Healing Demons [Gaara x Reader/OC x Sasuke]

Chapter 33 | Closing One Door

"You've actually known this guy well before you knew Kankuro and I believe it or not. You guys grew up together for a time before you moved to Konoha with your family. But we didn't all meet again until the Chunin Exams a long time ago. A lot has changed over the years, but trust me, this guy is someone you can trust too!" Temari said as she stood. "Now come give me a big old hug, it's good to have you back, even if its not all of you yet," She said as she gave you a strong hug.

"I hope I can remember, I feel so bad forgetting a close friend like that!" You explained with a light flush of embarrassment on your cheeks.

"Hn." Gaara responded flatly.

You moved to swing your legs over the side and wrapped him up in a tight hug as well. "Don't be scared, I won't break – you can hug me whenever you need to too! Just because I don't remember you doesn't mean I won't see you as a friend now. I'm sure things will clear up eventually, but if we were friends before we can definitely still be – you'll just have to bear with me in teaching me all about you again!" You said to him happily. His hands slowly responded as he returned the tight embrace.

"It's... it's good to see you Miku-chan," Gaara said softly as he let his head fall into the crook of your neck.

"It's good to see you too," You whispered back earning a tighter embrace from him as Temari looked on with a mixture of sadness and excitement. You couldn't see it but she was playfully giving Gaara two thumbs up when he finally removed his face from the crook of your neck and released you. A faint blush crossed his cheeks as he could barely keep the reaction to Temari's playfulness away.

"Now come on – we've got a lot of work to do!" Temari exclaimed as she pulled you away from Gaara and into a study across the hall. She was right, as she began to explain things to you... you realized just how much of your memory was missing, and just how important Gaara must have been to you. Your gut swelled with sadness and pity. Being told memory after memory, it was more like a story than your life. It was good to know of course, but it didn't feel like that was you living through that. That feeling of closeness and all the things you did for Gaara, and him for you....to come to the others aide, you barely knew him now to feel that way now. It also felt like Temari was leaving some things out, you'd hoped that as you met more and more people from your life that maybe those gaps would continue to get filled in. At this point, at least you would be able to know the story even if you would never be that Miku again...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Can't we stop here please? My head feels like it's going to explode with all this information..." You whined to Temari after you'd been studying 'your life' for the last several hours.

"Ah, yes sorry! You should have spoken up sooner! There's just so much to talk about and I get carried away." Temari said with a light laugh. She squeezed your hands with a sympathetic look on her face.

"It's okay, I know you mean well. I just honestly don't find much of this helpful. Its like reading about long lost history, it feels like it has nothing to do with me so its hard to take on as my own life. And you know, something still baffles me. From what you've been saying, it sounds like Gaara and I wouldn't be close friends, so how is it that you keep saying we were close? After all that time apart, it sounds like we've barely spoken since reuniting. Is that not fair to say?" You said skeptically as you leaned back in your chair. You sighed heavily with your mood as you looked off to the side. Had you even wanted to know the answer? It all seemed so suspicious, but you didn't want to feel like you were questioning Temari or for her to feel that you didn't trust her. It was all a complicated mess.

She offered a small smile before mulling over her answer in her head, only further adding to your suspicions. "Wouldn't the truth be easier to just say than to think of a response?" You wondered with an arched brow. You played with a loose thread of your shirt while waiting outwardly patient, but inwardly impatient for her response.