Kintsugi (ONC Entry - Naruto Fanfic)

Truth and Lies

"Can I see Gaara?"

She'd asked the question multiple times, yet every single time Rasa looked at her in a way he'd never looked at her before. Pity was one of the words which came to mind, yet sadness was another.

"He's going to save this village one day."

"You've said that before." Rasa glanced away, letting out a deep breath. "I doubt it will ever be true."

"Why wouldn't my Gaara save the village one day? I made sure he would survive did I not?"

"If you can call that living." Rasa looked her in the eye, this time revealing the disappointment he felt. His looks rarely if ever phased her even though she knew he disliked the way she brushed everything away, insisting Gaara would one day save the village. If Rasa weren't Rasa he might shed a tear.

"What do you mean by that?" She tilted her head, sitting on the bed in the mental ward of the understaffed Suna hospital, waiting patiently for someone to come to their senses and let her out. It never happened in the many, many years she'd been there, but the few visitors she had dwindled slowly. "It's getting closer you know. The day he'll save the village with his own strength."

"Strength." Rasa let out a deep breath. "I've let a lie slip from my tongue. I wrote this lie down on paper so it would become truth. I did this, because what you did..." Rasa shook his head, his auburn-haired locks moving with the swift movement. "It was the most tragic day in my life, but I lost a part of myself, but I didn't just lose a piece of myself. I lost pieces of my family."

"Rasa..."

"Don't." He held up a calloused hand, closing his eyes. "I told a lie thinking hiding the truth would protect that missing piece, or what I thought embodied the missing part of myself and my family. Gaara. I turned Gaara into a monster instead, so there you have the truth. He won't be saving this village ever."

"You lie."

"I know what I know."

"You may know what you know Rasa, but I know what I know. My Gaara will save this village."

"I can't deal with this. Not today."

The door to her room in the mental ward closed behind him. She waited for him to come back as he did every so often, but he didn't come back. Instead, Rasa became yet another person who stopped visiting her. The few who remained were those in charge of her personal care; more specifically, Rasa, the Kazekage of the village placed in charge of her, making sure nobody knew where she was. Time passed, the door finally opening to reveal an auburn head of hair.

The auburn head of hair – though – wasn't Rasa, though he did wear the robes of the Kazekage. The person was smaller than the man, thinner even, but his eyes weren't dark like Rasa's eyes were. Instead, the pair of eyes looking at her were seafoam green in color. More importantly, she recognized the person in front of her, yet she felt as if a missing piece was no longer missing.

"Gaara."