SO! Here is the big ONE-OH. This is just a couple of mini chapters in one. a bunch of fillers really. I feel like the time passes too quickly and people (myself included) forget that the characters have already been together for quite some time. It's been about 2 months now. Gaara has been in the body of a 6 year old for about half that. This is to show some of that time that passed is filled with happy - rather random - memories.

Anywho, idea for Better Read Than Dead comes from Princessbinas.

ONWARDS!

Chapter 10! Filler Fun!

It's a Dog's Life

"Midas~" I growled through clenched teeth. The place was a tip. "How many times have I told you…" I couldn't even finish my sentence as anger shook my body. There was play dough everywhere. My hands were balled into fists to stop myself ripping out all my hair. The puppy in question just wagged his tail and looked at me with big eyes.

"Clean it up." I narrowed my eyes at him. He barked. Damn him and his being a dog. I would get him back. An evil grin crept onto my face. "Okay, I get it. You're a dog right now so you can't clean. I'll do it. Just don't do it again." I said chirpily. Midas looked rather taken aback with my sudden change in attitude. I got to picking up all the bits of coloured goop while humming to myself. Glancing over to Midas, he looked terrified. Haha, he should be.

After a good half-an-hour, the room was finally lacking the previous splotches of dough. How in the world did he get the stuff on the roof? I shook my head in exasperation. I don't think I even want to know. Some things were best left unknown. Ignorance is bliss and all that. It was almost dinner time by then. Gaara was reading a book in my room. Burrito was on the dog bed. Midas had disappeared, probably worried about my emotional state. He should be. He was going to take my full wrath… but he was still just a dog. I had a soft spot for animals. My "full wrath" would be a muted, more subdued version.

I placed two plates on the table and two on the floor.

"Dinner!" I called out. Gaara and Midas wondered over. I picked up Burrito from the couch and put him by his food bowl. Gaara took his seat opposite me and we began eating. Midas let out a sound of confusion. I peered over at him

"What's the matter pup?" He looked up at me and narrowed his eyes. He sat with a determined look. "Well, if you're not hungry, don't eat. No need to glare." I shrugged and went back to my own meal. Midas growled. I tried to hold back a laugh. Gaara looked at the noisy Puppy to see what the commotion was about. He raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"Why…" He let the question trail off. I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help the slight smirk that came.

"If he can't clean up because he's a dog, then he must be treated as such." Gaara simply shook his head and returned to his own meal. Burrito, who looked over to the blond pup, snorted. It sounded like he was also trying not to laugh.

Serves you right brat. He said to the retriever.

Shut up, hm. The mess maker in question glared in return. He then glared at his bowl filled with dry dog food pellets. Ah, sweet revenge. Sure, it was petty, but his reaction was worth it. Maybe he would think twice about pulling the puppy dog eyes next time he did something wrong. If he didn't… well, I would need to step up my game. A grin spread across my face. My mind already conjuring up my next plan.

Better Read than Dead

Gaara picked a book off the shelf. He was slowly making his way through the collection. Leila had a wide variety of genres, although half of the books she owned seemed to be fantasy. The rest consisted of fiction, historical, sci-fi, some poetry, and everything in between.

"Oh, starting a new book?" Leila peered at the object in Gaara's hand. "That's the second one in the series." She pointed to a different book with a similar cover. "That's the first one. The third one's over there. It's quite gruesome but it's one of my favourite reads." Leila gave him a smile. She then walked towards her bedroom, retying her ponytail as she did.

"I'm gonna play a game of Dota. You'll be fine by yourself for the next hour or so?" Gaara nodded. Leila smiled again before disappearing. Gaara went to sit by his usual spot on the couch. He placed the trilogy by his feet. Picking up the first large book, he began reading.

Gaara had already gotten through four chapters when he heard a clicking sound near him. He quickly recognised it as dog claws on the stairs next to the cough – which Leila had thoughtfully placed there for easy access. After quickly having noted it and deeming it to be unimportant, Gaara ignored the sound and carried on reading. The book was pretty interesting so far.

The small, blond pup looked at the redhead who was nose deep in a book. With his canine eyesight, the pup couldn't make out the title, let alone the words in the blurb. The hindered sight bothered and irked him to no end. After being reminded of that fact, he decided to take it out on the boy in front of him. It was his fault anyway. Him and his stupid books. Constantly reading, as if to rub in their doggy faces. Midas grinned, showing his sharp canines. He decided to take a subtle approach to the matter at hand… or rather, at paw. He sat for a few minutes, thinking carefully about what he would do. He also knew that his mere presence kept the boy on edge. The pup sat there patiently. One minute had passed. Two minutes. Ten minutes.

Gaara just turned another page, not even caring about the harmless puppy next to him. Why? He knew that Leila had confiscated the play dough out of sheer irritation from the constant mess that she always had to clear up. He was surprised she hadn't snapped earlier. He was also completely engrossed in his current novel. The cleaver mixture of assassins, corruption, and magic made for a thrilling plot. Leila had also been correct, it was quite gory, but not unnecessarily so.

The puppy looked to the boy for any indication that his presence had an effect. Seeing none, he decided to move onto his first plan. He lay down, resting his head on his paws. After half a minute, he stood back up, circled, and lay down again. He curled up then stretched back out. He kneaded the cushion. He rolled onto his back, paws in the air.

"Gaah, so uncomfortable, hm." He said, knowing that even though the boy could only understand him a little, it was enough. He stood and circled again. Gaara cast him a brief glance before going back to his book.

Midas settled himself down. Less of a reaction than he had hoped for. He closed his eyes. The sound of turning pages and the occasional shout of "Die you twat-faced bastard!" and the likes from Leila were all that could be heard that quiet Saturday afternoon. After a few more minutes, the pup felt the "urge" to scratch himself. He sat up and let his back leg scratch his side as all dogs did. After a minute of that, the "urge" subsided and he lay back down. He sat up once again to get his other side only moments later. Gaara shot him a quick glare. It lasted no more than half a second before the book recaptured his attention.

A particularly loud string of curses came from Leila followed by angry, inaudible ramblings. The puppy began gnawing at his back fur. He noticed Gaara narrow his eyes, trying to concentrate on his book. The retriever stood, circled, and sat again. He alternated between gnawing and scratching. He added a few snorts here and there.

Gaara took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He shifted his own seating position so his back rested against the arm of the couch and his feet were on the seat, knees bent to not take up too much space. The pup at the opposite side of the couch tensed up, cautious as to the boy's movements. After another five minutes of nothing happening except the steady turning of pages, Midas relaxed. He went back to his innocent yet irritating antics. One minute passed, two minutes, five. There was no reaction from the racoon-eyed boy. He once shifted to get comfortable, sliding down slightly, but nothing more.

He was getting no reaction. Not a glare, not even a glance in his direction. Midas was becoming more irritated. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. He was about to give up and leave when his nose suddenly became itchy. He shook his head and snorted to try get out the dust that must have gotten into it. A little, completely unforced, doggy sneeze escaped him. Gaara's eyes snapped to the dog, glaring with a fierce intensity. A foot which had been inconspicuously been place behind the pup jerked forward, suddenly kicking him off the couch. Midas yelped in surprise and the fact that he hit the floor. He stood up quickly and glared at the boy who glared right back.

"What the hell was that for, hm!?" he barked angrily.

Gaara slowly put his book down and sat up. He stood and towered over the puppy. In one swift motion, Gaara had picked Midas up by the scruff of his neck. Said dog yapped and squirmed, trying to his head around to bite his captor. Gaara strode to the door calmly. He opened it and dropped the pup in the hallway.

"Stupid mutt." He said with disdain before closing the door. He went back to his seat to continue his reading in peace.

"Eat that mother fucker! HA-HA HAA!" A loud exclamation came from Leila's room.

Hairy Conversations

I was pulling my hair into its usual tight ponytail before leaving for work.

"Why do you always tie your hair up?" Gaara asked, surprising me. I never expected a question like that to come from him.

"Well, it gets in the way while working otherwise. It's impractical." I said after a little thought. Gaara nodded, seeming to accept the answer.

"What about when you're at home? You still have your hair tied up." My eyebrows raised in surprise. He was pretty observant for a kid. I quickly reminded myself that he wasn't actually a kid, but a teenager. I scratched the back of my head, slightly embarrassed.

"I don't really like how my hair looks when it's loose." I admitted.

"Then why not cut it?"

"I have the type of hair that if you cut it, it kinda poofs up and looks like a tent unless you straighten it every morning. I don't have the patience or time for that." I explained. I felt that it was a very odd conversation, but Gaara didn't seem fazed. He just nodded at my answer. I was confused as to why he even brought the subject up.

"Why are you asking? Thinking of getting a haircut? I can organise one if you want." Gaara shook his head.

"No, just curious." He stated, leaving the room quickly. I noticed him glancing at my hair-ties briefly though. The hell? I gathered up my bag and began to leave. The birthday calendar that hung on the fridge caught my attention. There were a few of my friend's birthdays coming up soon. One of them was, oddly enough, named Leila. Wait… Gaara wasn't… was he? No way. Impossible.

Was he thinking of getting me a gift thinking it was my birthday? No freaking way. I wanted to laugh.

"Oh, I need to give Leila a call soon. Her birthday is coming up." I said as if musing to myself but loud enough for Gaara to hear.

"You have a friend with the same name as you?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but she's like my polar opposite." I held back the laugh that threatened to burst out when I saw his shocked expression. "You didn't see that and think it was my birthday did you?" I teased. Oh. My. God. Did his cheeks redden? Seriously? Not only was I right, but Mister-no-expression Gaara was blushing! I really wish I had a camera to save the rare occasion.

I would have felt bad for laughing, but I was laughing too hard.

IMPORTANT! I need to know how you liked this chapter. I may do this again if I get to 20 chapters. If so, I would greatly appreciate any ideas you may have. Also, if you didn't like this chapter, say so and I won't do another.

Princessbinas, loved your idea XD I just had to use it.

Finally, I haven't got any reply about the review.. replies? I don't know what to call it, but my response to reviews. Don't be shy.

Until next time

I'm out.