded, “What the heck were you doing to get so hurt?!”           & nbsp; “S-Sorry, Naruto…” he replied weakly, “I broke my promise… to be careful… I’m sorry I made you… angry.”           & nbsp; “I’m not just angry!” shouted Naruto, “I’m worried sick! You stay put, I’m gonna go find a doctor or something!”          &nb sp;  As he was about to get up, Gaara used every bit of strength he could to latch on to the smaller teen’s arm. “Y… You can’t!” he panted, “It’s too… dangerous. “The Knight… of Hearts…” The Cheshire Cat gave out a pained cough then promptly passed out.             “Gaara!! Hey! Gaara!!” Naruto cried frantically, “W-W-What about Sai?! Come on! Get up! Gaara!!”   ***************************************************** *******   Meanwhile at the Hatter’s…         &nbs p;   The current head of the Hatter yakuza was enjoying a nice relaxing bath in the mansion’s pool sized marble tub, well it would have been relaxing if it weren’t for a certain pair of twins and a hair triggered hare.             “Hey lookit, otouto!” Tobi squealed behind his orange swirled mask – he rarely took it off – as he dumped one of the many vases of flowers into the far side of the tub.             “Cool Tobi-nii!” Obito said, watching the blooms start to float and spread about.             “I bet that’ll make it reeeeeaalllll hard for the maids to clean up now!” the masked twin squealed in mischievous glee.             “Yep, they’ll get caught in the drains and stuff!” the younger twin added conspiratorially.          &nb sp;  “And it’s funny ‘cause we’re not the ones who’ll have to do it!” The twins laughed raucously at their nasty little trick on the poor house staff.             “For the love of…!” muttered Deidara, chewing on a carrot sandwich. “Why don’t ya two drown yourselves while you’re at it, un! How can I relax with ya carryin’ on over there, un?! I really don’t need this! Not after the week I’ve had, un!”           &nbs p; “Deidara-san’s drunk!” teased Tobi.             “Hey, get lost drunk rabbit!” Obito added, not liking having their playtime interrupted.           &n bsp; “I was here first, un! You brats get out! I’m older so I get to stay, un!”           &nbs p; “First in has to be first out!” the masked twin whined.             “You don’t want your brain to melt if you stay any longer, bunny!”           & nbsp; “What did you say, un?!”           &nb sp; “That’s enough,” came Itachi’s calm voice, the barest tinge of annoyance coloring it as he sipped his sake, “It’s bad enough there’s four men in the bath, must you make it worse?”           & nbsp; “Oi! Ya heard the boss, un!” the March Hare shouted, jumping up, splashing the yakuza head.             “Deidara,” the raven haired man chided in warning, “yelling at them isn’t making it any quieter. Sit down.”           &n bsp; “Boss Itachi’s right,” Tobi piped, “It’s no fun washing with a bunch of geezers!”            ;  “We’d rather wash up with the nice nii-chan than the dumb chickie rabbit and his dumbbrain, ne Tobi-nii?”          &nbs p;  “W-With Naruto, un?!” sputtered the blond rabbit man. He started to blush heavily as images of a certain blond outsider wearing nothing but a towel came to mind, “Bathing… with Naruto, un…”           ;   “H-Hey! Aren’t ya two a bit young for that?! Ya perverted brats, un!” Deidara yelled, jumping back up again. “W-What were ya thinking of doin’ after bathin’ with… with…”          & nbsp;  “Hey, why’re you all red, Deidara-san?” the older twin asked curiously, “We didn’t say anything.”          &nbs p;  “Yeah!” piped the younger of the two, “We still kids! You’re the one’s who a perv! We just wanna play pirates ‘n’ stuff with the nii-chan.”          &nbs p;  “Deidara-san’s a dumb pervy rabbit!!”            ;  “Pervy dummy rabbit!”              “W-What?!” sputtered the March Hare, crossing his arms uffishly, “I would never make anyone do somethin’ they wouldn’t like, un! ‘Sides I’d only bathe with Nauto-kun if he’d wanted to… but he’d probably wouldn’t, un.”           &nbs p; “Hn,” the yakuza boss interjected, as he took another sip of sake, “I wouldn’t think that, Deidara. That little kitsune isn’t as innocent as you’d think.”           & nbsp; “What makes ya say that Itachi, un?” he asked, sitting back down.             “I’m certain Naruto-kun would have no problem jumping right in with all of us here.”           &n bsp; “Ya think so?”           &nbs p; “Why not? He seems to excel at seducing any man he runs into,” Itachi replied, smirking maliciously.           &n bsp; Deidara stared at his friend and employer. Just what was going on with him? He knew something had to have happened between the outsider boy and the Hatter, but Itachi was being even more close lipped than ever. Plus it wasn’t like him to make such malicious comments, true or otherwise, about others; Itachi rarely expressed interest in anyone or anything.             ; “Say, when do you think the nii-chan will come play with us again?” Tobi asked, interrupting the March Hare’s musing.             “Yeah,” Obito added, “We never get ‘nuff time to play, Tobi-nii. And he hasn’t come back since the last time.”           &n bsp; “…Naruto was crying then, un. When he was in your room, un.”           &nbs p; “Boss Itachi made the nii-chan cry?!” both twins cried in surprise.             ; “Just what went on between ya that day, Itachi?” the blond rabbit man demanded.             ; “…I’m done here, Deidara,” the raven haired man said, placing his cup on the floating tray and getting out of the tub, “I’ve been soaking long enough. Now if you have enough time to poke into my private affairs, then you have time to leave here and get back to work.” With that, the Hatter strode through the bathroom door, slamming it.             “Boss Itachi got in a bad mood,” Tobi noted.             “Yeah,” Obito agreed, “Stupid chickie rabbit made him mad!”           &nb sp; “…Ita.”   ***************************************** **************************                       &n bsp;  A couple hours later, Itachi Uchiha strolled through the roses in the forbidden part of the Hatter’s garden. “I saw you, you womanizer! You were with Queen Sakura in the rose garden!” Naruto’s previous words running through his head, “Y-Y-Ya g-g-gon…na kill… the qu..een next… ‘cause… y-y-you l-l-lo…ove her?”            ;  “Hn. Love her, eh?” he whispered, fingering the petals of one of the copious scarlet blooms.             “Evenings are truly the best, aren’t they?” Itachi turned around. The Queen of Hearts was standing there, her hands behind her back as she stared up at the twilight sky. A gentle, wistful smile was on her lovely face. “The red of the evening sky is like blood and it calms my heart.”           & nbsp; Both role holders stood there silently for several moments, neither finding the need to say anything, content with watching the evening sky. “These gorgeous roses you’ve raised,” Sakura started, gently cupping a delicate rose nearby, “are like an eternal evening here on the ground. They are really beautiful. In fact this is the most wonderful garden of all.”           &nb sp; “Of course it is,” Itachi said, without a single hint of pride or arrogance in his tone, “I did all I could to make it perfect. Just so you could be happy.” He gently cupped the queen’s cheek, “They bloom for no one but you.”   ******************************************************** **               ;           “I hope I did it right,” Naruto whispered as he cut the last bit of gauze. Gaara was now lying on his bed after much struggling to get the still unconscious Cheshire Cat off the floor and into the blond’s room. “Geez… why did Sasori have to go out? I hope he gets back soon, he’ll know how to fix ya up Gaara. I know it! But… what was it you were trying to tell me?”           &nbs p; “It’s too… dangerous. “The Knight… of Hearts…” The Cheshire Cat gave out a pained cough then promptly passed out.              ;    “Wait! If Sai’s the Knight of Hearts, does that mean that he did this to Gaara?! But why did ya come here instead of gettin’ help? It kinda sounded ya were warning me about Sai.” The blond jumped out of the chair he’d placed by the bed, half expecting to see the slightly taller brunet ready to attack him right there and then.             “Hey! Get a hold of yourself, Uzumaki!” he scolded, “I’m not thinking right here! I mean I’ve hung out with Sai a bunch of times and he hadn’t… but he’s been acting weird, well weirder than usual, lately.”              Naruto wrapped his arms around himself as he began to remember the last time he’d been with the Knight of Hearts; the amount of violence and bloodshed he’d witnessed as the brunet cold bloodedly fought a group of faceless men.             A knocking on the bedroom door snapped the boy back to the here and now, “Naruto?” came Sasori’s voice, “I’m coming in.”           &nbs p; “Oh! Sasori!” the shorter boy cried, running over to the taller redhead as he entered the room. “Boy am I glad to see you! I’ve got a bit of an emergency!”          &nb sp;  “Let me guess,” Sasori said, eyeing the figure on Naruto’s bed warily, “It’s got to do with that cat on your bed.”           &nb sp; “Um… ya see…”          &n bsp;  “I saw the mess out in the hall. I know Gaara’s more than capable of taking care of himself, unless he was fighting someone with elite skills.”              “Um… I really wanna get a doctor, but I can’t just leave Gaara like this.”           &n bsp; “Fine. I’ll get the doctor. He didn’t make an appointment so I don’t want him dying in my tower just yet.” The clock fixer then turned to leave.             “Sasori!” called Naruto, worry coloring his voice, “…um be careful, ‘k?” The Mortician glanced quizzically over his shoulder at the boy. “I mean… you uh… might run into the creep who did that to him.”           &nb sp; “I am fully aware of that Naruto. I’ll be back.”           &n bsp; And without another glance, Sasori left, closing the door behind him as he passed through.   ~TBC~   Hooboy! Is this some ride or what folks? Will Gaara make it? Will Sasori fetch the doc without trouble? And what is Sakura to Itachi?! Are they the new ‘it’ couple?!   Gimme lots of reviews and all of these questions will be answered next chapter… maybe. Mwahahahaha!!!   Marik: And they said I was sadistic.   Sakura: Shut it Ishtar! I’m still reading the manga here so not even I know what’s gonna happen yet! 8P