Okay everyone, I'd like you to do something for me. Click on the 'Reviews' button and take a read at the gorgeous comment left behind by 'Gaaras1Girl'. Thank you so much for being so sweet because I really value your thoughts.
Also, I'd like to thank 'Akasuna no Akane' for her review. I remember confining in my friend that I was really nervous about what people would think about the 6th chapter. She told me exactly the same thing. Not to worry about what people say, because it's my story and my imagination. Granted, my imagination can run crazy.
Chapter Seven: Confessions
I woke feeling groggy and tired. The last thing I remembered was running through Suna being supported by Kankuro. He of course had done the running. I must have fallen asleep then.
I sat up slowly. I was still wearing the black t-shirt and pants Gaara had taken from one of the shinobi. They were too large for me and the sleeve hung off my shoulder. A bandaid had been placed over the cut on my cheek and a run my hand over it.
I was lying on a futon in Temari's house, the same room I had slept in last night. Outside, the sun was on the verge of disappearing behind the Suna buildings.
I stood and slided the door open. Slowly I walked through the corridor towards the dining room.
My ears picked up the sound of voices before I could understand the words. Standing outside the door, I shut my eyes and listened.
"I'm glad you got a reason to get rid of Daichi." It was Kankuro speaking. "I didn't like him."
"That's not the point," Temari said. "He just proved that there are people who still don't trust Gaara to lead Suna rightly."
"Hm," Gaara put in.
"What about Fuma?" Kankuro asked.
Temari answered him. "We can't do anything with him until we uncover his brothel. Unless Magumi-san does know where it is."
I clenched my fists and felt my nails dig into my skin. It wasn't in anger, but regret. They wouldn't trust me now.
I almost missed what Temari said next. "What is it, Gaara?"
"When are we going to stop pretending we don't know Himawari is listening in on us?"
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. It had been a real question, not a rhetorical one. Ninjas, I reminded myself.
"I was waiting for you to say something," Kankuro said.
"Same," Temari agreed.
The door slid open, Kankuro on the other side. Temari and Gaara were sitting at the table.
"Hey Magumi-san," Kankuro shot me a lopsided grin.
I had trouble returning it. The muscles in my mouth weren't working.
I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me. I sat down with the siblings- opposite Temari and Kankuro, on the side beside Gaara.
I sat with my knees folded underneath me and my hands folded on my lap. Eyes down, I felt their eyes trained on me.
"How are you feeling?" Temari said with concern. I nodded. They understood it.
"We need you to tell us everything," Gaara said. I winced at his emotionless tone.
"Gaara!" Kankuro hissed. "We should give her some time."
I looked up at them. Time? I didn't want that. I didn't want to keep keeping things from the people who had been kind to me.
"It's okay Kankuro," I said quietly. It was only a whisper.
Kankuro looked at me with surprise. Then he settled.
"My name is Himawari Magumi," I began. "I was telling the truth about being a chore girl for the women in Fuma's brothel. I would cook and wash the women's clothes. There was a small little garden outside where I would do the washing. I tried to spend as much time as I could out there but I could only get out in the early morning."
Gaara nodded. "Can you tell us about those incidents... where people ended up dead?"
The memories flashed up again, but this time it wasn't as painful. "It's difficult," I whispered.
Temari reached over and touched my arm. "Just try your best."
I nodded, and found that her touch comforted me.
"It was late at night. This drunken man pulled me into a room against my will." I had to pause for a moment.
"He pushed me onto a bed, and was going to…when he stopped. Another woman had snuck in and stabbed him in the back.
"That's when I developed a fear of blood," I added. "His blood…it was all over me." My voice shook.
"The woman, known as Yumi, tried to get us both out of there but I was caught with the dead body. The punishment wasn't that bad, and Yumi became my friend. She was nineteen and was skilful in some ninja arts. I wouldn't know how good she was, or how she learnt them, but she knew taijutsu and used concealed weapons. She carried them in her clothes constantly.
"Some weeks later, we were both sitting outside in that small garden." My voice caught in my throat. "Something happened. I don't know why, but these people threw weapons at us from above. Yumi pushed me down and took them all. While she was alive she removed the weapons and told me to keep safe."
Warm tears leaked out of my eyes. I wiped them away, sniffling loudly. "She died, I don't know what from. It could have been blood lose or just the wounds."
"Good job," Temari murmured.
"What could you see from this small garden?" Gaara asked.
I wiped my nose. "It was surrounded by tall walls. All I remember seeing was a large water tank above it."
Kankuro sighed and leaned back, letting his head fall back. "There are thousands of water tanks in Suna. One connected to every five houses."
I looked down at my hands. "Sorry, I can't give you any more."
Temari stood and came over to my side. "It's okay Magumi-san. We're glad you've come clean to us."
I glanced at her, searching her face. "You don't hate me? You don't think you can't trust me anymore?"
Kankuro rolled his eyes. "When you're a shinobi, people lie to you all the time. You just have to believe them when they are telling the truth."
I tried a sly smile. "And how do you know when they're really telling the truth?"
"Gut feeling," Kankuro claimed, shooting me a wink.
I realized that shedding my lie I had shed my previous fear of Kankuro and Gaara. I wasn't ready to face men again, but I was comfortable around these two; even if they were ninjas. These ninjas could trust me, so I should try to trust them.
Kankuro's stomach made a gurgling noise.
"Do you want me to make dinner?" Temari asked, standing.
Kankuro raised his eyebrows. "Are you kidding? Last time you cooked I swear it was alive. I think even Gaara was scared though he would never-Ow!"
Temari had whacked him over the head, this time with her fist instead of her large metal fan.
"I'll make dinner," I said softly. "If that's okay."
Temari took my arm and pulled me into the kitchen. "It's fine Magumi-san. Ignore Kankuro, he's an idiot."
A couple of minutes later Temari was helping me roll sushi. I had chosen tuna, avocado and cucumber for filling. Temari had insisted I didn't need to make anything too fancy or large. My cooking skills were limited anyway.
"I didn't know what bloodlust felt like," I said softly as we prepared the meal. "It was so scary, and Gaara-san was so angry."
Temari glanced sideways at me. "We were all angry when you disappeared. I had been knocked out but the shopkeeper had seen those two Anbu leaving with you. When Gaara was told that, he went straight away, leaving behind Kankuro and me. He hates being disobeyed."
"You mean he hates not being trusted, right?"
Temari looked up in surprise. I blushed and kept my gaze downwards.
"People were afraid of him, weren't they?" I whispered. "I heard stories of Gaara-san. People…" I murmured the last words. "...they called him a monster."
I met her eyes and Temari nodded sadly. "Even Kankuro and I thought that. We were terrified of him."
"What changed?" I picked up a knife to cut up the sushi, holding it away from me gingerly.
Temari gave a small smile, slicing up her sushi swiftly. My eyes followed her knife cautiously.
"Gaara changed. His perspective of life changed, and he aspired to be something different. And he did it. He's the kazekage, and most of the village people now look up to him."
I nodded, placing the sushi on a platter.
"Time to eat," Temari called.
~***~
I tiptoed through the corridor, blocking my ears from the moans and cries that came from the bedrooms.
I paused for a split second but it was a bad move. Strong hands grabbed me from behind. One clamped over my mouth and one snaked around my waist and pulled me back.
I was pulled into a room and the person threw me onto the large bed. Twisting around in alarm I stared at the man.
He was staring drunkenly at me as he crawled forward. Trapping me between his legs his mouth muffled my cry. He smelt of alcohol and dirt.
I tried to push him off but he was much larger and stronger than me. I felt one of his hands slip under my shirt and travel upwards.
His body suddenly tensed and he gasped. I was silent for a moment before his limp body fell onto mine, knocking the air out of my lungs.
Something wet and warm spread over my legs. I pushed the man off quickly only to stared numbly at my hands.
Crimson blood stained my legs and smeared onto my hands. I tried to wipe it away but it only smeared on my body.
I started to shake with shock and fear. Fear of the blood and the man.
~***~
Gaara sat in the window of Himawari's room, facing inside. He could tell she wasn't sleeping well.
Himawari thrashed in her sleep, her fear mingling with the scent of sweat. Suddenly she woke, sitting upright and wildly scrubbing at her hands and legs.
It took her a moment to calm and her arms to drop. She gave a shaky sigh and Gaara noticed a single crystal of water falling onto the futon.
"Bad dream?" Gaara asked detachedly.
She jumped, staring at his form for a minute. Gaara remembered her night vision wasn't as good as his. She hastily wiped away her tears.
"Maybe I'm just very emotional." She sniffed and rubbed an eye.
Gaara swung his legs around so his whole body was facing her. "Is that how you cope?"
Himawari gave a few short blinks. "Cope?"
Gaara blinked more slowly, like a cat. "The sarcastic remarks. Fuma said you made a lot of them, in a way."
She looked down. "I never thought about that. I didn't talk enough for anyone to realise it. Of course, all the news went back to Fuma."
They sat in silence. Gaara was studying Himawari, while she continued to wipe away her tears. They flowed steadily, not halting or slowing.
"Why did you lie about your name?" Gaara finally asked.
For a moment the tears intensified before she calmed herself down. "I was scared," she murmured.
Gaara cocked his head to the side. "We didn't know anything about you or who you were. What was the use of lying about your name?"
Finally her tears had receded. She stared at him, mouth open slightly. "I...don't know..." She admitted and gave a dry sob.
Himawari pulled the sheet up to her chin, staring at Gaara blankly. "Are you angry with me?" she whispered.
Gaara blinked and moved his head to the side. "I'm trying to understand you."
She stared at him with red rimmed eyes. Girls were never appealing when they cried, Gaara noted.
"Why?"
A small wrinkle appeared on Gaara's forehead. "The only girls I know are all shinobi. I don't know any citizens, or anyone who hasn't been trained in the art of the ninja. You're very different."
He gazed at her eyes. It was hard to, because her hair hid them from view.
"By different do you mean I'm weak?" Himawari said, trying to attempt a sly smile.
Gaara tapped his head to the side. "Something like that," he said pondering.
There was a short pause. "You're supposed to say 'no'."
This is a rather important message. This chapter is early as a special xmas gift to you guys, but also because I'm going on holidays. Today.
I'll be camping for a week, back home for a week or recover, then straight off to a beach house for two whole weeks. And no internet access.
So please hang tight, I'll try to get one up as soon as I get back. Please R&R too.
Also- a question. Who would you like to see more of? Gaara or Kankuro?
