-6-

Tired Eyes

"Alright, Aisa, come here for a second." A voice stopped me as I attempted to walk past the kitchen and head upstairs to my room, like I did everyday. Turning, I saw my mother leaning against the door frame, with an odd look on her face. She wasn't smirking or smiling, she wasn't frowning or snarling..so I didn't know what she was thinking.

I followed her into he kitchen and from there to the attached dining room. Papa was on a low key mission, and Takeo was at the hospital for rehabilitation. So...I was alone. With my mom.

Maybe she decided to kill me?

She noticed the expression on my face and laughed before pointing to the seat across from the one she had claimed. Ducking my head, I sat on the chair, wondering what I had done now and what was going to happen to me because of it.

I was nearly positive she hadn't noticed me picking the lock to the sake cabinet.

"So..." I said after there was a long moment of silence.

"Shiit...Alright, you know that I'm not good at this feelings crap...that's your dad's department, and he can keep it...But..." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Listen...You're a messed up brat."

"Thanks." I said in a bland tone.

"Oh shut up...You're messed up, but not in the way everyone else seems to think. You aren't evil, or any of the shit they keep saying. You're just nuts...and too smart. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it'll probably help you when you get older but...I...I realize that I've been a total bitch."

"Yeah, you have been." I said, smirking, but also really...happy? Yeah. Happy. A weird feeling. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I felt...this. I was happy from time to time, like the time I got a twelve year old to piss himself...

"Brat...I haven't been a good mom, and I don't know if I can ever fix that...I'm not the motherly type...but, if...If anyone tries to hurt you, or do anything to you...you get your ass in this house and you tell me."

I blinked, and the smirk dropped. That wasn't really...expected.

"I'll handle it. Alright? I'll fix it...I'll fix THEM." The last bit came out as a growl, which amused me in a way, "Just...quite attacking them, got it?"

"What?" The happiness was recoiling like a burnt hand, and I could feel the warmth it gave crawl back into what ever crack it had come from...and the cold began to creep back in. Had it always been so cold in me?

Even my own mother thought I was hurting the others.

"Whaddya mean 'what'?"

"I mean, what? I let them beat the crap out of me. I don't fight back, I don't attack them!"

"Then who the hell is?"

"How the fuck should I know?!"

We both paused before our heads dropped and smacked on the dining room table with matching dull thuds.

"Alright...so...ya think it's Gaara?" Saki asked, lifting her head.

I lifted my own and frowned, "Maybe...I mean, their skin's been rubbed off...if might be him...but we aren't that close, or at least, I don't think we are. "

"So...someone else is beating the shit out of the people that beat the shit out of you? Fuck kid, you've got a guardian angel."

"I doubt it. If anything, they're gonna get me killed by the council. If everyone thinks it's me, which they do, then I'll be a threat to the citizens of Suna. An enemy of our village. Dead."

Saki shook her head, "Your father and I...we won't let that happen."

"Sometimes, I think that's the opposite of what you should do." And with that, I left the table and went to my room, so I could play on the rooftops.

I stood up from the sand and grinned at the boys who seemed so incredibly proud of what they'd done. You'd think people would have learnt by now that hurting me would get them killed. So far, twelve people had died because of me. It was kinda funny really. What the hell were these people thinking?

The boys darted off as soon as they saw me get to me feet. I laughed quietly as I started heading to the park. I wanted to go play on the swings or something...maybe I'd scare off a few people...sing a creepy song...something.

The street was crowded and noisy, but as I approached, one by one the people fell silent and scooted to the sides of the street, pressing themselves against the wall in terror.

I couldn't help the giggle that broke free. Some looked angry, but others seemed even more scared.

"Why are you all so scared?" I asked, tilting my head, "I'll only be scary if you want me to be."

They didn't respond...although some old guy did feel the need to spit on me.

"Sorry, mister pedophile, but I don't swap spit with older men." I called over my shoulder as I continued walking to the park, as though it hadn't disgusted me. I did have to congratulate myself for my response. 'Well...that was nasty.' I thought as I wiped the saliva off my cheek with the beige scarf I had taken to wearing to protect my self from the sand and harsh winds.

I got to the worn out playground that Daddy had taken me to from time to time, and sighed. I was ready for people to run off, but it seemed like none of the recognized me yet.

A little girl, who looked to be a year or so younger than me, came running over while her parents weren't looking. She gently tugged on my white shirt.

"Hey, hey!" She said in a cheerful tone, "You be fwends wit' Machiko-chan?"

I stared at her for a moment, but smiled in a way that wouldn't scare her off. It was a real smile. She'd get in trouble for talking to me but... "Yeah, I'll be Machiko-chan's friend."

I wasn't sure if Machiko was someone else, or if the kid was just speaking in third person...but she was too cute to say no to. She was like...a chibi fem!Naruto, with her little blond pig-tails and huge blue eyes.

"Yay! Machiko-chan happy now!" She giggled, "Machiko is thwee."

"Aisako is four." I said, "Now, Machiko-chan can't tell her parents that Aisa is her friend, got it?"

"Machiko-chan won't tell Mommy an' Daddy."

Aw...look at that; I just corrupted her for the first time.

"Good. Now, what does Machiko-chan wanna do?"

"Um...Machiko-chan wants to...play tag!" The girl said, before suddenly poking me in the cheek and running away.

"I'm 'It'...aren't I?" I asked myself before smiling and running after her.

TIME SKIP

It was my birthday. I wasn't sure what the exact date was, but it was the first birthday I had with my entire family. Dates never mattered to was it so important? I was already dead. As far as I was concerned, I couldn't really be late anymore. I think it was winter. It seemed cooler than usual. I was still sweaty and overheated, but it was more like the summer back at home. It was still hell, but not nearly as Hellish...if that made any sense at all.

No one mentioned it at the academy that day, or at least not to my face, although the teacher looked more depressed than usual, and he kept yelling at the other kids to 'shut up, I have a hangover,' 'run faster, 'cause the enemy won't let ya speed up again,' 'sit down before I chop off your legs,' and all kind of lovely things that I had grown to expect from my teacher since the academy year began. He also said something about this being a bad day.

It was great to know that even the day I was born was viewed as bad.

During the lunch break, the kids were louder. I took my lunch and I went to eat behind the building where I usually did, although I was alone today. Even Gaara was avoiding me. I wondered what it was like to be Naruto. I was old enough to handle it, but he was only four or five right now, right? How was he handling this? I bet he had it worse than I did.

"There she is..." I heard someone whisper. It didn't really narrow it down as to who was talking, since everyone I could see was whispering. They kept staring at me. More than usual, worse than usual. I supposed they did this every year, or they would. This was my first 'public' birthday. This was the first time I was anywhere but home on this day.

"My mom said that today's the day she was born."

"Really?"

"Yeah...ah! Look, she's looking around..."

"Do you think she can hear us?"

"Maybe...there's no telling what she can do."

"I wish I could have stayed home today..."

"Me too..."

I eventually found the pair who clearly failed the short unit we took on whispering quietly...and yes, they taught that. They were both girls from my class, but they looked to be about six or seven. Probably civilians from the way they seemed to be coated in baby fat and wearing clothing that was more pretty than functional. They were going through the princess phase, right? Seemed likely, if all the pink said anything.

Still, I didn't respond to them, and continued to look through the crowd. I spotted Gaara, or maybe it was just some other red head, wondering around the border of the academy's 'play ground'. You could hardly call it that. It was just a slab of stone covered in layers of sand, with the occasional training post jutting out.

I frowned, watching him walk off. He was more distant than usual. He didn't talk to me very much anymore. Well, he hadn't talked to me a lot before...but now it was obvious he didn't trust me. His Uncle probably got to him. It wasn't to say his Uncle was a bad guy...he was probably the nicest guy in the village, besides my dad, but he treated me like everyone else did...so he warned Gaara off.

Maybe I was wrong and someone else was telling him to stay away, or he decided I was too fucked up, even for him to be friends with me. What did it matter? The fact was that Gaara wasn't much of a friend anymore. Today was just another day for him to avoid me. I guess sometimes he was my friend again...he'd appear and help me home after someone beat me up, or he'd make a bridge for me to cross between houses when I snuck out and he happened to be around if the gap was too big for me to jump. And he sometimes let me borrow a pencil or a pen, since mine had a wonderful habit of getting snapped to pieces whenever I left the room...I didn't even have to ask him for one. He'd just roll one across the desk.

It kinda led me to hope that avoiding me wasn't his idea.

I stayed in my spot at the back of the building and ate my lunch as quickly as I could, so I could just get back to the classroom and maybe avoid having to let someone beat me up.

When class started again and Gaara took his seat, he made sure to sit by the window, and I made sure to sit by the aisle, so there was a seat in between us. I knew he wouldn't want to have me right beside him...or at least I hoped he didn't want me to sit beside him, even if I felt annoyingly alone sitting far from him. It wasn't like we talked a lot when I sat directly beside him.

When school got out I ran home. I guess the way people were looking at me was getting to me. They were a lot worse than usual.

When I got home, the house was brightly lit. Dad was wrapped up in ribbons and there were sparkles in his burgundy hair. Saki was throwing candles at a cake, from across the room, like it was some sort of target...and I was reminded that she had once been a ninja...poor cake got hit in all the vitals. I think. Takeo was trying to unwrap my dad, while trying to wrap a box, but from the way he kept jumping between re-wrapping dad, unwrapping him and then unwrapping my partially wrapped gift, I kinda got the impression he was getting mixed up.

They all froze when I walked in, and then there was a flurry of motion. Dad flexed his muscles and the ribbons snapped. Saki threw the last of the candles at the cake before she grabbed the cake and shoved it back into the fridge, before I could get a really good look at it. Takeo nearly tackled the gift as he raced to wrap the gift.

I tried to stop myself, but the entire scene was just...too much. I started gi- Laughing. I started laughing...because I do not giggle. Laughing...felt weird. Well, this kinda of laughter. I was so used to pushing out that unhinged, deranged laugh that actually laughing was awkward. I needed a new hobby besides making people cry.

Taiki squealed like a Sasuke Fangirl who'd just walked in on Sasuke having a shower, so it was needless to say that I was terrified and the bad mood I'd had for the day was completely eradicated. My father scooped me up like the child I was and danced around the room, shouting about how cute I was, and how sad he was to see that I was growing up.

Saki just laughed while I tried futilely to escape my dad's arms.

Takeo was kinda awkward at first He looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't think he belonged here, but Dad insisted he was here for it. He was sorta adopted after the exams. I wasn't sure what to think about having an older brother laying around. He seemed to be getting attached to me, which was weird, since I didn't really talk to him. Well, I did, but I never said anything important you know? He didn't have a clue who I really was. I was just a little kid that swore a lot and drew dead people flipping him off.

You know...that actually might just sum up who I am. A dead person throwing anyone who sees me the bird.

I think Takeo was more attached to the idea of me. I was a little girl that the other people picked on. He was my big brother, so that meant he should be protective, right?

Dad wasn't usually home for my birthday, he was always on missions somewhere, but this year Taiki actually managed to stay home. I guessed it was because the loss of most of his team left him pretty messed up for a bit. He was getting better though, so it was likely he'd be going on longer missions soon.

And Saki wasn't as heartless as I expected. I know she had planned to stop being a bitch...but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. It was like she flipped a switch in her head and decided to love her kid. It was kinda weird. Just a little...a lot.

We had ramen for dinner that night. It was the first time I'd tried it, and I wasn't sure I saw what Naruto did in it. It just wasn't the 'food of gods' in my opinion. I was more of a fried tongue kind of person. I know, it sounded pretty fucked up but...hey. It's a cultural thing, I guess.

After dinner, Saki pulled out the cake from the fridge. I wasn't sure what flavor it was at first. Sadly, I had managed to forget what cake tasted like. Although I hadn't even known this world had cake...but I think mine was vanilla.

It didn't really matter what flavor it was though...not really.

I was turning five, and everyone was there with me when I blew out the candles. Nothing really mattered.

The gifts came next.

Saki got me a box of senbon with little wrist launcher things that could be tightened to fit my tiny little wrists. Wasn't that cute? Saki was giving a five year old means to kill people. I knew that once I could decently use them, she'd start dipping them in poison and stuff. I liked it. So much I nearly hugged her. I figured not to though. She was nicer...but not even close to being described as 'hug-able'. Unless someone was dead.

Taiki got me a first aid kit and a stack of books. Some were on poisons, some were on puppetry, others were stories about ninjas kicking ass back in the early days of the shinobi villages. There was also this one book full of creepy poetry. I think it was my favorite.

Takeo got me a stack of paper and a lot of art supplies. When I asked him what they were for he only answered with: "The skeleton was kinda creepy and rude...but you're pretty good...for a five year old."

Part of me wondered if I could steal that weird Root guy...Sai? Yeah...Sai's techniques. It'd be awesome if I could like...draw a car or something and 'POOF': Instant Ferrari, you know? Then I'll show the ninja world!

Later that night, after the cake was gone and everyone else was asleep, I snuck out to look at the moon. I made sure to wear an extra layer and my scarf, because the nights were much colder than usual. I guess that was the whole winter thing though. I found a sheltered spot to sit a few doors down from my own home, and settled down there.

The winter skies were clear, and all the stars in the sky shone brightly. Even in the Test Drive I never got to see so many stars as I did in this life. In my old life, no matter where I was, city lights always seemed to choke out the stars and stain the night sky. In htis world, the stain of humanity hadn't reached that far yet.

Sitting there, staring at an oddly bright star, that I think might have been a planet, I got lost in my thoughts.

"I wonder if they have chakra out there..." I had never really remembered the whole story with chakra...some chick ate a fruit and she got chakra...right? It didn't really matter though. There was a lot I didn't know about this world. I had even died before finding out what happened in the end. I was sort of flying blind here...

When I was done with this world though, the end of the series wouldn't even exist. I would change as many things as I could, until the future was completely unclear. It didn't even matter if I tried or not. Just my being here...kept the future new.

There was a familiar sound behind me. The scrape of a sandal against the rooftop. The whisper of fabric rubbing together. The slithering sound of sand dragging itself along. I glanced back, only to see that he was only a step away, not across the roof like I had thought. He sat beside me and joined me in staring at the nearly full moon. It was beautiful.

"Hi." I greeted, not looking at him.

"Hello." He replied, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, watching as he pulled a bundle out. He tossed it at me and the brown paper package landed on my lap.

"What's this?" I asked, hesitant to open it.

"My uncle says that...friends...give each other gifts on their birthdays...?" He sounded confused and unsure of what he was saying, but I didn't care. that warm feeling I had had, back when Saki had apologized was back, and I was desperate to hold onto it. It was so weird...when it wasn't there, I didn't notice how cold I felt...but when I did feel it, I knew I didn't ever want to lose it again...it felt like I'd die without it.

I tore open the gift and found it was a folded bundle of orange fabric. I stood up to unfold the light fabric, and discovered that it was a robe of some sort. It was way too big for me now, but I knew someday it'd fit. It was too dark to tell much about it, but I knew it was probably a very bright shade. I was curious why he picked this colour though.

I smiled, "It's great!"

He seemed relived. In a way. He didn't show it much, but I was sure his shoulders looked more relaxed.

"I thought it would be best to get it in a large size." He said in his usual monotone voice, "There would be no point in getting something you'll grow out of in a year or two."

"You're right...thanks, Gaara-kun."

We fell into our usual silence for a while longer after that, but after an hour, we both separated and I headed back home.

TIME SKIP

I stared up at the ceiling of my room and sighed, listening to the horrified screams coming from the room next to mine Takeo had nightmares, even though the Chuunin Exams had ended nearly a year ago.

I suppose I should have expected it. Dad was a trained professional, who lost comrades everyday. Takeo still had his little genin training wheels. He grew up with his team mates, and they trained together all the time. They were probably a lot closer than anyone I had known in this life and the Test Drive. I was kinda curious if maybe it would be possible for me to have that close a friendship with someone.

Maybe things would get better with Gaara, and we'd be like Takeo and his team? From the looks of things, if I kept up with Gaara, we'd probably be on a team, since I was the only one who didn't piss themselves when Gaara talked to me.

It was starting to bother me...more than usual. Gaara was adorable. He hadn't snapped yet, so those bastards had better be happy that he was still trying to be friends and not turning them to jam with his sand.

I rolled over and tried to ignore the noise. He sounded like he was in pain. I supposed he was. It hurt when people you were close to died, right? I couldn't remember what it left like. What was grief like? Why couldn't I remember?

Eventually, I heard Takeo get out of bed to pace the hall, like he did every night. I fell asleep to the steady 'Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.'

Someone was screaming. Why were they screaming? Oh. That was why. They were dying. Why were they dying? Who knows. Dying hurt sometimes.

It hurt when I died. It hurt when the fragments of glass dug deeper into my eyes when I tried to blink. It hurt when I breathed in, pushing the metal deeper in between my ribs. I could feel its sharp point against my lung, threatening to pop it like a balloon. It hurt when I tried to move my arm, which was bent in so many funny angles after I used it to stop the air bag from killing me. It hurt when I moved my leg, which was crushed flat under the collapsed dashboard. It hurt when I tried to tell the man I was alive, because I had bit my tongue when I crashed and it was no longer attached to anything. It hurt when I heard the sirens in the distance...because I knew they'd arrive to late. it hurt when I thought, because all I could think of were my god damn parents, who'd probably cry...who I never said good bye to, and hadn't said I- What was that word again? Well...it didn't matter. I chased the painful thought away with the awesome memory of how I ended up like this. It hurt less to think of something other than whether or not the people I knew would miss me, like I'd probably miss them.

Someone was screaming. Why were they screaming? Oh. That was why. They were dying. Why were they dying? Because they were stupid. Who was dying? Oh. I was. Wasn't I? I had forgotten.

Someone was trying to save me. Someone was trying to pull me out. Someone needed to make them stop...because I really was going to die...if they kept pulling. I tried to tell them to stop. Really, I did.

Someone was shouting. The same someone pulling, I supposed. I knew that someone's voice. That someone was a friend...kinda. I didn't really have friends...not close friends. I was actually very lonely. 'He' sometimes made me feel not lonely. 'He' made me feel...nice. 'They' weren't panicking though. 'They' were angry. 'They' were angry, but 'he' kept pulling and shaking. Yelling.

'He' was killing me. Why was my 'friend' killing me? Oh. That was right. Because I killed 'her'. It wasn't my fault. 'She' was standing in the way. Maybe it was 'his' fault? 'He' should have pulled 'her' away.

Still. 'Friends' didn't kill each other, did they? So...it was safe to assume that I didn't have friends, right?

It was hard to breathe now. One lung was down. My eyes were too torn up to use...I was choking on my own blood.

"HOW COULD YOU!?"

How could I? How could I?!

How could 'he'? HOw coUlD 'He'? How CoULd 'HE'?!

What was that? That cold feeling...? It was like a hand, slowly clamping onto something nothing should ever be able to touch. It pulled and tugged.

'He' gave one more tug, and there was a loud ripping noise. 'He' gave one more tug, and then- There was nothing.

"And the morel of today's story?" I asked myself after the end had come and gone.

Don't trust anyone. Simple enough.

A scream ripped from my throat as I sat up. I found myself sobbing uncontrollably, as my damn child's body took over. It was just a nightmare. A nightmare. That was all. Nothing else. It wasn't...It wasn't anything else. It...It was not a memory. THAT WAS NOT REAL!

My door swung open, letting in the bright lights of the hall shine in. The warm tones of orange yellow and red on my walls seem to light up and sparkle. My father ran in, and instantly went to hug me, but he suddenly stopped short to stare at me. Why was he looking at me like that?!

I shifted, and felt something cool roll onto the back of my hand, from where my palm was pressed into the blankets. I glanced down. In the light cast by the door, I could see what looked like a pearl, but it was made of amber. Taiki saw it too and scooped it up before I could get a better look. There were more, but he was a ninja and grabbed them, once again before I could see.

Dadd- Taiki- wrapped his arms around me, and he pressed my face into his bare chest. What else would you expect? The man had been asleep. Or trying to. He whispered comforting words to me, trying to shake away the nightmare.

"Ai...it's alright. It was just a dream...just a dream. You're fine. You're awake now, so it can't get you."

It couldn't get me? Ha! Death couldn't get me because I was awake?! What a fucking laugh. I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Aisako...why are you laughing?" he asked, giving me a confused smile as I pulled away. I kept laughing, and it only got worse seeing the look in his eyes. Even Daddy was scared of Little Aisako- Wait...no. That wasn't right...it was something else.

Taiki would never be afraid of me. Taiki was someone I could always trust. No matter what that dream said.

"I don't know- Why do you look so worried?" I asked, staring at him. hoping I looked confused enough.

He only smiled and shook his head. It wasn't his usual smile, which was like he'd captured the sun...this was a sadder smile, like he was remembering something that was long gone. "We'll talk about it in the morning...for now, you need to sleep, alright?"

I nodded, knowing my weak little body was tired. I never seemed to get enough sleep. It was partly my fault...but Takeo screaming every night certainly didn't help at all.

I flopped back and let my father tuck me in. I noticed him pocketing the tings he'd picked up as he did so. He leaned over and kissed my forehead before closing the door and heading back to the room he shared with Saki.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of glass shattering and Saki speaking in a panicked tone, before she was quieted by something Taiki said. I glanced out my window to see the beginning of a new day as the sun began to rise in the horizon.

I changed as quietly as I could before sneaking out of my room to listen in.

"-its so rare though..." That was Saki.

"I know...but we've been aware that she had it for years now...Still, we'll need to call in someone who knows how to handle it..."

"Izumi, maybe, or Satoru?"

"No. You know how Aisako is. They'd crack. We need someone who can look into our daughter and understand what she needs and help her...we need someone like her."

"What about Kira-sama? She's close enough to Aisa..."

Alright...am I the only one alarmed to hear Saki say anyone's name with respect? Let alone a woman who's name translated to Dark?

"I take it back. Call in Satoru."

"I thought as much."

So, they weren't calling in the potential villain? I was almost disappointed, until I remembered the way Saki's voice had trembled saying her name. Still...what the hell was going on? What were they talking about?

I thought of my dream. The morel was not to trust anyone...wasn't it. I mean look...my own parents were plotting somethin-

God I sounded fucking paranoid, even to myself.

I hated dreams like that. They always fucked with my head afterwards.

"I'll get a messenger sent to Ame right away...Satoru owes me anyways."

The adults stopped talking, and I chose that moment to thump my way down the stairs. I offered a cheerful grin to Taiki, who looked tired and pale, like he hadn't slept all night. I glanced at Saki, and she gave a simple nod of her head and met my eyes. Awkwardly, I smiled at her before sitting with them at the table.

"What are you doing up so early?" Dad asked.

"Well...I was asleep, but then I heard some klutz drop a glass or something. I decided to get up since I have to go to the academy today."

Saki's eye twitched at the klutz part, but she recovered quick enough, "You can blame your father for that."

"HEY! I didn't drop it..." Taiki appeared to pout before he recovered and looked towards me, "Well, don't forget to brush your hair and make your lunch."

"Yeah, yeah." I said, rolling my neck to chase away any stiffness. Saki picked up the last piece of glass off the floor and threw it out before she grabbed two new cups and filled them with water. She put one in front of me and chugged the second herself. As bad of me as it was, I took a moment to study the water, just to see if anything was in it. It was kinda stupid too. Saki specialized in poisons. She wouldn't use one I could see or taste, unlike some idiots in this village.

There was a loud thump from upstairs as Takeo finally fell out of bed, as he did every morning. I usually woke up a moment later, disturbed by the noise. I ate my breakfast before going to the bath room to brush my hair.

I stood on a box in front of the sink and mirror and stared at my reflection. Something was a bit off, but I couldn't place it as I stared blankly at the heavy bags forming under my amber eyes from the lack of sleep I was getting. What looked like a yellow bruise was forming under my left eye, and I pondered where it had come from as I ran a brush through my hair, which was in its usual unholy mess.

I sat in the classroom, staring at the board as Carl...or...sensei started talking about kunai trajectory and stuff like that, making diagrams detailing angles and wind factors...and the entire time I wondered if he realized that almost everyone was asleep. Hell, even Gaara was out, his head resting on his arms with his face buried in one elbow. Plus, we were ages five to seven. Some kids in here couldn't count to thirty yet. I don't think this was a good time to be going over angles and that bullshit.

With nothing better to do, I listened though, trying to ignore the odd feeling I was getting, like something was terribly wrong with this picture.

Then, it hit me.

Gaara was asleep during class. He never did that. Sure he didn't sleep a lot normally, neither did I...but he NEVER slept during class. That was for slackers...not Gaara.

I spent the rest of the class with only half my attention on the teacher.

When it was time for lunch, I gently nudged Gaara awake, both relieved and wary when the sand did nothing to stop me. It either trusted me not to hurt him, or it was planning something.

He grumbled in an adorably grumpy way before he sat up, rubbing his eyes, which bore bags even darker and heavier than my own. God we must look half dead. Still, I had to ask him what was going on.

"Hey, you alright?"

"I am fine."

"But its not like you to sleep during class..."

"I do not see how it is any of your con-"

"Of course its my concern you dumbass! I'm your friend, even if you avoid me half the time...not that I can really blame you for that, I mean, if I were you I'd avoid me too, but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that I'm your friend, and I worry about you, alright? It's my job to know what's bothering you, and do what ever I can to help."

Gaara shifted awkwardly before speaking, "My nightmares have been...getting worse than before."

Look at me...Acting like Taiki while also manipulating an impressionable little boy into trusting me. Wasn't I just a great person? Still...what could I do to help him? I knew what was wrong with him...The Mutated Sandcastle was haunting his dreams because the seal was weak. This was why the Kazekage thought he was a failure. But I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do to help him. I wasn't reborn as an Uzumaki who could just fix his seal...or a Yamanaka who could waltz right into his mind and talk it out with Sandy...I wasn't an Uchiha who could Sharingan away all our troubles either...

I was just Aisako.

"What's changed?"

So...what was I good at?

"I can see the monster now...He's a giant Tanuki made of sand, covered in dark blue markings...he told me that I was alone...and that no one loved me..."

"Don't be stupid. You're not alone. You have me, and Yashamaru. You even have your mom, even though she isn't alive. And we all love you. The monster's just trying to scare you...you'll doubt us at times...but we love you, no matter what, alright?" I asked, crossing my arms, "I'm not good at comforting people, and I'm not one to talk about trust and that sort of stuff but...just...I'll never abandon you. Got it?"

He stared at me with those wide, annoyingly innocent teal eyes before nodding slowly.

We got our lunches and ate in silence for a while, before Gaara paused. "Aisako...what is love anyway? People always say it to each other but..."

I sighed, "I'm not always sure what it is. But...just... Ask Yashamaru. He's an adult, right? Sometimes they actually know stuff..."

"Alright."

After that, we fell into our usual silence. It was...nicer than usual. Maybe it was because he was sitting next to me again? Or...because it felt nice to embrace my inner main character and spout bullshit like a fountain? That's actually very stress relieving, I'll have you know.

Alright, there you go ladies and gentlemen, that was my longest chapter yet, and I hope it makes up a bit for the long wait between updates. I had some stuff to deal with at school. Anywho~! A lot of stuff happened in this chapter, while at the same time nothing at all happened in an odd way...Saki's being nicer...our favorite little 'beloved child' actually has a visible nice side and she's turned five...Poor Takeo got himself adopted. Gaara's giving gifts and a small glimpse into Aisako's death in the Test Drive.

A big thanks goes out to euroteres, Radiant Celestial Aura, Kiki's-stories-of-awesomeness, xbox432, Nameless Angel 00, thefire1995, Melissa Fairy, LuckyBlackCat777, Alyce DreamEater, kkkitties, insanity runs through my vains, bribright91, 9thDimen, TheSecretNames, iciclefangAJ, KillerCupcakes, lilyoftheval5, AND: Melantha4 for reviewing! Please remember I respond to reviews through PM, so if you have/had any questions, you should check that out...

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Demon Eyes now has 53 reviews, 177 followers, 116 favorites and is listed in 4 communities!

Thank you for all the support, and I hope you all continue to show such kindness in the future~!