Chapter 421 - My SI Stash #21 - Of The Sand and The Wind by Ktf243 (Naruto) (2/2)

After a few games where I coached Gaara though he finally got it and attempted himself... only to fail. He tried once again and got it, which I say he only got because he just happened to get luck alright? No skill there, mostly luck. Uh huh that's right, definitely just beginners luck.

After seeing Gaara win solitaire so many times, I decided to teach him a few other games. These games were all one's that I played with my friends and can help pass the time easily. We engaged in the fast paced game of speed, where precision was the key. We screwed each other over in the poor man's Uno, also called by my friends as Swiss. Along with those, we just played for fun and Gaara truly seemed to be having fun. So did I and I really liked I had someone who didn't complain when they lost, even though he didn't really lose that often.

Eventually I started to get sleepy and try as I might, the child body that I was now in was not designed for staying up at all. Years of trying to stay up and failing have taught me this. I asked Gaara why he didn't get tired, fully knowing the answer and he responded as I already knew. That when he slept he wouldn't be able to sleep for long, with nightmares plaguing him.

I slowly started to fall asleep on the floor reclining on some soft stuffed animals that I assembled as a seat. The last thing I saw was Gaara on the floor playing solitaire.

Waking up was an interesting affair. Getting shaken awake certainly always is.

When shaken awake, I look around the room to realize that the lights were off, I was on the bed, and more importantly Gaara was not the one shaking me awake.

It was some masked shinobi that happened to scare me only a slight amount. Okay, that was a lie, he scared me lots. Where was Gaara, and why the hell is this ninja looking ready to make me a shish kabob? I started to kinda freak out, fitting giving the situation.

The ninja then unmasked his face to me and he had somewhat of a solemn look.

”It's okay, I'm Gaara's uncle I don't have much time so listen to me okay?” I nod for I remember that this is a man who blew himself up, you don't mess with a person like that it's common sense. You know what else is common sense? Freaking the f_u_c_k out silently on the inside.

”Alright, now I know you haven't been friends with Gaara for long, but as you seem to somehow not be afraid of him I need to ask of you to do something. Make sure Gaara is okay. Right now I'm fighting him with my real self and I will blow myself up, this is to make all these assassination's on Gaara stop I wish I didn't have to do this but it was either this or Gaara died for real. When I die this clone of me will crumble away. Although I know it's been very short I plead you to be there for Gaara for me. Alright?”

What? So... the reason why the uncle did what he did was to stop the assassination's? Sure that worked, but at the cost of his nephews sanity. I thought that I had a much longer time before this shit happened! I guess I'll die then since Gaara will be the same and very likely will kill me. But I can try, and I can hopefully survive till after Naruto drives some sense into Gaara or something.

”O- okay then.” The man smiled.

”Thank you take care o-” Before he could he crumbled into pieces of rock and sand onto the sheets and the grip he had on me was gone. Along with that, a large boom went through the silent night.

Well, I'm f_u_c_k_e_d. Just wonderful.

Chapter 3

After that boom I decided to stay in the room and cover myself with the blankets after getting rid of the dirt that fell on the bed, clone or not that was a dead man, I was not going to go out of this room when an explosion just happened. What am I, an anime protagonist? Nah, I will take life thank you very much.

And so I wait.

And wait, and hear some loud growling and crashes.

And I cover myself more securely with the blankets.

And wait some more.

Until the door opens and in the doorframe is Gaara, absolutely a mess. He physically looks fine, not a scratch on him but his face and mental state are a different story.

He looked like he had just cried a lot, his eyes were red from tears, and he just all around looked like crap. He shambled over to the bed and just collapsed onto it facing upwards. And he just sat there for a while, until he spoke with his voice breaking and strained something that comes along with crying a lot.

”Ren, am I a monster?” Why? Deities above, just why? I'm a child that needs to commence child counseling where I've had no experience with this type of stuff.

”No. why do you ask that?” His voice breaks, holding back tears as he responds.

”My uncle Yasha said t- that my mother hated me a- and that I w-was a monster that only l- lo- loved itself.” Ok... So how does one not f_u_c_k this up? Because I feel like this can go bad real fast.

”He also, tried to kill me and I accidentally h- hurt him. And h- he told me that h-he didn't love me-e-e. A- and now he's d- de -dead!” He started to let the tears free, and it cascaded down his face. I uhh, damn there is nothing I can think of that can help him. If I ask him if he loved his uncle, that would be a really, really sore spot so no to that. I look around the room for inspiration until it hit me.

”I don't think you are a monster, or someone who cares for only their self.” He looked up at me, trying to stop his tears, hiccupping and some snot running down his nose which he wipes away with his sleeve.

”Y- you don't?” I shake my head and grab the thing that will save my ass. The bear, Mr. Stuffings.

”I don't think that a monster would have a bear, do you?” He shakes his head and grabs onto the bear tightly, with some stuffing coming out like he showed me earlier.

”And look at that, you really love Mr. Stuffings right? Then your uncle was wrong about that.” He looked at me and tried to smile, and he did albeit weakly along with a flinch with the mention of his uncle. ”Besides, I'm your friend right? So I guess I am also proof you aren't a monster or anything like that.”

He then started to cry once again, but this time it wasn't of sadness, but of joy... I hope. For the rest of the time I just let him hold onto me with his bear in his arms, pouring out his feelings.

”No.” Gaara firmly put down his foot, his face in a scowl very reminiscent of the period in the anime where he was about ready to kill everyone. The man in front of him, despite being a Chunin, was cowering like a lamb to the slaughter

”B- but, it was an order from Lord Kazekage!” The pitiful Chunin squeaked as if Gaara would care for that.

”Then if it was that important of me to go to his house, he would have come over. Now farewell.” Gaara closed the door, and as fast as he put on that face it was wiped off.

What?

Huh?

”Gaara? What was that?” He turned to me, just realizing I was there the whole time.

”Oh, the man was here to tell me that my... father wanted me to live with him now. But I think that I wouldn't be able to see you then so I said no.” Okay, let me just file that away for later then.

”No, not that. I mean where you got all serious, a few days ago you had trouble talking to me and right now you talked to him firmly. It was pretty cool.” At this he got all red, like a child being praised for getting the big kid problem right on the first try.

”O- oh, that. He had taught me how to speak all important, he said that since I was of important blood I needed to know how to speak properly with the right attitude. It was hard to do it though.” Huh, now that explains how Gaara was so good at being a Kage despite being so young he had training already. I also noticed how Gaara refused to say his uncle's name, and that was fine. He needs some time to calm down and settle with that trauma which will take some time. Or at least I think that's how it works.

”So what are we going to do now?” Gaara perks up, eyes bright with an idea.

”How about we play cards?” I laugh, and pull out the deck we have been using out of my pocket and we dash to the table to play some (read as a lot) rounds of speed.

Why is it that when we are in bed, or in the bathroom we think of things that we normally don't think of or alternatively something that really should have come to mind a long time ago? I not that long ago got ready for bed, borrowing some of Gaara's extra PJ's and a thought popped into mind. The orphanage... Crap, I forgot about that, to make it worse it's nearly been a week. If Ma was going to give me a good smack for being late on the first day, I fear what she would do to me after nearly a week of nothing.

Wait, you know what? I'm in a world with things that are much less scarier than her, why should I care? What are they going to do to me? Arrest me? In a village of shinobi where they, let's be honest, do way worse stuff on a daily basis than a kid running away? Eh, I can deal with the consequences, if there even any to be had. For now though... Sleep

As I was drifting away to sweet oblivion, I heard the door opening and some quiet steps walk across the floor.

”Ren? The voice is back.” I shift up from the bed and look at Gaara, not at all surprised by this. I pat the bedspace beside me and he clambers on the bed.

”It's alright Gaara, just don't listen to the voice.” He starts to shake a bit, and his breathing gets a bjt more rough.

”I know, i- it's just so hard though.” You could hear the resistance to crying very clearly as he is trying his best. I just do what I can and bring him into a hug, what more can I do? Oh wait, I think I git something.

”Here, follow me.” He nods his head and I get up from the bed, Gaara following suit. We head out of the room and into the mostly baren kitchen. I look around the cabinets and pantries in search of the items I need. After a few minutes I have what I need.

A pot, one measuring cup, two cups, and some tea bags.

I fill up the pot with water, using the measuring cup to put in a decent amount that both Gaara and I could drink, put it on the stove and light the stove. I wait for it to boil by continuing to comfort my friend.

”What are you making?” Distracted by what I was doing, Gaara wasn't suffering as bad from the voice as he normally did. That was good, then maybe the tea will help.

”I'm making you and me some tea. You so you can relax, and some for me so I can stay up and help you if you need it.” He shakes his head at that, seemingly mad at something I said.

”No, you should just go to sleep after this. You don't need to that for me the whole night.” I just refuse his refusal.

”It's fine, besides who else are you going to lose in cards with? I know Mr. Stuffings is one mean poker player, but don't you get tired of losing to a bear?” He puffs up his cheeks in anger but jt just looks cute on him rather than the anger he had when insane like in the show.

”I don't lose...” Gaara grumbled to himself indignantly.

Hey! This is good, he is properly distracted now.

I check on the pot and see the water was boiling so I grab it and carefully pour it into the cups, mindful of the stepstool I was on. I then grab the different sets of tea bags and put them in each mug. Looking at the mugs, I was... Disappointed. They were really bland, since they looked like they can be painted on maybe we can do that?

I bring mugs over to the counter Gaara was sitting on, and sat on the high chaur next to him. I set them down and before Gaara cluld grab his, I stopped him.

”Careful, you should let these cool down. Otherwise you could burn your tounge. He widens his eyes and nods in undersranding. I quickly get to talking so he doesn't go back to hearing the voice loudly.

”So, since we dont really have the right kettle fir this I'm not sure if it would taste different so sorry if it tastes crappy ok?”

He nods, but I feel he would have drank it regardless of whether it was crappy or not, not that he has many options at this point. Talking can only distract him for so long.

We started to talk about other small things we did confined to this one hpuse as we had yet to really go out much and it was surprisingly easy to keep on talking. In the back of my mind however, all I could think of was how to help Gaara.

Sure, I've only known him for like a week tops but I feel really close to him. And sure, I only became his friend in the first place, so that I could save my hide for the most part. But now? I don't want him to suffer. He really has a crappy childhood and the fact that he can't sleep and he hears the vlice of the sand raccoon since his seal is crap kinda grinds my gears.

I have not come up with a solution just yet, but tea will have to do for now.

”Alright, you can try to see if it's cool enough, don't forget to blow on it lightly just in case.” Gaara takes the advice to heart and does just that then takes a small sip of it. Then after blowing on it a bit more he drinks a larger amount and looks to me and smiles a big grin.

”Thanks Ren, I feel better already!” Ah, yes I remember another reason why I want to help Gaara.

That cute gosh darned smile, one that can melt the heart of people. Anyone who disagrees are not people and should therefore be shown the door... With force.

I promise you this Gaara, I will make sure ypu get a good night's of sleep. I take a sig from my mug to seal this solemn vow silently.

”Gah, I burnt my tounge!”

Hearing the door being pounded first thing in the morning is not a good way to wake up. Shambling through the halls I go to the entrance with a yawn in my throat. I open the door and all thought processes halt. I see the Kazekage himself and his two kids, Temari and... Whats his face.

”Greetings, I urgently request that Gaara comes out to join in a ver important discu-”

”Sorry, wrong house!” I slam the door at breakneck speeds and instantly regret it. Oh f_u_c_k, I just did that to the most powerful man in this village! I am literally taking apart my plan to live and I'm not even that old! Why did I have to do that? I have but one way to summarive all this

”Shit...”

Omake- 52 Card Pickup

”Hey Gaara!” My small redhaired friend looked up from his stuffed bear and was ready for what I had to say.

”Wanna play a new card game?” His eyes light up eith excitement at this, he always likes learning new card games, and he nods his head up and down sow fast that there were afterimages.

”It's called 52 pickup.”

”How do you play that?” I look at him with a grin, deck of cards already prmied in my hands and I throw it with reckless abandon. Cards going arpund the room.

”Easy, you pick then up!” I started to laugh interanlly as I finally had someone to do that to. Seriously hoe was it that everyone I knew, already has heard of it?

I then notice Gaara was picking up the cards with a smile.

I immediately felt bad then started to pick up the cards with him.

”Ypu wanted to play too?”

I nodded with a somber look, guilt weighting me down from Gaara thinking this was an actaul game.

”Yeah... I wanted to play this with you.” The rest of the day I fept bad for what I did.