Disclaimer
Don't own anything. See chapter one for more info.

Chapter three: Nighttime Encounter

Kenoyo fell to the ground, unable to breathe properly no matter how hard she tried to. Struggling, she clawed her way through the hot sand, tears sliding down her face. After a while, though, she couldn't go on anymore, and the sand slowly started to choke her. She tried to open her burning eyes, but her face was now covered in sand. Suffocating, she started to struggle even harder, trying to free herself of her dreadful prison. But all her efforts were in vain, and she started to slip into blackness, death coming straight for her…

The girl woke up with a loud gasp of air, finding herself in the safety of the house. Whimpering, she sat up despite her pain and pulled her knees to her chest in a pitiful attempt to ease her racing heart. The room was dark; it was obviously late evening, so Kenoyo had slept all day. Soft, distant footsteps were heard and her features turned rigid as she worried that she had shouted in her sleep and had woken up the whole house. But the footsteps stopped and didn't start again.

After a few minutes, her heart had stopped its frantic race and she licked her dry lips, once again dehydrated. Standing up, she used her kunoichi skills to make her way to the door of the room stealthily. As she left her room, her eyes roamed the corridor to find that three more doors were around hers. Probably the Sabaku siblings' rooms.

Kenoyo creeped around the spacious house until she found the kitchen, feeling oddly like a thief rather than a guest. It was, after all, the first time she was out of bed and on her own. Wondering if she was allowed to roam freedly, she halted in the middle of the well furnished room.

Thirst was what made her move towards a cupboard, that she opened and rummaged through. Finding a glass, she filled it with a jug of water on the counter, then took a long drink and turned around to examine her surroundings more closely.

The first thing her eyes locked on though, was a pair of ocean green eyes staring right at her, making her gasp loudly as a rush of adrenaline shot through her body. She quickly covered her mouth, then looked up at the ceiling to avoid his gaze and whispered, "Kami, Gaara! You could've told me you were sitting right there!"

The sand ninja had no reaction whatsoever as she set down her glass on the counter, so her trembling hand wouldn't drop it. Afterwards, Kenoyo was about to excuse herself to go back to her room yet her observations from earlier about Gaara bothered her again. She finally chose to sit in front of him at the dining table as something occurred to her. She shot him a rather sheepish look before whispering, "Did I wake you? I think I shouted in my dream or when I woke up."

Gaara's cold gaze didn't falter, but a small gleam appeared in his eyes, almost as if he was surprised by her apology. "You did scream, but not loud enough to wake anyone," he informed her, watching as her shoulders sagged in relief. But then curiosity got the best of her and she asked gently, "Then why aren't you sleeping?"

He looked rather impatient, almost as if he was explaining something to a stubborn child. But she couldn't help her curiosity; it was too big for her. "I can't sleep because the demon inside of me will come out if I do. I never slept before, I never will."

Kenoyo's mouth fell open, but she quickly snapped it shut. He never, ever slept in his entire life? How in the world was this guy still alive? She stared at him for a while, wondering if he was joking or not. But he was serious; she could see it in his eyes. Sympathy filled her heart, making her want to reach out to him. "I'm so sorry, Gaara… Wow, the nights must be so long for you. Don't you get lonely sometimes?" she inquired innocently. Even if she looked slightly detached, she was waiting anxiously for his answer. Would he admit that he was and confirm her doubts, or lie and make herself look foolish?

Sighing, Gaara leaned back in his chair and seemed to hesitate, unsure of wether or not he should trust her. Finally, after a short silence, he murmured his answer so softly that the girl had to lean forward to hear it. "Sometimes, I guess I do," he admitted bitterly.

Kenoyo smiled; this was a perfect moment. The cold-hearted ninja was telling her things about himself. How unlike his usual 'go away' attitude. She then wondered if she should go on, or if she should just let it go and change the subject. 'Going a little bit further won't hurt,' she told herself with an inside smile, then said, "Well what do you do when you're lonely? Who are your friends?"

Gaara's face then darkened obviously and Kenoyo felt like kicking herself for not dropping the conversation when she had a chance. She was about to apologize when he answered, slightly rudely, "I don't have any friends." Then his eyes shifted slightly and his voice dipped as he continued, "And I don't want any either. I don't care about people."

'Liar' Kenoyo thought instantly, seeing right through his false statement. 'You do want friends, Sabaku no Gaara. I'll let it go this time, but I swear that one day I'll befriend you and you'll know what it's like to have someone who cares!'

Then a voice in her mind piped up and said, "Friends… or something more?", making her wince slightly. But then her eyes rose to the boy her age in front of her, and she began to study him more carefully than she had done so the first time. He wasn't that thin, he seemed to have a somewhat strong body. His hair was slightly shaggy, the color of the deepest red she had ever seen. He wasn't ugly and if he wasn't so cold in the first place Kenoyo was sure he'd have tons of girls running after him. But his eyes were what had gotten her attention the first time. The black ring around them made the blue-geen of the pupils stand out in contrast and it could pierce through you like if its owner could read your soul.

Their gazes stayed locked into each other's, and Kenoyo found herself trying to read him through his eyes. There was so much pain in them, so much doubting everything around his being, even if he was in control of himself. 'He shouldn't have to feel this way', she thought to herself. Then she realized that they had been quiet for a few minutes now, which made her break the silence quickly with more probing. "Well what about Temari or Kankuro? Aren't they your friends, even if they're your siblings?"

The smirk he gave her was far from being a pleasant one. "Those two? They're just as worse as the rest of them. Who cares if they're my siblings? They only keep me around either to protect them, or because they'll feel guilty if they leave me behind," he sneered.

Not liking the look on his face, Kenoyo suddenly whispered, "But who are 'they'? What did they do to you? What did they do that was so bad that you can't trust anybody now?"

Gaara only stared at her, not answering. She could now obviously detect the sadness in his eyes, and whether he tried to hide it or not would stay a mystery. Kenoyo shifted, knowing he was on the edge of telling her something he had never told anyone. Leaning forward, she whispered gently, "Come on Gaara… you can tell me anything."

The sand ninja then stood up brutally, shaking the table and the chair slightly as the cold gaze returned to his face. "Why do you want to know? It's not really any of your business, is it?"

Surprised by his sudden change of emotion, Kenoyo didn't think of her answer properly. Instead, she snapped right back at him, "It is my business since all I'm trying to do is get to know you better! The only thing I get in answer is a glare or an evasive one!"

Right when she was done speaking, her face twisted into an apologetic expression, certain that Gaara would jump all over her. Bracing herself, she was expecting anything but what he said.

He slowly lowered his head, almost as if in shame, then uttered, "I just don't talk about myself." Then he turned around and left the room without another word, leaving her behind.

Kenoyo stared at the chair he just deserted, her mind whirring at the conversation they just had. But a smile slipped on her lips as she realized that he had somehow confided in her. She knew that deep inside, he probably yearned for someone to trust, someone who would look out for him out of love. And she knew that she was the perfect person to do so.

A/N: Wow, a chapter in 24 hours! All hail me, and all hail the awesome teacher who told me I could go on the computer for an hour and a half and do whatever I want! It's thanks to her that I did this chapter so fast!
Review please! And thanks to those who reviewed before, it's greatly appreciated.

Take care!