Food Fit For A KING

Chapter Twelve:

I sat on the roof, staring up at the sky, letting out a small sigh as I heard the balcony doors open. I peered over the ledge as I saw Kimi lightly step out onto the balcony as if she were treading on thin ice. Rolling my eyes, I let my sand crawl down to where she was. At the sight of my sand, I could see her body go tense, so tense I could see her knuckles go white. I leaned back as the sand pulled her up in the air and I could hear her whispering.

"I don't like flying, I don't like heights, I don't like flying!"I eyed her, confused.

"If you don't like heights, why are you up here?" I huffed, leaning forward onto my knees. I was sitting with my legs sprawled out in front of me, but my knees were bent enough I could lean forward and lean my elbows on them.

"I had hoped you would go down there! Please! Can we be on solid ground?" She squeaked, gripping the sand. I dropped her on the flat part of the roof before looking back to the sky. She was shaking, but I only rolled my eyes again and leaned back to where I had been. She was impossible sometimes.

"Gaara…" I looked down to her, watching her sitting there as still as she could be. Sighing, I let my sand rush over to her again and pull her towards me. What did she want? First she didn't want anything to do with me, then I save her from that over grown smelly man, and now what. I didn't want to be around anyone right now, she should leave but I couldn't just knock her off the roof. Well, I could, but I'd only save her and then I would never hear the end of it, and I just wanted silence right now. As she sat right in front of me, she followed my eyes back up to the moon.

"Temari says I have to thank you for saving me from causing a bigger scene," she huffed, looking down to her toes. I snorted but kept my eyes up at the white moon. She wasn't going to thank me, and I didn't want her thanks. She was making a ruckas,

"You already hit a man with a pan, killing that… thing would only make our mission harder," I hissed. "Now if you're going to be here, be quiet." I gave her a quick glare before looking back where I wanted to. I listened to the sounds of the winds blowing through the trees and tried to ignore Kimi's breathing and the sound of her fidgeting with her nightgown. At first my eye twitched then I couldn't help but clench my fist. I was trying to clear my thoughts and she was making it hard.

"Will you stop!" I snapped, looking right at her. I watched her go pale then look to her lap, laying her hands down.

"I can't… I'm uncomfortable and I'm trying to figure it out," she huffed, looking right into her lap, not at the ground or at me. I figured she didn't want to look at the ground or at me.

"Figure what out?" I sighed, leaning my elbows on my knees.

"Can we be inside? it's cold and we're up high," She whispered, shivering when she let her eyes wander to the roof. Huffing, I stood up. Obviously I wasn't going to get the peace and quiet up here, and for some reason I wanted to know what she was having trouble with. Kimi was probably the only person to make me give a damn. Damnit! Why was she acting so strange. I snatched her up by the wrist and made her stand before my sand swirled around us and ripped us down into the suite. I let go of her wrist and watched her stand there looking to her gown then look up at me.

"I… I can't get you and yesterday out of my head and it's driving me crazy," She finally hissed, glaring at me. I smirked and walked to the balcony doors, leaning against them and looking at the moon. I could see out of the corner of my eye as she walked over with an angry look on her face.

"This isn't funny! Stop messing with my head! Why are you doing this to me!" She spoke lowly, as not to wake everyone else in the suite. I looked to the moon. Why was I doing it? I let my eyes flicker between her and outside, suddenly the pain I was always trying to push away was coming back. Damn pain in my chest.

"Because it makes it stop hurting," I snarled, glaring at her. Honestly, all the voices in my head were swirling and I couldn't make them stop, no matter how hard I tried. That's why I had wanted to be by myself, make the confusion go away, but there she goes, ruining everything, AGAIN! I looked at her and the want swept over me again; I wanted to kiss her again badly. What was wrong with me? She was doing this to me and I couldn't stop it. I stood up and took a hold of her wrists.

I heard her breathing stop as I pulled her towards me and then she tried to fight me, like she was going to be able to get out of my grasp. But with a switch of my feet, I had her pinned to the glass door, looking at her.

"Gaara, No!" She hissed, but she was looking to the doors and not me. I scrunched my brow and looked to find no one was there. What was she angry about? Did she not feel the same thing I did when we were close?

"I… I swear if your siblings find out-" I interrupted her. Honestly, she talked too much anyway. I pressed my lips against hers, and almost instantly everything was quiet, my head, my chest, the demon, it all was silent and I could feel alive again. Nothing pushing down on my chest or hurting me so much it wouldn't go away. All of it gone. Kimi pressed back, giving up as always, allowing me to let go of her wrists. My right hand went to her neck, pulling her harshly closer to me and the other clutching her shoulder. But in a few moments, she pulled away rashly.

"What if they see?"

"Do you ever shut up?" I snarled.

"Do you ever mind anyones personal space?" She snarled back. I eyed her, watching her eyes. My chest had stop panging and my whole head was empty of thought, all the sounds were gone and everything was peaceful.

"No," I whispered, my hand slipping from behind her neck to her face. Kimi rolled her eyes and turned away from me. My hands worked without thought, pulling her chin to look at me in the eyes.

"Your letting this kissing thing go to your head," she hissed, scrunching up her nose. "You think you own me or something." I said nothing. I watched her sigh and pull her chin from my fingers.

"I would kick you if your sand wouldn't take the blow from it."

"Are you done complaining?" I groaned, rolling my eyes. She huffed.

"No! I won't stop complaining! You think that you can control me just because I'm scared of you and want to kiss you at the same time," she hissed quietly, as to not wake everyone only for her eyes to go wide. She had just confessed what she felt, and I could tell she wanted to take it back. A smirk grew on my lips, looking into her eyes. My right hand went to the back of her head, resting my fingers in her hair. I could see worry in her eyes and I pulled her closer, her breathing was shallow.

"Are you scared of me right now?" I snickered, teasing her but she didn't grow angry as I imagined she would. I could see her eyes flicker between my eyes and my lips then back to my eyes again.

"No." She shivered, her eyes looking away. Only, her eyes only stayed away a moment before going back to me and I pressed my lips against her lips. For a moment she did nothing as my hand on the back of her head kept her against me, the other hand gripping her shoulder and nearly digging my hands in her shoulder. But the second I began to doubt her, what? her whole composure changed. her hands flying to my chest and pulling me back, her lips kissing back. The smirk on my lips stayed, my fingers tangled in her hair. I pushed us up against the door, our lips meshing furiously as I could feel heat growing from my face down all throughout my body. The cold glass against the back of my hand actually made me shiver, but not as bad as the feel of Kimi's arms around my neck, her fingers just barely touching the skin above my spine. Her touch was hot, hotter than the sun in Suna ever was. My lungs began to ache, begging me to break but I wouldn't. I refused.

The moment I broke from Kimi the hurt in my chest and the complaints from the Shukaku would fill my head, and now everything was silent in my head, the only sound was the sound of air outside the suite and the breaths from my nose. This kiss, it was rough and heated, but it meant more than just silence in my head. Was I becoming dependent on Kimi? No! I could survive without kissing Kimi, I just wanted to because I could. I want to because she would let me and it made my head clear.

But this small clutching feeling grew in my stomach as the Shukaku's voice filled my head in a loud booming way. I couldn't understand the words at first, and it began to physically hurt. I ripped away from Kimi, shoving her hard into the door and stumbled back. My head! It hurt! My hands clutched my head as I stepped back even further from Kimi. I finally opened my eyes to see her on her knees, panting and looking to me with worry in her eyes.

"Go to bed," I hissed. The Yelling in my head grew and I clenched my teeth. Damn these voices, they were making the thought of standing at all unbearable. My body wanted to fall over and collapse, but I couldn't. I would never show Kimi I was weak, never! She shook her head. "GO!" I snapped this time, my voice louder than I expected. My head was pounding with all the screaming in it, I couldn't tell what was coming from where inside me. Kimi scrambled to her feet and stumbled around me, going to the door and ripping it open. The sound of her shutting the door vibrated through me, making all my bones ache as I fell to my knees and I could finally make out what my demon was saying.

"You can't be with the girl! KILL THE GIRL! SHE DOESN'T LOVE YOU, KILL THE GIRL! KILL THE GIRL! KILL HER! Remember who you are, Gaara, A MONSTER! YOU'RE A FREAK! You can't be loved by anyone but yourself so kill the girl! KILL THE GIRL! KILL HER!"

XX

I laid in bed, clutching my blankets to my chest, pretending to be asleep as Temari rustled around and gathered her clothing. I had left them food in the fridge for them to take with them last night, and right now, I didn't want to leave my bed. The mere thought of moving from the protection of my bed was frightening. I shivered lightly and clenched my eyes shut as Temari walked over.

"You're a really bad actress, you know," she snickered, slapping my ankles at the end of the bed. I winced but held still, letting my eyes open. "Well, we're off, I don't know when we'll be back. This one is supposed to be a long one. Don't get into any trouble" I kept my eyes looking out the window at the sky. I felt her hand come off my ankle as she exited the room and shut it behind her. I closed my eyes and tears began to escape my eyes. What was wrong with me?

I was afraid to get up from my bed, it shook me just trying to move my legs. I can remember it completely like it were a movie playing in front of me over and over again. We were kissing, and for once I completely forgot he was a monster who frightened me, and enjoyed his company. It was rough, and intense, and my whole body was on fire and my lungs begged for air while my lips tried to keep up with his. Only, it didn't end the way most kisses end. In any romance movie I've seen, or book I've read, they kiss and finally break apart and announce their feelings. They change into the perfect couple and live happily ever after. No matter how cooky and irregular the couple is, they find a way to work it out either through comedy or romance, but either way they end up with happily ever after. But my kiss? The romance I had been begging for my life, was more like a horror story. For Gaara had pulled back and everything changed. The air was tense, and the silence that had been surrounding us in the kiss turned to creepy whispering and harsh words that I thought I was imagining. His eyes started to turn black, and I could see his skin grow pale before my eyes. Something was wrong! His voice changed aswell. When he was angry before, it was still quiet and rough like when he talked all the time. But this time, it was more than that, it was deeper and almost demonic, and he was standing there shaking and holding his head.

I thought I was crazy, hearing the whispers in the air as I stumbled to get into my room. I dove into my bed and shivered under the covers like a child. What had happened to him? I laid there clutching the blankets and trying to force sleep but I couldn't. Everytime I shut my eyes this sand demon was there trying to eat me, or I saw myself covered in blood, back in the hospital and in pain. I see myself dying, and there he is, watching me with those eyes of his. It felt like it took till the morning light sprinkled through the curtains of the room before I could shut my eyes and dream a blank, empty dream. I awoke when Temari began to get stuff ready, and it felt like I hadn't slept at all.

This fear that clung to me, it didn't let me slip out of bed until I heard the door click shut at the front of the suite. Even then I waited till everything was perfectly still for a minute or so before my legs tenderly slipped out of the blankets. Inch at a time, I move to sit up and furrow my brows, tears still spilling down my face. Why was I so frightened? Why did that one insident scare me so much? He hadn't hurt me, but it scared me deeper than when he had put me into the hospital. Why? But it all came out, tumbling from my lips, betraying me.

"I'm in love with a monster." I blurted out.

It only took me saying to realize how true it was. Now it wasn't why did he scare me, but why did I love him. He had done nothing to make me love him, he had been nothing but horrible and abusive to me, but I couldn't help but know I had spoken the truth. I dreamed of him all the time, he was always on my mind, he drove me crazy and comforted me at the same time. Having him around me made my other fears tolerable, every time he was close I couldn't breathe, I was constantly trying to get his approval or prove to him I was more than he saw me. I had to be crazy! I had to be insane, because I loved a man that could never love me back.

The tears slowed, but didn't stop as I tried to wipe them away. So much for having a romance like my brothers, so much for finding actual love. I had been shoved into it with no way to escape. Cursing to myself, I turned to my bag with my clothes in it. I needed to do something, something to stop these tears and get my mind off him.

I Pulled on a pair of long jogging pants and a tank, yanking my hair up and walking to the living room. It took me a bit to get through the room, the memories floating around like ghosts. There against the glass where we kissed, I could feel his lips on mine- NO! I was trying to get him off my mind!

I rushed from the room, taking my key and tying it to a string around my neck, shutting and locking the door behind me. If they were going to be gone a while, I could be by myself, get away from it all. Get away from them.

Jogging down the stairs, the key lightly bouncing against my neck. It was once again as quiet as a crypt in the stairs, the perfect place for a serial killer to come and slaughter me. I stopped, my feet feeling like lead as I looked up the stair case then back down. What great thoughts when I was by myself. The rooms were great and the main room of the hotel was marvelous, but the staircase could use some work. My hands held the rail and I forced myself to keep walking. I let my ears strain for any noise in the stairs, to warn me to run or not. I was half way there when an ear busting scream rang out and the door to the stairs from the top burst open.

"I KNEW IT!" I screamed, running for the bottom of the stairs. The sound of pounding footsteps behind me as I rushed for the bottom. My heart was pounding a million times a second as I began to bound down the stairs in twos before I got to the bottom and burst out into the main room where many people were loitering. As I came rushing in, I came a skidding halt while all the eyes turned to look at me. Only screaming continued as a woman came running out of the stair cases, past me and down the stairs, hands up as she rushed right out of the hotel. Soon a man came after her with a plastic spider in hand and a regretful smile.

"IT WAS FAKE HONEY! HONEY STOP RUNNING! IT'S A JOKE!" He bellowed after her. Everyone else watched them as I rushed to the side of the crowd as inconspicuously as possible.

"Wow, don't I feel stupid!" I whispered under my breath, slipping around a few men in business suits.

"Yes Ma'am, you do look stupid." I stopped, furrowing my brow and turning to the two women behind the counter with giant smiles on their lips. Both their heads were cocked to one side, their creepy smiles adding to the fact they just insulted me.

"What?" I spoke, eyeing them.

"Ma'am, can we help you?" One of them spoke but they both flopped their heads to the other side. I grimaced, this was not a good day, and obviously it wasn't getting better.

"No… No thank you, you've done enough." I spoke with sarcasm dripping in my tone. They smiled brighter and flipped their heads back to the other side. I turned and dove into the crowd of people lounging in the hotel. What was up with people today? Why were so many people here all of a sudden?

Was it because of the exams? I walked towards the doors of the hotel when a hand came to my wrist. I snapped around and pulled at the hand holding my wrist so tightly it began to hurt. My eyes caught a glimpse of the hand then I followed it to the arm then the face. The whole place surrounded in men and women, but this guy had to be the scariest. Pale face with black designs ripping across his skin and a sharp pointy nose, plus he was about 6 times taller than me. I ripped my hand back to me but he kept ahold of me and I only pulled him closer.

"Let go," I spoke, pulling again and he let go.

"Kimi, we want you to know we're watching." His eyes narrowed at me.

"Who's watching? Why? What do you want?" I snapped back at him, backing up in the crowd. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck rising as my back ran into a hard chest, hands going to my shoulder. I gulped hard and looked over my shoulder, seeing a ninja outfitted chest behind me. Fear radiated through my bones as I looked to the man standing closer to me. How did so many people stand around us and not see what's going on. I searched for anyone to see what was going on, but everyone was concerned with themselves, and here I was about to be attacked.

"Just know that if you, or your team tell anyone about the plan, we're going to kill you first, then them! Our lord is to be followed and obeyed!" The pale man snipped. The fear began to swell but also, I hate to admit it, my stubbornness kicked in. Who were they to frighten me? I was in love with the scariest person on earth, they couldn't frighten me! The fear began to go under my stubbornness, I huffed and sneered at him.

"You don't frighten me!" I hissed, and spit at his feet. I didn't see what happened next, the hands holding my shoulders fastened me and suddenly my face began to throb and hurt, my cheeks burning and stung. I was looking to the floor, eyes wide, not sure what had happened.

"I should frighten you girl!" the man snapped. Gasping, I looked up to him, unable to move my arms as the man held me still. Yet still, I couldn't help but glare at the man, I opened my mouth to yell at him, when someone opened their mouth for me.

"Please! That your rough-housing outside! This is a nice hotel, don't ruin it." I eyed a man in a business suit and mentally thanked him. The moment the man behind me let go, I ripped around and darted through the crowd. I didn't look back as I began to jog from the hotel, trying not to look frightened and headed towards the forest I knew was at the edge of town. I needed to get out of the city, through the crowds, to where they won't find me and I can be by myself.

Who were those guys, and what were they talking about? As I passed a large pack of people, I ran straight towards the trees, passing less and less people as I went. My legs were burning, due to the fact I didn't usually run so much. But I pressed on as I kept my eyes focused on where I was going and my face blank of anything. I needed to figure this out.

We're watching you, that didn't make any sense, why would anyone watch me and the sand ninja?

The plan? OH! It clicked in my head, the mission. My mind went back to the night Gaara was drunk, laying in my bed. The mission, they were going to start a war with Konoha. They intended to burn it to the ground. The sand and the sound wanted to rid themselves of the leaf village. My legs were giving up more, forcing me to walk as my thoughts continued.

I finally reached the woods, leaning my hands on the bark as I tried to catch my breath. Why did they want to ruin such a nice village. I gulped down some air as I continued to walk into the woods. I just had to keep moving until I was sure those guys weren't around.

"Just… keep… walking," I whispered to myself, my feet barely keeping up.

I felt my knees wobbling from sudden jogging I hadn't done in a while, but I kept moving my legs. My thighs burned as my eyes took in the trees surrounding me. It smelt like fresh air, grass, trees, flowers, it was so pretty here. I smiled, my hands on my hips while I took it all in. Large oak trees with lush green leaves surrounding their branches. Pretty flowers that bloomed around the trails, soft soil underneath the bright green grass. Maybe I could get the team to vacation here more often. This would be a great place to just come. Maybe bring my family here, maybe if my father were here, he would feel better. New atmosphere. I wonder if he got my letter, I wonder how my brothers are.

My thoughts running everywhere as my legs took me further into the trees. I was so peaceful, I didn't hear the soft cracking of twigs behind me. It took the feel of a hand on my shoulder, yanking back to wake me up. I gasped, stumbling back onto the ground as the same man towered over me.

"We weren't finished!" He snarled.

"Yes we were!" I hissed, scrambling to get up. But his large foot came down on my chest and held me down. I could barely breath as he moved his sandals from my chest to my neck.

"I could snap your neck so easily…" He hissed. My hands flew to his shoe, trying to pull it off as he applied a small amount of pressure, just mocking my weakness.

"Then do it!" I snapped stupidly. Damn my idiocy, it is going to get me killed. I could see the anger on his face as he grabbed me with his thick hands and yanked me up into the air. I gained a clear view of his bald scalp yet long and youthful black hair sprouting from the sides of his head. On the top of his head was a long, jagged purple stitching, stretching from the back of his head to the top of his forehead.

"I will! They don't need you distracting them!" My hands grabbed at his meaty hands around my neck, but it was useless. He chucked me clear across the air and between two trees. I came skidding into a patch of grass, gasping and wincing. Everything hurt as I tried to get up. My hands scrapped to push me up, but he just seemed to appear next to me in only seconds, his large sandal ramming into my side and tossing me further. A sickening crack rang through my body as I collided into a tree, my spine and back ribs taking the blow. I hit it horizontal, and crumpled to the ground ontop of its roots. I wanted to curl up into a ball, my whole body screaming with pain, but I couldn't, my body wouldn't move,

"Where's your sand demon to protect you?" My watery eyes looked up from my side to the man snickering and walking towards me.

"What?" I gasped, wincing at the pain of talking. My right hand went to my side where a warm liquid was caking my palm and a searing pain seized through my whole body. I was bleeding!

"I know about you! Your that pathetic teams chef, with people like that, you should be used to being beat up by that monster!" He sneered kneeling down. I flinched as his hand grabbed me by my armpit and hoisted me. I let out a cry, feeling the pull on my bleeding side and the possible broken rib. "Oh, not so sure of ourselves now, huh?" I winced, clenching my other hand over my wound.

"You sad little thing, you can't even protect yourself, how do you live with yourself? You must hate knowing you're so weak." I opened my eyes to look at him. I wanted to speak, I wanted to say all kinds of things and call him names, but it dawned on me. He was a ninja, I was just a cook, what did I know that would even harm him. I wasn't Gaara, I didn't have ninjutsu, I wasn't Temari and have battle knowledge, I wasn't even Kankuro and have a weapon to use. I was Kimi… the pathetic cook who was about to die from bleeding out or from this man snapping my neck.

"Hey, what are you doing?" My heart skipped a beat and my eye sight went fuzzy as I saw silver hair, and a mask.

"This is none of your concern"

"She's bleeding! She needs medical attention!" My world was spinning, and I felt nauscious as the words grew but my whole world was growing smaller into the dim view I had. I didn't understand any of it, all of it was confusing. Garbled and smashed together, I tried to stay awake but I was slipping. That's when the feel of air caught me, and I realized he had dropped me and I was close to hitting the ground. Like slow motion, I saw fuzzy sky, and felt like it took forever, but as I expected to hit the ground, cold hands wrapped themselves under me and I felt my face buried against a chest. My vision cleared for a moment as I looked up to the man in a mask, a Leaf head band on his head.

"Miss… miss, what's your name?" It took a moment to settle in my mind, my vision going fuzzy again.

"Ki…Kimi" I mumbled, letting out a sigh of relief before everything slowly faded to black.

XX

I stood inside the arena, my siblings asleep against the walls. I was looking up to the ceiling with a sigh. The first night of the 5 nights and days we would waiting here for the rest of the contestants. I didn't even want to do this part of the mission. Ever since the night before, my blood lust was skyrocketing. I could just feel it vibrating through my body, through my bones. Because of Kimi I was feeling my hold on myself slipping, and I was sure as hell not going to give up. When I saw her again I was going to give her what she deserved for making my night hell!

But as I stood there, I was letting the memories flood over me. The memory of my stupid prey this morning. While we had been signing forms, I was walking with my siblings when I saw the rain village ninja. He sneered at me and made a comment about how tiny the sand ninja were. I didn't care for his comment, it didn't quiet phase me, he would never be a worthy opponent, but when he spoke up and said he was stronger than me to his stupid buddies, thinking I didn't hear, sneering at me, I had it. He said he was stronger, we would see! After being released into the forest, I had already picked who I wanted to kill, that rain village man. It didn't matter the team was supposed to look for scrolls, I was going to kill that man. The blood lust in my body then wasn't as strong as my need to prove myself to him. He didn't matter, but he looked at me the wrong way and he was going to pay for it.

When we finally met them face to face, I could sense others near but they weren't my prey for that moment. After he tried to injure me with pathetic needles, I knew it was time for him to die. Putting out my hand, the feeling of my chakra surged through me like electricity towards my sand. It shot through the air, curling around the man and carrying him up into the air, his face still showing. I could have just smothered him with my sand but I didn't.

"All I have to do is cover your big mouth and you'll be dead. But that would be too easy and too boring." I held his umbrella high to keep my face from being covered in his filthy blood. With only the closing of my fist, the sand gripped and crushed him, his blood exploding and raining over me and my siblings. I crushed him with more force than an earth quake; the same force I used to crush the others. I wanted more. Their blood was soaking into my sand but I needed more! I NEEDED MORE BLOOD TO FEED THE CHAOS WITHIN ME!

The shukaku's growling was growing in my head, and I barely listened to what Kankuro was saying. I was hoping to find another prey.

"Alright, let's head to the tower!"

"Just shut up!" I growled at him. I could sense someone near, a group of people near. They would be good enough, I needed more blood! I didn't care whose anymore, I just needed to kill, I needed blood. "It's not enough… it's still not enough for me…"

"Come on Gaara, lets just go." Kankuro whined.

"What are you? Scared, coward?" I could see my words itching underneath his skin. I wasn't afraid of him, and irritating him was entertaining, for he knew he couldn't intimidate me.

"Listen, I know this test is no problem for you, but it's dangerous for Temari and me! One set of scrolls is good enough." He spoke, walking over to me. "It's all we need to pass!" He was just getting in my way, I knew there was someone around here that I could kill that wouldn't jeopardize the mission. I needed someone to kill!

"Losers, can't tell me what to do," I sneered at him, my hand up to attack in the direction I knew someone stood at.

"Alright, that's enough! Sometimes you have to listen to what you're big brother says!" That's when he grabbed onto my scarf and strap. He had crossed the line. I was no longer pulling at him, I was angry at him now. Who did he think he was? My big brother, he was merely just one of my siblings!

"It's too bad I don't think of you as my big brother at all. If you get in my way, I'll kill you," I spoke, looking him dead in the eye. For a moment, there was a stare down before I brushed his hand away from me and went back to go for the people not far from us.

"Wait, just hold on Gaara, you don't have to treat us like we're the enemy. Look, do it as a favor for your sister. Please?" That's when I heard Kimi's voice. Out of no where, when Temari said please, I saw Kimi's face and heard her say please rather than Temari. It was like she was there with me and suddenly I was calm. I no longer needed blood, everything was still and the Shukaku who had been gripping at my nerves in my head disappeared. She was standing beside me, her hand on my shoulder. I knew she wasn't truly there, but I could practically feel her touch, it was burning. I had to get moving, but I no longer wanted blood, I just wanted out of this forest!

I summoned my cork for my gourd, plugged my sand, and began to walk towards the tower.

And that's where I am now, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about Kimi. It was maddening, the memories scratching at the surface. What was wrong with me? All I wanted to do was have her here, have her talking even if it was her yelling at me or saying harsh words, just he being around and interacting with me was better than being the only one awake. When I turned to look at my siblings, Kankuro stirred and yawned.

"Is it morning yet?" He yawned, stretching out his shoulders.

"No," I whispered, looking back to the ceiling. I could hear him stand and lean against the wall with another yawn. For once he didn't speak, and it was silent in the room. For once I could stand my brothers company while we both looked to the sky through the slits in the ceiling.

Kimi's muse: Heul Doch by LaFee and Love the way you lie by Eminem.

Gaara's Muse: Impossible by Anberlin