Gaara glared at himself in the cracked mirror in his room, the one, soft lamp reflected light onto his image. He snorted and sat on his bed, one of the greatest mysteries of his room, and picked up a kunai. He weighed the knife in his palm, gazing at its razor-sharp angles. He brought the weapon to his wrists and brought it down in a swift arch, the intent self-harming.

Partials of sand rushed to protect the porcelain flesh underneath, obstructing the shiny blade.

"Damn it." Gaara cursed as he tried to slice his skin. He tried again and again, his resentment building, body trembling.

Why can't I do this? MOTHER! LET ME FEEL ALIVE!

He threw the kunai at the mirror, letting the glass shatter, some small fragments falling from their place. In the back of his mind he felt something shift, slippery and dark it slithered like a snake, twisting its way through Gaara's thoughts, laughing at his misery.

But Mother loves you child! Yes! That's it! Mother loves you. No one else but Mother.

Yes Mother

Gaara stood up and gazed at his broken reflection, his sea green eyes glaring right back.

Mother?

Yes, child? What do you want from Mother?

Why wont you let me feel pain?

Pain is bad. Ouch! Mother protects you! Gaara, be a good child and feed Mother BLOOD! I WANT BLOOD!

Gaara's head erupted in pain, and he was brought to his knees, the pounding on his consciousness reaching a braking point. Voices in his head started to become deafening, swallowing up his own thoughts in their seething roar.

"Ok! Ok!" he screeched, rocking his body back and forth in a curled up position, "Just make it stop!"

The throbbing stopped immediately, his head bathed in silence. Gaara shot up from his position, and flitted out the door and onto the red rooftop, hunting for a straggling genin like a mountain lion looking for his prey.

Gaara spotted one, the lone Genin, sparring against a fabric dummy. Gaara made no attempt to let the boy know he was there, instead just letting tendrils of sand curl around the ninja's feet, until he noticed. The genin's eyes widened, as the sand swirled around his middle, making slight abrasions on his exposed arms. Then in one evanescent moment, the sand crunched and blood spurted everywhere, getting on the walls and fabric dummy; staining it red.

Gaara's breathing became steadier and he started to talk to Shukaku, the sand demon.

Was that enough to satisfy you, Mother?

It's never enough, GIVE MOTHER MORE, CHILD! MORE!

NO! I would give you more.

Listen to Mother. I know what's best. I love you. DO AS I SAY!

Stop telling me what to do Mother.

Or what?

I'll kill myself.

You can't even injure yourself.

I'll find away. I'll hurt myself.

The demon chuckled as it slid away into the dark corners of his mind.

Gaara stood there for a moment, staring at the crimson liquid on the wall. Than, as is in a trance walked forward and stopped facing the bloody wall. Gaara` reach his fingertips out and let them brush the warm, saline liquid. He stared the blood on his fingers for a moment, in sick fascination of it dripping down towards his palm. After that, he brought the blood-covered digits to his mouth, letting his tongue lust after the salty fluid.

Finding that he enjoyed to taste, he placed his wet, pink tongue against the stone wall and slid it up, letting the remaining blood fall into his lips. He licked them and grinned