Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Three again ❯ Chapter 8: Neji's Aku'un ( Chapter 8 )

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

Chapter 8: Neji's Aku'un

Temari and Kankurou didn't notice Gaara was upset about anything until Temari asked him if he wanted ice cream and he shook his head. Kankurou stopped and whirled around, making overexagerated movements.

"What?! Gaara doesn't want ice cream?!" he felt Gaara's head. "Are you sick or something?" He meant this to make Gaara laugh but no such luck. Gaara only made a small smile before it disappeared again. "What's wrong?" Kankurou asked.

Gaara gave a tiny shrug and Temari knelt down next to Kankurou. "Yes there is," she said. "What is it?"

"....." Gaara tried to look everywhere but at them, but finally he glanced up at them. "Am I ... a monster?" he mumbled.

"Oh, Gaara of course not!" Temari hugged Gaara reasuringly. Damn those jonin.

"Why did they call me a monster?" Gaara asked.

"Cause they're stupid," Kankurou said as they continued to walk again.

"Someone laughed." Gaara said.

"What?" Temari and Kankurou looked down at him.

"When that guy said that I heard someone laugh," Gaara repeated.

"No one was laughing Gaara," Temari said.

"Yeah-huh!" Gaara insisted. "I heard it."

Temari and Kankurou didn't say anything for a while as they continued to walk. Kankurou thought of something and looked over at Temari. He mouthed 'Shukaku' and her eyes widened.

"Gaara," she said leaning down. "Next time you hear that guy...don't listen to a thing he says ok?"

"Ok!" Gaara said smiling. More walking in silence. Gaara reached up and tugged on Kankurou's pants. "Can we still get ice cream?"

They both smiled at him. "Sure."

Three days after the Sharkman insident

Kankurou led Neji and Gaara back to the Hyuuga house. Neji had spent the night (again) and had been called home. Gaara wouldn't go anywhere without Kankurou or Temari now after the insident at Tsunade's office. Right now Temari was on a date with Shikamaru ("She left me alone with them again!!!") so Kankurou took Gaara with him. Kankurou listened, but didn't turn around, as the kid's talk grew a little louder. Actually, Neji was talking, Gaara was only listening.

".....and there's all different ways to get it," Neji was rattling. "Hiashi-sama says that fate is real, but you have to create your own destiny (good thinking Hiashi, pound that into him now before he gets older and thinks otherwise)."

"Get what?" Gaara asked.

"Bad luck," Neji said in a scary voice, shining a flashlight under his face to make him look creepy. Gaara yelped and hit him from reflex.

"Sorry," Gaara mumbled as they continued to walk.

"There are lots of ways of getting bad luck," Neji continued, the only hint that he had just been pummeled was a small bump on his face that he was rubbing. "But there are only a few ways to get rid of it."

"How do you get it?" Gaara asked.

Neji began counting on his fingers. "A black cat walks in front of you, you spill salt, you break a mirror or you walk under......a ladder." He did it again with the flashlight and so did Gaara.

"Stop doing that," Gaara said, rubbing his sore hand. "It's scary."

"Sorry." Suddenly Neji froze in terror, staring at the ground in front of him. Gaara looked down to see what he was looking at.

"meow.." the cat said.

"Aw, it's cute," Gaara cooed, reaching to pet the (ahem) black cat.

"NNNOOOOOOAAAGGGHHH!!!!" Neji yelled/

Gaara's eyes nearly fell out of his head (O.O) as Neji literally kicked the cat all the way to the sound village and back. (Kabuto: -sees cat- Orochimaru-sama! Someone kicked a cat again! Orochi: CAN I PLAY WITH IT?! Phoenix's Idea...) Neji huffed loudly as he clutched his heart like he was going to have a heart attack. Kankurou stopped and turned around to see what was wrong, and saw the previous sentence and Gaara looking horrified.

"Newi, you kicked a kitty!" Gaara cried.

"It was black!" Neji said.

"You KICK a KITTY!" Gaara yelled.

"It was BLACK!!" Neji said.

"A KITTY!!!!!" Gaara yelled.

"IT WAS BLACK, GAARA!!!!!" Neji suddenly embraced Gaara and squeezed him tight. "I'M GONNA HAVE BAD LUCK!!!! I'M GONNA DIE !!!!!"

'Oh, god....' Kankurou muttered to himself.

"But it was cute" Gaara said pointing where the cat disappeared in the sky. "and you kick it!"

"AND YOU DON'T CARE!!" Neji pushed Gaara away and ran past Kankurou who was enjoying the whole thing (with Temari's video camera). Neji stopped to turn and say something then he realized he was standing under....a ladder.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!" Neji screamed.

SHATTER!!

Neji gasped. His scream had shattered a mirror in the store across the street. Give up all hope, he ran down the street past his house and towards the training fields, screaming like a girl.

"Newi?" Gaara called after the Hyuuga, totally confused. Kankurou, dying of laughter, ushered Gaara into the Hyuuga house, before the chibi sand user decided to follow him.

Later that afternoon

Neji trudged into the Hyuuga house looking like something the cat dragged in. After he had bolted into the woods, he had succeeded in tripping over every tree root, and falling into every puddle. After the puddles, he got attacked by squirrels and ran into a beehive. In his attempts to run from the bees he fell into a thorn bush and tore his clothes. And on the way home it began to rain.

He walked down the hallways hoping nothing more would happen when suddenly Kiba ran passed with Akamaru and Hinata's favorite doll.

"KIBA!!! GIVE ME BACK MY DOLL!!!!" Neji turned to look at Hinata just in time to see a spoon come hurtling at him like a kunai.

K.O!!!!!!

Hinata ran passed her unconscious cousin and continued chasing Kiba.

Hiashi stepped into the hallways leading Kankurou and Gaara (happy with a cookie) through the house. He smiled after his daughter then happened to glance down at the floor.

O.o!!! "Neji!!" Hiashi hurried over to the k.o.-ed Hyuuga.

"ACK!!" Gaara choked on his cookie. "NEWI'S DEAD!!!!"

"No he's not," Kankurou said.

"Hiashi-san? Do you have gremlins in your house too?" Gaara asked. (shifty eyes)

"What?" Hiashi looked up confused.

"Gaara think that gremlins live in our basement," Kankurou explained.

"Why do you think I have gremlins?" Hiashi asked Gaara.

Gaara pointed to Neji's 'remains'. "That's what gremlins do to you!"

"No Gaara," Hiashi laughed. "It looks to me like he bolted into the woods, succeeded in tripping over every tree root, and falling into every puddle. After the puddles, he probably got attacked by squirrels and ran into a beehive. In his attempts to run from the bees he probably fell into a thorn bush and tore his clothes. And it rained on his way home." (Perceptive isn't he?) He examined the boy closer. "Oh dear..."

"What?" Kankurou asked.

Hiashi sighed. "Neji's got the--"