Deconstruct

AN: Hello everyone! So this chapter was written about 2 years ago, maybe even a little less. I haven't proofread or edited since I last wrote it. I am updating this to see if anyone is still interested in reading this before I start to edit it seeing as my writing has changed. Please let me know, thank you *hugs*





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Chapter 3: The Best Chance





Okay… that could have gone a lot better. It wasn't the worst thing that could have happened, but she had expected—well hoped—it would be a little better. She turned a weak smile toward her superior. Well at least she could work with it…



"Well…" she began weakly. Damn! Use more conviction, Sakura!



"No"



"But—"



"No," he cemented. This was so not happening. He had to get out there right now and check on Cora, though he had to admit she handled the situation admirably. He quickly turned toward the door and pressed a button on the intercom.



"Haku?"



"Yes?" the smoky voice filtered through.



"Get the empty bedroom in the boys' hall ready for a new occupant."



"Okay—"



"What?! Wait?! No!" was the indignant screeching from behind him.



Sakura jumped from her chair so quickly and forcefully that she knocked it over in the process. She made her way over to the intercom, pushing the other doctor out of the way in her haste as she pressed a slender manicured finger on the speak button.



"Haku? Haku!"



"What?"



"Wait, hold on, don't do it yet" she pleaded with her fellow intern. She turned to Iruka, biting her bottom lip sheepishly, pleading eyes to ask him for reconsideration. Just as her lips began to part he cut her off.



"Have you lost your bloody mind?" Did she just push me out of the way? And is she seriously going to ask about this Naruto and Sasuke thing?



The woman in question developed a slight blush that stained her cheeks in embarrassment and realization that she just manhandled her boss. But she saw the golden opportunity rapidly slipping through her fingers.



"But Naruto! Sasuke!" Ok, so her eloquence was slipping through her fingers as well. But in her defense her mind was frantic so at the moment she was unable to put together a cohesive understandable sentence. All she saw was her plan going fast down the drain before it even had the opportunity to be implemented. This would have been the perfect chance to put her theory in motion.



She read both Sasuke's, from the various psychologists and Tsunade's own notes, case study and Naruto's. There was something there that would click and she knew it. She was always praised in school for her extraordinary skills in analyzing and diagnosing mental disorders and formulating the best course of action for treating such disorders by merely reading the case studies. Hell, she didn't graduate top of her class for nothing.



She had already calculated the risks and the benefits before she even suggested this venture and though she knew the rewards would be phenomenal, she did not disregard the gigantic risks this theory of hers involved. But this was an opportunity of a lifetime to contribute to the way some patient's cases would be treated. She could really make an important impact and nice little name for herself in the world of psychology, the latter only being the pleasurable consequence of her actions and not the driving force. She had confidence in herself and she knew her theory would work…



"They are staying apart"



She just had to…



"Did you see what happened between Sasuke and Cora?"



Think of a way…



"He and Naruto would kill each other"



To make it happen…



"Did you even see the way that they looked at each other? I've never seen Naruto act that way…"



That's it!



"THAT'S IT! Exactly!" she practically bellowed in his face. New found exuberance bubbled over in the now bouncy woman. She was a genius.



"What? 'Exactly', what?" Iruka asked genuinely confused. The back of his mind continued to nag at him. He really needed to check on Cora he didn't have time for Sakura's nonsense. He took a cautious step back from the overly excited woman who was still bouncing. Why did he always have to get the crazy ones?



"The way they looked at each other." She clarified, beaming brightly.



"Like they wanted to kill each other?" he drawled cautiously.



"Yes," her smile grew, almost consuming the entire bottom half of her face, "Think about it."



So perhaps young Dr. Haruno needed to spend a little less time at work… or more, he couldn't really decide at the moment.



A dark eyebrow rose in need of elaboration.



She sighed heavily. How could he not see it? How could he not know? "When Naruto usually meets people, what does he do?"



She was going to assume that the pregnant silence that followed was her cue to continue.



"He usually stares straight through them, like they're not even there. But you saw the small exchange between them. You saw that spark?"



He thought over the incident and he himself had to admit that the Uchiha did provoke a small response from the normally stale Naruto. But would that be enough to allow this to continue? Was that going to be enough to justify the big risk?



He thought for a long hard moment, pointedly ignoring the green puppy dog eyes directed at him. This could be potentially be very, very good or very, very bad. Though he loathed to admit it, he knew the young doctor was very intelligent and her unconventional ideas landed her a position at Tranquil Leaf Villas, but this? Could he do that to Naruto? Could he do that to Sasuke? They were kids in need of some severe help and this could shatter them. Though Haruno was smart, her exuberance bordered on dangerous. She was far from perfect. No one was infallible. If this theory of hers failed, there would be so much damage. He closed his eyes for a moment to breathe and wait for the answer to come to him. When it finally came he opened his eyes with new found determination and pressed the button on the intercom one more time.



"Haku."



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Once he was left alone he was able to sit there quietly, taking in his surroundings once more. He looked around the room cautiously taking in every activity, every small move. His eyes first landed on the girl by the window playing absently with her long multi-colored locks, eyes focused on nothing in particular as she stared quietly out the large window.



He was able to put her in her place so easily. Just like Itachi would. He was becoming more and more like him every day, but for some reason that thought didn't fill him up with as much satisfaction as he thought it would. If he were as cold and calculating as Itachi, he would be better equipped to finally end his existence. He was brought to distraction as he heard a soft sniffle in the girl's direction. Maybe he wasn't just like Itachi yet. Itachi would have broken her until she was a quivering writhing mass, a mere shell of a human being. Leaving her with nothing left to look toward, hoping that one day her eyes would not open from her sleep, regretting the night that she hadn't fallen with the rest of his family. Wishing to be sprawled about the living room floor with the rest of them, in a pool of their warm oozing blood… He wasn't thinking about himself. No, not him. He shouldn't—didn't feel that way, he shouldn't—didn't feel anything. He tore his gaze away as he felt his chest constrict, he wasn't going to…



He shifted his eyes to gaze past the young woman, looking out the window at the calm scenery. The sky was darkening; the sun fell from the center of the sky as the once brilliant sky blue was slowly consumed by the seeping pinks, purples, and oranges. Soft rays from the falling sun sliced through fluffy multi-colored clouds.



He wanted to stay focused on the dark green scenery but he felt an urgent tugging on his conscious. Some one was definitely staring at him. Following the pull, his dark eyes connected immediately with the clear blue that was previously burning a hole in the back of his skull. That idiot, Naruto, was looking at him over the back of the couch with his full lips screwed into a nasty scowl right underneath those blazing irate eyes. They quickly shot over to the girl seated at the window and returned to him with renewed anger.



Sasuke stared back impassively save for the slight upward tilt in the corner of his mouth. His eyes bored into the increasingly angry blue and mentally challenged the blond.



'Well, what are you going to do about it?'



Naruto's eyes widened a fraction at the challenge in that new kid's—Sasuke's face. What the hell did he do to Cora? She was a nice girl, a little nosy, but nice. Besides, she was the one who was progressing the most; everyone thought she would be out and a 'normie' in a few months. Now this jerk-off screwed it up with whatever he said. Naruto hoped that Cora could be stronger than that. He pinned that dark gaze with an even fiercer one, showing that he was not only up to the challenge but that Sasuke's smug look didn't faze him.



'Bastard! What the hell did you do to her?'



Dark eyebrows shot up briefly and crumbled back downward.



How dare that blond fool not cower? People always cowered when he looked like this, they couldn't stand his cool yet intimidating demeanor. He had that look down to a fucking science, a damned art! No dumb ass was going to try to challenge fucking Sasuke Uchiha and his look. The muscles around his eyes tightened as he fought to try to get a hold of himself, he wasn't going to let that guy get under his skin. Hardening his features, his small smirk fell into a scowl as he upped his glare.



'Again, what are you going to do about it?'



'Asshole! I'm going to kick your bloody ass you… you… bloody… ass… hole!'



Naruto was slightly relieved that this was a mental battle and not verbal because he really didn't need Sasuke to hear what he thought just then. That bastard just looked like the type of prissy bitch that would mock him for his lack of verbal skills. His grip on the edge of the couch increased so that it was comparable to a closing vice, probably strong enough that he would be able to crack the framework.



Sasuke noticed the small falter in Naruto's stare in which he looked lost in thought for a short moment. Naruto was losing his train of thought… in the middle of an argument… like an idiot.



'Idiot', he smirked, eyeing the blond who was once again paying attention. 'Who loses their train of thought during a challenge?'



That guy, that Sasuke, dared to have that smirk of superiority?! It's as if he was calling him stupid or something… an idiot. Naruto turned around fully, his fingers digging forcefully into the soft fabric on the back of the couch. He narrowed his eyes.



'Jerk!'



'Moron!'



'Asshole!'



'Dumbass!'



'Princess!'



'Pedomorphic ignoramus!'(1)



'…'



'Imbecile'



"Bastard!" That was the last straw! He launched himself from the soft cushions and rounded the corner of the couch, ready to bash that smug schmuck's pale face into the ground and…



-Bam-



He blinked his eyes to clear his vision as he turned over, a small groan escaping his lips, and looked at the ceiling for a few moments. 'What the hell?' Did he really need to fall on to his face so gracelessly? What tripped him anyway? He looked down just in time to notice the white fuzzy cotton clad foot retreating back around the corner of the couch. His blue eyes immediately shot up to the impassive aquamarine staring back down at him. Betrayed.



'Dude, what the hell?!' he furrowed his eyebrows in question of the red head's action.



'No fighting' the cold stare answered, barely blinking.



Naruto still looked confused at Gaara's nonverbal answer.



Gaara, as it would appear to any passing onlookers, just sighed. But to Naruto it was an elaboration.



'Quiet room'



Widening his eyes in realization, Naruto grinned sheepishly, only slightly—just slightly—ashamed of his previous actions. Oh yeah, he just got out of the Quiet Room this morning and he certainly didn't feel like going back soon. Clearing his throat, he braced his hands flat on the ground and pushed himself to his feet. He nodded in appreciation toward Gaara as he returned to his seat. What was he thinking anyway? It all flew out of his memory as he settled into his ass groove on the warm sofa cushion. Just as he leaned back comfortably into the couch he felt a tingling at the back of his neck. He turned around and caught a glimpse of that all knowing superior smirk.

Oh yeah. That guy.

He was so going to kick that dude's ass. He got up to stand on his knees; they sunk deep into the squishy cushion as he fully turned toward the back of the room again. His hands balled tightly at his sides while his fists itched for the upcoming action. Just as he was ready to leap over the back of the furniture he was roughly yanked down by the back of his shirt, back into his seat as he heard a soft grunt coming from his left side. Luckily Naruto was fluent in Gaara-ese. The grunt, loosely translated, meant "Sit the fuck down and ignore that bastard." He scrambled around and quickly complied with the grunted demand, knowing the redhead did not harbor a vast well of patience, and turned his attention back to whatever was on television.



Gaara peeked at Naruto out of the corner of his eye wondering how he'd come to tolerate one of the most intolerable, insufferable people in the universe. That was not an exaggeration, at least not in his opinion anyway. But he just couldn't put his finger on it, some how they understood each other. He would be damned if he would admit it out loud, but Naruto was the only one who could understand where he came from. They didn't have to sit there and talk hours on end about feelings and memories and any other of that unnecessary crap. In fact, most of the times they didn't speak at all but sat together in amiable companionable silence.



The silence was something that really annoyed the doctors there, as they constantly pointed out their, Naruto's and Gaara's, influence on one another. Counterproductive. Repressive. Damaging. Nocuous. And other words that he chose to ignore were used to describe their relationship. But they never separated the two because even the doctors' realized that as much as a hindrance the friendship was to their recovery; they knew that Naruto and Gaara needed each other. Though, again, Gaara would be damned if he admitted that fact.



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The soft murmuring that slowly became louder and clearer broke the thick tense silence in the room as the two doctors walked in through the doorway.



All eyes focused on Drs. Umino and Haruno as they stopped in the doorway looking back at all the teens. Everyone noticed right away that they looked jumpy and worried. Iruka, being the first to move, made a straight line to the tense girl sitting in front of the window. He stood at her side and placed a warm assuring hand on her shoulder. In low murmurs he spoke to her, eliciting a response from her in the form of relaxing her tensed frame and making small nods. He let out a small relived sight at her responses.



Dr. Haruno made her way toward the rigid brunet on the bench.



"Sorry to leave you so abruptly, Sasuke, but Dr. Umino and I were needed for an immediate important matter." Sakura lied as she stopped at one of his suitcases and grabbed the handle. "We are going to show you where you will be staying" she finished with a bright smile. Dr. Umino finally joined the duo and for a small moment her smile faltered.



Sasuke's posture tightened at her small action and he quickly got up to grab the rest of his possessions. His eyes went from her confident smiling face to slightly irritation displayed plainly on the tanned face scanning every place in the room, avoiding eye contact with Sasuke.



'Liars'



"Let's go to your room now, Sasuke." Iruka stated blankly as he walked toward the entryway.



"Whatever." he responded calmly as he and Dr. Haruno followed the other doctor out of the room.



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The room was soon drained of all tension once the new arrival and the doctors left and there was once again a comfortable silence in the room. About ten minutes later there was a shuffling of feet and an intoxicating smell in the air.



"Hey everyone! I brought pizza and some fun movies I thought we could watch tonight."



Five pairs of eyes focused in on the long haired brunet in the door holding four flat white boxes in one hand and a lumpy bag, presumably full of DVDs, in the other.



"Hey everybody, our babysitter is here." Naruto stated dryly



Haku pouted as he stepped over to the kitchen counter and set the items down.



"Naruto, you know I am not a babysitter, I'm a doctor, I wish you would stop calling me that."



"No you're just the guy who stays here overnight until our 'parents' return because we are big babies who can't take care of themselves." He huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, turning back toward the television and away from the advancing psychiatrist.



Haku walked around the couch and stood in front of Gaara and Naruto, while Gaara remained staring forward, Naruto—with his eyebrows crumpled downward in mildly restrained agitation—moved his head to focus on the screen he hadn't been watching. Placing a leg in between the two boys, he shifted slightly causing them to scoot over and he plopped down in between them. He turned to the redhead first.



"What's wrong with him?"



"…"



Haku sighed at the very much expected answer from the normally stoic teen so he turned toward the more responsive blond.



"Why are you so crabby today?"



"I'm not" Naruto ground out through clenched teeth squeezing his arms tighter around his chest.



"Are you sure?", Haku began, leaning closer and suppressing a laugh as Naruto began to lean away, "Because it sure looks like someone got your cute little panties in a bunch."



Naruto squawked and turned wide affronted eyes toward his doctor pointing an accusing finger, "This is why I call you a babysitter! You are too inappropriate to be a doctor!"



A small smile crept up on his face. This was slightly better, though he could still see there was something wrong. "Well what do you call those green things that I found in your roo—"



"Those were not panties!! They were speedos from my stupid pervert of an uncle. He got them for me because he's—Gah! I'm not explaining this to you again!!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest again and falling back into the couch with a childish pout.



This time Haku did chuckle.



Naruto fought down an expanding small grin.



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