Well, here I am updating as quickly as possible. Thanks to those reviewers, 'Gaaras1Girl', 'SandNinja101', 'Temari4689', 'narutowolf', 'Jerseykitty', 'leogirl321', 'katarauchiha653719' and 'TobiIsAGoodBoyBelieveIt.'
Well, to answer your question 'TobiIsAGoodBoyBelieveIt', this is when I'm updating. Yeah, I know it can be kind of...unscheduled.
'JerseyKitty' I'm so glad you think so highly of this and I'd love to hear about what you like and even what you don't like.
'Temari4879'. Mystery...hmm...Thanks, I like the thought of that!
And 'Gaaras1Girl' and 'SandNinja101' thank you for your continued updates- you've been with this since the beginning!
Also, just so you don't feel like I don't appreciate you, thanks to 'narutowolf', 'katarauchiha' and 'leogirl321' for leaving their wonderful comments.
Okay, (that was kind of long).
Chapter Ten- Repetition
Gaara was lounging back on the roof, allowing the last rays of sun to warm his skin and the wind to rustle his hair. It was quite easy to stick his head outside of his window and lift himself onto the flat roof with the gutter.
Many times he had considered moving into a house with his siblings, instead of living in an apartment.
But most people in Suna shared a building with others and Gaara didn't see the point in moving. He didn't care if they had a small bathroom or no laundry. It didn't matter to him if their kitchen was undersized or there was only one room reserved for eating and talking.
In fact, there were only two things Gaara considered was vital in a home. He needed a bedroom for himself and easy access to the roof.
And when Gaara had become Kazekage they had bought the top floor of the owners so they no longer paid rent. It was a suitable home, with room for his siblings and a guest room.
But Himawari is using that room, Gaara thought.
An image of Himawari lying on the bathroom floor wrapped in a towel popped into his mind and Gaara struggled to clear his mind of it. He needed to not think of Himawari right now.
Temari has a mission tomorrow…someone will need to take care of Himawari…uh, damnit. Gaara rubbed a hand against his forehead.
His leg, which had been hanging over the side and swinging leisurely suddenly came in contact with something solid that gave a cringe worthy 'thud'. Gaara leaned forward in alarm.
He watched the back of Himawari as she leaned forward to the streets below. The window only came up to her thighs and she would topple over it.
With quick reflexes, Gaara snatched out his hand to grab onto her. His first thought was to grab her hair, but then he switched to her cloak. It didn't seem to cause any lesser pain to her, but she wasn't in danger of falling.
~***~
I was pulled back before my feet left the ground but my relief was washed away when my cloak restricted around my neck. I grabbed the front and tried to prevent myself from choking.
I twisted around to meet the scowling mask of Gaara. I shrank back, safely slipping far into his room.
There was a moment and then Gaara's legs swung through the open window followed by the rest of him. He landed with esteemed grace before facing me, his arms across his chest.
"Are you okay?" He asked stiffly.
My head bobbed up and down.
His gaze was on the wall to the side, not facing my eyes. I caught my breath which had been shaken out of me.
"Good thing you caught me that time," I tried. Gaara's glare only made me grin.
"Are you sure?" He asked, still glaring.
I rubbed the back of my head. Ouch. "Yeah, I'm fine."
I exhaled shakily. First the shower incident, now this. Thinking of the shower incident made me wince.
I had realised with alarm of the cut running up my leg and had hurried to find a bandaid. But when my leg had been tangled in the shower curtain I had twisted around and fallen against the opposite wall. I think my brain cells were getting a good kick today. I was at least glad no-one had witnessed my uncoordinated moment.
I snapped back to present and Gaara's searching green eyes.
"Do you normally sit on the roof?"
He nodded and I reminded myself of why I was there.
"Um, Temari says dinner's ready," I told him and turned to walk out of his room.
He followed me out and I tried not to rub the back of my head or throat.
"Ah, what exactly came in contact with the back of my head?" I finally asked before we entered the dining room.
"My foot," he admitted opening the door and stepping inside.
I blinked, and rubbed the back of my head. "Of course," I said dryly.
~***~
"What's this?" Kankuro asked in disgust.
"Tofu soup," Temari replied. Her tone was challenging him to complain.
Kankuro poked the surface with his spoon. I slowly lowered mine in and took the tiniest of sips.
"It's delicious," I told Temari, making her smile. I noticed Kankuro grimace and Gaara's grimace grew more pronounced.
"Ugh!" Kankuro exclaimed as a tuff of green veggie floated to the surface. "Is that spinach?!"
I was chewing on a tuff of spinach myself. "Don't you like spinach?" I glanced at Temari in confusion.
A look of utter distaste flashed across Kankuro's face. "Are you kidding? I hate spinach."
Temari shrugged it off. "Just eat it. Look, Gaara's eating it."
The youngest brother raised his head to stare coldly at his sister before eating another spoonful. Temari smiled back coolly.
"Is this for that scrunchie thing this morning?" Kankuro asked bluntly.
"I'm so glad you think so highly of me," Was Temari's reply.
"Wouldn't put it past you. You'd spend hours thinking up revenge."
"Well you can make dinner tomorrow if you don't like what I make."
"Fine. Hamburgers tomorrow night."
"Remember what happened last time we had hamburgers smartass?"
"Yeah but Gaara's hardly gonna try to kill me now, is he?"
There was a break in the conversation where they glanced at Gaara, looking for reassurance of that statement. Gaara however was gazing with great interest at the wall behind me.
Temari and Kankuro continued like that throughout our meal. I sat quietly, working my way through the tofu soup. Sometimes I would giggle or smile at a humorous insult and find Gaara with the corners of his mouth turned up.
Dinner finished with Kankuro having eaten half of the contents of his bowl and his promise of dinner by him the next night.
"I've got dessert tonight too," Temari stated happily, pulling out the Marron Glacé. Gaara scowled and Kankuro laughed.
"Jeez Temari, talk to me about the hamburger incident but ignore the Marron Glacé moment." Kankuro laughed again.
I glanced between Gaara and Kankuro. It sounded like Gaara had a couple of problems with certain foods.
Temari ignored him and served the dessert into three bowls. She looked questioningly at Gaara.
He shook his head and exited the room to return to his own. I watched him go and he caught me, glancing over his shoulder at the last moment. I blushed.
I was given a bowl of dessert and tried the sweet chestnut mix. Kankuro leaned back leisurely, chewing his thankfully, seeing as he hadn't eaten much soup.
"What were all those instances you kept mentioning?" I asked.
Temari and Kankuro shared a glance, and then laughed nervously.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Kankuro told me with a pat on the head that left me feeling like a child. "The sand won't lash out anymore if he catches food poisoning or chokes on something sweet."
~***~
Gaara could tell Himawari's nightmare was bad that night. Her legs kicked out until she had tangled herself in the sheets, and her breathing came in short, shallow gasps.
As she tossed side to side Gaara had the feeling something bad would happen soon. He was rendered right when Magumi leapt awake with a piercing screech.
Gaara slipped into the room and clamped his hand over her mouth before the scream reached its peak. Himawari's hand clamped onto his wrist, but it just hung there, clutching for all her life.
After a moment her eyes focussed on Gaara's face and her hand slipped off his wrist. As she retreated away Gaara stepped back until he was leaning against the wall.
"Bad dream?" It was a repeated procedure.
Himawari nodded slowly.
Gaara nodded back and sat down against the wall. They sat in silence for some time.
Himawari brought her legs up to her chin. She wiped her eyes in a desperate attempt to hide her tears.
Then, Gaara spoke first, and it was an amazing feat. "Do you want to hear about the shinobi levels?"
She jumped, and sat up to face him, sitting on her knees. "Okay." Her voice carried softly to him.
Gaara began to recite what he knew, expecting her to fall asleep in a matter of moments.
"When a child reaches six or seven they can be admitted into the Academy. From there they could be studying for five to six years. Most children graduate at age twelve."
"Did you?" Himawari spoke in a hushed whisper.
Gaara blinked; mildly surprised she had bothered listening. He nodded, and continued.
"They graduate to a genin, low level shinobi. The children are broken up into groups of three. The teams are equally balanced to ensure success.
"A good balanced team should include a medical ninja, and genin can choose to train at the hospital under…"
~***~
"What?!" Temari's raised voice made Kankuro jump. Gaara blinked, deciding not to spring information on Temari in the morning ever again.
"What's the problem Temari?" Kankuro asked sleepily. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes, then shot an apologetic glance at Gaara.
Temari spoke to Gaara. "I can't go out on a mission; Magumi will be left here all alone!"
Gaara regarded her with bored eyes. "I need you on this mission."
Temari opened her mouth to cry a 'well get someone else,' but she knew it was useless. If she was required on a mission, it was because they required her talents.
"Can someone else look after Magumi?" Kankuro asked. Temari glared at him. "What?"
"Since when is she just 'Magumi' to you?"
"She's living with us; I can call her whatever I want!"
Temari scoffed. "Say that to her face."
"He has a point," Gaara said softly.
His siblings choked on air. "What?!"
~***~
All I could see was red. I scrunched my eyes up tighter and cursed Gaara for not closing the window before he left.
Gaara…I tried to remember what had been happening before I fell into a slumber. He had been describing the difference between the genin and chuunin exams by that point.
My eyes blinked open, and closed again when I faced the sun. Genin- Chuunin. I smiled at the words, glad I had remembered them.
I rolled onto my back and immediately hopped up from the pain at the back of my head. I rubbed it softly. Gaara must have left a bruise.
I stumbled to my feet and smoothed down my black nightdress (Temari's old one) so I looked decent. Sliding the door open, I washed my face in the bathroom and wandered towards the kitchen.
~***~
Gaara rolled his eyes. "I'll have someone come to watch over Himawari. If you want," he added.
Temari looked torn. "Well…"
The door moved to the side, revealing Himawari in her night dress. She glanced at their staring faces and went red.
"Morning," she mumbled. She moved around and into the kitchen.
Kankuro lowered his voice. "Temari, we can't leave her here by herself."
Temari frowned, watching Magumi. "She's still a bit shaken up," she admitted.
Just then the toaster popped up, and Magumi jumped in surprise, bumping into a cabinet.
Sweat slid down Temari's brow. "Okay," she told Gaara.
Gaara nodded. It was agreed. "Himawari?"
She jumped again, her hair bobbing on top her head. "Um, yes Gaara-san?"
Kankuro had jumped up to grab his toast. "Don't freak out," he whispered to her. She frowned.
Temari stood. "I have a mission today, so Gaara thought it best if he sends someone over. I'll be back by lunchtime, so it won't be too long."
Gaara resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Temari was too confident. He hadn't even informed her on all the mission details yet.
"Ah, okay," Magumi mumbled. "Who?"
Gaara shrugged. He stood, slinging his gourd over his shoulder and picking up a bag of papers with his free hand.
"I have to go," was all he said. His siblings and Himawari watched his back as he exited the room.
Kankuro gave Magumi a condescending pet on the head, a slice of toast stuck in his mouth. Temari pulled him by the arm towards the door.
"See you later," Temari called, waving over her shoulder.
Magumi raised a hand, anxiety plastered in her eyes. Temari frowned, still unsure about leaving her there alone. But she dashed out the door in the next moment.
Wait...that was chapter 10! I can't believe I got this far with people actually reading it! (yeah, sad, right?)
And, I'd like to draw to light my strange obsession with words starting with's'. I have no idea why all those last chapters where's' words. It was kind of weird.
But I guess I had a change of pace this chapter, and even if the titles are crap, I hope the story was good.
Please R&R everyone, thanks a bunch!
(Rather random, but shout out to katarauchiha653719 for being 50th reviewer! But no matter what number reviewer you are, you mean a lot to me)