((wow!! One day, five wonderful reviews, and a laugh from one reviewer that actually needed it! I'm glad that you, reviewer's name hidden for security purposes, and hopefully many other's have found relief, peace, and maybe even hope within the confines of my fanfiction! I want to become a professional author and have already decided that those are the qualities that I want in my writing! So... we left off with a half naked Chikage running out of the house and Temari removing the lid of a confession that hasn't even been confessed! What will happen? Let's watch and hopefully laugh!))

Chapter 10: Temari's Reasoning and a Witch's Opinion

Gaara stared at Temari as if she'd added a fifth spiky ponytail to the back of her head. His eyes, emotionless as always, had an underlying confusion in them that only the best of trained eyes could see. However, Kankuro was one of those best trained eyes. "Uh... Gaara... what's wrong? You look weird..." At the redhead's glare, he added, "N-Not that it's any of my business..."

Gaara sighed and turned back to his sister. "Temari... I think your ponytails are tied too tight."

"Does she blush a lot around you?" she demanded to know.

At Gaara's nod, she asked again, "Does she fidget or look away when she talks to you?"

Another nod later, she said, " And I know that she draws you... so we can cancel the need to ask you if she's ever written about you."

"Drawing and writing are two different thing's, Temari..." Gaara defended, himself more than her.

"Haven't you ever heard of heiroglyphics? Picture writing, duh..." the blonde shot back. "She's totally in love with you."

"All your rambling is rediculous."

"Then go bring her back. You can ask her then. Not like she'll tell you..."

"Because there's nothing to tell." Gaara disappeared into his sand again.

Hito waited a moment before looking at Kankuro. "Does he do that a lot?"

"Yeah... faster than walking."

"Gaara-san is lazy..." the young boy stated with a laugh. The two elder sand siblings just laughed and kept one eye open for another eye that would be floating in the air somewhere-- a sand eye for spying.

Meanwhile, in the park, Chikage sat on a swing, looking at her picture... the only picture of Gaara that the object of her affection hadn't seen. Somehow, she had managed to grab her sketchbook and run out without it noticed-- she was sure of that. Her legs were bare and only her panties provided a barrier for her virtue from the outside world. And all to protect that one scrap of paper. She couldn't let him see it, not now that he'd seen her underwear! Not now that he'd spied on her. Not now... that her trust was so fragile, the slightest disappointment would crush it completely.

"Well, well! What have we got here?" Chikage looked up to find Shimo, an old friend, a current enemy, standing there with a cocky smirk on her features. "What happened? Decided to become everyone's whore since Gaara isn't enough to satisfy you?" She flipped her blonde hair effortlessly, her dark eyes glinting in disgust and humor at the young girl's expense.

The redhead looked away from Shimo, who took that as an admission of guilt. The blonde scowled at the very thought of anything that had to do with the sand shinobi. "I knew it. The second I found out that you liked that monster, I knew you'd become his slut. How many times has he taken you to his bed...? How many times has he rejected your love and only lusted after your body? How many times... does your heart have to shatter before you figure out that he's not worth it?"

"I... don't know what you're talking about..." Chikage said softly.

"Playing dumb? Oh wait... you don't have to play, do you?"

"He's not a monster..."

"He's a horrible monster that loves the very IDEA of blood! I bet you, if he knew how to rhyme, he would make gorey poems dedicated to destruction and death!"

"He's not a monster."

"Why kid yourself? You've been head over heels for a long time and all it's got you is your own street corner and a book full of pathetic drawings! He doesn't care about you and he never will!"

"HE'S NOT A MONSTER!" Chikage was now standing, her hair still flying from the force at which she got up. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH NOW, SHINO! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!"

"I know enough... not to fall in love with someone like him." Her words were clearcut and cold.

"And I know that Gaara wouldn't have been like this if it wasn't for us! We made him into what he is today! If not for that... he might..."

"He might what? LOVE you!? Puh-lease... even if he wasn't a monster... no one would love you. No one could love a girl like you. Look at you-- your hair, your eyes... your body. Only a monster would force himself to make love to you... and even then, it would all be to his satisfaction. But no... there's no love in a thing like him. So get over it... and get used to living your life alone. No one wants a crazy as their lover... only as their prostitute."

As Shimo walked away, Chikage fell to the ground, tears in her eyes. She clutched her sketchbook tightly to her bossum. Her heart hurt so much...

"Was this how you felt... Gaara-san? All those years ago... did your heart hurt as much as mine does now?"

"No..." A scream pierced the skies. "But I'm sure that it's close..."

The half-naked girl looked up to find Gaara standing before her. Shimo lay dead just behind him. Her beating heart in his hands.

((Cliffhanger! So what do you think? Was Gaara hanging around and listening to all of that crap? Would he have killed Shimo before she said all of those cruel things if he had been? I'm not asking you... just trying to rile up thought processes! Tune in next time!))