Specific information about this chapter:

In this chapter, I introduce one of my own characters. His name is "Karasu". Since some of you don't know, "Karasu" means "Crow" in Japanese. This information might be useful later on. Finally, I would like to thank all of those who reviewed my work. It encourages me a lot.

The Storm Within the Heart

"Gaara ! Come on, answer me ! " Yashamaru exclaimed in a happy tone. Silence was the only reply he received.

Gaara had a large smile painted on his face. He sighed in relief as he realized the outcome of the encounter. He had achieved victory once more. This duel against his most feared foe demanded even more strength than the previous one. The young boy had even considered surrendering at a specific point in the match but now that the goal was in sight, he was proud of himself. He had succeeded in staying up all night again. The bright morning light filling his room was a sure proof of it.

"Gaara ? You must get ready to go to school. " Yashamaru insisted while knocking on his bedroom's door.

Gaara rolled over onto his side and gazed out the window. He rubbed his emerald eyes intensely as if he was trying to convince himself that he had just woken up. Days and nights were equivalent realities in the kid's opinion ; He only had to fight harder to stay awake when it was dark outside. Since Gaara felt even more lonely at times like these, he often spent his nights gazing at the sky, trying to see though the thick curtain of stars, in the hope of finding a friend somewhere behind what could be seen. This had never occurred though.

His bedroom's wooden door let out a loud shriek of pain as it burst open. An impatient Yashamaru stood in the doorway.

"Gaara, would you at least care to answer me next time ? "

"I'm sorry. " He replied in an awfully shy tone. "I was daydreaming and I don't want to go today."

Yashamaru frowned as he walked into the room. He sat down on Gaara's small bed and smiled slightly.

"I know. I didn't like it either but now I appreciate being a Sand ninja. You will too, later. In life, we often have to do things that we don't like first in other to gain some privileges. Do you understand that?"

"Uncle, I like school..."

"Then what's the problem?" Yashamaru interrupted him.

"The people at school! I don't want to see them anymore ! I never want to see them again, never ever!" Young Gaara shook his head violently to emphasize the effect.

"You started your studies a month ago. Give it time! I'm sure you'll make friends soon!"

Gaara tried to make up countless excuses to stay home from school. Apparently, his babbling was not good enough for Yashamaru because he was standing in front of his house, wearing a light sweater, lunchbox in hand, only a few minutes later. He started walking towards his school, hugging it as if it was a stuffed animal.

"I'm sacred of those people. They scare me even more than my bad dreams." He pondered to himself. The red-haired kid shivered as a somewhat cool October breeze caressed his face. He was still glad to be cold because he hated the usual desert heat.

Gaara tightened his grip on the small bag he was holding and hastened his steps. The sight of his school made him smirk. It was a good place to find warmth or coolness, depending on the temperature outside. He knew he could not hope to find warm students in the tall building, though.

The first thing Gaara noticed was that there was nobody outside. He had to make a considerable effort to open the large school door. The boy hurriedly entered and looked at the clock on the wall. He was 15 minutes late.

Gaara ran down the hallway towards his classroom. He knocked discretely to get his teacher's attention and motioned for him to come over. The man fully clad in black frowned. His broad shoulders and slim waist made him look like a top-shape athlete. The long ebony hair cascading loosely down his back was similar to a river of dark feathers.

"Mister Karasu, I promise I will not be late again." Gaara told him before he had the time to say anything.

"I will not accept that attitude anymore, lad. Understood?" He said, angrily.

Gaara bowed his head in order to avoid meeting his teacher's gaze. His pupil-less and iris-less white eyes were scary in the first place. He did not wish to see what they looked like when he was mad.

"Give me that lunch bag. I will go put it with the others and hurry up, get in there ! "

Whispers intensified as Gaara walked in, staring at the floor. He sank into the nearest free chair, wishing he could instantly vanish. Silence once again ruled the room when the teacher came back. Gaara eventually began to feel better. That day's lesson interested him more than usual and it took his attention away from reality for a while.

When the bell indicating recess time rang, he slowly made his way to the door. A kid stretched out his leg in order to make Gaara trip. The poor child never noticed it and fell down. Most of the students burst into laughter. The boy felt physical pain traveling down his spine and emotional pain welling up in his eyes. He went out of the room as fast as his feet could take him.

Raindrops uncontrollably rolled down the sandy surface forming Gaara's cheeks. His unusual skin avidly absorbed the watery substance. He sat down on the old swing in the school's backyard, trembling in sadness. The feeling of a warm hand on his back surprised him.

Storms only occur once in a while in the desert but in Gaara's case, they are simply part of his everyday life...