Temari and Kankuro trailed at Gaara's side as they walked towards the Psychological Institute. Gaara didn't really need them to come with him, but it was by The Council's orders that they had to make sure he went accordingly. On the other hand, Temari said that they wanted to show their support, which he didn't see any reason to deny it. It was still so strange to have this kind of behavior from them compared to the treatment he was already used to, but it wasn't unbearable. The large building erected two sets of double doors, to which they passed through. The lobby was fairly closed in upon first glance with only a small waiting area for patients and a receptionist behind a plexiglass window-paned desk. Behind the desk, the wall was closed off by metal-grated gate and standing out in front of it was a large, built security guard keeping watch. Overall, the atmosphere definitely came off as a place to practice professional medicine, but the security measures didn't come off as welcoming.

The three of them approached the desk where Temari broke from the group to speak to the receptionist. "Excuse me." She called.

The uniformed lady ceased clacking her fingers across her computer keyboard to give Temari a warm smile. "Can I help you?"

"We have an appointment with Dr. Kayama for Gaara."

The woman froze when she heard the name, the color instantly drained from her face. She knew that he was scheduled to come in today but didn't realize that he was actually going to follow through with it. The idea was crazy in itself. How could someone convince someone like him to choose to come here willingly? The better question was, who was brave enough to try? Anxiously, she bit her lip and dared to take a peek over her shoulder to see if it was true. Sure enough, he was there, standing perfectly still with that menacing glare on his face. He definitely didn't look like he wanted to be here at all, and the very sight of him, knowing what he's done, sent shivers down her spine. Quickly, she averted her gaze to grab a clipboard and a standard form to register new patients into the system.

"I-I'll need you to fill this out and bring it back. You must list any ailments or medical procedures done to him along with any medications he's currently taking. As for all our patients, we require that you sign a waiver, which will allow us to hold all personal records within our institute, so that we may use it for our continued studies and practices. We also have waivers for a body search upon every entry, allowing the patient to be recorded, for us to receive medical documents from other facilities, and permission to confine patients that show aggressive or…. violent tendencies..." The words coming from her mouth started to get quieter in fear that Gaara would listen and react when he heard something he didn't like, yet she continued. "A-all patients MUST surrender all weapons and objects from their person before entering, including kunai, pens, pencils, rubber bands, cell phones, wallet, and so on. Absolutely nothing is allowed past the gate except for the patient and their own clothing."

Temari could feel the fear rising in her body through those pleading eyes. This was a big step Gaara was going to take. It's only natural that those involved would be concerned. "… Understood."

"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask." She forced herself a weak smile and gestured her to leave. Temari had to give her credit for sticking to her professionalism. It was incredibly obvious that she was terrified to see Gaara here, but at least she didn't make a big deal about it. Who knows? She probably dealt with others just as dangerous before.

"I do have one question. Can I borrow a pen?"

She perked and immediately reached into a cup on her desk and pulled out a pen for her. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

With that said, she turned back to her two brothers to sit down in the waiting area. There weren't many people in the lobby to begin with, only a middle-aged couple, a young woman, and a tired-looking man were there. Everything seemed perfectly fine and normal until the three of them took their seats with the rest of them. Fear clouded the air when all eyes instantly fell onto Gaara. A few of them started murmuring to one another while the rest squirmed in their chairs. It was so uncomfortable, but none of it was new to him though.

"Don't pay any attention to them. You need to focus on you right now." Whispered Temari as she scribbled across the clipboard. After a many long minutes, she finally finished and returned the documents back to the receptionist.

"If you will please have Gaara remove everything but his clothing, I'll go ahead and get you processed."

"Okay." She went back to her brothers and sat back down. "They won't let you in with the gourd. You'll have to leave it behind. I promise I'll keep it safe."

How annoying… Gaara slouched his shoulders before he hesitantly unstrapped it from his back and dropped it by her side.

"And your sand armor. You can't bring anything inside that you can use as a weapon. Just you and what you got on." She explained, desperately praying inside that he wouldn't go off just because she was telling him what to do. Then again, it was better her than Kankuro because more often he'll actually listen to her.

He paused to give her his natural glare. He didn't like giving up his only means of protection. After dealing with countless failed attempts on others trying to take his life, why wouldn't he be prepared? Of all the years living with his siblings, he never once took them as the type who would betray him. A big part of it was because he knew he could easily overpower them, but the other part was that they were still family, which wasn't a reason he thought to care about until now. They were hardly the killing type as it is.

She jolted slightly when they locked eyes, but eventually she relaxed herself and faced him more directly. "Remember, it was your choice to do this."

Gaara closed his eyes before exhaling a long breath out his nostrils. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He then clasped his hands together and all the sand that he constantly kept stuck to his body began to crumble away. Almost instantly, the people gasped as the sand slithered across the floor back inside his gourd. The young woman that was among them let out a yelp and ran out the door while the rest of them huddled together for comfort. When the sand dispersed, the room became silent, but it was a bit calmer. Now that that was done, he unstrapped his tool pouch and removed all the small hidden blades under his sleeves and ankles. Before long, there was a big pile of weapons next to his gourd. Kankuro was utterly astounded that he was actually complying. When everything was out in the open, he patted himself down to be absolutely sure and was content.

"Now, when they call you, their security guards are gonna pat you down. They aren't going to harm you in any way. It's for the staff's protection, okay?" she explained.

"You're not coming?..." he asked quietly.

"We can't. These sessions are private between Doctor and patient only. I'm sorry."

He silently huffed an annoyed breath through his nose. This, he did not expect. No one has ever been close enough to touch him, except in combat. Even before he started carrying his gourd around, the sand always followed and protected him no matter where he went. This was the first time he was choosing to leave it behind, but he wondered if it would really stay or act on its own and trail after him, like it always did. Without a word, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Coming to a place like this completely unarmed was definitely a first, and to be honest with himself, he never felt so vulnerable. Perhaps that was a feeling he might as well get used to.

"Gaara?" called the security guard at the gate. He gestured for Gaara to come over, which he obliged. "Spread your legs and hold your arms out."

He paused, still skeptical at these kinds of methods, but decided to follow through. The guard quickly felt across his arms and chest before he went down to pat his legs. When nothing was out of the ordinary, he stood up straight and proceeded to unlock the gate. It opened revealing to him the face of a young, dark-haired woman dressed in a lab coat. She held a clipboard in her hand with his name on the documents, no doubt that she had read everything there is to know about him. Surprisingly, she smiled and held out a hand for him to shake.

"Hello, Gaara. My name is Ms. Kayama. I'm going to be doing your psychological evaluation today." Her smile appeared friendly, but for some reason it didn't seem genuine to him. This was the first time that anyone actually greeted him that way, and it was very weird. Unsure of how to respond led him reluctant to shake her hand. It didn't take long for her to notice that, so she pulled it back and decided to move on. "If you'll please follow me."

They traveled across the narrow hallway with many closed doors lined across the walls. The few that were open appeared to contain either a small lab, an office, or the restroom. They passed several other medical staff members along the way, most of which stopped in awe at the sight of him. This attention wasn't professional at all, and Mariko knew it. She would have to have a talk with them later about staring. They were supposed to make their patients feel welcome here, not overwhelmed. Gaara wasn't bothered as much by it.

Before long, they were behind a pair of sealed off double doors that could only be unlocked by a small scanner offside the wall. Mariko removed her lanyard with her medical ID and scanned the barcode under her picture. There was a loud beep before she pushed the button to open the doors. So far, it seemed to be pretty secure. Only one way in and one way out, that is unless you were a Doctor. Gaara's father had set him up a few meetings with mental health medics before in a way of trying to control and tame Shukaku's influence on his brain, but it almost never ended well. So then why did The Council to assume that coming here would achieve better results? Then again, he hasn't been to a medical office as advanced as this.

Ms. Kayama took him up a series of steps to what he assumed to be the top floor of the vicinity. At the top, there was only a single metal door, this one also locked with a security scanner. Once again, she scanned her barcode and pushed the button to release the door and they entered. The room was definitely not what he expected to see. A place with this many safety precautions, he half expected there to be tons of neurological equipment, a padded room, or a bunch of weird torture devices to try and "condition" him into changing himself, but no, that wasn't there at all. It was just a simple open room with two chairs facing each other with a coffee table in the middle standing on the tiled floor. There were a few relaxing pictures of flowers and the desert hanging on the grey painted walls and there was a faint scent of sage in the air, which was somewhat soothing. Overall, it appeared to be an average, normal room. What the hell were they going to do to him?

"Please, have a seat." She gestured over to the chairs. Gaara quietly did as told and took the seat facing towards the exit and watched as she shut the door behind her. When she finally sat down, she proceeded to take out her pen and jot a few things on the clipboard that he couldn't see. "How are you doing today?"

This was already off to a weird start. Even on the small journey here, she didn't appear concerned or scared at all. How could she talk so casually to him? He adjusted in his seat wondering what he should say. A lot has happened so far, but he was so mixed up with his own emotions and doubts that he just couldn't put the words together to form a real sentence. Even seeing what this place was like and coming to this particular room felt uneasy. When a few moments went by with no answer, her eyes flicked to him.

"Gaara? Are you uncomfortable talking to me?"

Yes, he was, but one thing did bug him about this whole thing. "… You're not going to restrain me?"

Her brow slightly creased, but quickly relaxed. "No, we don't condone such things unless it's absolutely necessary."

"But you know who I am…"

"I do."

"And you know the things I have done…"

"Yes."

"You still think it's wise to leave me unrestrained?..." he muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest once again.

"Some of our patients who come here often ask the same question. Some of them because they feel they are a danger to others or themselves. However, such matters would only cater to those negative thoughts, and we don't want that. We want all our patients to feel as comfortable as possible here." She explained. "Gaara, are you comfortable?"

"… It's an adjustment…"

"I would imagine so. Based on your records, this is the first session you've had one on one with a psychologist since you were five. I can understand that it is definitely an adjustment for you, so please, feel free to let me know if anything is bothering you."

"Something is…" he replied.

Her ears perked up. "Oh? And that is?"

"That you're not trembling before me…"

She casually noted that on her clipboard. "And why does that bother you?"

He was perplexed that she would even ask such a question. Wasn't it obvious? He was still today more infamous than Orochimaru. If he could guess, it was required for her job to ask. "… because everyone does."

"Why do you think people tremble when they're around you?"

"… because of who I am… of what I am…"

"And what is that exactly? Who are you? What are you?"

"You should already know that by now…" he muttered under his breath. These questions were already getting tiresome. She had his documents, she already knew, so then why bother asking?

"But I want to hear it from you."

"Why?"

She held out her arms in a slight shrug. "That's part of my job. That's why I'm here. I want to know about it from you."

"You'd get more information from the villagers…"

"That wouldn't be as accurate as it would from the actual source, now would it?"

"Then what if it's true?..." he asked.

"Then I would like you to tell me about it so that I may work to help you." She explained, posing a soft smile that made him cringe.

"Why would you want to help me?... How is it that you're choosing to sit alone in a room with me? I could easily attack you and take your life… and that would be it. So why are you really here?"

"Does me being in this room come off as threatening to you?"

For that moment, Gaara was silent. Mariko had her answer, and quickly noted it down before she put it to the side to be more direct with him.

"Yes, I suppose you really could harm me if you wanted to. Many other patients have tried before, but I don't let it impede me from my goal, which is to help them. Though I've made it this long, if I were to be killed right now, at the end of the day I died doing what I wanted and it's no longer my problem. That's what keeps me from trembling before you, even after reading some of the things you've done… However, there is another reason as to why we're here in this room. The thing is, Gaara, you may have been ordered by The Suna Council to come here, but you still came of your own free will. You were told the rules of how we run this facility and even chose to disarm yourself just for us to meet right here and now. It may not appear much, but these actions really speak to me, and it's telling me that there's a reason for it. Why would you meet all the necessary steps just to be here? It's my job to find out what that reason is… And if you really wanted to kill me, wouldn't you have done so already?"

Hmmm…. He never thought of it that way. Still, that was an answer he didn't think he would hear.

She took her clipboard out and placed it back on her lap. "Shall we continue?"

"… Seems pointless…" he answered.

"What is?"

"This conversation…"

"Why do you think that?" she asked.

"It always ends the same…"

"Do you mean with the villagers?"

He gave a faint nod.

"That I will mistreat you as they have in the end?"

He nodded again.

"It's not in my job to pass judgement or take sides. The opinions outside this room will not affect what is said within it between you and me. I'm simply here to listen and give advice. I promise that in here you will be treated with respect and confidentiality. You don't have to speak of anything that makes you uncomfortable." She explained gently.

Gaara wanted to believe those words, to finally feel at ease for once in his God damn life, but he just couldn't accept it. Not after all he's been through. It was going to take a lot more convincing that one little session to convince him that she would hold true to her word.

"Knowing that, do you still wish to continue? It's your choice, Gaara."