50 Shades of Sand

Chapter 5 - Full of Surprises

My eyes fluttered open as a cough escaped my throat. It was dark and I blinked a few times until my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. I noticed the wooden floors and walls. Everything smelt dusty and, well, old. The wind scratched fiercely outside. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"What happened?" I mumbled. I looked around once more and noticed a tall figure standing by a tiny window.

"Sandstorm." The figure mumbled. He gave me a one eye stare then converted his gaze back outside. It was dark with the sand flying around. I looked down at my hands and sighed.

"How long have I been out?" I looked up at him and he kept his gaze outside.

"A few minutes."

"Oh." I nodded and tucked my legs under my arms. I kept my gaze on a plank of wood leaning against the wall. I couldn't help but feel so useless. This is why I trained so hard over the years. I'm not that stuck-up Ino anymore.

I converted my gaze back to Gaara. He stood relaxed leaning against the wall next to the window. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his gourd rested against the wall next to him. Wow I couldn't believe he could carry me and that gourd.

"Where are we?"

"This use to be a shop." He muttered.

"How long is this storm supposed to last?"

"I'm not sure... by the looks of it, possibly a couple of hours."

"Damn it." I replied and he grunted in response.

Time began to fly by and we sat in silence. I remained in my sitting posture while he remained planted by the window. The storm hasn't let up and it seemed to only be getting darker with the sun setting. In this time I realized a few things about Gaara.

One. He barely spoke. The only time I found him chatting away was when speaking about his village. It's funny really. He can speak hours and hours about sand, his citizens, his job title and anything else that matters about the village. Though, ask him anything that has to do about himself, he just won't speak.

Two. Even though he doesn't show it, I can see he treasures his family and friends more than anything. He looks at his family with fondness when he speaks to them. I remember how he spoke of Naruto before. Naruto is the reason why he has changed his ways. He even took on the dream of becoming Kazekage so the people can learn to respect him and see him as someone who cares for them. I can only imagine the hardship it must have given him. He was the youngest to become a kage and with the old views of the council, things must be tough. The council back at home gives Lady Tsunade problems and she's way older than Gaara.

Third. He doesn't show emotion unless it's through his eyes. Sometimes, he slips up and a small expression shows on his face but he reverts back immediately. I'm a sensory type, I can usually read body language and emotions like the back of my hand. But he's tough and it challenges me. I wanted to know more about him. I don't want to just learn his past, but understand the emotions he has. I could just use my jutsu and find out but I wanted him to be the one to tell me. I want him to confide in me like he has to Naruto. Like Shikamaru and Temari have.

"Something's troubling you." I looked up immediately at Gaara. He still stood by the window and he was giving me a one eyed stare. Surprisingly he didn't turn his gaze back outside, instead he kept it on me.