Under The Enemy's Roof

A/N: Sorry for being so unresponsive to the reviewers for such a long time and for the poor quality of my previous chapter! Anyway, hopefully this one makes up for it! There’s a lot of GaaNaru! And the next chapter will be steamy! Really steamy! I also really really really appreciate all the reviews I have received thus far and I want to thank my readers and reviewers for all the awesome support. Thanks everyone!

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Under the Enemy’s Roof
chapter ix
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Naruto fidgeted before the imposing door, sometimes raising his hand to knock, sometimes lowering it with trembling fingers. He glared at the inanimate object with such contempt that a passerby might have caught a glimpse of splinters erupting from the solid oak board. Blue eyes, nervous, but determined were fixed stubbornly ahead. Finally, rousing up the courage, he raised his hand for the last time and was about to knock when–

“What do you want, dobe?” came the gruff voice from behind the small crack. Unhappy with having his thunder stolen, Naruto did the only thing that he could do: pout.

“Well?” drawled Sasuke as he opened his door wider. His impatient face came into view, but little else. He had always been a severely private individual who tended to lock his door at all times, including when he was sleeping. Naruto suspected that it was hereditary since Itachi was even more mysterious than his younger brother. The blonde prayed that it was not a trait that increased with age, or else he would be driven into insanity before his eighteenth birthday.

“Um,” started Naruto nervously, “I was just wondering if...” He trailed off at the completely disinterested look on Sasuke’s face. Suddenly angry at himself for even thinking of stooping so low, he abruptly turned on his heel and stomped toward his own room.

“Oi, dobe,” called the Uchiha irately from behind the door, “first you have the nerve to disturb me and now you’re getting pissed off at me for not doing anything at all. What’s your problem?”

“Y-y-you! Just you! You piss me off so much, Uchiha!” exploded Naruto as he turned around to face his adoptive brother. “God! You are just so-so-so...argh!”

“Just what are you trying to say?” sighed Sasuke impatiently as he rolled his eyes.

“I’m trying to say that you are a self-centered, conceited, pig-headed bastard,” screeched the blond, voice cracking a little around the edges.

“Now, now Naruto-kun, do try to stay civil after four,” came a smooth, headache-ridden voice. The two squabbling teens turned to regard the extra person only to find a very tired Itachi messaging his aching temples. Sasuke huffed in annoyance as he once more shut himself into his room.

“It’s all that bastard’s fault,” muttered Naruto as he stuffed his hands into his pocket sulkingly. “Thinking he’s so much better than everyone else.”

“So what did you need, Naruto-kun?” asked Itachi, opening his room door invitingly to the younger boy. The blonde smiled gratefully at his friendliness and settled himself onto his adoptive elder brother’s soft bed. The older Uchiha straddled his desk chair so that he was facing Naruto.

“I,” started the blonde, but he stopped in embarrassment. He turned away from the intense eyes of the young man to wander elsewhere. His eyes caught over several books, volumes of medical encyclopedias and journals, edition after edition of physics books. “Never mind.”

“Is it about,” began Itachi, “money?”

Naruto’s blue eyes widened. “H-how did you know?”

“That’s not important,” replied the Uchiha. Turning, he rummaged about until he found something. “You’re part of the family now, Naruto. Our money, is your money–to a reasonable extent that is.” With that, he extended his hand to reveal a solid black card with platinum letters that sparkled in the light. “Don’t be shy to ask for money, Naruto-kun, we’ll always be here for you.”

With trembling hands, the blonde took the delicate piece of plastic from the Uchiha. He was about to pull away when cold fingers wrapped around his wrist, tugging him from his seat and flying into the chest of the Uchiha.

“You’re a very,” whispered Itachi, “very special boy, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto nodded rigidly before thanking Itachi and escaping the dark of the room, leaving a smirking brunette to his studies.

The doorbell rang clearly through the half-empty house, breaking the silence of the cloudy Sunday morning. It was clearly autumn now, with the humidity of the impending cool rains hanging like a tense note in the air. Sasuke, annoyed to be disturbed so early in the morning, stumbled over the stairs of the foyer groggily to answer the door. What he was met by only darkened his mood.

“Sabaku.” It came out as a growl, and was well-intended as one. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m here for Naruto,” came the equally hostile response.

At that reply, Sasuke’s eyes immediately narrowed and his hands clenched, nails digging into his palms. He was trembling then, almost unable to contain the wave of violence that was about to explode out of every pore of his body. Not knowing what else to do, he turned sharply and half-screamed, half-bellowed, “Naruto!”

It wasn’t long before an orange blur skidded down the steps. “Gaara!” shouted Naruto happily as he spotted the tuft of red hair peeking out from behind a tightly slammed door. “O-oh...haha...Sasuke...”

Sasuke was fuming at this point.

“What the hell were you thinking about doing with that...that...boy?” shouted the brunette. He would later wince at his words, realizing that he sounded like some overprotective father who was letting his beloved daughter out on a date with a harmless boy scout. At this point, though, he was far from jokes and laughter.

“Look, I’m just going to...hang out with him a bit, okay?” replied Naruto, getting a little defensive. He didn’t like how oddly Sasuke was acting about the situation. He had expected him to be angry, yes, but not livid.

“You are not going anywhere, Naruto,” growled the brunette, pushing the other boy up against the wall, knocking over a few trinkets over from a nearby stand. “Not with Gaara.”

“Look, you are not my father or...or...even my brother!” retorted Naruto angrily, pushing Sasuke away. “You have no right to detain me here. Argh, you’re just a selfish bastard! Go fuck yourself!”

With that, Naruto stomped out of the house, leaving a murderous Sasuke behind him.


“Is Sasuke very angry with you?” asked Gaara, breaking the silence. It was nothing more than an icebreaker, as both of them knew that Sasuke could very well be waiting for the both of them with a rifle cocked and ready by the time they got back.

“Angry would be an understatement,” groaned Naruto as he covered his face with his hands. They were in the subways now, making their way toward Shibuya. The subways were crowded that day, as it was the weekend and many of the teens in Japan were on the move. There were a group of elegant gothic lolita girls gathered in one corner of the car, giggling over a few magazines. One of them looked at Gaara and cooed to her friends about his tattoo. The rest of them simultaneously giggled like broken hyena dolls.

Gaara scowled and rolled his eyes, which Naruto felt a faint stirring within him. It wasn’t quite a pleasant or warm feeling, yet, it wasn’t exactly painful. It was just a slight pressure to his chest. It was uncomfortable, he supposed, and he felt it whenever he caught one of the girls look at his companion beneath their fake lashes. It didn’t occur to him that it was jealousy.

Naruto sighed in relief when the subway stopped, the girls getting off at Harajuku, and stretched his sore limbs. He was relieved to see that Shibuya was their next stop as it had been about an hour since they had entered the underground labyrinth. It was tiring, being unable to really rest his head down on something for a long while before having to get up again to switch systems, yet, being unable to move freely.

Gaara nudged the blonde gently when their stop came and the two pushed through the layers of middle aged businessmen and schoolgirls. Trudging up the steps with the thick stream of the crowd, holding hands so the current wouldn’t pull them apart, the two were finally able to feast their eyes upon the metropolitan center that was Shibuya. People moved in masses like waves, pouring through the streets like water. It was an impressive sight to see so many people packed into such a small amount of space. The redhead pulled the gaping blonde along in the direction of his favorite shops, careful not to lose his classmate by intertwining his fingers with his.

Naruto followed Gaara dumbly through the streets, peering into the windows curiously. It was an odd feeling to have money in his pocket now, to know that he was no longer a wide-eyed child just passing through with no money or respect. Still, inside, a voice chided him, telling him that even if Itachi allowed him full access, he still shouldn’t spend too much. He fully intended to give back everything that he had taken from the Uchihas once he had gained his own independence. The redhead finally stopped in front of a tattoo parlor with a smoldering neon sign that spelt, ‘The Demon.’

Not letting go of the blonde’s hand, Gaara led the amazed boy into the shop. He was immediately greeted with several, well-tattooed attendants.

“Welcome, sir!” greeted all four simultaneously. However, another voice from the back called out louder.

“Gaara!” came a cheery voice, “How are you?” The voice belonged to an imposing bald man wearing a pair of sunglasses. Tattoos littered his back and neck and both of his arms were completely covered in designs. All Naruto could do was stare at the sight before him. The dozens of intricate designs fascinated him to no end. “And who’s your little friend there, the adorable little fellow?”

Naruto pouted at the patronizing tone of his voice. “I am not small!”

“Ooh, feisty little fellow, ain’t he?” came another catcall. From further within the parlor came a petite woman covered in piercings and electric blue hair. Her lip, pierced twice on both sides, shined as she smiled.

Gaara, feeling less festive, growled at her pass at his companion, and pulled the other boy closer to himself. Naruto, completely oblivious to the tension surrounding him only gawked at the strange creatures before him.

“So what’ll it be, Gaara?” asked the man as he swivelled his chair to turn completely toward the two customers. “Lip, brow, or, playing it safe, ear?”

The redhead paused before turning to Naruto. “What do you think?”

The blonde started, shocked at the question. “Eh?!” came the flustered reply. “I...” He stopped to study his companion. “I think I’d like...a lip ring on you.”

The woman giggled at the blonde’s request and commented, “Oh, good choice, he’ll be able to do a whole...lot...with that.”

Naruto unconsciously raised his hand to trace the contour of Gaara’s lip as the man snickered.

“Oi! Boys! Take it outside if you guys are going to have a moment! We have a reputation to uphold! Can’t have customers coming in to a pair of boys kissing and groping,” smirked the man, “How bad boy would that make us out to look?”

That woke the blonde up from his seeming trance and he immediately snapped his hand back, mumbling a quick apology. Gaara, on the other hand, was completely shocked by the gentle contact of another’s fingers on his skin. It wasn’t hostile or violent, like he was usually used to, and that, in itself, sent him staggering.

“So a lip ring it is?” asked the woman, already pulling out the proper instruments for the procedure, the metallic tools shining in the light. “Well come on up, big boy, and let’s get you fitted.”

Before Gaara went to take a seat, however, he felt a small tug on his hand. Looking at Naruto, he found the boy’s eyes filled with both confusion and something else, something less wholesome.

“I think...you should keep it small,” Naruto began nervously, not knowing if it was really his place to assert his opinion. “I sort of...like your lips the way they are too.”

An hour later, Gaara and Naruto were walking casually out of the tattoo parlor hand in hand, again prepared for the violent current of the packed Shibuya crowd. Gaara was now sporting a smart piercing that penetrated through the left side of his lip. It was small, yet unique, like the redhead was, the metal piercing the juicy flesh of the lip itself rather than the skin below. He was rather numb, though, and slightly irritated from the foreign feel of the piercing on his tongue. Naruto, however, adored the piercing.

“Wow! Next time I’m going to get a piercing too!” gushed the blonde. “It didn’t look too bad, and you didn’t even make a sound, so it must not have been bad at all!”

Gaara listened silently, the numb feeling of his lip making him even more reluctant to speak than usual. He continued to guide his companion through the streets of Shibuya with a steady hand, treading through groups of young teens. They soon reached a small shop with flickering black lights in a small alley off the main streets. The display windows were covered with fake cobwebs and spiders, which, both boys agreed was rather tacky.

However, Naruto soon allowed himself to look past the cheap exterior once he chanced upon the luxurious interior. The walls were covered in luscious velvet curtains that cascaded over clothing racks and pooled into wells of crimson on the floors. Mirrors, large and looming, showed their reflections at every turn. Looking up, Naruto saw an array of rustic antique chanderliers swinging from the ceilings.

Gaara, meanwhile, began sifting through the racks, idly fingering expensive fabrics. Naruto, meanwhile, looked at himself in a large mirror framed by gargoyle heads and smudged with spiderwebs. He was taken out of his reverie when a silk shirt was thrust between him and the mirror and an arm curled itself around his waist. “Stop being vain, Uzumaki, I brought you out here to shop, not gawk at yourself.”

Naruto grinned at the redhead through the mirror and grabbed the shirt, examining the lace that embroidered the edges. It was gothic, looking like something a renaissance gentleman might wear for an evening out. The blonde laughed at a mental image of himself wearing such a shirt and replaced it on the nearest rack. “No thanks, I think I’ll shop for myself, thanks.”

Gaara, miffed that his taste had been insulted, turned away and started picking through clothes from himself. Naruto, taking up on his friend’s advice also started sifting through the mass of clothing that was before him. He picked up any article that felt good under his fingers or spiked his mischievious sense of humor. A stomach-bearing shirt made completely out of shiny leather, a blazer of transparent plastic, and a silk Chinese top appeared on his arm. Other items, a spiked collar, a chained necklace, and a pair of bondage pants made its way into his pile. Finally, after examining the store from front to back, Naruto was ready to try on his spoils.

“Hey, Gaara,” called the blonde behind a mass of clothing, “where’s the dressing room?”

“Over there,” replied the redhead, picking up his own stack of clothes, “come on, I’m going too.”

“H-huh?” yelped Naruto, almost dropping what he was carrying, “You’re going to change with me?”

Annoyed green eyes looked over at his general direction, “There’s only one dressing room, Uzumaki, and I do not plan on waiting until you’re done with that heap.”

Naruto gaped as he watched Gaara enter the dressing room.