Chapter Eight Part Four
“Hn.”
Nothing else emanated from the the usually soft, smiling lips that were drawn tight with thought and anger. Black hair rippled softly in the breeze, and Sasuke’s long, thin fingers reached up to his face to brush the offending lock of hair out of the way of his onyx eyes as he gazed up at the large stone building. Impressive, he thought. It could almost pass for a respectable university, aside from the near-deserted look. It didn’t look like a loony bin at all. He glanced at the sign adjacent to the road winding up to the estate that read in fancy letters, “Haruki Jaisumoto Psychiatric Ward, N. Tokyo”. Satisfied, he walked up to a heavy oak door and banged generously on the brass knocker carved to resemble a mask of sorts. He could hear the hollowed sound reverberate sharply throughout the structure; as he listened carefully he became aware of detached voices, scuffling, the sounds of life. Moments later, the door swung open partway to reveal a woman, her pale, stringy blonde hair uncombed, her piercing blue eyes heavy with bags beneath them. Her voice was hard, impatient, and the sight of a handsome, well-dressed and professional-looking man standing before her didn’t faze her one bit.
“Yeah?” she said, the door open wide enough only for her face to peer through.
Swallowing impatience, Sasuke questioned: “Is there a man by the name of Uzumaki Gaara here, by any chance?”
An unreadable light entered her eyes and she took a moment to answer. “Uzumaki Gaara,” she said slowly, as though testing the syllables on her tongue. “I remember him.” She shook her head. “But you’re off about fifteen or twenty years, buddy. That kid... must be thirty or so now, huh? He was only a kid - a teenager - when he was here.” Again, a shaking of her head. “Man, was that boy crazy. A one-of-a-kind crazy, if you know what I mean, and that’s hard to come by. Most of these crazies are so predictable it’s almost boring, but that kid... that kid was evil.”
Sasuke blinked. “Well, uh,” he said, fishing for words, “He’s missing. Gone. I thought he’d came by here at all, so I wasn’t sure if I should check.”
He was startled to see fear register on her stoic visage. “Missing?” she repeated in barely a whisper. “Someone that dangerous, and he’s missing?!”
Uncertain, he remained silent. Was she blaming him directly? It certainly sounded like it. At a loss for what to say, he instead uncomfortably shifted his weight. “Yes,” he admitted, finally. “We’re doing our best to catch him.”
The doubt was apparent in her tired blue eyes. “No,” she said with a sigh. “You’ll never get him. He might be evil, that kid, but he’s a genius too, and when he doesn’t want to be caught, he won’t be.”
“Well, he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with,” Sasuke replied grimly. Ever dubious, the woman shook her head.
“Good luck, mister,” she muttered. “Believe me, you’ll need it.”
“May I search these grounds?” he questioned, earning a nod from her.
“Do what you want. Just... catch the prick,” came her reply, and shut the door. Sasuke blinked at the abrupt dismissal, then shrugged and stepped back, casting a sweeping gaze over
the grounds. It couldn’t have been any bigger than only a few acres. It wouldn’t take long. He glanced at his watch. Nearly one. Suppressing a sigh, he began to methodically search, checking everywhere. So he would get home a little later than intended; Naruto wouldn’t mind.
As he peered around every bush, circled every tree, searched every nook and cranny of the outlying buildings, the conversation of the night before resurfaced in his mind. They’d been lying together, saying nothing, simply content to be with one another, when Naruto spoke.
“I think I know where Gaara could be,” he said suddenly, startling the raven-haired detective, who propped himself up to look at the smaller man.
“Do you?” he questioned. At Naruto’s hesitant nod he pressed further: “Where? How do you know?”
“I think it’s at Haruki Jaisumoto,” came the blonde’s answer. “It’s the psychiatric ward he was at when he was a child. He used to go there regularly for check-ups, but stopped suddenly a while ago. One time when he was gone, I called the ward, and they said he came by. There’s something about that place that calms him, I think. Whenever he goes there I can tell, he’s so much calmer, more patient.”
Sasuke nodded with understanding. “And you think he’s there now?”
“I’m almost positive,” Naruto affirmed. “I think he’s there. No; I know it.” He raised cerulean blue eyes to meet veiled onyx ones. “Sasuke, I’m frightened,” he whispered suddenly, earning a look of concern from the detective. Wetting his lips he forced himself to continue. “Gaara’s still out there,” he said, a small tremor entering his hesitant voice. “As long as he is, he could still come back and - he could still kill.”
Sasuke felt anger boil inside of him as he lovingly embraced the teacher, promising grimly, “I’ll never let him touch you, Naruto, do you understand? He will never, ever lay a finger on you as long as I am alive to protect you.”
“But he can hurt you,” the smaller man whispered. “Like what happened... -”
“That was my fault,” Sasuke replied roughly. “I let my guard down. It won’t happen again, Naruto. I promise.”
Again, as wide, trusting blue eyes met his he was struck at how childish this man was, how inexperienced and how incredibly scarred he was. How could someone go through everything he did, Sasuke marveled, and still come out with the innocence of a ten-year-old?
He realized he’d been standing still, lost in thought, looking like an idiot for probably ten minutes. Snapping to reality, he resumed his search. There were only a few buildings aside from the main one, the one he had knocked on the door of; he was pretty sure that was the ward. Peering through the windows of a much smaller building made of the same brick, he realized this was a supply room, full of medical supplies, cots, gowns, etc. The noonday sun eliminated most of the shadows, but not all. After he was satisfied the small building was devoid of human occupancy, he moved on. The next was a good-sized garage; employee’s parking, he reasoned, and once again made sure no one was inside before moving onto the last building. It was empty. Completely bare aside from cobwebs and years of thick dust. He cast one last look about him; the grounds were beautiful, for a psych ward. A small creak splashed its way behind the main building, and several willows and long grass dotted the crick. He walked up to the gurgling stream and stared into the crystal blue water - which was surprising, considering this was still Tokyo. He saw his reflection in the water. Black hair, black eyes, pale skin. Flawless face. He frowned at his reflection and the apparation repeated the action. Naruto... he thought.
A low chuckle, throaty and hauntingly familiar, made his heart skip a beat. “So,” a voice said, low, laughingly, “You survived. I’m impressed.”
“Gaara.” He didn’t turn around. He didn’t need to. He sighed, closing his eyes against the pounding in his head and in his ears. “I’m not here to impress you,” he said, his voice hard, harsh. His hatred, his anger, was conveyed in his voice and again Gaara chuckled - a derisive sound, sending chills down Sasuke’s spine. “I’m here to make you pay for what you did to Naruto.”
“Apparently last time was not enough,” the voice murmured, seeming to come from behind him, from ahead of him, from above him.... from inside of him. “You are weaker, Uchiha Sasuke, and as such are unfit for this world. Wasn’t our last meeting enough to show you that?”
“As long as I am alive I will never give up fighting you, Gaara,” he snapped, turning for the first time, anger distorting his face into something not unalike that of his companion. For the first time he saw Naruto’s brother clearly, unaffected by shadows, leaning against the trunk of a willow gently swaying in the breeze. Blue eyes heavily marked with mascara stared maliciously at him, and short spiked hair the color of crimson blood lay in every which way. His body was lean, muscled, his arms crossed across his chest with a confidence Sasuke didn’t come close to matching. Anger, sure. But now he wondered if he could really take this homicidal maniac on, not without sacrificing his own life in payment. The black-edged eyes narrowed mockingly at him as Gaara seemed to read his mind.
“Afraid of death?” Gaara sneered tauntingly. “Such a human weakness. Death is only a continuance of existence. If you wish to kill me, you are merely speeding up the process of which I will be deported to the netherworlds. You will never stop me, nor any of my kind. We are... gods in our own ways.”
“The only thing you are god of is your own sick mind,” Sasuke retorted sharply. He was so angry he couldn’t see straight. That earned him a laugh, a jeering sound that held little humor and no good intentions. Sasuke could tell by the intensity underlying the blankness in the blue eyes that Gaara was planning something horrible, terrible, something that would make him scream as he died. No. What was he thinking? He controlled his own destiny. He was not going to be killed by someone who believed he controlled the world with his bare hands, who believed that he was a god. He grit his teeth and, at his side, his hands balled tightly into fists.
“Human anger,” Gaara noted monotonously. “Another weakness, one that will get you killed. Especially in light of an opponent such as myself.”
“I’m honored,” Sasuke sneered sarcastically. “You’re going to die today, Gaara.”
“Don’t be so certain, Uchiha Sasuke. You are only human, after all,” came the reply, devoid of emotion. With that Gaara attacked - so fast it was in the blink of an eye that he was standing there, talking, and the next instant he was speeding toward the bewildered detective with murder shining in his eyes; Sasuke heard the resonating crack a split second before unbelievable pain exploded in his head, obscurring his vision and affecting his balance.
“...Ugh,” he groaned, doubling over, finding nothing to lean on as he lost his balance and blood flowed freely down his head, staining his pale skin. He swooned - this pain, he couldn’t bear it - the formidable manifestation of Gaara, smirking down at him, became two and blurred; a low groan escaped his lips. Gingerly he touched the side of his head and his fingers came away wet, red. His skull felt like it was on fire. Abruptly he remembered - painful as it was to think - he remembered the precaution he’d taken, thinking of their last meeting, and his fingers clumsily fumbled for the firearm at his side. Gaara made no move to stop him and instead chuckled.
“You think such a primitive weapon can stop something like me?” he jeered as Sasuke brought his hand round; but his target blurred and he didn’t know which Gaara was the real one. Damn him! Damn his weakness, his human emotions... Randomly his finger began to squeeze the trigger as he wildly hoped he would hit something on Gaara, anything at all, before the gun was ripped from his trembling hands and clattered several yards away. He dropped to his knees and Gaara took his time getting the firearm. “Such a useless weapon,” Gaara observed, inspecting the metal as though it was a paper clip. “But not so useless used against your own kind, hmm?” Sasuke felt his blood run cold as the barrel pressed against his
head, the uninjured side, and he began to pray behind closed lips and eyes. Naruto... I’m so sorry.
He heard the nearly inaudible squeak of Gaara pulling the trigger as clear as the shot that followed as he twisted up, his leg kicking out involuntarily. Pain, even more pain than what was centered in his head, blossomed through his arm and he collapsed. The grass beneath him became a sickly dark mixture of brownish-red and green, and his onyx eyes slowly blinked at the blades of auburn. Gaara cursed, a sound that was oddly muffled, and then he felt hands around his neck, slick from the crimson liquid bathing him. The fingers began to squeeze and his breath was cut off; he had the odd, detatched thought of Gaara’s hands, unbelievably strong for digits so thin and delicate. A tiny smile twitched on the detective slowly slipping away, a smile of bitterness.
Then, suddenly, the hands were gone and he could breath; painful as it was his body forced him to gasp, coughing and choking, and he managed to look upward. Gaara was looking away, prey forgotten for the moment, and as Sasuke saw what had captured his attention his heart felt as though it had stopped.
“Naruto,” he breathed, coming out more of a groan as the small blonde, his hands shaking madly, cast a wild glance at the black-haired man doused in his own blood. The gun in his hands shook like it was being vibrated, the unsteady barrel aimed at the one who had caused him so much pain for all of his life. Gaara’s confidence had returned. This was his brother. He could control him with a look from his blackened eyes. A small smirk passed his lips.
“Naruto,” he softly repeated the detective, his voice like honey. “Naruto. I missed you.” He took a step forward and the blonde backed up, nearly dropping the weapon in his nerveless, numbed grasp.
“S...Stay away f-from me!” he stuttered, terrified, his tear-filled blue eyes darting from his brother to the form of the detective on the grass. Something about seeing his lover lying like that gave him strength. He jerked wildly with the gun. “I said s-stop, Gaara!”
“You think you can kill your own brother, Naruto?” Gaara purred. “I am not the one you should be frightened of. I love you. It is this man here-” he gestured at Sasuke’s motionless form, “-that you should kill. He is undeserving of your love. He hurt you.” He moved with terrifying quickness. “I am the one you love,” he hissed, his face dangerously close to Naruto’s, the gun forced to lower in Naruto’s trembling grasp as Gaara pushed himself up to his brother. “I am not the one you should be fighting!”
Naruto was crying, his face twisted in pain as silvery tears tracked down his face, sobbing with uncontrollable frenzy. “You- you -” his words were rolling together as he himself couldn’t even hear them straight; but his mind was in a jumble and that was all he could manage. Barely suppressing a smirk and a ‘hmph’ of disgust, Gaara left his brother and walked back to Sasuke. Naruto didn’t even know if his lover was breathing, didn’t know if he was dead, but he cried out as Gaara unceremoniously jerked the Uchiha up by a thick lock of his raven-colored hair. Naruto’s tears came faster and harder as he saw his beloved’s face, mottled with blood and ugly bruises, one eye half closed, but it was apparent he was still alive. He winced - or tried to - as Gaara jerked again on his hair, half lifting him.
“You see this?” he said, his voice cold, harsh. “You see what happens to weak humans when you let them control you, Naruto? They die. This fool tried to hurt you, tried to control you, and this is how he is going to pay.” He directed his icy gaze to the weapon in Naruto’s hand. “Finish the job, Naruto.”
“N-no, Gaara!” his brother cried out, holding the gun away from his body as though it was poison. “P-please don’t!” he continued to plead in vain as Gaara gave yet another yank to the detective’s hair, hauling the body upwards as though it was a sack of potatoes. Sasuke groaned and Naruto cried out again, but he was too afraid to do anything. “Put him down!” Naruto screamed. “Gaara!”
“Finish the job, Naruto!” Gaara yelled forcefully. “Kill this pathetic human. He is keeping us apart, preventing us from being happy! Separating us when we should rightfully be together!” Still Naruto did not comply and he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the shaking blonde. “Naruto,” he said calmly, which only served to frighten the small man more, “If you won’t finish what you started he will die slowly and painfully. He will scream until the pain becomes to much to bear. He will beg to die.” He let the limp body drop with a muted thud, and a sickened expression mixed with numb fear spread over Naruto’s sweet features. “Do you want that to happen, Naruto?”
Naruto shook his head, slightly at first, then harder. “N-no, Gaara.”
“Then kill him.” He directed his gaze at the detective, who was trying to roll over on his back, but couldn’t quite manage it. “Pull the trigger, Naruto, and kill him. Finish what you have started.”
Slowly, the hands began to raise, holding the gun unsteadily as Naruto, still crying, pointed it in Sasuke’s direction. Gaara grinned.
“...Naru...to...” Sasuke groaned as he flopped onto his back. “Nar...u...to....”
Naruto clenched his teeth tightly together with his brother’s voice dancing in his head. Gaara.... he thought. For you, Gaara... and pulled the trigger.
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Chapter notes: Guess what? Only one more chapter left!! And it comes with a treat, too. When I post Machination's very last chapter I will also immediately post Invincible's first chapter, so you get a head start on the sequel! Yaay! I'm so happy for you. Lol. Invincible is on Chapter Thirteen, and it's days from being completed! I'm so happy! *Squeals till your eardrums pop* Sorry, I'm just excited. Fun Facts!!! These two stories, Machination and Invincible, are my first Naruto fanfics I've ever completed and... out of all my story ideas and beginnings (which are A LOT) I've only completed maybe five stories. These included. So yes, I'm not so hot on following through with stories, because I suck at endings... but lucky for you, I've decided to stick to it and finish it once and for all!! Anyway, sorry to hinder you. Onto the story!
...wait, I forgot. I NOW HAVE FIFTY-ONE REVIEWS!!! I'm so happy. My goal on Invincible is to beat Machination. Lol.
So please review and enjoy the story!! SbP