Forevermore ~Gaara~

Chapter 23

Honiji let out a nice deep breath as the hot water from the shower poured over her. The steam reminded her of the humid air back home. But even this time of year it gets cold in Konoha, the air gets dry. Usually they get a little snow. It's been a hard transition. She misses the tree's and the green grass. But at the same time, she truly enjoys her life here. She isn't constantly looking over her shoulder here. She doesn't have her past thrown in her face every time she walks past a group of gossiping older ladies.

What she learned today doesn't change this. It's just... a god awful amount to take in. Gaara usued to be a cold blooded murder? He killed Kenchi's family because they looked at him with fear? Her fist pressed to her chest. It's no wonder her new friend hated him so much. After getting cleaned up, she decided to skip soaking in the bath to hole up in her room and sew. She didn't have the space to set up her machine in there, but she could at least relax in bed and hand sew a few bags while watching TV.

She had left school so early... All the stories had taken a good three class hours to get through. She had made it home before the lunch break, and she had no desire to eat. Honiji took a deep breath as she laid across her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Everything was still spinning in her mind, sapping her motivation to do any kind of work. But when her phone buzzed from a text message, she felt a little spike of hope.

The only person who would text her at this time of day would be... Yes! Junko! 'Please call me when you are done with your classes. I have a request of you I would like to discuss.' Still emotionless in her text messages, but baby steps. Honiji smiled at her phone, feeling her eyes begin to burn with tears. She sniffed lightly, the pressure building in her chest.

God, she missed her Mom and Dad. She missed Junko and all her friends. It was getting to be to much at this point. She took a steadying breath and pressed the call button. It rang twice before her sister answered. Just hearing her voice almost caused the tears to finally fall. "Honiji? Why are you not in school?"

"Oh I... wasn't feeling well. What did you want to ask about?"

"Right. Well, as you know, the wedding is next month. And there is still a bit of planning left that mother will not be quiet about. One of the left over checks on her list is my dress."

"Oh, I have a great deal of it done Jun. I got all the beads on the front and the base done. It just needs hemmed and a few more layers of chiffon."

"I trust you entirely. Everything you make is wonderful, which is why I asked you to make it in the first place. Mother, however, has her doubts and would like to see the dress in advance so she knows whether or not she needs to have one made... how did she say... 'on the fly'?"

"Oh." Honiji looked through her planner. Of course she was going to have this thing done well ahead of time, but she was planning on hemming it when she went back home... a few days before the wedding. "Well, I can finish it and send it to you? But it will most likely be too long."

"Well, darling little sister, I know you are attempting to work with your own arranged marriage, and most likely are coming to the hardest part, which is sharing past hardships for better understanding."

Woah, what? Is there a list of what to expect when in an arranged marriage? That would be a great list to have... "...come home for just a few days. Enough to appease mother."

"Wait what?"

"I would like you to come home? Only for a few days, of course, I don't want to get in the way of your studies or your relationship. In fact, it might be beneficial to bring the Kazekage with you."

Honiji sat dumbfounded for a moment. Junko wants her to go home for a few days. Bring Gaara as well. It might help. Honiji would be able to see everyone and feel better, but at the same time not look like she was running away. "I'll talk to Gaara about it when he gets home. I'd love to come home for a bit."

"You are a fantastic little sister, Honiji."

"I love you Jun."

"And I you. I look forward to hearing from you later with your answer."

Honiji hung up the phone and let a grin over take her face. It didn't take much to make her feel better. Or it was just Jun. But either way, Honiji felt ten times better.