Reckoning

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

FBI Headquarters Northside Konoha City, 

Sakura took up teaching at the FBI after Naruto had been locked up and found it to her liking. It was satisfying to help mold future agents. ‘If I do my job well I can’t prevent what happened to Naruto from happening to others.’ She had thought at the time. Slowly however it had morphed into something she did because she took pride in it. Teaching and directing young minds, shaping them her will. Occasionally she wondered if those feelings were what alphas 

experienced. 

As she left the building, Sakura was thinking about dinner and what to do about Gaara. The alpha seemed to be pulling away from her and wasn’t sure what to do about that. A voice startled her as she started to walk to her car,

“I have always loved and admired teachers, constantly shaping and molding young’s minds but you can only learn so much and live.” Karin said, as she fell in step besides the other beta. 

“No one likes to know it all.” Sakura said with an exasperated sigh as she continued walking. Karin rolled her eyes before speaking again.

“And did Gaara teach you when you were an impressionable young mind?” The Redheaded beta asked.

“Your book is about Naruto.” Sakura said sharply. 

“Hm.” Karin hummed as she watched the women. “So were you sleeping with Gaara when you were learning from him or is that a… recent development?” Karin asked. Sakura pointedly avoided responding and the beta woman grinned sharply. “Ah so you are sleeping with him. I was just guessing. Figured you would have to be sleeping with one of them to not see it.” Sakura flinched internally. Her curious and suppressed doubts and concerns bubbled up and the Beta stopped and turned toward Karin. 

“See what.” Sakura demanded.

“That Naruto was right about Gaara and that I was right about Naruto.” Sakura presses her lips together and huffed.

“I am not having this conversation or any other conversation with you Karin.” She said finally before turning to walk away. 

“Gaara has four patients die under his care, three former patients die and then there’s Naruto.” Karin shook her head as she walked quickly alongside Sakura. “All that fuss about Gaara, Naruto was desperate enough to try and kill him. Now he’s back in therapy with him and another former patient is dead.”

“Naruto understands that Gaara can help him.” Sakura insisted, turning away from Karin and spotting her car just a few feet in front of her pulled out her keys. 

“Or maybe,” Karin responded, shifting her weight to one leg, “what Naruto understands is if you can beat him, join him.” 

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

Hyuuga Winter Estate, 27 miles NorthEast of Konoha City

Gaara pulled his car around to the back of the estate, power games were somewhat boring to him in the sense that he cared little for others' opinion of himself. Only that they entertained him and allowed him his freedom. As well as politeness. Whenever possible one should be polite. It was this reason that when he received a phone call from Hinata’s unsavory brother he couldn’t refuse. And of course there was his curiosity. ‘He likely wants to convince me his sister is crazy, or lying about him.’ Gaara thought, curious about how this would play out. 

A thin Beta stood by the door ready to open it as Gaara parked and got out of the car. As he walked inside the air reeked of old rotting line shavings and pig filth. The stench was heavy and Gaara internally sighed as this would likely mean that he would have to get rid of the outfit he was currently wearing afterwards. The alpha was pleased it was not one of his favorites however. The sounds of squealing pigs grew louder as he climbed the steps to look down on a crudely fashioned maze. Neji stood off to the side watching them realizing he had a guest.

“Ah, Doctor Subaku.” He said, holding his hand out to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, thank you for accepting my invitation.” Gaara nodded briefly. “As I am paying for Hinata’s therapy I thought I should at the very least meet her psychiatrist.” 

“I am pleased to put a face to the name.” Gaara responded honestly, before turning to examine the pigs squealing in the maze lost and confused and angry. The redhead found the sight fascinating. “The swine you are raising is exceptional. Never seen swine such as these before.”

“They’re a special breed.” Neji answered, pausing for a moment to look at him. “Product of multiple generations and litters.” 

“What is your ground note?” 

“We started with giant forest pig.” Neji responded easily, happy to share and now suddenly more excited and invested into the conversation with Gaara. The redhead felt a flash of pride knowing the conversation was unfolding exactly as he wished it to, regardless of what Neji wants. “Very resourceful feed and an optimistic feeder.” 

“Similar to man.”

“You must know pigs as well as you know people.” Neji responded and Gaara turned to look at him before saying,

“I do know pigs.”

“Oh, my father would have loved you.” Neji remarked, he could tell a pig's genetics simply by feeling the bone structure of its face. Breeding was very important to him.” Neji frowned. “Hinata always made him mad with all of her… sewing stuff. no breeding there.” The Alpha said knowingly, as though sharing an inside joke with Gaara. The redhead for his part, was thoroughly disgusted. Neji tilted his head and asked, “do you have a sister Doctor Subaku?”

“I had a sister.” 

“Then you would understand my need— my desire to protect Hinata. The poor omega is quite simply hysterical. I have no doubt she has told you all sorts of horrible things I have done to her.”  Neji said. 

“I cannot inform you what Hinata has confessed to me.” Gaara answered. “Fortunately for you, I cannot tell anyone.” He assured the other lesser alpha. The redhead wondered what he might prod Neji into doing. And of course more information on him would only help things for Hinata of course. “Even the worst people need someone to talk to.” The alpha said, his mind flickering once towards Naruto, wondering what he was doing right then. “Tell me, have you considered therapy for yourself?”

“No.” Neji answered considering it. “Although maybe I should.” The alpha gestured towards the beta who showed Gaara in. “Can I have Tsukiyama slaughter you a hog? As a token of my appreciation for all that you do for my little omega.” 

“Yes.” Gaara answered, pleased to be leaving with food. “However, I insist on selecting my own pig. I always do.” Neji only smiled in admiration. 

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

Gaara’s House, West Side Konoha City

“Is that an entire pig?” Sakura asked, as she watched Gaara bring in the tray with the food. 

“A young one, it was still suckling. Roasted to perfection.” The alpha answered. “It was a gift from a friend.”

“A friend of yours. Not a friend of the pigs.” Naruto said and the redhead let out a soft smile. 

“There are those who raise livestock and feel affection for them. A rancher who hand raised lambs loves them whilst sending them to slaughter.”

“They love and kill what they love.” Sakura chimes in, glancing between the two men. 

“They eat what they love.” Gaara says simply. Naruto wants to roll his eyes, but stops himself. “It is a paradox.” The alpha continued. Sakura took a breath steadying herself and the blonde blinked watching her. 

“Karin thinks the two of you are a paradox.” The pink haired beta says lightly as she takes a bite of her food. Naruto could still feel the trap winding tighter around Gaara. The lure he had set and cast for Gaara was working and the ripples shone in Sakura’s nervousness. In her doubt. “She is seeing something one else is seeing.” Sakura continues and Gaara pauses to look at her before taking a bite of his food. 

“And what’s that?” Naruto asks, his brain buzzing.

“That neither of you are the killer that she is writing about. Together however, you might be.” The beta women answered, eating slowly while eyeing Naruto with suspicious eyes. ‘She still doesn’t trust me. Hell maybe she thinks I’m brainwashing Gaara or something. Or that I’m the one planting those thoughts into Karin’s head.’ The blonde wondered what sort of pain Sakura would endure when Gaara is through playing with her. When she has served her purpose. ‘Will she be eaten like Matsuri? Displayed like the countless other Black Zetsu Victims?’ Naruto wondered and inwardly sighed at the lack of horror the thoughts were causing. 

“Karin must consider you a bland interview subject if she has already resorted to fiction.” Gaara says lightly, washing away Sakura’s doubts with a practiced ease. 

“Well she won’t be fenced by something as malleable as the truth.” Sakura grumbled. “She has no boundaries.” 

“Someone with no boundaries is either a psychopath or journalist.” Naruto says, not sure exactly how else to respond. 

“Well Karin isn’t the only one without boundries.” Sakura said, looking at Naruto directly in the eyes and the blonde remembered he had left his glasses at home. Again. ‘Shit when did I stop wearing them?’ “Your relationship doesn’t seem to know many.” She continued, this time glancing at Gaara as well. A cool tension settled between them and Naruto realized abruptly that she was acting jealous. The blonde had to fight off the laugh the built behind his throat. ‘Of course Sakura would be jealous of attention I’m getting from a murderous fucking alpha. Brilliant.’  Sakura took another bite, “patient, therapist, friend, and enemy.” The beta listed off as though daring them to challenge it. 

“Crossing boundaries is different than violating them.” The redhead stated. 

“Well. Boundaries will always be subject to negotiation.” The beta said breezily and relaxed into her food, thinking she had won. Naruto ignored her for almost the rest of the dinner. Speaking only enough to make small talk with her while he roamed his thoughts. He wanted Gaara, this was true. Desired the hell of him. ‘However, wanting Gaara clashes with my own morals, but is that entirely true? No.’ Naruto decided. ‘No it wasn’t.’ The things that Naruto couldn’t and could forgive seemed to have changed so much. ‘Murder I can almost forgive. There is a dark enchanting beauty in how he kills.’ the blonde could admit to himself. ‘But he violated my boundaries when he let my mind burn and when he fed me my own daughter, matsuri.’ This was where Naruto had trouble. Where he struggled, and why he had not called off the intricate trap he was pulling tighter around Gaara's pale throat with Kakashi. Could he accept that violation from Gaara, and move past it? And if he does, what does that mean for their relationship? Naruto wanted a partnership with Gaara, equality. To do that he needed to know that the redhead wouldn’t violate the boundaries he set: he needs to trust him. ‘I wish I could trust you Gaara.’ The blonde thought, heart aching. 

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

Naruto’s house, Greenwood (43 miles East of Konoha City) 

Naruto was in the woods looking over some manuscripts someone had sent him to edit and proofread. A pastime he hadn’t indulged in recently. Normally he stayed inside, but the fresh air and mess of tangled thoughts in his head urged him outside while he worked. At once he was thankful for the teaching  Jiraya had given him. The old man used writing as a way to give Naruto something to focus on. Keep his mind from wandering and over thinking. It helped. ‘I miss him.’ The blonde thought, before the faints rumblings of a car engine pulled his attention away. As he stood and father the papers and bundled them together safely under his jacket he made his way back to his house. Only to see Karins car parked in his drive way. No sign of her however. The blonde narrowed his eyes, the nosy beta always did seem to get into trouble. He set the papers down on the deck and went looking for her. The jingling of a lock told him she was messing with his garage. A separate structure and used more as a storage shed. 

The blonde wanted to groan in frustration because he knew what she would probably see in there. The weird suit that Kenmoro had worn made himself more animal than man hung in the rafters. And the locked freezer held its own secrets. One of them being an emergency pill for his sigma statues if he ever needed it. He had learned his lesson from before. He crept through the doorway, as Karin was absorbed in taking pictures with her small camera. Watched at the beta picked the lock on the freezer, and opened it. A rush of adrenaline burst through his veins as she gasped. The blonde prepared himself to kill her. Before he lunged however, he saw he lift up the human jaw, belonging to Kenmoro and a wave of relief passed through him. She hadn’t discovered his secret. Not his real secret anyway. The beta gave a low growl then, and the blonde knew he had been noticed. Perhaps a fight then after all. 

“There is a great explanation for all of this Karin.” Naruto said casually, shutting the door.

“I don’t want to hear it.” The beta practically squeaked, pulling a small hand gun from her purse and pointing it at him. 

“Not even a little bit curious?” Naruto asked, wondering where her journalistic values went now. The beta women’s legs shook and she glanced at the door behind Naruto. 

“Get away from the door.” 

“I cant let you go Karin. Not until you have heard what I have to say.” Naruto said simply, calmly, each word bringing him closer to the beta. He could feel the thrum of power behind his steps and distantly marveled at it. “I know your scared, but you only have to be scared for a moment longer. Just— give me the gun.” He held out his hand, the wrong thing to do. She realized how close they stood and fired.