ಌMonstersಌ(Gaara Love Story)

22.Chapter 22

We're different and the same, get you another name
Switch up the batteries
If you gave me a chance I would take it
It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it
Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be
-Rather Be, Clean Bandit (ft. Jess Glynne)

  I raced through the streets of Konoha, dodging the feudal lords in their horse drawn carriages, little children with excited eyes and holding onto their mothers hand and the common shinobi doing as I am, trying not to be late for the event. Today the final round of the chunin exams began. I haven't seen real living people in like a month and it feels great to see human beings walking around instead of cats and cats and more cats or cats transformed into humans to make me feel better.
  Over the past month and a half I've been at Mount Bakeneko, training to become a cat sage just like my mother had done in her early years. It apparently took me a bit longer then expected to complete everything, mostly the beginning where I had to lay still and forget everything around me. It also took a couple more days for me to be able to taken in the correct amount of nature chakra.
  My birthday was spent at Mount Bakeneko, sitting on a rock, and birds pooping on my head. Fun. I really wished I was home surround by my human friends, eating cake and and popcorn while watching movies because that's all I wanted to do. But oh well. We can do it later.
  I had already informed the Lady in the hokage office of my arrival home, kinda. I just ran into her office, half of my body in the room and declared that I was back and heading to the chunin exams.
  Lady Tsunade had sent a letter stating that Kabuto and Tokito had been spotted numerous times only a couple days after I had gotten to Mount Bakeneko. The letter also said that because Kabuto thinks I'm in the Leaf, so I should continue the arrangement that we have set up now where I am to stay in the Sand then come home every couple months.
  I really love that arrangement.
  Around the half month mark, I had begun to miss home more then usual mostly because I had to think of home to be at peace. While I would balance on a fifty foot stack of rocks the thought of having all my friends surrounding me, eating at the barbecue restaurant, laughing and just spending time in each others company. I also found myself cuddling or wearing Gaara's shirt while I slept. I wore it so much it didn't even smell like Gaara anymore, it smelled like nothing.
  As I reached the top of the arena where the seats were, I surveyed the seats trying to spot someone I know, I saw only one and it was Shikamaru with three other open seats to the left of him. I walked over and frowned a little when I saw it was his dad but none of the less, it was someone I knew.
  "Hey Mr. Nara."I said a little awkwardly when I approached him.
  "Well good morning Gina. Haven't seen you in a while. Lady Tsundae said you were off training."He greeted while I took the seat closest to him.
  "I was. It took a bit longer then we wanted it too but...I'm here now."I said and smiled."So who's in the finals?"
  "Choji, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji, um Tenten is not, neither is Hinata. The sand sibling are though, a man from Kirigakure who's like Lee and a woman from Iwagakure."
  "Wow so basically everyone but a few made it?"
  "Yeah, we had to hold a preliminary round again because there were so many. I believe the first match will be Shino and-"
  "Hey Shikaku!"A cheery male voice said from behind me.
  I turned around and saw Kotetsu and Izumo smiling happily and starting to sit.
  "Where have you been Gina? It's been like a month."Izumo asked.
  "I've been training."
  "Someone started a rumor that you were at Mount Bakeneko, to become a cat sage like your mom."Kotestu told me. Only five people could've started it. I didn't really care. As long as it wasn't bad like killing puppies somewhere, I was fine that someone had said it.
  "Yeah, I was."He laughed then. Not laughing in a bad way, just a slightly amused little laugh.
  "The resemblance is somewhat uncanny. I remember every girl in my academy class wanted to be like her and be the first to become Jounin."He said, making me proud of myself.
  "Shh be quiet you to it's starting."Shikaku whispered to us.
  He was right. It was starting. Shino and Temari were standing about two feet apart, shaking hands, ready to begin.
  "Who's your guys' money on?"Izumo asked in a hushed tone.
  "I'm not sure about this one."Kotestu answered.
  "Temari."I said.
  Izumo told me that Shino might be able to get his bugs to attack from behind leaving her defenseless, and he did. The bugs surrounded her on all sides but she just a justu I had seen while training with her before and killed basically all of the bugs. Shino didn't last very long after that.
  The next match was Lee and Choji. An...interesting match you could say. Lee actually couldn't hurt Choji because his stomach was like a trampoline. Whenever Lee kicked him, his leg bounced back. It only last a few tries til Lee opened the first gate and was able to wrap his arms and bandages around Choji's stomach and performed a Leaf Lotus.
  After that it was Ino against the girl from the Hidden Stone. Ino actually won. The girl's name was Hitomi Nagashi and she was totally scary. It was like her soul was even there. She spoke with such a monotone that it wasn't even like a real person was talking to you. Hitomi used a sword was simply named Shi meaning death. Despite that Ino was able to use the mind distraction justu and make Hitomi say that she wished to give up the match.
  Sakura and Kankuro didn't last long, but Sakura put up a good fight. She made twenty clones and tried to distract Kankuro so much that his puppets were basically useless but she had to distributed her chakra evenly and didn't have much left.
  After Sakura and Kankuro, was Neji and a guy named Nobu. He just gave up. It didn't look like he could do much anyways. He was small and kinda wimpy looking.
  And then finally it was Gaara against Kiba.
  "Hey this is your boyfriend right Gina?"A female voice asked. I looked behind me and saw Guy, Asuma, Kurenai, Lady and Kakashi sitting in the row behind us.
  "Um no actually. He's not."I answered to Kurenai who looked at me oddly.
  "Are you sure about that Gina. Lady here has told me some interesting things"
  I laughed a little."I'm sure."I turned back around and blushed madly.
  I'm not sure if he was my boyfriend. I don't wanna say he is, then he says I'm not. Everyone seems to think he's my boyfriend, but was he? He was right? He's never asked me out on a date but just because we haven't been on a date doesn't mean he is or is not my boyfriend.
  Why is this irritating me so much that everyone else calls me his girlfriend except him?
  Even Kankuro would be like "Hey tell your girlfriend to stop attacking me" when I tried to snatch the remote from him which really turned into a battle with me always as the victor. And vice versa.
  But Gaara won. Of course. It was over in a matter of minutes. All Gaara did was grab Akamaru by his neck with sand and tell Kiba he'd squeeze a little harder until he gave up. I knew that he wouldn't kill them. But he almost did. Akamaru was yelping and Kiba was being as stubborn as he could until he realized that Akamaru couldn't breathe anymore.
  After that match there was a fifteen minute break was held for the people who needed time to rest.
  "Hey do you think we should treat everyone to barbecue?"I heard Asuma ask."I wanted to do it last time but then the whole....thing happened."
  "Do you have enough to feed all of them?"Lady questioned him.
  "No, that's why I said we."
  "I don't have any, I'm sorry."
  "I'll help."I said.
  "Gina we're supposed to be treating everyone. Including you."He told me.
  "Why? I'm not a genin you know."
  He smiled sadly at me. Almost like he missed the younger me, who wasn't any different just had the title and rank of chunin or genin. I hadn't really changed much. Unlike Sakura and Hinata who made some drastic changes in strength and I'm just kinda here. A jounin when really I think I'm still a chunin level. It's weird hanging around jounin even though that's who I'll be going on missions with mostly.
  "Okay."He said.
  The chunin exams went on to the first match in round two. It was Temari against Lee.Of course, Temari won.How could you escape that wind? Lee landed a few good hits on her though. One to her head, making her dizzy.
  In the next match it was Kankuro against Ino. She didn't do bad really. Kankuro is just super skilled with puppets. The second Kankuro trapped Ino in the Black Ant I was dreading the next round. It would be Temari vs Kankuro then whoever won that would have to face Gaara. I cringed.
  I knew Gaara would beat Neji. It was almost inevitable, the sand's still most feared "weapon" and the Hyuuga's strongest member, no doubt. Neji couldn't even touch him.
  Another ten minutes and it was time for the second final match. Temari vs Kankuro. I don't know who I want to win.
  "Okay how about this one?"Kotetsu asked.
  "Temari. If push came to shove Temari would actually win. Her fan would easily blow the puppets. Trust me I've seen them train."I explained.
  "Yeah you're probably right."Izumo said."What's it like being in the sand? I've never been there."
  "Well there's a lot of what you'd call sand."I said giggling."It's really hot though."
  Kankuro raised his hand then.
  "Proctor I withdraw."He proclaimed, confidently on the battlefield.
  A lot of bickering and booing erupted from the crowd. They wanted to see siblings fight each other, but that's not what siblings should do. I would know. It sucks.
  They had Temari stay there on the field and wait for Gaara to walk down the stairs. But apparently he never did. Gaara never started walking.
  "Are you coming or what?"The proctor shouted to him.
  "No. I withdraw aswell."I heard that oh so familiar sultry monotone. It was like a breathe of fresh air. Someone had broken the glass cage and all the fresh oxygen has filled my lungs. The air felt sweet and a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I sighed happily.
  No siblings fighting this year. Good.
  "Alright. By that statement I hearby announce Temari as the winner of the chunin exams."
  The crowd went nuts. Everyone was cheering and shouting, hooting and hollering. Some people did a classic and threw roses, saying that they've been rooting for her the whole time and that they love her.
  "I can see the hearts in their eyes."Kotetsu said laughing and clapping.
  After the arena cleared a bit, all the sensei's and I walked down to the viewing area where everyone was. I was happy to see everyone, just not the guard staring creepily at me. Baki was already down there, hugging Temari and proudly smiling like a father would. Something had changed. I liked it.
  "Hey you!"Temari said cheerily, practically running and squashing my bones. That was followed by four other women to smush me to smithereens. That was only the half of it.
  "Dog pile!"Kiba shouted and another four people and Akamaru jumped on top, sending my back to the ground with a smack.
  "Can't....breeeath here people."I said with the little oxygen in my system.
  They all got off me, laughing a little. "I'm just excited. I forgot how much it sucks being the only girl in the house."Temari said.
  We all stood in a circle, including the sensei's. I was in between Hinata and Gaara. It was very awkward. So very very awkward. He didn't really look at me directly, I knew he wouldn't, it's Gaara. His eyes slid to me though. I felt that familiar gaze on me. I looked back at him through the corner of my eye and got the same feeling it gives me every time. The world just spinning around in my stomach, causing a very pleasant nauseating feeling as weird as it sounds. I just wanted to be in his arms, at home, either of our rooms, in either of our beds, just in each other's company and warmth. I'd much rather be there then here.
  "Hey you're Gina Uchiha right?"Someone whispered to me, not wanting to disturb the group conversation.
  "Yeah that's me."I answered. And then in clicked. It's Melony's older brother Takumi.
  "So, I was thinking, maybe would you like to go get some barbecue with me."He asked, his hand coming to rub the back of his neck, indicating he was nervous.
  I really didn't want to say no, but I didn't, I really really didn't want to say yes. How could I? I could tell Gaara had his ears our our conversation.
  "Um I can't see-"
  "I know you have a thing with that guy but I can show you some real fun. Not a monster's kind of fun. Come on, you deserve it."He said right in the middle of my sentence.
  I. Was. Pissed.
  He just called my Gaara a monster right in front of me and my friends and my Gaara.
  "What did you just say?!?"Kiba shouted from the group.
  "I'll pulverize you, you little shit!"Kankuro said just as pissed off as I was on the inside.
  "No he's right. I deserve this."I said grabbing his hand.
  I'd play along with this just to make him feel emotional, mental and definitely physical pain. No talks to me like that or about my Gaara like that. Not to my face.
  "What are you talking about Gina?"Temari asked.
  I didn't reply though. I let him walk me out of the viewing area, only turning back once, flashing my sharingan hoping that someone might get the message about what I was going to do.