How orphan boys play

Hey guys ^_^ Updates take too long i know but, seriously, this was a tough chapter. Sai and Yamato are very tricky characters to write abut when you want to keep them in character. Sai was the most difficult since he dosen't express very much verbally and it's neccessary for this chapter so, I tired to understand his kind of thought pattern. Being an artist myself, i tried using my own perspective and hopefully it helped to portray Sai a little better in this chapter. I know you're all wanting to know what happens with Gaara but i felt there'd be more anticipation if i left that for another chapter. I'm taking some reviewer advice and giving the boys chapters of thier own.

THanks again everyone and i'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon. As usual, let me know if i've forgotten to proof read anything and i'll fix it. CYA!

How Orphan Boys Play

Ch4 Welcome house part 2

Sai had his things packed nice and early. He hadn’t slept much that night and found himself packing his bag to pass the time. The only items still out were his toothbrush and clean unmentionables. When Kurenia was doing her morning rounds, preparing the bowls for breakfast and making sure there were enough spoons, she found Sai had already helped himself. (Last time someone was up this early was when the roof was after that ‘secret monster movie marathon’) He was scribbling away on a crumbled piece of paper with a broken crayon, quietly enjoying his private time. Silently as she could, Kurenia tip-toed out the room.

The clock ticked past seven thirty, half an hour before breakfast time and dozens of thundering feet running down the stairs. Kurenia returned to the dining room to find Sai with an empty bowl and his paper struggling to show any trace of its natural white.

“Good morning, Sunshine”, she cooed.

“Morning, Kurenia-Sensei” She pulled out the chair next to him and sat without another word, just quietly admired her little Sunshine’s art work. When possible, Kurenia liked to keep these rare pieces of work. Paper was sometimes difficult to find in a place like this and no matter how much she ordered, it never seemed to last as long as intended. Kurenia figured that was the reason Sai drew on himself so much. She didn’t mind as long as he cleaned himself at the end of the day. Red eye were drawn to the scribbled green penguin but blinked when the remembered who their attention was supposed to be focused on.

“Sai, honey, I know it’s quite early but since you were up earlier than the rest of the birds in the nest, I called Yamato and asked of he wouldn’t mind picking you up now. Is that okay? I thought you’d like to avoid the morning rush in here” Dark orbs just stared blankly for a moment at the headmistress but it was a familiar expression; it often meant he was thinking hard over something. He suddenly reached into his pocket, plucked the pen from it and marked his palm. A simple smiling face and a nod faced Kurenia.

XXXX

Despite it being close to Summer, the morning air was crisp and cool enough to wear a sweater. Even though Sai took this initiative, he hadn’t bothered to change his black cut-offs.

“Aren’t you cold with those things on? Yamato asked as they walked through the empty streets. Sai just shook his head and smiled in the older man’s direction. The walk was quiet and brisk to Yamato’s comfort. He was grateful for Kurenia calling him at the time she did instead of during the school hours; kids buzzing everywhere, queues of school bags lined up at several shops during lunch time and incessant mobile ring tones.

Yamato’s house looked a little out of place on this particular street. The majority of homes consisted of two storey street apartments, all connected to form one long street combined with a few shops. The house looked like the traditional family type; basic square with the classic four window on the front, white door with the knocker, front garden and maybe a back one too, picket fence and even a chimney. Would the inside be just as out of place? On the contrary, it was strangely plain. The opening hallway was nothing more than a tunnel of wood and white wall paper leading into a living room of ordinary, undecorated furniture and grey/green walls. No pictures, no trinkets, ornaments or plants which, seemed even stranger considering this guy is a plant scientist.

“So, what do you think?” The question was replied wit a heavy grin and an odd rummaging inside Sai’s pocket.

They didn’t stay in the house for long. Since it had been short notice, Yamato did have a few errands to run. The backpack was dumped, the door was locked and Sai kept his jumper on. First stop was the grocery store which felt surprisingly short. One basket; filled with a loaf of bread but no spreads, rice crispies but no sugars or sweet fruits, chicken and potatoes but no sides or sauces. Three aisles and no more than fifteen minutes. The freckle face kid at the cash desk didn’t look to happy about working the early shift and must haven been grateful for the small basket load coming his way. A quick check to make sure the kid was still by his side, a smile in return and another rummage in the pocket while the back was turned.

Next stop was the large greenhouse on the rural side of town. It seemed initial presumptions were wrong and that bare house was actually going to see some plant life. Hopefully, something colourful.

Walls of six foot crystallised sand, arched into a of clear vision to house creations of green and small. The heavy scent of pollen and condensation washed over the young boy’s face when Yamato unlocked that carefully framed door. Thick green leaves, bigger than his own head brushed over his face and left faint traces of green mist. A thin path from the door, made up of tiny brown and golden pebbles designed to form a natural way around the plant life without upsetting it. The ground had sprouted rainbows of flowers and shapes and sizes. Tiny fences helped to separate the breeds but large assortments of vines covered them well to create the beautiful illusion of a wild garden. A delicate looking tree grew in the corner, with bark almost as dark as Sai’s hair and thin leaves that resembled his pale complexion. Sai found himself loost in such wondrous place and grew more curious to which beauty they might be taking back with him. Would it be the tulips; brightly and bountifully yellow and shaped to capture the sun in their cups? Or maybe those desert roses growing in the ring of shale grains; soft, adoring white petals, tinted with a lush red around the edges? Some wild, others timid but all so beautiful.

“Sai!” A voice called out from the door way. The boy hadn’t noticed Yamato had left his side until now. How long had he been wandering around? “I got the cactus. We can go now”

XXXX

The top of Sai’s head felt warm with the afternoon sun bearing down on it. He was carrying the brown bag against his chest with the sleeved arms supporting the bottom. Previous years of helping to carry groceries on food day taught him to make sure the base didn’t fall apart. Naruto still teased him about peanut butter butt print.

Sai could just see over some of the roof tops enough to see the clock tower, almost one o’clock. Right now he was usually having lunch with Naruto and Gaara in the playground. They sometimes had the whole place to themselves; free swings and slides, peanut butter sandwiches and fizz, Naruto going for a new spinning record on the monkey bars and Gaara trying to find a hiding place where no one could actually find him. Where they having lunch now, without him?

Yamato had made them both a simple lunch; ham and cheese on white bread with a glass of milk. The pair sat quietly at the table, Sai and the head and Yamato at the side corner, reading snippets of a newspaper split between them, Sai smiling whenever Yamato looked his way. The silence broke halfway through their meal, “Are you going to show me what you’ve been drawing on your arms all day?” Sai had been taking a bite out his sandwich but his teeth froze in the bread as Yamato’s sudden blurt. He quickly swallowed the lump of white and smiled weakly. “Enough of that, too”, he said quite sternly. “I know Kurenia’s taught you not to lie. I was in that orphanage too and I know every fake act in the book. If you don’ t like it here, you’re welcome to go straight back” Sai’s face immediately dropped along wit his food. It landed with a loud clang against the plate. “If you can’t learn to work around your problems then you’ll be stuck at square one the rest of you life and that can’t be done in the orphanage forever. Eighteen and you’re out of there. And trust me, the real world doesn’t work well with clueless idiots”

Sai’s head dropped low until his chin touched his collar bone. A glum, dismal face replaced the one that had believed to have been a clever mask. The white plates were pushed aside and Yamato’s chair was turned to face Sai more directly. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or are we going to play the silent game ’till New years?” The sound of fabric being scrunched up into tight fists seemed like it was going to be only response.

“I hate you” Well, at least he said something. “Your house is boring. Everything’s so plain and dull” Was his voice getting louder? “Even your food looks like it belongs in the house of grey! But that’s where we are, right? A house of grey!” Sai’s voice was growing considerably with a low growl working it’s way out and ready to bark. “That greenhouse was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and you bring a cactus!” Suddenly the chair fell back against the floor, it’s previous user now with his feet firmly apart and nearly roaring in Yamato’s face. “You’re the most boring fart I’ve ever met and….and…”

“And?” Yamato’s composure hadn’t changed once during Sai’s pent-up rage. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed the kid was holding all that crap in but, like he said, he knew every act. His early years were in that orphanage. Too many faces to count and remember but regular little ‘problems’ occurred in many of them and gave Yamato the ability to spot a liar a mile off. Sai had lied to him the moment he first spoke to him. From the corner of the older man’s eye, when Sai thought he was distracted, he noticed the kid scribbling away on his arm and hiding it away inside his sleeve. I seemed pretty senseless from the angle he’d been looking at but it was obviously the kid’s only visible out let so, it must have made sense to him at least. Regardless, Yamato was curious to know what was making him so closed off. He had an idea though.

“….and….I miss my friends!” That appeared to be Sai’s final outburst. His arms hung limply by his sides while his chest heaved and sighed heavily. Yamato rose from his seat and picked up the overturned chair. He silently patted the wooden surface. The older man leaned back in is own seat and casually gazed at the adjacent window.

“You did better than me in that place then. I never made any friends. Not any I kept at least. I’m not exactly the type to make an effort for other people unless I have to. Sai.” Yamato hadn’t changed his position but the younger one’s head shot up at the assertive tone directed at this name. “Just because you’ve moved doesn’t mean you’ll lose your friends. It just means you need to make more of an effort to keep them. Understand?” There was a faint nod of a response. No smile. “So, can I see then?”

The massive woollen jumper was quickly part of a life and death mission to be removed from Sai’s torso. The sudden frantic behaviour took Yamato by surprise but not as much as what was going on underneath.

“What’s with your shirt?” Sai raised his arms and blinked at the black tank top that barely went past his chest.

“What’s wrong with it? I like it. It keeps me cool” Whatever. Let’s just see what you’ve been burning into your skin all day. If you get blood poisoning-whoa!

“You drew these?” No way! Yamato was sure spent no more that six seconds at a time on his arms but these were amazing. The right limb had been doodled in all sorts of things that Yamato interpreted as Sai’s frustrated thoughts that he had kept quiet. There was a house on his forearm, marked with a frowning face; above that was a tree that looked very familiar with a cactus along side it, split in two. The other arm suddenly caught Yamato’s attention. Now these had to have taken more than a few seconds. Two animals decorated the pale arm like professional tattoos. Curls and swirls formed a bulky, smiling toad while crosshatched lines created a bushy, dark eyed Tanuki. Two fingers pressed near the black line art.

“That’s Naruto and that’s Gaara” Sai smiled.