The Greenhouse [A Gaara Love Story]

6: All My Love, Gaara

A/N: Sorry for the delay, yesterday was a little hectic for me! To make up for it, I made you guys a cute lil picture of the photograph from this chapter. Its not the best but I hope you like it anyway! 

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Understanding Chakras and Their Uses- he had read that one already.

Sunagakure, From Sand to City- maybe one day, but not today.

How to Go On: A Guide to PTSD- what did that mean?

Icha Icha Paradise- why did they even have this?

Shinki sighed, dropping his hand from the spines of the books to step back and look over the case as a whole. It was one of the many that lined the walls of the study, holding just a fraction of the numerous books Gaara owned but still there was nothing on it's shelves that caught his interest. He stepped away from this bookcase to pass on to the next one; the books here thicker and more focused on politics and government. He made note to come back to them later and start making his way through them, but right now he wanted something a little lighter, something not so heavy on the mind.

Three days had passed and Shinki hardly saw much of either of his caretakers. Gaara would come and make meals, sit and eat half of his with Shinki before he made a plate for Momoko and finished in their room with her. Kankuro had taken him out to the training grounds yesterday morning upon Gaara's request and though he was just as obnoxious as he had been when they first met, Shinki begrudgingly admitted that he was a rather respectable shinobi. His puppets in action were fascinating, Shinki could tell from just the glimpse he had caught of them. Though they weren't focused on his magnetic technique, the basic combat tips he had learned from Kankuro were helpful.

Even if his time was occupied by training and reading, Shinki could not help but think back to what had occurred. Gaara hadn't brought it up on his own and so Shinki didn't feel comfortable asking just yet. Though he had been there to witness it, it still felt like a private matter. Just as with the greenhouse, the boy would not satisfy his curiosity himself.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Gaara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and the boy turned to him as he entered the study. The bags under his already thickly rimmed eyes seemed to be a little lighter today but there was still a fatigued look in his pale gaze. The Kazekage stepped forward and leaned against the desk with his arms crossed, skimming through the bookshelves as Shinki had done just minutes ago.

A little surprised to see him outside of the dining room, it took Shinki a moment before he found a reply.

"I'm not sure," He said, turning back to the books.

The Kazekage gave a small hum in the back of his throat as he continued to look over the titles.

"It's mostly all combat or politics, I'm afraid." Gaara commented.

"I've noticed."

His reply made the man smile just slightly even though it wasn't a particularly amusing or kind response. It could have been that Shinki was just a blunt individual, saying whatever came to mind without much hesitation, but Gaara was glad that he was finally allowing himself to be so. His straightforwardness reminded him of himself in his younger years.

"There are a few hobby books in the mix, if you can find them."

"What kind of hobbies?" Shinki asked, a little more interested in this topic than the ones previous.

"Kankuro left a few on wood working, and a guide to mechanics of some kind." Gaara replied, "There's one or two on knitting as well."

Maybe Kankuro's books would be interesting, Shinki thought to himself as he continued to look over the spines. He was observing the bookshelf behind the desk now, just a few feet away from where Gaara leaned against it. The books on this shelf were a little more personal and Shinki spotted the aforementioned knitting books as well. He had never seen a knit anything anywhere in the house but he made no comment on it. Everything else on the shelves were basic information guides or biographies of late shinobi and Shinki was ready to move on before something on the shelf eye level caught his eyes.