The Jashinist's Son (Naruto Fanfic)

'Home? Safe?'

Third Person POV:

It had been a day and a half since the group had departed from Konoha before approaching the desert boarder. All members could feel the heat radiating off of the sand, becoming hot with sweat. The initial feeling of the desert heat sent a chill through the silver haired boy who'd remained relatively silent throughout their journey.

It was understandable, though. The boy had just left everything he had ever known for the second time in his short life. His second chance at a normal life in Konoha was most definitely not the beginning he could've hoped for and thus unwittingly, set the tone for the entirety of his stay.

Sure, waking up in hospital scared the crap out of him. And yes, one of his few friends defecting from the village did put a downer on things. But it was ultimately Takeo himself, that was the cause of this transfer. All those things that were nurtured and encouraged in the Akatsuki, were frowned upon and considered evil in the eyes of the village he was left at.

He supposed that it was only natural for the deranged way he was raised to cause problems within normal society. But he never expected the one man he trusted, to convince the Hokage to send him away. Never once did Takeo believe that Kakashi Hatake would do it, the man knew he was damaged goods when he gained possession of the boy and yet, he still appeared to send him away when things grew tough.

To say Takeo was disappointed was an understatement. The boy had lived with the man during his childhood under the Third Hokage's orders and from what he remembered, it had felt like he was home. A place where nothing bad could ever get worse and where people came together as a family. These were things young Takeo craved after his time with Kakashi but after coming back to his real father, Takeo realised that his real family ties weren't all that special and now, neither were the ties he had with Kakashi.

And although he felt incredibly alone, he knew that there was two individuals that made him feel at home — Koneko and Gaara. The former was for obvious reasons, having grown up with her and being his best friend. But the latter? Takeo wasn't so sure.

He knew that he had always felt comfortable with the jinchuriki, no matter how he attempted to kill Takeo at the beginning of their (initially) one sided friendship, but that quickly stopped when Gaara couldn't kill him.

Takeo vividly remembers being encouraged to act like a monster and to kill without remorse to make his father proud, in contrast to Gaara who didn't have a choice in the matter. And now as he looked over to the red head, Takeo sees that only one of them has changed for the better... And it wasn't him.

"Gaara," Takeo called in a gravely tone, causing him to coughed harshly as Gaara stepped closer to him. The red head's expression was neutral as always, as he studied Takeo's uncomfortable strides and movements easily. "You've become nervous about going to Suna, why?" He asks in his usual blunt fashion.

"It's not just that," he whispers, dropping his gaze. "I was just wondering how long I'd stay there until I was sent elsewhere or imprisoned. They are the next logical steps to dealing with my problem." Gaara regards what the tan boy had said with a grain of salt, knowing that neither of those were options that he'd accept.

The intensity of the red head's gaze made Takeo feel incredibly uncomfortable, to the point of being nauseous. And while Takeo may not of been looking at Gaara, he could feel the unwavering attention as they pushed forward from behind Baki's lead. "That's in the past now, Takeo." Gaara says as he finally averts his gaze, much to Takeo's relief. "Look towards the possibilities Suna presents you and I'm sure you'll be fine."