Adopted: Book 1 Refracted Sand [REWRITING]

Adopted Ch. 41 Teeming

Gaara entered his room and it still surprised him every time. Everything was still neat and orderly but something was occupying his bed (which was unheard of), buried under blankets looking like a small, linen mountain.

For the past couple of days, Suzume had been camping out in his room and her presence made the room where he only thought as a supply closet/ office more personal and warm. He always liked it when Suzume accompanied him.  

He walked over and stared at the hill on his bed.

Kankuro came to him the same time Suzume intruded into his area. He looked distraught and blubbered to Gaara about 'saying the wrong things' and 'making Suzume upset' and 'oh my gosh I messed up.' After waiting for Kankuro to recover the ability to string coherent words together, Gaara managed to gather the situation.

Gaara pulled back the covers to unveil his little sister sitting criss crossed, hugging a pillow, and dozing. Even as he watched, she tipped over and landed with a soft thump onto the rest of the mattress.

"I think you should listen to Kankuro," Gaara had said. He came back up to his room after his talk with Kankuro to see Suzume sulking on his bed. "You shouldn't take it upon yourself to investigate the arson crime. It'll only impede it."

"...okay," Suzume sniffed and didn't say anymore.  

And now it's been a couple of days and Gaara was aware of what was going on in Suzume's head, because it was exactly what he had in his. They were trying to prove themselves, but Gaara was doing it for redemption over his guilt, Suzume, Gaara realized, was scared.

And regardless of every amazing, unexpected achievement she's accomplished, she puts almost no worth into herself, and this low self-confidence is putting into her mind how she needed to prove to them she was worth loving.

Love... love...  

"Love yourself..." Gaara whispered softly, almost like he was testing how the words sounded in the air. "Learn to love yourself, Suzume."

The one who gives is left empty and the one who hoards is lost.

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, the scar on his forehead burned.

"Gaara-sa~ma," Suzume was awake and yawned his name as she stretched her limbs.

"You should get up." Gaara was at his closet, pulling on his standard tan uniform. "Today's the last day of school."  

Suzume nodded sleepily and swung her feet over the bed... and then proceeded to slump back into slumber on the floor.

Gaara cracked a small smile.

Gaara opened his eyes again, away from his memories, to the meeting he was sitting in. Temari sat to his left while Kankuro was at his right and the rest of the school board members flanked either side and the headmaster was at the head of the table, openly napping.

One thing they relinquished when being appointed as homeroom teachers and lecturers was the ability to decide how the teams were going to be divided up. The siblings had already flipped through the papers at the start of the meeting and the three of them knew the other two were dissatisfied by the team dynamics as well. Looks like everything was going as predicted.

When they got to Suzume's file however, Gaara's eyes widened slightly. He works quickly.

"I believe the academy student Suzume, can be double promoted into class Chunin," one of the new educators, bright eyed and young for his job, said. "We're low on Chunin as it is, ever since the Raid on Konoha last year."

"That is true," said another, looking impressed as he read through the stats on the fledgling shinobi. "It says here that she's already developed five original ninjutsu. That's quite a feat."