Chapter 13: Preparing to Be Me Again
Days passed so slowly, or so it seemed. For the first few days in Uncle Danny's care, I was given the morphine pills to help ease the pain he said came associated with healing wounds. I, who never had anything worse than a sprain, believed what he said. After that, he stopped giving me the morphine and made me walk for a set amount of time around the house. The first few days were the hardest, my legs throbbing as I limped around the second floor at a pace slower than a turtle. After the pain slowly diminished, I was free to go to any room that I chose.
The piano room became my place of seclusion after I woke up every morning and had breakfast with Uncle Danny. It was a lovely, spacious room; probably the size of a regular piano room back in our world. The only things that crowded the room where the piano, of course, a reclining couch placed beside the window, as well as a small glass table. I sat at the piano most hours, trying to read some music that was in the piano books Uncle Danny had provided for my use. I usually got frustrated with the music, because it was to tough for my puny brain to read, so I just played the music that I remembered from my teen years of playing piano. I usually got really into it, since no one was around to watch me be crazy. It was a nice way to spend my days.
While having fun, I still thought about things that were important. Mostly, I thought about living in this world, or if I should go back with my uncle. If I went back to the real world, I wouldn't know to explain where I had been, or why all of a sudden I came back. If I stayed here, I didn't know how i would be treated by Temari and Kankuro, as well as the other people of the Sand if they found out I was in love with Gaara. He was on his way to be the Kazekage, and a lot of people would think I would be a hindrance to his greatness. They could kick me out of their country, but then where would I go?
One day, as I was playing a slow piece on the piano, there was a series of knocks were heard on the door of the piano room. I stopped playing the piano and spun around in my chair. I knew for sure it wasn't Uncle Danny, because he had no reason to knock.
"Please come in." I called, fixing the end of my light purple dress.
The door opened slightly, and Gaara stepped inside the room. His face was illuminated by the afternoon light, as his eyes locked onto mine. I gave him a slight smile and stood up from my seat on he piano bench.
"Hey." I said, greeting him.
"Hello." he said, looking around the room. "So this is where he keeps you locked up."
I made a face at him. "He doesn't lock me up here. I choose to sit in here. It's actually quiet peaceful."
"Of course." He said, looking back at me.
I didn't feel like going on on this note, so I didn't give a quirky response back to him. It was silent between us for a few moments, until i finally spoke up again.
"Would you like to sit down?" I asked, gesturing around the room.
"No, thank you." He replied. "I just came up here to tell you that your uncle expects you down for dinner in a few minutes, changed and ready."
"Oh, okay." I said, giving a smile. "Are you staying for dinner as well?"
"Yes." He said. "Your uncle invited me, and I couldn't decline."
"Yay!" I said, giving him a wider smile. "That makes me really happy."
He just stared at me for a second, then shook his head. "Wonderful. Well, hurry and get ready then."
With that, he left the room and went down to the first level of the house. I walked backed to my room and changed into a navy blue top, as well as a feather-light tri-shade blue skirt that ended at my knees. I made sure my hair was brushed and slung into a gentle side pony tail. After I made sure I didn't look like a complete mess, I made my way silently down the stairs to the dining room.
Gaara and uncle Danny were sitting opposite of each other at the table, staring blankly at their plates. Once I stepped through the door frame, they both looked up and gave me a stare. I just gave them a smile, and sat down at my chair, right beside Gaara. I served everyone while they just sat, each muttering a thank you as I put their plate down.
"It was so nice of you to invite Gaara to dinner, Uncle." I said, giving him a smile.
"Oh, I didn't invite him," Uncle Danny said putting his fork down for a moment. "He just happened to show up, and I thought it would make you happy to have him over for a while."
"Ah," I said, glancing over at Gaara. "Well, thank you anyway. It did make me happy."
"Well, I'm sure he came here for a reason, as well." Uncle Danny said, looking across the table at Gaara. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"My siblings were worried about Esther and they wanted me to come here and check on her progress." He said,looking at my uncle for the first time since we had started eating. "We also wanted to know when she will be returning."
"She'll be back soon enough." My uncle said. "Her wounds have pretty much healed, and she has little problems moving around. When she feels like she's ready to leave, to wherever she wants to return to, then she can leave my care."
"When will that be?" Gaara asked, directing the question more towards me than my uncle.
"I'd love to return soon enough." I said giving him a small smile. "I'm sure that Temari and Kankuro need help around the house, and I miss spending time with all of you. Although, you're probably very busy with getting ready to become Kazekage. I'm sure a loud house is the last thing you'd want to come home to after a long day of work."
"I don't really mind." He said politely. "A loud house is sometimes nice after a long day of working in silence."
There was a silence between the three of us. I knew we all wanted to say something, but none of us knew how to say it. Soon, Uncle Danny just looked at the two of us and cleared his throat.
"Well," he said, pushing his plate aside, "I would love some dessert right now. Didn't you make some ice cream yesterday, Esther?"
"Oh yeah!" I said, getting up. "Let me go and get it."
I got up from the table and went down into the room that held the ice box. I pulled out the old fashion ice cream churn and carried it back to the dining room. When Gaara saw me carrying that huge bulky thing, he whisked it out of my hands without a single word and placed it gently on the counter in the corner of the room.
"Thank you." I said, coming up beside him. "It wasn't that heavy."
He just looked down at me and sat back down at the table. I ran back into the kitchen and grabbed some little bowls, as well as some spoons. I went back into the dining room and placed a bowl in front of both of them. Gaara was the only one who looked up from his bowl as I sat down.
"What?" I asked, about to take a bite of my ice cream. "Do you not like mint ice cream? It's not that bad."
He didn't reply and just started eating his ice cream. We all ate slowly, staring into our own bowls, watching the light green ice cream melt into a puddle of liquid mush. After a while, I just looked up to see Gaara just staring into his empty bowl.
"Was it good?" I asked, looking at him.
He nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
"Alright!" Uncle Danny said, giving a loud sigh. "I can't take all this formal crap. It makes me feel like I'm eating dinner with some nobleman from England's royal family."
Gaara just raised an eyebrow, probably having no idea to what Uncle Danny was talking. "well, then. Is there something you'd like to say?"
"Nothing that I could say openly with her sitting at the table." He said, shooting me a look. "I'm just not sure if you're all that trustworthy."
"Uncle!" I said, looking at him. "How can you still be like this?"
"No," Gaara said, looking at me. "He's telling me exactly what he needs to know. I'd love to know what he's thinking."
"At least we're on the same grounds." He said, looking across the table his arms crossed in front of him. "Truthfully, I'm quite wary of your treatment of my niece. Since she appeared back in this village, you've been giving her nothing but hardships and insults. Knowing her, she's probably cried over this treatment many nights. Then you go berserk on her and leave her on the fine line of life and death, for know apparent reason. Than, you waltz in with a nice guy attitude, as if that would fix everything. You have no idea. You can't just go from monster to gentleman and expect to be forgiven so easily. Well, by me anyway. How can I know that you won't do this to her again?"
"You don't." Gaara said, truthfully. "I know I will not repeat the incident, but I can't promise her all the protection that you expect. I am human, and I make mistakes, but I try to find a way to prevent them from happening again. I could do something, maybe worse, if I can't keep myself in check."
"You make some pretty huge mistakes." He said, looking at me. "You're lucky I was able to come here and help my niece get back on her feet. I'm sure she's glad too."
"I am." I said, finally getting a say in this conversation. "But I'm also glad that Temari and Kankuro were there for me too. They never complained throughout this whole ordeal, and they've always been so positive about everything. I so thankful for everything they do for me."
"Well," Uncle Danny said, leaning forward. "That's all fine and dandy, Esther. The only question that I have left is, what do you want, Gaara?"
It was all too silent. Uncle Danny had asked the question that I had wanted to ask him since the incident had occurred. My heart was thumping, out of fear. I was afraid of what he was going to say.
"I," Gaara said, breaking the silence. "Want her to stay here, with my family, and especially me. I never wanted her to leave, not now nor the time before. She is happy here, and I intend to do whatever I humanly can to keep her happy forever. Her wish is my command."
I froze, a blush starting to fill across my cheeks. He had just been kind towards me for the first time I could remember. He said he wanted to make me happy. Forever.
"Esther?" Uncle Danny. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" I said, looking towards him. "Oh, I'm fine. Just spaced out for a moment."
"Ah." He said, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "Well, I guess I should be off to bed. Being an old man makes you lose your energy so quickly. Do you think you could see Gaara out the door?"
"Of course!" I said, getting up out of my chair. I went over and gave him a hug. "Good night, Uncle."
He got up out of his chair slowly and just shook his head. "Thank you. I expect I'll be seeing some more of you soon, right boy?"
"Yes." Gaara said. "Thank you for letting me stay for dinner, and I hope you rest well."
"Thanks." Uncle Danny said, walking towards the second story.
After he left, Gaara looked at me from the table, his blue eyes staring into mine, as if they wanted to see or know more than what lied plain to them. After a few moments, he looked away and got up from the table and walked towards the door.
I just watched him go, not sure if I should follow him. After a while, my eyes just drifted over to the churn of ice cream and I decided it would be nice if I gave Gaara some to take back to Kankuro and Temari, since we had plenty. I ran back into the kitchen and put some into an easy to carry bucket.
I walked to the door, where Gaara was standing staring at me again, but this time with a calm, sort of peaceful expression. I just stared back at him, a small smile on my face.
"I know you have something to say to me." He said at last.
Of course I did. He knew me too well. "I was just surprised at something that you said." I replied truthfully.
"What did I say?" He asked quizzically.
"It was just that you said that my wish was your command." I said, blushing a little bit. "You said that before, but it was when you were trying to convince me to fall in love with Kankuro. You said that he was so in love with me, that he would do that very same thing."
"I had no idea I said that." He replied, his gaze still glued to me. "Still, I don't regret what I said, because it's the truth. I have no reason to ever lie to you."
I was quiet for a moment, basking in all that he had said. Could it be a dream? Could he actually be all this open with me?
"You're quiet." He said quietly.
"I'm sorry." I replied. "Its just- this all feels to real to be true."
"Why?" He asked.
"It's just," I said, trying to get the right words out. "That it feels like a dream. I 'm so use to you insulting me that you being kind to me is too good to be true."
He was just silent for a moment. "Well," he finally said. "I should be going before it gets too late. You need your rest."
"Oh, I'm fine." I said, looking down at my still bandaged arms. "Anyway, I packed you some ice cream to take home to Kankuro and Temari. Hopefully they like mint ice cream."
He took the bucket from me. "They do. Thank you."
"No problem." I said, looking up into his eyes, amazed at their calm quietness that still lingered there behind them.
He put the bucket down for a second, and I took the opportunity to snatch a hug from him. I put my arms lightly around him, and he immediately wrapped his around me. I leaned my head in against his chest and gave a sigh, as I closed my eyes. He was so warm and comfortable that I just wanted to stay like this for the rest of the evening. He placed his lips gently on the top of my head, his warm breath gently hitting my scalp.
After what seemed like eternity he finally me let go of me and I moved away. I just smiled at him and swung back and forth gently on my feet. He stared at my eyes, and then his eyes moved across my face.
"When can I come back to take you home?" He asked, his tone serious.
"Three days." I answered without thinking. "I need three days."
"Alright." He said, like usual. He wouldn't try to argue with me. "Have a nice night."
"Thank you." I replied warmly. "You take care of yourself alright? Don't overwork it"
He just shook his head at me as he turned around. He opened the door quickly, the warm night arm rushing into the dark house. He only turned around once, his eyes lingering on mine, the bucket of ice cream swinging in his hand. He held his other hand up and waved a quick, silent good bye. I waved back, giving him a wider smile. He finally closed the door and I was able to sigh in relief, glad that our meeting had been one I could cherish in my heart.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The three days had gone by too slowly, or so it seemed to me. On the second day, something unexpected happened. Uncle Danny announced to me as we ate breakfast that day that he had to return back to the other world immediately, and he left me in charge of the house. He said that he wasn't going to be able to come back anytime soon, so we may our parting goodbyes with tears and hugs, and he handed me a envelope with Gaara's name on it in Uncle Danny's beautiful cursive. With that, he left into another room and was gone in the dreary silence.
The rest of the time I just spent walking around the house, cleaning or organizing things wherever I went. (Uncle Danny was never much of a planned person. That was always my aunt's job.) After a few hours of that, I was so pooped out that I just decided to call it a day and plopped into bed after a nice refreshing shower.
All I pretty much did the third day was lay around the house, waiting for Gaara to come as he had promised. I knew that he was probably coming some time in the afternoon, and with Uncle Danny gone, everything felt like it was dragging on forever in a state of total boredom. I finally gave into waiting and went up to the piano room and actually occupied myself with some new music for a good few hours.
Finally, as dawn was setting, a loud repetitive knocking was heard at the front door. I jumped off the piano bench, and rushed to the front door. After taking a couple of seconds to make sure I didn't look like I got hit by a tornado, I opened the door to a very irritated looking Gaara.
"Hi th-" I started, before he interrupted me.
"Where's your uncle?" He asked, walking into the house.
"Oh, he left." I said, avoiding his icy glare. "It was early yesterday. It was kind of unexpected, but that's my uncle."
"That's just great!" He yelled, slamming his fist against the wall.
"Why?" I squeaked, my body full of tremors. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." He said, shoving a handful of papers into my hands. "I just needed some stupid answers. Of course he was going to run off and leave me hanging like this."
"Calm down." I said, looking down at the small stack of papers in my hands. "Let me look over these and after you cool down, we'll talk."
He just shot me another look, as if to tell me that he was already calmed down. I just ignored him, and moved away from him as quickly as I could. I sat myself down in the living room, and started to flip over the stack of papers and get down to exactly what was making him so irritated. After looking at the first sheet that I happened to glance at, my eyes grew wide.
They were legal papers. About me. Me who had grown up in a totally different world, and had a whole family somewhere else. The me that was never apart of this world. The strange thing was, this legal paper had everything right. My birthday, how much I weighed when I was born, the name of my mother and father, my blood type, my eye and hair color. Everything.
"What is this?" I squeaked, feeling the color drain out of my face.
"That's exactly what I came here to do." Gaara said from where he leaned against the wall. "But just keep shuffling through them. It gets stranger."
I raised an eyebrow at him, but I kept looking. It did get weirder. There were photos of me, as a little girl in this world, surrounded by my mom and dad, but they were here in this world. My parents had never stepped foot into this world, or so far as I know. The one thing that stopped me the most was this one picture. It was a picture of me, standing beside a burned area, the tips of my hair singed and my eyes so lifeless and sad I could hardly believe it was me. But it was me, a long time ago.
I kept shuffling through the stack, holding that one picture securely in my right hand. There had to be something in this stack of papers that made a little sense of this picture. Finally, I found what I was looking for.
"Due to the fire caused by a group of rogue ninja," I read aloud. "I hereby sign this document that gives me legal rights to my niece, Esther, who was formally apart of the village of Nakama, part of the Wind Country, that was throughly burned to the ground. Her parents bodies were never found, and I am her closest relative. Signed, Daniel Gibbs."
"Now you know why I wanted to talk to him." Gaara said, coming closer as he sat down on a chair.
"But why?" I asked, as I continued to look through the stack of stuff that was all about me. "Why did we never find out about this? Were we supposed to even find out? What if we weren't? I'm so confused!"
He didn't respond, because he knew that I knew that he had no sort of answer that he could give me. So we just sat there in the silence as I clutched onto the picture of me with the singed hair and lifeless eyes. After a while, I decided to look over at Gaara, who was looking at me with an almost peaceful expression on his face.
"What?" I asked, tilting my head.
"It's been three days." He replied. "I was just thinking about how I was going to get you and all your stuff back."
I made a face at him. "It's mean! If you want, I'll carry some of the stuff back to the house. Then you don't have to worry."
"With how injured you were? I don't think so." He said, giving me a hard stare. "You don't even know some of the stuff that was injured do you?"
"No." I said, looking down. "I'm afraid to ask."
"Why?" He asked. "If I was in your situation, I would want to know what's wrong. So at least I'd know the whole truth of what happened to me."
"It's just." I said, as a tremor spread through my body. "I don't want to think about it anymore. What's in the past is in the past."
"Multiple bruises and gashes." He said unexpectedly, looking away from me, as he began to list out my injuries. "Two broken ribs, a fractured bone in your left arm, a fractured bone in your right ankle, a mild concussion, an almost severe head wound, bruised internal organs, and loss of blood."
I stared down at my body, trying to imagine all of those things broken at the same time. I was lucky that I was unconscious for the most part as my body healed. It was a scary part, as I remembered how my body looked not even two weeks ago when Temari had told me not to look. It also made me realize how destructive Gaara could be without having to kill me. It was horrifying to realize how naïve I was to the power Gaara held in his hands.
A few tears rolled down my face, but I quickly wiped them away as he watched me. I just shook my head and gave a small smile. "I'm such an idiot, aren't I?"
"You're not an idiot." He replied slowly. "You just chose to put trust in me at a bad time."
"I guess." I laughed, handing the papers back to him. "Well, let me go and get my stuff and we can be on our way."
"I said I would take them." He said, getting up. "Just show me where your stuff is."
"Fine." I replied, getting up. "Follow me."
We walked up the flight of stairs, to the room where I spent my time in this house. My stuff was already packed and sitting on the bed. He just looked at me, and then at all the stuff I had. It wasn't much, because I only had packed a few things with me from the world that I had lived in. I didn't really care too much; this world wasn't a material world.
"Your uncle gave you some new dresses, right?" He asked as he picked up my one measly bag of clothing.
"Yes, kind of." I replied, holding a fold of my new silky purple dress. "They were supposed to be for my cousin, Miri, but he had said I could have as many as I wanted, since she was never going to use them."
"Ah." He replied, as he walked out the door. "Well, let's go."
"Sure." I said as I looked around my little room. I spotted the letter sitting on the nightstand beside my bed. "Oh, wait a second. This is for you"
I ran over and grabbed it and made my way back to him. As he took it, He looked down at it, then at me, and made his way out of the room and to the front door. I followed behind him slowly clutching the letter. He opened the front door for me and I was greeted by the early night sky. The fresh air was really refreshing and i gave a smile as I was led outside.
We walked down the deserted street in silence. I looked up at Gaara, whose eyes were darting down the street and at the houses we passed. I reached out and took his hand gently, and his gaze changed slowly as he looked down at me. I just gave a small smile to him as he gave a small squeeze to my hand.
After a few minutes of walking, we got back the house that was so familiar to me. I felt so happy, to be back at the place I loved the most. This was the place that I would always be welcomed, the place I would never be alone. I was home.
AN: Yay! Another chappie! I was so overwhelmed by the reviews that I had to update quickly! I'm not having the best day in the world, so some nice reviews would cheer me up! Thanks!