Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Heart no Kuni no Naruto ❯ Chapter 12

Heart no Kuni no Naruto by Sakura (aka L-sama no Miko)   Chapter 12               ; “You’re going out, Sasori?” a rather blood soaked Sai asked as the clock fixer approached the tower’s entrance.             ; “Obviously,” the redhead quipped. “So you’ve finished the job I gave you.”           &nb sp; “Yes. I was able to get what you sent me for.”           &nb sp; “You’ll have to wait. We have an injured cat staying here at the moment and unfortunately he needs a doctor.”              “Lee’s cat? Injured?” parroted the slightly shorter brunet.             “Yes. Naruto is with him right now. I’ll be back so you’ll have to let yourself in,” Sasori said, leaving the tower and heading for the village.             “Don’t mind if I do,” the Knight of Hearts said, grinning.             ; Spying the trail of blood droplets, Sai headed deep into the tower, stopping only when he spotted a larger pool of blood and Gaara’s boa still lying in front of a door. “Naru-kun’s probably in here,” the brunet assumed, “if that was really where that cat was headed.”          &n bsp;  Placing one hand on his sword he opened the door, causing the blond sitting by the bed on the other side to start and whirl around.             “Sai..” Naruto said, nervously and doing his best to keep Gaara from the knight’s line of sight.             “Hello, Naru-kun,” he said smiling with his usual fake one, “Is something the matter, you seem to be nervous about something.” Naruto gulped. He found he couldn’t say anything. “Oh, I see the Cheshire Cat beat me here,” Sai said, peering at the unconscious Gaara over the blond’s shoulder. “For an injured person, he’s pretty good. I left for the tower before him, this place isn’t easy to find, you know.”           &n bsp; “Says the guy with no sense of direction,” Naruto muttered to himself.             “Sai…” the blond said, getting up from the chair and approaching the still bloody knight. “You did that to Gaara didn’t you?”           &nb sp; “Yes, I did,” Sai admitted flat out, “He was very frumious with me for saying that I wanted to kill you. Frumious enough to actually point his gun at me. But what I don’t get is that he said that you’d be sad if I died, so he didn’t shoot me. That was stupid of him to lower his guard like that. It shocked me so much that I ran him through.” Naruto was about to protest but a quick glance to the partially drawn sword made the boy take a step back and keep quiet. “But Gaara-kun’s not the only one acting strange. Everyone is. All of those you’ve spent time with have changed. Kakashi-san… the Hatter… even Sasori. They’ve all changed ever since you came here. I told you once before, I thought I could change too if I stayed with you, but I haven’t. Not one bit. And that makes me feel more lost than ever now. Do you think I’m capable of changing like the rest, Naru-kun?” “Sai… D-Do you… really want to change? Queen Sakura told me, you want to quit your job no matter what it is.” “I’m already a traitor to her majesty by working for Sasori,” the Knight of Hearts said smiling cheesily, “That’s why I wear this ridiculous mask and cape. It’s against the rules.  But that’s only symbolic. Queen Sakura is well aware of what I am doing, but acts as if nothing is going on. In fact she won’t let me quit. As long as I’m dressed like this, she refuses to see me. Only when I’m acting as the Knight of Hearts does she acknowledge me. But… I’ve been thinking…” He then raised the sword’s scabbard and pointed it at the still nervous and stunned blond. The sheath glowed and morphed into a machine gun, Sai’s finger resting lightly on the trigger. “Something just might really change if I killed you, Naru-kun. Everyone here likes you, so I wonder. What will happen if I killed their beloved outsider?” “You won’t do it,” Naruto said solemnly as he stared down the weapon’s barrel, “If you were really gonna kill me, ya would’ve done it the second you walked in here. Now put that thing away, Sai. I know you don’t really mean this. Hurting people as your answer to everything isn’t right! You’ve gotta stop this!” Sai stared at the blond more confused than shocked and slowly lowered the gun, but did not put it away. “Do you think like that because your life can’t be replaced?” he asked, “I’ve always believed that swords and guns only existed to be used. I truly don’t understand you, Naru-kun.” “That makes two of us, pal. I just don’t get this place at all. How you all can just throw away your lives like that. I don’t get how you think Sai. I guess that means that neither of us gets it.” “It would seem so,” the older teen replied, smiling ruefully. “Can’t we just leave things as they are, Sai? It looks like to me that you’re the one who goes way out of his way to get lost. The guy who’s always happy no matter where he winds up, that’s the Sai I know.” The Knight of Hearts gave a bitter chuckle. “So nothing’s going to change is it? No matter, I really don’t mind. I suppose I don’t have to kill you after all.” “Phew!” Naruto said, inwardly giving a sigh of relief. “Oh, by the way, I wasn’t having doubts about doing it. I just wanted to talk first. And I’m still not sure what would have happened if you died; I’m still interested in finding out. But I won’t do it,” he said finally putting away the gun, “If I had, I would never get to listen to your heartbeat again.” The blond couldn’t help blushing at the memory of the night he’d been forced to spend with Sai out in the Tulgey Wood. “I’d very much like to hear it again. So how about a deal, Naru-kun? I won’t kill you if you go camping with me again sometime and you let me listen to your heart.” “I-It doesn’t have to be in the tent again does it?” the shorter blond asked, blushing as the memory of that night continued to plague his mind. Sai just gave him a cryptic fake smile. “Fine. J-Just don’t kill me.” “I said I wouldn’t Naru-kun, and I mean it this time.” “…um Sasori’s probably on his way back by now,” Naruto stammered, anxiously. “I really should be heading back to the castle now,” Sai said turning to leave, “We’ve been pretty busy lately over there. Tell Sasori about the clocks I left on his desk will you?” “You got it, Sai,” Naruto said, rather relieved at the older boy’s retreat. “GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!!” snarled Gaara jumping up to a sitting position. “Gaara! You’re awake!” Naruto cried, rushing over to his feline friend. “Hello there, Gaara,” the Knight of Hearts said, the ever present fake smile plastered on his face. “You filthy…!” the irate Cheshire Cat snatched the pair of scissors that Naruto had placed nearby the bandages and started to leap out of bed. “Gaara don’t!!!!” shouted Naruto. The cat boy yowled in pain as the sudden action irritated his chest wound, causing him to stumble to his knees on the floor. “H-He… wants to kill… you Naruto,” he panted, still clutching the scissors. “It’s okay, Gaara! Really. Sai said he doesn’t want to kill me anymore. So…” The Cheshire Cat eyed the knight suspiciously as he continued to smile cheesily. “See it’s just fine now. So don’t push yourself kitty cat.” “You have got to be kidding me,” growled Gaara, still eyeing the brunet warily. “Oh believe me Gaara-kun. I was deadly serious that time. But I’ve changed my mind now.” “’You’ve changed your mind’?!” hissed the Cheshire Cat, his fur and hair standing on end, “Why don’t I believe you?” “I suggest that you do, kitty cat. If I did kill him, I’d never be able to listen to his chest anymore.” “His chest?!” parroted the redhead, eyes wide as saucers. “S-S-Shut up, Sai!!” stammered the shortest of the three, blushing profusely. “Don’t you want to know what his heart sounds like? You have to put your ear to his chest to do it, you know.” “You… let that… thing touch your chest?!” “I-I-I-It w-w-w-wasn’t like that Gaara!!! H-H-He j-j-j-just did it without askin’!!!” “Well, you did promise to let me do it again.” “I. Did. Not!!!!” the blond shouted, snatching the scissors from the Cheshire Cat and brandished them before him. “Now shut it or I’ll stab ya!!” Suddenly, Gaara lunged and grabbed the wrist of the arm holding the scissors. “Gaara?!” “…It’s not fair,” he griped. With the grace and speed all felines have, he grabbed the stunned blond’s other wrist and shoved the boy to the floor, his knees on either side of Naruto’s waist. “G-G-G-Gaara!!! W-W-W-W-What are you...?!” The redhead scooted downwards so his head would be in line with the blond’s chest. “I want to hear your heart too, Naruto.” “He’s really gonna do it,” Sai mused, still smiling as the cat boy’s head got ever closer. “S-Sai!! This is all your fault teme!!! Get ‘im offa me!! NOW!!!” Naruto demanded, struggling against Gaara’s advances. “Actually, Naru-kun, I’d like to join in.” “You had your turn!!!” snarled Gaara, a most agonizing and painful death promised in his teal eyes should the knight come any closer. “You really must learn to share, Gaara-kun,” Sai chided, taking a tiny step forward. “THIS ISN’T FUNNY GUYS!!! NOW GET OFF GAARA!!!” “Oh Naruuuuuu-chan!!!!” Kakashi’s voice sing-songed as the door to Naruto’s room opened, “I’ve got a present for… you?!” The Prime Minister’s visible eye nearly fell out of its socket at the sight before him. On the floor, lay his beloved blond with not only one, but two men hovering over him veeeeeerrryyy closely. Gaara was still straddling Naruto and holding onto one of the now still blond’s wrists while during the struggling, Sai had somehow managed to get hold of the other one. All in all, it was a veeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyy questionable position the boy had found himself in. “Uh…” Gaara began. “Oh,” Sai finished for him. “What. Is going on here?” Kakashi inquired, the icy tone of his voice could have frozen all of hell itself. “Boy! Am I glad to see you Kakashi!!!!” Naruto cried in relief at the prospect of being saved. The White Rabbit had his pistol in his hand and had aimed it at the nearest Wonderlander before any of them could do or say anything. “Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. Him. NOW!! Unless you wish to die of course.”  He fired a warning shot just above Sai’s hand, making the knight release Naruto. “Easy Kakashi-san,” Sai said holding up his hands in surrender, “We were only trying to get at his chest.” “His chest?!!!” Kakashi’s eye narrowed in disgust and fury. “So you do want to die!” The frumious silver haired man then shot a volley of seemingly endless bullets at the Knight of Hearts, which of course Sai dodged easily. “Gaara-kun’s just a guilty you know,” he said as he continued to evade the hailstorm of deadly projectiles. “I’ll deal with him when I’m done with you.” “Guys?” Naruto called, finally free of Gaara’s grip, for the Cheshire Cat had also been dodging the myriad ricocheting bullets. “Guys?! WILL YA QUIT IT ALREADY AND SIT DOWN!!!!” the blond bellowed on the top of his lungs when they repeatedly ignored him. At the hollered command, Kakashi paused in mid shot and sat on the nearest thing, Naruto’s bed. Sai had dropped down onto the floor while Gaara basically stayed where he’d originally been by the bed. “Geez, can’t you three behave for once?! You’re like a bunch of Iruka-sensei’s students!!! Now just what the heck did you come here for, Kakashi?” Naruto groused, crossing his arms. “Oh yes, that!” the White Rabbit put away his pistol and rummaged through his pockets. Once he’d located what he was looking for, he produced a rather expensive looking envelope with an equally expensive looking seal affixed to it. “Sorry this is so late, Naru-chan. I wanted to make sure you got this myself.” “A-A letter?” “It’s an invitation,” the silver haired man replied, “To the ball.” “W-What ball?” Naruto didn’t like the sound of that. He always did hate fancy parties where everyone was made to wear fancy, stuffy, and reeeeaaaaaalllllly uncomfortable clothes. “Is it that time of year already?” Gaara asked. “It certainly is. Now if you don’t mind, I need to escort Naru-chan to the castle so he can properly prepare.” “H-Hey!! Don’t just ignore me here!” the blond grumbled as Kakashi went off into his own personal dreamland. “You know you can’t do that, Kakashi-san,” Sai said, “We have to get the place set up first, or have you forgotten.” “The others can do it, now stay out of this, boy.” “Kakashi-san, please use your head. You know how her majesty gets if we try to get out of ball preparations.” “I have to admit, you’re right, but…” there was a poof and the Prime Minister had shrunk to his hard to resist rabbit form and leapt into Naruto’s waiting arms, “I must stay with Naru-chan!” “Is that how you’re going to play it?” Sai asked, smiling and grabbing Kakashi’s ears, “You know I’ll just carry you since you’re like this now.” “Let him go, Sai! Can’t you see it’s hurting him!” Naruto scolded as the Knight of Hearts began to carry Kakashi by his ears. “Oh! I see you like him now because he’s all fluffy and cute. But don’t forget, he’s still the big, lazy, perverted Kakashi-san. You can let him stay and cling to you if you really want Naru-kun, but if you do, there might not even be a party so you’ll just have to spend the whole time with him.” The shortest of the males blanched at the images of Kakashi clinging to him every waking moment currently playing over and over in his head. “Fine! Take him!” he said, shuddering. “Gladly.” “No!! Naaaaaaruuuuuuu-chaaaaaaannnnnnnn!!!” rabbit Kakashi squealed as Sai continued to carry Heart Castle’s Prime Minister out of the room and down the tower stairs.     ***************************************************** *   A couple hours later…           & nbsp; “He’s out of danger,” Sasori said, returning to his workshop.             ; “So is the doc finished?” Naruto asked, placing down the invitation he’d read for the umpteenth time.             “Yes. Gaara’s sleeping now. Though I think you might have been exaggerating if he was able to move about so much. Not to mention I’m even more behind in my work now.”           &nb sp; “Thanks Sasori,” Naruto said beaming at the redhead.             “Hmph. Sai left to prepare for the ball?” he asked, getting back to work at his desk.             “Yeah. And Kakashi gave me an invitation,” Naruto replied, holding up the expensive piece of parchment. “So um… if it’s at the castle does that mean that Queen Sakura’s hosting it? I mean she doesn’t look the type to do stuff like that.”           &n bsp; “True she is rather prone to violence,” Sasori replied, “It is still her duty to entertain people from time to time. It’s one of the rules. Also that invitation is just a formality. You can go to the ball whether you have it or not. Everyone is invited and is treated as equals during times like that.”           &n bsp; “Ok, I get the duty and formality stuff, but does that mean her enemies are invited too?”           &nb sp; “Yes, but since they are guests, they are under the obligation to behave… not that they always do.”           &nbs p; “Are you going, Sasori? Eh-heh forget I asked, I know you’ve got tons…”          & nbsp;  “In spite of the current back log,” interrupted Sasori, “my presence at such occasions is mandatory.”          &nb sp;  “Gee, that’s pretty weird. Why’s there forced attendance for a party? A meeting or school I can understand, but…”          &n bsp;  “Go to the ball,” suggested the clock fixer, “since you’re so confused. You’ll find your answers there.”           & nbsp; “That’s just it, Sasori,” Naruto said, glancing at the invitation again, “I really don’t feel like going. ‘Sides a mandatory ball doesn’t sound much like a party to me.” “Tho’ I wonder if Itachi will be there?”   ~TBC~     Sakura: Ooooh is someone falling for a certain Hatter? Not that I blame him.   Crow: Hey! Quit drooling all over my computer!! Do ya know how hard it is to find parts around here?!   Sakura: Oops! Sorry Crow-chan! I just can’t help myself whenever Ita’s concerned.   Jack: So we’ve noticed.   Sakura: Oh shut it Jackie! You’re just jealous he’s muuuuch better looking than you!   Jack: Am not!   Yusei: Don’t even think of starting anything you two.   Sakura: (pouts) Killjoy. Anyhoo, lemme know what you think folks. Oh yeah, the voting’s still going on so, keep the votes coming folks! And may the best bishie win!   Kiryu: That would be me of course.   Sakura: Ki-koi!! You’re not even in this thing!!!