Matsuri gasped and covered her little mouth with her hands. She sat up on her bed feeling much better, miraculously, and now listened to how her parents chased away the 'Gaara-demon' and how she can no longer see him. She didn't care about the 'no longer seeing him' for she swore she'd not let her parents control her like that. What she was concerned about was Gaara and what they did and said to him before she became better and could speak for herself.
"You said that!" gasped Matsuri fearing for Gaara's safety now. "Do you know what you've done?!"
"We've done what's best for you Matsuri," her parents said to her.
"No you don't!" she cried standing up on her bed to look down at her parents. "You don't have any idea what's best for me! You're never here and I'm always alone! The only thing that's best for me is Gaara. He stayed with me and was my friend unlike my parents!"
"Matsuri calm down," her parents said seeing her overreact a little bit.
"NO!" she shouted at them with all her little lungs could handle. "Do you have any idea what you did to Gaara-kun? You hurt him! And by hurting him you hurt me!"
"That's enough Matsuri," her father warned.
"Can't you see that he's about to break?!" screamed Matsuri. "Can't you see he's just like me!?"
It was then Matsuri ran out of her room and away from her parents . . . again. As she ran as fast as she could she couldn't help but look back to see them standing by their door calling after her.
"MATSURI!!!" they called after her again.
But she wasn't coming back this time until they saw the world through her eyes. She ran so fast and hard she thought she'd collapse out of exhaustion, but she found she wasn't tired. She then realized she wasn't running on energy, but the love for someone precious to her.
Once she had managed to run back to her and Gaara's 'home' she found he wasn't there. She looked all around that place for him, but found him not. She then sat down and felt her heart sink. What if . . . what if he was . . . gone? NO, no she mustn't think of that.
Matsuri shook her head trying to think positive for she knew that if you don't your heart will be bent towards evil and she in no way wanted that to take over her heart. She only kept her heart like this because she was preparing it . . . not for trial or anything, but to give away. She smiled at that thought and remembered why . . . she wanted to give it to her Gaara-kun.
Matsuri looked up and around seeing nothing but the darkness of night. She then bowed her head. But . . . if Gaara was gone . . . then who could she give it to?
"If it ever came down to that then . . . then I won't give it to no one!" she said rather loudly.
She was soon snapped out of her thoughts as she heard rustling nearby her. She turned and looked to see who it was. Her eyes widened and lips formed a smile once she saw Gaara slowly walk up to their home.
"Gaara-kun!" she said with a smile as she got up and ran to him, but stopped seeing something wrong with him.
He stopped in his tracks not acting like his usual self. Matsuri stopped as well just scanning him. Usually he would embrace her tightly and never let her go, but this Gaara was dark and didn't even look at her. There was also . . . something carved into his head! It was the word 'Love' for what reason she didn't know why and to of whom did it she had not a clue, but her first instincts were to nurse him back to his old Gaara self.
"Gaara-kun," she said coming closer to examine his cut on his head. "What happened?"
She touched it and saw blood on her fingertips knowing this was recent. She looked at it then at him saying—
"You're bleeding."
"Yashamaru tried to kill me," he said in a low and almost demonic voice.
"Your—your uncle?" she said with a slight shiver just not believing it.
"He said . . . he was ordered to kill me," he said still not meeting eyes with hers just always looking down into darkness.
"But—you're the Kazekage's son," she said.
"Who do you think ordered it?!" he asked a bit loudly making Matsuri jump.
"Gaara-kun . . . why are you acting this way? You're not yourself," she said.
"Yes I am," he said. "It's just this world isn't . . . Yashamaru isn't . . . you aren't."
"Uh . . . Gaara," said Matsuri feel like he was insulting her.
"It's true!" Gaara cried out with sorrow and bitterness in his voice. "Yashamaru was supposed to love me . . . but he never did! You don't even love my Matsuri-chan!"
"Gaara," Matsuri trembled with sadness. "How . . . how could you say that?"
"Because I live in a world full of lies," he growled. "All of you hate me!!"
"That's not true!" she said trying to speak just as loud to him hoping he'd listen. "I told you I'm not like everyone else!"
"Then you're a liar!" spat Gaara looking at her with hateful eyes.
This nearly broke Matsuri's tender heart. There stood her best and only friend Gaara who is now accusing her of being a liar. She wondered how he could say so much hateful things . . . it was like someone else was speaking for him for this definitely wasn't the Gaara she once knew.
"No," said Matsuri trembling and being to cry. "No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!" he accused her. "You are just like everyone else. You want me dead too!!"
"NO I DON'T!!!" she cried out with a heart that was breaking.
"Then what are you Matsuri-chan if you are not a liar?" he asked still glaring at her with hate-filled eyes.
"I'm . . . I'm your friend," said Matsuri grasping her chest where her heavy heart began to hurt her. "I promised I would always be remember?"
"It probably wasn't even a real promise," said Gaara tossing his head to the side. "You all say things you don't mean."
"Please don't say that," cried Matsuri trying not to cry so much in front of him.
"Why?" he said looking at her not caring how much he broke her.
"Because you're breaking my heart," she wept.
"Yeah well you broke mine!" he said glaring evilly at her. "Like you cared!"
"But I did . . . and I still do!" she cried with her hands covering her eyes. "Please don't say such mean things."
"Deal with it!" said Gaara. "This is what I had to live with all my LIFE!!"
"But," sniffed Matsuri looking at him with watery eyes. "You said you didn't have to live in a world like that if you were with me."
"Well you weren't there!" he shouted. "Only I was! Now I know who to count on!"
"Please," she begged him as she covered her eyes and began to cry. "Please don't say that."
"Why?" he asked. "You think it's not true?"
"No-ho!" she cried as she shook her head.
"Hm!" Gaara turned his head away from her again just angry with so many things. "You should just leave now Matsuri-chan."
"No!" she said looking at him as she just fell apart before him. "That is one thing I'm not gonna do! I promised I'd stay . . . and you did too Gaara-kun. That's why . . . I love you."
"No you don't," he said.
"Yes I do!" she cried feeling as if each word were a dagger being stabbed into her weak heart.
"Liar!" he spat.
"No I'm not!!" she cried. "I'd never-r lie to you. I love you!"
"THEN SHOW ME!!!" he shouted rather loudly at her just looking at her with tear stained eyes.
Matsuri forced herself to stop crying even though her throat threatened to choke the life out of her she remained silent. She just looked at him with pity in her eyes. She didn't know how he had become like this, but she wished it would have never happened.
Her trembled fingers tangled into one another as she looked at him. She saw his anger and rage. She saw his bitterness now. Was this . . . the 'true' Gaara?
Matsuri didn't know what she could do to prove her love for him. She was a little girl, what could she do? Give him a flower? There were none to pick here.
She prayed to Kami to give her strength. She needed it to deal with this . . . beast before her. If anything she didn't want to lose her friendship with her Gaara-kun, no he meant everything in the world to her, but he was blinded of that now and he couldn't see.
Matsuri soon forced her arms at her sides and bowed her head to contain herself. Gaara only thought that she had no way to show him her love and so scoffed and turned his head saying—
"You see! Even you, my 'friend', cannot show me love like you said you have for me."
Matsuri then marched up to him and looked at him. She grabbed his face and turned it to hers. She soon closed her eyes and pushed her face against his so her lips could catch his before they spoke another foul and hurtful word to her.
Gaara was surprised by this and Matsuri could feel it. She felt his body stiffen just like he had done once she kissed him on the cheek, but that was always so fast she never gave him time to melt into her kiss like she had seen couples do. So this time . . . she wanted him to melt back to his old self.
Matsuri stayed like that until she felt him ease up and relax. After he had done that she released his lips and looked at him with a slightly pink face. She expected to see him redder than a tomato, but he wasn't . . . he was a little shocked by her action yes, but he was in no way showing much affection.
His eyes were closed for a couple of seconds until she pulled away and he opened them slowly to look at her. They were half open as he looked at her with such nonemotion it worried Matsuri. She feared he'd send her away and call off their friendship.
"Do it again," he surprised her by whispering.
Right now, Matsuri would do anything for him so not to have him leave her and so she obeyed and kissed him again. She let her lips stay a little longer before she pulled away and saw Gaara's expression the same as before.
"Do it again," he said once more.
Matsuri did as he commanded and once she kissed him a third time she felt his arms wrap around her tightly and hold her close. She also felt Gaara kiss back, but for some strange reason she felt as if his kisses were poison. It was almost sickening to her, but after a while she began to get used to them.
As Gaara held her and kissed her like that she began to cry. This indeed wasn't the Gaara she once knew and feared he'd never come back. She had always wanted to give her first kiss to Gaara, but not like this . . . never like this.
No matter how long Matsuri cried Gaara would not let go. He would not stop. Matsuri was afraid to try to pull away from him fearing he'd accuse her of wanting to leave him. No she didn't want him to say that and send her away, but she didn't quite want this either.
But brave Matsuri stayed. She stayed with the demon she called her friend. She made a promise to him and would never break it with him for she knew if ever she had he'd break with it.
She sometimes wondered if he broke long ago. She knew how fragile he was, but wondered if he knew how fragile she was. They were supposed to help each other get stronger as they grew, but Gaara . . . happened to break long before and Matsuri was afraid . . . that he had let evil in his heart.
She said she'd always follow him so did that mean she had to let evil in her heart as well? She was so young and little that all this didn't make much sense to her. She didn't know how this would effect her in the future and to be honest . . . her mind wasn't set on the future. It was set on Gaara—she was hopelessly devoted to him and . . . and just wanted to see him smile and so if giving herself to him made him smile then she'd do it.
Soon though . . . once Gaara was satisfied he let go of Matsuri. He just starred at her for the longest time and Matsuri prayed he didn't see no doubt in her eyes for she didn't want to leave him . . . and she didn't want him to leave her. The eyes that starred at her though were not the old Gaara's and so she knew she'd have to change herself in order to please him . . . so she could stay.
"Are you my friend Matsuri?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered not caring what would come in the future if she agreed to friend a man who's heart is empty and controlled by evil.
"Then come," he said still with no emotion as he grabbed her wrist rather tightly. "Let us go play."
At that he dragged her to the playground and forced her to play no matter how much emotionally drained she was. Matsuri just inhaled and played with him knowing though this time . . . she was playing with fire. They had managed to play all through night and into the day never glancing away from one another.
"Gaara-kun," she said as if in a trance. "It's morning . . . shouldn't we wait 'till tonight to play."
"No," he said controlling. "If I want to play through day then I will."
"Yes Gaara-kun," said Matsuri bowing her head knowing now the future she had made for herself.
Hot Shot's girl: See what I mean? And Gaara's attitude, as you all know, remains like this for a looong time to come. This is why it's gonna get dark.