Rogue.

A Change Of Fate

I can't really explain to you the utter feeling of despair that clouded my tiny, child's heart when I woke up and didn't find my mother waiting for me with open arms. I'd been looking forward to her, to not having to try so hard to gain my father's love, to not be a disappointment anymore but to just spend eternity in the arms of my gentle, loving mother. Instead, when I opened my eyes I was met with cold, pitch darkness of my bedroom.

The main house of the Kazekage clan -my house- is carved into the sandstone of the protecting valley that hides Sunagakure. Our house is designed in a way that it is cooler by far inside than it is outside. The downside of this cave-like construction is that there are no windows in the back half of the house, where my room is. My father used this to his advantage when he was displeased with me as he was now. The door to my room would be locked from the outside, and all of my lights and candles would be taken away, as they were now. The utter darkness that enveloped me had terrorized me my entire life and as soon as I realised it I began to sob. The sheer terror that clawed at my throat as I sat there, trying not to imagen what was in the room with me felt like it could choke me.

I pushed down the fear, feeling around my bed until my hand met with the unnatural warmth and plushness of the little white teddy bear my mother had given me when she first got pregnant with my sister. I was too young to remember her words, but the bear meant she would still love me even when her love was shared. I clung the bear to my chest as I dropped my feet over the edge of the bed, praying to Kami that nothing grabbed them. When I built up some more courage I slid off the bed and felt the way along the smooth stone walls until my hand met with an unfamiliar sensation. Colder than the walls, small, sharp particles slid between my fingertips like water, blocking the path to the door handle and keeping me from picking the lock as my father's advisor Baki had taught me to do. 

Realising I was truly trapped in this endless blackness I began to scream at the top of my lungs for my father. I screamed until my throat burned and I was all out of tears, curled up with my back against the cold wall as I cuddled that warm bear. My screaming gave way to coughing as I was forced into silence from the pain in my throat. I continued to wimper myself to sleep because I refused to hear what noises might come from that darkness.

In my dream that night, Gaara was a 50 foot tall monster that smashed apart our village and rampaged after our father. He growled, and howled as if he were in pain and with his monstrous shape the only reason I could recognise the sweet little toddler was those bright blue eyes. He caught me in his clawed hands, and crushed me before I even got a word out. For the first time in my life I was absolutely terrified of him.

"Kairi-chan?" My other brother's voice pulled me from the dream death. 

"Kro?" I whimpered, opening my eyes and flinching against the light he held in his hand. 

"Daddy is gone to council, Baki made some breakfast before he left... Do you want some?"

I wiped away the ghost of tears and nodded slowly, my eyes adjusting as I stood up and followed him out from the room.

"I tried to come get you last night, but he wouldn't let me." The four year old told me, but I already knew that from the dark bruise decorating his cheek.

Temari was sitting at the table in our kitchen, she had already set up bowls of the soup for us. "Kairi!" She purred as she saw me, jumping up from her chair and coming to hug me. "I missed you!" She wouldn't tell me she tried to help me, she never disobeyed our father. 

Once we were finished hugging we all sat down and began to eat. Kankuro made his noodles dance with the Chakra strings he'd learned from the puppet core. He wasn't very good at it, but the fact that the four year old could even get it to wiggle like a worm was impressive. Temari and I both burst out in giggles as he tried to make it fly and winded up with noddle face. Things were beginning to feel the way they normally did when the three of us were together. As much as we competed for our fathers attention and favor we were best friends. We weren't allowed to hang out with the other village kids, our training schedules were too busy and our mentors were very demanding.