A startling figure perched on the rooftop of a downtown apartment building. Hair of spun rubies and eyes ringed with kohl, he appeared to be some wild creature come to revel in the moonlight rather than a lonely figure plagued by insomnia.
A hand crushed the sleep out of tired, tired eyes.Gazing up at the all-too familiar night sky, the boy knew he was like one of the many stars above, light years away from companionship or the warming love of another.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"
"That kid's a monster."
"Why does everybody hate me so much?"
"You were born evil, kid. Face it. Embrace it."
Running fingers though his tousled hair as if trying to brush the tangled memories from his mind, the teen curled up before his past pain. Every night. Why did he have to go through this every single night? He felt as ifthere was some demon inside of him, constantly trying to claw its way out, never giving him a moment's peace.
Through the backdrop of the boy's anguish, a solitary star fell silently from the heavens to some unknown hell below. Glancing upwards, his chest seemed to sink in with sorrow. The boy had seen a thousand shooting, falling, dying stars, but his wish never came true.
The only thing that Gaara wanted was to not be alone anymore.