Aftermath - 2

Haku had wondered how he had managed to land himself at Ichiraku Ramen without Naruto or Gaara with him.

He supposed that the closest explanation he could supply for himself was that while on his way home Sato had grabbed him unexpectedly and forced him into the seat beside an equally un-enthralled Shino. The silver haired nin had declared they should celebrate his victory, his treat.

So Haku had stayed, listening to the recap of the last fights he had missed during the exam. Shino did well to correct Sato's exaggerations of some of the matches.

Sato chewed lazily on a pickled vegetable and asked, "Hey, where are Naruto and Gaara anyway, Haku-kun? I thought they'd be hanging around with you at a time like this."

"Actually, I'm not so sure where they are at the moment..." Haku lowered his chopsticks in thought, knowing the smell of food would've definitely woken them, "They should've been here by now."

"They are easily side-tracked," Shino predicted their course of action, "They will turn up here eventually."

True. Naruto and Gaara did have a favorite restaurant, and Haku knew the place very well by now. It was only a matter of time.

"Maybe they went with your sensei to train," Sato suggested, crunching a piece of shrimp, "Just to get a head-start on the exam. Hm...not a bad idea for us either, eh Shino-kun?"

Shino's expression was bland, "Only you have advanced to the final round."

"So what?" The silver haired boy was indignant, "You can kick my ass easy! I need to get as much training done as I can get if I'm gonna face Gaara-kun..." Sato shuddered at the thought and Shino smirked, glad that he was taking the fight seriously.

Haku was still stuck on the mentioning of Jiraiya. Their last encounter had not been a friendly one.

*

Why didn't you say anything?" The sennin's face was red with anger as he had to resort to scolding his brightest and most reliable pupil.

He had taken Haku to the other side of the tower after his match and began the preparations to seal the mark on the boy's neck.

Haku sat shirtless in the center of a seal that Jiraiya had drawn on the stone floor, flinching as his mentor roughly painted markings on his back.

"I didn't know what the seal was capable of, sensei."

"That doesn't matter!" Jiraiya wouldn't put up with excuses, "I won't let Orochimaru turn you into one of his pawns in his little game! Not you or the other squirts, you hear me?"

Slightly traumatized, Haku nodded, coming to grips with the magnitude of the situation, "I'm sorry Jiraiya-sensei. I will never let it happen again..." He lowered his eyes in apology, realizing that the toad sage only wanted his safety even if it meant screaming at him.

"We'll see," Jiraiya had calmed down, just a little, "I just can't understand why you didn't tell me! Do you realize that this mark could've killed you? It should have..."

Haku remained silent.

The sennin frowned, noting the boy's submissive behavior and he took it as a good sign. If he was scared it meant he understood.

"You need to hold still while I seal this mark on your neck. Do you understand, Haku?"

"Yes, sensei."

Jiraiya laid his hand over the mark, noticing how Haku's back straightened in anxiety, "Fuja Hoin!"

The seals Jiraiya had painted on Haku's skin earlier snaked upwards toward his neck and formed a ring around the scaled marks there. The dark haired boy's cry of pain was cut short when he passed out from the pressure.

It had gone quickly and successfully, and Haku had been too exhausted either way to stay conscious. Jiraiya knew the boy would thank him later.

"There, that should hold it," Jiraiya sighed heavily, patting Haku's head, "You know squirt, you're the dumbest smart person I've ever met."

The dark haired boy was still shaking in pain, unresponsive.

"This seal is only as strong as your will power is, kid," Jiraiya muttered, half to himself, "Make sure you stay in control."

*

Haku gingerly touched the sealed mark on his neck, remembering some of what had transpired, as well as his sensei's very loud and outraged warning of Orochimaru's treachery.

"I'll look for them later." Haku decided aloud, deciding to take Sato up on his generous offer.

The silver haired boy shrugged before waving Ayame over, "Yo, miss! Do you have coffee here?"

*

"Hey, Gaara, just where exactly are we going anyway?" Naruto walked alongside his friend, his arms folded behind his head, "At least let me know that much if you've got to be so secretive and stuff!"

The blonde nin had a suspicious feeling ever since breakfast that morning. Gaara had been acting strangely; more so than usual. It was apparent to Naruto that he was having a difficult time trying to explain himself, rather than keeping things short and sweet as he normally did.

'That means something big is up...' Naruto surmised, watching Gaara give him a shifty sideways glance, 'He's thinking way too much. He can't focus.'

"It isn't far now."

Naruto nodded, scowling moodily at the red haired boy, "Yep, cuz that really helps you know! What's so important huh? If there's anyone you can tell it's me!"

Gaara's pace sped up just a fraction, "I am...going to introduce you to my brother and sister."

He was glad he ignored Naruto's dropped jaw, and right on schedule, "You have SIBLINGS?"

They veered off course and stepped out onto the side of the road, where Naruto could reassemble his jumbled wits. Gaara found it hard to answer vocally in the affirmative, so he just offered his friend his most compassionate nod.

Naruto ran a shaky hand through his golden hair, breathing deeply, "Then...how come you never told us?"

"You never asked."

Now was not the time for his cranky retorts, he knew, but Gaara just couldn't pin the reason down. It felt like if he did tell while still living with Naruto and Haku, that it would make them less family than the real one he still had back in Suna.

"But didn't you want to talk about them even a little?" Naruto was desperately trying to make sense of it, "You can trust Haku-kun and me!"

He could admit he felt more attachment to his goofy friends than his own flesh and blood, but Gaara still felt the pressure to mend his broken past. He couldn't do that if he turned his back on his true family.

"I do trust you but I do not trust myself," Gaara admitted, begrudgingly, "The life I left behind was a disaster. When I came here the only thing that came naturally was to let it go."

It was quiet for a long moment and the red haired boy felt like he couldn't look at Naruto. Guilt washed over him at the sight of the blonde and he couldn't bear it at all.

To his shock, Naruto only grinned. He always did have a quick-acceptance complex, "Well cool! So they're from the Sand village right?"

They continued walking and Gaara found the subject open up with such ease he couldn't help but press to the point of the matter. Naruto had that effect on people.

"They are..." He paused thoughtfully, "You've already seen them, actually."

"Whoa, I have? Well, uh...where are we supposed to meet them?"

"Outside of the Academy."

Naruto nodded in confirmation even though he still hadn't caught on fully, "When did you get the chance to talk to them?"

"After the second stage of the exam."

The missing piece clicked in Naruto's head and he then recalled the two formidable Sand shinobi who had, like Gaara, progressed to the final round...with the exception of the trash-talking bastard of their team.

He frowned, "Wait a minute, aren't they mad that you for...you know, busting up their teammate?"

Gaara's chuckle was dark and pleased, "Surprisingly, no."

Naruto felt his spirit lighten at the sight of Gaara happy for once. Rather than the brooding, calculating, stubborn exterior he had often seen, Naruto was glad that his friend had something to not be so irritable about.

Naruto looked forward to meeting the other members of Gaara's family tree.