Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Life in the Labels ❯ Dividing Among Ourselves ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Life in the Labels

OK PEOPLE! IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! NEW ORLEANS IS OFFICIALLY GOING TO BE WIPED OUT! This is so horrible, because I've always wanted to visit there! You know who lives there? LESTAT AND LOUIS! My two favorite characters in the world… I hope they're going to be okay. I hope not too many people die…-cries-

But besides this horrible, national disaster, the last week was relatively pleasant. School was canceled Thursday and Friday because of the Demon known as Katrina. I had some extra hours to type, but please excuse the lateness…my muse has been mysteriously absent from my life lately…

Oh and an idea spiked my interest recently. Here's the summary:

I hate him because I love him. I loathe him because I want him. I despise him because I adore him. The “thin line between love and hate” is killing me with a dull knife.(MAIN: SasuGaa) (SIDE: SasuSaku)

Currently, the title is “Set On Repeat.” Tell me what you think, please. It's AU, and a romantic/angst type.

I'm dedicating this entire chapter to New Orleans! Please don't die on us! I love you all!

Chapter Four: Dividing Among Ourselves

Itachi's POV

I stepped outside into the slightly humid air, a scowl gracing my lips. Sasuke got detention…and it was only the first fucking day of school! I made my way to my car, which was a dark red and still looked brand new, feeling upset. I thought he would know not to get into trouble, since every time he did, our parents got worse.

“Sasuke? Oh…yeah. Um. Sure. That's our…son. Do you know Itachi?” And so on.

It ticked me off, for some reason. No matter how much I disliked my little brother, I disliked my parents more.

So now I was picking Sasuke up from detention, in the place of mom and dad. I was pretty much always in the place of mom and dad now. But why? I don't get it. I don't get it… Why don't I get it…?

I started the car; mind focused around these little thoughts. I got to his school easily enough. He was sitting there, with a thoughtful expression. I wonder what you're thinking, brother. And those two girls…need to die. I ignore them completely though, and quickly sign the paper that guy is waving in my face like a maniac. We leave the room, and Sasuke, of course, starts a fight. “God Itachi, think they could drool anymore?”

“Shut it, Sasuke. I don't feel like fighting right now.”

“Where's mom and dad? Did they decide not to care again?”

“I said `shut it' Sasuke…”

“No. Did you see that kid with the red hair? He bit me.”

“He was sitting all the way across the room, dear brother.”

“That's because he moved to the other side of the classroom! It's been, two hours, if you didn't notice.”

“I came as soon as I could.”

“Oh sure, Itachi. I bet mom and dad had to get you all, prettied up, before you traveled out into the real world. Am I right?”

“Far from it, Sasuke. They're not home.”

“…Figures…” He muttered. That was the end of that. I didn't blame him one bit for starting another fight… It was natural. He had no adults to “rebel” against, so I was his next choice.

We got into the car in silence, and drove home wrapped in it too. At the house, Sasuke darted up the stairs and slammed the door to his room. I wonder why he was so upset, but my guess was our parents. They could care less anymore, as he had put it plainly before. They were even drifting so far away they didn't know how to understand their oldest son, and what he was thinking. What I was thinking. I wonder how they're going to react when they find out I'm leaving the house as soon as possible. I might even move in with one of my friends.

I'm sixteen years old, only two more years. But I could just leave at seventeen…

While I had been standing there, thinking, the front door opened, and closed again. Turning around, my eyes were met with theirs. My parents. Mom, looking slightly flushed with a scowl, and dad, as distant as ever.

“Hello Itachi, dear. How are you?” She said, lips drawn tight. I shrugged in response. “Well…” I could tell she was struggling to form words. “I…need to speak with both of you. Sasuke and you. Can you…please go get him?” I nodded stiffly and hurried up the stairs.

“Sasuke!” I shouted through his locked door. “Come downstairs, they want to…to talk to us about something.” Halfway back down the stairs, I heard him come out of his “cave.” I called it that, because he lived in there.

We stood side by side. Sasuke was a bit jumpy. “Itachi, Sasuke. I'm sorry but…your father and I are…getting a divorce.” The world came crashing down. Little pieces of the blue sky, one by one. I practically heard Sasuke's jaw drop.

Gaara's POV

“God Dammit, Gaara! I said shut the fuck up!” I winced. Him cursing always had a greater affect on me then anyone else. Was I even talking? My mouth was shut, I think. Yeah, it was. So what was the point of screaming again? I watch him suspiciously.

His voice rose. “I get him the damn car and he crashes it! I can't believe him! What was the point of even buying him the piece of junk? He obviously can't handle it!” Dad,I thought calmly. They're in the hospital. You should be more concerned about there well being, idiot.

“You better not leave this house while I'm gone!” I can't promise you that, dad. I plan my escape every day. “I'll be back when the damn hospital let's them out.” He muttered lowly, “…I hate kids…” He was radiating rage; his strange happy moment earlier had disappeared when the phone rang. Kankuro and Temari were in a bad car accident. I begged to every god I knew that they wouldn't die. Because if they did, I'd be alone with Satan himself, in Hell itself.

Well maybe it was punishment for my past mistakes as mom's only son. Biologically, Temari and Kankuro came from a different mom, but we shared the same demon father. My mom and me had our own tree branch, we were different. I was Kankuro and Temari's half brother, but that didn't matter much anymore. We still saw each other as kids in the care of an evil bastard, together. That may have changed though, because recently we've all matured and changed. Temari grew up, Kankuro gained sense, and I wilted inside as each day passed. So we all had large metal walls between us, separating our souls.

It scared me to think that two of those cells we were all trapped inside would flood, and they'd die. And I'd be alone, in that empty cell, with barred windows. And father would be the guard outside, swinging the keys around on his finger, a taunting smirk set in place.

He left, nearly snapping the door right off its hinges. I lifted from my seat near the window, in the small oak chair I loved, and dragged myself upstairs. I did my History homework grudgingly, and breezed past Math and Writing Composition. An image of the teacher, Kakashi, popped into my mind for an unknown reason. The guy that had his left eye gouged out by the neighbors cat and then replaced with a fake one…

The sun sank below the horizon, but I couldn't tell that because the window was covered with heavy curtains. My mind screamed at me to sleep, which I did. It took me roughly one hour to, though.

The next morning, the house was empty. It was Thursday, and the air outside was a tad colder. I dragged my black jacket out of the closet and pulled it on. My arms caught the pale light outside for a fraction of a second, and I winced.

The scars were still there…

Yeah, that's right. I used to enjoy slicing up my arms, but now, the damage had been done and visibly remained. About five on each arm, half healed, that never went away. It made me want to scream. Because every time Kankuro or Temari saw them, they asked, “Gaara, why the hell are you cutting again?” And I'd say, “I'm not! I already told you! They're scars!” But of course they wouldn't believe me. Everything that had a slightly sharp edge in my room had been carefully watched.

It's not like they were worried. But if I accidentally bled to death, they'd be to blame for not taking care of me. And dad would get put in jail. Trust me, he doesn't want that. He wants to roam free and ruin everyone's lives.

Like my mom's brother. He slowly went crazy, having to deal with my dad. The asylum has an extra patient. Was I next?

The bus was a whole forty-five minutes late. Why did I suddenly have the urge to take the bus? Because my feet hurt like hell. Why? Because they just did. I'd probably collapse half way to school anyway.

It wasn't as crowded as yesterday, but there were no empty seats. Just. My. Luck. And you know which seats were open? Well, there was Naruto. But I didn't like him much… Too much positive energy and hyper activeness for me. A sixth grader I could not name, with a strange hat and mischievous grin. And the Uchiha.

Wait, what? Why the hell was he on the bus? His brother took him to school! That was odd… Too odd for me to deal with. I don't want to sit near him, or Naruto. Or that freaky sixth grader… Oh God… Just pick a seat dammit! I was about to dump my stuff onto Sasuke's head, demand that I was going to be sitting here and that he keep his mouth shut, when Sakura and Ino abandoned their seat to pile in next to him. I sighed in relief, and took the now empty seat.

That worked itself out. But Sasuke was the one to suffer. Oh well. It's not like I care…

I grinned sadistically. Just look at his face! Hah! Ino's got her arms wrapped around his neck, and Sakura's smiling. Both girls were talking animatedly. I sat back against the seat and watched everyone. Naruto pouted, seeing as Sasuke once again had all the girl's attention. That sixth grader had the same expression as Naruto. Who the hell was he anyway?

Leaning against the hurtful piece of metal attached to the side of the bus behind me, and propping my foot up on the seat, I waited. This was going to be a long ride, I knew it. Thankfully only one person asked if they could sit next to me, and they did that while trying not to burst into tears and run away screaming. I said no. Simply no. But added with a glare and they did run away screaming.

When we reached the school, I had to wait five minutes before anyone would let me out into the aisle to get off the retched bus. And you know what? Fate isn't very kind… I had to stumble on the steps getting off the bus, and fall against someone. Oh yeah, I had to, didn't I? I love you fate. I heart you so much. And you know who cushioned my fall? Oh, well it definitely wasn't the guy I nearly bit to the bone yesterday. Not him, no. He's not the one looking at me like I was some zoo animal with rabies. Definitely not.

Scowling and trying to hide the automatic blush that arose (I never liked to be touched), I shoved Sasuke away and began my own little rampage through the crowds of people. Each and every one of them gave me nasty looks. `Ha! Look it's Freak number one! Why's his face so red? -insert idiotic laughing here-”

I have a dream. My dream is to make everyone pay for all of the problems they stacked on top of me, one after another.

`Freak number one…'

`Goth outcast…'

`Morbid suicidal kid…'

`Juvenile Delinquent…'

`Rabid demon from hell…'

Temari's POV

It was an odd feeling, not being able to open your eyes no matter how hard you try, but that was what I was experiencing right now. I even tried opening my mouth to speak, but couldn't. As I lay on that unknown surface, all I could do was listen. And listen I did.

“—So you're saying she was on the passenger side of the car, and that was where the front end of the vehicle struck?”

“Exactly. But that's not all. It seems the driver of the car that caused the accident died instantly.”

“Really? What was there name, anyway?”

“I'm not really sure, you'll have to check with the authorities. But the girl was severely injured. And the teenage boy who was with her seems to be unscathed.”

“I'm glad neither of them died.”

“Me too, but the girl is going to have to be kept here for quite a while. She has two broken ribs, a fractured jawbone, both her left leg and right arm are broken too, and minor cuts and bruises scattered everywhere.”

“That's pretty impressive. If the driver of the offending car were still alive, he'd be put straight in jail, I bet.”

“True, but better jail then death, right?”

“Not really. Not if you have to go to those jails where—”

I had begun to tune this part of the conversation out, it didn't matter to me what would be better, jail or death. I was hurting everywhere, and I couldn't do anything about it. Someone set a hand on my shoulder, and I felt my muscles tense painfully.

A voice spoke, sounding very rough, “Te-Temari. Oh my God. I-I'm s-so-so sorry, please forgive me for… For causing this… I-I should have be-been watching the ra-road. I'm so sorry…” It was Kankuro, and his voice broke half way through his apology.

I would have said something, if I could move my lips at all.

Then, suddenly the world buzzed out, and my mind went blank. Unconsciousness had claimed me, again.

“Temari? Temari, are you okay?” It was Kankuro again. I felt slightly relieved to hear his voice, because in some way, that meant I was still alive.

My eyes opened this time, but quickly shut. The lights above were way too bright…it hurt to look. A foreign voice ordered “Flip that switch. It'll kill that half of the lights.” A click was heard, and I fluttered my eyes open again. It was a little bit easier to focus, but still hard altogether.

“Kan…Kanku…ro?” My voice sounded like crap. It was all scratchy and hoarse. But at least I could speak eligible words.

“Temari! Oh thank God you're okay!” I could make out his blurry form, to my right. He had a smile plastered on his face, eyes glazed over. “You've been asleep…for three days, Temari. I was so worried you'd…that you would…” He couldn't finish his explanation.

I lifted my hand limply, signaling him to stop. Then I noticed another member of my family in the room. …Dad… My eyes hook with his. He has no smile, no frown, no emotion whatsoever on his face. He speaks, “I'm glad you're okay too, Temari.” That was so fake I wanted to gag. But seeing as there were needles in my arms, and other medical stuff hooked up to me…that would be suicidal.

Kankuro meanwhile was close to crying rivers. I raised an elegant blonde eyebrow at him. Why was he beating himself up over this? I know it wasn't his fault the driver decided to run a red light.

In my mind, I begin to worry about Gaara. Was he at home, alone, for the past three days? Did anyone update him on Kankuro and my condition?

These questions went unanswered for quite a while; Dad was too busy begging the hospital to let me out as soon as possible. Why, so I could go back to hell?

Iruka's POV

“Iruka… I've just decided something…”

“And what would that be, Naruto?”

“I've just decided that the whole entire migration system birds follow revolves around the sole purpose to make my life catastrophic.”

“…”

“Right? Don't you think so?”

“…Um…sure, yeah. You have that one nailed in the tongue…”

“That just brought another thing to mind, Iruka!” He gave a mischievous little grin.

“…I fear the outcome of this one…”

“CAN I GET MY TONGUE PIERCED?”

“That's an easy one, Naruto.” I smiled broadly.

“REALLY?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well then what's your answer?”

“No.”

“…Oh…Damn…” He pouted, arms crossed.

“Come on, Naruto, we're supposed to be shopping for new clothes.” I sigh, knowing full well that he only wanted the clothes to fit in at his school. “I ask you again, Naruto, why are we here?”

“SASUKE IS NOT BETTER THEN ME!” His shouting was drawing stares…

“…I didn't say that…”

“NEJI ISN'T RICHER THEN ME!” …And now murmurs…

“Naruto…?”

“STOP SAYING THAT I—” …Is that a security guard?

“NARUTO!”

“WHAT NOW?”

“You should calm down—”

“I'm hungry. Let's go to the food court.” His mind immediately snapped out of whatever land it was in and his face broke out in a happy smirk. “RAMEN!” He shouted energetically. Drool pooled from his mouth.

“Wipe your mouth, that's rude—” No use, he was already skipping ten feet ahead of me. “…Note to self. Hide. Coffee. Better.” I hurry after him.

“—Slow down Naruto! You're going to choke—”

“NO I WON'T!” I sigh and place my head against my hand, a headache brewing. It was like this every day… Wake up to his natural sugar-drive; fall asleep to his natural sugar-drive. It was like he ran on batteries. The kind you can recharge in one or two hours. How could anyone possible handle this and not go insane?

“Naruto… Hey, what type of clothes are you wanting to get anyway?” I was curious, just what was he planning? He never cared much about his outer appearance before.

“Just…stuff…”

“Just stuff, huh?” Something was lingering in my thoughts. I knew how schools tended to be, dividing themselves into groups for entertainment. It worried me he might try and change himself so that he would fit “the standards.”

“…No…” His gaze was drawn to the ground.

“Alright. I was just wondering.” We continue eating, but this time in silence.

Two more months till the anniversary. Was he getting prepared? It was still a long way off.

Two months, that is, till his parent's anniversary, of their death.

I watched him, his blue topaz eyes shining with a look of knowing. I had no idea what was racing through his mind, nor did I really want to know. He had the tendency to always be planning something. Maybe a prank on a neighborhood kid, or an idea he would put into action as soon as possible.

But then again, I could just be paranoid.

Ino's POV

The inanimate object was slammed onto the receiver, then picked up again.

Ring…Ring…Ring…Ring…Ring…Rin g…

“Hello! This is Sakura Haruno, and I am unable to come to the phone right now! But please leave a message, and I'll try and call you back ASAP! Bye!”

Beep…

Click…

More smashing of plastic on plastic. “Curse you phone line! Why isn't she answering?” The process repeated again and again. Picking up the object, dialing seven digits, getting six rings, hearing answering machine, and slamming the object back down.

This was so troublesome… Oh dear. That sounded like something Shikamaru would say. Hmm… I need to throw something at him tomorrow. He's really getting on my nerves. But then again, didn't everyone seem to be getting on my nerves lately? Yeah, even Sasuke seemed really annoying lately. And that's odd.

Maybe I need to calm down. What I wanted to Sakura wasn't that important anyway… Just that I was going to the most awesomest place in the world! That…fun place… (What was it called again? Oh yeah! The…carnival? Arcade? Well, it was titled, “Awesomest Fun Happy Play Park Ever To Exist”! That was enough to convince me…) WITH THREE HUNDERED BUCKS! AND I COULD TAKE ANY AMOUNT OF PEOPLE I WANTED! Just not over fifteen… But it's still awesome!

She really needs to answer her cell.

I try again, and this time leave a semi-nice message. Or what I would hope to be a “semi-nice message.”

“DAMMIT SAKURA! I need to talk to yooooou! It's really important! Guess where I'm going? The “Awesomest Fun Happy Play Park Ever To Exist!” ISN'T THAT GREAT? AND I CAN BRING A LOT OF PEOPLE! MAYBE SASUKE WILL COME! Sasuke… I love him so much!!! Isn't he great? I LOVE SASUKE! SAKURA, YOU BETTER CALL ME BACK AS SOON AS YOU GET YOUR ASS HOME! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE—”

Beep…

I glared at the phone. Was my message to long? Nah.

End of Chapter Four

Aho! What do you think of me now? I FINISHED CHAPTER FOUR! WHOOT! Review responses, of course! But wait…ONE MORE THING!

YOU ALL MUST READ THIS:I've been trying to figure out a pairing for a certain two people…and I just thought, “You know, it'd be easier if I just squished them together…” But some of you may hurtle large, sharp objects when I tell you who these two people are. Please don't hurt me; I just want all of your opinions.

Temari…and, yes that's right…Itachi. -runs far, far away-

Um…is it “o_o”?: I was so happy when I read your review!!! I FEEL SO SPECIAL!!! -beaming- I'm glad you think that way about my fic, and hope you liked this chapter.

Iluvanime493: I updated! -sing song voice- Cheer for me! Hope you liked it!

Goth Flamango: AHAHAHA! I hope this answered some of your questions. I feel so proud I got the fourth chapter out! It's been bugging me… Oh dear. Now I better start working on chapter five…

TheFutureFreaksMeOut: YAY! I KNOW! I've always wanted Gaara to have a bit of his…murderous attitude from the anime. But I love your Gaara too! He's so cute and innocent! Oh and, I listened to some songs from Silverchair, and I only have one thing to say…

…THEY ROCK!

Yeah. Hope you liked the chapter! It took a while to write, since SOR was chewing me inside and out. Thanks for the reviews!!!!

Junsui Kegasu: YAY! I feel REALLY special, to be on an alert list—

Grawl: That is so pathetic…

SHUSH! I'm…really proud…-cries- Anyway; I'm not so sure about Kankuro and Gaara…never really read much about it. But I will reveal the pairings soon! Trust me on that! Except…well, you see. There's a twist I've added recently, and I can't tell you the pairings without spoiling that.

NOTE TO EVERYONE:Like I told Junsui Kegasu, I can't really tell all the pairings, and the main two pairings, without giving away most of the story! I'm really sorry!

Ebony: WHOOT! I CAN CALL YOU EBONY??? THIS IS AWESOME! Lol, yeah Sasuke is awesome too! Violinists, cellists, and violists rock!!! Oh! And, the Sakura being in love as a teenager really brought SOR (Set On Repeat) to my mind. Because, that's what some of it is… Suicidal, depressing, yeah. Angst, mainly. Also, Kankuro and Temari getting in the accident was just a twist, but, yes, sad too. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! I like reading your reviews, they help.

Anna: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I kind of blew myself away, coming up with that twist… “Kankuro and Temari nearly die in car accident…” What shall happen next? Hmm…

Scapegoat: -dies- YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I ADORE YOU!!!!! YOU WROTE…you wrote…FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, am I right? That's like…the story that started my whole “idea” about this fanfic. And reading your work led me to SLS, which got me inspiration. I HEART YOU! UPDATE “FHTE” SOON!!!

Hurricane-rider: AHAHAHA! Evil cliffy's rule the world. I'm glad you liked it! It's my first real intentional High School fanfic. I've got another one in the making, it's an AU, and it's Inuyasha. Haven't really worked on it much lately. Oh, and I'm currently reading “School of Freaks” right now. IT'S AWESOME!

If any of you want the summary for that Inuyasha fic, which isn't going anywhere at the moment, here it is:

Silver Rain Fell

Hair the palest silver, like strings of the softest yarn. Captivating eyes of a golden brown, always shining in the sunlight. So perfect, yet always so…sad. Never lies, never complains, never teases, never smirks, never judges. This was Inuyasha. Inuyasha Takahashi, the angel of her school.

(Doesn't he sound so OOC in that? Yeah…)

Yeah, not really going anywhere. Hope you liked the chapter!! AND TO ANYONE I MISSED: I THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! AND I HEART YOU ALL!!! REVIEW PLEASE!!!!

Last but definitely not least, MY BELOVED MUSE: Even though you NEVER review `cause you've got Shikamaru's attitude (LAZY), I shall leave a response for you. KAILA! OMG! SCAPEGOAT AND OTHERS OF SUCH REVIEWD!!!! Oh and e-mail Untitled to me, I'll edit it! I LOVE YOU MY MUSE!!! -glomps with much love