Hey ya'll. I'm soooo sorry about killing Nana-chan last chapter, but I had no control. The scene wrote itself with me just typing it. Please don't hurt me! Waaah! I don't want you to hate me, hate the muse! I'm just the middle person. :'(
Please enjoy and review at the end. ^_^
Chapter 6
5 Years Later
Rika entered the gates of Suna with her team: Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and their Jounin sensei, Baki. She glanced to her left where Temari was walking with her huge fan strapped across her back. "Isn't it nice to be home?" Rika asked her fellow female teammate.
Temari looked over at the younger girl and smile. "Yeah, even though we were barely gone."
"Still, there's no place like home. But, I wonder what it is like to live in Konohagakure, what with all the trees and no desert." Rika wondered out loud.
"Why would you wanna go to Konohagakure?" Kankuro asked, joining their conversation.
Rika just stared at him. "Don't you know anything? That's where the Chuunin exams are being held. And, my mother once said that my father was a shinobi from there. So, I plan on finding out who he is and visiting him there someday." She could feel Gaara's silent stare boring into her, but said or did nothing to acknowledge him until he was still staring after a few moments. By now, they had reached the apartment complex where Rika lived. "Would you all like to come in and have dinner?" She offered, like always when they returned home from a mission. She received nods from Kankuro and Temari, a grunt from Gaara, and a "No thank you," from Baki. The replies never changed.
Temari went straight to the guest bedroom, where she had spare clothes from spending so much time, and often ending up spending the night, at Rika's, to freshen up in the adjoined bathroom. Kankuro went and sat on the couch in the living room, chatting with Rika, who was in the kitchen preparing supper. Gaara would just stand, leaning against the wall in the kitchen, out of the way.
When Temari exited from "her" room, she joined Kankuro on the couch in the living room. When Rika finished in the kitchen, she started to carry the tray with the food into the living room but was stopped by Gaara. She looked at the red-head with a questioning glance before setting the tray in his outstretched hands, who then followed her to join the others. After setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of the others, Gaara went and leaned against the wall near Rika's rocking chair. He could feel the stares of his older siblings but ignored them in favor of closing his eyes and listening to Rika's voice as she chatted with the two others.
"Temari, there's a sale tomorrow at the clothing store tomorrow. Wanna go with me?" Rika asked the older girl.
Temari nodded fervently. "Yes! What time?"
Rika thought for a moment, "Not sure yet. Kankuro, will you join us?"
"Are you crazy? I'm not going with you two! I'll be stuck carrying your bags and whatever else you tell me to. No thanks, I learned my lesson well last time." Kankuro exclaimed.
"Well, that's too bad, because I was going to fix breakfast before we left. Oh well," Rika sighed, "I guess that leaves more for Temari and me." She mentally smirked as she saw Kankuro's reaction to the information he just received.
"Can I just come for breakfast?" Kankuro asked, "Because I love your cooking, Rika, but I hate shopping with you."
"Oh, I guess so. Would you like to join us, Gaara? I'm making your favorite," Rika extended the breakfast invitation to her favorite teammate and childhood friend. She looked up at him from her seat in the rocking chair. She beamed when Gaara gave her a minute nod, his eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of her cooking his favorite breakfast. "Okay! So, how does 0830 sound?" At the looks of Kankuro and Temari, Rika continued, "Or you all could stay here for the night?"
"Okay, but I'm not sharing my bed with anyone, " Temari warned.
"Good, because I didn't want to share with you anyways," Kankuro countered, causing an argument to break out between himself and his older sister.
Rika just shook her head at the interaction between the two siblings. She spared a glance at Gaara standing beside her and smiled. Gaara's eyes were closed in thought. Rika never told anyone, but she was in love with her red-headed teammate.
After a delicious dinner of Rika's chicken enchiladas, Temari and Kankuro fought over who got the bed, until Rika butted in and gave Temari her bed, leaving Kankuro with the guest room. With that settled, the three talked and played cards until late. Temari and Rika went into Rika's room to get ready for bed, while Kankuro was in the spare room. Gaara just stayed in the living room, meditating.
"Are you sure it's okay if I take your bed?" Temari asked once again as Rika gathered some extra blankets from the hall closet.
"If it wasn't okay, I wouldn't have offered and Kankuro would be sleeping on the couch. Besides, I have a rocking chair that's much more comfortable. Well, at least to me," Rika giggled. "Goodnight, Temari. I'll wake you up so you can freshen up before breakfast."
"Okay. Goodnight Rika," Temari hugged the younger girl before going to bed herself.
Rika exited the room and then went to say goodnight to Kankuro. She entered the guest room where the teen was sleeping and sighed. Kankuro had forgotten to wash off his face paint again before going to sleep. So it had smeared and gotten all over the pillows and blanket. Rika shook her head, deciding to do laundry the next day. She went to the adjoined bathroom to get a wet washcloth to clean the remaining paint off of Kankuro's face.
As she started to clean Kankuro's face, said teen started to groan, signaling that he was waking up. He opened his eyes slightly, barely making out who was standing over him.
"Wha' doin', Rika?" Kankuro mumbled, still half asleep. He reached up with one hand to rub his face, but Rika stopped him.
"Don't, you'll make a bigger mess. You forgot to wash your face again, so I'm cleaning the paint off so my bed linens don't get stained anymore than they already are. Stay still," Rika replied.
"M'kay, sorry 'bout the paint," Kankuro apologized before his eyes closed shut and he fell asleep again.
Rika smiled softly. After her mother was killed five years ago, Temari had taken her in. The older girl became a sister to Rika, and Kankuro became her childish older brother who still needed looking after, which was usually done by Rika. Actually, she probably took care of the two older kids than they took care of her.
Gaara had stayed her friend, although he had completely ignored her for five years, until they were put on the same team after graduation from the academy a few months earlier. Since then, the red-head had started to slowly warm up to her again.
"There, all better. Honestly, Kankuro, with the way I have to take care of you guys, people must think that I am the oldest, instead of you and Temari." Rika whispered to the sleeping teen, brushing his hair out of his face. She then rinsed the washcloth out before heading to the living room with her favorite, old blanket and her stuffed raccoon, Ai-chan.
"Goodnight, Gaara," Rika called, leaning out the window, to the red-headed jinchuuriki sitting on her rooftop, gazing at the moon. She then turned and settled herself in the rocking chair that had once belonged to her mother. After covering up with the blanket, Rika leaned back and fell asleep
"No, no. Don't, Yashamaru-san. No, Kaa-san! Gaara! NO!" Rika screamed the last part, waking herself up from the nightmare. Thankfully, Temari and Kankuro were hard sleepers, when in the village, and didn't hear here.
Gaara entered the room through the window to make sure no one was there. He froze when Rika jumped on him, tears streaming down her face.
"Gaara! I had a nightmare that you were killed with my Kaa-san. It was horrible!" Rika cried into the slightly older and taller boy's shoulder.
Gaara wrapped his arms around the distraught girl, walking over to the couch so he could sit and hold her. Rika's tears eventually stopped as she fell asleep again, but when Gaara tried to get up, he found out that Rika had a strong grip, even when she was sleeping. He couldn't break it without harming the sleeping girl, so he repositioned himself so he was in a more comfortable, relaxed position, with Rika, more or less, lying half-way on top of him.
"Ngh, no go. Comfy Gaara, love you," Rika mumble in her sleep, dreaming. Gaara, surprised at Rika's sleeping words, stared at the girl in question for a moment.
He thought about the first time Rika had gone to him when she had had a nightmare.
Flashback
Five year old Gaara was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, when he heard footsteps sounding in the hall before stopping outside his door.
"Gaawa-tan? You 'wake?" Four year old Rika poked her head in through Gaara's partially opened door. Dried tears stained her face.
Gaara sat up and nodded, "Yeah, what's wrong, Rika-chan?" he asked as the little girl tottered over to his bed.
"Me had a bad dweam. Monstas twied to eated me 'gain. Me sweep wif you? Kaa-san gone an' Yasha-tan no 'wake. Pwease?" Rika looked at Gaara, her big, coal eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Okay, you can sleep with me," Gaara pulled back the covers on his bed so Rika could climb in, which she did promptly.
"Sank-you Gaawa-tan. You go sweep?" Rika asked.
"No, I can't sleep," Gaara replied, frowning.
"Why?"
"'Cuz I have a big, bad raccoon trapped inside me. And if I sleep, he'll take over and hurt people."
"A waccoon? Like Ai-chan?" Rika perked up at the mention of her favorite animal.
"Uh-huh, but much bigger and scarier," Gaara said.
"Dis big?" Rika held her arms far apart.
"Bigger, but don't worry. I won't let him hurt you or anyone else, okay? Go to sleep, Rika," he ordered after the small girl gave a huge yawn.
"Otay,*yawn* g'nigh', Gaawa-tan." Rika murmured,her eyes closed. Moments later, her breathing evened out, signaling that she was asleep.
Not long after, Gaara found it hard to stay awake, so he, too, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Shukaku, his demon, slept also, calmed by the presence of the sleeping four year old girl next to his host.
End Flashback
Gaara remembered being awakened by the flash of a camera as Nana captured the moment on film after she returned that morning from a mission.
He was brought out of his reminiscing by Rika's movements.
"Hm? Gaara?" She said sleepily.
Gaara nodded, "Go to sleep, Rika. Everything's okay," he murmured in her ear.
"M'kay. You're really comfy, Gaara." Rika mumbled, falling back asleep.
Once again, Gaara quickly found it hard to stay awake and soon fell asleep.
Then next morning, Rika was woken up by someone gently shaking her. She opened her eyes and blearily looked at who was waking her up. "T'mari? What's wrong?" She asked, seeing Temari's alarmed face.
"What's wrong?" Temari repeated. "Do you know where you are sleeping?" She whispered. "Besides, you slept in! I was worried."
"Temari, shut up." Gaara spoke, opening his eyes.
Rika then realized where she had been sleeping. She quickly got up, blushing. "I'm so sorry Gaara!" She exclaimed.
Gaara gave her a dry look that said, 'No, you're not.' "Hn," He sat up and stretched. He caught Temari's eye and looked at her as if to say 'What?'
Temari shook her head. "Whatever. Rika, are you going to fix breakfast?"
Rika sighed, "Yeah. Just be patient, or be nice and get it started."
The two siblings looked at her in shock. "Rika, have you ever seen or tasted my cooking?" Temari questioned.
"Um, well... No?" Rika answered.
"*Yawn* She's trying to tell you she can't cook, Rika." Kankuro spoke, standing in the doorway of the guest room. "That's why you usually cook on overnight missions."
Understanding crossed Rika's face. "Well, why didn't you say so? C'mon, I'll teach you!" She exclaimed, dragging Temari by the arm into the kitchen.
Kankuro sighed, "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?" He asked, glancing at his younger brother.
Gaara stared back, his dry look saying, 'You think?'
I hope this slightly longer chapter makes up for killing Nana-chan [just a wee bit?]. And I know that the characters are pretty OOC, sorry if it bothers you. But I can't really help it. ^_^; Please review!
