Chapter Twelve

-Matsuri's POV-

Somehow, I ended up in a large bed between Kankuro and Gaara. The way the predicament sounded wasn't how things actually were. We were simply the remaining three people at the end of the night that hadn't grouped up, and Kankuro wordlessly protested lying beside his brother. How the siblings lived together all this time but couldn't bear to be physically close was beyond me.

I laid on my back, feeling awkward as I listened to Kankuro's soft snoring. The bed was large enough that none of us had to touch, and I was grateful for that.

The two boys smelled so much better after bathing, and I was sure they thought the same thing about me. It wasn't like I was judging them, or anyone else, by their appearance or scent over the past week because we'd been traveling nonstop with no ability to bathe. I couldn't help but relish the feeling of being clean, at least for the moment, though.

Everyone's clothes were washed and hung to dry in the massive laundry room, so we raided the closets for make-due pajamas earlier. The woman's clothing was much too big and strappy for me to somehow make it work without accidentally being exposed, so I was left to use one of the man's shirts as a nightgown.

To say being so underdressed while lying in bed with two young men was uncomfortable was the understatement of the year. Once again, I cursed my genetics for stunting my growth and leaving me so petite.

My stomach was full of good food for the first time in months, and the bed underneath me was astoundingly soft. My fingers curled around the cuffs of my shirt since the arms were too long and nearly passed my fingertips. It was warm in this house, and I was unlikely to encounter any threats throughout the night, so I couldn't understand why I wasn't falling asleep.

The silk sheets felt so smooth and pleasant against my bare legs, and I wondered how different I must be from those who sleep on this fabric every night. I'd never take it for granted if anything.

My mind wandered to my mother. We're from a small town a few miles outside Sunagakure, commonly called "Mini Suna". When Hidan and the other guys announced they were headed for Suna, I was tempted to join them so I could return home, but I didn't. There were multiple reasons, but the biggest one was that I didn't trust Hidan or Kisame not to hurt me or do something awful if we traveled together.

Traveling alone wouldn't be wise because no one can watch your back or help you if you run into trouble. So, I decided to stick with the group at least until Hinata was rescued and I could find out what everyone else was planning to do. My mother has been a survivor for almost a decade, and I have to trust she can hold on until we're reunited.

My arm was suddenly bent and pulled away from my body by warm hands, making me snap out of my thoughts. I turned my head to the side to see Gaara pull it against him and wrap his arms around it. My elbow was against his torso, and my fingers lay gently against his jaw.

A slight blush rose to my cheeks, and I slowly turned onto my side as I stared at him in awe. The redhead was fast asleep, a rarity I'd learned over the past week. This was my first time touching a boy's face, much less Gaara's. He looked much younger and relaxed when he was asleep, so I couldn't help but stare.

He'd not spoken to anybody, including me, since being released from the asylum. It'd be lovely to talk to him, and the topic wouldn't even matter, but I also don't mind silently being with him like this. It might be selfish, but I felt like he was beginning to consider me a friend or at least someone he could be around without having his guard entirely up.

The thought made me incredibly happy. Growing up, I didn't have many friends because I was homeschooled, and the other kids in my neighborhood were older than me. So, even if The Program was a terrifying experience, I didn't regret participating because I made some fantastic friends and want Gaara to become one as well.

Teal eyes slowly opened to meet mine, and I watched as he realized what was happening. Discomfort was written clearly on his face, and he loosened his tight grip, but he didn't push my arm away. My own eyes widened to match his stunned expression, but after a moment, I couldn't help but give him a small smile.

Bravely, I decided to test my luck and lifted the hand near his jaw to gently caress his cheek, brushing against a soft red strand of his hair. His brow furrowed, and I could feel he was on the edge of shoving me away, so I didn't try anything further and simply stayed like that. Neither of us moved a muscle for a long time. So long, in fact, that my arm began to get sore from holding it in its lifted position.

The soft snoring behind me paused momentarily, and then Kankuro rolled over and tossed a hand across my side under the covers before the snoring resumed. The hand on my partner's face instinctively dropped to try and shove his brother's arm off. My natural reaction was to scoot away, but I froze when I realized I was within an inch of touching Gaara and gingerly moved to return to my previous spot.

My eyes widened when a voice I hadn't heard in months, albeit raspier, whispered, "Stay."

I lifted my head slightly to meet his gaze, and he stared down at me with the same expression. Tears rose in my eyes before I could realize what was happening, and I had to look back down so I could rub them away, my forehead brushing lightly against his chest.

The growth Gaara has shown in such a short amount of time was tremendous. I was so happy for him. He was learning to let others get close. I'm not entirely sure when his well-being became quite so important to me, but it definitely had.

My eyes shot open in surprise when an unsure hand grabbed my wrist and pulled it back up so my hand would rest in between his face and pillow. Without saying anything, I sensed he didn't want me to start staring at him again, so I simply allowed him to lightly wrap his fingers around my forearm so I wouldn't move my hand away and tried not to overthink his actions with a bright red blush on my cheeks.

Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

In what felt like late morning, I was woken up by someone pressing firmly against my back. The fact that we'd slept in when we really shouldn't have didn't even register because I was so stunned. Not knowing who it was because I wasn't sure if I'd moved in my sleep, I opened my eyes to see that I had not, in fact, moved in the slightest.

Kankuro's arms were around my waist as he cuddled closely against me. My heartbeat picked up, and a burning heat rose to my face, but I didn't move because I didn't want to wake either of the boys. Gaara hadn't moved an inch, either, so the slightest movement from me would undoubtedly rouse him.

My skin bristled, and an uncontrollable squeak of panic slid from my lips when I realized the shirt I was wearing had lifted almost all the way up while I slept, and if the blanket wasn't on top of us, my underwear would be visible to any who looked.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and tried to frantically pull out of the older Subaku brother's grasp, hissing in a whisper, "Get off! Get off! Let go!"

Both boys woke up due to my struggle. Gaara released my arm, and Kankuro released my torso as they looked at me in confusion. I sat up with a humiliated red face, tears in my eyes as I pulled the shirt down under the blankets so they wouldn't see my underwear before climbing off the bed and hurrying out of the room. It was one thing to cuddle like that when you have to fend off the cold, but it's another to do it purely out of pleasure.

I ran smack into someone and took a step back to look up and see Tenten looking down at me with an amused expression. "Looks like someone had an interesting night."

My eyes narrowed, and I pouted at the taller woman, "What makes you say that?"

"Well, your shirt's unbuttoned. That's one thing at least," Temari spoke from Tenten's side. I hadn't even noticed her standing there.

When I looked down, a loud gasp left my lips, and my fingers fumbled to button up the top half of the shirt. I had a bra on, but….both boys had undoubtedly seen it. The two girls laughed at my expense before looking behind me.

Temari spoke surprisingly casually, "You two better not have taken advantage of her!"

I turned, and, to my horror, the young men approached as though still half-asleep. With no other choice, I fled. The girls' laughter followed me until I shut the bathroom door behind me and sank to the floor with my hands on my burning cheeks.

A few minutes later, a soft knock came at the door, and I gingerly got back up and peeked out to see Temari giving me a sheepish grin, "Hey, can I come in? I brought your clothes."

I let her enter to get out of this awful shirt so I could forget about the dreadful scene that'd just transpired. She sat on the closed toilet lid as I tossed the cursed thing aside and redressed in my now-clean clothes, "Sorry for teasing you. I couldn't help it because you're so cute."

I shot a glare in her direction in response to her continued teasing.

She laughed lightly before sighing, "Really, though, you shouldn't worry about it too much. There's nothing on your body the boys in this house haven't seen elsewhere, I swear."

My blush warmed back up, and I turned to run some cold water in the sink so I could pat my face with it in an attempt to calm down, "That doesn't make me feel better."

"Then think about it this way: At least you're cute. Maybe Gaara liked what he saw."

I swiftly turned to face her, my entire body ablaze with humiliation, "W-Why would you say that!"

She rolled her eyes, "Everyone can tell you like him. Luckily for you, he seems to like you back."

My mouth opened and closed again as I tried to respond, only making her snicker at me, "I'm gonna level with you, Matsuri. I've never seen him let someone so close, not even me or Kankuro. Only time will tell whether that's a good thing or not."

My blush faltered slightly, "What're you trying to say?"

The girl paused before sighing, the smirk on her lips falling into a severe line, "I guess I'm asking you not to get close to my brother unless you're serious. He's never had a friend, and I don't want him to get hurt."

It took me multiple long moments to register what she said, and I stared at her unblinkingly the entire time. Finally, I managed to form words, "Excuse me?"

She rose to her feet, hands in front of her in a calm defensive manner, "It's not my intention to offend you. I just want what's best for Gaara."

My vision was pulsing with red. I turned and fumbled with the lock on the door, so I could leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

If I turned to look at her, I didn't know what I'd do, so I stayed facing the door, "I'm leaving so I don't say something that's going to hurt your feelings," and then I left the room before she could respond.

My hands were balled into fists at my sides as I walked steadily down the stairs and started to put my shoes on so I could step outside. Who does Temari think she is, trying to pull the big sister card like that? Where was all that confidence when Gaara needed her to stand up for him over the years? Once my boots were tied firmly, I rose to my feet and searched the large pile of winter coats for mine, only to hear multiple people coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Matsuri, g'morning," Kankuro spoke casually as he turned to head into the kitchen, a hand under his shirt as he scratched his stomach with a sleepy face. Gaara was slightly behind him but seemed much more put together. A few others came down the stairs behind them, their sister included.

Her eyes landed on me and narrowed, "I wasn't done talking to you."

Sakura and Ino were behind her and looked between her and me a couple of times, matching confused faces. Naruto was behind them.

Kankuro returned from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, "What were you guys talking about?"

I looked between him and his sister a few times as my anger grew even further, and it must've shown on my face because everyone looked at me funny. Rather than reply and make a fool of myself for losing my temper, I continued searching for my coat, so I could get out of there.

After a few awkward moments, I finally found it and started putting my arms in it when Kankuro suddenly spoke from right beside me, "What's up? You look pissed."

My lips moved before I could stop them, "I am pissed! You," I turned to point at his sister, who looked just as shocked as everyone else at my outburst," and you. You're unbelievable! You make me so angry I don't know what to do with myself!"

The room remained silent momentarily as everyone stared at me, Gaara included. My fists were trembling angrily at my sides, and I really wanted to hit something, but I turned and left the house instead.

Upon storming out, I intended to go for a walk until I calmed down, but as soon as I reached the sidewalk, I froze in shock.

"Hey, Matsuri, wait! What's going on?" It was Sakura, but I couldn't turn to meet her eye.

Down the road lay the very building for which we were searching. We must not have noticed it last night because it was so dark. Our stupidity wasn't what set my feet in motion. The blazing fire burning wildly about the first few floors of the giant building was, though.