Forevermore ~Gaara~

Chapter 6

When the sun came up and streamed through the window, Honiji immeadiatly rolled over in bed and covered her head with the cover. Too bright and too early. Just as she was smuggling deeper under the blanket, her eyes snapped open. She had no recolection of going to bed last night, so how did she end up in bed? The last thing Honiji remembered was sitting on the couch, helping Gaara double check the villages tax work.

Honiji sat up and looked down at herself. She was still dressed in her clothes from last night at least. Something on the bed caught her eye. At the foot of the bed was a light blue pleated skirt and a sailor style uniform top with the same blue colored collar and bow. Today is the first day if her shadowing at Desert Sun Academy. But a sailor style uniform? Really?

With a small shrug she quickly dressed and sat on the bed to brush her hair. It felt like a normal day. She felt like she was going to put her hair up and go to school like always, give back clothes that she fixed to friends, and then go to work. But in the back of her mind, Honiji knew it was all different. The thought of all the unfamilier faces that she would be surrounded by today terriffied her. Her fingers easily twisted her long blonde hair into two braids.

Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara were already awake when she finally skipped down the stairs. Temari was walking to the table with two cups of coffee in hand and eyes barely open. She put one cup down in front of Kankuro whose head had made the table a pillow. Gaara was sipping from his own cup and reading over some documents. He looked up when she came into the kitchen. "Good morning. Coffee?"

"Sure." Temari reached up and pointed to the cabnet the cup were in and she made herself a small cup. "What time does the school day start here?"

"Eight. I'll take you over there as soon as you're done with your coffee." She nodded to him in thanks and sat at the table.

Kankuro's head popped up the moment she set her cup down. "I'm up!" Both Temari and Honiji covered their mouths as snorts of laughter escaped their mouths. With her coffee down, Honiji stood at the door and slipped her shoes on. Gaara came around the corner and held out a bento box wrapped in a cute yellow cloth.

"Here. Temari made it for you."

"Aw, how nice." She took the box and waited for Gaara to slip his own shoes on, before they were out the door and on the way to the school. The closer they got though, the more fidgity Honiji got. This was something that did not go unnoticed by the red headed leader. At first he thought it to just be a small thing. Of course she would be nervous, it's her first day in a new school in a new country during a time she's trying to figure out if she would like to marry a strange man.

But it kept getting worse. Soon she was even beginning to breath heavy, giving some cause for concern. "Are you okay?" Gaara asked. She mearly nodded and reached into her backpack, producing a orange and white perscription bottle. From the bottle she took a small blue pill and swallowed it easily.

He would later find out what happens when she doesn't find the bottle in time.

The school came into view and a few students passed them on the road, girls, both happily chatting away. Honiji felt better after her self medication, but the anxiety was still very real as more students came into view the closer they got to the school. Several turned to look at her with confused eyes. She only looked down and hugged her lunch box tightly.

At the school gate, Gaara held out a folder with Honiji M Etamae scrawled across the front. "Take this to the teachers lounge before your first class. They'll help you find your class and get you settled in."

"Thanks." She said it so softly and timidly. Gaara's eyes softened and he found his hand naturally falling on top of her head. Honiji looked up in surprise only to be stuned by the face she saw. It was Gaara, but the way the sun hit him from behind and the expression he wore... she had never seen him so handsome in the time she had known him.