I no own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would be dead, Sakura and Ino would have suicided because of it, Kakashi wouldn't have died, and the pairing would be NaruGaar.
I don't own Fireflies by Owl City either, but it is a seriously good song and you should listen to it and then read the chapter.
Aisu
It was interesting to have people run away whenever I went anywhere with Gaara. It was always quiet afterwards, seeing as we were both quiet children, very strange for our age, but I liked it quiet, with the hypersensitive hearing and all, but it made it so different from hanging out with anyone else our age. Their voices were so squeaky, it was grating, like nails on a chalk board. Gaara's voice was sweeter, quiet and slightly gruff, it was wonderful to hear, even though he didn't speak much. We would be everywhere and do everything together, sometimes just sit in silence, just reveling in the company of each other, very queer for children of the age of six. I would chide Gaara gently when he lost his temper when the other kids ran away instead when we wanted to play with them, other kids didn't get hurt as often. I made sure he didn't purposely try to hurt himself anymore, told him it hurt me inside more than it would if he was trying to hurt me physically instead of himself, still asked him every once and a while. He told me what it was like to have a dead mom and being blamed for it, a dad that hated him even though said person made him like this, with literal personal demons, siblings who ignored him and an uncle that was the only one who cared about him, I told him what it was like to have no family instead of a dysfunctional one, comforted him about his own. He told me about his very real demons, both figuratively and literally, I told him about mine.
Then, one day, I was cordially invited to a sleepover at the Sabaku residence. Of course I accepted, Gaara was my best friend and my parents wouldn't care, daddy dearest was a dunk and died that way years ago, and mummy lovely died with him, life was terrible for her because of him, but she couldn't live without him, so a murder suicide seemed like a delightful choice to her. The orphanage would be overjoyed, one less mouth they had to feed for a meal or two, and bonus points that they got rid of the weird girl for a bit. So away I went for the night, so exited. It would be my first sleepover ever.
Gaara met me at the gate, I could tell he was excited as well, a bit nervous even. I wondered in the back of my mind if it was because it was his first one too, or because her was nervous about me meeting his family, the ones who had taught him about hate so thoroughly, he nearly forgot about love until I showed up. His brother and sister were inside the gate, near the house. I politely said, "Hello Tamari-san, Kankuro-san." They nodded back, at least as far as I could tell, "Aisu-san." They said together in greeting, or at least I hoped. I was lead to what could be guessed to be Gaara's room, which was on the top floor of a four story house, each floor with a landing. Not any easy task for a blind six year old.
We played games and ate various junk food items for several hours, nobody coming to disturb us except Gaara's uncle to refill the seemingly endless supply of snacks. It was so different from the orphanage, and I shared that information with Gaara. "Wow, this is all so different that what I'm used to, at the orphanage, I'm lucky that no one wants to share a bed with me. But an entire room? Not in my best dreams. Even just sharing a room with one other person is pathetically beyond my grasp. Of course, I don't think I'd mind if I had to share a room with you, Gaara-kun." I was aiming to make the poor boy blush, it worked and I grinned widely, I am very attuned to emotions. He was so, what was the word, innocent, when he blushed, all of the hurt and anger that was almost always there, lurking far back in the background dissipated for a few seconds as his embarrassment flooded in, it was like when he laughed. It made me so happy that I was the one person who could make him blush and laugh, made me feel special.
Shortly after, it was time to go to sleep, we had built a blanket fort out around Gaara's huge bed and t was comfortably warm underneath, but Gaara didn't want to go to sleep, and kept trying to get me to play more games. At first I thought he just didn't want the fun to end, but after the fifth round on Sorry TM, in a row I began to guess something else was bothering him. "Is everything okay Gaara? Because I'm staring to get really sleepy and I'd like to go to bed please." I asked him gently, a yawn, sounding more like cat's yawn than a humans', coming out for emphasis.
Gaara
I sighed, this was the one thing I didn't want to tell Aisu. She could help with a lot of the other stuff that happened to me, but she couldn't stop the nightmares from coming every night. I would probably eat he alive, knowing that I was hurting and she couldn't help. "I-it's Shukaku." I said miserably, "H-he gives me really bad nightmares, so I don't sleep much, or he might take possesion me." I didn't like the fact that my voice had cracked, but Shukaku seriously scared me, he was why I hurt the other kids, he took me over slightly and made offers I couldn't resist, but Aisu helped make him retreat to the back corners of my mind.
"It's okay." Aisu said and gave me a gentle hug. Somehow, just those two words made me feel better, even if it isn't okay, I knew she'd know how to fix it, no matter how hopeless everything seemed. "How about this, we'll sleep in shifts. It's midnight right now, so first, I'll sleep until four, then you wake me up and you'll go to sleep, if it looks like you're having a nightmare, I'll wake you up and sing to you until you calm down, nya? Now cheer up, you'll be fine as long as I'm here." I nodded, feeling elated, Aisu had come through again. The two of us climbed through the fort entrance and she drifted off to sleep fairly quickly. It was interesting to watch Aisu sleep, she was so peaceful and I could finally see all of her face, which, strangely enough, had no tan lines despite the scarf. But I still hadn't had a chance to see her eye color yet though, as Aisu had untied the fabric strip after she'd laid down.
When the clock in my room struck four A.M., I shook Aisu's shoulder gently until she woke up. "Hn?" Bathroom detail again?" She mumbled as she sat up, eyes still closed. I snorted and she remembered where she was. "Oh, hey Gaara-kun, ready to go to sleep?" Aisu asked me, I nodded and lay down, actually looking forward to sleeping for the first time.
Sure enough, in about an hour I was tossing and turning with a nightmare and Aisu was waking me up. I basically flung myself at her, knocking us both down in the possess. Those nightmares were terrible and I was shaking and crying uncontrollably. Aisu sat us up, patted my back, and started to sing quietly as promised, "Could you believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the sky as I fell asleep. They'd fill the open air, and leave tears everywhere, you'd think me me rude, but I'd just stop and stare. I'd like to make my self believe, that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to slay I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because everything is never as it seems. Feeling better?" I nodded silently and gratefully. Her voice, it was like a hundred silver bells, quiet and gentle, but strong, and absolutely perfect. "Could you sing some more, please?" I asked her in my quiet monotone. Aisu smiled down at me warmly and for once, opened her blind eyes. They were a perfect shade of dazzling honey gold, sparkling even in the dark. Aisu was so much prettier without the scarf around her face, and so much warmer than her name implied. Was this what true, not-just-friends love was like? She picked up from where she had stopped, "Cause I'd get ten thousand hugs, from a thousand lightning bugs, as they tried to teach me how to dance. A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed, a disco ball is hanging by just a thread. I'd like to make my self believe, that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to slay I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because everything is never as it seems, when I fall asleep. Leave my door open just a crack, please take me away from here. I feel like such an insomniac, please take me away from here. Why do I tire of counting sheep, please take me away from here. When I'm to tired to fall asleep? To ten million fire flies, I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes, I got misty eyes as they said farewell. But I'll know where several are if my dreams get real bizarre, 'cause saved a few and kept them in a jar. I'd like to make my self believe, that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to slay I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because everything is never as it seems, when I fall asleep. I'd like to make my self believe, that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to slay I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because everything is never as it seems, when I fall asleep. I'd like to make my self believe, that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to slay I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, because because my dreams are bursting at the seams."
Note: Aisu means ice, unless you want to break it in half, then it would be Ai for love and Su for nest/home. Gaara is talking about the most usual translation, while you could also take her name as Loving Home.
Memento Mori, until next time people!
