Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Unwanted ❯ Gaara's Heart and Kitsune's Soul ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Meg:I'm back!!!!!

Sasuke:Shoot me now

Sanzo:*randomly pops up and shoots Sasuke with his banishing gun*

Meg:SANZO!! I need him!!

Sanzo:*gives Meg an evil look and stalks off*

Manda-chan:*sighs exasperatedly* Aaah, the life of an authoress

Meg:And what's that supposed to mean?

Haku:Now children, settle down

Meg:*groans* Anyway, sorry this took so long, one problem after another. I finally got the huge montain of request art finished!!

Tori-chan:*walks in, only to have a huge pile of sketches fall on her head* MEG!!

Meg:Hehe, gomen nasi, Tori-chan

Tori:*grabs Lyserg's Frying Pan of Doom (thunder crashes in the bacground) and begins chasing Meg around with it*

Alex:On with the show! ^_^


~*~Quote of the Chapter~*~

I've been watching, I've been waitingIn the shadows for my timeI've been searching, I've been livingFor tomorrows all my life -Ronisama, DeviantART

~*~Hold On Chapter 5: Kitsune's Soul and Gaara's Heart~*~

Faust had always been amazed my his niece's capacity for sleep in bad situations, and now was no exception. When he entered the psychic's room for one final check before he went home, she was dozing quite comfortably in her bed, completely oblivious to the obvious danger she was in.

"You never cease to amaze me, Vega-chan,"Faust muttered as he brushed Vega's blue hair out of her face. "Hm, what's this?" He ran his finger over a small purple diamond barely poking through the skin on Vega's forehead. "A sign of your bloodline, no doubt." he smiled and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Sleep well, Shinigami."

He didn't bother closing the door to her room as he walked away. He didn't even turn around as he felt Gaara's presence behind him.

"Don't let her hurt herself,"Faust instructed. "she's still hurting, physically and mentally."

The doctor did not know why he said it, but it felt right. He closed the hospital door and locked it, praying to whatever god would listen that Vega would be waiting for him in the morning.



An angry dust brown aura shatter whatever hopes Vega had of having a pleasant dream. She sat up and came face to face with one aqua pupil-less eye. Vega recoiled. She knew that look. It was the look Gaara gave her whenever he had to wake her from a particularly horrid nightmare. Worry, fear, jealousy, all the looks Vega had grown to love, but it was different now, all other emions were overlapped by one deep burning wall. Hate.

"Gaara..."

The demon carrier jumped and turned quickly toward the door, which promptly slammed shut. Vega could almost hear her former best friend cursing her powers.

"Don't go,"she softly pleaded. "I missed you..."

Gaara turned to stare at her disbelievingly. He closed his eyes and turned to stare out the window.

"Gaara, I'm sorry,"Vega muttered. "I didn't mean it, what I said back then. I was angry, and scared. You were just the unlucky bastard who got caught in the crossfire when I blew up."

Gaara turned his head slightly to look at her, a non-existant eyebrow arched in surprise.

"Oh yeah, I didn't cus when I was little, did I?"Vega asked, a small smile crossed her face. "I guess we've both changed a lot."
Gaara turned back to the window.

"Won't you at least answer me?"Vega hissed. "I haven't seen you in five years and all you can do is stare out a window."

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

"So, you're just going to hide in here for the rest of your pitiful excuse for a life? Pathetic." Vega snarled angrily.

Gaara spun around and shot her an accusing look.

"I came back!" Vega retorted. "And I intend to stay!"

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that!"

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

"I will not!" Vega snapped. "I'm going to take my school back from that bastard Shaka and you're going to help me!"

Gaara shot her an evil glare, and Vega almsot flinched.

"You're one to talk!"Vega abruptly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "You've always run from your problems! You'd shut people out and avoid everything!"

Gaara uncrossed his arms and continued to glare at Vega. His eyesy lingered momentarily at Vega's shaking legs.

"Bastard. I put on a mask to protect my loved ones,"she snarled, striding forward, her whole body shaking with the effort. "you just ran away every time things got ugly!"

Gaara stood upright, all anger suddenly vanished from his face. She was going to hurt herself.

Vega raised her good hand to strike at Gaara's face. For the first time in his life, Gaara flinched, closing his eyes, and waited to the blwo to come. Then she began laughing and her legs gave out, letting her fall into Gaara's arms.

"Almost six years,"she whispered at Gaara's puzzled look. "Six years and you don't even open your mouth, but I know exactly what you're saying."



"They had their own language,"Ishtar mused as he and Haku led Naruto across the yard. "They could have an entire conversation without saying a single word, and that was before Vega-kun got her powers."

"It's kinda scary,"Haku mused. "You could never tell what those three were thinking. They drove the adults crazy."

"They still drive the adults crazy,"Ishtar pointed out.

"You don't help,"Haku teased, punching Ishtar fondly in the arm. "Look what you got yourself into."

Naruto had stopped listening a long time ago. He was still absorbing what Vega had told him. 'That's what she meant,'he thought, staring down at his hands.

Naruto quietly pushed open Vega's door and slid in, being sure not to make any noise, lest he wake the sleeping Iruka in the next room. He quietly sat down on the edge of her bed and watched her tend her newest wounds from some unknown battle he inevitably caused. A broken arm. Two cracked ribs, three bruised. A black eye. Lots of cuts. Lots of blood. Iruka would throw a fit when he woke up.

"You ok?"Naruto asked. A stupid question, really.

"I've felt worse." In retrospect, Naruto would realize that she was being serious.

"Why do you do it?"Naruto asked quietly."You and Iruka are always getting hurt for me..."

Vega paused, staring odly at Naruto with her one good eye. At any other time the scene would have been funny, a twelve year old girl with a piece of raw meant twice the size of her head pressed over one eye while the other stared at Naruto through matted blue hair, but now it was scary, because Naruto knew that he'd caused it.

"Why do you still hang around? You're always getting hurt because of me!"

A half-smile crept across Vega's face. Her jaw was dislocated. "You're asking stupid questions again, Kyuubi. Why do I need a reason to look after the center of my whole world?"

Naruto shook his head furiously, trying to hide the indignant tears in his eyes. "You almost died! If Iruka hadn't saved you you would have! How could you even think of staying?!"

Vega set her steak down and met Naruto's teary gaze. "How could I ever think of leaving? You'd be lost without me."

"Better me lost than you dead,"Naruto muttered, rubbing furiously at his eyes. He hated crying in front of Vega, she never did.

Vega sighed and pulled Naruto into her lap. She began fiddling with her make-shift cast."You're so stupid. You think I haven't thought about leaving? Just running away like I did before?"

'Before,'Naruto thought. 'what was before? Did you have a family? Friends? Why'd you give it all away?'

She finally pulled her cast off and showed the underside of her wrists to the boy. "Remember these, Kyuubi?" Naruto's tears started up again at the sight of the two x-shaped scars on her wrists. "Remeber that night? You were so scared. You and Iruka found me in my old room, covered in blood and dying. You saved me." Vega's strong arms wrapped aroung him. "Do you remember what you said?"

Naruto shook his head.

Vega closed her eyes. "Why won't you wake up? C'mon, what's wrong with you? You're my best friend. You're the only one who ever acknowledged me, ever accepted me. Are you just gonna abandon me like everyone else did? Why? What'd I do? I don't wanna lose you. You're my big sister, you're always helping me, but now, when you need me, I don't know what to do. Maybe you should go, I'm useless..."

Naruto's whole body shook and he tilted his head up to stare at Vega.

"You reminded me exactly why I needed to stay alive. How could I ever walk away from you?"Vega kissed the tip of his nose. "I still can't say what caused me to do what I did, but that's what changed everything. That's when I stopped running."

Naruto sobbed and pressed his face into her arm, making a shiver of pain run through Vega's body. "But I keep hurting you..."
Vega loosened her arms and put her wrists in Naruto's hands. "This doesn't hurt. Broken bones, black eyes, those things heal, Kyuubi." She took one of Naruto's hands and, pushing away her shirt, placed it on a starburst scar dangerously close to her heart. "It's wounds like these that run deep to the very core of your soul, these make or break a person." A single tear hit the top of Naruto's head. "These scars never stop hurting."

Vega was vaguely aware of Iruka's presence in the dorrway and allowed herself to smile.

"You'll probably never understand this, Kyuubi, but I'll tell you why I hang around,"her hand tightened around Naruto's. "because, above all else, I don't want you to turn out like him." But Naruto understood now, and he wished he didn't.



Vega was half-way through her breakfast when Sasuke and Neji arrived. She looked up and smiled.

"I'm still alive."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Miracles happen."

Neji sat down on the foot of Vega's bed. "So, what happened last night?"

A thoughtful look crossed Vega's face. "Hm, don't really remember. I passed out yelling at him."

"Typical Arume,"Neji grunted, crossing his arms.

"Typicial Hyuuga,"Vega mimicked. "you were worried about me you big fake."

"Hn."

"Knock it off you two,"Sasuke interjected. He sat down next to Vega and stole a half-eaten apple off her tray. "You're a legend, Vega. The whole city's buzzing with rumors about you."

"Then Shikamaru's still keeping tabs on all the local hangouts,"Vega mused. "Good, I'm going to need his help."

Neji snorted.

"Good luck with that,"Sasuke added. "You'll be lucky to get him to do more than glare at you."

Vega closed her eyes and smiled. "I thought you knew me better than that, Sasuke-nii."

"I thought I knew you too,"Sasuke retorted. "then you brought Naruto and turned how everyone sees you upside down. You hate responsibility."

"Y'know, Gaara said the same thing,"Vega grumbled. "And things change. What does responsibilty have to with Shikamaru?"

"Absoluetly nothing, but I do know Shikamaru. He's got 0 respect for women, and he won't see you as anything but another troublesome woman."

"Aren't you the one who said my family sepcializes in the impossible?"Vega sneered. "I'm not a strategist. I just charge in, fists and aura balls flying, and pray to that gods I win. You know that. I'm going to need Shikamaru's help."

"You're hopeless,"Neji muttered.

"Thank you,"Vega replied curtly.

Before more could be said, Naruto exploded into the room, effectively knocking Sasuke off his feet, and pounced on Vega.

"You're ok!"he whooped after checking all of Vega's vital signs and making sure no harm had come to her overnight.

"I'm not made of glass, Kyuubi,"Vega muttered, a slight red tint rising in her cheeks. "You worry too much."

Naruto stabbed Vega's starburst scar through her shirt. "And with good reason! Look what he did to you last time!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the back fo the neck and tossed him, yelping and cursing, across the room. Vega laughed as Naruto crashed through the wall, then reappeared a moment later rubbing his neck and cursing.

"Resilient little bastard,"Sasuke grumbled. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Arume."

"Well, I picked you, didn't I?"Vega cooed.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "That doesn't sound right coming from the mental equivalent of my younger sister."

"And I call Raikin a pervert,"Vega mused sweetly.

Sasuke took a blind swipe at Vega's head. Vega moved, Sasuke overswung, and Neji was knocked from the bed. Naruto dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"Glad to see you're all having fun,"Faust said as he entered, clipboard in hand and a pencil poking out of his mass of blonde hair. "Glad to see you're still alive, Vega-chan."

"Thanks for the concern,"Vega replied sarcastically. "now what do you want?"

"Just to check that arm,"Faust said, reaching for the mumified limb.

Vega hissed and Faust pulled the bandages from her arm. A green-tinted steam drifted up from the wound.

"Shit!"Naruto shouted, clamping his hand over his mouth. His face was stating o turn green. "That wreaks!"

It took a moment for the room's remaining inhabitats to catch the smell, but when they did nausea erupted. Later on, they would decide the smell was comparableto rotten eggs, decaying flesh, and burned muscle.

"Looks like our friend had poisin fangs,"Faust muttered. He pulled a mask over his mouth and nose and finished removing the bandages. Vega's arm had developed the appearance of a badly decayed corpse overnigt. From shoulder down, her arm was a sickly green color and flesh was hanging off, or still attatched to her bandages in some place.

Vega stared at the mass that had once been her arm and sighed. She turned to Sasuke. "Get Naruto out of here, he desn't need to see this."

Sasuke looked back at the blonde. He deffnately didn't look well. The image of a scared blue-haied boy watching Faust sew up a gash in his older sister's stomach flashed throgh Sasuke's mind, and he took Naruto's hand and led him out of the room.

"Sick,"Vega muttered, pulling a piece of rotting green flesh from her arm. "Faust, is there any way in the world yo can salvage this?"

Faust picked at some of the decaying skin. "I'm not sure. It runs pretty deep....and the nerves are pretty badly damaged..."

Vega hissed as a partially attatched piece of skin came loose. "Just do whatever the hell you can."



Naruto splashed water in his face for the third time and shook his head. Sasuke watched him almost bemusedly from the far wall.

"You're gonna have to get used to sights liek that dobe,"he grunted. "it's damn normal around here."

Naruto shook his head again. "It's not that. It's just..... I get so sick of V-kun getting hurt for me. I wouldn't care if it was anyone else, but seeing V-kun like that..... I hate it."

Sasuke's eyebrow arched. He silently toyed with the idea of telling Naruto exactly what that decayed skin had meant. Anoter look at Naruto's shaking hands banished the idea.

"She'll be fine,"Sasuke said offhadedly. Liar. A voice in the back of Sasuke's mind scolded.

Naruto turned and glared at him. "You think I'm that stupid?!"

Sasuke supressed a wise-crack.

"Her arm's ruined!"Naruto shouted. "Skin only looks like that when it's dead and decaying!"

'Smarter than he looks,'Sasuke mused. "Ok, you're right. She'll porbably never use that arm again. Happy now?"

Naruto spun around around and punched the wall. The large dent it left would need some explaining later. "She's always saving me!"

Much to his dismay, Sasuke's 'big brother' instincts kicked in. He almost laughed at the sight, remembering Vega doing the exact same thing five years ago as her elder brother lay dying in a nearby room.

He reached out and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up, idiot. You think Vega would want to see you crying over something this stupid?"

"I'm not crying!"Naruto shouted. "And it's not stupid! God! Didn't she ever play her guitar when she lived here?!"

Sasuke shook his head. "She never played for anyone but Kitsune and Gaara."

"It's her whole damn world!"Naruto snapped. "She said it herself before we came here, 'I'd die if I couldn't play!' And you sure as hell can't play a guitar with one arm!"

Once again Vega's memory struck Sasuke. Naruto turned around and glared at Sasuke, and the tearful look he gave the Uchiha made him freeze.

"What?"Naruto asked darkly.

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing."

"Liar,"Naruto grrowled.

Sasuke almost smiled. "Whe you gave me that look, I thought it was Kitsune staring at me. He used to give me that same look when I tried to keep him from seeing Vega when she was hurt."

"I really am pathetic,"Naruto muttered, then abruptly collapsed against Sasuke.

Sasuke slid to his knees and pulled Naruto's unconscious body close to his."Just like Kitsune."



This time Gaara's presnece wasn't a surprise when Vega woke in the middle of the night. She sat up, arm still stinging from Faust's poking and prodding, and gazed at the posssessed boy.

"Sorry I passed out last night,"

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up." Vega began tugging angrily at her mumified arm.

Gaara gave the arm a questoning prod.

"Faust says he can't completely save it, but he cam salvage the undamaged nerves and muscle if I'm lucky. Just enough for me to be able to play my guitar when we get back."

Gaara's eyes widened.

"Yes, we."

He turned to look at Vega's window, then rached out to touch it. He immdiately pulled his hand back, as if he'd been burned.

"It's a simple seal. A child could break it."

Gaara shook his head violently.

"C'mon!"Vega growled. "It's not like Shukaku can just pop up and possess you any time he likes!"

The sad look in Gaara's eyes could break a normal girl's heart.

"That was a fluke. Please, Gaara, I need you. I can't beat Shaka on my own!"

Gaara shook his head again. He quietly got up and walked to the door. 'I'll only cause more pain.' And he was gone.

Two days came and went in a blur. Faust did everything in his power to salvage the remains on Vega's decomposing arm. Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, Haku, Ishtar, and Raikin were rarely gone from Vega's side for more than an hour or two, while Naruto still could not face her. Visitors came and went, bearing gifts and stories about what Vega had missed in her absence, but Gaara was nowhere to be seen. Now and then Vega would wake up in the middle of the night with Gaara's dust brown aura fleeing her limited senses, bt it could have all been her imgination.

Sasuke arrived on the fifth day, rain-soaked and annoyed. Raikin had gotten in a fight with a girl from the sound house, and the result was the biggest thnderstorm in half a century.

Vega laughed at the sight of the mighty Sasuke Uchiha dripping wet and trying desperately to shake the rain out of his hair. Faust had recetly let her start to roam the hospital, so she had taken to haunting her window, which was just big enough to sit confortably in.

"Vega, I'm going to kill that cousin of yours,"Sasuke grumbled.

Vega smiled. "You can't do that. I need some cheap entertainment now and then."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and reached into the folds of his jacket. "Thought you might want this. Faust says you'll be here a while."

He tossed Vega's favorite gold music box at her. It was shaped like a jewlery box, small enough to fit in her pocket, and embossed with the Konoha leaf crest and Vega's family crest, a diamond with a crescent on either side of it. Love, Sasuke, Ichiro, and Kitsune was carved into the edge around a faded picture of ten-year-old Vega surrounded by her small family and thet descendants of four of the Legendary Five. It began playing the music to a long-forgtten movie, but the words were still perfectly clear in Vega's mind.

Unconsciously, she began to hum.

"Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart"

Vega paused, eyes closed. Sasuke stared at her. She had always been afraid to sing when she was little.

"Shaka's going to attack Naruto,"Vega muttered quietly.

Sasuke froze.

"What are you waiting for?"Vega asked, turning pitch black eyes on Sasuke. "Help him!"

~*~End Chapter 6~*~

Meg:*glaring evilly at her realplayer* I hate this thing, it always plays the perfect song for whatever part I'm working on

Alex:She says it like its a bad thing

Meg:I'm too lazy to think up some weird random author's note right now, so there's only two things I need to do *glomps RabidFan* Everybody, meet my new beta-reader! And the preview!!! Kitsune!!!

Kitsune:Next time, Naruto gets a first-hand taste of a psychic's power and I get to see my sister again! Everything goes bad when Shaka turns his sights on the Element House, and nee-kun, Naruto-nii, Shikamaru, and I have to watch our home get destroyed, with our friends in it

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