Your blood is slowly coming to a boil; Your body has already started to change form. You're becoming a monster again. You can't escape the fate that has so long followed you your entire life. It is useless to resist let alone to even think of resisting. It's just like suffering; a mental suicide. And you're the cause of it. Slowly torturing yourself from pushing every grim thought away from your mind. It's slowly consuming you and taking over what you once knew. You're a failure in a battle against yourself. Pathetic. And you call yourself stronger than that. Mentally, you're losing yourself. Psychotically, you've already passed insane.

He bolts up from his deep sleep, breathing heavier than ever before. Sweat drips down his forehead and body. He places his hand across his chest, trying to steady himself. "Calm down Gaara. You're getting worked up over nothing. You need to calm down. Otherwise you'll drive yourself mad." The teenager slows his breath, slowing breathing in and out. His heart beat begins to steady itself. Gaara sighs in relief. This has been going on for two weeks now. Why won't these nightmares leave him alone? He moves his legs off his bed, pressing his feet against the cold floor. He rests his elbow on his knees and lets the cool breeze from the window blow against his body."He's already taken over my thoughts. Now he's pushing even more by disturbing my dreams. And what's worse, I can't physically fight him when it's locked away inside me. Maybe I make him laugh himself to death so he'll give up. Even then, he could beat me. But why, of all things, does he have to make me relive my old self and see my dad?" Gaara lowers his green eyed gaze to the ground, staring blankly at it. "Because he knows it's what enrages me the most. Shukaku is toying with me. And I can't stop it!" He clenches his fists, anger rising within himself. "I can't put up with much more of this. I'd rather die than have to live another day with Shukaku." Gaara's rage seeps out his depression, something he'd been dealing with from the time he was 6-years-old. Suicide had always been a hidden option to him, but he never thought he'd actually go through it. For Temari and Kankuro's sake. Now, it seemed like the ultimate answer. Gaara pushes the thought aside. "I have to rest. My body is worn out as it is. I'll think more later." He returns to the comfort of his blankets, trying once more to fall asleep.

Mornings glow shines dimly through the windows. It seems odd that in Wind Country, it would actually rain; a strong rain none the less. The rain pours onto the village, lining the streets in deep puddles. Villagers rushed to their houses. The town seems almost deserted. Just some children, catching a rare opportunity of rain. They smile as they jump into every puddle, splashing it's cold water onto their skin. Kankuro stands on the balcony, watching from a distance. His body, from his brown hair to his feet, are soaked. Water drips down his face. He's staring blankly at the youngsters. It oddly made him sad to watch them. He sighs, a frown crossing his face. "I'm pathetic. I'm only standing out here to distract my thoughts. To think of anything but Gaara. But how can I? He's changing so quickly. He's becoming Shukaku. It's not something I want to watch but I have to." He lowers his head for a moment, feeling utterly hopeless in the whole situation with Gaara. "I wish it was me instead of him. He doesn't deserve this. He's been through enough as it is." Footsteps walk towards him from behind him. He turns his head slightly, enough to see Gaara standing behind. "It's not smart to be outside when it's raining like this," Gaara says with a smile

Kankuro smiles back. "Yea I know. I just needed some time to myself to think about things," he responds. Gaara walks up closer to him, resting his elbows against the railing. He doesn't seem to notice how wet he was becoming from the short time he was standing outside. Kankuro looks at his brother, then looks away. "How you holding up?"

His brother doesn't look back for a moment. He stares at the village, not wanting to look away from it. "I've been better," he says. "Though the situation seems pretty grim as days pass."

Gaara's gaze drifts down. His depression seeps into his skin. "In fact, I've never been like this. It's like with each breath I take, it's a battle. More so than I even want it to be. I just wish...this whole thing would be over with. I'm sick of having to lie to them and put on a good face. It's so...aggravating." Gaara grits his teeth, his hand noticeably trembling. Kankuro looks over at. It almost sickens him to look at his younger brother like this. There was so much on his shoulders right now. How he still had the strength to face the new day even surprised him. "Look Gaara, you don't have to fight this whole thing alone. You still have me and Temari here. We'll try to help as much as we can."

"There's nothing you can do, Kankuro. It's my battle. Shukaku is inside me; remember? It was me that Father placed him in so it means it's my fight to deal with. There isn't anything you can really do for me; except watch."

His words sneers from his mouth like poison. They're wreathed with evil. His voice already sounded like defeat in Kankuro's ears. He looks over at Gaara, not able to recognize him for a moment. It was like he was a completely different person. Tears begin to build up in his eyes. He blinks, letting a single tear drip down his cheek. He looks away from his little brother, not wanting Gaara to see what this was doing to him. It wasn't just effecting Gaara; it was effecting everyone. Gaara looks over at his brother, noticing the obvious signs that he was crying. He looks away, his blood beginning to boil even more inside him. "Look at what you are doing? You're making a mess of everything. You're destroying everything just with your presence. You're ruining the lives of the people closest to you." Gaara looks at his brother once more before walking back inside. A tear falls down his cheek. "I can't let do this to them anymore."Gaara walks to his bedroom, locking the door behind him. "I won't let this thing win. Not this time."

Three days pass and Temari begins to notice Gaara's absence. She hasn't seem him since yesterday when he was outside on the porch with Kankuro. She suddenly begins to worry, wondering where he could be. Several guards and ANBU members scower the village, looking for any sign of Gaara. They turn up nothing. It only makes Temari's worry build. She checks around the house, unable to find him. When she comes to Gaara's room, the door knob is locked. She bangs on the door hard. "Gaara, if you're in there, please come out. We've been worried sick about you." She pauses, waiting for a response. Nothing. "Gaara, please come out or say something; just so I know that you're in there." Nothing. Not a sound from the other side of the door. Temari's anger builds. Kankuro, standing beside her, watches her fueling rage. "Gaara, please come out here now or I'll break this door down."

By now, she's clenching her fist. "You don't know if he's in there or not. Why would he lock himself up in his own bedroom? It's not something he'd do unless he forced him to like the last time."

Temari pushes her brother away from. Stepping back, she raises her legs and kicks the door hard. It comes lose, falling on the floor. Temari and Kankuro enter, looking around. The room is dark and cold. The windows are boarded so no light can escape through them. Kankuro searches one part of the room, Temari searching the other. Temari feels something under her foot. She looks down, and screams in terror. Kankuro races over to her side, ripping off the boards on the window. Lying on the floor his Gaara, wounds and bruises covering his body. Blood dripping down his skin. Temari sits on her knees, lowering towards him. He's unconscious from the amount of blood loss. Temari holds him in her arms, his head resting on her her chest as tears drip down her skin."What was he even thinking?!" She buries her head on her brother. Kankuro sits next to her, trying to stop any remaining blood. He stands back up, running out of the room and down the halls to find medical help for his brother. Temari remains in the room with him, holding her brother tightly against her. "Please don't die on me, Gaara. Please just hold on a little longer. I can't lose you; not now." Medical ninja race into the room. Temari moves away from her brother, Kankuro by her side. She raises to her feet, leaning against her brother and watching in horror. They examine Gaara, feeling his neck for a pulse. "He's extremely weak and literally clinging to life. Judging by his wounds, in matter of hours...he would've been out of our care," One of medical ninja say to them.

Temari nearly falls backwards, unable to conjure up the words inside her head. Her knees suddenly loss feeling as she falls back, Kankuro having to catch her in his arms. The girl begins to cry more easily; her nightmares suddenly coming face to face with her. Kankuro's body suddenly becomes numb. He losses any feeling in his body. Reality slipping away more quickly than it ever had. Time pausing and going. He wasn't able to handle this. This couldn't be happening to him. As they carry Gaara away, Temari buries her face in Kankuro's chest. Kankuro looks down at his brother, horror-stricken. His body was almost like a horror to look at. It was bloody and bruised, almost too unreal for him. A single tear drips down his face, landing on Gaara's helpless body. As they come out of view, Temari and Kankuro are left in the room. Both teenagers are unable to move or say anything. All they can do is reflect on what was actually happening. Moments when by, and Kankuro was finally able to feel his body again. "We have to save him. This is out of his hands. He can't do this by himself anymore. We have to somehow save him. No matter what it takes, we have to save him." Kankuro says, ending the awkward silence. Temari nods in agreement, knowing he was right. "We have to rescue him...or else he'll lose him."

Shorter than chapter one but still just as dark.
In the works of a chapter three
Will be posted next week or so
Keep an eye out. And tell me what you think!