Insomnia

VII

Gaara rubbed his temples and swiveled his chair back and forth in a lazy half circle using only his toes. Kankurou sat across from him, watching and waiting. Gaara couldn’t understand why so much shit fell to him and blamed Shukaku, even though the stupid biju wasn’t with him anymore. Kankurou had explained to him predicament. He, Shikamaru, and Momogi would be returning to Konoha at the end of the week, and Neji would remain behind. Gaara was to help Neji become what he once was by training his other senses, and if anything else happened, well, Gaara knew whom to blame. He amused himself for a moment with the thought of filling Naruto’s pants with ant lions before he heard Kankurou clear his throat.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Gaara said finally. “He’s unusually stubborn.”

“So are you” Kankurou replied. “Wear him down. He’ll break long before you will.”

“He’s a Hyuuga.” Gaara said dryly. “he’ll just –love– to match wits against me.”

“Don’t be such a baby. If things get rough, beat him. Or fuck him. I don’t know.”

Gaara frowned. The ant lions were sounding better and better now. He could beat the shit out of Neji. Handicaps never stopped him before, so it wouldn’t now. As for the fucking, well, Gaara was all for personal gratifications, but Neji was such a prude he’d sooner die than submit to having a cock shoved up his ass. Though a pretty picture it made, indeed. Those emerald eyes flicked to his brother and saw those lips frowning. Finally, he sighed.

“All right. Okay. You win. I’ll do it. I won’t like it, but I’ll do it.”

“You’re an angel, Gaara.”

Gaara threw a file folder and Kankurou and settled forward to do his work, allowing a wicked grin when Kankurou realized what the folder was and let out a groan. Revenge was sweet and beautiful, especially when Kankurou was forced to update the Konoha genin rosters for Suna.


The breeze was caressing his skin even as the sun burned it. Neji stood alone on the roof of the apartment, practicing his chakra “sight”. He never saw anything that resembled an actual image, only flashes of colour that made an imprint on his memory. With those memories he could make a mental map of location and more reel. The only drawback was that he needed to send out chakra of his own to illuminate the objects. It left him tired and weak and most of all with a frayed temper. He’d had to fight against impulse to snap at Momogi at dinner last night, annoyed by her inane chattering. Being alone, it gave him time to test his patience and work on making his chakra well deeper – or invent another way to “see”. As it was, Neji was incapable of properly function as a ninja until he’d mastered those echolocation-type bursts.

His fingers curled around the hilt of the only kunai he was allowed to hold on his person. He was allowed the weapon solely for self-defense against a close range enemy, though the paranoid part of him believed that the kunai was meant to be fallen upon, by accident, of course. His knuckles were turning white as he listened to the unfamiliar approach and at the last second whirled, the kunai flying from his fingertips at the target. He felt a rush of wind, heard his kunai strike something and drop to the granite of the roof, and heard an exasperated sort of sigh right after.

“Living with you is going to be like a divine punishment.” Gaara growled, watching those blank moonlight eyes narrow. Neji stalked forward, – surprisingly quick for being blind, Gaara mused – grabbed up his kunai in one fluid motion and poked the blade into Gaara’s chest.

“Who said anything about living with you?”

Gaara blinked, grinned. “Oh? Don’t you know? You’re going to be staying in Suna for a while.”

The look on Neji’s face was priceless. “And I’m staying with you?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Forget it.” Neji said, shoving the kunai harder into Gaara’s chest. Gaara rolled his eyes, pointless as it was, and wrapped his fingers around the offending wrist of the Hyuuga. One sharp motion and Neji was suddenly spun, his kunai twisted behind him and stabbing into his own back. Neji hissed, tried to get free, but Gaara had him trapped against him, the redhead’s breath hot on his neck.

“I really don’t want to explain to Momogi why you’re unable to walk,” Gaara whispered, ignoring the blush that crept into Neji’s pale cheeks. He ignored his own double entendre and pushed the kunai again into Neji’s spine. “So it’d be in your best interest to cooperate.”

“And if I don’t?”

Gaara’s silence explained everything. Neji finally relaxed, nodded and Gaara released him from the harsh grip, though he kept. Neji’s kunai. Neji was sure he could try to get it back, but he’d probably end up wounded. He heard Gaara shift and begin to walk away. Unwilling to let Gaara think him cowed, Neji let go one powerful chakra blast, one that both illuminated the Kazekage for a perfectly clear image and knocked him off his feet. The Hyuuga stepped past Gaara, head held high and back straight. Gaara watched him go and grinned madly. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not if he could get a fight that easily out of the Konoha jounin.