But You're Still Magic

A/N:New Story. It was highly inspired by the book Lost Souls, written by Poppy Z. Brite.

Disclaimer:No, I do not own any of the characters, so on and so forth. I by chance a character resembles a true person, it was by pure coincidence.

Chapter One

It was only six-thirty in the afternoon, and I was already in sweats, ready for bed. I absolutely hated my life. I looked out the window, watching as the sun began to lower in the sky. It was like this all the time. I should have been used to it by now. But that didn't mean I like it.

There was a light knock on my door."Gaara? "

I sighed. It was my sister. "Come in, Temari."

Temari stepped in, her hands behind her back, "I'm sorry about dad. You know how stressful his job is."

I couldn't help but scoff. "Difficult? He sits at a desk all day, stamping and signing papers. Dad's not stressed. Dad hates me."

Temari sat next to me, and rubbed my shoulder soothingly. I turned to face her, my stomach growling, my mouth starting to water. I could smell food. It had been two days since I had eaten. My dad denied me food as a punishment for things I did that he didn't approve of; which was everything.

Temari bit her lip, handing me a cold grilled cheese sandwich. "Sorry. It was all I could get my hands on without him noticing."

I took it and hugged her. "It's fine. Thank you," I swallowed down the knot in my throat.

She kissed the top of my head and ruffled my hair. "I should go. Do you need anything else?"

I shook my head, swallowing the huge piece of sandwich I had bitten off. "No, I'm fine. Thanks again, Temari."

She sighed, and flashed me a sad smile before closing the door behind her. I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to cry.

My situation was a complicated one. Technically, I was part of the Subaku family. I was the youngest of three children; only sixteen. My brother Kankuro was eighteen, my sister barely twenty. My mother, well, I didn't know much about her. Just that she had died while giving birth to me. That's why my father hated me. Most kids my age always go through a phase where they claim that theirs parents hate them. But I wasn't going through any kind of phase. My father truly did hate me. He reminded me of that any chance he got. Along with the beatings, harsh, ridiculous punishments, and the fact that he had me home-schooled so that the least amount of people knew I even existed. And that didn't include the fact that he liked to stare me, forced me to clean up after him and my siblings, and ignore me when he wasn't punishing me. He was still my father though, and in a way, I loved him. If only I could find a way to make him love me back.

I stuck the last piece of sandwich in my mouth, chewed it quickly, and swallowed. Hopefully this could keep me going until he decided I was worthy of food again. I sighed and got up to shut my dark curtains. The sun was still in the sky, shining high and bright. I then curled under my blankets, hugging myself, waiting for sleep to come. I had to get up early and do laundry tomorrow.

***

It was seven thirty-two in the morning. I had just finished serving my dad his breakfast, and was now loading some clothes in the washer when the doorbell rang.

"Gaara, you're tutor is here," my dad's tone was flat, annoyed.

"C-coming," I threw in the damp clothes into the dryer, slammed the door shut and pressed Start.

My tutor was a younger, handsome man. Possibly late twenties, maybe very early thirties. He had a strong, sharp jaw, with serious and piercing eyes. What I liked most about him was how he styled his hair. The silver madness was somehow angled to the side, as if defying gravity. Kakashi Hatake was a heart-throb for all the girls at school. Why he decided to tutor me, I never knew.

I opened the door. "Good morning, Mr. Hatake. Please come in."

He nodded once, his hand running through his wild hair.

"In here Kakashi," my father demanded.

Mr. Hatake walked into the kitchen, sitting across from my dad at the table.

"Some tea, Kakashi? Or coffee maybe" my dad looked down at his paper as he spoke.

I stood by them, waiting for a response. "Some tea would be great, thanks."

"Gaara…" my father waved me away.

"Right," I scurried away obediently, getting Mr. Hatake's tea, and setting it in front of him.

"Thank you, Gaara."

My father suddenly glared up at me. "Now go. I need to speak to your teacher about a private matter."

I nodded, nervously brushing my bright red hair from my eyes," Should I wait upstairs?"

Mr. Hatake turned to face me. "Just go grab your things and meet me in the living room. This shouldn't take long."

I nodded again, and walked away. I came back down a few minutes later, books and homework at hand. Just as I sat down, Mr. Hatake and my dad walked in.

"Temari has to work late, as do I. Kankuro will be busy at school, and so Kakashi will look after you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." How weird. I was always left alone. What was so special about this time?

My dad glared at me, a stiff, steady finger pointed in my direction. "You do as he says."

I gulped. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Good. Have a nice day, Kakashi."

"Good day to you too, sir," Mr. Hatake waited until the front door to shut before he sat next to me.

"How are you Gaara?" a small smirk played on his lips.

I shrugged. "I'm alright. And yourself?"

Mr. Hatake grinned wider. "Just fine, Gaara. Thank you. So, did you have any questions about last night's homework?"

"No," I felt so small next to him all of the sudden.

Mr. Hatake stood six feet tall compared to my five feet, three inches. Now I knew why girls liked him so much. He really was handsome. He was lean, yet muscular, very smart, and charismatic. He made me feel puny and awkward with my bright red hair, and dull green eyes. I was the outcast, the loner. He was every girl's, and probably some guy's, fantasy. I bit my lip when he chuckled.

"You're probably the best student I've ever had. You work hard, and you never make me repeat myself. Listen, today is just review. You're having a test tomorrow. Did you want me to go over anything in specific, or do you think you'll do okay?"

I grinned. "You're the teacher. What you say goes."

He sighed, and very quietly mumbled. "I hope so…"

Mr. Hatake then exhaled sharply. The sound surprised me. He sounded stressed. Why would he be stressed?

"Okay, I guess we'll skip the review then. How about we start a new Science chapter?"

I shrugged. "Sure. On what?"

Mr. Hatake cleared his throat. "The Human Anatomy."