Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Boy In The Closet ❯ Its Only My Shadow ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A.N: Not to worry poodles the relationships start in the next chapter. Thank you again Blondebrat for the review and thank you for those who are reading. Enjoy the chapter. Fantasy.


......................



Sasuke is striding home with as much speed as his legs can muster. He agreed to let Naruto walk home with him only because they happen to live on the same block and only because the little idiot would have done it whether he wanted him to or not. Really, though, I should remember that Naruto is my friend. He's friendly enough and compared to that jerk Kiba I like him much better, he's not that much of an ass and I've only known him for a week, there could be another side to him. Sasuke actually could have gotten lost walking home on Thursday if it weren't for Naruto being there, it was kind of like Naruto knew he had no clue which way to go so he walked with him for that reason and not just the fact that he thinks he's cute.

Surprisingly he isn't talking right now, he actually seems to be lost in thought. No surprise at the idea of him getting lost, probably doesn't know what a 'thought' is so that much alone is gonna take him sometime to get past. Sasuke smirked at his private joke. He can have quite the forked tongue when he wants to. Anyone who talks as much as Naruto does couldn't possibly have the time to waste forming thought out sentences, you just kind of open your mouth and let fly. But not today for some reason. It's actually kind of nice to just walk beside him. Sasuke would glance at him every now and then, smiling with his eyes at the boys blue and orange striped shirt untucked from his uniform pants, his jacket tossed carelessly over his backpack which is being held over his shoulder just as 'carelessly' as the other item. Just as he was going to open his mouth to tell the boy how nice he thought it was Naruto cut him off.

"I've figured it out." He announced like he's been on a game show and had one last question to go before winning the grand prize of 100,000,000 yen.

"Figured what out?" He couldn't believe he'd just urged him on.

The blond grinned handsomely, causing Sasuke to blush and turn his gaze straight ahead. "I figured out the reason why you aren't tearing my clothes off by now."

Sasuke felt like someone just knocked him on his ass then jerked him back up fast enough to give him whiplash. Eye twitching in aggitation he says. "Lets hear it?"

"Because I'm an adonis a... a... bombshell! If you will." He went on effortlessly, shamelessly, complimenting his self. "There's no reason a guy like me shouldn't have a cute guy like you coming on to him. Even Kiba came on to me his first day of school." Nodding before he rushed ahead of him, walking backwards, he goes on. "So you must be straight and that's a shame too because-..."

Grabbing the boy roughly by the front of his shirt, he growls. "I'm NOT in to girls." It was the way he added a growl to the word 'girls' that made Naruto smile off the thought of danger.

"Then I still have a good chance?"

Drooping his shoulders, he lets the idiot go and begins his path home again. The kid can try all he wants, and sure, even if Sasuke does kind of find him attractive it doesn't make the difference, because odds are his brother is watching and waiting just as his constant reminder told him he would be. Why put his life on the line for some shameless pleasure. Stuffing his hands into his pocket, he felt Naruto's arms creep around his shoulders.

"Don't feel bad, it takes a lot to hurt my feelings buddy."

"Is that what I'm doing? Trying to hurt your feelings?"

"Yup, you're trying to get rid of me because loving me would consume your every being and- ooooffff!!!!" He hunched over in pain, dropping to his knees after Sasule removed his fist from his gut. "Does this mean I can't come over once we get to our neighborhood?" He asked in a strained tone. "Sasuke!! Sasukeeee!??"

He'd already taken off running down the street. He has to get away from that boy. Not because he finds him annoying or bordering psychotic with the way he just doesn't take the fucking hint that he isn't interested, but because he actually got him thinking that... he might... well he isn't sure, but it was nice to feel that someone actually thought you were attractive.

Ha! I should really stop kidding myself with corny thoughts like relationships and romance when all that kid wants is sex- not that it wouldn't be a nice addition. Guess this is what happens to virgins at their first time, someone calls them pretty and they're ready to spread their legs. I should cut myself some slack, though, having been around the elderly for so long. He strolled around a corner dashing into the first place he saw. Hiding along the side of the wall to avoid being seen through the large glass door, he watched Naruto walk by. The blond looked left then right before dashing off shouting his name.

Thank god that's over. A shiver ran up his spine when a hand landed on his shoulder. There was just no way he could've-... But when he turned around, he saw the covered face of his new father staring down at him, his good eye seemed to smile.

"Yo Sasuke." He drawled raising a hand as though it were to wave, but he instead lead him over to a chair. "Who're you running from, or I should say hiding from?"

He takes a comfortable seat in the offered barbers chair. He glances at his reflection in the mirror before checking out the area behind him via reflection. So this is where Kakashi works. I'll remember that next time I'm on the run. Answering his fathers question, he says. "Naruto."

Draping a smock over the boys body, he looks over the counter. "I see. What's he done now?"

"It isn't what he's done, it's what he's doing."

"And what's he doing?" Asks the gray haired male while picking up a pair of scissors. Looking the boy over, he starts trimming away at his outgrown patches of hair. Sasuke really needed this, Lee's over do for a trim too, he supposed Neji liked his hair long but if he ever needed it he'd give it a good snipping too.

"Chasing me around school, offering me-..." He couldn't tell his father that, but yesterday Naruto offered to give him a blowjob in the boys bathroom! What the hell is wrong with that kid, strip clubs with his grandfather. He talks like he's kissed every cute kid in school and for all Sasuke knew the boy could be carrying something gross.

"Offering you....?" He let the word hang as Sasuke did.

"Offering me bites from his lunch like he wants to feed me."

Kakashi huffed out a laugh as he didn't seem to believe him. "So why not tell him to stop."

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably at that. With a nod, Kakashi placed the scissors down then grabbed a small brush sweeping it across his sons shoulders before removing the smock. "I see, because curiosity to those... bites of food," he said slowly as though he knew the true meaning. "Have you curious."

Blushing, Sasuke slipped from the chair. "Maybe."

"Well if you ever wanna talk, I'm here for you."

"Thanks." Sighing, he walks to the door. "I'd better go find him before he thinks I've gotten myself lost." But just as he turns to leave he sees said blond with his face smashed to the window, tongue sticking out, nose up like a pigs making a weird face at the people inside. Balling up his fist, he growls. "Naruto."

Kakashi laughed, waving at the kid. "Well, tell me how the story ends later. See you at home." He practically pushed him into the boys clutches. He never had this problem with his old school friends.

....................

Gaara smiled at his work with the young teens marker board. His Words To Live By are nothing more than a memory now, and it has been replaced with a few choice words of Gaara's. Turning his head to the sounds coming from the hall, he thought for sure Lee was finished taking his shower by now and he was gonna laugh his self into a coma watching those huge eyes turn into fearful ones and hopefully he'll take the hint then drag himself and his stupid family back to wherever they came from. But to his dismay it was his Dad instead that walked into the room. But his reaction to the board didn't seem like fear, it seemed like sadness.

I hate this family. Gai reads them mentally. I wish you never moved here. I hate you all, leave now or I'll-.... I can't believe Lee would write these sorts of things! It's just not like him, and if anything were wrong he would tell me! ...Wouldn't he?

Just then Lee walked into his bedroom, toweling his hair from the garbage smell that stuck to it since he'd been knocked into the trash can outside of the gym. Thank god he was wearing his gym clothes and not his uniform otherwise he'd of stunk all day and would have never heard the end of it. He could swear someone was tipping Kiba and Bunrashi off to what he was doing everyday as they've been ruthless since he skipped out on his usual beating the other day. Slowing to a stop once at his bed, he pulls the towel away and cocks a brow at his parent. "Otousan.... What are you...." He didn't get to finish his sentence as his Dad pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Lee!" He said with a loud sadness in his voice. "I had no idea you were suffering so much!" Tears spilled down the mans cheeks as if he had no ducts to keep them back at all. "All these months- maybe even all those years, you've been in silent war with everyone." He sniffled a large snot trail that planned to ruin his son's clean crop of hair. "But never again, your Dad, Maito Gai will make everything better."

Lee is completely floored. What the heck is Gai talking about? Silent wars? Pain? Did he miss something in the last twenty minutes? Is he on one of those hidden camera shows? "Thank you for the hug, but, what are you talking about?"

"That time at school when you beat up those other kids, that was a cry for help." He began rocking them back and forth now. "How could I have missed it."

"Time at school? Otousan, no offense but have you been drinking." He pushed away from the hug.

"Hm? No. I've been...." He chose his words carefully, he didn't wanna cause more friction than needed between the brothers. "Thinking about you a lot lately and to me you seem so unhappy."

He processed those words for a moment, then he asked. "I do?"

"Yes. All this time I thought you were having good days at school: playing with numerous friends, sweating your youthful sweat at gym and maybe trading your delicious lunch with other kids but... all this time."

"Where is this coming from?" He asked again. He really doesn't think Gai is listening to a word he's been saying. Turning his head at the sound of a jingle, his marker board caught his eye. "Who erased my board?!" He wondered curiously, but when he saw what it said anger stained his cheeks with embarrasment. No wonder Gai is acting so weird. "Gai," he said so that his dad would pay attention. "I didn't write that!"

That seemed to get his attention. "You didn't?"

Lee shook his head.

"Oh thank god!" This time he crushed him out of happiness. "I didn't think that Neji could be telling the truth about what he said."

"Neji."

"It just seemed so strange that someone as great as My Lee wouldn't have friends coming out of his ears." Letting go, he smiled beautifully down at him. It made Lee smile back seeing the proud sparkle from the mans teeth matching the pride filled beam in his eyes. "Can't figure out who would write such cruel things on your board though."

"It was the ghost. He's been playing mean tricks on me lately." Lee said without thinking.

"Hmm? A ghost you say?"

"Otousan, this house is haunted- by a little boy named Gaara, I think."

Gai shook his head; reaching up, he ruffles the young boys hair with his hand. "Neji told me about your ghost stories. But let me tell you something Lee, it's alright to be upset, it's okay to wanna lash out and be angry once in a while. It's perfectly healthy. But you can't blame things you do on 'nobody', okay?"

"But I saw him and every-fffffmmmm." He narrowed his eyes when Gai placed a hand over his mouth to silence him. Why doesn't anyone believe him? Is it so far fetched to think there are spirits in this world? In this house?! Standing in this very room right now, right beside Lee even as he thinks it. Turning his vision he glares at where the menacing ghost could be standing.

"Now, I don't wanna hear anymore about that. You and me and your father and brothers are all gonna watch a movie tonight. It's time we started behaving more like a functioning family. And since it's the weekend now, we can all do something together on Saturday or Sunday- maybe a barbecue at the park," he says while exiting the room. Lee can still hear him talking down the hall.

Going over to his bedroom door he pushed it shut, he then walks over to his bed and pulls the night goggles out from underneath it, after that he walks to the window pulling the curtains closed. Time to put fear aside and stop this ghost from ruining his life... and then he can be scared because the thought of a ghost living with you is really creepy. There. Room dark, goggles working, time to find a shadow.

Gaara watched the boy, who now looks more like a bug than puffy-eyed fish, with those goggles on, walk around the room. He's standing directly behind him, moving when he moves. Gaara wasn't stupid, he's seen the boy walking around all week with those things trying to look for god knows what. It's not as if he could see him with them or anything- don't you need some type of special glasses for that?

"Aha!" Lee shouts when he quick turned. The shadow of the boy stands before him, he can't tell if its his front or his back but he's looking right at him now. Swallowing his nerves, he opens his mouth and says. "Leave me and my family alone, you have no right to claim this house anymore now that we live here. I'm sorry for what happened to you, I really am, but this nonsense with trying to drive us away isn't going to work! I love them and they love me and it's gonna take more than a couple of pranks to change that.... so there."

Gaara looked at him for a minute, then with all the anger he could muster, he shoved the boy clean across the room onto his bed. Lee's head popped against the wall causing more pain than he would have normally taken if the buckle from his goggles weren't on the back of his head. The shadow came across the room towards him with hard strides. Completely freaked out now, Lee heads for the door; giving the knob a tug he yelps, it won't open!

"You think you're better than me!" Snaps the ghost in a tight voice; it sounded a lot older than Lee would have guessed the young boys age to be- didn't help that he's shorter than him.

Before he knew it Lee is being shoved hard against the solid door, like the boy is trying to shove him through it. He placed his hands against it, trying to force himself off but it doesn't seem to be working. Strain in his voice now, he cries out. "Stop it, please, stop it!"

"I'll kill you!!!!" The ghost growled. "Take it back! Take back what you said!"

Lee was spun around to face his bedroom where he can see the angry little spirits hands coming up around his neck. Shuting his eyes tight, he waits for the pain to come when- "Ooff!!" He fell to the floor in a low thud.

Looking down "Lee? Are you alright?" Neji, who just shoved the door open, asks. Helping his brother up, he glanced around the dark room for all the good it did him though. "What were you doing in here?"

"Neji?!" Lee said, finally realizing that the doors been opened and he's now free. "Thank you for saving me!" He wrapped his arms around him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He said over and over again in English.

Unmoved by the thought of saving him, Neji removed his brother from his shirt, taking his gripping hands from his sleeves. "Saved you from what, all I heard were sounds of you screaming and banging into things. Why did you close the curtains if you can't see?"

"I was looking-" He stopped himself from saying it. Last thing he wanted was for Neji to make up more lies about him having imaginary friends or, lie- which is actually the truth in this case- about his, nonexistant, friends he has at school. He will make friends tomorrow, lots of kids go to the park over the weekend all he has to do is pick out the right kid and walla friends. Maybe Chouji will be there! People call him names too! And yeah, he hangs out with a genius whose more popular than his own brothers but still; Lee knows it hurts to be called names, so maybe Chouji would relate to him in that sense. Shaking his words off he says. "I was playing a spy game, nothing serious." Placing an innocent hand behind his head, he laughs. "Guess I got carried away."

Not believing the male for a second, Neji shrugs. "Gai wants to know if you'd like to go with him to the store right now. He's picking up popcorn and a movie for family night." He says in a drab tone.

"Uh huh!" Rushing out the door not wanting to spend another second alone in his bedroom, Lee dashed downstairs to retrieve his shoes.

"Weird kid." Neji looked around the slightly darkened bedroom. Walking over to the window he pulls the curtains aside to let the light in. Sighing, he touches the glass on the window. He couldn't contact his father's lawyer and chances were he was ignoring the calls anyway. Is he gonna be stuck here forever? Should he be making his self comfortable? He likes these people alright but the idea of his father..... Never mind. No use in thinking the worst until it happens. After one last glance around, Neji heads for the exit. He's not sure but, he could have sworn he heard a voice other than Lee's coming from here.

Gai rented a comedy for them to watch, its about a gangster that isn't very good at his job. Ten minutes and he was laughing up a tornado, the family is sitting on the long L shaped couch with Kakashi on the left end, Sasuke beside him, Lee in the middle, Neji beside him and Gai at the far right end. It was all part of Gai's masterful plan to bring the family closer together. You place the kid that feels so very left out in the center and watch the magic happen, instant bonding. Gai and Lee were holding their sides with laughter, Sasuke was more laughing at the sounds of their laughter than the movie, Kakashi was about to open a book and attempt to read in the dull light from the television and Neji is finishing off his second bag of popcorn, while wondering if he's watching the same movie as everyone else. He never underdstood Chinese films.

Sasuke set his lunch bag, that they're using to put their microwaved popcorn in to make the experience more cinema like, though, its greasy as all hells, on the coffee table then he grabbed his cup of soda taking a slow gulp not wanting to choke if the father and son twins started laughing again.

"This is the best part!" Gai said so loud nearly everyone jumped a bit from the start.

Gaara watched from the stairs, hating the family more and more. Especially that Lee. Where did he get off saying that he's sorry about what happened to him. He has no clue about his life or anything that's happened to him. Touching a hand to his forehead where an inflamed scar rests, he frowned. He remembered that day. It was after school when it happened, he had just gotten finished walking home the long way to avoid the bullies that weren't afraid of the way he looks when his brother and sister ambushed him. Temari grabbed him right up under his knees making him knock his head against the uncarpeted floor, momentarily dazed, his brother Kankuro then grabbed him from behind having his arms pinned down at his sides. The two carried him upstairs as he kicked and screamed, bucking, trying to get free when the bedroom door closed he knew he was in for it. Yashamaru and his father weren't at home right then which meant trouble for him.

Temari pulled out a small pairing knife from her purse. He screamed for her to stop but she wasn't listening. Instead Temari laughed, leaning over him, kissing him on the forehead before saying in a cruel voice. "I love you, Gaara."

Kankuro laughed as well, doing just as his sister, kissing him before saying that he loved him. It made Gaara feel weird hearing the two of them say that when they never said it before. In fact they showed him nothing but pain and suffering since he was born. They always told him it was his fault their mother took her own life in the hospital that she died of something called postpartem and he never should have been born. They constantly made fun of his name, Gaara, a demon that loves oneself. They told him their mother named him that because she knew that no one else would love or care for him that's why it took her so long to think of a name and right after she did, she killed herself- suffocation by her own hands over her mouth and nose.

"Hold him still Kan' I need to make it right." The blonde valkyrie like girl snapped when Gaara shook his head in terror.

"I've got it, just hurry up."

He'd lie to say he's never felt pain like that because he felt that pain everyday in his heart. Since then he's had the scar of 'Love' maring his forehead in the left corner. His father asked what happened when he came home and found his son bleeding all over the floor. Temari was there with one of her lies, said that he had an emotional breakdown because the kids at school pick on him, said that he did it like some kind of divine retrospective or something stupid like that. His father told him to clean up the mess his forehead made, and Yashamaru cleaned him up.

Tears filled his eyes but he was unaware of this because, well, being dead he doesn't really feel much of anything he does to himself or when people walk through him, sit on him, nothing. He should have killed himself ages ago if he knew it could numb the physical pain of his emotions, but mentally- even in death, he can still suffer.

I've had enough of this. Heading back upstairs he walks over to the closet pulling the door open. Kuma-sama looked at him with his bland facial expression. He didn't care who Gaara was, he only loved him for being there for him just as he loves Kuma. Taking a seat in the corner, he hugs the bear close missing the fluffy feeling of the precious stuffed toy that comforted him in his wake each night. He's gotta get this family out of here so he can stop seeing them, stop remembering his pain whenever they smile and laugh. Because he may just end up doing something he isn't sure he'd regret and being that desperate concerned him. Because if he ended up killing the family, they might end up stuck in the house to, and then he'd be in that pain all over again.