Warning: implied sexual harassment and implied rape.

Chapter 14 – Some Secrets Are Best Kept That Way

Gaara looked down at the frail man on his shoulder as the blonde's breathing slowed and evened out. Temari gasped quietly, her eyes widening.

"Is he…? H-he's actually asleep…" she murmured, a smile spreading.

Gaara didn't respond, prying the other man's hands from his shoulders and laying him back onto the pillow. There was a small smile on Yashamaru's sunken features, though Gaara was impossible to read. His fingertips lingered on the dying man's sunken brow for a moment before pulling away hastily, his eyes averting to the tiled floor with a hard glare.

Suddenly the door slipped open and Kankuro walked in, a bouquet of plastic flowers in one hand. "Hey, guys, I…"

"Shh!" Temari hushed hastily. Kankuro blinked and looked over at Yashamaru.

He pointed with his free hand. "Is he actually asleep?" Temari nodded. He glanced at Gaara briefly before sighing. "Wow."

The fan user nodded again and gestured to the colorful bouquet. "What are those for?"

The paint-faced nin suddenly looked somewhat embarrassed, shifting the plastic flowers. "Ah, they're for Yashamaru. Since he's so obsessed with colors and everything, I thought he'd like to look at them, plus… they're fakes, so… they won't die."

Temari winced while Gaara made no physical reaction, though the tension in the room increased dramatically. Kankuro rolled his shoulders in an attempt to shrug off some of the apprehension and walked over to Yashamaru's bedside table, setting the fake flowers on its smooth, plastic surface.

Gaara was still staring at the floor, though not in any particular area, his eyes skittering over every detail and crack aimlessly. It was nigh impossible to tell what he was thinking, if indeed he was thinking anything at all. Letting his mind run blankly for several minutes wouldn't be unusual. It was one of his ways of coping with powerful emotions he wasn't used to.

"Kazekage-sama? Temari-sama? Kankuro-sama?"

The three looked up at the nurse who had just walked into the room. The brunette woman looked slightly uncomfortable. "I would like to speak with you about some recent developments with Yashamaru-kun."

Gaara stood while Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances and the three followed Asimo out of the room. She held the door open for them before sliding it shut as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake the blonde man who was sleeping for the first time.

"What is it, Asimo-san?" Temari asked, worry evident in her eyes.

The nurse adjusted her hold on the clipboard. "Yashamaru-kun… we found that there are scars on his body… particularly around his rectal area. We weren't too concerned about it when he first came in, but Doctor Sunako, she's a specialist that usually deals with anorexic patients, she gave him a full body check up the other day and…" She hesitated, inhaling nervously. "W-we think he may have undergone sexual abuse during his imprisonment."

There was a moment of shock before Kankuro turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose with a grimace. Temari's hand covered her mouth and Gaara squeezed his eyes shut, lips pressed into a thin line.

Kankuro leaned one hand against the cream-colored wall, looking back at Asimo. "You're positive?" he asked and sighed heavily when she nodded.

Temari lowered her hand, eyes filled with disbelief and pain. "Why… who would've done something like that?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Kankuro groaned, causing his siblings to look over at him. "Whom else does Yashamaru look like?"

Temari's brow furrowed while comprehension dawned on Gaara's face. "Well, he looks like Mother. They were twins after all, but I don't see…"

"And who was Mother married to?"

She paled, eyes widening. "No…no, he wouldn't have. I know Father had a warped point of view on a lot of things, but… oh, Kami…" She buried her face in her hands.

Asimo wisely kept her lips sealed tightly, though her eyes widened with every word spoken.

Gaara's eyes closed, his hand twitching at his side, itching to kill something. His heart raced in his chest, adrenaline pumping in raw fury as he fought to steady his breathing and restrain himself. His eyes stung distantly.

Without warning, he turned on his heel and strode back toward Yashamaru's hospital room, completely ignoring his siblings and the nurse that scurried after him in surprise. The former Jinchuuriki didn't stop until he was by Yashamaru's bedside again, flinging the door open quickly and looking down at the blonde man with an unreadable expression.

The others stood in the doorway, their expressions showing shock, concern, and worry.

Gaara's throat was tight as he stared at the sleeping form of his long lost uncle, a single thought resonating through his mind.

Just what have you suffered through… for my sake?

End Chapter 14