Flipping open his cell phone, Gaara casually checked the time. Even though he had already been looking at one of the digital clocks in the city square, he felt an odd compulsion to check the time against his own personal clock. Sure enough, his phone's time was two minutes behind the large clock on display in the avenue.

'Four-fifteen. Temari should be home by now.' Gaara thought to himself, an odd sense of apprehension always accompanied this time of day. Waiting to see what the condition back home was before completing his return from school.

As soon as he closed his cell phone he felt it vibrate in his hand. Opening it he found he had received a text message. Before he could check that message, he felt the phone shake in his hand again.

"Two messages?" Gaara sighed as he realized who the second one was from. His suspicion was confirmed as he saw his schoolmate Matsuri had sent him an address and a percentage, her weekly habit of informing Gaara of her employee's discount and her latest in a long line of places of employment. Closing the message Gaara found the second was from his sister, and the contents sent a shiver down his spine.

'Dad came home early. Kankuro at University. Don't come home.' Unconsciously Gaara rubbed his left ribs, remembering the last domestic dispute which had ended with his father cracking three of his older brother's ribs. Gaara breathed deeply to regain control of himself.

'Keep your cool Gaara. Just wait a few hours until the old man drinks himself asleep and then go home.'

It is a peculiar thing to be lost in thought yet somehow your feet always manage to find a direction to go. Dusk was setting on and despite the active bustle and traffic, Gaara couldn't help but feel alone. Taking a seat on a rail he sent a few texts to a friend who attended Konoha, but received no response.

"Gaara! I didn't think you'd show up." An oddly feminine voice called out.

Raising his head towards the street sign and opening his phone's recent messages, Gaara found that he had accidentally walked to where Matsuri said she was working. It was a small tea shop with a more traditional style.

It was barely past five and Gaara knew he needed to wait at least another hour. But he still debated whether he wanted to continue walking or not.

"Oh don't stand there like you're trying to decide whether to keep walking or come inside." Before he knew it, Matsuri had grabbed him by the arm and sat him down in a table by the window.

"Matsuri… I-" Gaara began, but was cut off when she placed a multi colored plate on the table.

"Keep your eye on the plate and tell me what you see?" Giving the plate a strong spin, Matsuri could barely keep still as she looked at Gaara. The patterns on the plate were distinct symbols when it was still, but as it spun everything blended together and new shapes seemed to form with each rapid revolution. Eventually one image stood from the random jumble.

"I see a man sitting on a park bench at dusk." Gaara admitted.

"A very reflective young man," a voice from behind the counter said, "brew him some Anji."

The street lights slowly came on as Gaara stared out the window. Car driving over a pothole in the street sent out low concussive sounds which shocked Gaara as the unwelcome memory of the fight between his father and older brother. The screams of his older sister still in his ears "Gaara!"

"Gaara?" Matsuri's voice called him back from his reflection. "You're really out of it today, aren't you?"

"Just thinking Matsuri." Looking around, Gaara could see the store was mainly full of older customers preferring to wind down their day relaxing with tea rather than partying in a different sort of bar. It was a quiet atmosphere that Matsuri really didn't seem to fit in with. "Why do you keep inviting me to drop by where you work?"

With a sigh, Matsuri waved to her boss and sat down in the seat across from Gaara. "It doesn't make me seem too pushy does it?"

"Not really."

"Good. It's because I'm curious. You are a mystery to the entire school. Everyone knows you're the top student, son of an Assemblyman, and you have an older brother in the nation's top college."

"Well I have to keep up my schoolwork."

"And yet you wander the city streets until nine o'clock some nights. We can guess from your eyes that you stay up all night on your schoolwork, but…"

"My father is a hard man to deal with. He deals with a lot of stress. Though he's just a member of the Assembly I've seen the paperwork he has to deal with; having to pick up the slack both the mayor and chief of police leave him."

"I bet it's hard on you and your siblings too."

"Yeah, my older brother Kankuro has it the worst." Gaara said taking a long drink from his tea. "He gave up his dream of studying abroad to please father and went to his Alma Mater. The worst part is that even though Kankuro is the oldest, I think father wants me to follow his footsteps."

"But what do you want?"

Gaara couldn't bring himself to say the words, 'To not be afraid of my father.' Instead he took another slow drink of his drink.

"Dreams are never easy Gaara. Sometimes in order to reach them, we have to face our nightmares first." Turning back, Matsuri noticed her break was nearly up. "You'll do well Gaara. I believe in you." She placed her hand on his as she got up to leave.

Setting down his mug, Gaara left his payment on the table and walked out. 'Face my nightmares you say? For an insomniac like me, there's nothing but waking nightmares.'

Opening the door to the house and taking off his shoes, Gaara was greeted by his sister Temari. She whispered,

"You came home too fast. Kankuro isn't here yet, and he's in a bad mood today."

"No Temari, I've put this off too long. Whatever happens, don't interfere."

The stairway to father's den was an ascent into darkness. Faint yelling and the sounds of several old touchtone phones being picked up, dialed, and slammed down. Smoke billowed in the air. Cigars. If you're going to face the dragon in his lair, you're going to have to breathe the same air as him. As Gaara reached the door all sounds ceased, and the old man was sitting in his chair facing the door.

"Close the door boy. You want to say something?"

"I'm not going to take the exams for Keio University."

"Yes you are, this conversation is now over. Now go downstairs boy."

"All my life you've called me boy." Of all the muscles in his body, Gaara thought it odd that only the ones around his eyes tensed. "Yet you once told me that real men stand up for themselves."

"Quite right." Faster than Gaara could blink, his father was across the room and planted a powerful right fist into Gaara's gut. Doubling over from the pain, Gaara forced himself to stand upright. Taking a step back, his father turned around and faced the window. "And what school are you planning to go to?"

"Osaka, mother's school." Gaara suppressed a cough.

"I won't support you if you go there."

"I can manage on my own."

"Very well." Sitting back down in his chair, the old man picked up a receiver and began dialing a number. "Anything else you want to say."

"No."

"Good night then… son."

Going straight to his room, Gaara was surprised to find a cold pack waiting on his bed. Lying down, he put it on his aching abdomen and opened his cell phone. Two messages, both from Matsuri.

'Good luck' and 'Thanks for the tip.'

Once again Gaara found his face had adopted a most peculiar muscular change, he was smiling.