A/N: Ah, sorry reviewers! My computer's hard-drive got busted…so we had to wait for another one…anyway! Glad to know I got some new reviewers: The Shapshifting Chick and Original Inuyasha . Now…back to the story…
(Also…I've noticed that sometimes my story leaves lines out or sticks words together…I'm trying to fix that so bear with me!)
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Seeing Sunome running away, Gaara tried to run anever expected this to happen. He had thought only a simple life, going from village to village. Money wasn't a problem, seeing as he had some, and if that ran out….he could always obtain it from other people. Although he would remain a loner, an outsider, at least he could escape those faces of hatred that he despised so much.
Sighing, he finally reached the young girl's house. Although he didn't want to see Sunome, another part of him did. As he reached Sunome's room, the door was closed. He hesitated; he was unsure of the consequences that awaited him, if he opened the door. He didn't like the emotions and thoughts he was feeling, so he opened the doolage to village. Money wasn't a problem, seeing as he had some, and if that ran out….he could always obtain it from other people. Although he would remain a loner, an outsider, at least he could escape those faces of hatred that he despised so much.
Sighing, he finally reached the young girl's house. Although he didn't want to see Sunome, another part of him did. As he reached Sunome's room, the door was closed. He hesitated; he was unsure of the consequences that awaited him, if he opened the door. He didn't like the emotions and thoughts he was feeling, so he opened the door anyway. Walking in, he was greeted by a scream.
"Get out!" screamed Sunome. Slightly stunned, Gaara saw Sunome on her bed. She was facing away from him, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her shoulders were shaking, meaning she was silently crying. Gaara was unsure about his situation; he had never seen another human cry. So, he turned away, deciding to find another open room to rest in.
"I'm sorry," Sunome said, stopping Gaara from leaving.
"I didn't….mean to hurt you…" she quietly said. Turning, she looked at Gaara, her eyes wet from tears, which were still streaming down.
Seeing the cloth, pathetically wrapped around his stomach wound, she sniffed, and then gave a weak smile.
"Did you wrap that yourself?" she asked.
Gaara nodded, as she took out a medical kit from the bottom of her bed. After she unknotted the dirty cloth, she raised his shirt slightly. Applying herbal medicine, she then rewrapped a cleaner cloth to the gash.
"There," she smiled. Returning to her bed, she looked out the window, which was directly above her bed.
"I know you don't know how it feels to see the faces of people who hate you….who detest you," she said, continuing to glance at the window. "You think they're happy for me, with those smiling faces, but they're not. They can't shield their eyes, and their eyes tell me they hate me…that they want nothing more with me."
She smiled weakly, before looking at him again. "I didn't mean to run away from you…but, seeing you there….reminded me of my mother."
"You see, my sister…Kita, was unstable the moment she turned eight. She grew out of control, and killed many villagers. After she killed our father, my mother decided something was to be done. The villagers wanted her dead, but my mother disagreed. She still had a soft spot for her eldest daughter. So, she sealed her in me, thinking both of us would be safe."
Gaara listened, his arms crossed. He did notice the hated look of the villagers, but had paid no attention to them. After all, it had nothing to do with him.
"But even though Kita wasn't physically here, mentally, she was to me. I could hear her thoughts and she was always angry. She was angry that mother had sealed her, that she was useless now. I tried telling her that mother saved her, that she would have been dead if not for her. She wouldn't hear it though, and one day, my mother and I got into an argument. We didn't know that if I was angry enough, I could release Kita. She killed mother as soon as she laid eyes on her. When I regained conscious, mother was lying on the floor, bleeding. She was barely alive, and I….I tried so hard to save her. She tried to say something, but there was too much blood in her mouth…and then…and then, she was gone. And there was blood everywhere….on the floor, my hands, my clothes….it was everywhere. I didn't know what to do next….so I cried…"
As tears glistened on her cheeks, she smiled sadly. Then said, "When I hugged my lifeless mother, I promised her I wouldn't get upset or angry anymore…that I wouldn't lose control."
More tears fell onto her cheeks, and Sunome began crying once again. Suddenly, she flung herself onto Gaara, and both of them went down.
"I'm so sorry….I promised her…." she cried as she sobbed on Gaara's clothes. She was sprawled on his lap, after they fell against the wall. Gaara just sat there, as she cried more and more. Later on, her crying ceased and Gaara could hear her breathing; she had cried herself to sleep. As Sunome slept, still clutching Gaara's clothes, Gaara decided to rest as well, not wanting to wake the sleeping form.
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When Gaara regained his chakra, he gently pushed Sunome away. Deciding leaving her sprawled on the floor a bad idea, he picked her up and laid her on the bed. Walking out, of the house, he went back to the hill, where he had battled Kita, to practice his offense and defense attacks. After he was tired, he sat on the soft grass, and gazed at the village below. Since it was still early in the morning, the village stood quiet; no bustling of villagers buying food and supplies, or talking amongst each other. As he enjoyed the soft breeze and silence, he heard someone coming behind. Quickly, he wrapped his sand around the enemy, tightening its grip. Finding out it to be Sunome, he dropped the sand, as Sunome rubbed her arms.
"Bad habits die hard?" she asked, giving a nervous chuckle. Gaara just stood, staring at her.
"Ummm...I thought you might be hungry, so if you want, come down at my place," she said, avoiding his eyes. He nodded.
"Great," she said, flashing him a smile, it'll be ready in a couple minutes. Come down whenever you like."
Running down the hill, she raced back to her house, so breakfast would be ready in time. Gaara, on the other hand, also headed back, but took his time in doing so. When stepped inside Sunome's kitchen, she was fumbling with her cooking ware.
"Uh, this is going to take some time…if you'd like, you can take a shower, which is to your left. Or you can hang out in my room," she said, now grabbing numerous food items.
Gaara thought it best to take a shower, since he had just finished his training. Walking to his left, he closed the door and turned the hot water on. When he had finished showering, he smelled bacon, ham, and eggs. Going back to the kitchen, he saw Sunome seated in a chair.
"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made ham, eggs, and bacon. I hope you like it," she said.
Taking a seat, opposite to Sunome's, he took some ham and eggs. When he had finished, he drank the orange juice Sunome had poured him. As he waited for Sunome to finish, he felt a pleasant feeling. He had never eaten with anyone, aside from Yashamaru, who proved to be a traitor. As Sunome gulped the last of her bacon, she looked at Gaara, who was staring back at her.
Remembering the conversation they had earlier, she suddenly asked, "Want to take a walk?" She didn't want to talk about it here; memories would resurface if she talked about it…especially in the village.
Gaara blinked, and then nodded. Smiling, she jumped out of her seat, whereas Gaara just stood, and both walked out of the house. When they walked out of the village, the ground was only of sand. Although the wind was caressing, the sun was hot and boiling. This didn't seem to bother Gaara, or even Sunome. They both walked in silence, going farther into the desert.
Finally, Sunome couldn't handle the eerie silence any longer and was about to speak. But Gaara had stopped walking and looked off into the distance. Sunome closed her mouth, and then copied Gaara, squinting to see what had caught his eyes. There in the distance, was a woman. She was face down, so Sunome couldn't see her face. The woman seemed to be dead, perhaps from dehydration.
Nearing the lady, they found her body full of cuts, wounds, and bruises. Luckily, the woman was only unconscious. Although in a near death situation, with some care, she would live. As Gaara turned her face up, Sunome saw him widen his eyes.
Squatting next to him, she asked, "Do you know this woman?"
Gaara just looked at the sleeping teenager, her face full of bruises. Though her face was hardly distinguishable, he knew who she was.
He nodded, and then said, "Her name is Temari, my eldest sister."
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A/N: Ok! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter….hope it wasn't too boring. Anyway sorry for the late update….please forgive me. Other than that, thank you reviewers for reviewing! You have made me super happy and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
