Ghost in the Sand
Father's Words

"Father doesn't wish to speak with me."

"Can you blame him? Not that you ever really wanted to talk to him in the past." Gaara let his mind tumble over the beasts words, but then focused on other things.

"Kankuro seemed angry at me. I simply did not wish for Temari and he to be punished for my own actions." Gaara walked without noticing anyone around him. The people simply avoided him at all costs, and he thought little of this action. If he had he would have likely thought there was no need about being wanted by anyone, when the feeling of wanting others, and making them precious kept him at ease. "Speaking of precious someones, what about friendship. Does hitting someone mean they're your friend."

"You are one funny kid."

Gaara continued walking, when a strange thought popped into his heads. "Fathers are supposed to answer questions."

"Only when these fathers care about their children."

"Still, father is someone precious, even if he doesn't see me that way." The young Shinobi turned on his heals, frighting those around him. He heard the word monster whispered, comments telling him they wanted him to die, and a new word cropped up. "I might be able to ask him."

"Oh, I can't wait to here him explain what that word means. I can't wait actually to see the look on his face. It's going to be hysterical."

The young Shinobi walked through the halls unhindered, and past Baki and stopped when he saw his siblings. Temari rose her eyebrows. "Gaara, what are you doing?"

"Seeing the Lord Kazekage."

"Gaara..." Kankuro frowned. "I don't think he wishes to see you. I'm not saying this to be mean, but it's the honest truth. There is no telling what he'll do."

"I want to try. I want to try and speak to him."

"Speak..." Temari let out a sigh, before reaching out and ruffling Gaara's head in an affectionate manner. "Alright. Just be back home soon. I'll make dinner for everyone."

"The Lord Kazekage as well."

"Hell..."

Temari elbowed the elder of her two brothers in the ribs. "Yeah. I'll make something for him to. Take care of yourself, otouto-chan."

The boy headed towards his father's office, and found himself bumping into the two jonin from the leaf village. Gaara didn't say anything to the two men despite the question on the tip of his tongue, and instead his tongue froze. Shukaku laughed in the back of his head. "Not so easy to talk, is it?"

The man with the strange bowl cut saluted the boy. "How are you doing Gaara-kun?"

"Are you always like this?"

"Sadly, yes. But in some ways, not so sad." Kakashi piped up.

"Lee really doesn't hold what happened to him against you Gaara." The bowl cut man's comment made Gaara look at the ground, his mouth pushing together in frustration.

"I'm not stupid. I did some major damage back there. I don't understand how he could save him twice, but then treat me as if I've done nothing wrong." Gaara decided the best option was simply to go see his father. "I want to know what he wants of me, what I'm to do next."

He opened up the door, and peeked in at the man sitting at the desk. His father's hair was the same color, but with more brown in it. The man looked up at the ceiling, so Gaara was unable to see the brown eyes of his father. "I could kill him."

"Yes, you could easily do it with the way he's sitting there."

"I don't want to. I want father to be someone precious to me. That's not going to though be an easy task."

Gaara watched as one of the man's hands rose up into the air, and motioned for him to come in. "Gaara,, I know you're there."

"I have a question."

"What would this question be?"

The young Shinobi shifted from one foot to another, and he mentally noted the fact his father's voice seemed distant. "If someone hits you, does it mean they're your friend?" Gaara watched as his father flinched, and he tried looking away. "You're the only one whose able to get him to react this way. Don't look away though, else he'll get to be even angrier with you." The look on Rasa's face made Gaara flinch. "I'm sorry. The question wasn't appropriate, Lord Kazekage."

Gaara slipped from the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned up against the wooden door, his throat tightening. "I did something wrong again. I'm always doing things wrong."

"This is why you choose to be alone, is it not? If you can't help messing up, then you should just stop caring."

"I don't think I can stop caring again, not when..." Gaara's eyes closed, and he headed over to the window outside of his father's office, and perched himself on the windowsill, pulling one of his legs up so he could rest his chin and arms on his knee. The other leg he let hang down to the ground over the lip of the windowsill. "I need to tell the Lord Kazekage that Temari is making dinner for us. I forgot to do so."

"Child, you drive me insane."

"You drive me insane, Shukaku." After a few minutes the door clicked open, and yet Gaara didn't hear the door shut.

"Gaara?"

The boy looked up. "Lord Kazekage?"

"Why are you still here?"

"I forgot to mention that Temari is making dinner for everyone, yourself included." Gaara flinched as the same look appeared on his father's face. "I guess that means I should be going now."

Gaara swung his one leg over the windowsill, and made to stand up and leave. His eyes widened upon feeling a calloused hand placed upon his shoulder, and a shiver ran down his spine as the young Shinobi honestly did not know how his father would react. "Wait, Gaara. Does this mean you'll be joining us for dinner?"

The red haired Shinobi bit down on his lip, and his shoulder muscles tensed up. "Only if you wish it, Lord Kazekage."

The man behind him remained silent, and for a moment Gaara thought Rasa was thinking up some kind of punishment for him. The feeling in his stomach didn't set well with the young shinobi. Rasa however spoke in a calm tone. "Please tell Temari to put dinner aside for me. I've got things I need to finish."

The sound of papers being moved made Gaara turn his head to see Rasa carrying paperwork, and his head darted away. The other question he wanted to ask popped into his head. "What does the word 'rapist' mean." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the same look Rasa gave him earlier. "Apologies. I asked something inappropriate again."

"Gaara..."

Rasa obviously had something to say, but Gaara found his attention drawn down the hallway. His eyes widened upon seeing the dark haired girl at the end of the hallway staring at him, with her doll clutched to her chest. The girl's dark eyes stared at him, and he noted they were void of emotion, much in the same manner his eyes were once devoid of emotion, except his had a look people described as pure evil. An eerie felling was around this girl, and yet Gaara brushed the feeling away.

"That girl..."

Gaara could feel his father's chakra fluctuate, and he wondered what he'd done this time. "What girl?"

The preteen's eyes didn't blinked, but instead turned to look at his father while