November 22, 2008

Hasame blinked sleepily, trudging through the sandy dirt alongside Gaara. It had been 5 days since she had arrived finally, and only twice had she stepped foot inside the house. Gaara really hoped she could feel comfortable enough to come in and be able to move about like it was her own home. Which he very well believed it was.

She looked so exhausted, walking like a zombie beside him.

If only he could tell her how different the house hold was without her all those months.

Three months earlier

He stared out the window, quill in hand but hovering above the parchment. Slowly, he put it down beside the scroll and continued to stare aimlessly out the window. It didn't seem that important all of a sudden.

It was a beautiful sunset, but weren't all sunsets beautiful? They always looked perfect, impeccable, flawless. His office was flooded with the bright orange rays, bathing him in its rich, gorgeous hue.

Gaara got up from his desk, slowly putting away his work with precise movements. Taking his time. He wasn't looking forward to going home, but he couldn't stay in the office one moment longer.

It was too lonely.

Trudging towards the front door, Gaara let himself in and slipped off his sandals. He could hear the clanking and banging of pots and pans in the kitchen, mixed with the sizzling of food and chopping of knives against cutting boards. He sighed and stared at the extra work he brought home with him. Anything to keep his mind busy. Occupied.
Anything to keep it from wandering.

Kankurou sat at the table, playing with a pork bun but wasn't eating it with gusto as he usually did. Gaara sat down across from him, nodding in greeting. Kankurou responded with a small wave of his hand.

It was so silent in the house, albeit the kitchen noises.

"Oh, Gaara, I didn't hear you come in." Temari piped up, glancing into the dinning room. He didn't say anything to her. "Dinner is ready, you were right on time."

She brought out the curry and vegetables, then passed around the large bowl of steamed rice. "I tried a new recipe for the curry. Now, I know it's not really appetizing-"

"Temari, this looks like vomit..."

"Shut up Kankurou."

"It's blueish."

"Yes I know, but it tastes fine! Now eat it or no food at all."
Gaara tried to eat. He really did. It wasn't the unappealing meal, or even the arguing of his siblings (which wasn't as winded as they used to be) but he just wasn't in the mood for food.
"I'm going to bed." He said quietly, getting up from the table and taking his work with him. Temari stared after him sadly, Kankurou eating solely the rice, not looking away from it.

"I can make something else, Gaara." The eldest called after him, but he had already gone.

It was useless. Utterly. This house, his brother and sister, himself. They just weren't as...as...vibrant.
Everything was dull. Everything was silent.

Work. Every day routine. Droning of endless duties. It kept him from thinking. It was all easy, so he just did it. Continued, in a circle for how many months now?

He didn't want anything out of the ordinary to happen. It would disrupt the flow of the days. The endless...minutes in an hour. The hours in a day. The days in a week, and the weeks in a month.

He hadn't eaten a proper meal in all that time. It had taken him a few weeks to realize Hasame still hadn't visited. By the end of the second month, he had stopped waiting impatiently.

Sitting on his bed, he buried his head in his hand, blinking his watery eyes, heavy with exhaustion. Mental exhaustion was the worst. He couldn't sleep in this room.

Getting up, he walked over to his dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt and cotton pants.

He stayed in his room for another three hours, trying to get work done but he hadn't completed a single thing. Temari had come by to say goodnight through his closed door. Kankurou knew better than to disturb him and went right to bed.

He waited, and waited.
Finally, he slid off his bed and quietly exited his room, reaching down the hallway to the only bedroom that was beside him.

Slowly opening the sliding door, he entered the room, silently closing it shut.
In the dark, with a moon that was clouded so no light could be shown, Gaara sat on the bed. He sat there, immobile, for at least an hour it seemed.

Feeling the painful exhaustion descend upon him again, Gaara got under the covers and buried his face in the pillow, sighing heavily.

When was she going to come back?

Present

"Hasame?"
She looked at him with glazed over eyes.

"Come sleep in your room. Please?"
She looked at him blankly. She was tired...
"It's your room. It's still your's. And nothing can change that."
The girl rubbed her eyes that were watering with exhaustion. Her face tighened in frustration.

"I-....I don't know-"

"Come on. There's no point in going back to Canada tonight. Your bedroom is just there," He pointed straight above them, and Hasame blinked in surprise that she hadn't noticed they were back home from their walk, "and it's warm."

She stared with a furrowed brow, sighed and rubbed her eyes again.

"Okay okay, fine..." She mumbled, pressing her hands under her arms, looking at the front door with anxiety. Gaara relaxed a bit at finally being able to convince her.