Another Take (A Naruto Fanfiction) (Complete)

Ch. 26: Rooftops

~Standing on the rooftops, everybody scream your heart out. This is all we got now, everybody scream your heart out~

Kiyomi's POV

I followed the scent I'd smelled, and eventually slighted upon a lone figure standing on the roof of one of Konoha's hotels. And even at this distance, I could see the rust-red hair of that person.

Gaara?

"What are you doing?" I asked lowly, crouching on the edge of the building. "It's late. Why are you still awake?"

The red-head turned to look at me evenly, then returned his gaze to the moon overhead. "... I do not sleep."

"Ah," I nodded. "Fair enough." I walked over to where Gaara was standing, and sat on the edge of the roof next to him. "That's my current problem as well."

Gaara's POV

The moon was waning, and with it so was Shukaku's rage. I currently felt only a small tinge of want for blood, meaning Shukaku was satisfied with what I'd given him during the Forest of Death.

The air was warm, warmer than it was in Suna. Sure, my home was in the desert, but at night it got quite cold. Here though, it was warm almost all hours of the day. It was almost... pleasant.

A quiet thump alerted me to the fact that I was not alone anymore. But who was awake at this late hour?

"What are you doing?" a female voice asked me lowly. I turned to look, and saw that it was Kiyomi. The girl was crouching on the edge of the building, her purple eyes flashing in the darkness. "It's late. Why are you still awake?"

I considered lying, but she'd probably get suspicious. And it wouldn't hurt to see if she was an insomniac like me. "... I do not sleep," I said flatly. Then I glanced up at the moon. The girl's in luck. Any fuller, and I'd be after her blood.

"Ah, fair enough," Kiyomi nodded, getting out of her crouched position. She walked over to where I was standing, then sat down next to me. Her feet were dangling off the roof of the building, and she appeared completely peaceful. Was she not scared of me? "That's my current problem as well."

"Current?" I questioned. That implied that she did not normally experience this.

"Yeah," Kiyomi sighed. "I don't know what it is, but I'm just not sleepy tonight. It was suggested to me that I take a walk, but it doesn't seem to be helping."

"Suggested?"

Kiyomi sighed again, sending me a slightly annoyed look. "That is what I said, yes. I was not aware you were a parrot." Then she followed my gaze up to the moon, staring at it sadly. "Suggested by an old friend."

"A fr-" I almost said, then stopped when I remembered her previous comment about me being a parrot. I'm not sure why, but I didn't want to antagonize this strange purple-eyed girl sitting next to me. I get a feeling that it would not end well for me if I did.

"You're learning..." Kiyomi muttered. "Good panda. And I suppose you know enough at this point to make a guess at my 'old friend.'"

For the second time, I wanted to repeat her words, questioning the 'panda' part. But I refrained from doing so, simply looking at the girl with something akin to confusion on my face. I don't understand why she would call me a panda. I'm simply a monster, and pandas are the opposite of that.

"... What?" Kiyomi asked, finally noticing my bewildered look. "Oh, the panda thing? Well, with the shadowing around your eyes, you kind of resemble a panda. I'll stop if you don't like it."