Red

Kakashi sat in a chair by the window, the moon casting it`s white rays onto the sleeping figure in his guest bed. He had been sitting here for hours now, taking care of his new "house guest". The boys fever had gone down over the night, thankfully, but Kakashi still made sure to wring the cloth on his forehead every now and then in cold water. Placing it gently back on the boys fevered skin.

He had decided not to take the boy back to the hospital, even if he was sick. After all he was a doctor, and could take good care of him himself. Besides, the red head had told him he didn`t like it there... and he wasn`t about to force him to be a place he didn`t like, when it wasn`t necessary.

He thought it was weird really.. the day before, or earlier this day, depending on how you saw it. But when he had scooped the boy up into his arms. And lifted him off of the beach.. he could have sworn that he had seen the sand underneath him coil and reach for the boy. It was like the sand was alive.. like it didn`t want the boy to leave. It was ridiculous and he knew it..

What was it with this boy and sand anyway?

And why did strange things happen around this boy all the time?

Like the MRI pictures shoving the kanji signs on his brain for fucks sake?... The buckshots and blood covering him the day he was brought to the hospital, but no wound? The backpack full of sand? Okey that wasn`t so weird compared to the other things, that was just, creepy..

If he didn`t know better he would have thought that this boy was immortal.. and that someone had shot him, but the wound had closed before the paramedics got there. but that couldn`t be? Could it?

He gasped silently in the dark room as a hushed thought entered his consciousness.

`The Snakes!`

He felt a coiling in his stomach as he walked over to the boy and sat down on the bed, leaning over to study the serene figure sleeping calmly in the dark. Silently trying to read the sleeping red heads mind. But to no avail.

The boy held secrets that he didn`t even know himself. So why should Kakashi find them just by staring at him? He sighed and leaned back.

He reached for the washcloth and took it of the burning skin and wringed it in cold water before he put it back. The boy only whimpered as the cold feeling burned his over heated skin, furrowing his missing brows.

"shhh...sleep ba-" Kakashi stopped himself as he was about to call the boy baby. Why? he wasn`t his baby. Certainly not. He wasn`t even a friend. He knew nothing about this boy, but then again, neither did the boy himself.

Someone did though.. Kakashi just hoped it wasn`t the feared gang that did. He pushed the thought back.. but it was ripped forward again as an old memory came to surface in his mind.

He distinctly remembered his childhood best friend, Obito, trying to scare him with the story of the sand demon one day on the beach when he was a kid.

He still remembered some of Obitos stories, stories he had picked up from phone calls he wasn`t meant to hear. And some stories pure bullshit, made up by his friends vivid imagination. Obitos dad was the police chief of Konoha and exceptional bad at noticing when his youngest son ease dropped on his phone..

Kakashi idly wondered how many of the stories he had been told were pure figments of Obitos imagination, and how many were actually true?

Maybe he was about to find out if this one was?

This "story" was one of many, about the notorious gang that supposedly crept around in Konohas dark streets at night.

A smile flowed over Kakashis face as he mused back to that hot day on the beach, and he had asked his friend if he wanted to burry him in sand, to see if he could get out. (Obito always did have a problem with restricted places)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::FLASHBACK::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::....

"Do you really think thats a good idea?" Obito looked at him questioning.. anxiety flickered behind his black eyes. He pulled his pilot glasses down to hide it, but Kakashi still saw it, and Kakashi just had to push it.

"Why? You scared you wont get out when I burry you? and realise youre weaker than me, when I have no problem getting out?"

"No!thats so not it!" Obito puffed his cheeks out and pouted before he crossed his arms stubbornly.. "It`s just that I don`t like sand, thats all.."

"You don`t like sand? Why?"

"Well we *do* live in Konoha..and you do know who *really* owns Konoha, right?"

"uhm..no, the government?" Kakashi looked quizzically at his weird friend, obviously making up idiotic half assed stories to escape the dreaded sand.

"Duh!The Snakes.."

"The Snakes?? Youre kidding right? thats just a story parents tell their kids so they behave. You know that right?.. just like the boogeyman. "

"Is not! My dad is chief of police you know.. and I pick up a thing or two you know.. "

"Okey, so lets presume that they were real, what does that have to do with us playing in the sand?"

"well.. this here, this is the sand demons sand.."

"sand demon?"

"yeah.. apparently, in The Snakes, there is this guy right.. and he can control sand. And this.." Obito patted the sand with his hand." Is his sand.. and I really don`t think he`ll appreciate uss playing in it like little kids."

Kakashi started laughing now.

"Whatever man.. If you didn`t want to play, you could have just said so.. but I`m not buying that bullshit story."

"Fine,fine.. maybe *this* isn`t his sand. But he is real. And he uses his sand to crush people.. but I think he carries it in a backpack or something..I overheard my dad talking about it last week. Apparently he had killed some girl."

"Youre so full of it you don`t even know it Obito.. A guy that can control sand? Come on!"

Kakashi laughed even harder before he hurled a handful of sand at his friend. And they broke out into a full fledged sand war.

.....:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::END FLASHBACK::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::........


The stirring of the boy brought him back into the present. Red just simply rolled over to his side and tucked his legs in to his chest, making a ball, like a little baby would. He looked so precious like this. So vulnerable. This boy couldn`t be a Snake.. a vicious murderer, could he?

But that would certainly explain alot. It would, in fact, explain everything.. But did that mean that The Snakes were real? He knew that Konoha was controled by a crime syndicate.. but that these people were immortal. It just sounded too surreal.

Kakashi shook the thoughts out of his head and stood up to leave when a frail but steady voice caught his attention.

"Where am I?"

Kakashi swallowed hard. For some reason he felt nervous now. Now that he suspected that this boy was a murderer. But the boy didn`t know, did he? He didn`t remember. But what if he suddenly did? Would he kill him then?

A chill ran up Kakashis spine and he felt the little hairs in his neck stand up. But he couldn`t kick the boy out. That could kill him. If he wasn`t immortal that was.`Immortal.. yeah right, stupiiiiiiid.! He shook his head and turned carefully around looking straight at the boy sitting in his huge guest bed.

" Red-kun.. It`s me.. Dr, Hatake. You remember?"

The boy nodded his head, keeping his gaze locked on him the whole time.. He looked so scared. His beatiful teal eyes wide open. Fists clenched by his sides, like he was waiting for someone to attack.

Kakshi smiled a soft smile to him, he couldn`t help it. But there was something about this boy that made his heart jump. And seeing him so uncertain made his own fear of the boy dissipate. And he laughed at his own stupidity, beeing affraid of this innocent boy.

"It`s allright Red. Don`t be affraid. I won`t hurt you. I found you at the beach remember?"

The redhead nodded to this too, and Kakashi saw him relax a bit. Slumping back into the soft pillows.

"Why....why did you save me?"

Kakashi moved in closer and sat down on the frame. Making sure not to invade the boys personal space.

"why shouldn`t I Red? I can`t explain it, somehow I care about you. So please.. can you stay here? with me? I have the weekend off. so we can get to know each other. You can stay for as long as you like." Kakshi smiled at the boy.

He didn`t get a reaction, the boy just looked confused. Like he had ran into a brick wall, and just realized it.

"Oh, and you can call me Kakashi. Key?"

He smiled again before got up to leave the room.

"I`ll be just down the stairs if you need anything, I made you soup by the way, it`s chiken.Just like my mom used to make me when I was sick." He pointed towards a thermos on the night stand. A bowl and spoon standing next to it. "It should be cold enough now to drink without burning your throat, do you need help?"

Gaara shook his head no, and lifted the thermos to his mouth tasting the liquid. Not long after the whole thing was gone, a dissapointed look on Gaaras face.

"I`ll make more, don`t worry. I just didn`t think you should have too much at once. I suspect you haven`t had anything to eat in a while.."


************************************************'''''''''

Gaara didn`t understand this..

This warm feeling engulfing his heart, making it hard to breathe. Why was the Dr so nice to him? didn`t he see what he was? Like all the others could.. didn`t he see the monster hiding behind his eyes?

He didn`t grasp it. And he felt a small smile tug at his mouth. He discarded the feeling fast enough, but sat a bit longer to feel the warmth around his heart. This, this too was a feeling he was sure was foreign to his body. Since it hurt. It really did, but in a good way. Making his stomach flutter.

A sudden movement to the bed startled him, and he actually giggled in content as two little paws suddenly was at his chest, and a pink tongue started to lick his face, a little tail wagging back and forth in happiness.

He felt the bed dipp again, and again, and soon he was surrounded by dogs. Getting comfortable around him. seemingly lying down to sleep, on top of him and all around him.

"Guys! Get off of him! " The doctor came rushing into the room and started to drag the drowsing dogs of his house guest. The dogs grumbled at this, but soon they left the bed, tails down and heads sloped.

"So sorry about that, it`s just that this is normally their bed, and I forgot to close the door."

And then something unexpected happened. Red smiled.. an actuall smile, a weak smile, but none the less, a smile. "It`s okay.. It`s a big bed.. they can sleep here.I won`t mind so long as they don`t sleep on me"

And that was the cue they needed, and only seconds later the redhead was surrounded by dogs again. But this time only the little mutt insisted to sleep on his lapp.

And so they fell asleep again, all of Kakashis puppys.. including his newest edition. The little redhead lying in the midst of them.




A/N: yeah, yeah.. I know. No lemons yet.. but rushing this is only going to ruin it, so be patient. they will come. ;P I promise, they are not far away.. only a chappie or two..

Please R&R so I`ll know if anyone is interested in reading more from these two.. it seems like it`s not a popular couple ne? Hehe.. well I think they are smexy.. mmmMMm*drools*

Oh, and if you wanna beta for me.. send me a mail: elfendream@hotmail.com.

Thank you, you who actually R&R. :))

and I`m really happy XoXGaaraXoX liked it.. I love your story. It rocks.. to bad it`s finnished. *sobs* but I hope to read more from you soon.

Xfairygirlx: haha.. I don`t have that T-shirt. *pouts* but I have the avatar. Heh... and if I see that shirt somewhere it`s soooo mine. (If youre attacked by a crazy girl screaming "mine!mine!"...thats me ^_^)

Melha Seraphim. *pouts at you*:Yare Yare.. fine fine.. I`ll look for a beta. Just for you. Hehe.. I know I know my grammar suck, and its sooooo boring to cross check every word on dictionary.com.
And I wont use the term motherfucker any more. *giggles*
And for the setting of this story.. did you read my A/N asking you to read the intro to snake eat fox? Well... I`ve tried to explain some things in this chappie.. so I hope it clear things up a bit.