Oh wow. This chapter brings in so many more elements. I thought the LAST one had too many plot threads getting threaded? Man, this fic is going to turn into one SERIOUSLY bad sweater. Especially now with everything completely out in the open like it is now. Oh man. Remember where I said the love tattoo was ridiculously out of place in this story where is it in the show? Well, I decided I'd move it.

And the plot thickens. DUN DUN DUUUUN.

As far as this chapter goes...it's shit. The ending is alright, as is the beginning, but everything's flitting around so much toward the middle. Do all of you understand what's going on? It's confusing ME, so it must be confusing you. Maybe I should've explained things a bit more clearer. Oh well. As long as I got another chapter posted to move this stagnant plot along.

A Quiet Mind
The Declaration of Love

Kankurou stared at his brother, slightly pissed off that Temari got to drive home when they had to walk. He didn’t care how many cracks on him she’d take on him being a big baby, he was so telling on her when Dad got home. Gaara gave him a frigid look, and the theatre nerd shuddered slightly.

The wind picked up, and Gaara immediately started walking home. Kankurou followed behind. After they reached a fair distance from the school, he looked up at the sky, slightly annoyed. “Hana’s a bitch.”

Gaara glanced back at him, only slightly interested in what his brother was talking about.

“You know what she did to me during theatre?” The theatre nerd elaborated. “She tripped me as I was carrying a big box of stage bulbs off to the storage room. All of them shattered and Mr. Gekkou got real mad at me. You know what she did after he yelled at me? She had the gall to walk right over and say she was sorry. As if she’d accidentally done it! Yeah, I saw her with that smug look on her face as I looked up to see her staring at me, her foot still out there! And then she completely changed and went into this big long dialogue over how I’d tripped and fallen and how I desperately needed someone to make sure I was alright!” He went red, clenching his fists.

“That Inuzuka bitch is going down,” replied his younger brother thoughtfully.

Kankurou looked up at his brother, completely stunned. “G-Gaara… Seriously, you don’t have to get angry at her on my behalf. I can take care of myself.”

“No, look.” He pointed off to a field they were passing, where Hana was standing there as three very large dogs–they looked more like wolves than anything–dashed toward her. Kankurou’s heart practically leapt out of his chest when he saw it.

“OH my God!” He threw the bag off of his arm and dashed over there. “Hana!”

The dogs caught up with her and tackled her to the ground, and he stopped in his tracks about two feet from her when he realized she was laughing. And they were acting all friendly toward her. He stiffened, and she rubbed one of them on the nose, her face completely red.

“Oh, there’s my boys! Waiting for me after school, were you?? Home’s in the opposite direction! Were you following my scent to the A&W!?”

One of the dogs spotted him and started to bark, and Hana looked up, her face paling. She stood abruptly, glaring at him. “You got something you want to say?”

Kankurou stared at her for the longest time, before finally he blurted out the only words that came to mind. “I thought you were dog meat.”

She stared at him for the longest time, suddenly getting the image of her dogs running toward her in her head, which is what he surely would’ve seen. She burst out laughing, tossing her hand at him. “Aha ha ha! Y-You idiot! You thought they…! If…f-f-f…If they weren’t friendly I surely would’ve been ready to kick them in the sides or even start running! I guess this means…” She wiped a tear from her eye, regaining her composure. “I guess this means you still feel something for me even after it’s dreadfully obvious I only flirted with you for my own gain…”

Kankurou’s face went red, and he turned around abruptly. “Like hell I do! I…” He stormed back to where his brother was waiting patiently for him, and he picked up his bag, throwing it over his shoulders. He grabbed Gaara and started walking off. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew it was still sort of true. Why’d she have to be a babe?

“Kankurou!”

He turned back around, surprised to see the dogs heading off in the opposite direction they were walking in. She walked over, shoving her hands in her pockets. “You’re a geek, but it’s obvious we’re probably going to be working in the play together. We might as well get along.”

Kankurou stared at her. “What?” His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her suspiciously. “What are you planning this time?”

She nodded her head toward a building off in the distance. “I was going to go get a root beer from A&W. If you come with me, we can walk back to the school and I can drive you two home after my brother gets out of the detention your brother caused him to get. It is your brother’s fault, and now I have to wait for an hour after school for the next week. The least you could do would be to pay for my drink. Your dad’s loaded, right? Surely you have money coming out the ass…”

Kankurou stared at her, completely unable to believe she was offering to be his friend at the expense of him buying her a drink. His eyes narrowed. “No way am I buying you a drink just because you think we owe you something.”

“I’m offering to drive you two home. You owe me a drink for that.”

He went red again. “You just want to find out where I live so you can piss me off some more.”

“No. I’m just bored because I have to wait while my brother’s in detention. Usually I’d get my mother to pick him up later, but she’s going to be swamped with work for the next couple of days. Not everyone’s parents can get by as easily as yours.”

Kankurou shoved her a little. “What the hell do you have against me for my dad being rich? We eat dinner in silence at my house. My father can’t stay in the same room as us longer than thirty minutes. You think you have it so hard? Money doesn’t solve all problems, you fucking moron.”

She glared at him. “I am doing you a favor. Do not get so worked up about it.”

“What the hell? No way! I don’t care if you are willing to drive us home! No fucking way!”

She stared at them walking off, completely losing the desire to go and get a root beer anymore. After a while, she turned her head back to the school, where her brother was in detention. She sighed, turning back around and following after them. “So what if your father ignores you? At least you have one.”

It was Gaara who turned around, his eyes glowering. “…At least you have a mother…” With that, the siblings walked off, leaving her standing there staring at them. She sighed, looking up at the sky, a bit more than upset.

She hadn’t even had anything against him before this whole mess! The first time she even noticed him was the year before, when one of the actors freaked out before going on stage and his mind went blank…and there was Kankurou, relaying his lines to him without even the aid of the script. So why did she care about an argument between her brother and his brother? That shouldn’t have leaked into their own relationship…if it could be called that…

Why did she even bother to open her mouth in the first place? It was useless, and what she’d gotten in return was more information than she felt either of them wanted to hear come out of his mouth. She’d felt so guilty after he’d gotten in trouble, and now it looked like he didn’t trust her at all… She couldn’t blame him. After all, part of her was still wanting to make him pay. And the other part? She just didn’t know anymore.

But she knew one thing: he was funny.

She sighed, immediately going and following them. “W-Wait up you two! Let me apologize! I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you, Kankurou! We will be acting together! We need to reach the point where we’re not at each other’s throats, alright!?”

–––––––––––––––––––

“Three root beers, please…”

The man stared at her, looking at the two boys behind her and quirking a brow. “Anything else?”

Hana sighed and looked back at the two, giving them a look that clearly told them to say ‘no, of course not’ or even just a simple, ‘no’.

Kankurou grabbed his brother–who only looked at him in aggravation–by the shoulders and grinned evilly, his eyes alight with mischief. “Of course! Three cheeseburgers, four orders of large fries, and one of those neat-looking bacon burgers! And make sure to add cheese to that, too!”

Her jaw dropped, and she resisted the urge to uppercut the sophomore bastard. “…You’re joking.”

Kankurou laughed, waving his hand. “You’re right.” She gave a sigh of relief, and his voice lifted even louder than before. “I want all of that, and for my brother, I’ll have a–”

“I may have money, but I’m not made of money, you little shit!”

“…Kankurou… Dad will know we broke the rules if we skip dinner… We can’t eat all of that…”

“Fine… I guess you can just cut that back to a large order of fries…” He gave Hana a half-thoughtful, half-soured look and quickly averted his eyes, a slight tinge of pink making its way to his cheeks. She narrowed her eyes, going over and licking her thumb, rubbing at his cheek roughly. The second he looked up at her, bewildered, cheeks growing even redder, she smirked and turned back to the counter.

“Had something on your cheek, kid.”

He blushed more profusely, resisting the urge to send her flying into the soda-dispenser across the counter. God. Was that what he was to her? Just a sophomore? He was just as much of a man as those Seniors, damn it!

The second their butts hit the booth, as if knowing exactly what he was thinking, she took a sip of her root beer and smiled. “I like older men. Give me a man older than twenty-five and I’ve got a target.” She laughed earnestly, waving her hand toward him. “High school boys are just so immature, you know? I look at you two, and you both remind me of my brother. Even your brother, Kankurou. Inside his head, he’s probably got one thing on his mind–tits.”

Kankurou gave her a sour look. “Inside his head is none of your business. And you shouldn’t assume all high school boys are the same. I’ll bet there’s at least one guy at this school that’s just as mature as a guy over twenty-five.” He stuffed five fries in his mouth and took a big gulp of his root beer, cringing inwardly at how sweet it was. It was like diabetes in a cup.

“God, this drink is like diabetes in a cup,” he voiced aloud.

The young woman across the table snorted and took another sip. “Today’s root beer is extremely sweet. Every day here is a new experience when it comes to the root beer. That’s why I like coming here.” She turned her eyes to the redhead, who looked as if he were having a hard time swallowing the drink he’d just taken. “What about you? You enjoying it?”

Gaara didn’t want to be rude. He didn’t want to admit it was making him nauseous…or that everything was making him nauseous after that incident in the bathroom earlier that day. But…he couldn’t finish it. He swallowed it disdainfully and shoved the drink away from him, a bit put-off that she’d ordered the biggest size.

“…I’m sick…”

Kankurou looked over, sighing. “Geez, Gaara. What happened at school this time? Any of the in-school suspension kids being rude to you? Temari brought you a lunch, right? Did you at least eat that?” He nudged the fries over toward him. “You’ll feel better if you eat something.”

He nodded his slowly. “I already ate the lunch she packed. Nothing happened.” But it had, and he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread at the base of his spine. Why had he started laughing? Why had he heard that voice? What the hell was going on with him? Those thoughts ran through his head, and though he tried to keep them hidden, Hana noticed something.

“Was it Kiba?”

Both boys turned and looked at her, and she sipped at her drink idly, shrugging her shoulders. “What? My brother’s an ass at times. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said something again. He told me he threw something at you and you threw that paper back with the dog on it. My brother’s been known to pick on someone who seems easy.” She sighed. “Of course, the one person who kept him in check hardly comes around anymore, but that’s fine, I suppose. Although I really hate seeing Neji around the house. Neji this, Neji that. Who gives a flying fuck about Neji?” She smiled at the redhead, grabbing a few fries and handing them to him.

“But trust me. Even if you feel sick, warm food will make you feel better. Especially these fries. A&W makes the best fries.”

Gaara ate the fries she handed to him, surprised to find that he did feel just a little bit better. He didn’t know how or why, but for some reason it just seemed to calm him. He took a few more, eating them silently, and Kankurou’s jaw dropped. The brunet’s eyes turned to her, face still facing his brothers, and he whispered.

“How’d you know it would work?”

A smile played on her lips as she took another gulp, shrugging her shoulders yet again. “It works for Kiba, and Kiba is just a teenager who got stuck in childhood.” She smiled sadly. “I know I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but middle school was the hardest part of my brother’s life. I’m just happy he’s been able to look past all of that and move forward this easily.”

Kankurou turned and looked at Gaara bitterly, as if it were his fault. Though the redhead didn’t see the look in his eyes, he could sense that’s what he felt. His chest tightened, and he looked down at the table, suddenly losing his appetite. Tears pricked at his eyelashes, but he refused to cry.

“Relax, Gaara.”

Before Gaara even realized it, Kankurou had put an arm around his shoulder and whispered, “Remember: communication,” and warm, wet tears started rolling down his cheeks. Hana stared at the two brothers, before getting up and going to the restroom to give them some privacy.

–––––––––––––––––

Kankurou slammed the door shut, glaring at the boy in the front seat menacingly as the shit continued to complain mercilessly, digging into Gaara like a fresh steak. The redhead stepped out of the car, looking horribly sick inside, and it took all of Kankurou’s self-control to not dent the side of the car or reach over Hana and strangle the pest that was her brother. Seriously–did Kiba ever shut his mouth!? He was almost as bad as that stupid freshman, Naruto! At least Naruto didn’t cut into people like that!

Gaara stumbled through the door to the house, and as Hana drove off, Kankurou stared in shock to see Kiba’s demeanor change completely. He turned inward, eyes to the dashboard, mouth in a tight line, what Kankurou swore was a bead of sweat dripping down his stupid forehead.

Then, the Inuzuka boy looked over at Hana, his eyes clearly showing fear, mouthing something Kankurou couldn’t hear, but could easily read–

“I was so scared, Hana.”

Kankurou turned his eyes back to the house, to find the door still wide open. He dashed inside the house, tossing his bag onto the ground as he ran, up the steps, into the bathroom, to see Gaara vomiting. His eyebrows knitted together and he slumped into the wall, a hand going to his forehead.

“Gaara…please… We’re so, so, so so worried about you! Please tell us what’s wrong!”

His vomiting over, Gaara turned his head to look at Kankurou pitifully, his mouth opening but no words coming out. He turned back to the porcelain bowl, the acrid stench of puke filling his nostrils, setting off another round of vomiting.

“God-fucking-damn it!!”

His older brother kicked the side of the wall, leaving a clear dent in the white of the wall, storming down the stairs. He could hear the front door smash into the doorframe, nearly flying off the hinges from what it sounded like. His throat was sore, but the vomit kept coming until nothing was left.

His stomach felt raw and empty, his throat still burned, as he flushed the toilet and washed off.

He could hear his brother breathing heavily before he looked up in the mirror and saw him behind him. Gaara didn’t even turn to look his brother directly in the eye, like some defunct Medusa, when Kankurou whispered,

“You’re scaring us.”

His voice was soft, and it was then that he realized his brother was on the verge of tears. Gaara finally turned and stormed by, locking himself into his room. The second he locked the door, he slumped the backpack off his shoulders and grabbed Tenderheart, squeezing the beloved bear tightly as he tried desperately to forget everything going on.

A fist collided with the wall in the hallway, and he heard Kankurou let out a swear.

–––––––––––––––––––

Temari smiled, running her hand through the teen’s black hair, smiling wickedly. “He seriously punched you? I wouldn’t have expected that…” She leaned over, planting a kiss over his eye and he winced at how tender the spot was.

His grip tightened on her waist, and he nuzzled her face, whispering sweetly into her ear. “You’re the nicest girl in stiletto heels I’ve ever seen, Temari… I’m so glad you decided to go to Poetry Club to see me more often…”

She smirked again, pressing her body against his and planting a kiss on his lips. “I can’t help it. It’s the only time I get to see you when you’re not sneaking into my window at midnight. My brother heard us the other night. I think he suspects it’s someone he knows…”

His eyes widened slightly, worried. “Are you sure that’s okay? My Dad would be pissed if he knew I had a habit of sneaking into your window. And if your father were t–”

“Oy. Mind if I borrow Temari for a bit?”

The pair looked over at Shikamaru, sour looks on their faces. Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders a bit, pointing at her. “She’s my chess partner. She matches me more than Asuma, and it’s way more entertaining.” His eyes drifted to Temari. “You mind?”

After a while, she sighed and stood. “Actually, I really should be going, Shikamaru. My father grounded me, and if I don’t get home before seven, he’s going to prolong the punishment. I’ll see you both later.” She turned around, planting a kiss on her partner’s face and waving seductively.

As she walked off, heels clicking on the tile, Shikamaru looked over at the teen a little, his tone absolutely bored. “You shouldn’t really be here,” he pointed out.

“What can I say? She’s a steady constant in my life that I need. We both have quite a lot in common, and I can understand her completely.” The teen gave Shikamaru a glare, quickly adding, “And chess isn’t the game she’s best at, freshman. Keep your hands to yourself.”

As the older teen walked off, Shikamaru snorted. “You gotta be kidding me. Temari? She is so not my type.” He stepped away from the alcove near the bathrooms and went back to the classroom where Asuma was waiting for him, game of chess already half-way in motion, as he was going to try out a new strategy and needed everything in position.

Shikamaru took a seat, and made his move.

“Heard a rumor from a certain Uzumaki that you bagged a hottie, Shikamaru.”

“Well…I’m not one to kiss and tell. Her name’s staying quiet.”

“Well, she’s older than you, I heard.” The teacher moved his knight, concentrating more on the conversation than the game, according to what Shikamaru was observing. “Let’s see…if I start listing girls that are your type and I get the right name, could you tell me then?”

“No. I told you. Her name’s–”

“TenTen.”

Shikamaru’s face went red, and he moved a pawn, causing the thing to swirl around in a circle as it came to an unsteady stop from his clumsy motion, and, without thinking, he blurted out, “How did you know?” The second those words left his mouth, he looked up, and clamped his hand over his mouth, glaring daggers at the man across the chess board.

The teacher moved his bishop and looked up at Shikamaru, smiling widely.

“Checkmate.”

–––––––––––––––

His car was in the driveway.

Her father had gotten home early.

Her hands trembled as she turned the knob, knowing it wouldn’t be locked. As she stepped inside, she saw Gaara and Kankurou at the table, already in place for the inevitable. Her father, for some sick reason, felt that punishment was even crueler when humiliation was involved. And humiliating it was. There was nothing she wanted more than to kick them out of the room and face the punishment mono y mono.

But she couldn’t, so resigned herself to her fate and dropped her things by the wall and walked to her seat, eyes turning to the table.

“Temari. You’re late.”

“P…Poetry club,” she forced through clenched teeth.

“Poetry is a waste of time. Do something more meaningful with your time. You were grounded, and you refused to go with the punishment for that stupid poetry club. Tell me, Temari…is it really for the poetry.” It was in the form of a statement, as if he actually knew what her answer would be, as if he knew she’d lie about it. Which brother told?

“…Yes. It is. I love…h–…p-poetry…”

“It’s a boy, Temari. It has to be. It’s written on your face, in your eyes, spread across your cheeks… Who. Is. He?”

She looked up at him, suddenly violent. “He’s not important!”

“I forbid you to go.” His voice was like a knife, and it cut all of the siblings deeply.

Her fists clenched, and she threw her chair to the ground as she stood. “No! You can’t! I need to see him, Dad! It’s…It’s not fair!”

“Neither is breaking the rules, Temari! As of tomorrow, you will be joining your brother at the counselor’s office!!”

“No!!” Her voice was full of anguish, and she pulled on her hair, eyes shut tight. “I have nothing you bastard!! You take away my poetry club and I will have nothing!! I have never had anything! It’s always gone to Gaara! Always!! What does it matter if I’m seeing a guy!? If Gaara were to suddenly get laid, you’d–“

“I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT SEX!”

Her eyes opened, and she backed away from the table, her eyes as wide as saucers. Oh damn it all to hell. She’d just told everything. “D-D-Dad…I…”

“Have you had sex, Temari!?” His voice roared, and she could feel the floor dropping from under her. Her eyes shot to Gaara, but he was staring at the table, shaking. She looked to Kankurou, and he was biting his lip, hands squeezing that hat he’d tucked under the table.

“H…Help… K-Kankurou…G…Gaara…p-pl-please…” A tear started to trickle down her cheek, and she wiped it away just as quickly.

“Don’t look at them, Temari! Look at me!!” He pounded his fist on the table and she ripped her eyes off her brothers, eyes snapping onto him once again, tears flowing heavily now. She couldn’t stop them from falling, and his eyes dulled, distancing himself from that look in her eyes. “You have.”

“I…” She sobbed, putting her face in her hands and shaking her head. “I haven’t, Daddy… I…I swear… Pl-Please…”

“Stop crying! It’s pathetic, Temari!! Who is this shit you’ve slept with!?”

She wiped at her eyes, shaking her head pathetically. “I’m…I’m not telling… He’ll be in just as much trouble as me…”

“You’re damn right he will be! Don’t you dare keep his name a secret from me!! I am your father!!”

Her eyes snapped to him, and she shouted. “It goes way beyond you, you bastard! It’s not just a matter of our family!! It’s his family, too!! And your stupid fucking company that you love more than us!! I hate you!! I fucking hate you!! If I told you, you’d be fucking proud and I can’t bear it!!”

His curiosity was piqued, and his voice faltered, growing softer than it had been previously. “P-Proud?? Then why do you refuse to tell me?? Don’t you want to make me proud!?”

Her hands clenched and she shook her head. “I don’t want to make you proud by who I’m with. I-It’s the same with him… I…I just want to make you proud by what I accomplish on my own… By what I do…and by doing the things I like, not what you want me to do… Please don’t take this from me…”

His breathing quickened, and he slammed his fist into the table, more angry at himself than at her. “Why am I always the bad guy with you, Temari!? This attitude of yours is pissing me off!” He went quiet, fuming silently and stewing over what he would do. After a while, he took a deep breath.

“Tomorrow you’re going to the counselor’s office to talk about your problems. You hear me? I’m calling the school and telling them that tomorrow you’ll have a session with the counselor. They’ll take place every Thursday for the next month. We’ll see if your behavior improves by then.”

“You…” She pulled her hands away from her eyes. “You can’t do that! First you take away my only chance to see him and now you’re giving me a shitty day tomorrow!? That’s not fair!! I’ll be the only one having a crappy day!! Kankurou has his play and Gaara has Matsuri! It’s not fair!!” Gaara’s eyes widened and his eyes snapped onto the blonde, mouth opening to say something. Their father cut him off.

“It’s perfectly fair, Temari! You’re a big girl, so stop acting so spoiled!! You’re going to the counselor’s office and that’s final! This conversation is over!!” He stormed past her, growling, “Fend for yourselves tonight,” as he retreated to his bedroom and slammed the door, unable to look at them anymore.

Temari started to shake, and the waterworks were turned back on. “I can’t…I can’t deal with him anymore… The only reason why I’d even stay here would be for you two. The only reason.” She looked at Kankurou, who’d taken to staring at her. Her eyebrows knitted together.

“…He wasn’t supposed to know,” the brunet whispered.

Her eyes widened as she realized just what she’d done, and she looked at Gaara. “G-Gaara…I…I’m so sorry… She t-told us–”

Gaara stood, fists clenched, looking like he wanted to just reach over and crush her neck. “What. Are. You. Hiding,” he spat in a voice that was not his own. The two siblings shuddered, and Kankurou stood, trying to lighten the situation.

“Look, Gaara, we didn’t tell you because she didn’t want you to know. She wanted to surprise you!”

“Tell. Me. What.”

Temari eyes softened and she wiped at some of the tears, hoping the news would be good for him, hoping he’d forgive them, hoping that in the end things would get better. “M-Matsuri’s back. That’s…That’s good, right? You want to see her…right? She starts school tomorrow.”

Gaara’s head started to throb, and he dashed up the steps as fast as he could. As he fell into his bed, he couldn’t keep himself from hyperventilating.

They’d lied to him.

They’d lied to him, their own brother!

He couldn’t trust anyone, could he!?

That was it! Everyone betrayed each other, everyone lied and everyone hated and cheated and stole–everyone stabbed each other in the back eventually, be it ten minutes or ten years into the future. There was no hope for the human race. All it was was one big death trap waiting to happen. People habitually destroyed themselves, and the process of destruction was only quickened by social interaction. Loving and getting hurt, laughing and crying–

Trust wasn’t a luxury or a blessing: it was a curse.

People were curses.

Pain spread from his head-ache, radiating down his arms and legs, pulsing in his toes and in the tips of his fingers. He lost all control and lay there paralyzed, feeling a cold sweat break out on his forehead, staring in horror at the wall. And then it happened again.

The voice returned, sugar sweet and almost…loving.

“That’s my boy, Gaara… You don’t need them. You don’t need anyone… All you need is me, my sweet, sweet Gaara…”

“…All…All I need is you…” He put his hands to his head, fingers brushing through his hair as if he’d find the speaker this voice was playing from. Tears started running down his cheeks. “Y-You’re right…all I want is you. I’m fine with this…” He started to tremble.

“I’m fine by myself… I’m…I’m fine with…y-you…”

“Now quickly, before they find out something is wrong…”

His eyes turned, and he sat up, sweating bullets. He crept into his sister’s bedroom, staring at the exacto knife she kept around for the wind chimes she had been making obsessively since she entered middle school. He took a deep breath and went to it, picking it up.

For the longest time he held it in his hand, staring at it, the voice telling him things to do with it. He took a deep breath, listened quickly for the sounds of his two siblings banging around with pots and pans in the kitchen, and lifted the knife.

With another deep breath, he brought it down, into his arm.

“ I love you, Gaara.”