Chapter 3: Bad Ramen Men and Nightmares
"Man, I'm beat!" Kitai exclaimed as she attempted to regain her breath, "You've gotten so much better that it's unthinkable!" A small grin escaped Gaara as he also tried to catch his breath.
It had only been a week since Kitai had come to the sand village, but in that time, she had really warmed up to Gaara. Sure, he was a die hard stoic sometimes, but when he did show emotions, he looked like a totally different person. Just like right now.
"Hey, turn around," Kitai told Gaara. He did so awkwardly. She put her back against his, "Now, sit down." They both slumped down to the ground. "There! Now just lean against my back and I'll lean on yours..." They sat in silence for a while.
"I feel pretty tired too," said Gaara happily after a short period of silence, "It's weird, though, since I never used to get tired."
"Welcome to the real world," Kitai grinned, "Anyways, we should head back."
"But what about training and getting better?"
"Seven days of training isn't enough for you??"
"..."
"Training is good, but if you overdo it you might get hurt," she laughed as she got up. "Come on." She smiled at him and held out her hand. He gladly took it and got up.
"All right," Gaara silently surrendered, "I guess a break won't be so bad."
"That's the spirit!" Kitai started marching happily towards the village, "Let's move out!"
Kitai and Gaara stood in a busy street in the village, looking at all the different shops.
"What should we eat?" asked Gaara.
"Hmm, how about some ramen?" she replied happily, "It's been a long time since I've had some." They both walked towards the little shop.
"What kind do you want?" asked Kitai as she walked in. Gaara shrugged. "Plain? Beef? Miso?"
"... Plain," said Gaara after he thought for a while. Kitai was about to order when the man behind the counter looked up and saw Gaara. He suddenly became paralyzed with terror.
"Um, sir?" Kitai waved her hand in front of his face, "Hello?"
"G-Gaara-sama... I didn't think you'd c-come here," he stuttered. Gaara glared at the man with clenched fists. Kitai saw his reaction. She grabbed his wrist to stop him from attacking.
"Hey!" she yelled at the ramen man as she stood in front of Gaara, "Are you gonna take our orders or not?? What kind of service is this?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" the man was near hysteria, "What'll you have?"
"Plain and miso," she muttered, "To go."
A while later Gaara and Kitai were sitting on the roof of Gaara's house. Gaara seemed to have lost his appetite, since he only looked at his ramen. He had his stoic mask back on. Kitai ate slowly in silence.
"It's so much better here," she said in a near whisper, "It's more peaceful." Gaara nodded, then slurped up a little ramen.
"I'm sorry..." she really did whisper it this time, "I didn't think people reacted to you like that..." Gaara's eyes moved to the cliffs that surrounded the village.
"That's how it's always been," he muttered, "They just know me as Gaara the monster." Kitai remained silent for a while as he quietly ate his ramen. He looked at her. "You should have let me kill him."
"It's strange," she said thoughtfully, "How people can be so strange. They judge others so easily and readily. But, really, if you take away our nationality, family line, or jutsus, we're all just humans. We all have made the same mistakes, and all felt pain, sadness, and happiness. You can't kill or hate someone just because they made a human error."
"Tell that to them. That's why I never really go into the village, because I always get strange looks from them. They're the ones that act like monsters." His body shook with frustration. He gripped his chopsticks so tightly that they actually snapped. But he didn't notice. He did notice, however, when Kitai put her hand over his clenched fist. He looked up at her in surprise.
"You don't have to worry about them," she smiled, "Even though we are all humans, we can't deny that we are different. Some people may not accept your differences, so you just have to ignore them. Find people that accept you for who you are, and you'll realize that everyone else's opinion doesn't matter."
"But," for the first time Kitai heard sadness in his voice, "You're the only person I know... who doesn't call me a monster, or look at me angrily..." Kitai handed him one of her chopsticks.
"And one's ok!" she smiled happily, "It's the same for me... really." He gingerly took the chopstick and put down the other broken ones. Kitai stuck her single chopstick into her ramen, and actually managed to get some to reach her mouth. She slurped happily, then grinned at Gaara with a full mouth.
"Yeah," said Gaara as he also stabbed his ramen with his chopstick, "One is enough."
It was a dark night. Someone was walking down the hall silently. They stopped in front of a door, and opened it stealthily. There was a figure sleeping soundly across the room. The door was shut and steps were made towards the bed. A hand reached out menacingly towards Kitai.
"Kitai, Kitai..." the hand gently shook Kitai awake. She sat up in surprise, and after rubbing her eyes they adjusted to the light, she realized who it was.
"Oh, Gaara," she said sleepily, "What's wrong?" She could see his worried eyes in the half light.
"I don't know..." he said, "I had a dream... except... it was bad... I thought... you could help..." He looked at the ground.
"It's ok, Gaara," smiled Kitai, "It was just a nightmare. People have them all the time."
"Then... what do they do to feel better? Don't they get scared?" He was still looking at the ground. Kitai smiled warmly. So this was the Gaara without the cool exterior. The Gaara behind the mask.
"Here," she said as she scooted over on her bed and opened the covers, "Hop in." Gaara looked slightly taken aback.
"I don't know why," Kitai explained, "But being with others always helps a nightmare pass." Gaara gingerly got into the covers and lay down.
"Hey!" Kitai laughed, "You're hogging the pillow!"
"Oh, sorry," said Gaara as he adjusted himself.
"Here..." She turned to her side, then lay her head on his shoulder, putting her arm on his chest. "There. You make a much better pillow anyways." Gaara had never been this close to another person before...
"Hey, Kitai?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"Hmm?" she responded drowsily.
"Do you have nightmares?"
"Of course."
"What... are they about?"
"My family... and their last days in this world..."
"Do you miss them?"
"Yeah, but... not as much as I used to... because I've got you."
Gaara eyes widened. He looked at her, and realized that she was already sleeping soundly. Did she consider him her precious person? Was it even possible for him to receive love? He could hear what Kitai would say to this question. Hey, anything's possible! A smile crept onto his face so slowly that Gaara didn't notice it until it was already there. He began to feel sleepy, and his eyes slowly closed. Soon they were both quiet with sleep, each visiting their dreams, which were anything but bad.
"Man, I'm beat!" Kitai exclaimed as she attempted to regain her breath, "You've gotten so much better that it's unthinkable!" A small grin escaped Gaara as he also tried to catch his breath.
It had only been a week since Kitai had come to the sand village, but in that time, she had really warmed up to Gaara. Sure, he was a die hard stoic sometimes, but when he did show emotions, he looked like a totally different person. Just like right now.
"Hey, turn around," Kitai told Gaara. He did so awkwardly. She put her back against his, "Now, sit down." They both slumped down to the ground. "There! Now just lean against my back and I'll lean on yours..." They sat in silence for a while.
"I feel pretty tired too," said Gaara happily after a short period of silence, "It's weird, though, since I never used to get tired."
"Welcome to the real world," Kitai grinned, "Anyways, we should head back."
"But what about training and getting better?"
"Seven days of training isn't enough for you??"
"..."
"Training is good, but if you overdo it you might get hurt," she laughed as she got up. "Come on." She smiled at him and held out her hand. He gladly took it and got up.
"All right," Gaara silently surrendered, "I guess a break won't be so bad."
"That's the spirit!" Kitai started marching happily towards the village, "Let's move out!"
Kitai and Gaara stood in a busy street in the village, looking at all the different shops.
"What should we eat?" asked Gaara.
"Hmm, how about some ramen?" she replied happily, "It's been a long time since I've had some." They both walked towards the little shop.
"What kind do you want?" asked Kitai as she walked in. Gaara shrugged. "Plain? Beef? Miso?"
"... Plain," said Gaara after he thought for a while. Kitai was about to order when the man behind the counter looked up and saw Gaara. He suddenly became paralyzed with terror.
"Um, sir?" Kitai waved her hand in front of his face, "Hello?"
"G-Gaara-sama... I didn't think you'd c-come here," he stuttered. Gaara glared at the man with clenched fists. Kitai saw his reaction. She grabbed his wrist to stop him from attacking.
"Hey!" she yelled at the ramen man as she stood in front of Gaara, "Are you gonna take our orders or not?? What kind of service is this?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" the man was near hysteria, "What'll you have?"
"Plain and miso," she muttered, "To go."
A while later Gaara and Kitai were sitting on the roof of Gaara's house. Gaara seemed to have lost his appetite, since he only looked at his ramen. He had his stoic mask back on. Kitai ate slowly in silence.
"It's so much better here," she said in a near whisper, "It's more peaceful." Gaara nodded, then slurped up a little ramen.
"I'm sorry..." she really did whisper it this time, "I didn't think people reacted to you like that..." Gaara's eyes moved to the cliffs that surrounded the village.
"That's how it's always been," he muttered, "They just know me as Gaara the monster." Kitai remained silent for a while as he quietly ate his ramen. He looked at her. "You should have let me kill him."
"It's strange," she said thoughtfully, "How people can be so strange. They judge others so easily and readily. But, really, if you take away our nationality, family line, or jutsus, we're all just humans. We all have made the same mistakes, and all felt pain, sadness, and happiness. You can't kill or hate someone just because they made a human error."
"Tell that to them. That's why I never really go into the village, because I always get strange looks from them. They're the ones that act like monsters." His body shook with frustration. He gripped his chopsticks so tightly that they actually snapped. But he didn't notice. He did notice, however, when Kitai put her hand over his clenched fist. He looked up at her in surprise.
"You don't have to worry about them," she smiled, "Even though we are all humans, we can't deny that we are different. Some people may not accept your differences, so you just have to ignore them. Find people that accept you for who you are, and you'll realize that everyone else's opinion doesn't matter."
"But," for the first time Kitai heard sadness in his voice, "You're the only person I know... who doesn't call me a monster, or look at me angrily..." Kitai handed him one of her chopsticks.
"And one's ok!" she smiled happily, "It's the same for me... really." He gingerly took the chopstick and put down the other broken ones. Kitai stuck her single chopstick into her ramen, and actually managed to get some to reach her mouth. She slurped happily, then grinned at Gaara with a full mouth.
"Yeah," said Gaara as he also stabbed his ramen with his chopstick, "One is enough."
It was a dark night. Someone was walking down the hall silently. They stopped in front of a door, and opened it stealthily. There was a figure sleeping soundly across the room. The door was shut and steps were made towards the bed. A hand reached out menacingly towards Kitai.
"Kitai, Kitai..." the hand gently shook Kitai awake. She sat up in surprise, and after rubbing her eyes they adjusted to the light, she realized who it was.
"Oh, Gaara," she said sleepily, "What's wrong?" She could see his worried eyes in the half light.
"I don't know..." he said, "I had a dream... except... it was bad... I thought... you could help..." He looked at the ground.
"It's ok, Gaara," smiled Kitai, "It was just a nightmare. People have them all the time."
"Then... what do they do to feel better? Don't they get scared?" He was still looking at the ground. Kitai smiled warmly. So this was the Gaara without the cool exterior. The Gaara behind the mask.
"Here," she said as she scooted over on her bed and opened the covers, "Hop in." Gaara looked slightly taken aback.
"I don't know why," Kitai explained, "But being with others always helps a nightmare pass." Gaara gingerly got into the covers and lay down.
"Hey!" Kitai laughed, "You're hogging the pillow!"
"Oh, sorry," said Gaara as he adjusted himself.
"Here..." She turned to her side, then lay her head on his shoulder, putting her arm on his chest. "There. You make a much better pillow anyways." Gaara had never been this close to another person before...
"Hey, Kitai?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"Hmm?" she responded drowsily.
"Do you have nightmares?"
"Of course."
"What... are they about?"
"My family... and their last days in this world..."
"Do you miss them?"
"Yeah, but... not as much as I used to... because I've got you."
Gaara eyes widened. He looked at her, and realized that she was already sleeping soundly. Did she consider him her precious person? Was it even possible for him to receive love? He could hear what Kitai would say to this question. Hey, anything's possible! A smile crept onto his face so slowly that Gaara didn't notice it until it was already there. He began to feel sleepy, and his eyes slowly closed. Soon they were both quiet with sleep, each visiting their dreams, which were anything but bad.