Gaara's pov

"Mother died.. for this?" For me to be weaker than some leaf village orphan? It's not right, this isn't fair. I've suffered so much more than he will in the corse of his life, no one deals with the bullshit and the fear that I do. My feet are carrying me faster than I thought possible. These buildings are unfamiliar to me. Good lord, how do you get out of here? I've gotta find Temari and Kankuro. I pass a ramen store and keep running, running, running. Hearing the beat of my sandals-click clack click clack- in sync with the beat of my heart -thu thump thu thump thu thump. Going and going noises in my head they don't stop where do the thoughts stop and the noises begin why. Cant. I. Make. It.

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*BANG*

I fell flat on my back, the sand catching me inches above the ground. I guess I was about to run in to a sign, so my sand pushed me back and caught me. Well, might aswell make the best of this situation. I slowly raise my hand, lifting the sand from the ground, I begin flying. I'm so tired from the fight, and my Chakra isn't even close to recharged. I decide to land on the tallest place in the village, the hokage monument. I drain the sand back into my gourd, and for the first time this morning I set it down, and take it all in.

I lay on my stomach, my chest and face hanging off of the edge of the monument. Silence. Peace. For a moment, I almost smile. I urge the embarassment of this morning to leave me. They will forget. I tell myself. I'm unremarkable, it won't matter, I tell myself. It's a comfort. When I die, so will the memory of my unbearable life, if you can call it a life.

The sun is setting on this village, so different from my own. Leaves russle, children play together, scaling trees, running through the streets, giggling screaming, smiling wildly. I know I'm seen as cold and bitter, but to see innocent people happy.. it gives me the slightest bit of happiness. my fellow ninja risk their lives and fight day after day, just so that their home can look like this. Be happy, be free, be safe, children playing dreaming, creating, enjoying their lives. In the sand village, things are not so peacefull. They are by no means terrible, for most citizens, it's just that.. there is no sense of content. No satisfaction of watching the children be so happy and thinking "what I'm doing is worth the risk".

I sigh, watching the sun lower into the horizon, the colors painting and draining off of the sky. Content is not a thing I have often. But for now, I'm going to soak up every bit of it.