What's this? An update? That's right, I finally got back to this story!
Gaara goes on a solo mission. No one can go with him as he has to face himself, and find the control and peace within himself that he desperately needs before he can move on and even try to truly redeem himself. Temari and Kankuro share a long serious conversation of what they expect from the future, and what they expect and hope in Gaara's future.
Adventures of the Sand Siblings!
Episode 2: Control
"Gaara!"
'What?'
"Gaara!"
'Temari?'
"Gaara!"
'Kankuro too? Something's… not right…'
"Gaara, snap out of it!" Both Kankuro's and Temari's voices pierced through to him and he suddenly became aware of his surroundings. An all too familiar scent of wet iron surrounded him.
The bloody sand around him fell to the ground as he dropped his hands and stood upright. "I… I lost control… again," he muttered.
It was supposed to be a simple mission, just something to fill up time. But then those Grass Shinobi attacked them. The rush, the smells, the mere aura of the battle caused the demon inside him, Shukaku, to stir and laugh malevolently. Gaara was able to ignore it and defend himself. It was when he saw Temari's blood fly from a cut on her cheek that he lost focus and Shukaku struck.
All he comprehended was a red haze. He was in danger. His siblings were in danger. Kill the threat. Destroy the danger.
"Gaara, are you alright?" Kankuro said as he put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
Gaara didn't answer any of his siblings' questions and continued to command his sand back to him. This mission was over, so it's time to leave. The mission was simply to see how big of a group of Grass Shinobi were trespassing on their territory. But all twelve of them are the past now.
The walk back to the village was quiet, the silence only made the hour long travel seem longer. Upon their return, they reported to the counsel, who were obviously displeased with the young demon vessel, but wisely focused on the fact that there was no longer a potential threat to worry about.
A demon vessel. Is that all Gaara will ever be, is that all he can be? He certainly wanted to know the answer. If he wanted to go anywhere and doing anything with his life, he has to know. There must be something he can to. The foremost problem to finding the solution is where to find it.
Deciding his best option, he silently left once the debriefing ended.
"Where is he going?" Temari questioned the puppeteer.
"I don't know, but I think he wants to be alone, he hasn't said a word since the mission, let's just give him some space," Kankuro said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, but he better be home by curfew," she sighed.
"You really think he's going to go by your new rules?"
Temari smirked, "Yes, I do," she stated surely.
Hours later, Gaara sat alone in the library of the Kazekage building. There was supposed to be a lot of classified information here. True, he wasn't supposed to be in here at all, but the guard posted outside didn't lift a finger to stop him. Sometimes being the most feared being in the village had its advantages. This was one of the few.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms in front of him before glancing over the number of scrolls and books laid out before him on the table. What little information he was able to get was so vague. He was unsure if any of his questions were answered, but he knew that he had even more questions. Still, he knew what he was going to do or at least, what he was going to try.
Standing up, he used his sand to put everything away where he found it and left the way he came so he could get home before curfew. He had no idea what Temari would do if he broke that rule she put into place, and frankly, he didn't want to find out. It's not like the curfew was ridiculously early, and she follows it too. When she told the bothers the new rule, she told them that if they miss dinner, too bad, they can fend for themselves, and after that they have to be home by ten o'clock or suffer the consequences.
He walked into their house at 9:30pm. He missed dinner, but he didn't really care about that right now. Not seeing either of his siblings downstairs, he continued to his room where he would prepare himself. He quickly realized that he didn't have much preparing to do, seeing that he was already in his ninja gear and his sand was fully stocked. Still, since he hadn't been home all day, he went through and did his few grooming tasks of running a fine comb through his unmanageable hair then brushed his teeth and washed his hands and face.
As he opened the front door to leave again, he immediately regretted not going out the window of his room. "Where do you think you're going?" Temari questioned from behind him.
Gaara closed the door again and turned to face his siblings. He knew they would demand answers. "I'm going on a journey, I have to go alone," he stated.
"Wait, what?" Kankuro asked.
"You're going to have to be more specific, Gaara," Temari added.
He sighed and leaned back on his gourd against the door and folded his arms over his chest. "I have to do something about the Shukaku, control is my only option… I'm going to spiritual place in the desert where I will face myself and my own inner demons so I can finally subdue the real one," he paused as he uncrossed his arms and placed them at his sides, "I may not return, but if I'm going to die, then I'm taking the Shukaku with me."
Temari and Kankuro shared a worried glace. They were well aware that Gaara had been suffering even more now because he is trying so hard to be normal, to be good. With every instance the Shukaku interferes, it's like he's back at the starting line, and the finishing line is even farther away than before.
"Are you sure you want to do this now? You should at least wait until morning," Temari tried.
Gaara turned and face the door again, "You know that waiting will do nothing for me, this is my only option… farewell." He said it as if he meant it to be a final goodbye. His siblings didn't try to stop him again, it was futile, they knew that Gaara had to do this. All they could do was hope for the best.
…
… …
… … …
'…Maybe this was a bad idea,' he thought to himself as the sun started to rise. A spiritual place in the desert wasn't as easy to find as he initially thought. Was it even there at all? Was it a hoax? A mere rumor?
He kept walking. Though he started out running, he was growing tired and he knew better than to push himself and fall asleep. The wind felt nice though, it was the only pleasure he would let himself indulge in. He felt he didn't deserve anything else, not even rest. He was determined to see this journey through to the end. His very sanity depended on it.
'Sanity? Like I have any left…' he though bitterly and continued to walk in lonely silence.
Back in the village, Temari and Kankuro explained to Baki what they could about Gaara's absence. To their own surprise, the Jonin was very understanding of Gaara's actions and was already made aware that Gaara was in the library the day before by the guard that saw him go in.
"All we can do is wait and hope he comes through, if he does, it will be a great achievement for him and a benefit to the village," the older man stated.
"I feel so useless," Kankuro grumbled. Here he was, only a few mere weeks after swearing to himself to be the older brother that Gaara needed, standing and doing nothing to help him.
"I think there is something the two of you can do for him," Baki said, gaining the full attention of the younger ninja. "You both need to believe in him… not just now, but always."
"Just… believe?" Temari repeated.
Baki nodded, "He will return," he stated surely. "And when he does, he will be a whole new person, and that person will need you… of course, Gaara may be still unable to trust others and reluctant to admit he needs you."
"I don't get it?" Kankuro admitted.
"Go home and plan, the future holds no guarantees, but being able to see one more rung on the latter makes it easier to climb," Baki advised.
Kankuro was still confused so he looked to Temari, who only held a serious thoughtful expression as she processed their sensei's words. "Alright, and there we will wait for him," Temari finally said. "Come on, Kankuro, we need to talk." Kankuro just nodded to his sister and waved a goodbye to Baki.
The sun was high over the desert. Were his feet even moving anymore? All his focus was on his surroundings, looking for the place where he is to face himself. Once he reached the edge of a cliff, he stopped walking and looked over the wastelands reaching the horizon. He sat down with his feet hanging over the side.
He was not taking a break because he wanted to, but because he needed to. This wasteland reminded him of himself. Alone, unwelcoming, harsh, and covered in sand.
Shukaku began growling angrily as he approach the cliff edge minutes ago. Gaara took that as a sign that he was getting close to his goal. For now he needs to rest so he can maintain control over the demon and himself.
A shadow behind him caught his attention so he stood and turned to face whoever it was. Not seeing anything, he decided it must have been the shadow of a bird in the sun. He turned back about only to have himself mere inches away. He reflexively took a step back and studied the figure before him. It was him. No. This other Gaara had the black and golden eyes of the Shukaku, and the evil smirk that showed his malevolent thoughts.
"You're alone…" the black-eyed Gaara spoke tauntingly with a slight hiss that would make a man's skin crawl as if touched by pure evil. "You regret that… regret demanding that you face me alone, that you face yourself alone…"
Gaara glared while debating whether to attack. "Who are you?"
The black-eyed Gaara's smirk grew into a sadistic grin, "You know… I am what is inside your heart…" he told him. Gaara didn't respond, only wondering if this is what was supposed to happen. "You don't deny it because you know it's true… you know what you are… you don't deny it." He took a small step closer. "What you do deny is your jealously…"
"Jealously?" Gaara repeated.
His answer was a sudden bout of laughter. "They had what you always wanted… fun, laughter, joy, friends, and…" he stepped closer before whispering, "Love…" he then snickered. "Over time your envy consumes you… and you want to see them suffer as much as you have…"
"No one will suffer like that as long as I can do something about it," Gaara said.
"Tell me, why do some souls seem to suffer more than others?" the black-eyed Gaara began to step around him, circling him like a predator
"I do not have an answer to something like that."
"Do you think you have suffered?" the black-eyed Gaara asked but continued before Gaara could answer, "Suffering is all you know, so how would you be able to tell the difference?"
"In comparison to-"
"To him," the black-eyed Gaara cut him off. Gaara was confused since that's not what he was going to say, so the other him continued. "You're jealous of him… Uzumaki."
"What?" Gaara didn't understand why he would bring up the Leaf Shinobi.
"He was on the same path… and so you caught a glimpse of the possibilities… if you had even a fraction of the luck he does… things could have been different… maybe you could have shared happiness with someone…" he snickered again. "You envy him."
Gaara crossed his arms. Was that true, is he envious Naruto? He didn't think so. They are the same, two lonely souls destined for something big, with long hard journeys to lead in order to become strong enough to face what's ahead. Naruto was meant to live the way he had, and Gaara was meant to live the way he had, even though they both suffered, they suffered the same pain. He's sure of it. "I respect him," Gaara said surely. Never in his life had he ever admitted he respected anybody.
The black-eyed Gaara shot him a deathly glare. Gaara was unaware that's what he looked like when he glared, no wonder people would visibly shudder at the sight. Perhaps that comment Kankuro made about learning how to smile wouldn't be such a bad idea.
"You envy him," the other him pressed.
"Maybe a little, but not because he was dealt better cards than me, but because he beat me," Gaara said, a small smirk appearing on his face as he crossed his arms. "That loud, brightly clad, joke of a ninja even in his own village, actually beat me, Gaara of the Sand."
"No! He didn't just beat you! He made a fool out of you!"
"Maybe that's what was meant to happen!" Gaara shot back. If it wasn't for everything that happened during the exams, he would still be nothing more than an empty shell, desperate to fill the void with the thrill of killing. Now he has hope.
"Nothing you desire will be easy!"
"It shouldn't be!" Gaara shouted then stopped while sand began to gather around his other self. He watched closely as he then morphed into the image of his mother.
She stood there silently before finally whispering, "Monster."
For some reason, that physically stung. The cursed beast inside him stirred and tried to convince Gaara that he was angry so he would lash out and attack, but he knew that's not want he wanted, at least not anymore. Now he just wants peace.
The figure before him morphed again, this time into the image of his father. How he hated the man. "You were supposed to die."
"…I don't think so," Gaara answered.
Temari and Kankuro hadn't said anything for an hour. They just sat in the kitchen in deep thought. The only sound was the faint ticking of a wall clock.
"Do you think Gaara can change?" Kankuro asked suddenly. "I mean, I know he's been trying and he's making improvements, but what if he can't?"
"I've wondered that myself, but I think I've realized something," Temari started, "When Gaara would kill, he was almost always provoked first, he doesn't just decide he feels like killing and goes out and attacks the first person he sees, the battles come to him."
"Yeah, so? With the constant string of assassins and people that just wanted him dead for one reason or another, what else can he do? It's not like he even learned how to negotiate with other killers, he is a ninja after all."
"Exactly, all this time, he's been doing exactly what we're all trained to do, eliminate threats and stay alive," Temari pointed out. "The thing that makes him more dangerous than any of us is…"
"The Shukaku… or more like its influence," Kankuro sighed. He's not that different after all. Kankuro wondered when the rest of the village would realize that too. More like if.
"Do you ever wonder if he'll still be able to control sand once he suppresses the Shukaku?"
"Well yeah, he's been suppressing the demon all the time to the best of his abilities," Kankuro crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair and considered further. "He's going after control, and if- I mean when he does that, he'll be even stronger, heck he'd be so strong that he would have to Kazekage."
"Kazekage? Gaara?" Temari repeated. As she thought about it, the more the role fit him in the future. "He still has a long ways to go before that can happen, Kankuro."
"I know," Kankuro then laughed, easing the tension around them. "I remember when he was about five or six, he tried to bring home a stray cat, asking Uncle if he could keep it. I was in the next room when this was happening. Uncle told Gaara to ask Father, who instantly said no. I think that was the only time I ever saw Gaara pout, that's when I first realized that he was just another brat," Kankuro laughed again. "But now I know even more than that."
Temari smiled slightly, "We've all been learning…"
Gaara was facing the image of this father, the forth Kazekage. This was the eighth time he appeared. The purpose was to make Gaara lose it, and attack. Exactly the thing that was always causing him to have to keep starting over. Not this time. This time he was able to stay above all that and focus on what he believes in.
He is not a monster, Shukaku is. He's not supposed to die yet, he doesn't have a good reason for it yet, considering the many lives he has taken away he may deserve to die too right here and now. The next form that morphed before him was the one that surprised him the most. It was the form of Naruto Uzumaki.
"You hurt my friends," he said.
"…I'm sorry," Gaara breathed as he recalled his actions that day.
"You were planning on taking away my home."
"…Those were orders."
"But you're strong, you wouldn't have had to do anything you didn't want to, they all fear your power."
"I needed something to do, a goal, a purpose… going after Konoha was wrong, but the ones that gave the order were stopped!" Gaara said without hesitation or doubt.
Naruto suddenly crumbled away into sand, leaving the thing that haunted Gaara the most. Nothing and loneliness. He knew it too well, but for some reason, it would continue to hurt just the same. There was so many things that he became numb to. Not being accepted by his own family, being feared and hated, the nasty things people would say to him, and even their glares. He had learned to ignore all of that in time while silently cursing them himself. But the loneliness always hurt. It still does.
"But I'm not alone anymore…" Gaara said towards the nothingness before him. "Though it takes time for those wounds to heals, and some are sure to leave scars," he said as his fingers unconsciously touch the kanji on his forehead. He hardly ever actually touched it, but he could always feel it.
He started to worry when he started to feel lightheaded and his vision blurred. Was he passing out, fainting, or falling asleep? All could be disastrous as long as he has chakra. His foot came forward to steady himself, but he felt like he was falling instead. At least if he loses control here, there is no one around to suffer because of it. He could close his eyes, just for a second.
When he opened them he was in a strange, but familiar place. Within his mind was dark and damp, yet still warm without being humid. He never had to venture far before to find the form of Shukaku. He was always here, lurking in the shadows while trying to find something entertaining. Unfortunately, all there was here was the inners of Gaara's mind to toy with.
"You!" Shukaku growled as Gaara approached. "You've been suppressing me! Keeping me trapped inside this room!"
Gaara remained as silent as ever with a deadly glare. In his mind he was determined to put him in an even smaller room with bars and chains. The chains holding Shukaku where he was now were obviously not going to hold him for long.
"You can't control me!" the demon shouted angrily, it's harsh voice echoing throughout every shadowed corner, then it attacked, pulling as far away from the base of the chains as he could to strike at Gaara.
Gaara immediately went on the defensive in order to dodge the massive claws followed by the sandstone spiked tail heading his way. "And you can't control me! Not anymore!" he declared.
The demon glared with its black and golden eyes before laughing and swiping with its claws again. This time the redhead was struck and landed somewhere in the darkest corners. "You are too weak, boy, you'll never be more than my puppet!" Shukaku's voice echoed as he pulled at the chains further. Each word seemingly taunted the young shinobi as they repeated weak, boy, and puppet in the echoing room.
Gaara snickered in spite of himself. "Demon, you are not going to win this fight," he said as he picked himself up. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to win this. A thirteen-year-old versus a legendary tailed demon, the odds were not exactly in his favor. All Gaara had that the demon did not was his will, and the will of a shinobi. Maybe, just maybe, that was all he needed.
With every second that passed as he considered his next move, Shukaku broke the chains one at a time, slowly getting closer. Finally the last loud clank was heard when the final chain broke. The demon laughed triumphantly. His eyes settled on the redhead and he grinned.
This is it. All or nothing. Gaara got ready for the next attack only to become confused when strong chains of chakra came from all directions and stopped Shukaku.
"Karura!" Shukaku roared. "I know this is your chakra! Come out an fight me yourself!"
"What?" Gaara breathed, he was even more confused. He whipped around and searched the shadows wondering if such a thing was even possible.
He spotted her, right behind him. How he wasn't able to sense a presence, he was baffled. But he was even more baffled at the fact that it was her. Even though he had never got the chance to meet her himself, he knew it was her.
In a mere blink, they seemed to no longer be in the same place. It was still dark, but this was calming. He quickly scanned his surrounding, and the best he could figure was that he seemed to be in space. Nothing but softly glowing stars surrounded them, but for some reason he could see her perfectly, as if there was no real darkness here.
"Gaara…" she spoke softly, breaking the silence, and proving to him that it was real.
"…Mother?" he asked hesitantly, but he knew the answer, though there was one thing that really confused him. "How?"
She sighed, almost with relief. "In order to put the final seal inside you at your birth, my own life and chakra was used," she explained. "I knew what was going to happen to you, the hatred… I tried to convince him not to do it."
He knew she was referring to his father. He'd prefer to not even think about that man for a while. Gaara simply nodded for her to continue.
"I didn't want you to suffer, but as you know, he didn't listen to my warnings. As a precaution, I sealed part of my own chakra inside you over the course of my pregnancy so I could one day help you. I suppose explaining everything would be a good start," she said. "During the time I carried you, I became very depressed and angry at your father for demanding such things from me. My hatred filled me and the demon that was already placed within my womb where you were… thus transferring my own hatred and pain to you…" she trailed off, whipping a tear. "I am so sorry," she breathed.
"Don't be, there was nothing to be done about it," Gaara said and turned away from her. It was so weird to actually see her. He could actually see so much of his sister in her. "What's done is done."
She smiled. "You grew to be strong… I am so happy."
Gaara didn't say anything, but turned back to face her. It was strange that he felt like he already knew her. Her presence was so familiar.
"I'm still sorry that I couldn't be there to love you, your name was to represent what I knew you were to become without me to love you like I would have wanted. I am proud of you for overcoming the demon's influence and choosing your own path, while not once considering the easy way out," she smiled. "I hope your brother and sister are taking care of you."
Gaara nodded, "They are."
"Thank goodness, and what of your father?"
"Dead," he stated.
"I see, then who is Kazekage?"
"There is no Kazekage, the corruption in the village runs deep, and the village will not accept another Kazekage until they feel like they can trust one again."
"Things are that bad?"
Gaara shook his head, "There is still hope." They were silent before Gaara was the one to speak again. "I'll do it," he said, "I'll gain the village's trust and become Kazekage."
Karura smiled again, "Make sure to surpass your father in every way," she told him.
"I will not accept anything less," he nodded.
"And Gaara, since I'm running out of time, there are a few things like that I would like to tell you, as your mother that I never got to say," she said and he let her continue. "I want you to make friends, and rivals, care for your family and protect the village because they are family too. Meet a nice girl, take good care of yourself and don't over do it, and grow tall and strong. Make a great Kazekage, and help change the world for the better."
To his surprise, she hugged him. "I promise to do my best… Mother," he said before she finally faded away.
"Good luck, I believe in you," her voice told him.
When he opened his eyes, he faced the subdued demon with newfound strength and confidence. By sheer will power, his chakra pulled the demon into a powerful barrier. It doesn't have another seal, but it will do. Shukaku screamed, roared, cursed, and fought the entire way. Then screamed in agony as ten giant spikes pierced its enormous tail, limbs, and heart, then he passed out.
Gaara stood in victory until everything went black and he felt something weighing on him. It seemed to push down on his eyes and cause his mind to go foggy. Sleep.
It had been 48 hours since Gaara left before the other siblings were allowed to depart and search for him. They had talked all night. Turns out they shared the same thoughts after Gaara's transformation after the battles in Konoha. Actually, they had all changed that day, and for the better too. Both Kankuro and Temari believed that Gaara was capable of great things for their village, and they would be there to support them. If Gaara was really meant to die soon trying all he can to gain control, then the least they can do is tell him that they feel that way.
Maybe their words can make a small difference in his heart. The more confidence he gains in himself to do this, the better.
After hours of nonstop running, they approached the cliff that one of the messenger birds reported as his last location. They both stopped and looked around, seeing no trace of him anywhere. Kankuro gazed over the wastelands that stretched endlessly before them.
"What a depressing place," he muttered.
"Yeah, thousands of people died here, didn't you pay attention to history?"
"Wha…?"
Temari groaned, "There was a great battle here called The Siege of Lost Hopes, it was a civil war in The Land of Wind where everyone died but a hundred remaining soldiers on the winning side. The battled last seven weeks and when it was over it was a massive graveyard, a place of carnage, death, and lost hopes. It was once a spiritual place with an oasis and a temple, but everything was destroyed in the battle and never restored itself. Even to this day it is unknown exactly where the temple once stood," she explained.
"So if this is a spiritual place, do you think Gaara is here somewhere looking for the remains of the temple?" Kankuro asked.
Temari stepped up to the edge of the cliff and scanned the horizons. She had a nagging feeling that she couldn't quite place. Finally she looked down, and saw him. "There!" she called and Kankuro ran to look too.
"Damn!" he cursed and took off running to get to the trail the led to the bottom of the cliff. "We have to hurry, Temari fly down there, I'll catch up!" he called back to her.
Temari nodded and swung open her giant fan before jumping onto it and moving into the air where she focused her chakra on the fan to balance and send herself down quickly. As soon as she was within jumping distance, she leaped off the fan, grabbing it as she went down, and went to where Gaara lay on the ground. "Gaara! Gaara!" she called to him before getting the sense to check if he was alive by feeling for a pulse. "Thank goodness," she sighed for a moment when she felt it.
Kankuro was by her side now and they both helped put Gaara in a sitting position after they confirmed that nothing was broken. "What's wrong with him?" Kankuro asked.
"I have no idea," Temari shook her head. They were both aware that Gaara was not in his demon form, which he always is when he falls asleep unless he has no chakra left. "If he's out of chakra, then we should take him back."
"Right," Kankuro nodded and began to adjust his unconscious younger brother so he could carry him back to the village. "His sand is gone, did he fight someone?"
Temari shrugged, "We'll find out when he wakes up, come on." Kankuro nodded and followed his sister.
Gaara didn't even budge the entire time it took them to get back to the village. His older siblings remained calm, this was a mission, no, it was more than that…
Hours later, they were finally in the hospital. Gaara still hadn't come to and the medics had no explanation for it other than he was in a deep sleep state. Even the medics were aware that was impossible, but it was all they had. For now they just had to wait, and just for security purposes, he remained under constant watch in case the demon surfaced.
Baki came to check on them in the middle of the night.
"What do you think, Baki?" Kankuro asked.
Baki looked thoughtful for a moment as he looked at each of the ninja, including Gaara in the hospital bed. "Just wait until morning, he'll come back to you."
Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances as Baki turned to leave.
Morning came relatively quick since they had fallen asleep in the hospital. Temari woke up first, only to find Gaara sitting up in his bed while looking out the window.
"Gaara!" she said suddenly, waking up Kankuro in the process while Gaara only turned to meet her gaze. "Did you…?" she trailed off.
Gaara nodded once slowly, making the others smile. "We knew you would," Kankuro praised.
"…Thanks," he answered then looked back out the window.
"How did you sleep?" Temari asked, and he looked back at her in shock.
"I… what?" he blinked.
"When the medic confirmed that you weren't in a coma and you still had chakra remaining, they said that you were only showing signs of sleep after a chronic fatigue. Believe me, we were just as shocked. So how are you feeling?" Temari added.
Gaara took a moment to think. In fact, he felt great. His mind was actually clear. But there was one problem that made itself known when his stomach ached. "Hungry…" he said.
Kankuro laughed slightly, "Food sounds like a great idea, as soon as we get you outta here, we're getting something good to eat!"
"Defiantly," Temari agreed, "Go get the medic with the release papers," she said to Kankuro, who quickly complied. "So," she turned to Gaara, "Do you have full control over it?" she asked hopefully.
"It's enough, I will have to remain focused enough to maintain the seal's level, for now, Shukaku is just weakened, as long as I remain in a stronger state, I do have control," he said.
Temari's smiled dropped slightly, she was hoping for the best, but this was still a huge step. "Well, just don't overdo it or otherwise all that hard work will go to waste, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it," he said and turned back to the window. As soon as he felt something on his shoulder, he looked back at his sister.
"Hey, cheer up a little, you did a great job, this is sure to pay off," she reassured.
He nodded and looked up to see Kankuro with the paperwork, "Almost done, don't let me ruin Temari's sisterly moment, we all know how rare those can be," he teased making Temari glare at him.
Gaara smiled slightly, momentarily forgetting everything else in the world. He really couldn't stop the urge to smile, he felt so good, and even content. It was just him and his family about to celebrate. He really did wake up to a new day, and he knew it was going to be a good one.
So I hope you enjoyed this. Next time we'll be getting more into some humor so that's something to look forward to. Let me know what you thought.
