AN: Im introducing a simple but meaningful theme into the plot of this story and the sequel I have planned. Call it Gaara's "dirty little secret" or his "lucky charm" if you will, but he is going to steal his mother's only necklace from his Father's room as they pack away their old lives before the fourth Kazekage was murdered. Fan-comic readers may recognise that the title of this chapter is the same as one of a Naruto fan-comic on , but since I have never actually read that comic, I can reassure you that it is merely a coincidence.
The Transition, Chapter 12
After the funeral, the elders ordered the fourth Kazekages children to leave the manor and find homes elsewhere. It was a tough prospect to face as they had no living relative to take them in, and no foster family would have them because of Gaara. Temari was becoming desperate and even considered leaving Sunagakure with her brothers to start life anew in a neighboring village. Neither her brothers or the elders liked that idea. Kankuro had friends in Suna, Gaara bitterly claimed that he was considered a liability in or out of Suna, and the elders simply refused to lose two more ninja.
And there was the matter of the Jinchuriki.
As badly as the village wanted Gaara killed, they weren't going to give Shukaku to just anybody, and threatened to extract the beast from Gaara's body before they even considered letting the other two leave.
The villagers weren't even on the sly about what they wanted anymore. Everytime Gaara walked alone, passersby would spit curses at him. One was brazen enough to ask him why he wouldn't just die. A ball of compacted sand met the back of the mans neck as he walked off. Gaara was being merciful, but Shukaku was begging him to "at least kill that scumbag."
"Its like they're hanging a big 'fuck you' out to him all over Suna!" Kankuro raged as his brother's sand deflected yet another shuriken "They aren't even hiding the fact that they want Gaara's head on a platter now!"
They had no help clearing their belongings from the Kazekage manor either. Numerous crates began to fill the main hall of the manor with no place to take them to(The majority of them were Kankuro's vast puppet collection, which he wasn't quite ready to get rid of) Not surprisingly, the smallest collection in the hall was Gaara's, who only had some clothing and basic necessities. He took on his interests outside of the house.(They didn't know about his affinity for cultivating cacti until recently)
None of them looked forward to the next phase of clearing out. None of them ever even approached their fathers room since their mother died. But, as their father was gone, the contents of that room were theirs now, and they had to be removed at the very least.
"Well, Father's room isn't going to empty itself." Kankuro said half-heartedly. The siblings stood in a half-circle in front of the door, yet none budged. The two older siblings could sense an aura of unchecked rage coming off the youngest in waves, and were trying their best not to provoke him further. Surprisingly, Gaara was the first to reach for the door after several minutes of quiet consideration.
The Kazekages room had a cold appearance to it, devoid of any color save the amber glow of sunlight through a nearby window. The first thing they emptied was a plain wardrobe sitting across from the bed. They found nothing to salvage there, nor in any drawer, box, or bin. The last thing they checked after tossing things in crates to be given away was the small drawer in a side table. Temari let out a choking sob when she saw it's contents.
There was an elegantly bound green book and a beautiful mahogany box adorned with a silver hourglass. Probably the only mementos from their mother that their father kept.
"Gaara, Kankuro, look at this," Temari was looking in the green book. "That must've been the last picture taken before mother died!"
The first page showed four figures, a man, two young children, and a woman who appeared to be very pregnant. The man had one hand around the woman's shoulder and had an expression of pure pride. The children, a brown-haired boy and a blond girl in pigtails- had expressions of innocence long lost on thier faces. The woman was looking down with a look of tenderness on her face, one hand resting on her round belly, the other clutching a pendant on a chain around her neck.
So there once was a time Mother had some affection for me. Gaara thought as he stared at his mothers tender feelings toward his unborn self. Before Father turned me into the monster I am now.
"I still remember that day" Temari said sadly. "Father had just given Mother that necklace."
Did he know what would go down in a matter of weeks even then?
"And you were showing Father this toy snake Yashamaru had given you, Kankuro!"
Did Yashamaru hate me even then?
"It was a perfect day, nobody knew that in just a short time..." Temari had caught Gaara's expression "...You know, I wonder if Father kept that necklace." Temari started to fidget with the box. Her thoughts were true, as the only thing the box contained was a silver chain with a crystal hourglass hanging from it. Temari stared and stared at the pendant, a strange longing in her eyes. She then put the pendant back in the box and placed it in one of the crates to be given away. "Mother never really liked jewelry to begin with," she whispered. "We really need to get going. Come on, we should at least say good bye to Baki Sensei." And she turned and left the room, never looking back. Kankuro followed, and lastly Gaara, but not before he slipped the silver chain into his pocket.
End of chapter 12
