Reckoning

********************************

Naruto's home,Greenwood (43 miles east of Konoha City) 

The blonde watched Kurama dash around, leaving footprints in the snow for a moment before he went and grabbed the mail out of his mailbox. The whole world looked fresh and new. Reborn with a clean slate. It sent a chill in the blonde's heart as walked back inside, recalling the whole Orochimaru incident at FBI Headquarters. Orochimaru was still in critical condition, and Obito had been placed under close watch. It was a mess. It was an answer to the FBI’s search for Black Zetsu. It was all according to Gaara’s plan. 

‘He still has more stuff up his sleeve. I just know it.’ Naruto thought, still wondering what exactly he wanted out of all of this. ‘To be fair, I'm not even sure what I want from all of this.’ the blonde added, as he flipped through his letters only to see an elegantly written letter from Gaara amongst the mundane bills and crap. ‘Oh great. Now what are you up to.’ Naruto wondered before opening it to see it was a traditionally styled dinner invitation. Naruto blinked.

“What the hell?’ Naruto cursed before he walked over to his table, grabbed his phone, and started called Gaara. 

“Hello?” Came Gaara’s steady reply.

“Hi. Why do I have a formal dinner invitation from you in my mailbox?” Naruto asked still clutching the letter tightly in his hand. ‘Crap, I'm going to end up ruining the letter.’ Naruto realized quickly, before trying to smooth out the wrinkles he had now put in it.

“Ah, so it has arrived. Good. I was concerned it would not.”

“Why would it? It's not like- wait that's not the point. Why couldn't you have just called me?” Naruto asked, and already he could feel the dissatisfaction coming from Gaara through the phone. The blonde sighed. ‘Fine whatever, just- who all is going to be there?’

“I have extended invitations to both Kakashi and yourself.” 

“Kakashi’s going?” Naruto mumbled running a hand through his hair thinking. “Fine. I’ll be there. Its the day after tomorrow right?”

“Correct.”

“Okay. I’ll bring something with then, for dinner.” Naruto said.

“You are not required to bring anything-”

“I want it too.” Naruto interrupted. “Its… well... I mean it's my turn isn't it?” 

“Pardon?” Gaara asked after hesitating and the blonde swallowed.

“It's my turn to provide the meat.” Naruto murmured his hand still trying to smooth out the wrinkles he put into the letter. There was a stretch of silence over the phone before Gaara responded.

“That would be... most welcome,” Gaara replied softly and Naruto nodded despite knowing that the redheaded alpha couldn’t see him. 

“Well then I’ll let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing.” the blonde mumbled awkwardly before hanging up. Naruto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as Kurama came rushing inside tracking snow all over. “Kurama.” he said exasperated, “Really?” the dog just barked before curling on up his favorite pillow to sleep. Without really thinking Naruto called Kakashi as he started to try and clean up the mess Kurama had left. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Kakashi.” The blonde said, “You wanna go fishing?”

“What?”

“Fishing.”

“Uh, right now?”

“Yeah,” Naruto responded and there was a long silence from the other end of the phone. 

“Why?”

“Because I need to bring some meat with me to Gaara for the dinner thing. Might work better if there's two of us.” 

“I'm not much a fisherman Naruto in fact-”

“It's the least you could do.” Naruto interrupted and Kakashi heaved a sigh. “Come on, do you really believe for a second that freaking Orochimaru was Black Zetsu?” The alpha didn't respond. “It's just fishing. Nothing really hard.”

“Fine.” Kakashi agreed. “I’ll be there in two or three hours.”

“I’ll have all of the gear ready by the time you get here,” Naruto promised before hanging up. Kurama barked at him and the blonde just shrugged.  “Look Kyu sometimes i just do things on impulse. Besides, Gaara should have a taste of his medicine.” Naruto growled thinking of all the manipulation that has occurred. 

When Kakashi arrived at the house, Naruto waved and grabbed his fishing buckets and walked the alpha silently to the frozen pond in the wood behind his house. Snow blanketed the trees with oppressive purity as the blonde trudge on leaving footprints behind him. 

“I get it you know.” Kakashi grumbled as he followed. “I understand the appeal of nature. The trees and animals. I get it. In summer.” The alpha grunted as tripped over something buried under the snow before they both settled down to fish. 

“It’s harder to catch trout when the water is cold.” Naruto said, breaking the silence that fell over them. 

“That is another argument for Summer Naruto.” Kakashi continued grumbling and the blonde grinned. “Aren’t trout supposed to be hunters anyway? They should be chewing on my hook here.” Naruto understood his frustration. Ten minutes had gone by with no luck and Kakashi was getting cold. 

“When it’s cold their metabolism drop. They aren’t as hungry.” Naruto explained as the cold air chewed at nose turning it red. 

“Well then how do you catch a fish that isn’t hungry?” 

“Change your tactics.” Naruto stated with a shrug. “Live bait. Make the fish act on instinct.” Naruto gave a half grin. “He’s always a predators. Just…. create a reality where only you and the fish exist.”

“Your bait is the one thing he wants despite everything he knows.” Kakashi said slowly. Thoughtfully. “Make a wrong move and the fish swims away.”

“I’m a good fisherman Kakashi.” The blonde said quietly, watching the alpha with intensity in his eyes. 

“I get the feeling we aren’t talking about fish anymore.” 

“No.” Naruto responded and Kakashi sighed. 

“Your right. I don’t believe that Orochimaru is a Black Zetsu. That doesn’t means it’s Gaara either.” Kakashi argued half heartedly but the blonde could see it in his eyes, the words weight drag him downwards. “Fine.” Kakashi says finally after Naruto simply watched him silent for a moments. “Gaara is Black Zetsu. But there is no evidence, nothing concrete tying him to the murders. How to prove we catch him exactly hm?” 

“Live bait.” Naruto replied with a grin. Kakashi blinked and then nodded. 

“If you hook him, I’ll land him.” 

When Kakashi left a hour later, Naruto was humming. Bringing a bucket of fish back inside his house where Kurama was waiting for him. ‘He’s going to catch you Gaara. I will make sure of it.’ The blonde vowed. 

*************************

Gaara’s home, West side Konoha City

“Beautiful fish Naruto.” Gaara said as he exited the kitchen, carrying dinner. The redhead sat a plate down in front of Kakashi and Naruto tilted his head.

“It was my turn to provide the meat.” Naruto replied, wanting to laugh and break something at the same. He settled for bratty. Kakashi glanced up at him, but the blonde ignored him. 

“I hope providing the meat does not mean you still have doubts concerning what I serve at my table.” The alpha says calmly, and the blonde watches as Kakashi is quick to respond. 

“No no- no doubts just the… wounds we’ve gave each other until we got to the truth.” Kakashi assured him and Naruto wanted to scoff. ‘Truth my ass. Orochimaru is so not Black Zetsu.’ Naruto thought. 

“This is why we must move past apologies and forgiveness. We will absorb this experience and it will change us. We are similar to fish or children in that regard. Our experiences shape us.” Gaara explains as he takes a bite. Naruto blinks.

“Makes us tastier.” The blonde summarizes before taking a bite of his own food, enjoying feeling a little bratty. ‘This is nice. Being able to say stuff, do stuff because I want to. Not because of Kakashi or the case or fear or because of Matsuri. Just me.’ Gaara casting a warm glance in his direction and the blonde wanted to roll his eyes at him. ‘Do you want to kiss me or kill me? Makeup your mind damnit.’ Naruto thought.

“None of our actions were personal.” Kakashi says. 

“I tried to have Gaara killed.” Naruto said bluntly. “I’m pretty sure that personal.” 

“You thought I was a killer.” The redhead responded. ‘I mean- You are a killer.’ Naruto thought, as he took another bite of the delicious fish. “The greatest crime now would be to walk away from what we have shared and suffered. In many way we need each other. We are the only ones who know what this feels like.” 

“This fish is delicious.” Naruto said kinda hating the fact that Gaara is such a good cook. ‘It would be way easier to hate if you were a bad cook. But you made me food and I like the food.’ Naruto thought with an inward sigh. Gaara gave him a brief pleased nod, as though he was pleased with him. ‘Smug asshole.’ Naruto thought. 

*******************

Hope Stables, Uma Texas (a horse stable for the sick and weak)

Gaara stood silently next to Kakashi as he observed the crime scene he was brought in to study. It was far away from the familiar streets and turns of Konoha City and the vast emptiness of the small town prickled at him. Gaara loathed small towns and small villages. They tended to be small minded as well. 

“Well Doctor?” Kakashi prompted, gesturing towards the crime scene. 

“I agree with the pagans of old.” Gaara responded as he slipped on a pair of gloves. “Animals which must bear burdens are sacred animals.” 

“This sort of mutilation usually presents a type

Of cult activity.” Kakashi agreed thinking that The alpha was talking about pagan cults. “When an animal is sacrificed it’s thought that the power of the animals will be absorbed or something by whoever killed it.” 

“That is precisely why sacrificial animals must be healthy and without an defects.” The redhead responded pausing to look at him. “This horse was ill.” 

“The horses womb was more or less intact.” Kiba interjected, from where he was studying the animal. “Our victim, however was dead before she shoved inside the horses womb.”

“How’d she die?” Kakashi asked.

“Strangled,” Lee responded, shaking his head. 

“Yeah, and she was scrappy.” Kiba muttered, examining the woman’s body before telling Kakashi, “our victim here out up a fight.” 

“The horse is acting as a chrysalis.” Gaara stated as the realization washed over him. He looked at Kakashi and added, “It was meant to hold the woman until her death could be transform into something new.”

“But transformed into what?” The white haired agent replied, crossing his arms. 

“Life.” The redheaded alpha explained. “This was intended to be a birth. This is every bit as much about giving life as it is taking it away.” 

“What’s the thinking here Doctor?” Kakashi asks, confusion coloring his face. 

“Conflicted. I see what he has done but I do not understand it. I do not believe this killer thinks like anyone else. You will need someone who does not think like anyone else to catch.”

********************

Gaara’s office, downtown Konoha City

“You are no more responsible for what happened to you, than if you had been bitten by a mad dog.” Gaara stated calmly, watching his patient stand by the window watching the snowfall.

“Mad dogs are put down.” She replied softly.

“Is that what you wanted to accomplish when you attached your brother?” The redhead asked. She blinked and turned to face him, giving him a stiff unhappy smile.

“Well apparently I went about putting him down the wrong way. He’s still alive.”

“Doing bad things to bad people makes us feel good.” Gaara replied. “What is your relationship with him now? Has it changed?”

“I think that he thinks I’ve calmed down.” 

“Have you?”

“Yes. I’m calm.” She murmured.

“Are you going to try again?”

“This is where therapy gets…. tricky.” She says as he she pushes her long black hair over her shoulder.

“It does not have to be tricky.” Gaara replies and she gives him a cold smile. Something utterly unsettling on an omega.

“I could confess to a murder, and you can’t say a word.” She walked over to stand across from him and paused. “I could have killed someone this morning and you can’t say a word. However... if I’m planning to commit murder.” She let the words trail off. 

“I am ethically obliged to take action and prevent that murder.” The redhead acknowledged. 

“Tricky.” She said. 

“If there is no one else to protect you, then you must protect yourself, Hinata.” Gaara responded. 

********************

Gaara’s home, West side Konoha City

“Not that I’m complaining, but part of me thinks that we ended up here to avoid where our conversation was going.” Sakura murmured, as she lay next to the alpha, swaddled in his blankets.

“As long as you are not complaining.” Gaara responded. Sakura gave a soft sigh. 

“Too much has happened for us not to talk about it you know,” Sakura gives him a coy smile. “However pleasant the distractions.”

“I am recovering from all that has happened. So is Naruto. So are you.” Gaara blinked and looked up at the ceiling thinking of Naruto as he spoke to Sakura. “I would change many things, but not that we ended up here.” 

“The only thing stranger than finding a woman’s body stuck inside a horse is seeing you back in therapy with Naruto.” Sakura said with a frown, sitting up to look at him. Gaara blinked. 

“Is it really so strange?”

“He tried to murder you.” Sakura said exasperatedly. 

“Do you know why Naruto tried to kill me?” Gaara murmured. Sakura arched her brow. “He wanted to prevent your death. It was not about avenging Ino’s death.” Gaara lay calmly, watching her reactions. “He was protecting you, the only way he felt he could.”

“I’m afraid,” Sakura admitted quietly. “I’m afraid that he opened a door inside himself, and I don’t think anyone knows if it’s closed again. Especially not Naruto.” 

“Then it is good he is back in therapy with a good psychiatrist,” Gaara responded with amusement filling his green eyes.