Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Let Go of My Heart ❯ Hello Mr. Panda! ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Let go of my heart
Rating: PG-13 for swearing and such. Rating may go up in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Are you serious? Okay. I don't own Naruto. If I did...Gaara would have kissed Lee by now. The SasuNaru is so evident there would be no point in tweaking it, but the GaaraLee evidence could be more. Besides, Gaara needs some serious hugs.
Author's Note: This chapter is mainly flashbackish. This fic is definitely going to be SasuNaru it's just going to take a while, so hold your horses. The pleasure is always better if you build up to it! <3
Summary: Naruto went to college to get away from the pricks. Unfortunately, he now has to face a bigger prick than ever before...his roommate Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto can only hope he can make it through his sophomore year without killing the stuck up bastard.

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//* Denotes Flashback

*// Denotes End Flashback

 

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After he was done abusing the red-head's shower Naruto moved silently through the bedroom in his attempt to not awaken the slumbering couple. He opened the door to the living area as slowly as possible giving himself a good impression of The Tell-Tale Heart. After recovering from the shiver he slowly shut the door. He was just starting out the door when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Gaara's laptop. As a second thought he knew he should check his student email to see if his Speech teacher had received his essay that he had emailed to the man.

 

After a quick scan he noticed that his teacher had not replied, he had a new Myspace comment, had won a free trip to Disneyland, and an email with the title of his philosophy class in the subject line. It was a short and sweet letter from his professor just apologizing for being unable to come to class this evening, reminding everyone what chapter to read, and wishing them all a good weekend.

 

The blonde was without the ability to speak. He, Naruto, was actually receiving a stroke of good luck on the day that usually led to nothing but catastrophe. Before his mind could even let him have a sigh of relief he felt the familiar tightening of his gut and the pounding of his head. this startling stroke of good luck could only mean one thing. . .whatever laid behind that thick metal door was far more sinister and evil then a tedious philosophy class.

 

His cerulean eyes were now wide with panic. He knew it wasn't possible but he couldn't stop thinking that as soon as he would walk outside an anvil would fall from the sky, like in one of the old cartoons. Or worse. . .Sakura would be waiting with one of her overly zealous butch punches for something he had done. He knew he could just stay in the apartment but what if an airplane crashed into the building? He didn't want Gaara, Lee, or other innocents to be harmed because of his unnatural bad luck. Well…Uchiha was usually an exception but even now he didn't want to poison the boy with his bad luck.

 

Naruto's eyes were wide with panic now as they diverted between the two doors. His mind was frantically trying to pick the best course of action, weighing the pros and cons of each, his heart pounding faster and faster as his eyes threatened to roll back into his head. The little room began to spin as the door to the bedroom opened up revealing a very wide eyed and grumpy Gaara. The site of his long time friend was enough to snap the blonde out of his near panic attack as he collapsed into the nearest chair.

 

"Did you not take your medicine this morning Uzumaki?” Naruto pulled his knees up to him as his hands came up to cover his face, his cheeks burning red as if he had been running for an hour. He shook his head back and forth as Gaara heard Lee coming up from behind him, wet washcloth in hand. Gaara gave his boyfriend a grateful smile as the black haired boy placed the damp cloth on the blonde's forehead. Naruto lifted his head to see Lee's cheerful smile.

 

“T-thanks…”

 

Lee's face was replaced by a glass of water and a couple of pills. Naruto sighed as he took the hint from his red haired friend and took the offered medicine. He popped both pills back before sending them spiraling down his throat with the water. His eyes traveled back up to his two friends, planning on thanking them again, when he met two stern faces and two pairs of crossed arms. He gulped and help up his hands in defense of the double attack.

 

“I'm sorry guys. I was just in a hurry this morning and I forgot my medicine. No need to get angry. Won't ever happen again. I swear.” Lee visibly softened as he grabbed the water from Naruto and `pranced' over to the sink counter. Gaara wasn't so easy to placate. He was still giving Naruto a glare that would make any normal men sweat like a pig when Lee wrapped his arms around the red-head's waist.

 

“Shhhhh Calm Down….” Lee ran his lips over Gaara's neck causing the redhead's body to slump. Naruto couldn't control the smile that spread across his face. It was so nice to see the boy happy. The happy moment was soon shot down as Lee uttered the forbidden word. “My cute little P-anda!”

 

Gaara grumbled as he pushed his boyfriend away and fled to the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Lee glanced at Naruto, before they both broke into peals of laughter.

 

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//* Four Years Back…

 

Naruto had been looking forward to the zoo trip for longer than he would ever admit to. All of the other children were of course excited about the day off of school, but as high school students they had to maintain their air of aloofness. Complaints could be heard from one end of the corridor to the other for weeks.

 

“The Zoo?? Do they think we're like… little kids or something?” Naruto was able to ignore them though, as much as they ignored him, because nothing would spoil his happiness at this trip. His teacher had called his foster parents and explained to them how the trip was mandatory so they had to let him go, and they had relented.

 

Naruto had done some yard work for a few neighbors to make some money for food, and he had been packed a week in advance. He knew that his constant talking about it was driving Gaara up the wall but he couldn't help it. As a sophomore in high school he was going on his first field trip.

 

The night before the field trip Naruto refused to sleep. He was pumped full of adrenaline and lay awake the entire night, planning what he would do at the zoo first. Which animal would be the coolest? Would a lion be let loose and be able to eat all of those stupid girls that went to his school?

 

He and Gaara would of course survive by jumping up in a tree or something and they would laugh merrily as the many people he shared the hallways with were cut done one by one. With his thoughts competing with the sound of his foster father watching television he was unable to find any sleep that night.

 

The next morning he was the first one waiting at the school for the bus, the only kid somewhat awake at five in the morning. Naruto was almost bouncing up and down as finally spotted Temari's car. As soon as Gaara stepped out of the car Naruto couldn't hold back any longer and finally began to actually jump up and down. The blonde bounced his way over to his friend while receiving a glare from Gaara's older sister to which he countered with a bright bubbly smile. Naruto knew Temari had nothing against him, he just wasn't their kind of people, and in this town you didn't stop out of your class.

 

It was an embarrassment to their entire family that Gaara didn't give a flying fuck where he was supposed to be or who he was supposed to be friends with. The redhead didn't so much as glance at his sister as he walked towards the bus, closely followed by Naruto. Now they saw that people were beginning to board and without speaking a word got in line. Naruto quickly slid into the booth before Gaara and before the red head had sat down, had his pillow against the window. By the time they left he was already sound asleep, making up for the sleep he lost the night before.

 

Gaara sat silently for a while until the bus began to quiet down before laying his forehead on the seat in front of them, before falling asleep himself, much to the surprise of the student's around him. The majority of them had never even see the boy close his eyes, but Gaara was now exceptionally tired and he found this four hour bus trip to be a perfect time to catch up with a week's worth of lost rest.

 

It was common knowledge that Gaara did not get a whole lot of sleep. If you couldn't tell from the huge bags under his eyes or the haunted look in his face then you probably heard it from a friend when they were discussing the scary red head that would probably turn into a homicidal murderer.

 

Even his teachers would be very cautious around the boy. Though Gaara was smart he hardly ever had to do work because his teachers would always pass him up to the next grade, terrified of having to tell him that they had failed him.

 

What wasn't common knowledge was why the boy had not had a decent night of sleep since he was a small child. Gaara was not, as he had believed the majority of his life, his mother's child. He had been born from a woman his father had had a fling with at a bar one night, and during birth his mother passed away. For reasons unknown to everyone Gaara's father felt pity, an enemy feeling for him to be sure, for his bastard son and brought him to live with their family.

 

When the red head was little his father had more to do with him than he had ever with his older siblings, Temari and Kankuro. The two were jealous of course, but none so much as his adoptive mother.

 

To this day she has hated Gaara with every ounce of her being. When he was six, he woke up in the middle of the night to see her standing over him with a knife. As soon as he opened his eyes she ran from the room, and when he ran crying to his father, the man simply told him that it was a nightmare.

 

From the time he was six years old till when he entered high school almost every time he would go to sleep he would wake up with that woman in his room. Soon he got in the habit of taking short naps every so often, knowing that if he ever went to sleep for too long he might never wake up again. The only place Gaara found comfortable to sleep was around the blonde. Before he met Naruto in high school he had a very unstable personality and often breaking into fits of rage at the slightest provocation. The redhead began to stay all overnight with the blonde more and more because he felt safe while the blonde was around. He always assumed it was the blondes unwavering stubbornness that allowed him to believe so strongly in the other's abilities, which is why he assumed as well, that attracted him to Lee.

 

When they arrived in Cincinnati Gaara was immediately awaken by the loud voices around him. He looked around as he leaned over and shook the blonde awake. As soon as they were inside, the red head was very dismayed to find that the blonde had found his goal for this trip and he would take no substitute.

 

"Come on Gaara! There has to be one. What kind of zoo would this be if they didn't have a panda exhibit?" Gaara could only stare as the anxious teen jumped-walked, in only a way that Naruto could, attempting to find a zoo staff member that could help the boy in his quest. The blonde was finally able to chase down one of the women on a go cart and harass her.

 

"Listen, I am telling you! There- Is-No-Panda-Exhibit!" The woman finally drove off after kicking Naruto off the side of the cart. Gaara sauntered leisurely over to where the teen lay still on his back, on top of the concrete, his large backpack reminding Gaara of a turtle lying on its back. Gaara sat down beside him staying silent as usual, ignoring the looks they were getting.

 

The red-head reached into his back pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes, Marlboro, Full flavor, and a lighter. He placed the cig in his mouth and lit up, while he waited for Naruto to recover from his latest rampage. Another staff member wandered near them with a glare, assumedly to tell the redhead to put down his cigarette, but the glare he received from said smoker, made him change his course and wander off in the other direction, leaving the two still.

 

Gaara was already on his second cigarette before feeling the need to question Naruto, holding the cigarette out to him.

 

"Why do you want to see the panda exhibit?" Naruto looked up at him, taking the offered cigarette and then a long drag, feeling the burn down his throat, and exhaling the smoke as he handed it back to his friend.

 

"I wanted to get a picture of you beside one of them." Gaara raised his brow and stared down at the blonde while taking another long drag.

 

"Why?" The teen blinked in bewilderment before a large toothy grin spread across his face like a wildfire in the middle of a draught in June.

 

"You really want to know why?" Not waiting for an answer the blonde sat up, pulled off his backpack and began rummaging through the bag. Gaara, despite himself, was intrigued to his friends' actions. Naruto finally pulled out a picture of a panda and a photo album. Gaara reflected for a moment on the other boy's weird collection habits before giving the other his full attention.

 

He flipped through the album to a picture of Gaara sitting on a picnic table at a local rest stop they were habit to hang out at, one of the many in the album. Holding the printed off internet page of a panda next to it he looked expectedly at the red head.

 

Gaara blinked.

 

Naruto smiled.

 

Gaara stared.

 

Naruto smiled.

 

Blink. Blink.

 

Grin. Grin.

 

“What?” Naruto's expression was wiped clean as he watched his friend take a drag of the quickly dissipating cigarette.

 

Naruto threw the paper in the air and jumped up, waving his arms about frantically.

 

“You look just like a panda!!!”

 

Blink.

 

Blink.

 

Naruto jumped to the side as a cigarette butt, aimed for the spot in between his eyes, went whizzing by his head, and landed on the ground.

 

“Idiot.” Naruto placed his hands on his hips and grinned triumphantly.

 

“Admit it!” Gaara stood up and began walking away from the blonde.

 

“Idiot.”

 

“You can't deny it forever, Panda!”

 

“Don't call me an animal…Idiot.”

 

“Panda!”

 

*// Return to the Present….

 

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Sorry this chapter was mainly back story. It took me a while to write because I ended up writing WAY too much back story. I cut about four pages off and I'm saving it for a side story to come out much later, about Gaara's past. Can you dig it? Hope you like. Also, remember, once again this is Un'Beta'd so if you see any mistakes feel free to point them out. Thanks, and please review/comment!!