Chapter 27

-Matsuri's POV-

For the millionth time in the last five minutes, I glanced at Gaara's profile while we walked through the abandoned residential area of Otogakure. We were looking for the symbol Neji and Tenten left at the last house our group had looted so we'd know where to start.

He and I became a couple two days ago without actually saying the words. To my delight, nothing's really changed, minus the fact that I no longer had to hide that I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

I didn't see how anyone could blame me. Since we had a good conversation and cleared things up, he rarely dawned his default glare. The tranquil expression he suddenly began offering was hard to ignore.

His siblings haven't said anything to me about it, likely because Gaara threatened Kankuro to leave me alone, and the elder Subaku brother almost definitely passed the warning along to his sister. Ino and Tenten didn't hesitate to question me about it, though, and I chickened out of telling them about our new relationship.

To someone else, it might look like I didn't want others to know, but that wasn't the case. I didn't want everyone to suddenly change how they acted around Gaara. He might not like it. Instead, I'd help him gradually relax around the others so they could also befriend him. Then, once our whole group was closer and more comfortable, we'd come clean.

I already had a conversation with Gaara about it so he wouldn't get the wrong idea and think I'm embarrassed by him. He agreed solely because he wanted everyone to leave him alone, which brought us back to my goal of helping him make more friends.

The person it was going to be most challenging to keep it from was Kankuro, not only because we shared a bedroom with him but because he'd seen us cuddling three mornings in a row now. Then again, he just complained and pouted that I didn't give him any affection either, so maybe he was more dim-witted than I thought.

Sakura finally healed my wounds enough that the stitches could come out, but dark bruises still dusted my skin where the bullets and taser had injured me. I was most glad that I could wear clothes comfortably again.

My eyes landed on a rundown-looking house with the letters "NT" carved into the side paneling, and I glanced over to confirm Gaara saw it as well. We wordlessly got up to the porch, and I stood watch with a handgun while he unlocked the door.

Ever since the day I fought the boy we captured, we hadn't had any run-ins with…well, anyone. It was like everyone else on Earth had disappeared, and we were the only humans left. Even if all the missing citizens were being inhabited like that kid, they didn't just disappear into thin air.

I heard the door creak open behind me and gave the area one last look over before following Gaara inside. After verifying where the exits were, we split up. I took the second floor, and he took ground level. Both of us had a large backpack to make carrying our findings easier.

Our primary goal was to look for clothing. Our group split into pairs and took turns leaving the house. Each team was focused on bringing back specific items. Ino and Sai look for medicine and weapons, while Neji and Tenten look for food. Kiba and Kankuro typically switch out with others if someone doesn't feel like going out or has something else to do.

Shikamaru and Temari do the primary lookover of houses to verify there wasn't any danger inside, arguably the most dangerous job because they walk into unknown territory repeatedly.

I lightly brushed my palms against one another once I was at the top of the stairs to knock away any dust that might've gotten onto them from the banister. Looking around, I let out a defeated sigh. The place wasn't dirty, per se, but it was highly cluttered. Storage totes, cardboard boxes, and plastic bags full of who knows what filled the hallways, and when I peeked my head into one of the bedrooms, it was in the same state. Downstairs also looked like this, so Gaara and I would likely have to work this house tomorrow, too.

Ladies and gentlemen, we had a hoarder on our hands.

Since our job was to locate clothing and shoes, we had at least a general idea of everyone's clothing sizes. The shopping district of Oto was too far away to make the trip on foot in one day, so we had to make do with what we could find in these houses. It was a take-what-you-can-get situation, so no one ever complained, except maybe Ino when she had to wear men's clothing.

With another sigh, I decided to head to the furthest room from the staircase and work my way back. I tripped over loose objects on the floor, like cables and books, as I headed to the end of the hall.

When I turned the handle to the furthest room, though, something was apparently leaning against the door. It seemed movable, though, so I pushed and shoved for a few moments. It budged relatively easily, but whatever was on the other side would fall back against it and push the door closed again.

My body warmed with annoyance, and I glared at the door in determination. After glancing behind me to ensure I wouldn't fall over anything, I took a few steps back before angling my shoulders and tackling the door with all my might. Finally, it opened, but it closed behind me once I passed. So, whatever was keeping it closed was hanging in front of it.

I turned around to figure out what it was, only to scream. It was a man. A dead man. He'd hung himself from the coat hook on the back of the door. His body was half decayed, and the room smelt awful.

My hand covered my mouth as I gagged and began shoving box after box out of the way to the window so I could finally wrench it open and take a deep breath of clean air. Tears poured down my face when I turned back to look at the body, my hand over my mouth and nose to keep the awful stench away. I was lucky it was winter, or the situation would worsen.

Shikamaru and Temari were going to hear about this when I got back! How had they missed an entire room?

"Matsuri?"

Gaara's voice came from behind the door, and I automatically took a few steps toward it, only to freeze and have to get back in front of the open window lest I puke from the smell, "Don't open the door unless you can hold it open. Can you try?"

There were a few thumps against the door, but I was surprised that it wouldn't budge for him, "It's locked."

I could've died right there.

"I'm gonna climb out the window; just go back downstairs."

He didn't respond, so I assumed he obeyed my request. I pulled the collar of my coat and shirt up over my nose so I could use both of my hands to pave the way to the entirety of the small window so I could fit out of it. The redhead was probably baffled at the commotion as I carelessly shoved box after box out of my way, but I didn't care. I had to get the hell out of that room.

I finally squeezed through the tiny opening and managed to get my balance on a thin sliver of the roof outside. My brow furrowed as my anger boiled even hotter. The roof was filthy, absolutely disgusting. Not only that, but the window I'd climbed through led to the backyard, which was legitimately just a giant pit filled with mud and dead plants.

When I returned to the house, I truly and honestly would murder those two.

I carefully worked my way to a broader section of the roof, hoping to find a safer way to the ground, but the moment I put my weight on the new area, I realized it, too, was coated with mud, and then I was sliding. A shocked yelp passed my lips as I flailed at the roof's edge, but I missed. Then, my back hit the muddy ground, and the air was knocked right out of me. That was going to leave one hell of a bruise.

My eyes were wide as I stared at the cloudy sky and tried to breathe. Without moving, I could tell the entire backside of my body was caked with mud. I was so angry that I didn't know what to do. As if things couldn't get worse, a drop of freezing rain suddenly stung my cheek, and then another, and then it was pouring.

"Are you hurt?" My eyes darted over to see Gaara hurrying toward me from the backdoor, likely having heard the loud "thud!" and coming to investigate. He was a healthy mixture of concerned and attentive.

A gasp of air finally came into my lungs, and I slowly sat up. My eyes moved from his face down to my body, and the anger nearly got the best of me. My warm winter hat fell off my head because the mud weighed it down.

Gingerly, I accepted Gaara's hand when he offered it to help me out of the thick mud. My shoe came off, and I let out an irritated groan as we turned to see it was stuck, "Today really sucks."

He wordlessly guided me inside, where I slid off my coat to try and wipe off some of the dirt and muck. Goosebumps dusted my arms as I glared while I worked. Even my hair was dirty.

I didn't care what Shikamaru said about only bathing every two or three days to conserve energy. I'd be getting straight into the bath when we got back, even if the water was cold as ice. The damn generator ran on gasoline anyway, so if and when it did finally go out, all we'd have to do was siphon fuel from some cars to get it back up and running. I'd do it myself if he was mad about it.

After getting as much mud as possible off my person, I went back upstairs to continue the search for clothing. Gaara didn't say anything, and I was honestly glad he didn't because my mood was sour, and I didn't want him to see me like that. So, even after a couple hours had passed and we left the house to head back, I kept my teeth grit and my glare on the pavement.

My shoulders and back ached from falling, making carrying a giant bag of heavy clothes and shoes much more annoying. Gaara offered to take it, but I stubbornly refused because then I'll have to add worrying he thinks I'm useless to my list of concerns today.

Luckily, I'd found a pair of boots to walk back in, but they were at least four sizes too big, so my footsteps were loud, and my legs hurt from their heavy weight. Once we entered the yard of the house, I leaned down and took them off, throwing them angrily on the ground nearby before knocking loudly two quick times and then one slow one after a pause.

It unlocked after a few moments, and Temari held the door open for Gaara and me to enter, "Woah! What happened to you?"

I turned to face her once in the family room, letting my giant bag fall to the ground, "You missed a whole ass room; that's what happened!" I heard someone snicker from the dining room and turned to see Kankuro and Shikamaru quickly turn their heads to pretend they hadn't been eavesdropping.

"What? Where at?"

My tears overflowed as my rage morphed into exhaustion, and I knelt down to pick up my bag, ashamed to have lost my temper like that, "There was a…. a man hanging from the back of the door, a-and I got stuck in there with him!"

The others didn't find me amusing anymore, but I wordlessly turned on my heel to deliver the clothes I'd found to Sakura for sorting before hurrying upstairs to take the bath that hadn't left my mind all day. I was just glad no one tried to stop or talk to me because I definitely wanted a solitary moment with my ire.

As soon as it was deep enough to climb into, I was in the bath, trying to clean the awful day from my body. Once the tub was full, I turned off the water and slid under the surface to angrily scrub my face and scalp of dirt, only coming back up when my lungs burned for relief. Then I crossed my arms over the tub's edge and rested my chin atop them with a pout.

Realistically, I should be grateful the mud wasn't completely frozen, or that fall would've hurt a hell of a lot more. My body was so cold, though, that when I first got into the hot water, the temperature difference stung my skin. The town had a good half-inch of ice coating it from the freezing rain by the time we got back and hadn't shown signs of stopping, so we might all be stuck inside tomorrow.

After almost feverishly scrubbing my entire body with soap, I washed my hair before getting out of the bath. Just as I expected, when I glanced in the mirror, a deep bruise, like a twisted tie-dye design, marred my back unevenly. Only as I stood there with my wet hair and a large towel around my body did I realize that I hadn't grabbed anything to change into, not even a robe. I was so overwhelmed and focused on getting clean that I completely forgot about it.

My irritation, which had lightened a bit in the bath, re-heightened, and I thumped my forehead against the door a few times as I silently cursed myself. Left with no other choice, I put my ear to it and listened for people. When I was sure no one was around, I hurried through the hall with the towel gripped firmly around my body before finally making it to the room and slamming the door shut behind me, closing my eyes as I tried to catch my panicked breath.

"Pfft!"

I turned around to see Gaara and Kankuro staring with wide eyes, the elder of the two with a hand over his mouth as he clearly tried not to laugh at my stunned face.

A humiliated blush flushed my entire body, and I raised my free hand to gesture in a soothing manner, "P-Please, Kankuro, just shut up." Rather than listen to my request, the man bursted into loud laughter, lying on the bed with a hand to his stomach.

My teeth ground together as I stomped past both him and his silent brother to crouch in front of the dresser in search of something to wear.

After a few moments, Kankuro sobered up and flirted with baseless confidence, "You know, I think you look cute in a towel," I rolled my eyes as I successfully mouthed his next words as he spoke them. He'd become all too predictable, "I bet you look even cuter without it."

"Have you ever even had a girlfriend?" I bit without turning in his direction.

"Of course I have! Why? Jealous?"

My fingers finally grasped a decent shirt, and I rose as I turned with an annoyed expression, "No. I was just wondering if there's someone out there dumb enough to fall for you."

Studying my appearance, Kankuro waggled his eyebrows, "If you drop the towel, I'll pretend you're my first. Be gentle with me, Matsu!"

After grabbing some undergarments from my backpack, I crossed the room with the intention of returning to the bathroom. My hand froze on the handle when the unmistakable sound of Tenten and Temari laughing floated in from the hall. The room was still silent as I waited for the two women to leave, but their voices weren't fading.

What the hell! Were they sitting out there talking? If Temari saw me leaving her brothers' room in a towel, she'd have a conniption, and if Tenten saw, she'd never stop teasing me.

Defeated, I turned to face the boys, "Can you please not look?"

Gaara nodded automatically and closed his eyes, but of course, Kankuro just grinned, "Come on! Not even a peek? I wanna see your cute little body."

I took a deep breath, face ablaze, before allowing my temper to shine, "You're not going to see anything for the rest of your life because I'll gauge your eyes out."

He laughed but finally obeyed, covering his eyes and turning his back to me, "Fine. Fine. There's no need to get violent. Geez."

Even if they both weren't looking, I couldn't help but rush to slip on the clothes with my eyes trained on them like a hawk. Then, I threw the towel across my shoulders, opened the door, and fled the room, hearing Kankuro tease me as I left, "Come on, Matsu! Don't be like that. I was only joking!"

Later that night, I lay on my back and glared at the ceiling as I listened to Kankuro's soft snoring. The constant background noise had grown on me a bit, so it wasn't what kept me awake. The day had really drained me, but I was still trying to push it from my mind so I could rest.

Gaara suddenly moving tore me from my reminiscing. With his ear to the center of my chest, he whispered barely loud enough for me to hear, obviously concerned he'd wake his brother, "Is this alright?"

Without saying it, I discovered he found it easier to overcome his discomfort with physical contact at night when we were both tired and no one was awake to interrupt. I bent my arm around his shoulder and cautiously ran my fingers into his hair, gently massaging his scalp when he didn't respond negatively.

For once, he seemed more talkative than me, "You're usually asleep by now."

A non-committal sound rumbled through my chest, and I closed my eyes, "If you're okay with it, just stay here like this. It'll make me feel better." Gaara didn't respond for a long time. His arm moved over my waist, though.

Asking him to cuddle me was a selfish request because this was the first time he'd let me touch his hair, but I didn't expect to feel as comforted as I did by it all. Suddenly, the arm around my waist moved up, and I looked to see him hesitate to grab my hand, the one not in his hair. I lifted it slightly, spreading my fingers so he could interlace them with his. Through tired eyes, I admired his pale skin and long fingers. His hands were so much bigger than mine, making me feel somewhat childlike.

"Soft." Heat began to rise to my cheeks, and I let him pull my hand down so he could hold it closer to his face on the bed. "Warm."

I wanted to look at his face because the breathy tone of his voice made it seem as though he might not be fully awake, but that'd ruin the calm aura, so I simply closed my eyes and gently held him more closely to my chest, sighing contently.

Just like that, my bad day didn't matter anymore. He made all the sour feelings disappear.