Chapter 2: Hello again!
"This sucks! Since the whole mission was a failure, no one's trusting us for any other missions anymore!" Temari exclaimed to Kankuro. They were both sitting in their home, finally back to Sand village after the whole fiasco with Orochimaru.
"And that bastard Orochimaru," said Kankuro through gritted teeth, "He pretended to be our father, and now Kazekage-sama is probably dead..." They both sat silently for a while.
"Well," sighed Temari, "It's not like we had a very loving or involved father, and our mother died with Gaara's birth. I guess we're finally on our own."
"Yeah... I guess I can live with that..."
Gaara listened silently as his siblings discussed what they should do, but soon he got bored and headed outside. He was glad to be back in the desert, although he didn't think he would miss it when he left to the Leaf.
Everything seemed so different to him, now that the Sand Shuukaku was gone. Naruto proved to him that strength from love was stronger than his strength from hate. He had been trying not to hurt so many people; he had even stopped glaring so much. But, it would still be a while before he could truly reveal himself... to anyone... especially to his brother and sister.
Gaara jumped up onto the roof of the house and sat down. The sunset looked like a swirl of so many different colors, with one main source in the middle. Really, it was how he felt now. So many different emotions were unfurling within him, that he felt so confused. He really didn't understand half of the things that when through his head now and sometimes considered them too much of a bother. Was getting rid of the Shuukaku really a good thing?
Gaara closed his eyes. He was looking forward to another night of sleep. Sleep and dreams. He never thought he would ever dream. That was definitely an upside. He slowly drew in the desert air. As he lay motionless, he heard a thump near him, and realized that someone had jumped onto the roof.
"Hiya!" Kitai exclaimed happily as Gaara jumped back in surprise.
"You!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"
"Well," said Kitai, looking and feeling a bit deflated, "I just felt like leaving Leaf for a while, so I thought I'd come see you. But if you really want me to leave..." She turned to go sadly, and Gaara realized that he actually felt bad for disappointing her.
"Wait..." Gaara avoided her eyes and looked to the side, "If you really want to... you can sit down." She didn't say anything, and he figured that she would leave. But she actually sat down by him and faced the sunset. They sat in silence for a while as they watched the kaleidoscope of colors before them.
"You," she said thoughtfully, "You look different..." Gaara looked up at her, clearly showing mild surprise in his face.
"I know what it is!" she exclaimed, "Your face!" Gaara touched his face, feeling slightly confused, not thinking there was anything different with it.
"Before," she continued, "you looked like you were wearing a mask. A mask so tense that I thought your face would crack and shatter into a million pieces. But now, it looks so relaxed. Did you get something back that you had lost in your fight with Naruto?" Gaara held in a grin. Once again, she had already figured out what made him tick, just by looking at him.
"I..." he said slowly, "I guess so. Naruto... he got rid of the demon that was within me."
"He killed the Shuukaku?" Gaara nodded.
"Now, I can still control sand, but it's not automatic anymore. I can't tell if I feel weaker... or stronger..." Kitai looked at him thoughtfully. Then she quickly pinched his arm. Gaara gave a small yelp, not being used to feeling pain so instantaneously.
"Wha...?" he didn't understand why she would hurt him. He looked up at her, and realized that she was smiling.
"See?" she said grinning, "Not all pain is bad. Some lets you know that you're alive. Since you never felt pain, you resorted to causing others pain. Seeing them in anguish replaced the pain that you would never feel, so it made you feel like you were alive. But really... it was just a lie to yourself. Now, you're gonna have to work for the strength that you took for granted. And it's gonna take sweat and blood. But, I think, it'll be worth it."
"Sweat and blood?" Gaara looked a little nervous. Kitai looked at him and grinned.
"Relax!" she laughed, "It's a figure of speech. It just means it'll take a lot of hard work, that's all!" Gaara hid his embarrassment as Kitai shook her head smiling.
"Well," Kitai looked at the receding sun, "It's getting late. I should go."
"You're leaving?" Gaara looked up at her as she stood.
"I've gotta find a place to stay...er... Do you know if there are any inn's in this village?" Kitai scratched the back of her head as perspiration mounted on her forehead.
"I don't know," Gaara responded simply, "I never really bothered to notice... You know, if you want... um... you can stay here... I mean, we've got a lot of spare rooms... and you wouldn't have to stay at a hotel and pay or anything..." Gaara shrugged as he got up.
"Well..." A grin slowly spread across her face, "I guess if it's not too much trouble... And if your friends don't mind me imposing or anything..."
"Friends? Oh, you mean Temari and Kankuro. No, they're my siblings," Gaara turned around, "Come on, I'll show you where you can stay."
"Siblings?" Kitai muttered to herself as she followed Gaara, "Didn't see that one coming..."
"I'm sorry," Kitai was muttering in her sleep as she turned in bed, "I don't know what to do...Mother... Father..." Her eyes opened slowly, and she realized for the hundredth time, that it was just a dream. She sighed and got up, then realized that she didn't recognize the room she was staying in. No, wait, she remembered. This was the room that Gaara said she could stay in. She was actually surprised at how nice it was. It even had its own bathroom...
Speaking of which... Kitai got up and used the restroom. When she emerged, she looked around and found a clock. Six thirty. She wondered if Gaara was up yet. She wasn't sure what to do, since Gaara's brother and sister didn't know she was even there. She dressed anyway, then decided to go downstairs to see if anyone was awake.
She opened her door slowly, then stepped out on tiptoes as she closed it behind her. She sneaked to the stairs, and was about to walk down when she heard a door open in the hall behind her. Pretty soon she was face to face with a very drowsy looking Temari, who had a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.
Temari squinted a little since sleep still clouded her vision. That wasn't Kankuro... or Gaara... then who was it? Something clicked in her head, and her eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise.
"Hey!" she yelled as she pointed at Kitai accusingly, "Who the hell are you?! And what are you doing in my house?!" A few awkwardly silent seconds went by as the two girls just stared at each other, Temari's finger still pointed at Kitai. Then another door opened behind them.
"You!?" Kankuro had stepped out in his pajamas, carrying Karasu with him, "How'd you get in here?!" Kitai waved her hands in front of her, really not wanting to fight either of them, but not knowing what to say.
"I let her in," Gaara had appeared behind them. Temari and Kankuro looked at him in shock, "She's a friend. I hope it's ok... Do you think she can stay for a while?" Gaara gave his siblings his usual stoic look, as Tamari and Kankuro looked at each other in apparent surprise. Kankuro put down Karasu.
"Well," Tamari looked at Kitai, then back at Gaara, "I guess it's ok..."
"Y-yeah," Kankuro followed Tamari's lead, "Um, It's not like we don't have enough room..." Gaara let out a mental sigh of relief as Kitai let out a clearly audible one.
"Thank you," Kitai bowed, "I promise I won't be too much trouble." Kankuro and Tamari nodded nervously. They never thought their brother would actually invite a friend in (they didn't even know he had any), and then ask permission.
Everyone stood around for a while. Then Gaara walked passed everyone towards the stairs. Kitai shrugged, then followed him after a final glance at Tamari and Kankuro. Tamari and Kankuro just stood dumbfounded for a while.
"I'm going back to bed," mumbled Kankuro with a shrug. Tamari yawned, then also stepped back into her room.
"Sorry for the trouble," Kitai said as they both ate breakfast. Gaara shrugged and remained silent. "So what're you gonna do today?"
"I don't know," Gaara shrugged again.
"Wel-l-l," Kitai replied thoughtfully, "Don't you usually train?"
"I...haven't considered it."
"Shouldn't you be trying to get stronger?" Another shrug from Gaara made Kitai give out an exasperated sigh.
"There's no one for me to train with..." he responded.
"Lucky for you," Kitai beamed, "I'm here! Come on!" She nearly flew out of her chair and took Gaara by the wrist. She gently pulled him from his chair.
"You've gotta get strong," she said enthusiastically, "After all, you are Gaara of the Desert." Gaara let out an almost invisible smile as he let her lead him outside.
"I don't believe it..." Kankuro muttered as he and Tamari watched the whole episode from the stairs.
"Hey," Tamari giggled, "She can stay for as long as she wants, as long as she keeps Gaara happy and out of our hair."
"So," Kitai said as she and Gaara were standing by a large cliff, some ways out side the village. "You've gotta work on your defense."
"My defense?" Gaara looked confused, "But that's the best thing I'm good at."
"Well, yeah. But before you didn't have to think about protecting yourself, since the sand did it for you. Now you're gonna have to build up the reflexes to actually know when you have to put up a wall of sand." Gaara nodded and Kitai grinned. She bent down and picked up a few stones. "We're gonna do a simple exercise. With the help of some bunshin, I'll surround you and throw some pebbles at you (not too hard, though). You have to try and block as many as you can. Got it?" Gaara nodded again. "Good! Oh, and... er... please don't try to attack me with the sand, ok?" Gaara nodded again as he walked a ways off. "Ok, here we go! Bunshin no jutsu!"
Ten different Kitai's appeared, all holding a small pile of pebbles. They quickly surrounded Gaara as he prepared himself and the sand around him began to move.
"This sucks! Since the whole mission was a failure, no one's trusting us for any other missions anymore!" Temari exclaimed to Kankuro. They were both sitting in their home, finally back to Sand village after the whole fiasco with Orochimaru.
"And that bastard Orochimaru," said Kankuro through gritted teeth, "He pretended to be our father, and now Kazekage-sama is probably dead..." They both sat silently for a while.
"Well," sighed Temari, "It's not like we had a very loving or involved father, and our mother died with Gaara's birth. I guess we're finally on our own."
"Yeah... I guess I can live with that..."
Gaara listened silently as his siblings discussed what they should do, but soon he got bored and headed outside. He was glad to be back in the desert, although he didn't think he would miss it when he left to the Leaf.
Everything seemed so different to him, now that the Sand Shuukaku was gone. Naruto proved to him that strength from love was stronger than his strength from hate. He had been trying not to hurt so many people; he had even stopped glaring so much. But, it would still be a while before he could truly reveal himself... to anyone... especially to his brother and sister.
Gaara jumped up onto the roof of the house and sat down. The sunset looked like a swirl of so many different colors, with one main source in the middle. Really, it was how he felt now. So many different emotions were unfurling within him, that he felt so confused. He really didn't understand half of the things that when through his head now and sometimes considered them too much of a bother. Was getting rid of the Shuukaku really a good thing?
Gaara closed his eyes. He was looking forward to another night of sleep. Sleep and dreams. He never thought he would ever dream. That was definitely an upside. He slowly drew in the desert air. As he lay motionless, he heard a thump near him, and realized that someone had jumped onto the roof.
"Hiya!" Kitai exclaimed happily as Gaara jumped back in surprise.
"You!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"
"Well," said Kitai, looking and feeling a bit deflated, "I just felt like leaving Leaf for a while, so I thought I'd come see you. But if you really want me to leave..." She turned to go sadly, and Gaara realized that he actually felt bad for disappointing her.
"Wait..." Gaara avoided her eyes and looked to the side, "If you really want to... you can sit down." She didn't say anything, and he figured that she would leave. But she actually sat down by him and faced the sunset. They sat in silence for a while as they watched the kaleidoscope of colors before them.
"You," she said thoughtfully, "You look different..." Gaara looked up at her, clearly showing mild surprise in his face.
"I know what it is!" she exclaimed, "Your face!" Gaara touched his face, feeling slightly confused, not thinking there was anything different with it.
"Before," she continued, "you looked like you were wearing a mask. A mask so tense that I thought your face would crack and shatter into a million pieces. But now, it looks so relaxed. Did you get something back that you had lost in your fight with Naruto?" Gaara held in a grin. Once again, she had already figured out what made him tick, just by looking at him.
"I..." he said slowly, "I guess so. Naruto... he got rid of the demon that was within me."
"He killed the Shuukaku?" Gaara nodded.
"Now, I can still control sand, but it's not automatic anymore. I can't tell if I feel weaker... or stronger..." Kitai looked at him thoughtfully. Then she quickly pinched his arm. Gaara gave a small yelp, not being used to feeling pain so instantaneously.
"Wha...?" he didn't understand why she would hurt him. He looked up at her, and realized that she was smiling.
"See?" she said grinning, "Not all pain is bad. Some lets you know that you're alive. Since you never felt pain, you resorted to causing others pain. Seeing them in anguish replaced the pain that you would never feel, so it made you feel like you were alive. But really... it was just a lie to yourself. Now, you're gonna have to work for the strength that you took for granted. And it's gonna take sweat and blood. But, I think, it'll be worth it."
"Sweat and blood?" Gaara looked a little nervous. Kitai looked at him and grinned.
"Relax!" she laughed, "It's a figure of speech. It just means it'll take a lot of hard work, that's all!" Gaara hid his embarrassment as Kitai shook her head smiling.
"Well," Kitai looked at the receding sun, "It's getting late. I should go."
"You're leaving?" Gaara looked up at her as she stood.
"I've gotta find a place to stay...er... Do you know if there are any inn's in this village?" Kitai scratched the back of her head as perspiration mounted on her forehead.
"I don't know," Gaara responded simply, "I never really bothered to notice... You know, if you want... um... you can stay here... I mean, we've got a lot of spare rooms... and you wouldn't have to stay at a hotel and pay or anything..." Gaara shrugged as he got up.
"Well..." A grin slowly spread across her face, "I guess if it's not too much trouble... And if your friends don't mind me imposing or anything..."
"Friends? Oh, you mean Temari and Kankuro. No, they're my siblings," Gaara turned around, "Come on, I'll show you where you can stay."
"Siblings?" Kitai muttered to herself as she followed Gaara, "Didn't see that one coming..."
"I'm sorry," Kitai was muttering in her sleep as she turned in bed, "I don't know what to do...Mother... Father..." Her eyes opened slowly, and she realized for the hundredth time, that it was just a dream. She sighed and got up, then realized that she didn't recognize the room she was staying in. No, wait, she remembered. This was the room that Gaara said she could stay in. She was actually surprised at how nice it was. It even had its own bathroom...
Speaking of which... Kitai got up and used the restroom. When she emerged, she looked around and found a clock. Six thirty. She wondered if Gaara was up yet. She wasn't sure what to do, since Gaara's brother and sister didn't know she was even there. She dressed anyway, then decided to go downstairs to see if anyone was awake.
She opened her door slowly, then stepped out on tiptoes as she closed it behind her. She sneaked to the stairs, and was about to walk down when she heard a door open in the hall behind her. Pretty soon she was face to face with a very drowsy looking Temari, who had a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.
Temari squinted a little since sleep still clouded her vision. That wasn't Kankuro... or Gaara... then who was it? Something clicked in her head, and her eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise.
"Hey!" she yelled as she pointed at Kitai accusingly, "Who the hell are you?! And what are you doing in my house?!" A few awkwardly silent seconds went by as the two girls just stared at each other, Temari's finger still pointed at Kitai. Then another door opened behind them.
"You!?" Kankuro had stepped out in his pajamas, carrying Karasu with him, "How'd you get in here?!" Kitai waved her hands in front of her, really not wanting to fight either of them, but not knowing what to say.
"I let her in," Gaara had appeared behind them. Temari and Kankuro looked at him in shock, "She's a friend. I hope it's ok... Do you think she can stay for a while?" Gaara gave his siblings his usual stoic look, as Tamari and Kankuro looked at each other in apparent surprise. Kankuro put down Karasu.
"Well," Tamari looked at Kitai, then back at Gaara, "I guess it's ok..."
"Y-yeah," Kankuro followed Tamari's lead, "Um, It's not like we don't have enough room..." Gaara let out a mental sigh of relief as Kitai let out a clearly audible one.
"Thank you," Kitai bowed, "I promise I won't be too much trouble." Kankuro and Tamari nodded nervously. They never thought their brother would actually invite a friend in (they didn't even know he had any), and then ask permission.
Everyone stood around for a while. Then Gaara walked passed everyone towards the stairs. Kitai shrugged, then followed him after a final glance at Tamari and Kankuro. Tamari and Kankuro just stood dumbfounded for a while.
"I'm going back to bed," mumbled Kankuro with a shrug. Tamari yawned, then also stepped back into her room.
"Sorry for the trouble," Kitai said as they both ate breakfast. Gaara shrugged and remained silent. "So what're you gonna do today?"
"I don't know," Gaara shrugged again.
"Wel-l-l," Kitai replied thoughtfully, "Don't you usually train?"
"I...haven't considered it."
"Shouldn't you be trying to get stronger?" Another shrug from Gaara made Kitai give out an exasperated sigh.
"There's no one for me to train with..." he responded.
"Lucky for you," Kitai beamed, "I'm here! Come on!" She nearly flew out of her chair and took Gaara by the wrist. She gently pulled him from his chair.
"You've gotta get strong," she said enthusiastically, "After all, you are Gaara of the Desert." Gaara let out an almost invisible smile as he let her lead him outside.
"I don't believe it..." Kankuro muttered as he and Tamari watched the whole episode from the stairs.
"Hey," Tamari giggled, "She can stay for as long as she wants, as long as she keeps Gaara happy and out of our hair."
"So," Kitai said as she and Gaara were standing by a large cliff, some ways out side the village. "You've gotta work on your defense."
"My defense?" Gaara looked confused, "But that's the best thing I'm good at."
"Well, yeah. But before you didn't have to think about protecting yourself, since the sand did it for you. Now you're gonna have to build up the reflexes to actually know when you have to put up a wall of sand." Gaara nodded and Kitai grinned. She bent down and picked up a few stones. "We're gonna do a simple exercise. With the help of some bunshin, I'll surround you and throw some pebbles at you (not too hard, though). You have to try and block as many as you can. Got it?" Gaara nodded again. "Good! Oh, and... er... please don't try to attack me with the sand, ok?" Gaara nodded again as he walked a ways off. "Ok, here we go! Bunshin no jutsu!"
Ten different Kitai's appeared, all holding a small pile of pebbles. They quickly surrounded Gaara as he prepared himself and the sand around him began to move.